Okay so here's where we left off.
Wednesday, Oct. 8
There weren't very many pictures taken on this day. We went to the Aloha Stadium and the swap meet. It's the greatest place for buying souvenirs and Hawaiian junk. There are hundreds of vendors that go all the way around the stadium and are just waiting for you to spend your money. And we did.
After the swap meet we went to the NEX which is the Navy Exchange. It is like a huge department/grocery store for military folk to shop in tax free. It's great. We had to show our ID to get in and then anything we wanted to get Amber had to buy for us, we were not allowed to make any purchases.
Here's a picture of us shopping at the NEX. (I realized I hadn't taken any pictures yet to document the day so this is what I got.)
This is called the Stairway to Heaven. We drove past it many times on the way to Amber and Steve's house. It goes all the way to the top of that mountain. There are about 3000 steps in all, and they say that a fall after about 2000 steps is fatal. It was originally built by the military (I'm not sure why) and they have continued to maintain it even though it has been closed to the public since the 80's. Steve knows a guy that knows a guy that does security on it that said he could sneak them in to climb it. I am not in favor of this.
Today wasn't a big picture day but we did have a big milestone from Ryan. He gave me his first real smile. Oh my gosh, it was so cute. I can't believe how fast he is growing and developing.
Thursday, Oct. 9
Today we visited the Honolulu Zoo. It was a nice day, not too hot. The kids loved the zoo. Don't they always? I like the zoo too.
Ethan and I at the giraffe and zebra exhibit.
Ethan and Ally by the chimpanzees. Right after this the monkey's started fighting(or playing ?) and chasing each other and making really loud noises. It was pretty cool to watch.
They had a little children's petting zoo called the "Keiki Zoo". You could go in and walk around with these goats and pet them. Just as I was about to take a picture of Ally by the goats they really did start fighting and one stepped on Ally's foot. That was the end of the Keiki Zoo. But here is a picture of the goat.
After the zoo we went to the Waikiki Aquarium. I love aquariums, I think they are so neat. Ethan especially loved seeing all the different kinds of fish and sea life.
Do you think our kids liked this exhibit? There was a shark and lots of other huge fish in this tank.
Here's Ally by one of the fish ponds.
Ethan, Me, Ryan and Ally at the Waikiki Aquarium.
On the way home from the aquarium we stopped at the Nuuanu Pali State Park. This is one of the places Javan and I came to when we were in Hawaii in 2006. It has a beautiful overlook. You could do some hiking here too.
Friday, Oct. 10
Another shopping day. Us Halls girls can't get together without doing a little shopping. So today we went to the Pearl City Wal-Mart. (Hey, it's still shopping.) How many kids can fit on a little quarter ride? I think we got our money's worth.
After Wal-Mart we went back to the NEX to get the items that we thought we didn't need the time before but later decided that in fact we did need after all. This is a water fall just outside the NEX.
That night we went down to Waikiki and walked down the strip. It is a place just along the beach that has tons of shops and stores. On weekends all the street performers come out to try and make a buck.
There was a guy with all these cool birds. He would let you hold them to get a picture taken. My kids were not brave enough to hold them by themselves so I held the birds for them. Why is she making that funny face you ask?
That dang bird was biting me! I didn't dare scream for fear that I would scare the birds and then who knows what would have happened. It didn't hurt, just startled me a bit when he latched on to my thumb.
P.S. If you are wondering where Ryan is in all the pictures, he is tucked safely inside that black sling that everyone got a turn toting around. He gets heavy after awhile.
This was Ally's favorite part of the night. She loved to see Elmo. I was surprised she knew who he was because we don't watch Sesame Street very often at our house. But was was so excited and didn't want to leave when it was time to go. She waved to him until he was completely out of site. By the way, Elmo wouldn't stand still for a picture until I put some money in his little bucket. Not so nice, this Elmo.
There were all these guys dressed up in various colors and such that were like statues. When you dropped some money in their buckets they would "turn on" and start moving around and making noise and stuff. This was Ethan's favorite part. I think he really thought they were statues that he was turning on.
Saturday, Oct. 11
I tried to get a picture of Ryan smiling. This is at the tail-end of the smile. But you can kind of tell it was there.
Today we went to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve. It is a really nice beach with awesome snorkeling. Kind of like shark's cove, it is pretty shallow with lots of coral, but there were tons of fish. My mom and I saw some really cool one's. I really enjoy snorkeling, it's so cool to see all the different fish. This place had a really nice beach too. I couldn't get Ally out of the water. She loved to play in the waves.
I buried all the kids in the sand.
A view of Hanauma Bay from the cliff above.
Ally, Ryan and I leaving Hanauma Bay.
Ethan climbing on the rock display at Hanauma Bay, I think this was against the rules.
Sunday, Oct. 12
Today we went to church with Amber and Steve's family. We even got to hear Taylor speak in sacrament meeting (she told her mom she was supposed to talk that morning). She did great. Everyone was so welcoming and happy to see us. We got lei'd in Relief Society. I love the church, you always have family no matter where you go.
That afternoon we played at the park for awhile, on our last day together, then went home and had dinner, packed up and left for the airport. Our plane departed at 9:30 pm. Ethan and Ally were both asleep before we took off and slept the whole way home. I even had a hard time waking them up when we landed.
Monday, Oct. 13
We arrived in Salt Lake City at 8:00 am. Tif picked us up from the airport, we went and freshened up a bit, and changed our clothes. We came home to what felt like sub-arctic temperatures (40's) after being in Hawaii for 10 days. We ran a few more errands and headed home. It was a long day. I drank lots of caffeinated pop on the drive home to help keep me awake and was exhausted and ready for bed when we got home. But all that caffeine transferred to Ryan and he was up all night ready to go. Oh, I was so sad, and wasted.
Anyway, what an awesome trip. Thanks again Amber and Steve for everything. You were great. We love you tons, and can't wait to come back.
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