Hawaii, Part 1

I FINALLY have a minute to sit down and post about our fabulous trip to Hawaii!!!! We had the amazing opportunity to go to the Big Island with my Dad's family about a month and a half ago (yes, I know I am behind! :) ), and actually got to bring the boys this time! Teage and I were a bit nervous about taking the boys on their first "big" plane trip, but they did beautifully....I was really so impressed with them. They were champs.

Our first day we left at the crack of dawn to catch a flight with my two brothers and sister. The boys actually napped on the plane, and we didn't even have a melt down at the airport....amazing! We all made it to the Big Island in one piece, thankfully, and met my stepmom and Dad at the gorgeous Manalani Resort where they had been staying for a few days. All of us were tired, but didn't want to miss a minute of our time in the sunshine, so we went right out onto the beach and snorkled and swam for a few hours before going to our own private "villa" down at Captain Cook bay.

We are finally here!!!!!!

Yes, that is our very own Hawaiian paradise right there. I still can't believe that we stayed there!!!!!!!! It was a dream come true! Our first dinner on the patio

After being woken up at about 4 in the morning (darn that time change!) on Day 2, the whole family decided to go down the street in Captain Cook to a famous coffee plantation that has been on the Big Island for decades. We got a tour of the plantation and in the end were able to make some Portugese sweet bread by hand. The boys even got involved and had so much fun rolling the dough! They were really into it.

Then after a wonderful nap in the middle of the day (for the boys of course :) ) we decided to hang out at our amazing villa, play in the pool, and just have fun as a family. The boys had so much fun with all of their aunts and uncles, and Grammy and Papa of course. They were so happy to be there, and Teage and I couldn't get enough of our view, our villa, and our family.

At the coffee plantation

Day 3 was a blast as well. We got up early and ventured north on the Big Island back to the Manalani area to the grey sand beach. Unfortunately the day wasn't the sunniest in the world, but it kept the crowds away, and we truly had the whole beach to ourselves for the first hour or two. It was amazing. Still really warm, so we still swam and snorkled, and then had lunch on the beach. It did start raining about halfway through, but we just had fun with it and set up our own little haven under towels with Grammy and Papa. Teage and I got to snorkel on our own, which was such a fun experience for us!

After lunch, Grammy and Papa went back to the villa to rest, and the rest of us went up to a famous beach to go boogy boarding. The boys actually ended up falling asleep in the car on the way, so I stayed in the car with them and read my book while Teage and my sister and brothers went out and had some fun in the waves. They even saw a sea turtle while they were out there! And I honestly had a great time in the sun with a great book. It was a fabulous day!

OK, gotta go to bed....more later!