Cuteness.

Alright, so at least I got a few days of posts in a row, right?

Here's a photo Brady took on his phone a couple of weeks ago when he was out and about with Kaelyn. Some cuteness to brighten your Monday. I particularly like the color coordination between the beanie and her shirt (which Brady had to buy since there were a couple incidents that ruined her original and backup outfits--it was the start of the stomach bug that made the rounds in our house), her multi-color thread Levi's, the boots, and the stance. So basically everything, haha

Hawaii! Part 3: A Cautionary Tale about Rental Cars, Harold H Take Two, Our Tour Guide, Little & Momma Photoshoot, Sand Chairs & Coconut Offerings

Oof, that was a long post yesterday. Props to you if you made it through. The formatting turned out a little jumbled (at least on my end) so I'm going to keep it simple.

So a guidebook I highly recommend getting for any trip to Hawaii is the Revealed series. They have an edition for each island with really great tips, reviews and hidden gems. The author(s) actually live(s) on the islands. That said, get the current edition. I figured a couple of years wouldn't make that big of a difference. WRONG. Evidently a road that was previously drivable for all cars has a bit rougher conditions these days. In the guidebook, it talks about a black sand beach north of Kona. 4WD is required for the second road that will take you within steps of the beach, but it said that if you don't have 4WD, to take the main road to the parking area, then it's about a 10 minute walk. Do-able, we thought. Except the main drivable road is no longer--er--paved very well or at all. The entire area is lava rock. The road is also lava rock. This makes for a very bumpy ride. I would be shocked if there was tread left on the tires after that and I'm pretty sure the alignment would need some tinkering. There were no fewer than 15 other rental cars making the trek that we saw. Moral of the story? Think twice about buying a previous rental car, particularly if there are treacherous terrains nearby. The car we got had 6 miles on it. We returned it with around 600(?) at least, we went to forbidden areas of the island, beat the crap out of it, and the interior was--well, we have a toddler. She's not exactly tidy with her snacks and food.

We weren't quite sure where we were in relation to the black sand beach by the time we pulled into the "parking" area. There was another beach with high reviews closeby so we ended up heading there with the couple from the other car who took the road with us. The beach was a total getaway with very few people in the morning. The waves were pretty rough though.

Kaelyn in her sandy home. She looks thrilled, doesn't she? We took this right before we left so poor girl was exhausted.

We went at the right time though since the "crowds" started to come in just as we were leaving and the tide was starting to take over the beach. Because the hike to the beach (with a toddler and all our beach toys, towels, etc.) was a little tiring, we opted against hiking down the 4WD only road to the black sand beach. So instead, we headed back out across the lava rock and wouldn't you know it? Kaelyn fell asleep. Figures, right?

So then we headed down toward South Kona and Captain Cook. We stopped to pick up some grub for the drive since Kaelyn was napping. Here's where the guidebook (even a 2 year old one) came in handy. We went to a place called Killer Tacos, which was in an industrial area, but did, in fact, have killer tacos and was pretty cheap at that. I would have to say the burritos were equally killer. (Shrimp, mahi mahi, chicken, beef, or kahlua pig I believe were the meat options.) I think the burritos would have made excellent hand weights. Actually, just thinking about them makes me crave them something awful.

Hmm, no photos of that excursion, haha I just had to share. Best Mexican food I can remember and they're in Hawaii. Go figure.

We did a scenic drive while the Little slept and discovered how trusting people in Hawaii can be. We came upon a roadside stand selling plumeria leis. They were only $3, which is ridiculously cheap so we made a U-turn and pulled alongside, but nobody was there. There was just a cooler filled with these beautiful leis and a locked box (cemented into the ground) with a slot for money. Huh. So we bought two and headed down the way to the bay known for dolphins. This is when Kaelyn awoke. Cranky and hungry. So we didn't get to stick around to watch for dolphins, but we did head back up the road toward Kona and decided to let Kaelyn run around Harold H again.

