Scott and Natalie's Family Comes to Kauai--Hanalei & Hula Pie

Aloha, Scott, Natalie, Easton, Maddie, Brynlee, Parker and Audrey!  We had a little over a month to get excited for their stay, and it couldn't come soon enough!  

Tuesday night, their flight was delayed and they ended up pulling in at about 2:30am--not the most ideal start to a vacation.  They seemed to adjust quickly, and were ready to jump right in the next morning.

I thought this picture was hilarious:  I'm not sure that I've ever had so much food in my car at one time.

First on the agenda: snorkeling at Poipu Beach.  I was worried that after Scott and Natalie's cruise to the Caribbean that the fish here would not be as exciting, but they loved it.  Parker acted like breathing through a mask was the most natural thing in the world and was off and independent the entire time.  The other kids did a great job with it, too.

Kate talked about Audrey non-stop after our trip to Utah and could hardly wait to see her again.  When they reunited, Kate was shy and hesitant at first, but warmed up.

Unfortunately, she was a feverish sicko for the first few days of their trip.

 As soon as Zac was out of school for the day, he enthusiastically showed his cousins boogie boarding tricks.

 He and Brynlee were buddies from the start:

 Mermaid sisters:

We learned quickly that their family has a lot of endurance.  The first day, we were at the beach from 10am to about 6pm.  (Kate and I took a breather between to pick up Zac and get her out of the sun.)  They swam and played the entire time.

Parker:

Brynlee:

Audrey:

My new lanai chairs arrived while they were here (still waiting on the table).

Not sure what this pose is, but we see a lot of it lately.

Kate, still feeling under-the-weather.

On Thursday, Brady took the day off and we headed up to Hanalei.  Weather in April and weather any time of the year in Hanalei is a risky gamble, but the day was gorgeous!  First stop: Banana Joes for pineapple-banana freezes.

We had a day full of sand creations, boogie boarding, and swimming.

Zac even showed his cousins his surf skills.

Scott and Brynlee doing cartwheels:

It was a perfect day.  Perfect.  Cousins, sand, and saltwater perfection.  I even got to save someone.  While out surfing, I heard a man yell for help.  He was way past the surf break, apparently trying to snorkel.  The current was taking him out further and further.  I paddled over to him, and struggled to get him to shore.  When I asked if he could kick to help propel us, he panicked and said he was out of energy and thought he was going to drown.  I told him not to worry and that I was sure I could paddle us in (I was not sure at all, but I knew I could at least keep him afloat until we alerted someone on shore).  I caught the momentum from a couple waves to get us moving forward at least, and finally got us all the way in.  He was clearly out of it and in bad shape.  His wife came running up to us, clearly worried, and helped him walk (although she must not have realized how dire his situation was, or she would have alerted more people...?).  Glad he is okay!!

Side note: I went out to surf a few more waves, and the lifeguards called everyone out of the water.  That usually means shark trouble.  Turns out there was a 15' tiger in the water.  Nice.  I've never paddled back in so fast.

Friday, I went to Oahu for another appointment, and Scott and Natalie watched my kids.  I surfed Waikiki one last time before my IVF and it was awesome.  The kids and S&N hiked Shipwrecks and went to Spouting Horn before we all met up for dinner at Duke's.

Kate told her friend Ava that only one person has longer hair than Audrey in the whole world:  Rapunzel. 

Gorgeous!

The kids were so excited about the Hula Pie--and the poi fish.

Just like that, the trip was nearly halfway over, but at least full of sunshine.  High five, Kauai.