Kauai Vacation

So, I tried to surprise Sean for his birthday by planning a family vacation to Kauai. Note to self: Don't include a 10 year old in planning a secret trip! Secrets don't stay secret for very long. That's ok; we still had a wonderful time and loved spending a few days away with Shar and Jer, Sean's parents. We saw some amazing sights, like the waterfalls in this picture. Does anyone besides me remember Fantasy Island? These are the waterfalls from the opening scene of that show. No Mister Rorke or Tattoo sightings. Darn.


We drove all around the island one day and found some cool rocks to climb. The boys raced to the top with Ella not far behind.


Shar, Jer and I escaped for an afternoon and took a helicopter ride around the island. To say it was incredible is a huge understatement. Gorgeous.



Here the kids are striking some poses at a luau we went to one night.


Sean, Jaxon and his dad went on ziplining on his birthday. They had a blast and did some awesome Tarzan imitations swinging through the trees. Jaxon, though the youngest in the group, showed no fear as he casually walked off the high plank and swung down over the forest. They even got to see a waterfall that is in an Indiana Jones movie. Jaxon, future archeologist, thought that was cool.




No trip to Kauai would be complete without some time at a beautiful beach. Luckily, our cottage was right on the beach. Jaxon, Colton and Ella loved playing in the water and had a blast. Mason, the only truly kama'ina kid we have, actually BORN in Hawaii, did not like the beach. In fact, he hated it, and everything that had to do with it: the water, sand, wind, etc. He did look adorable in his swimsuit, so that has got to count for something. The water could be a bit rough, too, as you can see Colton's bathsuit had a hard time staying in place with the rough waves.




On our last day we found a cool rope swing right on the beach. The kids had so much fun swinging that it was hard to drag them away. After swinging, Ella and her best friend, Sharshe, went for one last stroll along the beach.