We stopped at the International Market in Kona on our drive up the coast. After doing a little shopping, Brady ran into a coffee place while Kaelyn and I loaded up in the car (or tried to). Kaelyn wanted to drive so when I set her in her car seat and went to put the bag in the car before buckling her in, she immediately climbed to the front seat.

Once I got her buckled in, she decided to read the guidebook I've been mentioning. You know, so she could be navigator since I wouldn't let her be the driver. Err--the first problem I see is that the book is upside down. Maybe that's why we got lost?

After the market, we went to one of the beaches by the old airport that has a perfect tidepool for "keikis." By that time, it was sunset so it was a great photo op. I walked through the tidepool with Kaelyn since it had some very slippery areas and some lava rocks throughout while Brady took photos of the sunset, the crashing waves, and us :) My two favorites:

On our last beach day (besides the black sand beach on the other side of the island), about 5 hours went by without us realizing it. No wonder we were starving when we got back to the car! We did a lot of wave chasing, splashing around, and sand castle structure building. This resulted in Kaelyn having her very own chair and ottoman to watch the waves. (We each constructed one, but Brady's ultimately was far more durable.) She doesn't look entirely thrilled in this photo, but she kept going back to her chair. (Oh and pardon the sand mustache, haha)

We also chased Kaelyn around quite a bit. Here she is running back from visiting other beach goers.

Ah and the coconut offering. Kaelyn found this coconut on the beach and she decided to offer it to the ocean. You know, as a gift :) Well the tide kept washing it back on shore (and we may have actively pulled the coconut out of the water, too) so every time she spotted it, she'd grab it, march down to the water and toss it in. She did this no fewer than 17 times.

Coming up in Part 4: The original King Kamehameha statue, Akaka Falls, Thurston Lava Tube, Punaluu Black Sand Beach, SEA TURTLES!, back to Volcano, the Zoo, and the trip home

Hawaii! Part Two: Little Meets a Dolphin, Chasing waves (and a stranger), Harry H Park, Our "Backyard" Photoshoot & Horseback Riding

After the Botanical Gardens,we headed to the other side of the island to check in at the timeshare, which was in the Waikoloa Resort area. For our first full day, we started off with a Dolphin Encounter at the Hilton for Brady and Kaelyn.

Leaving the timeshare--actually managed to pull all of Kaelyn's wild hair into an adorable curly ponytail. How precious is she?

(The hairdo didn't last) The hotel is really kind of spectacular, particularly the pool and recreation area. They have 11 dolphins and honestly (and this is coming from a total animal sap, who sobbed at Free Willy even the 100th time I saw it), the dolphins seem really happy in their lagoon home.

I got Kaelyn changed into her wetsuit and we hung out in their lounge area and on the deck. There were two other little girls in her group and at the start of the encounter they got everyone in life vests.

At first Kaelyn seemed okay with it, but it didn't take her long to decide that she really, really did not care for that life vest. This is evident in the photos that have her clamoring to take it off. And sobbing. In the "official" photo we bought (which I haven't scanned yet), it looks as though she thinks she's going to be fed to the dolphin. Oh well. She actually did really well with the dolphin. She got to feed him several fish, which she did like a pro. (She has practice from giving the dogs treats.) The sliminess didn't seem to bother her like it did the other kiddos, who wanted nothing to do with the stinky fish.

The view leaving the Dolphin Encounter...ahhhh...

They have a very eclectic art collection at the Hilton. While we wandered around, we came upon a rhino. Kaelyn's favorite book is I Know a Rhino and I make sure to point out every rhino we see, but this is usually limited to live at the zoo or on the zoo's carousel) so she was rather stoked to see him, you know, out and about.





Um, Kaelyn? This train isn't going to drive itself :)



Later on, we ventured down to Kona so we could stock the kitchen with some essentials for the week. While we were in the area, we decided to go to Harold H Higashihara Park, which I had found in my travel planning. It was one of the coolest parks we'd ever seen and we had a blast climbing, sliding, teeter-tottering, pushing Kaelyn on the swings.

We went to several different beaches during our trip (and I've lost track of which beach on which days)--there was A-Bay, which was right by the resort. We went there twice during the trip...these two are from our first visit:

Brady left his mark on the beach. It started as a barricade to protect Kaelyn from the water and evolved from there.

but the best were just a few minutes up the road.

