Our Trip to Hawaii: Day 3

We spent day three of our Hawaiian vacation up on the North Shore at the Polynesian Cultural Center.  They have "villages" set up representing many of the Polynesian islands.  We were able to visit most of them, and learn about life on the islands.  Cohen was given a little toy bird made from palm leaves.  By flicking it, you can make it "fly" forward.  It was fun, and entertained him all day long...

We tried our hand at doing poi balls.  We weren't very good--except Mike who had learned how to do them as a kid while living in Hawaii...

Our scary warrior faces...

Waiting for the Canoe Parade...

Each of the island nations represented at the center had their own canoe, and were doing traditional dances as they floated by...

Waiting for the show to begin in the Tongan Village...

On our canoe ride...

Later that afternoon, we took a tram through the town of Laie to see the temple...

It was so beautiful...

Then we headed back over to the Polynesian Cultural Center where we tried drinking coconut water straight from a coconut...

That evening, we attended the luau, where we were each given flower leis...

And we got to drink a tropical drink out of a pineapple...

During part of the luau, they asked for volunteers to come up and dance.  Mike and Cohen volunteered...

They had fun shaking their groove thing...

After the luau, we went to the Broadway-type show they put on there...

It was awesome!  We loved the Polynesian Cultural Center, but it was a very long day!  We were there from noon until 10 pm (2:00 am, Utah time).  Vivvie fell asleep during the show.  Everyone else looked like zombies walking back to the cars.  All the kids fell asleep quickly on the drive back to the hotel.  How do you know you're having fun on vacation?  When your kids fall asleep even before their heads hit the pillow!  --Lindsay

Our Trip to Hawaii: Day 2

We started the day out bright and early, since we were all still kind of on Utah time.  We headed out to Pearl Harbor and got there about 7:00 am, so we could make sure we got tickets.  I'm glad we got there when we did because the line was already crazy long.  Luckily, we were able to still get tickets, and we were able to see some amazing sites.  Here we are with the harbor behind us.  The USS Arizona Memorial is to the left of our family back in the distance across the harbor...

The kids in front of the USS Arizona's anchor...

We watched a movie about how the Japanese were able to pull off their attack, and then boarded the boat to go out to the USS Arizona Memorial...

Pulling up...

The memorial sits over the top of the wreckage.  There are parts of the ship that stick up above the water...

The names of all the souls lost that terrible day...

Our family at the Memorial...

Nana & Poppy at the Memorial...

Once back from our tour of the Memorial, we walked the grounds and explored a little bit...

It was really awesome to be able to see Pearl Harbor.  It was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit Oahu, so I'm so glad we were able to go there, and that the kids could learn a little more about the attack that marked our entrance into World War II.

That afternoon, we drove over to the east side of the island on the recommendation of one of my co-workers, David James.  He loves the towns of Kailua and Lanikai, and we can definitely see why!  Both are beautiful! We stopped and ate lunch on our way to the beach at one of David's recommended places in Kailua--the Kalapawai Market.  It's a small convenience store right by the beach, but there is a yummy little deli inside...

They had really yummy sandwiches and pizzas.  We were all big fans, and highly recommend it...

After eating, we drove on to Lanikai Beach.  It was a beautiful beach.  Crystal clear, calm waters and white sand beaches.  Can't beat that...

We played in the sand and surf all afternoon...

Before going out to Lanikai, we stopped at Walmart and bought snorkeling gear.  The kids and big kids (a.k.a. Mike & Poppy) had a great time snorkeling through the water looking for fish...

The girls had fun lounging on the beach, soaking up the Hawaiian sunshine...

You'll notice that blue towel near my feet has a bunch of stuff sitting on it.  That's because Mike went into the water with his wallet still in his pocket.  Haha!  We took everything out of it and laid it out to dry...

My view.  Can you beat that?  I just sat there in awe that I was actually in Hawaii...

Mike helping Cohen snorkel...

We also bought some bubbles for the kids before heading to the beach, and they were a big hit.  The sea breeze blew the bubbles for the kids, and they had fun chasing and popping them...

Cohen and Aiden popping bubbles, with Viv taking a break...

Mike and me with those beautiful turquoise waters behind us...

Our little ohana...

Nana and I showing off our colorful toes...

Aiden found a big stick along the beach, and used it to write his name larger than life...

Viv followed suit.  She likes to spell Vivvie "Vivi".  I think it's cute.  I may start spelling it that way.  That's the beautiful thing about nicknames--you can spell them however you want...

We left the beach that evening and drove back to Honolulu.  We were blessed to have beautiful views like this out our window most the way...

Once back in the city, we grabbed some dinner, and got a good night's sleep to get ready for the next day.  --Lindsay