Hawaii day 7... last day (Thursday)

The last day came too quickly and nobody was ready to go home! We packed up and left for the Honolulu airport, but not before one last stop. This stop was breathtaking!!

On the way, it started to rain and we caught this rainbow. It was a double, but faded away by the time we pulled over.

 Overview of the city.

It rained on us while we were up on this point so my kids were cold.




My last picture (for now) of my parents as they were dropping us off at the airport. I have missed them so much but am so proud of them serving a mission (even though it's more like a vacation!). I am truly grateful that the Lord gave us this opportunity. This was a vacation I will never forget!!!

Hawaii day 6 (Wednesday)

On Wednesday we decided to wake up early and go to Pearl Harbor and the swap meet. We had to get there when they opened because the first 1000 people get in for free! That's worth waking up at 5! We also got in another quick hike to some ruins of the king's summer home then a LONG, HOT hike to the lighthouse. When we got home, Dar and I were able to go do a session in the temple while the kids played games with Nana and Papa.

 I don't think the kids fully understood what had happened, but they sure loved seeing all the ships and everything around!

 They thought the torpedoes were pretty cool!

We rode a boat over to the USS Arizona Memorial.




These are all of the names of those who died. It was a very sacred room where everybody showed the respect deserved.







These are the survivors, not very many!!!







It was nice to have this ship nearby so we could tell the kids the Arizona was about this size before it got bombed.








Pictures of the Arizona.

While it was sad and a good reminder of those who sacrificed their lives, it was easy to smile with this cutie!!!

 After Pearl Harbor, we went to the swap meet and got some souvenirs then went on a hike to the 'Bamboo Forest'.

 We were able to go to ruins of the King's summer home. There wasn't much left, but it was cool imagining this palace back in it's day! They said he would host parties here for over 10,000 people!

After that little expedition, we stopped by a lookout point with a beautiful view!

 We promised Dar's mom we would take a picture of the lighthouse. The hike was very hot and long and kind of boring. It was like hiking in Arizona with beachfront property.

See??? Cactus!!

 This spot was close to my parents house and they told us when they first got here, the hole wasn't there. Then one day there were big waves and it broke out the middle of that rock! There was a crazy legend that went with it about a giant lizard that was killed and chopped up into pieces and scattered in the sea.

It's hard to see the details of the temple, but I loved how bright it was! You could not miss this beauty from the road! The session was amazing and a great way to end the last full day there.

Hawaii day 5 (Tuesday)

My parents went to work again and we decided to enjoy some island food and more beaches. Islanders told us where to find the turtles so we went searching. We also went to their night show.

 Ashlyn decided to order a cinnamon roll with her breakfast from a bakery. It was so big we all shared it. The rest of us ordered omelets and they must have made them with at least 5 eggs each! It was huge and they served with a Hawaiian roll and seasoned potatoes.
We all had leftovers but they were delicious!

We found teeny-tiny crabs in the little tide pools. It was fun walking on the rocks and looking for creatures.

 Sadly, the turtles were not on the beach but we still had adventures. They thought it was so cool to have a tunnel that ran under the road.

I had fun at the beach watching the 'kids' play in the water. We also had fun watching the sand crabs coming out of their holes in the sand. Most were small and hard to see but there was a big one that Dar almost caught. It was funny to see him dive in the sand trying to get it before it dug into it's hole again.

 We went back to the PCC to do the activites. My girls LOVED the poi balls they danced with but Ashlyn was too tired to try them.

The 2 kids wanted to try and make fire with the stick and wood. It seemed easy watching them do it, but it was not so easy trying it! I don't even think we got smoke!

Before we left, we had to do a boat ride. It was fun, but since it was about to close we were the only ones on the boat. Aimslee was able to get a run-away coconut so we were rewarded with a close up for baby chicks. They were cute, but we quickly found out chickens run around wild all over the island. It was not uncommon to find baby chicks.

 We met my parents at their house for dinner then went back for the night show. This show was awesome and so much fun! They do not allow pictures to be taken during the performance but I got this one right before it started.

Since my dad is well-known around there, we were able to take the back-stage tour after it was over. I caught this beauty backstage. I will have to agree, the dancers are AMAZING and as far as I am concerned, they are the best!! We were able to see all the costumes and the rooms where they practice their dances. We then went home for some much needed rest!