stay-cation: fall break 2013

ahonui had fall break from school all last week until Monday.  we didn't wanna waste ahonui's free time with television, or sitting around the house.  noSIREEbob.  so brandon requested to use his vacation time during the entire week...and what the heck, i requested to be off for the last few days of the week too!

on monday he was invited to his cousin ava's bday party in kapolei.  he spent the entire day with cousins traveling the island, doing artsy crafts at the party (thanks aunty ange & uncle tane), then treated to the movies watching "cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2" (thanks to uncle marcus & aunty nue)!  love when his days are filled with brain improvement activities and social situations.

i had my prenatal appointment on wednesday when we were able to see baby on the ultrasound.  after we found out that baby is a boy, brandon & i wanted to celebrate and thought it was perfect timing for a date night!  my faaaavorite.  so we watched "gravity", ate at ninja sushi, and topped the day off with a trip to walmart.  because a peaceful, kid-less, walmart excursion is a date in itself.  you can't deny it.

what would date night be without a little sushi?  yummm-errrrrr.

thursday was my first day off for the week.  brandon had been wanting to take the kids to try a different hike on the island (we've taken them up through the laie mountains several times already).  so we asked my brother & sister-in-law for directions on some of the trails that they've been on.  they tipped us off on a nearby, kid-friendly, short hike, with a river at the end to cool off at in kahana valley.  since i'm sure they didn't wanna spend the week sitting around either, they joined us!  we ended up with 15 kids and 6 adults total going on the hike.  the more, the merrier was definitely the case here, because we had a ton of fun together!

a rare SMILE from the girl!

by the time we got home and cleaned up, we needed a power nap (okay - maybe just me).  and then decided to take the kids to brandon's stomping grounds - PCC night show!  lol.  usually when i take the kids, nahe somehow all of a sudden gets ants in her pants and won't sit still.  this time though, she seemed mesmerized with the music & dancing and we were all able to enjoy the show together.  aaaaaah....

waiting to get seated for night show with cousin, jaden.

 

friday morning we got up bright and early to be a part of a historical event for the community...Hawaii's famous double-hulled polynesian canoe, the hōkūleʻa, stopped at hukilau bay for a welcoming ceremony.  this was the first time ever that the hōkūleʻa ever came to laie, so it was kind of a big deal - and i wanted to make sure that our kids were there to witness the special event.

tons of people showed up that morning to see the hōkūleʻa's arrival.  and even though it arrived several hours later than expected, we were lucky to have had some family that were there a lot earlier with a little tent set up - because thick rainclouds brought a lot of wind and rain during the wait.  the kids didn't seem to mind a whole lot...since they got themselves drenched anyway by running into the beach.  *note: it is unreasonable to take a child to the beach expecting them to not get soaked.  whether they are dressed for swimming or not, it is inevitable that they will get wet.

  

 

after the hōkūleʻa welcoming, we showered up and were starrrvation!  so we headed down to byuh for the local farmer's market for lunch and treated the kids to a few ice cream cones from the seasider.

our last day of the stay-cation...all day beach day!!  brandon's entire immediate family (it's a big one - but i like it) planned a beach day at kakela's (now called kokololio beach park).  so we had lots of food, family, and fun!  i feel that relaxing days such as these, spent with family at the beach under a tent with lots of good grinds are what make living in hawaii so worth it.  i really think that this was the perfect way to end the week.  family + swim + eat + play + sleep + repeat = happiness.

who says you need to spend a bunch of cash or leave our little rock for a whole lotta fun?  not i.  and this week was proof of that.

flashback friday: waikiki 2012

just over one year ago, Brandon decided to celebrate my bday a little differently...so we stayed in a beautiful corner rainbow tower room at the Hilton Hawaiian Village!!

luckily we had a family member who worked there that hooked us up with an awesome discount on the room.  because I don't think that we could've afforded it otherwise. we checked in on friday afternoon, and left Waikiki on Monday afternoon.  the 3 days went by way too quick and made us wish that we could live that life forever.  it's always so difficult to go back to your routine of school, work, transporting the kids to and from the grandparents, etc. after such a relaxing "stay-cation".

