Our Trip to Kauai

Vacation is a strange thing...it's mostly a dream. Leading up to it, you scheme and plan how wonderful it's going to be. While you're there, it's as if you're walking around in some kind of fantasy. And then BAM! you're home, and you try to decipher if you really did go to Hawaii, or just woke up from the warmest, loveliest dream ...can you tell I'm a little bummed that our vacation is already over?

This year we were able to travel with almost the entire Kitchen family. (We missed you, Ryan and Mandy!) We had quite a group: Shane's Mom and Dad, older brother Dan and his wife Jeanne, her mom, Barb, Shane's little sister Melissa and, of course our old vacation pals, Jeff, Rebekah, and Chloe. We had two condo's, but were just across the courtyard from each other.

We spent a lot of time poolside, since it was the easiest route with Chloe and Eli. We went out for a few dinners, headed to the beach a bit, enjoyed fellowship with our Friends on Kauai, and basically just lounged around in the sun.



Kauai 2008

Eli hanging out at the hotel in SeaTac, the night before we flew out. Note that our little guy is sitting up independently these days...

Make that almost independently....

Arriving in Kauai after a completely uneventful flight (whew!)

Hanging out poolside


Dan, Jeff, and Shane all took a scuba class at the pool, then went on a scuba trip a few days later. They all reported having fun, but were a little disappointed that their guide was more interested in identifying the marine life than letting them shoot it. (They were told they would have great opportunities for spear fishing.)



Nothing like a nap in the shade of a banana tree (Ok,ok-it was just a poolside umbrella!)

Splish-splashing with Auntie Rebekah (Eli loved the water!)

Hanging out in the pool...

My favorite guys

Chloe, Rebekah, and Jeff

Dan and Jeanne

These are my two new favorite pictures of Eli...


Does it get any better than this?

Just a day at the beach...

(No, the blonde isn't me...that would be my cute little sister in law, Melissa!)

Getting all the sand and sunscreen out of all the strange places it ended up!

Cuddling with cousin Chloe. She adored Eli. Every morning, we would hear her little feet pitter-patter around the condo wanting to know, "Were (where) baby Eli go?" Any time he lost his binkie, she would helpfully pop it back in while telling him, "Her (here) baby Eli."

Every morning, Chloe would pick someone to be the "dentist." This was Shane's turn.

Out and about...

This picture was taken on our anniversary. Know any better place to celebrate your 7th anniversary? G&G and Uncle Dan & Aunt Jeanne babysat Eli for a few hours so we could enjoy a dinner out just the two of us.

Melissa, Rebekah, me, Jeanne, and Barb (Jeanne's mom)


My future's so bright, I gotta wear shades.

This is an avacado some of the Friends gave us. Can you believe they grew this huge avacado in their backyard?! They also had grapefruit, banana, liche, and orange trees. Yum!


Unfortunately, I didn't get a single picture of Mom and Dad...maybe that was because they were so busy conquering the island! (They hiked, took a day trip to Pearl Harbor, saw Waimea Canyon and the North Shore, kayaked to the Hidden Falls, zip-lined, AND got lots of Grandpa and Grandma time in! I hope that's what I'm doing when I'm a grandma!) However, the real reason I didn't get a shot of them may have had more to do with the fact that I kept forgetting to take my camera with me!