I decided on day 1 that I wanted to document our entire vacation. For me, it will be something to look back on & so I can remember the details. So every morning while I drank my coffee from the balcony, I documentd our adventures from the day before.
Before we get to that, back story…
My husband and I both work hard to provide for our boys. With my husband being an executive chef his busy season is pretty much year round. Our work schedules are for the most part, opposite. I work the normal 9 to 5 office job, and he works about 10-12 hours a day, 6 days a week on average.
2016 was a hard year adjusting to our second child and trying to find time for us. Usually we take an annual family vacation to reset and rejuvenate, but this year we didn’t take one with all the new expenses of our second child and knowing we were going to Hawaii after Christmas. It wouldn’t have been so bad, but our last vacation was January of 2015.😳 That’s two years, almost to the day.
My husbands parents (two of the most generous and kindest people you will ever hope to meet) booked the trip to Hawaii in January of 2016, to bring the family together. All of us have crazy schedules (like most people), plus we live 2 hours away from each other so time together is limited outside the major holidays. When my FIL told us they were booking a trip to Hawaii we all laughed because we have been talking about a family vacation for about 4 years now. Well friends, this time it was the real deal. Even with 6 kids & 6 adults, the vacation was pure bliss. My husband, two boys, and I vacationed with my husbands parents, sister, brother-in-law, & their 4 children. 😬😳 The plane ride back was a little stressful, but that’s another story for a different day. 😂
I am so blessed and grateful to have taken such an amazing vacation with people I love and admire. It truly was rejuvenating and I feel so much closer to my boys, husband, and my husbands family. Up until the trip, my husband and I were struggling to find common ground in our marriage. I think mostly because the stress of work, bills, and kids. In a way, this trip reset our marriage and I couldn’t be more grateful. It’s like we fell in love all over again. I was able to spend one-on-one time with him and each of our boys.
Day 1:
We arrived at Honolulu airport in the early evening. Everyone was anxious to get to the house after the 9.5 hour flight. Remember we had 6 kids. 😳 Believe it or not, the kids all did well given the circumstances.
When we arrived at the house we were in awe. The view was spectacular. We had several days planned out with activities, but I would have been completely ok staying at the house. It was intoxicatingly dreamy.
The hammock I read and laid with my boys
The beach outside the house
The house 😍
In the evening we went to the store to buy necessities and groceries, then settled in, unpacked, and went to the beach outside the house to let the kids splash around.
Side note, don’t be fooled by this picture. Kennedy did not like the water, he did like the sand though.
Day 2:
It was a rainy and cloud covered second day. To make the most of it, we gathered up the kids and went to Pearl Harbor and toured the Bowfin Submarine.
It was the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor, so there were a lot of people. We spent most of the afternoon there, then came home and made dinner. After the kids went to bed, the adults talked and shared a few cocktails. It was a low key evening, but in my eyes, it was perfect.
Day 3:
My husbands sister and BIL took the kids to the zoo and aquarium near Waikiki Beach while my husband, FIL, and I went to the flea market at the Hawaii University football stadium.
We ate the freshest mango and walked around stopping at all the pop-up shops. We left with fresh mango, a ukulele for our oldest son & matching Hawaiian shirts for all the boys. Side note, do not buy Marlin Jerky. It is disgusting. 😑
A ukulele you ask?? My son has been asking for one for about 6 months now. He has a real interest in music and for some reason he loves the ukulele. When I found this for $20 I didn’t hesitate to pick it up. He was so happy when we surprised him with it when he got back from the zoo.
Day 4:
My husband and I woke up around 6:30am and watched the sunrise from the balcony, with coffee in hand. We enjoyed each other’s company, kid free. The kids woke soon after, but that time we had together (though brief) was nice. We talked about the things that made us happy, and not bills or upcoming appointments.
Justin’s parents wanted to stay home with the kids, so Justin’s sister, BIL, my husband, and I took the opportunity to hike the Manoa Falls Trail.
The bamboo forest
It was sheer beauty. Seeing the bamboo forest, pops of bright colored flowers, small streams of water flowing over rocks, and the serenity of the sun rays peeking through the tops of the trees made for a perfect afternoon.
Before we left, I had to get a selfie of my husband and I.
In the evening we enjoyed Rueben’s as Justin’s parents do every New Years Day, to bring good luck throughout the year. After dinner we took the kids down to the beach to swim, snorkel, and boogie board.
That evening the adults drank champagne garnished with blueberries & rosemary to bring in the New Year. 🥂 Well kind of, almost everyone was asleep before midnight. 😂
Day 5:
My husband and I took our boys to the Hawaiian Island Cafe, a local breakfast spot that had rave reviews. The cafe was quaint and had 6 small tables, a love-seat, & coffee table. There was a older gentleman, who seemed to be the owner, crafting in the corner. He made a dangling angle fish with a strip of bamboo, leaves, and a flower. He also stuck a toothpick in the eye of a beautiful Hawaiian flower to stick on the side of an ear.
He brought both items to our table as gifts for me and my boys. He made everything from the trees outside the cafe. It was such a sweet gesture. I wore the flower in my hair for the greater part of the day. Bonus, the food was amazing just as the reviews stated. They have the best salted caramel latte, hands down. ☕️
After breakfast we ventured to Hanauma Bay.
