Nualolo Kicks Off the Best Weekend of Summer

Baby Owen turned six months and it was finally time to test out the new hiking backpack!  We went on Nualolo Trail--our favorite west side hike--to try him out, and the Clarks came with us.  Hiking with friends makes our kids love hiking that much more.

I love O checking out the kids.  "Hey, guys.  Hey....guys!  Hello?!"

Owen loved the pack.  Loved it.  He's always loved his front carrier so it wasn't a big surprise that he was complaint-free for the entire ride.  It's 7.8 miles and took us 5 hours with all our little legs, so while we aren't surprised, we are definitely impressed.  His pack is also 5 times nicer (for only $30 more--reminding me again that QUALITY MATTERS) than Zac and Kate's pack, with a fancy shade that kept branches from hitting him a few times.

This hike was Brady's birthday request.

Here's the first time someone asked if we were almost there.  Nope!  Just under three more miles until the halfway point!

Kate was excited about these blackberries until everyone discovered they were full of worms.  Kate and Tate worried their bellies were full of worms the rest of the day.

Zachary is in his element on the trails.  I rarely hear him complain.  It was a bright, hot day and he and Ty challenged each other for the lead.

Peeking over the cliffs for the first views of the coast.  Zachary has a healthy fear of falling from these heights.

We got our reward at the halfway point--a sunny day over NaPali coastline.

The boys:

We've always known Zachary is an excellent hiker, but Kate proved herself in a big way.  This was her first unassisted hike over 6 miles and she killed it.  She kept saying, "Wow!  Can you believe I can do this?"  Yeah, you sweet gal, you can do hard things!  (And yes, "R&D" stands for "Kate and Mommy.")

We took a lot of pictures.  Sometimes I feel silly for all the shots we get (and post) of the same view but it's one of our favorite places ever and it takes a lot of effort to get here.  I'm also happy when I get home and see pieces of magic like this one.

Nic was recovering from heat exhaustion after getting trapped at Kalalau a couple days before.  It was a scary situation and we couldn't believe he was interested in coming with us.  This couple is tough.  Heidi showed her strength hauling Tate for a couple portions of the hike.

We started back at 4pm.  Going back is easier because it's more uphill, which means less slipping for and hand holding.

We went to see "Finding Dory" earlier in the week with these guys and came up on our "Cuddle Party."

So proud of Kate and Tate!

Nic has a creative, witty sense of humor.  His one-liners are hysterical.  Also hysterical is coming around the corner and having him jump out of the bushes with nothing but a plant loin cloth.  The good news is he had shorts on underneath.

I can already claim this weekend as the best of summer with our perfect hiking weather to start a three day weekend, then a 4th of July celebration Monday, and Brady's birthday Tuesday.  Nothing will top that, but we will try.

On Sunday evening, Brady decided we should host a BBQ the next day.  We got it quickly arranged and had a few families over.  We are not fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants people, but it came together and I want to say that in the future, we will plan ahead.  Brady ran and got supplies and food on Monday morning, and we spent a few hours at our new favorite spot in Mahaelepu before grilling and chatting it up that night.  We set off a few simple fireworks that are allowed without permit, threw hundreds of poppers, danced to sparklers and lit up at least 50 flower flames.  Some of our party thought it was lame, but I'm terrified of doing our own fireworks and it was just right, in my opinion!

 Our vase, all dressed up for independence.

 Tuesday was Brady's 37th birthday.  He was back to work, but left a little early to go to dinner with all of us.  The kids love Keokis but don't love the chickens, and Kate was in tears within five minutes of getting her dinner.  We of course finished off with a Hula Pie and came home for presents.  He was excited to get his new watch and some cordless earphones for the gym.

Making twistable creations at dinner:

I write up what I love about the kids and how they are developing.  I won't spend time updating on his development like I do with the kids, but might mention that Brady now eats tomatoes, reads the WSJ and his scriptures every morning, and runs fast.  I will focus on how much fun he is.  Brady knows how to make moments meaningful to me and to the kids.  He's funny and makes me laugh every day, but just as significant is that he makes me, Zac, and Kate feel like we are funny with his attentive ear and sincere belly laughs.  He creates games for the trampoline, art with Zachary, and spontaneous crafts with both kids.  He handles frustrating situations at home and work without yelling or losing his temper, and looks at them as challenges rather than problems.  No one is perfect and sometimes these write-ups paint a picture of perfection instead of growth, but boy-oh-boy we all love him.  Happy Birthday, darlin.