We got back from Oahu over a month ago. As it is, traveling with kids, we were definitely more tired after the trip than before. It didn't help that I had to go back to work immediately after we got back and Nik had to take care of two mildly ill, jet lagged kids on his own. Plus, we decided to tack on the annual Valley Crew snow trip to the end of Nik's vacation time.. and then Kai was sick, and then Sora was sick.. so needless to say, we've been busy and tired.
I started off our trip with yet another last minute packing binge (Nik is better at packing ahead of time) and a early morning flight. We packed plenty of food, snacks, and the tablet, and we were good to go. The kids were relatively well-behaved although Sora would refuse to wear even the most loosely buckled seat belt, complaining, "too tight!" Remarkably, the kids eventually both napped with us.. yeah, Nik and I are
that good.
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| Who does this silly kid belong to? |
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| .. oh yeah, that's right. :P (circa August 2011) |
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| Score! |
It took a while to pick up our rental car and Nik placated the children with Pocky while we waited. We eventually picked up
Korean take out for dinner, eating it in the car while we were stuck in rush hour traffic. We finally arrived at Aulani, our home for the next couple of days. We were welcomed with leis, and went on to check out our room and the resort's many pools.
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| The kids preferred the water park with the water features turned off |
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| A tropical fish tank that you can snorkel in? Check! |
The next day, we went off the resort to grab
breakfast and groceries. Kai the carb fiend loved the flight of pancakes and Sora the carnivore, devoured the ham off the eggs benedict. Satiated and stocked with supplies for our vacation, we headed back to the resort to fully explore the pools. We had a scary moment when Nik and I had a miscommunication and while I was getting food, Nik thought I was watching Sora and I thought Nik was watching Sora. Unbeknownst to Nik, Sora followed him and Kai as they walked across the resort. They paused to watch resort guests taking pictures with Mickey and Minnie, and when Nik said that it was time to head back to see me and Sora, Kai replied, "Sora right here." Needless to say, Nik was surprised and an Aulani employee who had been discreetly following Sora asked if she belonged to him. Aiya.
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| Sora has an admirer <3 |
We recovered from this scary incident with rainbow shave ice, complete with Mickey ears, which the kids finished in our room's bathtub (pure efficiency). After a much-needed nap, we headed out yet again to Target to buy Sora a new swimsuit since the 12 month one that I packed for her was too tight. We got
Japanese curry for dinner and of all things, the kids
loved curry with cheese.
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| Crashing after the sugar high.. |
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| The kids love the Target doggie |
The next morning, we woke up early and headed over to Aunty's Beach House, the Aulani kids club. The Beach House was only open to kids ages 3 and up so we opted to not drop off Kai since we figured he would think it was unfair if we dropped him off without Sora; however in the early morning hours, the club hosted an open house where kids of all ages could play with their parents, so we tried to take advantage of that time every morning. The Beach House was fully stocked with craft supplies, books, toys, dress up clothing, and an outdoor play area, the kids loved making crafts although it was hard to tear them away from the TV room!
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| Everything a kid could ask for.. Disney knows. |
We spent the remainder of the morning at the Aulani beach, one of the man-made lagoons of Ko'olina. The kids contented themselves with playing in the sand and surf. In the afternoon, we headed across the street to grab
ice cream (just okay and a touch too sweet) and then went to the
Monkeypod Kitchen for a happy hour dinner. For a restaurant across the street from Aulani (we were expecting overrated and overpriced), happy hour was an awesome deal with good food and generous portions, Nik and I felt just a tad guilty since we didn't order any drinks.
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| Silly kids couldn't stand still |
The next morning, we headed out to to Ewa for a train ride, but not before stopping to take a picture with Mickey and Minnie! There were already a number of people waiting for the Mickey and Minnie even before they had even arrived, and we queued up accordingly. As soon as they arrived, Sora wanted to watch the spectacle of everyone taking their pictures with Mickey and Minnie, but when it was our turn, nobody wanted to look Mickey and Minnie in the eye, although Sora eventually did give them high-fives. Still, it was more successful than our
last attempt to take a picture with Mickey (although that's not saying much).
There is a train track which runs through Ko'olina and immediately adjacent to the Aulani property, I was curious about it and googled it. Turns out, a
historical railway society runs a train from Ewa to Ko'olina and back on the weekends. We decided to take this opportunity to get out of the resort and do something a little different. The kids enjoyed playing on the historical steam engine on display at the train station. The ride was fully narrated and entertaining, although the route was mostly unremarkable as we rode alongside irrigation canals and behind strip malls. Once we passed through Ko'olina a short stretch of track went along the coast, which was beautiful. The train then went back along the track whence we came, stopping briefly for ice cream along the way.
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| Normally, I'd never let the kids play along train tracks.. but the train only runs on weekends. |
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| Balance beam |
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| My little engineer |
