Everybody loves a long weekend! Daddy had four days off for Memorial Day weekend, and we took full advantage of them: we explored a new beach, went on a 5-mile hike, spent a few hours at a bouldering gym, and played the girls current favorite board game.

White Plains Beach
We drove a little bit further in search of slightly bigger waves, and this beach was the perfect next step for the girls. It took a bit of doing, but Daddy got them all playing in the surf--they had a blast! Especially when some friends from the neighborhood pool showed up at the same beach at lunch time!

Those four heads across the front are Daddy and the girls.
(They didn't go out that far by themselves at this beach.)

Picnic at the beach!

Where did her legs go?!

Kuli'Ou'Ou Ridge Trail
We were so excited to go on a real hike--this 5-mile hike does switchbacks up the mountain, follows along the ridge, then up stairs to the summit. We were fascinated by the plants along the trail-- especially when it suddenly switched from jungle-like to pine forest.

Following switchbacks up the valley.

We call these "Lego trees" (very distinct straight branches
perpendicular to the trunk). We think they're actually Cook pines.

Taking a break to enjoy the view.

This is the ridge with a steep drop off on either side.

It's all worth it for the view, right?

The clouds finally burned off on our way back down.
We can see the city and the ocean from here.

These trees made doorways! 

Bouldering Gym

The girls were thrilled that we found a climbing gym here! (Our last location didn't have one.) This was a very reasonably priced bouldering gym. FYI: bouldering routes are more likely to be horizontal than vertical and don't involve harnesses or belay lines, so it's a lot less hassle. Also, the floor is a crash pad, so they can just let go if they need to and nobody gets hurt.

Bug with a grin and a note of triumph: "I think I could get really
good at this. Not because I'm actually good, but because I'm persistent."

Lion paused her climb to cheese for the camera.
"Can we come back, like, every month?"

Monkey's just chillin' mid-way through her climb.
She tired out first, but she tackled more difficult routes earlier on.

Magic: The Board Game
Just before we moved we made an impulse purchase of a board game version of Magic: The Gathering. This is the most complex game the girls have ever played and quite possibly their favorite. Daddy still wins, but they're doing their best to give him a run for his money!

Kayaking

Unrelated to kayaking: There are
chickens here! Just, you know,
wandering around parking lots
or wherever.

We were very excited to find an inexpensive place to rent kayaks for a couple of hours! The wind picked up at some point, but it was otherwise a gorgeous sunny afternoon to go kayaking in a bay near our house. Sadly, I don't have pictures, because we didn't want to risk our cameras or phones ending up in the ocean (a wise choice it turned out). We started out with Daddy, Lion, and Bug in one kayak and Monkey and I in the other. We paddled around a reef and discovered a tiny beach that the girls ran around on and played in the surf for a bit before we paddled on. At some point we decided to trade around and let Monkey and Bug man their own kayak. Unfortunately, as part of this process I managed to flip one of the kayaks over, dumping myself, Lion, and Bug into the ocean. Fortunately, the water felt great and only my pride got bruised. My attempts to get back into the kayak proved hilarious and (eventually) successful. Monkey and Bug did a great job as beginning kayakers and managed to steer themselves back to the launching beach without incident.

Look! Baby pineapples! They're bright pink--so fun!

Dole Plantation
We decided to be touristy this weekend and visit the Dole Plantation (Disclaimer: it's not the actual working plantation; disappointingly, that's on a different island. This is just the tourist front.) We strolled through their small botanical garden, took the Pineapple Express (a 20-minute train ride with info about pineapples, local agriculture, and the history of both), and ate Dole Whip (pineapple soft serve ice cream that was definitely everyone's favorite part of the outing). Fun fact: despite being considered a quintessential Hawaiian thing, pineapple is not a native species! In fact, the Hawaiian word for pineapple, hala kahiki, means "foreign fruit." Pineapples arrived on the Hawaiian islands from South America with Spanish explorers in the 1500s.

All aboard the Pineapple Express!

Mmmmm. . . ice cream!

America's Kids Run
Also this past weekend, Lion ran in the world's largest children's running event! (America's Kids Run happens on military bases around the world on Armed Forces Day.) Lion participated in the 1-mile run for 7 and 8 year olds, and she won! Watching her start from the back of the crowd and steadily pass runner after runner was just fantastic. She was in her element! While this was a really short race for Lion, it was her first one to run solo, and she did a great job of pacing herself throughout the race (Daddy coached from the sidelines at each lap). She is thrilled that it looks like racing will be a much more frequent event here. They even have a rec league track & field team for her age group.

Tastes like victory!

Magic Island
On Sunday we got to attend the baptism of several kids at church, enjoy a potluck, and visit a new beach all in one! Magic Island beach is a long, low entry beach where you can wade out up to your waist without encountering any waves--perfect for an outdoor baptism. And, of course, perfect for all the kids to play in afterward! It was a great opportunity to try some new foods and get to know folks at our new church. (Sorry, no photos this time, but I'm sure we'll be back.)

Where It Happens: Tropical Edition (Take 1)

Home sweet home! That awesome climbing tree is
hands down the girls' favorite part of our new house.

 In a HUGE answer to prayer, we have a house already! We expected to stay in the hotel for months, but our leasing agent had a house just open up that was the right size in a great location--within easy walking distance of the pool, fitness center, and two playgrounds in a great neighborhood. Of course, we don't have our household goods yet--they'll arrive in another month or so. But here's a look at our house with the bare minimum of borrowed furniture and essentials.

Lack of a backyard is totally made up for with this communal
green space between us and our back neighbors.

And this is soon to be my favorite part of the house:
the lanai, a covered porch (with a ceiling fan) big enough
to be a secondary living space. This spot, a good book,
and a tall glass of iced tea might be on my daily to-do list now.

Yikes! The mess is actually much improved from
yesterday. This will be the study (just next to the front door).
It's currently the staging area for getting all our stuff
sorted out.

We have a great kitchen with tons of storage and a massive island.
Plenty of room for kitchen helpers and science experiments!
So far we've hit the beach every weekend we've been here, and
with the pool mere blocks away, those drying beach towels are likely
a semi-permanent decor choice. 

The living room is actually big enough that we'll probably set
up two separate seating areas once our own furniture arrives.

While the girls' bedroom does fit three twin beds, they're looking
forward to having their bunk bed and loft bed to gain some floor space.

This room next to their bedroom will someday be the playroom/
music room. It's currently home to the few toys we brought with us,
but has proved to be a great location for impromptu dance parties.

Of course, the house also has boring things like bathrooms, a master bedroom, a laundry room, and a garage, but here are the highlights! I'll keep you posted as we continue getting settled and having adventures.

Aloha!
We made it to Hawaii, and so far we are loving our new location! The girls were real troopers for that 10 hour flight from Atlanta to Honolulu, and they were thrilled to get fresh leis at the airport upon arrival.

We're not into our new house yet, but we're already having adventures! The girls are thoroughly enjoying frequent visits to the hotel playground and pool (Lion is intentionally practicing swimming, so she can learn to surf while we're here). We've already been to the closest beach (small, not too crowded, and with tiny waves--perfect for a starter beach!), and we've hiked to see a 150-foot waterfall.

We've got many more adventures to come!

Lion thinks this tree next to the playground is the perfect resting spot. 

True to her nickname, Monkey has found her way to the top of every structure on the playground.

Making sandcastles with new friends at the beach

There were some amazing plants along our first hike!

We made it to Manoa Falls!

Mommy and Daddy are in Hawaii too!