 

here's some of the highlights of our little escape:

• chillin' on our wraparound balcony overlooking Waikiki beach and diamond head.
• swimming in the hotel pool with the kids.
• enjoying a mac 24/7 breakfast with the man vs. food HUGE pancakes
• watching the amazing fireworks from our room's balcony.  so convenient!
• grinding at cheesecake factory with Brandon's brother's family, and his AZ mission companion.
• macaroni grill birthday dinner (sheesh, does it sound like we eat out a lot or WHAT?)

birthday celebrations are the best!  haha.

maui no ka ʻoiiiiii!!!

last weekend we traveled to the garden isle of maui...the bad news: it was for a family member's funeral.  the good news is that we were able to enjoy some serious quality family time!  we took a few days off from work and ahonui took a few days off from school (he was sooo bummed about it - NOT) for the short trip.

since we went for a funeral, it wasn't planned at all and so everything we had to get done (flights, hotel, car rental) was sort of last minute.  the week before, we had just gotten approved to be off of work and decided that we would all go together as a family.  we grabbed that opportunity to be away for a bit and ran with it!  because it's not very often that we get to travel and experience new things away from our little rock.

I knew that there was no way our family could make it to HNL in the morning, so I booked a flight at noon...maximizing our time in maui - yet not waking up at 4am to attempt a 7am flight.  no sireee, not for us.  we woke up on Friday morning ready and stoked for our 4 day trip!!

we made it to the airport and our gate an hour before our flight departed...luckily, inter-island flights are easier to manage.  the kids were very well behaved, excited, and didn't seem phased with the airplane ride - of course the flight was only about 25 minutes long, but who's counting?  they were still little angels during those 25 minutes.  haha.  it seriously felt like as soon as we got on and up in the air - we were landing already.  deflated...

we stayed at the aston kaʻānapali shores hotel near lahaina.  I didn't know it at the time, but our room was actually more like a one-bedroom condo.  it had a bedroom, living room, kitchen and dining area!  I loved the kitchen because it was fully functional with plates, pots, utensils, appliances and errrfang!!  so after the flight, sorting out the car rental (free upgrade to a van!), figuring out directions, driving an hour to the hotel, checking in (free upgrade to an ocean view!  mmm-hmm, i'm just sweet like that, so peeps be hookin' me uuuup.  free of charge.  lol!), and getting settled into our room, we went to the local grocery store - across the street - and bought a bunch of food so we wouldn't have to eat out for each meal.  i'm hoping we saved money this way because we ended up spending $118 for really only about THREE days worth of meals.  I was pretty shocked because we didn't get a whole lot of food, but I guess that's the price you pay for staying in a resort-type town.  happy to say though, that aside from the mayo and honey condiments - we ate and drank EVERYTHING we bought!  plus more...heehee!

after we had a bite to eat on our first day there, we noticed that the sun was already going down.  so we all went down to the beach to watch the sunset.  and OMG - it was seriously one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever witnessed.  I recall nice sunsets on Oahu every now and then, Utah had some pretty ones...but this one - absolutely breathtaking.  even when I was younger and we went to maui for vacation, I remember watching some memorable sunsets during those trips.  I think and I'm hoping that this will be a memorable moment for my children too.  it was just a beautiful and natural way to enjoy time together with each other.

Saturday was spent entirely with the kahaialii family.  the funeral was for one of Brandon's cousins.  in the morning we went to the viewing, and the services started in the afternoon.  after that, there was the procession of cars which traveled down front street of lahaina (kind of like Waikīkī, but more old town, classic Hawaii). then the burial.  it's always sad saying goodbye to someone, especially when they leave behind children.  thankfully though, we can take comfort in the plan of salvation and the knowledge that we'll see those that have passed again someday.  after the burial we went to the beach for some grindz with the entire kahaialii crew.  ahonui and nahe had a blast swimming and running around freely with their cousins.

the view outside the chapel from the funeral services...purrrrty!

nahe wouldn't sit still during the services, so
I took her outside to let her wiggles free.

