Kauai!

This year, my amazing parents have been married 50 years. All they wanted to do was go to Hawaii and celebrate with their family and, by golly, we were happy to oblige! They decided on Kauai for a quieter more low key, less touristy experience and it was marvelous! We stayed in the Pono Kai condos on the east side of the island. We spent some time down south in Poipu at the beach, snorkeling and scuba diving. We spent several days up in Hanalei on the north edge of the island and man, was it ever gorgeous. There were sprawling beaches with calm water and beaches with insane waves and crazy surfers. There were caves and waterfalls and whales. There were hulas and winding tree covered roads and dinner cruises up the Napali Coast. It was just bliss for 9 days straight. I absolutely love creating these memories with my kids and the rest of my family.

On the way to Poipu.

This kid literally just needs a beach. That's it. He would be happy forever.

This girl, full of sass, no matter where she is.

Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Lauana rented beach chairs and hung out with us at the beach in Poipu for the afternoon. I love this picture of Grandma and Zack after they went down to the water to see the huge sea turtle that came on shore.

Grandma and Grandpa always have a special Family Home Evening at our reunions. This was afterward. We love them so much!

On the first day we ventured to Hanalei, we stopped and saw all the sights. Mel and I at Kilauea Lighthouse.

There are many beaches up north that just have mammoth waves. They are mesmerizing. No one was allowed in the water the days we were there except local surfers who the lifeguards knew and trusted. They were fun to watch though.

After exploring some awesome beaches and caves up north, we settled in at a beach in Hanalei Bay for the rest of the day where the kids could give boogie boarding a try. I truly thought Avery was the only one that would try it. But, Zack said he would try and on his first attempt he hit the wave perfectly and he went forever! That was all it took. They all wanted to do it and had an amazing time.

One of my favorite pictures of the trip!

Absolutely no fear.

Wailua Falls, the waterfalls seen in Fantasy Island.

Of course the kids loved the pool despite the beauty all around them. They spent plenty of time there too.

Here is the whole group. Everyone was there except Mike, Jenn and his 3 older kids. Aunt Lauana also came to help celebrate. These people all know how to have a good time!

One night, we took a dinner cruise up the Napali Coast with Captain Andy's. Weather had been so bad and waves so high in the weeks previous, our boat was the first one that had made it out in weeks. I was so grateful because the Napali Coast was one of the most gorgeous things I'd ever seen. We also easily saw over 20 whales right next to our boat. It was unbelievable!

I think Avery fell asleep about 2 minutes after this picture and slept the entire time thanks to kids Dramamine.

These two had a great time. They are just adorable.

Trying to find some more whales before the sun set. 

Because of the way flights worked out, our little family ended up staying 2 days longer than anyone else. The kids wanted to go back up to Hanalei to see some more enormous waves so that's what we did. Such an amazing trip.