Northern Kauai & Tunnels Beach

The four storey building on the right was our condo. We were in the corner ground floor unit, next to the water's edge. The building on the left is the famed Beach House Restaurant. That is where we ate our best meal so far.

We stayed at Poipu Beach on the southern tip of Kauai. Our first day out, Chris and I took a helicopter ride over the entire island. It was beautiful, but I was sick to my stomach the whole ride. That was our first time in a helicopter and each time I focused on the camera to take a picture, I was reminded of my sensitive stomach. We survived without having to relieve ourselves (Chris was sick too) and decided that we were glad that we didn't take Pete and the kids.

On our second day here, we traveled all the way to the northern point. The beach at the end of the road is Ke'e beach, but it was so full of people, that we turned back and stopped at Tunnels Beach, just two beaches down and much prettier.

Chloe and Pearl at a Hanelei Valley overlook.



Beautiful Tunnels Beach

Pearl running on the beach.

Pearl playing

Chloe playing

Chloe, Dad, Pearl & Chris

So Much to Catch up on

Kauai exceeded our expectations. I guess I expected a real "resort-like" atmosphere, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that this island is more natural and rustic. I feel like we are seeing the "real" Hawaii. There are signs of big growth coming, but so much of it feels untouched. It is a fairly small island and you can drive from the south to the north in about an hour.

Speaking of driving, it is a winding meandering road with many one lane bridges. Pearl got carsick, so now we realize that we have to take precautions with her. On one day trip, I brought two changes of clothes for Chloe and one for Pearl and we managed to go through them all. Near the end of the road (it dead ends into a cliff, the Napali Coast) is the beautiful Tunnels Beach. Gorgeous snorkeling in safe waters for the little kids. It is stunningly beautiful here. The one drawback is the sand. Walking on it is akin to walking on fresh powder snow, your feet sink in past the ankles with each step. It seems like a short hike from the parking lot, but don't let appearances deceive you. It is a healthy hike. If you attempt to avoid the heat of the scalding sand and walk along the waters' edge, then your sensitive feet are subject to the small pebblized shells that grind on the bottom of them, still sinking deep into the sand. My feet were sore for three days after that.
Tunnels Beach pictures to appear in a future post.

We Made it to Kauai Hawaii!!!

It was a long, but uneventful journey to beautiful Kauai. We knew we were in a different world when we got off the plane and walked through the open-air airport. It seems like security would be a bit more of a challenge here.

We rented a condo for our stay on this island. It is a bit old and the furnishings were nice, but not my first choice. But, boy is this location totally awesome! We are on a ground floor corner unit that opens straight out onto the rocks and the ocean. We can see surfers just yards from our patio and the waves are amazing. There are endangered sea turtles and monk seals and whenever they decide to rest on the beach, lifeguards rope off the area so that the people don't get too close. How wonderful to see these animals up close.

Pearl Graduates Preschool

This year we had two graduates in the family, Chris graduating from High School, and Pearl graduating from pre-school. As things typically go, both ceremonies were at the exact same time. While I consider Chris' graduation more important, I wasn't about to skip out on Pearl, so the family had to split up for the evening and Mom went to Pearl's graduation while Dad went to Chris'. We are so happy for Chris because she will be attending college at the University of Washington after she returns to China for the summer. We sure are going to miss her.

Bubbles and Dress Up

While visiting the grandparents, Mom and Dad had to come up with some form of entertainment for the girls. Dad made a quick trip to Walmart to pick up some bubble guns and dress-up clothes. It was great entertainment for both the kids and grown-ups.

Chloe usually gets stage fright, but she decided to put on a private dance recital for Grandma and Grandpa. She must have danced for over half an hour. I think we have a ballerina in the making.

More Pics with the Grandparents

Visiting the Grandparents

We took Chloe and Pearl and Chris to visit with Mom's parents in Pahrump Nevada. It was a nice relaxing visit.

Memorial Day

It's been a very long time since we have posted anything. I hope to change that here shortly as I have lots of pictures and lots of adventures to share. For now, I am starting with a few oldies from last month that never were posted. We took Chloe and Pearl and Chris to Pahrump to visit the grandparents. This collage is of the trip home as we passed through Red Rock Canyon and decided we needed to get out of the car.

