The girls finally got to go on their first trip to Hawaii this July. Lem and I added a 3rd and 4th notch to our "Hawaii Vacations" belt. Lem was signed up for doing the We the People Institute for 3 days in Honolulu and with his ticket paid for and a daily stipend, we couldn't pass up cashing in some mileage tickets and companion fares so the rest of us could come along and enjoy some fun in the sun. We had a direct flight to Honolulu and the girls did extremely well sitting for the whole 6 hour journey-watching movies, coloring and playing with new treats Mommy packed special for the occasion. Sycely was glued to her window as we made our approach, catching her first glimpse of the island and taking in all the sights. After landing and grabbing our luggage we got our rental car-a pretty crazy, hot and delayed journey in itself- and headed to our vacation rental condo, just blocks from the beach. We got settled and unpacked at our amazing condo and took a little walk around the area and grabbed some dinner. After getting the girls to bed in their room, Lem made a run to the grocery store across the street and got our kitchen stocked with some staples for our week-long stay. We were all tired from flying and were glad to get to bed and rest up for a busy, fun-filled first day the next morning.
Our first morning, we started our week-long tradition of enjoying fresh fruit (a whole pineapple cost just over a dollar!) on our huge lanai. Our balcony went the whole length of our unit and had full walls of sliding doors in the living room and the girls' bedroom. Not only could we enjoy the morning sunshine lounging in the patio furniture during breakfast, but we also enjoyed a spectacular view of the Ala Wai canal, beach and city.
After breakfast we all got ourselves suited and sunscreened and were ready for our first trip to the beach. About a 5 minute walk from the lobby, the girls first set foot on Waikiki Beach. It didn't take any time at all for them to kick off their sandals and ditch their cover-ups and hit the water.
We spent most of the day enjoying the perfect warm water and soft sandy beach, while basking in the delightful sunshine. The girls loved just hanging out in their floaties, not a care in the world. We went out a little further and had some fun splashing and jumping with the waves as the broke. We grabbed lunch (McDonald's meals come with a little bowl of pineapple!) and headed back to our condo for naptime. Both girls took a snooze while Lem headed to the nearest Starbucks to use the Internet to keep up with the online class he was teaching-I know rough summer school job, huh? Teaching via computer and iphone from Hawaii!
After the girls were up from their naps and Mommy had gotten in a little poolside lounging, we headed out to Ala Moana mall for some dinner and shopping. We ate at Bubba Gumps, an old stand-by for us, but another first for the girls. They were tickled when their food arrived in boat shaped baskets, and included jello! They were also pretty excited about the make-your-own sundae they got to create and share for dessert.
Mommy hit a few stores at the mall and the girls got to check out the Disney store and chose their souvenirs there. Usually we go to Build-A-Bear and they make a stuffed animal to commemorate our vacations, but there wasn't one in Hawaii so they had to "settle" for the Disney Store this time ;) Sycely chose a Finding Nemo playset and Ella picked a stuffed animal-Penny from 101 Dalmations. 
The next morning we hit the Honolulu Zoo for most of the day. (See its own blog entry for details and pics.) I spent some more time pool time reading during nap and then we all headed to the theater to take in a movie-Harry Potter for me and Winnie the Pooh for Lem and the girls. We followed that up with dinner at IHOP (yeah, breakfast for dinner) and headed home to hit the sack.
On Sunday, the girls and I went to the Honolulu Aquarium, one of Sycely's favorite sites on our trip. Lem spent so long looking for a place to park that he eventually just gave up on meeting us inside and just hung out watching some surfers down the way. The girls had a blast seeing all the fish and other sea creatures at the aquarium and Sycely loved the touch tank exhibit outside even got to hold a tiny hermit crab and be "hugged" by a sea urchin (if you put your finger between their spines, they squeeze you.)
We hit the beach for awhile before naptime. Lem did some of his online grading and such and Mommy got to have some solo time at the beach in the afternoon. I walked a few blocks to International Marketplace and a few other stops along the way and met back up with the family after the girls were up. We headed out for some dinner at Red Lobster-yum cheesey biscuits! We all hit the sack early that night, since Lem started his training the next morning and needed to be rested up.
We'd wrap up our morning at the beach and head back to our condo for some showers and lunch. After the girls were clean and fed, we'd all have naptime (including Mommy most days. When Lem got home from his class around 3 I'd head up with a book to the pool and he'd get himself and Sycely ready for round 2 of daily beach time while Ella finished napping. By 4 or 4:30 Ella'd be up, he'd get her ready, too and we'd be back off the beach for another couple hours! That's pretty much how we spent our days, not too shabby, this vacation thing ;)
We had so much fun, the 4 of us, in the evenings. The water never got cold and we'd enjoy sunshine until around 6 or 6:30 and then we'd head off for some dinner (and sometimes dessert-hooray for Yogurt Land right on the beach!)
On Wednesday evening we took the girls to International Marketplace to browse the booth of authentic tradition Hawaiian wares. We even got to see a performance by some drummers and hula dancers from one of the luaus. They each picked out a Hawaiian necklace souvenir and then we headed back to our condo for some fresh, hot pizza dinner before starting to get our things backed and hitting the sack.