the next day was wide open with no plans after church.  so we seized the opportunity and traveled to the maui ocean center in Wailuku.  I loved seeing the kids' expressions watching tiger sharks, sting rays, seahorses, and even little bitty fishes doing their thang in the aquarium tanks.  the ocean center is awesome with a floor to ceiling glass wall allowing you to sit and watch all the marine life swim around.  it also has a see-through tunnel that you can walk through and feel like you're in the water with the fishes.  so cool!

after that we spontaneously decided to drive up to the Haleakalā volcanic crater.  this drive took forEVERRR but it was so beautiful.  only Brandon and ahonui went outside and walked around because, well, nahe had a little accident during the long drive.  and I wasn't prepared to let our two-year-old walk around in the chilly high-altitude air in wet clothes.  but we still had a good time!  can't let a little urine bring you down!  =)

after the long drive back to kaʻānapali, I was so tired.  but the kids weren't done yet.  they begged us the entire day to go swimming in the pool...and what's a vacay without swimming in the hotel pool?  so we got them all changed into their swim gear and down to the pool we went.  neither of them can swim yet, so we had to supervise them the entire time.  which is no biggie, i'm thinking that in a few years or so they'll be able to swim and won't want to hang around mommy & daddy in the pool anymore.  i'll be longing for times like these...so both Brandon & I savored these precious moments alone with our babies.

after the pool and baths for everyone, we were famished.  so I asked Brandon where he wanted to eat for dinner (yiip, all of our groceries were gone already)...he said he didn't know.  so i suggested a good place that was just down the road from the hotel...you know, just your everyday steak & seafood place.  so the hubby agreed.  little did he know that Roy's was a little more than the "everyday" type eatery.  i tricked him!  hehehe.  my justification?  honestly how often would we be eating at a place like this?  and when are we ever this CLOSE to Roy's without annoying traffic and confusing directions to get there?  and hellooooo, we're on VACATION!  right?  rooooiiight.

 

but then just a few bites into the crab cake and spicy tuna roll appetizers, he was a happy camper.  those grindz are NO JOKE!  delicious, satisfying, and wonderful dinner experience overall.  i would definitely go back to Roy's - if only the restaurant here wasn't so far away and tucked deep into the depths of city traffic.  yuck.  one day...one day.  nahe fell asleep at the dinner table.  so you knooooow it was really ʻono!!

when we got back to the hotel -  i knocked OUUUT.  and apparently ignored the fact that our 9am return flight meant that we needed to be ready and check-out of the hotel by 6:15am.  so this amazing dude down there washed our dirty laundry, folded, and packed everything up for everybody.  he got everything ready so all we had to do was eat breakfast, brush teeth, and get dressed the next morning.  yup, he's a keeper.

a hui hou, e Maui!

and that was the end of our 4 day adventure.  i think i need another one...like now.

flashback friday: disney vacay

(it's been a looooong time since i've done a "flashback friday", and i'm pretty sure that there's quite a few things that I've missed since being MIA for the most of 2011 AND the entire 2012 year...this is me with an update mostly for documentation purposes. *grins*  have i thanked you lately for stopping by my blog??)

 

in april 2011, brandon's cousin was married in washington state, and it was for that big event, that my MIL made the executive decision that the entire kahaialii clan (21 of us, to be exact) should, must, and will fly up for the previously mentioned big event.  so we began planning in october of 2010 for the trip and then we thought, what the heck - why not throw SoCal in the mix while we're at it?  thanks to a decent 2011 tax return, we pulled off paying for airfare, hotel, transportation and meals for our family of four for a week & a half of pure bliss.  and chaos.  and constant diapering of a 7-month-old in public restrooms.  it was fun!

 

seriously though, we did have a blast.  even though nahe was too young at the time to remember and appreciate her first mainland experience, i'm still happy that we all made it there (and back in one piece!) together.  some of the most memorable (not necessarily the best - but memorable, because it's been a while and things from 2011 are a tad rusty...and also because not everything is raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens when you're living out of a suitcase filled mostly with diapers) moments of the trip?  right here...

