Oahu, Hawaii

Dustin found out that he had to go to Hawaii for work and like any good wife and son, Beau and I decided we should go with him!!!!! The thought of a 6+ hour flight with a 2-year-old was a little scary, but since he had to have his own seat ($$$), we figured it wouldn't be terrible. We were well prepared with movies, toys, candy, etc.

We talked about going to Hawaii quite a bit and Beau could even say it before we left and was super excited!!!

He found some tunes he liked on the plane and gotexcited that he was able to watch a Simpsons episode.

We got to Hawaii at about noon (which was really 4pm Denver time). We had been up since 3am Denver time and Beau fell asleep on the way to the hotel. He slept for several hours and then we went out to get some dinner. He actually didn't seem to have too much trouble with the time change.

Dustin had to work the next morning, so Beau and I decided to walk down to Waikiki, which was a pretty good walk, especially when you are pushing a toddler, carrying a backpack and 6-months pregnant :o)

Beau immediately loved the beach and the sand and even went to check out the water pretty quickly.

The weather was a little overcast, but the water was perfect and we were able to spend time playing in it. Beau didn't quite understand the concept of not putting sand on the beach towels and mommy :o)

We had lunch at Duke's at Waikiki and were also able to check out Teddy Bear World (which was pretty neat) before we headed back to the hotel. Of course Beau fell asleep on the walk back and wasn't interested in napping when we got back, so we watched a movie while mommy rested a bit. We checked out the hotel pool, but it was pretty chilly. When Dustin was done with work we were able to go to a nice seafood dinner near the harbor. Beau wasn't very interested in sitting still, but we made it though without any major disasters.

The next day Beau and I decided to take a ride on one of the double decker buses we had seen the day before. It was a nice day and it was fun to get to see Honolulu a little more. We were able to do a little shopping before Dustin was done with work for the day.

We hiked Diamond Head that afternoon to check out the amazing views. Beau loved the hike up (about 3/4 mile and 500' elevation change). The other people were impressed that Beau was hiking, but for a Colorado boy, it wasn't too challenging. I wish I could say the hike down was enjoyable, but Beau did not want to go and made sure we knew it the entire way down.

We opted for a more casual dinner at the Kona Brewing Company that evening, which made it a little less stressful with Beau not sitting still.

The next day was the beginning of the actual "family vacation" part of the trip. We started off the day with a trip up North and making a stop at the Dole Plantation.

We took a train ride around the plantation and were able to see a lot of the different crops. Beau loved the train, of course.

Beau taught Dustin and I that pineapples don't grow on trees :o) We also sampled some pineapple ice cream, yummy!!!!!

We continued up North and made a stop at a beach where the series "Lost" was supposedly filmed and not many tourists visited. It was very pretty and Beau and Dustin enjoyed a little time in the water. We continued our drive around the coast to the Polynesian Cultural Center, where we would attend a luau and show later that evening.




The center is huge and we were able to visit a number of the different "islands," but it would take several days to see it all. Beau and I learned to hula in Hawaii.

The luau was a lot of fun and Beau enjoyed the Poi and roast pig. We even shared a drink in a pineapple for fun :O) The show that evening was great and we happened to be there for the World Knifethrowing Finals and were able to watch the finalist compete.

It was a late night, however, we wanted to get to the beach at a reasonable time the next day. We were able to find a really great beach on the windward side of the island.

Beau could have spent the entire trip playing in the sand and water.

Beau and daddy enjoying the beautiful waters.

We drove through the mountains on the way back to the hotel for some great views of the island. Pretty good self picture!!!

That evening we decided to go on a sunset dinner cruise. We had a nice time, but I forgot how much work eating crab is.

Beau and mommy next to our boat, the "Star of Honolulu"

Beau and daddy playing at dinner.

Our flight didn't leave until almost 10pm on the last day, so we had another whole day to do a little more exploring. I had promised Beau that I would show him turtles in Hawaii and I had yet to do so. We headed back up to the North Coast based on some recommendations and were lucky enough to find turtles at our first stop!!!!

Beau enjoyed watching them wash up on the shore and stick their heads up to breathe.

There were a few turtles on the beach that we were able to get pretty close to.

We took a hike in Waimea Valley in the hopes that it would help Beau burn off some energy before the flight. He enjoyed collecting as many sticks as possible and the bigger the better!!! There were falls at the end of the hike, which were very pretty.

We ended our Hawaiian adventure with some pizza at a local pizza place before heading to the airport. We had a couple of hours to spare (i.e. Beau running around the airport), however, it paid off when right before take off Beau was fast asleep. We had a direct flight back to Denver and he woke up about 10 minutes before we landed. Dustin didn't have quite as good of flight, since he has Beau's feet in his lap and he kicked him the whole time.

Beau and I fell asleep in the truck on the way home from the airport and ended up sleeping a couple of hours in the driveway before Dustin woke us up to go to the Rockies game (crazy, I know). Beau had a great time at the game and requested "nachos."

Adjusting back to Colorado time hasn't been easy, but I think we are getting there!!!! Now that our vacation is over it's time to get the yard into shape and do some good nesting before Baby B-Squared arrives at the end of August.