Dimples
I love this little girl and her dimples...she makes me smile!


thanks Jen for inviting me over to try out your studio lighting!

KAUAI

We went to Kauai a few weeks ago and had such a great time! The kids loved it, they tell me they like Hawaii more than disneyland. R had a work conference in Kauai so we decided to make a family trip out of it and I am so glad we did. About a week before we left my mom offered to keep C home with her. I felt guilty going on a family vacation and leaving part of our family at home. Two days before we left I was almost in tears at the thought of leaving her but we did decide to take my mom up on her offer and I am so glad we did. C had a great time getting all the attention she could from grandma and grandpa and we were able to do some activities in Kauai that we would not have been able to do with C there. It was also nice for me to be able to spend 7 days playing all day with T and L. It seems I don't get much time to play with them lately so I loved being able to give all my attention to them and we had such a great time together. Here are a few of the highlights...

The resort the conference was held at was amazing. It was right on the beach so while R was in meetings from 7am to noon the kids and I played on the beach as well as the salt water lagoon and pools at the resort.

The lobby of the hotel. It was beautiful. You can't tell in the picture but the lobby opens up and the ocean is behind us. I loved just listen to the waves crashing each morning.

the luau

The kids loved the luau. The entertainment was great plus they had activities for the kids. T couldn't wait to get a hawaiian tattoo

playing on the beach. These two had so much fun together.

the back of the hotel

One afternoon we went on a kayak tour. The tour included a 2 mile kayak then a 1 mile hike to a 120 foot waterfall. When we reached the waterfall we had lunch and then spent time swimming at the base of the waterfall. The water was freezing but it was amazing. We all had a great time.

the river we kayaked down

"Rico" the macaw. The lobby of the hotel was home to 4 macaws. T and L loved trying to get them to talk to them. Rico did say hello to them.

Boogie Boarding. T LOVED it. L would not even try it. It was so entertaining watching T have such a great time out on the waves. I also gave it a try and have to admit it is FUN.

building sand castles. We built many of these. The kids were entertained for hours on the beach and I was entertained just watching them as well as getting in and building with them.

Another highlight of the trip was a boat tour we took along the Napali coast. The scenery was so beautiful, like nothing I have ever seen before. On the tour we also saw dolphins, whales, and sea turtles. The dolphin were so fun because they would swim right in front of the boat. T and L were amazed. A few times we saw a baby dolphin that would jump out of the water and spin. It was so great. It is whale season in Hawaii so we were also able to see many whales. One whale had just given birth and was holding its baby at the surface of the water. The captain told us when whales are first born they do not know how to breath and swim so the mother will hold the baby at the surface until they figure out how to do it on their own.

the salt water lagoon at the hotel. It was huge. The kids and I spent many hours playing tag in the lagoon.

getting ready to come back home and wishing we could stay longer...

We all want to go back soon. I had such a great time with my family. We all missed C and can't wait to go back with her.