Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Kauai: Day 5

2 years, 6 months old

Tuesday, March 18th: We had a full day planned for today and it was nice when the sun came up and it was warm already! It was in the 60s most mornings so we couldn't do much before 11am that involved swimsuits but when it was warm, we decided to go to the pool early before our other plans. First, we wanted to do the fish feeding at the hotel. Every morning at 9am, they brought a big tub of food and kids got to feed the koi fish. Barrett did this one other morning and loved it so we loaded up our pool stuff so we could swim after we fed fish. Of course, as soon as we finished, it started to sprinkle and the sun went away which meant cold. Wah wah.



Our morning activity was just down the road in Kilauea to the lighthouse which is the northernmost point in all of the Hawaiian islands. This may have been my most favorite attraction we did. It was really gorgeous there on the coastline. It helped that it was one of the sunniest, nicest days on that part of the island too. First off, you can park by a lookout point and see the lighthouse and part of the bay.



You can then pull around to the parking lot where the entrance to the lighthouse is. I think it was $5 a person except for age 5 and under, which were free. We found a parking spot and then made our way up the stretch of walk where they have various binoculars to check out the scenery. It was fairly busy day which we found out that Tuesdays are because they are closed on Sundays and Mondays. We did not plan it this way, it just happened to be the morning we had open to check it out. Next time, we'd probably try for a different day.

All the little white specks on the hills are actually birds that inhabit this stretch of land.





You can see in one of the above pictures that we had a long walk to get to the lighthouse. Barrett was great and sticking close to use the whole time on the way to the lighthouse and then turned into…….well, a little shit…and decided to run away from us like a game. At one point, he had run away from me about 400 yards back to the parking lot and I barely caught him. I was ready to get out of there and would have liked to enjoy the scenery a bit more. Vacations with toddlers are not always relaxing paradises, fyi.



Our hotel is almost on the very right point along the coast of this picture.


We managed a little family picture, although in the picture he's really pushing me away and I'm holding on to him for dear life trying to look like a nice family. :)


It was nearing lunch time and practically across the street is an organic farm that has lunch al fresco. I was hungry before we left so I ate earlier and only got a smoothie but the ahi sandwiches looked so good. Barrett tried his first purple potato (french fry) here too.



Joe, my dad and I had a tee time this afternoon to play one of the neighboring golf courses. This would be my first round since my hospital trip last summer. I had been to the driving range in the late fall but playing a full 18 holes would be a test. The course was pretty amazing. Not anything like our IL courses which is the reason we wanted to play it. I actually played pretty decently but it was a very very difficult course so my score wasn't something I've shot for quite a while. I didn't get too tired though which was great since it was pretty warm and I had to maneuver a bunch of (big) hills. I didn't bring my big camera but here are a few Istagram shots.

Views were pretty great!




While we were out doing that, Barrett was with hi s aunts and uncles at the pool. It ended up being one of the nicest afternoons and a great time at the pool for them. We had a little bit of time to freshen up before we were heading back down to Hanalei for dinner out. A few of us were looking for sushi so we decided to try The Dolphin. There was a little bit of a wait with a party our size but we checked out a few shops and were soon ready to sit. This was easily (for everyone, I believe) the major favorite. We all loved our meal. Joe and I shared some spicy tuna roll and I also got the scallops which were practically melt in your mouth. We also splurged on a bunch of shared desserts. I probably would have ate there a few times this week if we had the option. So good! Barrett was even able to have chicken nuggets for his meal which was practically his first non peanut butter and jelly all week. After we wrapped up, we headed back to the hotel for some sleep.

An exceptional day today. :)

Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Project 365: Week 17

2 years, 6 months old

4-21-14

"I nakey"

04-22-14

Barrett goes through binges of certain movies. The current obsession? Peter Pan

04-23-14

Barrett got his new bedding today.

04-24-14

Bath time is a drink fest.

04-25-14

"helping" me wash my car on this gorgeous Friday evening.

04-26-14

A very busy day and no naps equals a 5pm bedtime. He practically fell asleep at the dinner table.

04-27-14

Necessary bath after a full weekend of sun and sweat.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Kauai: Day 4

2 years, 6 months old

At this point, I had been taking notes throughout our trip but I fell off the wagon on Day 4 so this will be mostly from memory (which is pretty crappy these days..)

Monday, March 17: This was a day that we turned a corner some, in terms of time change. Barrett slept until 5:30 (!) which isn't a whole lot different than a normal day at home so we were all happy. We laid around a while and got some breakfast. Our original plan was to head a little northwest to the beach and some could hike the Hanakapaii trail along the Na Pali coast. The weather on the north was not as ideal (catching a theme?) as we would like so we changed plans and decided to head all the way south to check out that side of the island. It took us a while to pack up after hemming and hawing about what to do and we eventually loaded up. I was really hoping that B would nap on the drive but I wasn't really banking on it. Thankfully, he did! On the island, there is only 1 main road that you take around the entire perimeter to get to each little town. There is some construction happening so it took us about an hour to get to Wailua for our first detour. We stopped off to see the Wailua Falls which is in one of the scenes in Jurassic Park. Barrett woke up the second we turned off the car so we hopped out to check them out. There is a railing and then you basically plummet to your death so while the falls were incredibly beautiful, I did not stick around for more than a few minutes. Crazy people were standing on the railing!



