Hiking Hawaii

We love to hike, especially in Hawaii.  We went on three hikes that were completely different in every way.  Each one magnificent and unique!

Our first hike was Diamond Head, it was set up as a war bunker and had some really amazing history attached to it.  It also had A LOT of stairs attached.

Diamond Head Hike

 

 

Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail was a beautiful hike up to fantastic views.  It was the only time that we saw cactus in Hawaii, very interesting.  We also so some awesome spiders, big waves and scary look outs.

 

Makapu'u Point Lighthouse Trail

 

Rainforest Waterfall Hike was by far our favorite.  Just 20 minutes from Waikiki you can find a "jungle", it was breathtaking walking through a jungle.  The sights, sounds and even smells were a new experience for all of us.  At the end of the hike we found a beautiful waterfall and once again our breath was taken away, not by the sights though, by freezing cold water.

Rainforest Waterfall Hike

 



 

 
 
 

Snorkeling

Our favorite part of our trip was snorkeling, we did it four times.

 Me, "I felt like I was in an aquarium swimming with the fish."
MY LB, "It was like being in a National Geographic program, with front row seats."
Maggie, "It blew my mind!" 
Spencer, "It was amazing, the fish were right in front of my face."
Matthew, "There were a lot of different kinds of fish, they were all cool to see in their natural habitat."
Kendal, "There were colorful fishies and I liked them when I saw them."

This was a fantastic experience for our family, it took the kids out of their comfort zone and taught them that if they stick to something the reward is worth it.  Snorkeling is definitely an experience that challenges you, getting used to breathing through your mouth alone and not your nose takes some getting used to.  We were so happy when they finally got it and loved it!  Even Kendal on top of mom or dad's back had a wonderful time snorkeling.  She would try to talk through her snorkel and amazingly we could understand her most of the time.  However, we all decided that the point and thumbs up method worked best.   Now we were all pointing left, right, up, down and we had an abundance of thumbs up.  Every time we went we saw new fish that we hadn't seen yet, it was truly amazing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snorkeling at Haunama Bay, Shark Cove and Secret Island. 

WE SAW NEMO!!!

 

ALOHA My Friends and Family

 

We just got back from a fabulous trip to Hawaii!  We had a wonderful time and we are very excited to share our 9 day journey with you.  We are still uploading pictures but we have so many adventures to share that we don't want to forget anything.  Everyone has a story to tell and memories to keep!

Kite Flying For Babies?

I  have never seen a baby that could fly a kite, my five year old still needs help flying a kite.  So why is this thirteen year old to embarrassed to fly a kite in his front yard?

His "mommy" told him that flying kites in the backyard was a BAD idea.  He insisted that the front yard was a worse idea because he would be seen.  HE SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO HIS MOM!

 Now not only do I finally have leaves in my big giant wonderful tree, I also have a kite.

Project L.E.A.P.

This past week I have been putting together a flyer for our homeschool group to encourage growth.  Looking through pictures and finding the right words to describe our group surprisingly brought up emotions that I didn't know were there. 

Every Thursday we get up and get ready, the kids are excited, I am a bit frazzled and then our day with our homeschool friends begins.  This has been going on for the past 7 months without fail.  It became robotical! 

That's why it was so surprising that looking back brought up so much emotion.  I am so grateful for the families that have spent the past 7 months with us exploring and playing.  As moms we have one wonderful thing in common, we all love our kids.  This is why I believe we put on the best program ever for our children.  We all worked so well together and supported one another, we built a fantastic community.  We are a body of families that have come together with the same values, interests and common goals that live and support each other. 

My kiddos have had the best year!  Project L.E.A.P. has been a great addition to our home education.  Not only are we learning to be Life-long explorers and connecting play with learning, we are making Life-long friends with amazing families.  They always look forward to Thursdays.