The Final Stretch

I may be eight months pregnant with baby #3 (which is code for swollen everywhere, constant heartburn, bruised ribs, waddling, and living in yoga pants), but I can still do this:

I think my high school coach would be proud.

Hawaii Wrap-Up

It already seems like ages ago that we were in the land of palm trees and sandy shores. But I must wrap it up with a few more highlights before completely tossing the memories to the back of my mind. And for the sake of not dragging this on forever, I'm going to combine a lot into one post.

We waited 15 months to go back to Kahuku Grill. We basically booked it to dinner straight from the airport, and then hit it up again at the end of the week.

I'm not a huge hamburger fan, but the "Shem Burger" is hands down the best burger I've ever had in my life. Do yourself a favor. Drive to the North Shore of Oahu, find Kahuku Grill, and order the Shem Burger. You will thank me.

Blake spent an afternoon with Polynesian natives, teaching him all sorts of cultural traditions. We opted to leave Nash napping at home. It was a smart choice, because Blake was just old enough to really enjoy all of the activities. And I love doing special things just with him.

His "tough" face.

And then there were the beaches. Oh the beaches. Where there were always holes to be dug.

Frisbees to be thrown.

Shore "treasures" to be found.

Gummy bears to be inserted into hungry mouths whose owners had sandy hands.

Boogie boards to be navigated.

Handfuls of sand to be thrown into the water over and over and over.

Swimsuits to be lost. (Had to.)

More holes to be dug.

And, of course, mounds of sand to cover every surface.

We packed up quite a lot of that sand and flew it back home with us via our suitcases, camera bags, sunglasses cases, portable electronics, etc. Worth it? 100%. 

Evening Beach Run

We made it to the beach at some point every day while we were in Hawaii. But I think the boys' favorite beach memory might have been our windy evening picnic which was actually kind of an afterthought.

Troy's parents had meetings one evening (yes, they do have actual work to do in paradise), so we ordered take-out. You have to drive along the shore to get anywhere, and as we were driving home, we thought, why not pull off at one of the hundreds of beaches and make it into a picnic?

The wind was out of control, but the boys couldn't bear being feet away from the ocean without at least throwing some sand in there.

Of course, "some sand" turned into them both being drenched and covered in wet sand by the end. But we were in Hawaii. And I couldn't think of a better place to live it up a little and forget about the mess.

They shouted, "Danger, danger!" each time a wave crashed along the shore and ran away as fast as they could to avoid getting wiped out. They had the time of their lives.

These Two

These two fight about as much as get along.

But they are genuinely best friends. Every time we went to the beach in Hawaii, they came up with a new game or activity together.

Whether it was sledding on the boogie board, digging gigantic holes, throwing handfuls of sand into the water over and over, or revving each other up by shouting, "danger, danger!" each time a wave rushed in, they never ceased to be entertained.

There is nothing better than watching your children create memories together.

Chasing Waterfalls

Hiking to a waterfall was another activity that could be done in the rain. And sunglasses were a necessity, regardless of the precipitation status.

We've done this hike before, but the tropical flowers never cease to catch my eye.

The hike is about a mile and a half long and in the thick of the tropical forest.

Nash was taught how to play the bamboo while enroute.

At last we reached the waterfall and braced ourselves for the cold water.

Blake carefully examined the waterfall route.

Troy was brave enough to swim Blake out to the waterfall.

Nash stayed back to slurp up some water. I don't know where he comes up with these ideas.