Honolulu

We took a Saturday to go into Honolulu on a state holiday- King Kamehameha Day.  Free parking in the city (sweet, although we'd already fed the meter 3 bucks) and a parade to start it all off. 

The King himself, and royal gaurds

If I were royalty, I'd want those guys guarding me too.  Who in their right mind would ever mess with them?

Dance away!  No inhibitions.  Although, she might not appreciate this picture very much.  Kinda vulnerable looking.



Matt took this picture.





This one was taken for Matt's Aunt Sue. 



Actually, if I were royalty, I'd like the guard who fits this to be my guard.



There were plenty of island princesses.  Each island princess had it's own special colored lei, and they ornamented them in their hair, as a crown, around their neck, and on the horses.



The royal pooper-scoopers.  This particular group got creative. 



King Kamehameha Statue infront of State Legislation Buildings...check out those loooonnnggg leis!



Amelia and Hawaii's last queen- Queen Lili'uokalani



Natalie and Hawaii's last queen...she insisted on seeing this statue.
Queens are exciting.



Her royal whiteness, and the Iolani Palace in the back.



And of coarse, we can't visit a major city and not stop in on their art museums.



Girls' cooling off at the art museum with some juice boxes.



They happened to have some cool programs going on- the girls made some paper bracelets.  Very easy and pretty.



The first piece of art to catch my eye...a water fountain wall next to entrance of restaurant.  Very cool.  If I had all the money in the world, I'd put this in my house somewhere.



Please read the above.  Meditation is important.

The art to go with the above caption.

Another piece that caught my eye.  Read below.



Sad.



Aloha Tower Marketplace (little mall and outdoor touristy shops too)



Millie is as tall as the Aloha Tower.



A view of Honolulu from the top of Aloha Tower.  Not bad, eh?

Our little keiki

A museum we will have to visit next time. Bummer.  (The Hawaii Maritime Center, under renovation.)

We also can't go to a big city with out seeing the big churches.  Here is St. Peter's.

Nice windows.  I have a better appreciation for stain glass, since there was one night I went with Matt (when we were single and dating) to help with some of the windows for the San Antonio Temple.  Little Piece by little Piece put together.  Pretty amazing process really.



Punchbowl Cemetary...built in honor of  USA Veterans who died in the pacific during different wars, and who are buried here.  It's also a grown over crater of a volcano.  It's always pretty sobering for me to see all the graves of those who have died for us together in one place like this.  Matt's paternal grandfather served in the military at Pearl Harbor in 1943 (a couple years after it was bombed.)  He was serving there when Matt's dad was born, and didn't see him for the first time until he was about 1 1/2 years old.

 

View of Honolulu from Punchbowl Cemetary.



We decided to take the long way home, and have a bit of a scenic drive- around the Southshore tip and then all the way up east coast.  Took a little bit longer than we thought it would...about 2 1/2 hours...slow, windy roads yet very beautiful.  Sam was losing it at the end, so here he is having his first lollipop.  (Thanks Jenny for the idea.)  Notice Natalie in the back...zzzzzz.  Poor thing.  She gets it from both sides of the family.  We're ugly sleepers.  That is, at least in the car, we are. 



Just in case you weren't aware- this is the color of the water in Hawaii.

Waikiki anyone?  (To be visited another Saturday, we were driving by it here).

Turtle Bay Resort

My beach boys at Turtle Bay



Working on our tans still...



Sam loving the water



Fun at the beach...actually I'm learning that taking three kids 5 years and under to the beach can be challenging.  The lotioning, the sand, "I'm hungry", 9 month old eating sand then crying, then rinsing them all off before heading home, sand sand everywhere sand...it doesn't always go smoothly, but we're still having fun!!  (I'd really like to come back sans kids someday...is that bad?)



Our "Pink Palace" had a little bit of a problem with creepy crawlies, so they moved us to a condo at Turtle Bay Resort for a week (the kids call it our "Brown Palace), so they could spray.  Not a bad alternative. 

 

Matt and kids in our temporary resort housing. 



View of the golf course out our back porch window.




Girls enjoying some cookies on the back screened-in porch.  Two birds ventured into here one day through a broken screen and got stuck for a couple hours.  Matt went out to help them, one got out.  Then the the birds sang to each other until the second escaped as well.  It was kinda neat to watch.




Sam just hanging out and being cute.  He is doing the army crawl everywhere now.  Little red blisters are starting to form on the ends of his big toes, where he pushes off.




Matt feeling excited to be a dad on Father's Day!!



Hawaiian Vegetation

Hawaii is one big arboretum and botanical garden.  I love it.  I went a little crazy this day, taking pictures of all the plants, bushes, trees, that I saw in one little walk.  If you like a green life, come here.

Bread Fruit Tree...or as Matt likes to call it "Monkey Brain" Tree.  (The fruit that grows on it, looks like a monkey's brain...I'll have to get another picture close up.)



Bird of Paradise plant



Stork walking on bushes near temple...I thought it was cool.



Plumeria, outside our house.  This is what Hawaii smells like.  Also they make a lot of leis out of these.





Mango Tree





Coconut Tree



Another Shot of the Coconut Tree.  Matt is dying to climb one.



Yellow Hibiscus...Hawaii's State Flower




Tree at temple grounds, Matt was dying to climb this one too.  He loved the tangles of it. 




So many AMAZING trees here.  Perfect for shade, climbing, tree houses, or just to look at and be amazed.  (Banyans in the background).

 

The grass in Hawaii.  Notice the thickness of the blade, please.