[Prepare yourselves for a super, outrageous, fun, LONG blog!] Andrew's family arrived Tuesday and we've been having an absolute ball. Thus far, we've submarined, oceaned, kayaked, ATE, Dole Plantationed, waterfalled, and baby-cuddled. ;) And, much more!
This was Ellie on Tuesday morning before the caravan arrived. She has finally learned to close her mouth instead of constantly drooling and the result are these incredibly adorable "jub-jub" cheeks, as I call them.
The above pictures are from when we first arrived at the beach house. Seriously, this place rocks. It's 4 bedrooms, 2 bathroom, with both mountain AND perfect ocean views and I'm in love. Ka'a'awa is a quiet town on the east shore with a post office open from 10am-12pm [closed for lunch] and 1-4:30pm. Ahh. Island life.
Let's just say that GG and EB needed some serious "girl talk" time. ;)
Soon after we unpacked and got the house settled, Brooke and I went to the beach across the street. In the coral, we found tons of little snails in teeny shells.
Do you see what I mean? The cheeks are CRAZY.
GG & Burrito playing the "Up...Down..." game. Mostly it just consists of Ellie standing and then her weight collapsing from underneath her.
On Wednesday, the day started with a full meal of single-grain oatmeal. How lovely?
I'm not sure if it was the sun or the baby feeding, but it seemed that Brooke was unenthused.
Brooke hanging with PapPap. Doesn't it look like they're both holding remotes?
Aunt Christina and Ellie on the beach! This was E's first time at the beach [Andrew had PRK surgery and couldn't get sand, etc near his eyes for months afterwards.] and she was sort of manic about it. She loved eating the sand, did not love being in the water. She loved the sunshine, did not love the wind. Very particular, this little girl.
Brooke & Andrew kayaked the mile and a half to the beach. Mom & I kayaked back after they whimped on the return. Big surprise.
Grandma Ann getting a tan. ;)
Thursday morning brought a much-needed, early nap. This is Ellie's favorite position as she prepares herself to crawl aaaaaaany day now.
On Thursday, Andrew rented a boat and we set sail for the sandbar in Kaneohe Bay. Somehow, I forgot Ellie's hat and so we improvised....
We snorkeled AND SAW SEA TURTLES. This was extremely exciting... and if you've read my post about whale watching in Hawaii, you know what I am about to say.... Be in a beautiful place doing things that you love!
Our trusty Captain. Fun story: Many people don't know that the island pictured in the opening credits of "Gilligan's Island" is actually an island in the bay near Kaneohe. We got a pretty up-close view of the television maker and there we many jokes thrown around about our 3 hour tour...
Once we returned, it was high time that Andrew and his siblings [plus Christina's boyfriend, Albert] got with the ping pong table in the basement. This included two packages of Easter Marshmellow Peeps, Brooke riding a bike around the perimeter, and Andrew using an ore as a paddle. And, to think, Ellie is biologically related to these people. Yikes.
This is how Andrew and Brooke have spent every night... up late, playing World of Warcraft. or Starcraft. or any assortment of other silly games.
Friday meant a little drive around North Shore. This picture is of everyone enjoying our vacation [with the exception of me.]... Albert, Christina, Grandma Ann, PapPap, Mom, Dad, Brooke, Andrew, and Ellie.
Andrew, his siblings, and his parents.
After the drive, we stopped at Waimea Falls to tour the Botanical Garden and view a waterfall. Beforehand, we were up-close and personal with a very friendly peacock...
Andrew has very "interesting" ways of carrying Ellie.
Mom & Dad. [Can you believe their 25th Anniversary is this year?!]
And the carrying only gets more ridiculous.
The waterfall is above. It was a little anti-climatic, but I waded into the water and it was absolutely lovely. The water was warm and the lagoon was cozy.
After the falls, we went to the Dole Plantation and took a short train ride around the grounds. This was Ellie's first train ride, which isn't that notable, but I don't know... The more things she does, the more I realize that she's FIVE MONTHS OLD now. [You thought I'd let that slip by, huh?]
After the ride, we all enjoyed some Dole Whip, or pineapple ice cream. Overall, I think we were a little confused about the taste... initially very sweet, then very tangy. Hmm. This is Ellie and Uncle Brooke doing some souvenir shopping.
This was Ellie this morning with Aunt Christina. [Saturday.]
And this is her enjoying her mid-morning nap with her GG.
The plans for the day included a submarine tour in Waikiki and, as you can tell, some people were more excited than others...
Underwater footage. This was really very wonderful and fun... AND every one's first time on a sub!
Do you see the green sea turtle? :)
So very BLUE.
Andrew & Brooke.
Grandma Ann & PapPap.
And this WAS a picture of Andrew and I... or so we thought. ;)
Ellie chilling at Bubba Gump's. I am VERY proud to say that she's been an excellent companion on all our excursions. Even with a few interrupted naps and some pretty severe diaper rash, she's grooved like the rest of 'em!
This evening, Andrew's island cousins Kenan and Keno [father and son] Knieriem came by the house for a quick family reunion. What many don't know is that the Knieriem's are soccer stars all over the planet! In fact, Kenan had just left his adult soccer league game to come to our cookout. After eating, the four of them [Andrew, Brooke, Kenan, and Keno] set up a soccer tennis court and kicked the ball around for quite some time. It was one of the happiest moments of my life... My family means absolutely everything to me and watching them enjoy the vacation of a lifetime, playing soccer with awesome relatives, under a Super Moon was too much to take. Thank you, Heavenly Father.
And this was the moon from the balcony. It was much more radiant in real life, but gosh... our view is superb, right?!
Tomorrow we are getting some shaved ice, enjoying the beach, and then heading on a harbor cruise with Kenan and company. Hopefully I can keep up next time and not overload my blog with 67 pictures. Hopefully.
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