Here we are on the Big Island of Hawaii. We came along with my whole side of the family to stay for a week in beautiful paradise! We had come once before as an extended family the Christmas of 2007 to Maui. And if you know my family at all, you can't let any more than a couple of years go by without coming back here for a fix. In fact we gave my parents a hard time too because when they returned from this trip with us they came back to Kauai 10 days later! Can't blame them though. This is the place to be!!
Here is the whole Archer/Bailey clan. We are at a really beautiful resort and I can't remember the name of it now(this is why I should have posted 2 months ago when we got home...) We got to watch some people go into a dolphin preserve and swim with the dolphins.
This is where the dolphins performed some tricks. It was so nice to sit in the shade and just enjoy each other.
Everyone waiting for a ride on a boat that toured the resort.
This was the house that the family stayed in for the week. Seth found it for rent on line and Nichole and Anthony just happened to be there last summer to check out the place. Except when we got here, they gave us a house that was totally different than the one they had seen. Good thing it was nice, right? There was one main house where the kitchen and eating area was, and then there were four little cottage like rooms right next to the main house. Each individual cottage house had its own out door shower. They were made of lava rock and had ferns and plants growing right inside the shower area. They each had a rainfall shower head. Brynn game to me soaking wet one day, "mom you have got to go try that rock shower, it is amazing!" And she was right, it really was amazing. I'd build one here if we wouldn't freeze 9 months out of the year. Everyone took turns helping in the kitchen. Adam cooked up some yummy things, as usual. I do remember shish kabobs one night that were so fantastic. There was a big patio with a large out door eating area. Although, when we moved in doors we were at risk of encountering our large friends that scaled the walls. Spiders! Big like you wouldn't believe and when you got the guts to go and smash one it would swing out and jump at you! Sweet Anthony ended up standing on top of a chair one night, while Austin battled it out with a nasty one. Good times!
Daddy and Layna getting used to the water
Cute Kira!
Uncle Adam and Ian
I really was worried Alayna would hate the sand getting everywhere, but she loved it and had a ball!
She was watching everyone else gettting buried in the sand, she thought she'd take a turn.
Ian looks like he could stay the night here:)
Brynn and Ava playing in some tide pools.
Logan and Kira burying themselves
Ian and Alayna became good little buddies on this trip. They are about a year apart so it was cute to see Ian talk and talk and Alayna just babble next to him.
My pretty Brynn
Anthony and Brynn
Wow, what a sport! Adam is pretty brave to let all of these crazy kids bury him. I know that there were more than one occasion that sand was thrown into his eyes and mouth. So fun! Well the kids sure thought it was atleast...
Grandpa finishing off Logan and Kira. There was this darling little Hawaiian girl that came up to help in the effort. I had to laugh because her bikini bottoms kept falling down, but that didn't seem to bother her!
Anthony was the king boogie boarder. I think he was out in the water as long as the kids were!
Uncle Austin with Ava, Ian and Kira. They were excited about this little cave they found at the beach. Austin was nice and kept hauling those kids in and out of there all day. The next day we went back though a yucky rat had moved into the cool cave. Bummer!
Ian is wearing Austin's hat here, which kind of became his Hawaii hat because he would keep it on and he looked so cute in it!
Mom and baby girl enjoying the water.
I love this picture! Little mother Brynn. I love their silhouettes. Why do they have to grow up?
FROGS!!!
Every morning when we woke up the kids would go outside and check the pool for frogs. They latched to the side of the pool every day. The kids played with them constantly!
Here is the pool and hot tub next to the house. If we were not at the beach, these kids were in the pool. I'm surprised they didn't all have gills by the end of the week. One day Seth and I went on a drive with my parents and Anthony and Nichole and Cori. We were gone for 4 or 5 hours. The kids were swimming when we left and still swimming when we returned!
Ava got her Hawaiian girl outfit while she was shopping. She was so excited to show us all.
Ian is showing off his new snake
Alayna dancing
More time in the hot tub
Kira Belle
The Artrirdge family band. My dad had us all take a night to lead a group activity. Austin was true to his trade and taught us all a couple new songs. He also taught the kids how to play the harmonica and gave them each a chance to play it while he accompanied them. He wrote a song called "Here on the Island of Hawaii" and taught us how to sing the chorus. He also taught us another one called "Alot more going for me". I thought we all sounded pretty good and even Seth tapped his toe a little. Austin is so unbelievably talented! It was fun for everyone to be involved in his music.
Kayaking! Seth really wanted to take the girls to do something that they hadn't ever done on Hawaii before. A little something different than the beach too, although it is easy to stay there every day. I'm glad he encouraged us to do this, it was a great day!
Here we are next to our boats. Brynn road with Seth and I road with Kira and our guide. Kira was really nervous at first, and then she cried all the way across the bay because it was choppy and she was getting wet, but once we got to the coast she perked up and started having fun.
We rowed all the way from the opposite shoreline into this cove. The camera doesn't do it justice, it was so pretty!
Seth and Brynn and I snorkled for probably close to an hour. We couldn't convince Kira to come in:(. The fish were really pretty, but the clear water is what made it so amazing. Getting out of the water was a challenge though because you had to work with the current. I got smashed against some rocks when I tried to come in. We walked further into the coast and saw the ruins of the queens palace and the queens bath. Apparently a sign of beauty many years ago was to be very large. So the bigger their queens were the better. We had such a nice guide. He was good to entertain Kira while we were underwater and he had lot of fun stories to tell us. For example, on the big island it snows on the tops of the mountains. So in the winter sometimes the locals will bring down some snow and build a snow man on the beach. He said it really confuses the tourists!
S0 sad to be going home. Grandpa Mike said the saddest place in Hawaii is the airport. So true! We had an awful flight home too. All I remember is cancellation, a 3 hr. wait and then another delay. It was a very long day. Mom and dad thank you for such a nice vacation. Hawaii really is a paradise! We've done this twice now. Should we just schedule a trip every couple of years. I would be up for that.
We love Hawaii but, man is it good to be home!!!
We had a cute welcoming committee here to do the hula with us. Just gotta love these two girls!
