Kauai Part 2

Another long one!

Monday: The boys went golfing on a municipal course in Kapa'a and Tiff and I went shopping. Needless to say there is hardly ANY shopping on this island. We did get an awesome pineapple at the Sunshine Market. I guess that's what I loved so much about Kauai. It is so laid back and on the North Shore everything is just small, locally owned shops and restaurants. It makes the trip. The boys went surfing that night and we went to dinner. It was a relaxing day. Oh, and the shaved ice is awesome on the island. They put macadamia nut ice cream on the bottom, then whatever flavor shaved ice you want (I loved rootbeer) and then they put sweetened condensed milk on top. Sounds like a gross combination, but it was amazing!!






TUESDAY: Catamaran Trip to Napali Coastline, Kipu Falls

CATAMARAN

Funny story about the Catamaran Boat Trip. We were STRESSED. We stayed on the North Shore and the boat was about an hour away. Brad decided we only needed 45 min. to get there. On our way there, I looked down and it said we needed an HOUR AND A HALF!!! This resulted in us calling them, begging them not to leave us, stressing out, getting stuck behind the SLOWEST cars in all of Kauai and RUNNING as fast as we can while everyone on the boat waited for us. Yup, we felt cool especially when the captain announced to everyone waiting on the boat we had FINALLY made it.

The Catamaran trip was a lot of fun. We were right alongside a ton of dolphins. On the way back we hit some great swells. Tiff and I were on top and we thought we were safe. NOPE. The waves would hit the boat and come blowing back and hit us right in the face. We were more soaked then the boys on the front of the boat. It was pretty crazy there for a while.







Tiff and I soaked on the top. We tried blocking some of the water with my towell. I stole some pics from your blog Tiff!




KIPU FALLS

Kipu Falls was so much fun. It's out in the middle of nowhere. There is a huge tree where people have tied a rope swing. It was a little scary going off the rope because it was about twenty to thirty feet down to the water. Also, this is not maintained so the ladder going back up was pretty shady and slippery!






Brad really did go also, but we only have video. Sorry honey!




WEDNESDAY-Kayak up Wailua River and hike to Secret Falls



Tiff and I in the waterfall



View from Princeville Resort



Goodbye Mick and Tiff! They headed home a day earlier then us.



THURSDAY-Last Day

We decided to go out with a bang on our last day. We splurged and went on a helicopter ride. I'm so glad we did!! It was amazing to see everything you can only see by air. There were so many waterfalls! Seriously one of the most amazing things I've ever done. The pics were taken through the helicopter window, so they are a little blurry.



They showed these waterfalls in the movie Jurassic Park.



The Grand Canyon of the Pacific-Waimea Canyon



This is a view of the beach and the waterfall that we hiked to. You might have to click on the picture to be able to see the waterfall in the back.



The prettiest waterfall near Princeville on the North Shore. You could see it from the road there but up close it was amazing. There were so many separate waterfalls that made up the big waterfall. I wanted to go hiking and find them which is near to impossible!




Please excuse the muffin tops. I promise it was the straps around our waists!! haha



Near Shipwreck Beach



And FINALLY, me on the beach after a long trip to Hawaii!



Overall, this was an AMAZING trip. I loved it so much. We found out about a bunch of the things to do by this awesome book.



I would recommend anyone going to Hawaii to get a book. They have one for each island.
Anyway, thanks to my PARENTS for giving us a week of their timeshare for our birthdays and to Mick and Tiff for being such great travel companions! We had a wonderful time!

Kauai Part 1

We're back! The ten days we were gone went by way too fast but we were so excited to come home and see Cooper! Just to warn you....this blog is way too long. Sorry. I just couldn't cut out some of the pics. Here is what happened the first half of our trip.

We flew out on April 30 to Honolulu. We decided to stay one night in Waikiki because Brad had never been to Oahu before. The next day we spent cruising around the whole island. It was a lot of driving, but we had a great time.

THURSDAY

Pearl Harbor



Dole Pineapple Plantation

Who's ready for some pineapple?



I had no idea that pineapple grew like this.