• sightseeing the city of seattle, including the space needle, and children's museum.
• ahonui getting feverishly sick in seattle...thus, only getting out of the hotel room to see the space needle and children's museum. 
• jennifer & mark maiava's beautiful wedding reception in tacoma.
• nahe getting a not-so-fun rash all over her cheeks in seattle...we're thinking that her skin didn't care too much for the 50 degree washington weather.
• breakfast buffet at goofy's kitchen on our first morning at disneyland.
• smooth sailing on the "it's a small world" ride with ahonui, introducing him to the animatronic beauties from around the world.  i think it was his favorite.
• "soarin' over california" ride at disney's california adventure park...i think that's my favorite.
• watching the kids faces light up during the firework show and "world of color" water show.
• universal studios backlot tour...it gave my feet a nice rest and me & the kids a nice mid-day nap. =)
• curious george playground at universal studios - ahonui didn't want to leave that place...there were air bazookas shooting plastic balls - need i say more?
• trying to get our money's worth of our "unlimited food pass" at universal, so we stopped at every eligible restaurant to fill our already full bellies.
• a long flight home with a 7-month-old that simply won't sit still for more than 2 minutes.  lucky for us we had lots of aunties & uncles, and grandma & grandpa willing to take the wiggle monster off our hands a lot throughout the trip.

i didn't want to forget these things.  and although everything doesn't go perfectly while on vacation, i'd say it's pretty close to perfection when you've got free time with your family doing memorable, once-in-a-lifetime activities together.

the utah vacay

yes, this was back in december...but this baby is keeping me awake and blogging is probably one of the very few things i can do at this time of night (or early morning) that doesn't require loud noises to wake everyone up.

needless to say, our trip to utah was much needed and long overdue. we had an amazing, wonderful time visiting with family, playing in the snow, catching up with old friends, soaking up the christmas spirit in a real winter wonderland, and simply spending quality time together as a family.

a BIG, HUMONGOUS thank you to the nawahine ohana for their hospitality and never-ending love they have for us...i always feel at home when i get to stay with them. as soon as we arrived from the airport, they had a huge pot of beef stew waiting for us on the stove. seriously felt like we were coming home, to a colder climate, that is. haha! their house in lehi was absolutely beautiful! it almost convinced me to move to the mainland - but the 4 layers of clothing we all had to pile on just to go to walmart across the street withdrew that notion for me pretty quickly. let's just say, i'm a t-shirt & lavalava type of chick. ANYWAY, we had a ton of fun staying with the nawahines. we are so blessed to have family that are so wonderful!

darren & kaloi nawahine's children...breesa (we celebrated her birthday before the cake was ready - lol!), iosepa, and keahi. ahonui just loved his cousins! every day the little guy would wake up and run out of our bedroom to look for his cousins to play. we love these kids!


christmas evening with brandon's cousins and aunty manu. brandon grew up with them until they moved to the mainland, so it was a nice reunion for him and great for ahonui & i to meet them for the first time. nothing better than family during christmas time...can i get an amen?


the main reason we flew thousands of miles to the freezing cold...a forever friend, tali (formerly alisa) & inoke hafoka got married in the oquirrh mountain temple on december 30, 2009. we also were able to celebrate their marriage the night before at a dance held in their honor in salt lake city. mahalo to tali & inoke for giving us an excuse to have a getaway!!


the oquirrh mountain temple in sandy (i think). it was higher in the mountain tops and one of the recently built temples so there weren't any homes or buildings around it. so incredibly beautiful and secluded. the spirit was definitely strong that day.

best friends who are like sisters to me...miki, me, sarah, titi, and mary. while we waited for tali & inoke to come out of the temple, we beautifully froze our okoles off! i'm quite sure the temp that day was a mild 21 degrees. but what does cold weather matter when you've got amazing friends to keep you warm? it was sooo nice to finally catch up with them. i only wish i could have spent more time with them during our trip. everything seemed to go by way too fast!


