North Shore

We took a day to go to the country - the North Shore. First stop was Wahiawa to see the Dole Plantation. Adam and Lottie love taking the Pineapple Train.

Can you tell they've done this before?

Cute little train. It travels around a small pineapple field.

Our traditional pineapple head picture.

We also fed the koi fish. They were either super hungry or super greedy.

They had many different varieties of pineapple. Adam didn't want to get too close and get scratched.

Of course, we also needed Dole Whip.

Lottie thought it was delicious.

The kids are also obsessed with the penny machines. This was our first penny smashing of the trip, but not the last!

Then we ate lunch at Haleiwa Joe's. We stopped to admire the Rainbow Bridge.

We stopped at the Waialua Sugar Mill (where my grandfather worked) to check out the farmers market and other goodies.

Our last stop was Aoki's for shave ice.

Historic Honolulu

After our tsunami picnic, we were ready to get exploring. I decided to take Bob and Rosie on a walking tour of historic Honolulu. We stumbled across filming for Hawaii Five-O!

Lottie never wants to walk.

Our first stop was St. Andrew's Church, which was shipped piece by piece from England.

The most impressive part of the church is the floor to ceiling stained glass wall. It even includes Jesus surfing!

Next stop was Washington Place, where Queen Liliuokalani lived after she was overthrown. We even got to go inside the gate for a minute. There was a reception for the Honolulu Festival - they wouldn't let us attend though.

Adam thought this statue of Saint Damien (famous for serving the lepers of Molokai) was a little weird.

Our next stop was the State Capitol.

We even got to peak in on the legislature in session. Well, they were in session, but this picture shows the beautiful chamber a little better, and was taken before session started.

In front of the statue of Liliuokalani between the Capitol and Iolani Palace.

We checked out the barracks of the Royal Household Guard.

The canons were very popular.

Chasing pigeons and finding sticks shaped like guns were also popular activities.

Of course, we had to see the famous statue of King Kamehameha.

Last historic stop was Kawaiahao Church, the oldest church in Hawaii. We also walked by the Mission Houses, but were too pooped to go in.

We did have the energy for one last stop - for food! We ate inside a train car at the Old Spaghetti Factory, one of my favorites from when I was a little girl. It was nice to see the kids enjoy something that I liked when I was young.

Tsunami

Around 11:30 PM on March 10, we awoke to a loudspeaker announcement in our hotel room. I didn't even know there was a loudspeaker in the room! They didn't give us much info, but asked us to stay in our rooms. Once they announced that we would have a vertical evacuation, we thought we would have to leave, but they meant that everyone on the fourth floor and higher could stay put. Since we were on the fourth floor, we were supposed to be okay. The wave was anticipated to hit around 3 AM. Before that, they made numerous announcements about staying in your room and filling up the bathtub in case our water got shut off. The kids slept through all of the LOUD announcements.

By 4 AM, we realized that, luckily, Oahu had dodged a bullet. So we went to sleep. Of course, the kids, who had a full night's sleep, were raring to go in the morning. We were still restricted to our rooms, so we dug out all of our leftovers and snacks to have a picnic. I was so thankful that I had ordered fruit the night before. By 9 AM, we were allowed to leave our rooms.

We were happy that Hawaii wasn't affected (much) by the tsunami, but kept a close watch on what was happening in Japan. Adam was very troubled especially. He wanted to watch the TV coverage of the earthquake and tsunami constantly. He is his father's worried child. We continue to pray for our friends that are still in Japan, as well as all the people of Japan for their safety and recovery. We look forward to our next visit to Japan, which was such a fun and hospitable place to call home for two years.

Walking Around Waikiki, Part Two

Outside the Hale Koa, we found a banyan tree with low branches - perfect for climbing.

The banyan tree's roots grow from the branches to the ground.

We walked by Fort DeRussy and saw our first rainbow of the trip. It was actually a double, but the second one is hard to see on the photo.

Adam liked the outdoor Korean War display.

Since the museum was closed, we just checked out the tanks and guns on display outside.

Then we found a hula show.

Adam and Lottie made a new Japanese friend. Just like old times! By the end of the performance, she was trying to hold Adam's hand.

Walking Around Waikiki, Part One

We took a walk to McDonald's to stretch our legs and get a bite (Adam's choice!). Some tired and hungry kids didn't want to pose for pictures.

Lottie didn't even make it to lunch. She almost never falls asleep in a stroller, so this was a shocker.

Adam celebrated with a green (his favorite color) milkshake for St. Patrick's Day. Cherries are fun to play with, not as much fun to eat.

Showing off his cool new shades from the Aloha store.

The infamous Hilton Hawaiian Village, which is right next door to the Hale Koa.

The entrance to the Hale Koa.

The marina around the corner.

The fountain outside the lobby.

Before going on a second walk, we spotted a band playing in the courtyard. We had to check it out.

And dance!

Hawaii, Finally

We arrived in Hawaii on March 10. We started our trip traveling with Chris's parents and staying at the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki. After a long trip, we were eager to check in and relax.

Adam also did a little drawing. He's actually drawing things that you can recognize now. I don't think it ever occurred to him that you needed to do that (or color inside the lines).

Adam and Lottie enjoy some TV with Rosie.