The apple bananas here grew like this and then had a flower coming out the bottom. I thought it looked so weird!





North Shore Beach



Oahu Temple



FRIDAY

Finally in Kauai! Beach day. Queen's Bath, Secret Beach, and Ke'e Beach

Queen's Bath




SATURDAY-We headed to the west side of the island. Glass Beach, Waimea Canyon and Polihale State Park

Glass Beach. Nice legs Honey!



Waimea Canyon




Two Statues at the Marriot(or two NERDS!)



SUNDAY-Hike and Tunnels Beach

Hike up the Kalalau Trail to Hanakapi'ai Beach and Falls (Yes, it was eight miles, and yes I have the blisters to prove it!)




The beach two miles in





Anyone need a bathroom? NOT ME!!


Treacherous Trail-Brad and I both had good falls with bruises



Falls



It started downpouring right when we got there. Needless to say Tiff and I didn't get in.




Tunnels Beach




Valley near Princeville

MIA

Yeah! It's finally here. Brad and I are heading off to Kauai tomorrow with our friends, the Simmons. I'm so ready for a break, and while I'm nervous to leave Coop, I'm excited. Sometimes moms just need a break :).I know he will have a great time with both grandmas and aunt Diane. (THANKS GUYS!!) So I will be missing in the blog world. Not that I've been that great about posting lately anyway. Oh and also, I am NOT a good packer. I always have two bags. Well, we just found out that Delta is starting to charge for the second bag. Yup twenty five bucks starting May 5 or 6 (can't remember). I'm in trouble. I guess I'll have to start learning to be a good packer from now on. Brad will be happy. Myself...not so much. You just always have to have that extra pair of shoes!

Showers and Coop's Latest

The last couple of weeks were so fun for us. We got a visit from my cute little sister Michelle. Her little boy is coming in June, so she had some baby showers to go to while she was out here. My mom and I made her the cutest quilt. I almost wanted to keep it for myself. We had so much fun. I just wished she lived closer so we could hang out like that all the time.




Riding on the tractor with my cousin Daniel


Also, Coop has started this climbing phase. I hope it's a phase because it makes me so nervous. While we were in Lewiston at my parents, he climbed onto their kitchen chairs and onto the table...Well, I thought we were safe at our house because we have the counter height table and chairs. NOPE. He figured those out also. He climbs up the chairs and onto the table or counter. Needless to say I am just waiting for him to fall off and break an arm or something. He does run into a problem every now and then though. If the chairs are underneath the table or counter he can't get up....Brad got these pics on Sunday. He was a little stuck :)

Amazing Video

My mom sent me this email today with a video attached. The email said this video is a slideshow of photos that appeared at the Mesa Temple Visitors Center before Easter. It is such an amazing video! You should all watch it! Just click the attachment and it will take you to the video.

Video

I hope this video helps you feel closer to the Savior just like it helped me!

Michelle's Home

My cute sister Michelle flew home yesterday for a two week visit. I'm so excited! She is seven months pregnant and looks so cute. At the airport her flight was a little late and Coop was antsy. My mom found a wheelchair and decided to take him for rides. Thanks mom!

The Living Planet Aquarium

So, yesterday we headed to the Living Planet Aquarium in Sandy with a bunch of friends. Nikki, Georgana, Brit, Tara and I brought all the kids for an afternoon of fun! I hadn't been there before, but it was a really neat place. I guess it's a preview for what they are planning on building. We headed to Training Table afterwards and ate some great cheese fries! We were a little nervous because we had seven kids with us and guess what...they are ALL BOYS. Les, we needed you and Clara! They actually did pretty well once we built a corral with chairs in the corner so they couldn't get out.




My little lobster


Shark Tank
Cooper, Hayden and Boston



Karsten


Coop bustin some serious moves!




Guess what! I totally CHOPPED my hair off. Well, I didn't, but Tiffany did (THANKS TIFF). It is seriously so short. Probably the shortest since maybe eighth grade...sad I know. I've never been one to care too much about my hair. I love the cut, and I think I'm going to really like it. It is a huge change for me. I'll post pics later.