Hawaii- Day 3: Aulani (again), Waimea Falls & Family!

Most of the family had arrived in town by now. My brother Logan and his family were actually staying at the same resort we were. Due to weather, they were delayed an entire day and they had sent pictures of their kids sleeping in the airport. They'd gotten in really late so I was determined not to bother them. Then my brother posted a photo that looked... well super familiar. It was the resort lagoon and the ocean beyond. Brent was actually just out of the frame, we were that close. 

This quickly became exciting. I stood on the path and scanned the balconies looking for Logan. Then I gave him a call and watched the guy I was pretty sure was my brother put his phone to his ear. We happily waved and he got his family to wave back. We were making our last and final trip to Aulani for some shopping. I tell ya, every time we trekked over there made me more and more grateful we were staying right where we were. 

Brigitta begged to take a dip in the ocean. She was loving the pools and hot tubs at Ko Olina, but she really loved going in the ocean. 

For this trip I bought a slew of swimsuits and Ireland was particularly excited to wear this one. She and Liesel are in that in-between phase when it can be hard to find clothes that fit. This swimsuit fit her like a glove and was so perfect for Hawaii!

One of the shops at Aulani has this adorable flooring! 

Liesel and Gita needed their own picture with the Stitch statue.

If you go to Aulani enough times, of course you'll run into Moana!

Liesel agonized over her choice of ears and I'm so glad she got the pair she did! They are excited to flex these when we go to Disneyland later this year since you can't get the Aulani ears anywhere but Hawaii and maybe Ebay. 

By the time we came back, there were some familiar faces down by the pools of Ko Olina. This made us all the more excited for the wedding. There's something surreal about seeing people you know in a completely different setting. We gave them a few tips on the resort and went our separate ways after snapping a cousin pic!

We decided today would be redemption day and we again headed to the North Shore to go to Waimea Falls. It was open! The girls were starting to fight a bit, and nothing soothes a fight like a beautiful hike. Brent was semi-horrified at the expense and trying to wrap his brain around the fact that yes, it was high but included was use of a life vest at the falls (which was required). 

On our way to the falls we saw a leaf as big as Sydney!

I loved these curtains of vines that hung off the trees. They reminded me of the side curtains on a stage.

The water at the falls this time of year is pretty tame. Even so, Brent and I felt maybe he should take the younger two while I watched our stuff. 

Next it was my turn and getting in the water is a little trickier than you'd think. There are really sharp rocks and the water isn't clear. Nothing ruins a vacation like an injury so I was going really slow. I also have to ease into the water. The girls impatiently told me to just hurry up and bit by bit, I made it into the water with them. 

Liesel, Ireland and I swam right up to the falls where the water was surprisingly warm. I watched a woman scoop a drink into her hand and wondered if there's any mystic believe these waters are healing in some way. Brent and I had been in separately but I wanted just a moment with the two of us so he got back in and we took a moment right there under the falls. 

Now came the fun part- lots of photos! Liesel noticed this rock and as we took these pictures, a line formed behind us. Liesel was wearing the perfect swimsuit for Waimea Falls! I played around with the color and brightness to get this:

Same picture, different filter.

Gita threw her arms wide open with so much joy!

My most modest girl Sydney was immediately back in her clothes- haha! I love that about her.

There's something about this photo in particular that I really love. I've mentioned I usually either get Sydney looking at the camera or smiling, but not both. She's actually looking at the camera in this one but hadn't pushed her lips into the obligatory smile for me. She was just happy. The slight curve of her lips is more authentically her than any other photo.

By the time we got to Ireland, the line of people waiting to take pictures in our spot was getting long and there was a random older guy who was keenly watching us. 

We put on our shoes and headed back down the trail, this time really taking in all the flora and fauna. The trees were so beautiful!!!

Just look at these trees!!!

Something about that dip by the falls had refreshed everyone.

 

Brent went ahead with Sydney and Gita while I decided to do a loop of the trail with Liesel and Ireland. Turns out it wasn't a loop- a fact we realized when we saw the parking lot. We had to double back to meet up with everyone and by then we'd walked a while. Much to Brent's chagrin, I stopped by the gift shop where I found an adorable one-shouldered blue swimsuit. I had promised Brigitta we would buy her a new one on Oahu since one of hers was really falling apart. This happened to be a shade of blue that made her eyes bluer than blue. 

Gita managed to change into that new swimsuit in the car without Brent or I noticing as we drove further north to meet up with Katrina and Matthew who had been with Mom and Dad all day. No one had eaten dinner yet and Hawaii has a solid food truck game. Even something as mundane as a parking lot in Hawaii looks stunning with the palm trees and the incredible sky!

Our favorite food truck which served hamburgers with pineapple was sadly closed. On my list of Oahu To Do's was try the shrimp dishes and in the end, no one really liked them. The shrimp were never shelled so we had to get our hands dirty pulling those off just to take a bite and then there were filthy fingers... it just wasn't for us and I think this was the last time we tried shrimp. 

Mom and Dad were doing surprisingly well. This was a big trip for them to take given health challenges. Dad used to fly to Hawaii for work but he always first class. Whitney and Tim had managed to secure seats behind the bulkhead for their first flight but not on the second. Dad recounted how the man in front of him reclined his seat right after they reached cruising altitude and how he, "did not appreciate that at ALL!" I inwardly chuckled- welcome to economy with the rest of us! 

Katrina is so sweet to my girls! She notices the one who maybe needs a little more love and attention and tucks that one in next to her. Katrina generously hands over her phone so they can take selfies. She lets them feel seen and heard for a moment in the chaos. It was so fun chilling with everyone for dinner before we headed back to the resort.