North Shore Camping, Preschool

Heidi and Nic invited us along to camp the first weekend in September right around the same time we were moving, and nothing sounded better.  Nic even went as far as to pick up our permits for us.  Super nice.  The Chadderdons came the first night, too.  It was our first time doing a multi-night campout on Kauai.  It took us a long time to get up there the first night, and we unpacked in the dark.  Oh well.  That's what you do when work is a bit nuts and you want to camp anyway.  Everyone helped us set up and didn't act annoyed that it took us so long.  

Camping at Anini Beach is a different experience from our typical Polihale excursions.  There are no waves, a lot of reef, no campfires, and civilization is close by.  There is paddle boarding and okay snorkeling for the adults (and Kate!), but endless hours of fun in shallow water for the kids.  Homeless people wander around and use the showers at 12:30am, but police patrol the area and check permits several times a day.  The north shore beauty is breathtaking.  I love to rank things, and so I was weighing these factors throughout the weekend.

On night #1, Nic set up the projector, the Chadderdon's popped fresh popcorn on an open flame, and we watched the new "Tarzan."  The stars were bright, so although we didn't hear waves crashing all night, we did get to look through the top of our tent and enjoy the night sky.

I loved the shade and watching the kids swim safely.

The boys went snorkeling for a while, and the kids played in a tree hanging over the water.  (Tree not pictured, despite dragging the camera all the way down the beach.)  When they got back, we took turns working out, watched kids play, and went on a little hike along the (litter-infested) coastline.  We also enjoyed paddle boarding on the calm, shallow waters.  I was sure I would scrape my board, but it never happened.  The only casualty of the day was Brady's broken dive fin.

Zac really doesn't like going into deep water on the paddle board.  Somewhere along the line, he got it in his head that Hawaii waters are infested with tiger sharks, and he's sure one will bite off our board and "chomp our legs."  He'll play forever on a paddle board in shallow water.

Zac wins this post for "best falls."  Fall #1:

Kate didn't do well sleeping either night.  The first night, she rolled around on us for hours.  Zac was a big boy and slept in the big boy tent with Ty and Drake, so he was spared from the restless nights.

Of course, that means she fell asleep mid-hike:

Heidi is the best sport, dragging 5 kids around on the water:

Fall #2:

Fall #3:

Night #2, we bagged our hot dog plan and went to the food court on the north shore.  Yes, a food court on the north shore!  We didn't know it existed, either.  I ate Thai food, and Brady and the kids had Mexican.  Perfect.  It was strange to go out to eat mid-campout, but hey, that's part of the location convenience.

Kate had croup (which she has anytime she catches a whiff of a cold), so we really can't complain about the 12:30am shower-takers.

I came away liking Anini camping more than the last time we camped there years ago.  North shore camping is "crowded" (only by Kauai definition), and it doesn't exactly feel set apart from reality, which is my favorite part of camping.  I don't love showers, bathrooms right next to the site, and parking lots.  I wish we could sit around a campfire and stare at the stars while laughing together late into the night.  However, I was pleasantly surprised by the experience.  I loved spending all that time with the Clarks and the Chadderdons.  I also had to admit that it was nice having conveniences close by for multi-night outings.

The best part of the weekend was night #2, when a guy came up to us offering his laser glasses for $450.  They were a pair of sunglasses.  He told us we could see in space with them.  He said they were one-of-a-kind, but also "guaranteed" and if we didn't like them, we could return them to Sports Authority.  Awesome.  He also called them "Espin" glasses--looking at the screen where we were watching ESPN.  Ha!

We were barely out of boxes, but the following Monday, I was hosting our new co-op preschool.  I love this so much!!!  I love doing this with child #2 after such an awesome experience with child #1.  I was so worried about Zachary at the beginning of his co-op preschool experience, and watched him grow and develop with his friends that year.  It's so fun to start the process over with Kate and her darling friends!

