"Grandpa and Grandpa" Come to Town

 We counted down for weeks before Mom and Dad came to visit at the end of May.  Here's paper chain proof:

We may live an ocean away, but the kids know their grandparents.  Kate walked around talking to "Grandpa and Grandpa" every day on her plastic phone.  Zachary knew at every moment how many days were left until they arrived.

Zac had a day and a half of school left, so Mom, Dad, Kate and I had some time together their first two mornings.  The first morning, we walked around Poipu, and later went to Spouting Horn.

Day 2, we walked around Kukuiolono Golf Course.  Both days, it was muggy with some vog (read: miserably hot), but they were good sports and pretended to like Kauai's weather and our home's new location.

Kate liked having them to herself!

Brady met us at Poipu Beach after work.  The beach was nearly gone because of a swell, and everything looked foggy and dreary at first.  At least there were a few monk seals to check out at Baby Beach.

Zachary loves getting thrown around, but Kate permits it only because her brother does it, and that means she must be able to handle it, too.  I love her stiff, little body flying through the air, combined with her excited/terrified shrieks.

It's taken over two years, but Kate now officially likes the water as much as Zac--maybe even more (unless there are waves, in which case Zachary wins the water-endurance contest).

The night was saved when the sun decided to pop out, making the voggy conditions look pretty.

Even sleepy seals look better with the sun:

Classic Dad pose:

I love this picture of Mom:

This is our favorite picture from the trip.  We gave it to Dad for Father's Day, and hope it looks okay!

Saturday, Brady and I ran together (Mom and Dad watched the kids for us to do this at least five times), then headed up the canyon.  The vog finally cleared out and the views were perfect.  It's a good thing, because we felt bad about stealing Mom and Dad when the views in Heber are so gorgeous right now.

We picnicked at the top, ate coconut chips from a vendor, and then hiked along the Pihea ridge.

Sunday, we walked along the cliffs in Poipu.  Mom teared up at the scenary and that was our favorite moment of the trip.

Kate wanted to pose on a rock like Zachary, but wasn't so sure about the uneven rocks.  We love the progression of confidence in these three shots:

"St-t-teady..."

"Stead-d-y, now..."

"Ah.  Got it.  CHEESE!"

Some of my favorite people in one of my favorite places:

This picture is for Jillian, so she knows we don't only take pictures together at the Beach House:

Monday was Memorial Day, so Brady went with us on a hike to a quaint little waterfall in Wailua.  (This is "The Hike of a Million Mosquitos" from a few years back.  Apparently, there are not many mosquitos unless it is drizzling because we were left alone.)  Zac and Kate loved swinging on the hanging vines.

Kate is our darling hiker.  We bring the pack, but only just in case.

Zac, the rock climber:

"Anything you can do, I can do better."  

After the hike, we went to Kealia beach and boogie boarded.  Dad pushed Zachary into some (BIG!) boogie boarding waves, Grandma played with the kids in the sand and built sand castles, I sat under the beach umbrella with a sleeping Kate, and Brady and I both took a few waves together.  A gorgeous afternoon!

Tuesday was my birthday.  I told Brady I wanted to go surf or paddle board instead of going to dinner. He decided with Mom and Dad that we should all go to lunch.  We took lots of pictures, because 1) That is part of eating at Beach House and 2) I have about 5 pictures this year without a swimsuit on.

Another of my favorite shots from the trip:

Perfect shot of Mom and Dad:

I am 31 years old, and now require a flash to hide my wrinkles and sun damage!  (I remember moving here and thinking white people did not age well on this island...)  Embracing it--and the flash.

Looking at crabs after lunch:

That afternoon, Mom and Dad watched the kids while we went paddle boarding from Waiohai Beach to Kukuiula Harbor.  I've done this paddle several times with Mary and Kat, but Brady hadn't had the chance.  It was so exciting to be out with Brady the first time he did an open ocean paddle.  I've been telling him for months it is like hiking, but on the water: remote, rugged, challenging and breathtaking.  We saw flying fish and watched the sun drop in the sky.

It was not enough for Mom and Dad to go to lunch and babysit on my birthday.  They also decided to prepare a feast.  I felt so guilty about them doing this on their vacation (and it was such a hot day to be stuffed in the kitchen!), but coming home to a meticulously prepared meal was also an unbelievably nice way to end the night!  Malibu chicken, diced sweet potatoes, a fancy salad, and fresh fruit: YUM.

Mom and Dad also decorated the house with signs:

Brady drove all over town to get the best-rated Lilikoi pie on the island for my birthday cake (Cory would be proud of his efforts to get the best!).  My favorite treat: light, fluffy and sweet.

Zac got really involved in the party--decorating the house with dozens of balloons and blowing the entire package of these at once:

Thanks to Mom, Dad, Brady and Zac for making that such a sweet day.

We spent the rest of the week going to beaches.  The best part of the week was going to Poipu Beach and watching Mom snorkel.  We didn't know if she would do it--she did not learn to swim and so obviously, the water is very intimidating.  At the same time, she was dying to see fish.  Dad took her out and encouraged her to put her face in the water with a snorkel mask, and she was hooked!  They must have been out in the water for an hour and a half, and she saw dozens of fish.  We loved being a part of this!

Another highlight was going out for fresh fish at Keoki's with Mom and Dad on Thursday.  Mom and Dad are great with the kids but it was fun to have them to ourselves for a bit, too!

Saturday, we took off to the north shore.  We first stopped at the lighthouse.

Next, the Kalalau Trail.

Choke-hold:

Zac and Kate kept finding places to hide behind and "scare" Grandma and Grandpa.

At the lookout, the wind nearly blew us away.  This hike was not easy and we were proud of Mom for making it!

These pictures look hard-core, huh?

There are lots of problems with picture-taking on a phone: the picture quality stinks, the fact that a phone is much easier to lug around than a camera so the camera stops coming with us on outings, and that I now have to go to three sources to find all the pictures I need for a blog post!  I made it completely through two sources, but I realize I'm missing more pics--either from Brady's phone or Mom and Dad's camera.  For now, please imagine pictures of Zachary surfing for Grandma and Grandpa at Hanalei after we hiked.

Sunday, we went to Popiu again, walking the grounds at the Hyatt, taking in our last views of Shipwreck's Beach, and swinging away while listening to the ocean.

We love having Mom and Dad around.  They don't do anything halfway.  They show us how to be kind and gentle with our kids.  They do everything with love.  That sounds corny but it is absolutely true.  It makes me want to be more patient and people-centered.

Somewhere in there, we also went to Lapperts for ice cream, Brady and his parents went to Poipu at night and watched waves crash in the moonlight, the kids and I hiked with them along Shipwreck's rock, Mom made orange rolls (!), and Mom and Dad played "Trouble" with Zachary about 50 times.

On the airplane home, we had them open up a card that said we booked tickets to Utah in October.  Surprise!  We are glad it won't be a year before we see them again, and wish we had a way to see all our family and the Nufer grandparents this year.