One of the most beautiful places I have ever been lucky enough to visit. My oldest son snorkeled for the first time and LOVED it! I was so proud of him. He was so brave and ventured out as far as I would let him. It filled my heart with joy to see him so happy.
Day 6:
We woke extra early to hike Diamond Head State Monument. My husband strapped baby K to him with the baby bjorn and we were off. The hike took us about 30 minutes to get to the top, but it was so worth it.
When we got back down to the bottom we enjoyed shaved ice & water. 🍧
With hiking in the morning, we decided to take it easy in the evening and stayed in. My husband & FIL fished from the dock and caught a couple fish.
Baby K loved the dock.
After fishing my husbands parents went to a local restaurant to get takeout. We were all so tired from the sun & hiking that everyone in the house was in bed by 9pm. I know, we are lame, but I partly blame the 5 hour time difference.
Day 7:
Today marked 3 years of marriage for my husband and I. Being in Hawaii for our anniversary was enough, but my husband took it a step further and surprised me with two plane tickets to island hop to the neighboring island Molokai for the day. My husband had his parents keep the boys, so it was just us two. We rarely get alone time, so I made sure to soak up every bit of QT with him that I could.
We hopped on a small plane that had 10 seats and took the 30 minute ride to the island. I HATE flying, so you could imagine the state of my emotions while we were in the air. I was ok until I had to be weighed before going through security. If they have to take your weight into consideration to balance the plane, then please show me to the nearest boat. 😂 It was scary, but we landed safely & the view was amazing.
We ended up renting a uhaul truck to explore the island since all the rental cars were sold out. 😂 So romantic. ❤ We drove about 25 minutes out and stopped at the first beach. There were only about 10 other people occupying the entire beach. It was pure paradise. My husband and I laid out the blanket we brought and ended up falling asleep. 😂 #parentlife
Do you remember the Friends episode where Ross tried spray tanning and he ended up being a 4 on one side an 8 on the other?!?! Yes, that would be us. 😂😂😂 P.S. I’m a huge Friends fan. Always have been, always will be.
After our nap we drove up the coast along the very narrow highway. It was breathtaking. We stopped to take pictures and soaked in the sun. It is amazing how many churches we spotted along the way.
After driving for about 45 minutes we came to a sign that said, “Highway ends here”. So we ended up turning around and headed back to the town to turn in the uhaul and catch a cab back to the airport.
The cab driver who took us back to the airport, a native, told us that you must be 50% Hawaiian to own land on Molokai. His family has lived on that land for hundreds of years so he knew the history of the land. We learned that Molokai has about 7,400 residents, 1 highway, and 0 stop lights. They also grow the corn seeds that are shipped back to Indiana. We thought that was awesome since we are from Indiana.
It was dark when we returned and I was able to snap a couple aerial photos of Honolulu & Waikiki.
It is a day that I will not soon forget. I felt so blessed to have the opportunity to venture to a new place and take in all its beauty.
Day 8:
We gathered all the kids and went to Pearl Harbor to see the Arizona Memorial. The video shown, before taking a short boat ride out to see the Arizona puts life into perspective. The young men & women who were lost that day & the heroes who fought back have a place in my heart.
It was somber as we walked up to the memorial. My oldest was in awe with everything about the memorial. He walked through the memorial taking in as much as he could. I’m glad he got the chance to go and see this historic site. My son is a lover of history and this was definitely a highlight of the trip for him.
That evening we attended a Luau. We were greeted with fresh leis.
Inside, the kids were learning how to throw a spear and we watched locals make headbands from palm tree leaves. Can you spot our family? Each family wore matching shirts/dresses in true tourist spirit. 😂
It was enlightening & insightful to learn about the Hawaiian & Somoan culture. Everyone enjoyed the hula dancers . Their performance was spectacular.
The Hula Dancers
My beautiful SIL & I
At the end of the night the host called up all the couples celebrating an anniversary, so of course our family nudged us to go up. The hula dancers gave all the women a bouquet and we danced under the stars.
My bouquet from the Luau 😍
Day 9:
Our last day here. I walked to the dock, with coffee in hand and sat Indian style at the end of the dock watching the ocean and the pure beauty that we was lucky enough to take in for 9 days.
In the afternoon we walked down to the beach and swam with the kids. Baby K loved the water. We couldn’t get him near it until our last day, but after he got the courage we couldn’t get him out. It made my heart smile watching him. We left all our electronics at home so I wasn’t able to get a picture.
When we got back to the house we all got cleaned up to go out for one last dinner together. Before dinner, we made a pit stop at Honolulu Cookie Company, my favorite place to get cookies in Hawaii. 😋 $50 in cookies later, we went to dinner on Waikiki Beach. It was so nice having everyone together one last time after a magical vacation. My oldest will definitely miss being with his cousins everyday but I’m so glad we all had this time together. At the end of dinner he told me that it was the best vacation ever. I was so happy to hear that. I thank God we had the opportunity to allow him the experience at such a young age.
Until next time Hawaii. 😘
