The Atkinsons: July 2015

Hawaii 2015

Kc and I went to Hawaii last year with Kc's family and really had the time of our lives. His family goes there every 5 years. We didn't expect to get to go again until then, but my Dad decided that this year he wanted to take my whole family. So exactly one year later we found ourselves in Hawaii again! Since everyone is Kc's family are Hawaii veterans it was fun to go with my family this time and watch many of them visit/experience things for the first time. My Dad basically asked me to plan the whole trip because we were just there last year and while it was a little stressful it was mostly fun to get to pick all these fun things I loved to do while being there and get a chance to show them to my family.

Besides having a fiasco with our car rental that left us stranded at the airport for a few hours and out more money than I care to divulge, we had the best time. We really went for it and packed everything in and just let the kids nap in the car when they were tired while we took a break and grabbed lunch or something. Also jet lag that makes you get up earlier on your vacation so you can get going sooner but then makes your kids sleep in til 11 when you get home... thumbs up.

I told Kc if he was going to sleep through the flight he was going to sleep through it with another sleeping human strapped to him. It's a hard stage right now because both kids want me, and Olive especially wants me when she sees that I am holding Elijah, so we try to make things work as best we can.

Really I was the only person that stayed awake during this whole flight. It sucked. I can't sleep on planes. I hate it. We at least lucked out and had a half empty flight, so miss Olive here is just laying across all three seats on my lap. If I'm not getting sleep at least all these three cuties are, and they can deal with me when I have my melt down from lack of sleep (which I did.) I keep waiting for that flight from hell but it still hasn't happened yet. So far these little kiddos are good flyers (knock of wood.)

Olive.

This girl carries sunshine wherever she goes.

Kc and I read Unbroken together this year, and Pearl Harbor just seemed to hit us deeper than it had the other times we had visited. People have sacrificed so much for this country. And these boys were so young.

Pupukea

Food Trucks.

I'm so grateful for this family of mine.

Little Cousins.

Surfing at Turtle Bay. Good Memories here.

I love it when it is just He and I. We have been through a lot together and with each passing year we grow a deeper love and understanding for one another, and I am grateful for that. So grateful.

Lunch Break.

I have about 20 pictures of her asleep like this in the back seat, I can't resist that sleeping baby face!

Waimea.

It always takes a minute for me to jump. I am not one of those no fear people. I have fear.

China man's hat.

Paddled over with my arms on a paddle board, hiked to the top with KC, came back, and then went back with Olive in a canoe and hiked to the top with her. If you look closely you can see little flecks at the top. So fun.

After a week in Oahu our little family flew to Kauai to stay with another family who live on the island. They were the cutest most adorable little family and we loved every single one of them. While I do wish I had visited a little more while we were there, it was also really nice to just visit and relax after a really busy week. What I fell in love with the most in Kauai were the people and how kind and gracious and loving they all were. Even amidst a million annoying tourists like me. Most of which was the family we stayed with, who opened their home to us without hesitation. Kc and I loved staying up and late and talking with them and playing with their kids. There was a lot of love in that home.

We loved their oldest Jack. He quickly won over Olive's heart, and ours too. He was very sweet, sincere, and helpful. It made me so excited for Elijah and Olive to grow up together and make memories.

I thought it would be so fun to try to do some yoga poses on this rock jutting out of the water. And it was fun.

Kc said a little girl playing said "look at that girl, she is not being very safe, she is doing a handstand on that rock." Meanwhile Olive was shouting, "I want to try it." Monkey see, Monkey do. Not sure if I should be concerned or proud... but I'm leaning towards the later.

Some Ice Cream on our last night. We couldn't say no to these adorable cuties.

Our last selfie as we jumped in the car to drive to the airport.

This makes my heart so happy.

God is good.

I knew we couldn't take these on the plane so Olive and I consumed an entire bag of these lychee on the way to the airport. I think Olive enjoyed them more than me as there was no work involved on her part, they came to her peeled and deseeded and she just popped them one right after another straight into her mouth.

We got a photographer while we were there because it is so rare to have my whole family together. There are so many of us. We only had her for an hour for all of us so it was a little rushed. I wish I had been able to get some more shots of our family that I liked but Olive just wasn't smiling or being candid for the camera at all. She hasn't really done well when we get a professional photographer and so the photos I love of her most as ones I take, but you just can't beat the quality of the these photos so I wish I could have gotten one that I really really loved.

STOP GROWING you cute red head.

I tried really hard to get pictures of the kids with KC because for past pictures Olive felt a little uncomfortable and so she would only let me hold her and we never really got any good photos of them together. Dad is really starting to grow on her these days. I love it.

I'm pretty sure this was right after Olive dumped a huge chunk of sand on Elijah's head. Hence Olive's little rascally smile and Elijah looking not so pleased with the current circumstances.