Today was the beginning of the third week of Chloe and Pearl's swim class. They are improving rapidly and having so much fun that it is hard to get them out of the pool afterward. I took several pictures of Pearl also, but she kept closing her eyes, so for now, we will just have to look at Chloe.

Mother's Day Weekend

I've had this weekend planned since January. My best choice for a Mother's Day is quality time spent with my family in a beautiful place. Therefore, we went to the Sequoia National Park. Even though there was snow on the ground, it was warm, beautiful and not overcrowded. We stayed two nights at the lodge and enjoyed the trails and big trees. Chloe and Pearl delighted in every twig, pinecone, lizard, chipmunk and rock. It was so much fun watching the girls run and play.

Sunday morning we headed back home so that we could spend Mother's Day with Pete's Mom and family. It was a wonderful weekend and enough great memories to last a lifetime.

A Cute Shot

I couldn't resist posting these pictures I took of Chloe today. She followed me outdoors while I was trying to take some good pictures of our home to make a slideshow. We are hoping to sell the house and find one that requires less maintenance. I caught Chloe standing by the jasmine and I thought she looked too cute!

If you're interested in the house go here.

Cinco de Mayo 2008

I think this was the busiest Cinco de Mayo celebration that I have seen at our local park. It was packed to the edges. There were rides and slides and lots of food, classic cars and folklorico dancers. It was a great diversion for a Saturday afternoon and a nice walk to the park and back home.

Dancing Girl

I guess this is the lull before the storm. We haven't been blogging much these past couple of months, but we do have a lot of fun activities planned in the upcoming weeks. It's time to get out the camera and start documenting our girls.

Last week I took Pearl to her future school to be evaluated for Kindergarten. I had no idea there was a test to get in. They quizzed her on her numbers, shapes and colors. Then they asked her to write her name. Finally, they turned the paper over and asked her to draw a picture of herself. She was really doing a nice job (five year old style) and when she appeared to be finished, she paused and asked the lady if she could draw her sister too. Well, that seemed to impress the ladies observing and Pearl proceeded to draw a second figure. After the two figures were complete, Pearl started drawing more oval shapes and the lady asked her if she was drawing her whole family. Pearl looked at her with a slightly exasperated expression and said "I am not drawing my family. I am drawing balloons." She continued to draw two balloons for herself and two balloons for her sister. Each balloon had a different design. One had a smiley face, one had a bunny rabbit and one was decorated with polka dots. Not knowing how long Pearl was going to continue, I almost interrupted. Then Pearl matter-of-factly handed over the drawing and exclaimed "I'm done!" It really was a cute moment and I wished that I had brought the camera.

Tonight we are just hanging out in the living room. For Pearl's birthday, her Aunt Lahatha sent a CD player for Pearl and a second one for Chloe. Now Chloe likes to turn on the music and dance to it. She really likes to pretend she's a ballerina. It was so cute that I had to take a couple of pictures. Sorry I didn't get Pearl in these. She was studying flash cards at the time and is getting ready to read. Not really a great photo op.

Pearl Turns 5

We celebrated Pearl's 5th birthday on Sunday April 13th, 2008. We went to a place called Pump It Up. It has multiple bounce houses in several large rooms. After about an hour and half of bouncing and sliding and jousting, everyone went into a party room to enjoy pizza and birthday cake. It was a very fun day and Mom and Dad didn't have to clean anything up.

Chloe's Many Faces

We have been laying low and Mom has not been posting much lately, even though we have been having a lot of fun. Last week, was our 3 year anniversary of having Chloe in our lives as our daughter. We celebrated by taking her out to her favorite restaurant, "The Peanut Place" also know as "Roadhouse Grill". Chloe calls it the peanut place because they serve you peanuts in the shell and you can throw the shells on the floor. Peanuts are one of the few food items that Chloe loves, so we know she won't go hungry. Later, we gave her flowers and balloons and watched the video of her joining her family. She was such a sweet little baby.

We can hardly believe it's been three years. Chloe is still Momma's little baby. We remember the trip so well when became a family. What a great moment!

These pictures are from this morning as Chloe was getting ready for dance class. Chloe poses now when she sees the camera, just like her big sister Pearl. She tries to look demure and bashful. What a sweetheart she is!

Stay tuned for pictures from Pearl's 5th birthday party celebration. She turned 5 last week, but we will be celebrating tomorrow at a party place.

Signing off for now,

One very happy Mamma