Kauai

After the Big Island, we jumped on a plane and headed to Kauai....we got a hotel right on the beach and had the most gorgeous weather while we were there! 

Our first stop was Waimea Valley, which is considered the "Grand Canyon" of the  Pacific, I believe. It was gorgeous.

Notice no pictures of Landon...I'll explain about that further down...

This beach was absolutely gorgeous, and the sand was so fine and soft. Dave HATES fine sand....it ends up EVERYWHERE and is really difficult to get off. 

Every beach we go to, Dave and the boys dig a toddler-size hole and stick Briella in it. They then fill it with water and she absolutely LOVES it. It's hilarious.

We all survived staying in the same hotel room. Wasn't sure how it would go down with two baby girls...but everyone actually slept amazingly well and there were no issues. It was really fun.

We went on a GORGEOUS hike along the Na Pali Coast. It was one of the most beautiful settings ever.

I love how Briella is poking her little head out in this one. She and Lolo did awesome on the hikes.

Izak wasn't super excited about this hike. But then his genuis mom asked him what level he was on in Super Mario Bros. and he was a happy camper explaining all about it for the remaining miles. Aww....game systems-the way to any boy's heart. 

And then we all hopped on a plane and Lolo and I went to Utah for a quick trip where Lolo was reunited with her long-lost sisters.

We had such a great time on our trip to the Big Island and Kauai. But it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows (get it---all there is in Hawaii is sunshine and rainbows:) I know, I'm hilarious), so here for your reading pleasure are a few "Keepin' It Real" moments that may or may not have been experienced while on our vacation....

1. Briella screamed the ENTIRE flight from the Big Island to Kauai. Not just screamed, but flopped and flailed her little body. I overheard the (single-with-no-children) girl behind me say, "Good thing this flight is only an hour, huh?".
2. Landon is not pictured in the above Waimea Valley pictures because he was too busy laying in the back of our car recovering from his violent puking. Lets just say the road up to the Valley was VERY windy. Poor kid.
3. One parent might have been overheard saying to the boys, "If you continue to make this day miserable for me, I promise I will make it just as miserable for you guys as you are for me." (Mom. Of. The.Year.Award....pending)

Overall, it was an awesome experience! We have loved our time here in Hawaii!!

The Big Island

During Dave's time off, we headed to Kauai and the Big Island....I wasn't quite sure how it would be with two baby girls not getting their naps, but it actually ended up being so much fun! I'm glad Dave talked me into this trip!

Landon and Izak at the southern most tip of the United States.

We had to hike a few miles in to get to the green sand beach. The boys loved having so much open land to explore.

We made it to the green sand beach! It's hard to tell in the picture, but to the left of us in the background is all green sand. 

We had to hike down to the beach. The sand was an olive green. It was really pretty and the water of course was gorgeous.

The black sand beach was really cool. Lots of sea turtles come here and one was up hanging out with us while we were here.

We stayed inside the Volcano National Park in some military cabins. It was so much fun. Behind us  is all steam from the volcano. Some pictures we took didn't even turn out because there was too much steam.

This cave was formed from lava flow. When the lava finally hardened, this is how it turned out. It was really cool to walk through.

I actually took this one myself....we were in one of the tropical rain forests on the Big Island.

This was Dave's and my favorite part of the trip. We did a 4 mile hike across  this crater made up of dried lava rock. It felt like we were on another planet, especially because it was only us and one other family that did this hike. 

The only guide to where we were suppose to hike was these cairns you can see behind us.  The lack of trail markers added to the entire feel of the hike. Such an awesome experience.

Here's a shot from the top of the crater we hiked across.

We weren't able to see actual lava flow as right now it's only flowing on someone's private property that you have to pay $90/person to see or go in a boat, as it is flowing into the ocean. Neither of which was a great option with little children....Dave and I decided that means we have to come back another time to see it. But it was still really cool to see the glow from the lava flow. I love this picture because you can see Briella's little pig tails in it.

All in all, it was such a fun experience and we were so thankful we got the chance to go to the Big Island before we move! The boys absolutely loved getting to see such different things than we see on Oahu.