The Big Island

Hawaii! Perfect weather, warm water, Hawaiian "shave ice", that fragrant island aroma... it was A-mazing. And a fabulous way to spend our last break in dental school. The kids had a great time and did pretty well considering the new schedule and red-eye flight. Cruise's favorite part, and mine as well, was snorkeling. We got a cool boogie board for him to lay on that had a built in snorkel mask to look through. It was so neat to be surrounded by huge, colorful fish, and a few sea turtles as well. I tried not to think about the eels that were undoubtedly hiding in the rocks all around us. The first place we stayed at was right across from the most picturesque, serene little beach. The black volcanic rock stood out so starkly against the pearly sand and formed perfect little benches and shelves and water fountains. I really enjoyed sitting on that volcanic rock and watching my favorite blues and greens of the ocean and creams, silvers and taupes of the sand swirl together when the waves came in. It was so beautiful, it was unreal.

It was so much fun to hang out with our Baker family and see their favorite sites. It's always a party with the Bakers. Cruise thought everything we saw was Grandma's... Grandma's beach, Grandma's airport. He was up at the crack of dawn every morning putting on his shoes and trying to get out the front door. McLayne did awesome, sleeping through the night like a champ. Naps were a different story. And the carseat was her worst enemy, apparently. We couldn't drive 2 minutes without her screaming bloody murder. She's still like that 2 months later, actually.... But, she's so dang cute. She was even more fun to look at than the tropical scenery.

We found an incredible playground with ocean views. There was a huge castle-like structure and life size wooden boat. After snorkeling, I think that was Cruise's favorite part of Hawaii. We had such a great time there. Oh! Another high point was the chocolate covered-coconut-macadamia nuts. To die for. You know that's something I'll always remember. Oh, and it was more than I had hoped for that a few times I actually got to lay out under the sun, lather on the tanning lotion and read--one of my all-time favorite things--while Eric took care of the baby.

I   L-O-V-E this picture.

Waiting for the perfect wave

Feeding the eels outside Grandpa Keith and Grandma Ellen's.

EEL

Shaka!

Experiencing the gloriousness of Hawaiian "shave ice"

Even yummier than the shaved ice