Next up, we headed to Poipu. We wanted to go to the shopping center first to get some lunch at Puka Dogs. It was featured on Diners, Drive in and Dives (maybe? or some show on Food Network). It is a tiny hut basically where you order a hot dog or polish sausage then a certain garlic butter (mild, hot, spicy) and then a special relish. Joe and I got mango and it was SO good. Some people got plain ol hot dogs and others got a mixture of various relishes. We ate al fresco and then headed over to Poipu Beach. It was HOT down here which was exactly what we were looking for!





It was spring break on the island so there seemed to be a decent amount of locals around. We had more than enough space for all of us to set up though. Barrett played with his sand toys and played catch with everyone.



We basically laid on the beach, soaking in the sun and occasionally dipping our feet in the water. The guys all got in but it was pretty wave heavy and the water wasn't near warm enough for my liking. It did feel good on our feet when we needed to cool off.



After a while, the group next to us left so we shifted our camp over to the shade as the sun was beaming pretty strongly. Barrett took it upon himself to play with the sticks and bang on a tree.



After about 3 hours (before we were too fried) we decided to pack up and head back north. We wanted to beat the normal rush hour traffic of people leaving to go home so we rinsed off and headed back. I managed to snag a front seat spot so I could get some scenery shots. Kauai is the "garden isle" so it's very mountainous and green. Pictures cannot possible do anything justice here. It's crazy how amazing the island is.










Kauai's tunnel of trees is a stretch along the south shore and again way cooler in person then in pictures.


After we got back to the hotel, we headed straight for the pool to relax for a bit before getting ready for dinner.






Tonight was dinner in with the Saxton's cooking. We had various kabobs, asparagus, fresh pineapple and bread. We just lounged in the hotel for the night. I had planned on getting a dessert smoothie from the bar but they closed before I could make it down there! It was another early-ish night in.

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Project 365: Week 16

2 years, 6 months old

04-14-14

Dad helps with some teeth brushing tonight.

04-15-14

Every day with the goldfish

04-16-14
Skip

04-17-14

Family walk and trip to the park. We love spring!

04-18-14

B and Dad spent the day at home today for Good Friday. I got home early and kiddo was taking his first nap on his new big bed.

04-19-14

This was actually taken the following day but whatever.

04-20-14

Happy Easter! B spent like 3 hours running around playing with the big kids. HEAVEN.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

New Roof!

2 years, 6 months old

Our spring project this year was a new roof. Joe did awesome and it only took 4 1/2 days from start to finish. He started tear off on a Saturday and was finished with demo and repairs by that Sunday night. He didn't do anything during the week because of work but ended up replacing the entire thing during the next Saturday, Sunday and a little bit of Monday evening. We had the dumpster for about 3 weeks total by the time all the cleanup was done. The pictures are a bit off color wise but we went with Rustic Black.

Before our deck build in 2012:


After:


Before from last spring:

After:


I wonder what/when our next project will be….

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Project 365: Week 15

2 years, 6 months old

It's Week of the Young Child at school so we have dress up days to document.

04-07-14

Pajama Day

04-08-14

Sports Day

04-09-14

I forgot to catch Beach day so I grabbed a quick after bath shot.

04-10-14

Western Day

04-11-14

Wacky Day

04-12-14
Skip

04-13-14

This is how Barrett egg hunts. He picks up one to find candy inside and then lets everyone else get the rest while he tries to open the candy.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Project 365: Week 14

2 years, 6 months old

03-31-14

We've reached popsicle season!

04-01-14

Cuddles before bed.

04-02-14
skip

04-03-14

The life of a 2 year old that bursts into tears, randomly.

04-04-14
skip

04-05-14

It's been a while since we've used the baskets as hats.

04-06-14

It is not an easy feat to capture 3 toddlers in one picture.

Saturday, April 5, 2014

Kauai: Day 3

2 years, 5 months old

Sunday, March 16th: The forecast again was a little iffy today so we weren't sure exactly what we were in for. We all slept in until 4am this morning and mostly hung out. The sun rose, we ate breakfast and started to get ready for the day. Some of us went to church in Hanalei at St. Williams. The church and service was pretty much exactly like you would expect from a polynesian service. It was an open air small church. As we walked in, each person was given a shell lei. After the service, the weather down in the bay was really nice so we swung by the beach to see what it was like there. It was nice and sunny and warm so it was decided we were spending our day at the beach. We head back to the hotel to get the rest of the group and eat lunch.



The beach was fantastic for a few reasons. First, we were able to drive on the beach and park right by our camp. I was able to leave my camera in the car and still have quick access to it in the trunk. We hooked up an iPad and blue tooth speaker to listen to music. We could keep our coolers and towels in there too and away from the sand. So nice!



We set up on the corner of the beach where the ocean meets the Hanalei River. This was great because one side was calm, safe water and the other side was waves. It created a great sandbar that we were able to walk all the way to the peak of the island.