boarding the plane on our way home. sad :'-( our flight was too early in the morning for ahonui to do much. he refused to walk, brandon & i refused to carry him. so we compromised and he got to ride the carry-on! lucky kid. unfortunately though, ahonui caught a bad cold & fever a few days before the wedding. he ended up getting a high fever and was out of commission for a few days during our trip. i felt so bad for our little trouper because we still took him out of the house even though he wasn't feeling well. throwing up, high fever, and just miserable. we ended up taking him to the docs right before we headed to the wedding reception so he was a little better by the time we headed home. we're just very, very grateful that he was a GEM throughout the entire flight there and back. thank goodness for ipods and in-flight movies!

some of the highlights of our trip:

• christmas with the nawahines & jimenez families
• tali & inoke's wedding
• sledding at tibble fork canyon
• temple square lights
• visiting with family & friends
• family portraits in the snow
• shopping...quiksilver outlet, shade clothing, provo towne center
• eating out...red robin, cafe rio, tucanos - YUH-MEEEE!!!

to sum up our vacay...relaxing, cold, and waaaay too much fun!

so i thought...

brandon & i FINALLY scheduled a summer vacation for our family for next month. actually, all we did was schedule time off from work. since we haven't taken off more than a day or two from work since our honeymoon, we are stoked for the upcoming break! however, we don't want to blow all of our savings on a week of fun, so we have decided to stay on-island during the vacay. i was very reluctant about not going anywhere "exciting" during our time off, but brandon always has a way of putting things back into perspective.

i used to be under the impression that a real vacation needed to include reservations at a big, fancy resort...or a week of excitement at a roller-coaster infested theme park. but mostly i thought it should be a hop, skip, and a plane ride over to the mainland... aka - off the rock of o'ahu. but we are staying home during our vacation. i know, "hooooome" can sound depressing when you aren't planning to go anywhere else on vacation time from work. but duh! our home IS on one of the biggest vacation hot-spots in the world!!! what was i thinking? yes...i was thinking i see this stuff every day (or at least almost every weekend).

...i was thinking the beach would be just another weekend type day for our son.



...i was thinking we'd end up wasting our days off in front of the tube.


but, thanks to my practical, money-saving hubs, i have since come to the realization that vacations are as wonderful as you make them to be - no matter where you are or what you do. and this is the list that we came up with for our 11 day vacation...

• hit up the bishop museum to see the "backyard monsters" insect exhibit.
• visit the children's discovery center so ahonui can freely explore without me worrying.
• take ahonui to the honolulu zoo for the first time!
• check out the waikiki aquarium to show ahonui what nemo really looks like.
• go to wet'n'wild hawaii (previously known as hawaiian adventures waterpark) for some fun in the sun
• soak up some world war II history at the pearl harbor memorial
• enjoy a day at waimea beach and some local kine shave ice at matsumotos.

i think it's safe to say that our days won't be wasted. any other suggestions?

makahiki ekolu

three years ago today brandon & i were married and sealed in the laie, hawaii temple.

we really treated ourselves this past weekend in waikiki. even though it was only two days of a vacation, i don't think i've been that relaxed in a loooong, long time. we spent our days getting our money's worth from the hotel room (get your mind right...) - watching tv, sleeping, and surfing the web. i slept and slept and slept...and sure enjoyed our humongous plasma flat screen tv from the bed. we spent our nights eating out in nearby restaurants like cheesecake factory, charthouse (which i loved, but brandon did not due to the small portions), and mac 24-7 (a cute, hip restaurant conveniently located in our very own lobby that served the most enormous pancakes i've ever seen!). we also planned on going to the movies, but we were so clever to figure out that our in-room movies were cheaper (and waaay easier to get to)! so we were able to catch up on a few flicks AND save money at the same time in the comfort of our hotel room. we are so economical.

i know it may sound strange, but honestly, all i wanted to do was just lay around and do nothing. i didn't want to have to think about which one-way waikiki street we couldn't drive down, or which expensive polynesian show (that we most likely have already seen) to catch, or how much money i couldn't spend on a coach bag. those things were not on my agenda, and i'm so happy that brandon concurred with my lazy request.

it was a wonderful way to celebrate three wonderful years together.