Preschool would have been a little less stressful if: #1) We didn't have a finish carpenter working all day at the house, and 2) One of the sweet kiddos hadn't pooped on the carpet.  Yep.  Hilarious, hilarious, hilarious!!!  Even with the two complications, it was so fun and I'm looking forward to this year.

A candid shot of Kate showing off her fish.  Little does she know, those fish earned a second shot at life because of this incident.  I am so tired of these yucky guppy fish!  But how could I "set them free" after such a cute moment?

A craft from "The Kissing Hand" day:

Kate suddenly loves to cook with me, and I still haven't posted pics of our house.  It's not done!  We are getting so much closer.  Most of the pieces of the kitchen are installed, our stairs are complete, and a laundry list of other tasks are checked off, now, too.  Brady probably feels like his "honey do" list will never end.  But oh!  We love this house so much!  It's fun to look around and feel all the energy and excitement and research of the place come together into exactly what we wanted.

Our floor is still torn up by the Western Door (we are waiting on a part from the mainland to uninstall and then reinstall), we don't have rugs or furniture, our yard is a dirt pile, and we still have some warranty issues on our cabinetry to resolve.  Our garage is organized, the ants are gone(ish), the closets are finished, and it feels like home.

Home sweet home!

Hanakoa Falls, Hanalei Labor Day

 Have I made it clear from my last 10 blog posts that we have island fever?  A mad case of ants-in-the-pants?  A hiking/adventure bug begging to be scratched?  Well, we scratched that itch the last Saturday in August.  Whitney, our go-to babysitter, watched our kids for the day while we hiked to Hanakoa Falls, which is almost 7 miles in on the Kalalau Trail (our GPS says the round trip was 16.6 miles, but that seems off to us...it has to be about 14, maybe 15 at best).

 We were lucky with incredible weather.  As always, the first two miles were crowded.  After that, it was basically us alone the entire time.

 This is my 3rd attempt hiking to this falls, but only the 2nd time there.  Hiking is only 30% about destinations to me, but boyohboy, this is an incredible destination and we had it all to ourselves for 45 minutes.  We could have stayed longer, but hey, we were on the clock.  Tick, tick!

My knee is injured and I can't run, so it was super to get another form of cardio in, and my knee handled the trek well.

 Like every other 3-year-old, Kate is obsessed with flowers, so we snapped some shots in between picking ripe guava off the trail.

 Why get island fever?  I don't know.  I think it's the mortgage payment and facing the reality that we planted roots.  Not such a bad thing when you check out this view.

It's true: I only have one pose (and one hiking outfit):

 Here's a picture we've captured probably 20 times in our blogging life:

 We made it up to our kids on Monday (Labor Day) with a full day at Hanalei with friends.  Kate won the award that day for "Coolest Kid Ever" with two full hours of paddle boarding with me and Brady.  Here are way more pictures than I needed to include.

Standing by herself:

 People were clapping for her in the water.  She waved, and then proceeded to do what she always does when people give her attention: ballet poses.

 She insisted on paddling herself:

 There weren't many waves, but Zac, Tanner, and Garrett skim boarded for hours anyway.

 Brady let her have a go alone (close to shore).  She fell off at one point, and I thought I heard her screaming.  Nope, she was belly laughing.

 Brady got in a mini-photo shoot for Reef.  Such a good beach baby!

 I don't get tired of beach run pictures.  Kate is finally picking up her knees when she runs, and getting a little faster.  Zac is smoking fast.

 More paddle boarding from Round 2 to see the "Pirate Ship"--a boat with a pirate flag.

We've put our OCD on hold for a while to enjoy some family time and recreation.  It seems like there will always be house stuff waiting for us when we get back, but right now, we have some catching up to do on fun.  The boxes are unpacked, closets finished, and stairs finally in.  We'll have handles on our cabinets, screens on all the windows, and blinds installed soon enough.  For now, we play.