Most of this afternoon was spent creating and destroying sand castles. Barrett loves destruction so our massive castle plans didn't come to fruition.






Joe, B and I took a walk down to the dock which was a little nerve-racking for me. I'm not a fan of places that I can fall to my death but add in a toddler who likes to run and very large waves crashing and it's not too pleasant. Barrett was still pretty leery of the water and waves but we eventually got him to dip his feet.





We stayed there about 3 hours but B really needed to get in a nap so some of us packed up to head back to the hotel. Barrett promptly falls asleep in the car. He wakes up as we bring him inside and decides to torture us by not going back to sleep. We fight him for an hour and a half before having him get in the shower and then go for a walk. He's calmed down by now and goes to sleep easily. We push back our dinner reservations so he can sleep longer but I still need to wake him up. (Never an ideal situation with a toddler).



Our dinner that night was at CJs just down the road from our hotel. We all had good food but we weren't blown away. It was a nicer restaurant that didn't have a kids meal (and nothing even close to something I would order for him) so Barrett ate off my plate from the salad bar. He still wasn't quite awake and being a 2 year old so he watched Frozen on the iPad while we ate in peace. We wrapped up and headed back to the hotel for bed.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Kauai: Day 2

2 years, 5 months old

Saturday, March 15 is our first day and we wake at about 3:30am. This was better than I expected since it was 8:30am at home. We managed to get over 6 hours of sleep so we were refreshed. Our plan was to have a pretty chill day close to the hotel so we could get acclimated to the time. That and the weather was going to be pretty cloudy and only about 70deg. There isn't really much to do in the middle of the night so we laid around for a while, watched some tv and then gave B a bath. We organized the room some, took showers and got ready for the day.



By 6am, we moved next door to have breakfast and wake up the grandparents. We decide to take a stroll around the grounds to check it out as the sun comes up (sunrise was at 6:45am every day, sunset at 6:45pm approximately). It's VERY windy today so we know it will be iffy on weather conditions. Every Saturday in Hanalei is the farmers market so we had planned on hitting that up to get our produce for the week. We thought it was at 9am so we head down there at about 8:30 to check everything out and be there when it opens. Of course, we get there and it's not open until 9:30 so we have more time to kill. We decide to go to Hanalei Bay Beach down the road to check out the water. Barrett was all over the sand. He, of course, wanted to pick it up and throw it. He could have cared less about the water but eventually we get him to check it out. He's completely scared which is no surprise since the current is pretty strong (WINDY!). He eventually dips his feet in and gets knocked over by the wake. This makes him pretty leery of the water most of the week. You can see in the first picture that it's pretty cloudy and dreary day. Buzzkill.



We head on over to the farmers market and B is pretty pissed we are making him leave the sand. He's covered in water and sand from falling and playing and of course, our quick trip meant I brought nothing to change him with, not even a spare diaper. So he and I forgo the farmers market and wait in the car so I can strip him down. Never leave home without my phone so he plays on that some while I take scenery pictures from outside the car. More clouds but you can see that the rainy season has brought out lots of waterfalls.



Our market stash that Joe picked up. Others got some more exotic options. Mangos were great, sweet apples: not so much. Those are huge avocados.


It's still late morning but we've been up for a while so we head back to the hotel for a nap for B. We eat lunch in and put Barrett down. While he sleeps, some of us head to the grocery store to stock up on stuff for the week. It's Joe and my turn to make dinner tonight so we plan on Mexican with tacos and fajitas with guacamole and chips and salsa. B is still sleeping when we get back so we hang out and then plan to head to the pool after he wakes.

About 2:30, we head down to the pool. Weather is pretty touch and go all day but we think we'll be fine. We're all pretty ready to do something. Um, it's pretty dang cold. The water is very comfortable but as I've mentioned it was so cloudy and windy. If we didn't have to deal with the wind it would be better. No sun and only 70deg, does not make it feel 70. Barrett doesn't care in the least. He goes on two runs down the slide before deciding he'd rather just stand in the water.



Some take a quick dip in the hot tub for a bit but in the end, we only stay out there for maybe an hour.


We force Barrett to head in to warm up while the boys hit up the pool bar for a while. We have basically zero toys with us as we thought we'd spend all our time outside so B gets to watched Tangled in the room. I start getting dinner ready and we end up eating about 5:00. We're all still on normal time (and bored) so we head to bed at 5:45pm. :) It's 10:45 to us so I don't think it's so bad. We get a nice nights rest and ready for another day!

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Project 365: Week 13

2 years, 5 months old

We just need to start pretending that every week only has 6 days.

03-24-14

This is hilarious. 10 days straight of almost unlimited blankie access makes a territorial Barrett before leaving for school (where blankie is not welcome).

03-25-14

Little Dude

03-26-14

Oh, what do you know? A certain someone is eating goldfish.

03-27-14

No pants is the way to be for Barrett.

03-28-14

Exciting Friday night of watching Dad on the roof.

03-29-14
Skip

03-30-14

I jumpin!