North Shore

Wednesday was our big, adventurous day to hit up Waimanalo and the North Shore of Oahu. Weather reports were saying lots of rain that day and when we woke up everything was soaked, there was a good amount of wind, but the rain seemed to have stopped. As we drove up and over to Sea Life Park in Waimanalo the skies just got more and more clear and we ended up with another gorgeous Hawaiian day (we were so spoiled on this whole trip with perfect weather).

We got away pretty early and had time to stop for some McD's breakfast right (for like the 5th time on the trip :) My dad wanted to be brave and try the taro pie—funny picture of us but he said it was kind of like potato in a pie!

My mom and I opted for more caffeinated breakfast options :) We seriously had a long day ahead of us so we were gearing up.

These brave souls were so excited for their dolphin encounter. I was so proud of Livs for being sucha  big girl and going for it with the olders.

We watched from the edge with this spectacular view.

A closer shot of my little crew. We bought pics of the kids kissing the dolphin too but I still need to scan and upload those. It was a huge hit and such a cool experience.

My dad and Luke were quite the matching twins that day—both such cute boys

After showering off and changing out of swimsuits we roamed around the park and saw everything. The dolphin encounter began before the park officially opened so when the kids were done it was still super empty and we got to see and do a lot.

Funny sidenote: while the dolphin thing was going on Luke was getting bored watching and started unpacking the stroller bag—pulling out the towels and clothes that were waiting for the kids and Joseph. We saw that he was getting grumpy, grabbed a few more pictures of the dolphin group, packed up what Luke had pulled out, and found a new spot to hang out and entertain Luke. The wet crew met up with us and we walked over to the showers so they could get clean and dressed. Joseph was searching through the bag looking for his shorts and could not find them anywhere. We guessed Luke had unpacked them and somehow we had missed picking them up with the other things so my dad went back to where we'd been to find them. He came back with them after a bit but was totally laughing because he had found them stuffed into the recycling bin by our seats! What? That funny baby! It's amazing my dad thought to look in that and it's so good that he did as the shorts' pockets had Joseph's phone and wallet in them! Too funny that we missed Luke doing that rascally little act :)

 Feeding time in the bird cage. Bentley was so excited to catch one on his hand...and then it promptly pooped on his fingers :) 

 

Lots of fun and a full morning at the park. The kids were very excited about the gift shop and they all chose out a prize. I caved and bought Luke a mermaid he was totally fixated on but it helped keep him happy during all the driving we had ahead of us that day.

Joseph thought he was pretty silly in this huge shoe:

 

See? So happy to have a mermaid...oh boy...

Next stop was Laie where my dad lived for 1 year as a teenager and surfed like crazy and played football for Kahuku High School. Yeah, he's one tough guy! Because of the storm that had rolled through the night before, a crazy wave surge had built up and was hitting the north shore all day that day. There were so many people over that way out to check out the waves. They weren't the normal tall sets that the surfers love over there but just huge and really close together causing the water levels to rise a ton and way too rough for any of the beaches to even be open for swimming. My mom grabbed this shot at Laie Point:

This is just down the street from the house my dad lived in when he was here in the 50s.

 Then we hit the temple and wandered around for a bit while taking turns staying with Luke in the car as he finished up a nap. We luckily found the amazing Liz Warner at the visitor's center! She and her hubby were there doing interviews (as mission presidents do :) and we were happy to find her. Their home is in Waikiki but I didn't know where until we'd already left the city for Ko'Olina. That cute Liz is my dear friend's mom and I spent many of my high school days in her home eating her amazing homemade salsa and spying on the neighboring boys who went to East. Sure made me grateful for Katherine and all my old friends as Liz and I reminisced. My parents know the Warners too from U of U medical school days and the U alumni board which my dad and Steve were on together. 

This temple is just so beautiful

 

After the temple we hit a little joint called Kahuku Grill for delicious burgers and the very best coconut walnut shrimp I have ever had (thanks for sharing yours mom!)

We continued driving along the beautiful shoreline with 1) tons of traffic as everyone on the island was out to see the crazy waves, and 2) crazy waves :)

 

This beach is normally a popular snorkeling spot along the north shore but look at that stirred up water and surging waves. The wind was pretty strong too adding to the strong current. Later in the evening we learned these had been the biggest waves along that shoreline in 10 years! We even drove past a beach where waves had crashed up and onto the road—we drove over tons of sand and debris left behind.

 Last stop of the day: Matsumoto's for our favorite treat, shave ice :)

Look at Luke eyeing it in this pic!

  

 The drive back to Ko'Olina would normally have been about 45 minutes but with everyone and their dog up north for wave watching the drive home was sooooo long and slow on those awesome, one-lane Hawaiian highways. Our drive was nearly 2 hours but at least we'd packed iPads and iPhones to help the crazies. When those were old news the kids resorted to taking silly pictures and making up goofy songs which kept them giggling for a long time. 

 

We caught a lovey sunset among the pineapple fields and finally got home when it was pretty much bedtime. We delayed for an hour or so and went down to the pool for night swimming and Luke's new favorite, the hot tub. After a long drive these darling kiddos really needed to wiggle and swim and stretch and play. It is so fun to have my family growing up some and able to do these full-day adventures without anyone melting down without his/her usual nap or schedule. Makes me feel brave to do more with my cuties. 

Or maybe it was just Hawaii and how can anyone be grumpy in that most beautiful and happy place?!