On Saturday, we had spent a good chunk of our day playing in the water at Ala Moana beach, just a quick drive down the way from the condo and Waikiki. We did more of our usual sunbathing, swimming, and floating in the glorious sun and super warm water. Lem took the girls back for lunch and nap while I got to get in a couple more hours of shopping at Ala Moana shopping center. When the girls were up we met up at the mall for some dinner and headed home for bed.
Our first morning, we started our week-long tradition of enjoying fresh fruit (a whole pineapple cost just over a dollar!) on our huge lanai. Our balcony went the whole length of our unit and had full walls of sliding doors in the living room and the girls' bedroom. Not only could we enjoy the morning sunshine lounging in the patio furniture during breakfast, but we also enjoyed a spectacular view of the Ala Wai canal, beach and city.After breakfast we all got ourselves suited and sunscreened and were ready for our first trip to the beach. About a 5 minute walk from the lobby, the girls first set foot on Waikiki Beach. It didn't take any time at all for them to kick off their sandals and ditch their cover-ups and hit the water.We spent most of the day enjoying the perfect warm water and soft sandy beach, while basking in the delightful sunshine. The girls loved just hanging out in their floaties, not a care in the world. We went out a little further and had some fun splashing and jumping with the waves as the broke. We grabbed lunch (McDonald's meals come with a little bowl of pineapple!) and headed back to our condo for naptime. Both girls took a snooze while Lem headed to the nearest Starbucks to use the Internet to keep up with the online class he was teaching-I know rough summer school job, huh? Teaching via computer and iphone from Hawaii!After the girls were up from their naps and Mommy had gotten in a little poolside lounging, we headed out to Ala Moana mall for some dinner and shopping. We ate at Bubba Gumps, an old stand-by for us, but another first for the girls. They were tickled when their food arrived in boat shaped baskets, and included jello! They were also pretty excited about the make-your-own sundae they got to create and share for dessert.Mommy hit a few stores at the mall and the girls got to check out the Disney store and chose their souvenirs there. Usually we go to Build-A-Bear and they make a stuffed animal to commemorate our vacations, but there wasn't one in Hawaii so they had to "settle" for the Disney Store this time ;) Sycely chose a Finding Nemo playset and Ella picked a stuffed animal-Penny from 101 Dalmations. The next morning we hit the Honolulu Zoo for most of the day. (See its own blog entry for details and pics.) I spent some more time pool time reading during nap and then we all headed to the theater to take in a movie-Harry Potter for me and Winnie the Pooh for Lem and the girls. We followed that up with dinner at IHOP (yeah, breakfast for dinner) and headed home to hit the sack.
On Sunday, the girls and I went to the Honolulu Aquarium, one of Sycely's favorite sites on our trip. Lem spent so long looking for a place to park that he eventually just gave up on meeting us inside and just hung out watching some surfers down the way. The girls had a blast seeing all the fish and other sea creatures at the aquarium and Sycely loved the touch tank exhibit outside even got to hold a tiny hermit crab and be "hugged" by a sea urchin (if you put your finger between their spines, they squeeze you.)
We hit the beach for awhile before naptime. Lem did some of his online grading and such and Mommy got to have some solo time at the beach in the afternoon. I walked a few blocks to International Marketplace and a few other stops along the way and met back up with the family after the girls were up. We headed out for some dinner at Red Lobster-yum cheesey biscuits! We all hit the sack early that night, since Lem started his training the next morning and needed to be rested up.
Lem had his training Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8 to 3 or 3:30 some days. The girls and I started off our days with breakfast (on the lanai) then spent our morning at the beach. We made the short trek to the beach and back about twice a day each day. The girls were real sports about the walk and being responsible for carrying their own floaties. Sometimes we even spent some time at the rooftop pool before hitting the beach. We were pretty much in the water one place or another by about 8am every day!
We'd wrap up our morning at the beach and head back to our condo for some showers and lunch. After the girls were clean and fed, we'd all have naptime (including Mommy most days. When Lem got home from his class around 3 I'd head up with a book to the pool and he'd get himself and Sycely ready for round 2 of daily beach time while Ella finished napping. By 4 or 4:30 Ella'd be up, he'd get her ready, too and we'd be back off the beach for another couple hours! That's pretty much how we spent our days, not too shabby, this vacation thing ;)
We had so much fun, the 4 of us, in the evenings. The water never got cold and we'd enjoy sunshine until around 6 or 6:30 and then we'd head off for some dinner (and sometimes dessert-hooray for Yogurt Land right on the beach!)On Wednesday evening we took the girls to International Marketplace to browse the booth of authentic tradition Hawaiian wares. We even got to see a performance by some drummers and hula dancers from one of the luaus. They each picked out a Hawaiian necklace souvenir and then we headed back to our condo for some fresh, hot pizza dinner before starting to get our things backed and hitting the sack. On Saturday, we had spent a good chunk of our day playing in the water at Ala Moana beach, just a quick drive down the way from the condo and Waikiki. We did more of our usual sunbathing, swimming, and floating in the glorious sun and super warm water. Lem took the girls back for lunch and nap while I got to get in a couple more hours of shopping at Ala Moana shopping center. When the girls were up we met up at the mall for some dinner and headed home for bed.
Besides our daily trips to Waikiki Beach and our day at Ala Moana, we also spent our last day at Weimai Bay and Turtle Beach, but that was such a spectacularly special day that it earned itself its own blog entry...so click and read on for the rest of our Hawaiian vacation story :)
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