hawaii- march 22nd

march 22nd day 1 we are finally here! after being told over thanksgiving that kristin's mom would be taking us all to the big island of hawai'i (which, in the native language means "sanctuary from snowdrifts and cold winds), our daily countdown has finally come to its' conclusion! kristin, molly and i met janet and lisa at the airport in denver mid-morning on saturday morning for our direct flight to kona, hi. as a result of some wise booking strategy by janet and a fairly empty plane, kristin and i had the luxury of a seat between us for molly- which made our lives- and the lives of everyone around us, most likely- far more enjoyable for the flight over. truth be told, molly was a trooper- she read, colored with crayons she's just starting to enjoy playing with, took a good nap, and was- for the most part- one heck of a traveler. we arrived in kona at about 7:30 pm on "our watches" but due to the time change, it was only 3:30 island time. kristin couldnt get over her joy for the warmth, the humidity, the fresh flowers in bloom everywhere, etc. and literally melted in tom's front yard, which seemed to concern her daughter just a bit. after a while, though, she caught on and also enjoyed exploring this new thing she wasn't quite sure of that we refer to as "grass." grandma spent some time introducing molly to the yard, and all the incredible flowers, the lawn, etc. after a while, we all showered the flight off, and got ready for a bbq at a ranch which is managed by one of thomas's (our gracious host and "tour guide" for the week) close friends. immediately, we were exposed to the different climatic zones on the island- having left thomas's house at about 80 degrees, and bbqing about 5 or 6 thousand feet higher at 45 or 50 degrees- which only felt "cold" to the locals. the ranch was beautiful, and we look forward to coming back in a few days and spending some time exploring the area on horses.

hawaii- march 23rd

march 23rd day 2 our first "real day" on the island was a busy one. after being up way past everyone's bed time, and molly not having a very productive night of rest to boot, we expected to be pretty pooped- but adrenaline must have kicked in, as it was a full day! we woke up to a yard full of easter eggs (yes, mom- the easter bunny did find his way to hawaii), and molly enjoyed crawling through the grass to open each one and see what might be inside. she still hasn't really figured out what to think of this oddity called "grass", by the way. along with the goodies that old e.b. left for her, molly also seems to enjoy a matchbox car that we got her for the plane ride over. sure, she can wear pink- as long as she's allowed to play with matchbox car jeeps in the sand! after enjoying an easter morning breakfast and a good cup of kona coffee, we headed out for a full day of exploring the northers part of the island. thomas took us to kuu'a bay for some swimming first, as it was a good beach and gentle surf- a great place to give our little one her first taste of salt water. as we approached the beach, i literally got so excited that i got in the back of thom's truck and shot photos from the road. can you blame me? mom walks molly toward the ocean for her first time... after enjoying a swim and some sunbathing, thomas aimed to show us a better place to snorkel- a beach whose bottom was filled with coral reefs and fish rather than covered in sand. needless to say, he didn't disappoint. in fact, if you click on the images below to enlarge them, you can actually see many fish from above the water's surface. each of the bright yellow dots in the water are actually fish! we enjoyed snorkeling here for a while, then headed for the northernmost tip of the island, or at least the spot where the road comes to an end. a quick lunch stop for the first of many, many rounds of fish sandwiches, fish-n-chips, and the local "longboard lager" lead to some hilarious photos of molly playing with her "big girl" sunglasses. from lunch, we headed north. the coastline here, at the end of the road, was amazing!

hawaii- march 24th

march 24th day 3 the first part of the day today was spent back out at our favorite beach that we have been introduced to so far- kuu'a bay. clear waters, a big soft sand beach for molly (who has a new found passion for smashing, rather than building, sand castles), etc. clearly, another day of roughing it in the islands. unfortunately, molly seems to be getting a bit too much sun a bit too fast- no matter how often we re-apply her sunscreen, so we had to dress her up today like the overprotective parents whose children wear helmets on their tricycle and can only ride it on padded streets. oh, boy... after too much relaxation had set in, captain adhd had to grab his boogie board and give it a whirl. trying to keep up with the local kids was a bit of a challenge, and ultimately, i learned that being beaten underwater by the waves will literally fill your sinuses- i couldn't look down without saltwater running out of my nose. very attractive. kristin and i looking for turtles swimming by who want some company... and the 2 most important ladies in my life. these are a few of my favorite photos from the trip- if not of kristin and molly- period. after heading back toward "home", we stopped into the ali'i market place- a small local artisan market. the girls went shopping, while i climbed a tree just outside the market that was absolutely full of geckos- trying to get some good shots. can you say....tourist? back home, it was time to read molly some evening books, and spend a bit of time playing "find the bee-bo" (aka belly button) with dad. this sure tired her out, and she fell asleep as mom enjoyed dinner on the patio.

hawaii - march 25th

march 25th day 4 mornings were one of my favorite parts of the vacation. rather than the alarm-clock goes off and it's hurry to get ready in time to crawl down snowy and ice-packed roads to work routine that we're used to, mornings in hawaii were very relaxing. a good cup of coffee, some fruit for molly, and it was off to the backyard to listen to birds waking up, look out at the ocean, and start the day at our own pace- the way it always ought to be...ok- at least on vacation. today, it was off to one of thomas's other favorite snorkeling beaches, named "two step" for the two large lava steps that lead directly into a coral reef absolutely teeming with marine life. of course, he had to shoot the three of us (kristin, lisa, and i) as we got in- snorkel gear is so flattering... molly had been napping on the beach, so after we came back in from our snorkeling, we took her for a swim- but this beach was a bit rockier and the water seemed cooler. perhaps i'm just making excuses, but she wasn't much of a fan of swimming here today. a great dinner at huggo's, famous for their mai tais, rounded out the evening. this is literally how we watched the sun set from our table. life is good.