Holladay: Aloha & Easter

Here is our second half of our trip to Hawaii! We spent a lot of time snorkeling, enjoying the beach and the outdoors! We also celebrated Bryan's birthday and Easter!

Day 4 of our journey...Bryan's Birthday!!! We went to the North Shore area. Swam at Waimea Bay, snorkeled near Shark's Cove (three tables), had shaved ice at Matsumoto, gorgeous drive, and an evening in Waikiki for a birthday dinner.

My mom went to the store for a few groceries and brought Bryan back birthday donuts. We sang Happy Birthday to him with some delicious donuts.

At Waimea Bay, NW part of Oahu, it was a more calm beach for the kids. It was really popular for cliff jumping.

another view of the beach

just hanging out in the water. It was calm then a big wave would come and hit.

Carson loved riding on the boggie board.

This is a little video of Carson riding the waves in Waimea Bay.

Colby riding a wave in on his tube!

Enjoying lunch at Shark's Cove, close-by Three Tables. We didn't read the signs until we left and it ended up being Three Tables directly next door to Shark's Cove. It had really good snorkeling right at the shore.

The Birthday Boy getting his fill of snorkeling

Just some of the fish we saw in the water. They swam to fast to get too many pictures.

Another beautiful fish. It was really hard to get its picture.

Colby playing on the shore

Carson enjoying lunch. Earlier that morning his poor middle finger got caught in the hotel door. Unfortunately he is about to loose that nail. The doctor said it will take about 6 months for the new one to grow back. Colby feels so awful that Carson will lose a nail since he accidentally played a large role in the accident.

What birthday couldn't be complete without seeing a whale jump from the water multiple times and seeing turtles on the beach? I would say Bryan had a great day!

watching the whale jump and spout water

Bryan lovin' his shaved ice in Haleiwa

My parents watched our kids while Bryan & I went out for his birthday dinner. Just as we pulled into Waikiki, the sun was setting!

Swinging from a tree!

In this video, Bryan is swinging from a tree in Waikiki. He said he now knows how Tarzan did it.

If you know anything about Bryan his favorite meal is a burger. I know how simple is that, so while in Hawaii whatelse do you get besides a burger? I know a little different to go somewhere new and choose a burger place but it was his birthday, so off we went to get a tasty burger. He almost did the burger challenge, but we have a thing for trying each others dishes, and he wouldn't have been able to share with me so he skipped it. We did a little shopping on the streets before we headed for home.

Day 5...after getting a little too much sun from snorkeling the day before, we took it easy. We went and checked out the pirate ship, played at the lagoon/beach, and swam at the pools.

Carson loved walking around the grounds at the resort in search for birds

Brothers, at the entrance to the resort. It had a beautiful waterfall and ponds

From our hotel window we could see this dark ship. As we arrived at the docks, a man informed us it was the ship from the Pirates of the Caribbean. It was the Black Pearl. Later they added 2 levels, and are now using it for the 4th Pirates movie.

In the latest movie, it is called Queen Anne's Revenge!

We could get pretty close to the ship and it was so cool to see all the details on it. Here is the front of the ship

After checking out the ship, Colby was so excited to go paint a ceramic Easter egg. Colby and Grandma each painted their eggs. Colby seemed to love every minute of this activity. He is a pretty crafty/artsy kid.

Despite the look on his face, he loved his egg. Colby's egg is the stripped one. Grandma painted the flower egg. Colby wasn't too excited that it had to dry.

Colby trying out his "surfing" skills

Here a cute little video of Colby "surfing."

Our little waterbug

We could keep this kid away from the water

playing in the sand

our other little "surfer" and Colby making friends in the background

Carson taking his turn at "surfing"

Colby being a monkey at the pool

Day 6...our last full day in Hawaii, Easter Sunday. We woke up and had an Easter egg hunt in the hotel room followed by one on the beach. Then headed off to church followed by a walk turned into a hike at some waterfalls.

Carson and Colby finding their baskets!

Carson had no problems finding the eggs, but once he had one egg he would just sit and shake it until it opened. Then he would sit and eat what was inside. So to get him to eat breakfast we ended up refilling them with cereal.

Colby on the egg hunt.

Carson finding some more eggs

Loving his eggs

Colby at one of the ponds looking at the fish. I added a separate post of family pics in Hawaii that continue from this picture.

the massive egg hunt

Colby getting ready to capture some eggs especially the golden egg

Carson finding eggs. Once again, he found one egg and he was good to go. They had candies and toys inside.

Oh look, a big stuffed animal what more could Carson want? He absolutely loves to hug stuffed animals, so he was so excited when the Easter bunny showed up. Despite the number of kids, he managed to get the first hug and picture because the other kids were still hunting eggs and he saw the bunny. He then continued to go back and hug the bunny.

Colby with the baskets while Grandpa is checking out the cliffs

At church, here is the view from the parking lot. Looking out the chapel doors, you could see the ocean.

After church, we decided to take a drive. We ended up at Paradise Park. Then in our church clothes, we decided we would walk to Manoa Falls. Here are my parents at the start of our "walk."

It was a breathtaking journey out of a movie.

An absolutely gorgeous rainforest. It even sprinkled a little while we were there.

Bryan & Carson in an opening along the way.

At the base of the waterfall, before it ran downstream.

The whole family made it to the top. Bryan carried Carson on his side the entire way.

Jenn and her parents. Partway down from the falls. There is a slight opening where you can see the falls. Don't you love my hiking attire. Yes, I was wearing sandals with a slight heal and a white skirt. Lets just say it was a little slick, muddy, and uphill on rocks/branches at times. But we made it and like I said we weren't planning on hiking.

Here is the opening to the falls from the previous picture. It is fairly small but the journey their is like no other.

The boys headed back down

Colby was amazed about how large some of the leaves were

Not the greatest picture, but a view of the mountains in Hawaii. It was a little cloudy. But it was amazing how thick and lush the forest was when you got into the middle of it.

Day 7...time to catch a plane...sad to go back home. We sure enjoyed our stay on this beautiful island. But before leaving we walked around the resort and beach, ate a delicious brunch at Koa Pancakes, played at a park then hopped on a plane.