Now, about Kaelyn's swimwear, which I think is really stinkin' cute--We brought a few different swimwear options for Kaelyn, but she spent all her time in this Roxy wetsuit. It was great because it limited the amount of sand that got in her diaper (of course, sand is a tricky thing that gets into everything), it kept her a little warmer since the water was a bit on the chilly side and it had a 50+ UV protection to protect her fair skin. We also had a Puddle Jumper and a swim vest, which she refused to wear. Fortunately, she didn't want to be without her hat, which we picked out at Costco. Notice the color? She's our little sunshine!

Funny story--but it needs a little back story. Kaelyn and I have a little thing we do. If she's across the room or there's several feet between us, I'll say "I'm gonna get yoooooou," and she'll do one of two things: 1) giggle and run away, or 2) run straight toward me. If she goes with the second, I'll run toward her and we'll both spread our arms out and I'll scoop her up just as we're about to collide. She finds it hilarious. Sooo, we were at the beach and I had gone up to all our gear to take photos of Brady and Kaelyn playing in the sand. Here's the sequence:

They took a break from building castles (and pyramids and lounge chairs) to go down to the water.

Kaelyn lost her footing in the wet sand.

She caught a glimpse of someone down the beach she thought was me.

Run, Kaelyn, Run!

"Momma!"

Immediately after this photo, there was an "Uhhh--you're not my momma" moment. Still. The outstretched hands, the huge smile on her face? Makes my heart swell. Love it :)

This one you might recognize from our Christmas card (we used a cropped version). This was at one of the many shopping areas that was all decorated for Christmas. (I think the camera strap or possibly a finger is in the bottom left corner--whoops.)

One early evening when we were just chilling out at the timeshare--I think this was the night we went up to the Observatory (which, besides the drive when I discovered my susceptibility for car sickness, was really awesome)--I took Kaelyn outside to the "backyard" for some photos. There was a huge grassy area and we were on the bottom floor so it was really great for running around and burning off some toddler energy. Even so, she's a moving target in every photoshoot these days so a lot were of her back.

Out of focus, but look at that facial expression! Ooof, don't make her mad ;) I think her nostrils are even flaring. (Oh and she posed herself that way.)

In the next two, she's standing ON the picnic table by the barbecue grills.

One thing I was particularly excited for (you know, besides a beach vacation, not having to work for 12 days, and getting to spend 12 days with the fam) was horseback riding. I tend to only get to go while on vacation, but it's something I really enjoy and thanks to Brady (since the place was difficult to get ahold of), I got to take a special sunset ride (they just so happened to switch the ride time for that day because a couple in the group was doing the BBQ at the ranch that night). It was out on a cattle ranch, which was great because we got to canter and gallop and didn't have to ride nose to tail like on most trail rides. With getting geared up and then the actual ride, it was about 2 hours or so.

Brady and Kaelyn visited the animals and then drove back down to Waimea (which had another great playground) while I was on the ride. Kaelyn ended up falling asleep on the way back up so Brady got some time to take photos of the horses and then the group as we came back.

My horse's name was Sam (Samson from Canada, eh...though why the horses were imported from the friendly North, I have no idea. Eh.) and he was introduced to me as a "military man" in that he does what's expected from him and he doesn't like to stray from what he needs to do. He listened to my direction at times, but if I disturbed him from his frequent snack breaks, he'd growl at me. Yes, I know. Horses aren't known for growling, but I swear that's what he did. I think he would have nipped at my leg had I pushed it any further. He knew what he was doing and didn't really care for his authority being questioned by the Malihini from the mainland so I just let him do his thing. For being so big, he was fast and since my experience on horses is limited, I just held on tight and after a couple spurts of galloping, I was having a ball.

Saying goodbye, eh.

Coming up in Part 3: Why one should not buy a retired Big Island rental car, more beach, another trip to Harold H, favorites from the Momma & Kaelyn photoshoot at the tidepools, and the coconut offering.