Hawaiian Vacation

We just got back from our vacation to Hawaii! It was a combined my birthday/Julie's birthday/happy anneversary/sorry I was gone all summer kind of trip and we all had a lot of fun. On the first day we saw some sea turtles right off the shore by our condo and Damon got knocked over by the waves. He got used to the beach pretty quick and really loved digging holes and getting all sandy. We drove the road to Hana and saw some amazing waterfalls and scenery, including a black sand beach and a red sand beach. Both incredibly beautiful. We also took a four mile round trip hike up to this one incredible waterfall and everyone who passed us thought we were crazy for dragging our kids all the way up there. But it was worth it. We went to the Maui Ocean Center (a really big aqaurium) and got to look at the fish up close and personal. Damon really liked the octopus and was really excited about all the "big fish!" as he likes to say. We did do a little snorkling by taking turns and I saw three sea turtles and Julie saw a sting ray and a sea turtle. I think she wins. We also drove to the top of a volcano and walked around a bit. It gets a little chilly at 10,000 feet but the view was incredible. Mom and Dad's timeshare was right on the water so usually we would just go out on the balcony to watch the sunset.

After an amazing week on Maui we went over to Oahu and got to visit with Jared and Suzanne. We had so much fun. We went to Pearl Harbor and Damon loved riding on the boat. Jared and Suzanne took us to the Dole plantation where Damon got to ride on a train and he loved that too. He also loved his huge bowl of Dole Whip (Suzanne got the best picture of that, and unfortunately it's not on this computer). And then we went to the Polynesian Cultural Center and learned all about the polynesian people. They do this show called "Ha: The breath of Life" and it's basically a pageant of some of the major cultures and it's incredible. While we were at the show and the luau, Damon got to go trick or treating with his cousins. He had a lot of fun with Chandler and Jacob. He fought with Adam a little bit but that's to be expected from two two year olds who want what the other has. They were actually pretty cute together. And then we came home and survived the plane ride somehow. Damon slept for 17 hours straight when we got home and woke up on Utah time. Hooray for no jet lag for him! That was long and stretched out and if you read it all you deserve to see some pictures.

Us at the black sand beach.

Damon and Joel at our first waterfall.

Emma and Julie in the middle of the bamboo forest on our hike. It was so thick it looked like twilight.

Julie, Damon and Emma bathing in the Seven Sacred Pools at the end of the Road to Hana (the water felt so good after our hike!)

Damon was a little sand monkey.

Our family at the top of Mt. Haleakala.

Damon and Joel ponder at the USS Arizona.

Joel and Damon play with poy balls. One of many fun activities at the PCC.

We had so much fun, but it is nice to be home. We will post cute pics of the cousins soon.