last day in Kauai 2007

I'm very sad that today is our last day in Kauai. I can't believe its been a month already. Seems like we've only been her for a few days but then at the same time, I notice that Aiden went from taking 5 steps then falling to walking very well. My stomach went from a slight bump to full prego belly. Adam went from a clean shaven, stressed out dude to a scraggly, laid back cool dude.

time with daddy

If only moment likes these could last a lifetime. These two guys are crazy about each other and it shows. This vacation has been very good but I have to say the best part is definitely spending a lot of time with Aiden and seeing him explore, discover and learn new things.

my hawaiian boy

To me, he looks good in anything he wears....but then I am his mom so I guess I could be a little biased. But seriously, does he not look so cool and so cute in this little Hawiian shirt?!

Aloha Juice Bar - my favorite

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this place. I wish I could buy this juice bar and run it myself. I would never get tired of making juices, smoothies, and shakes. I can't imagine a more healthy, low stress business to own and run.

I found out today that the juice bar actually is owned and operated by Papaya's, a big organic foods store across the street. Its actually located in Ching Young Village in the town of Hanalei.

Hangin with AJ and Nana Beth

Today Nana Beth, Aunt Jeanne, and Aiden went for a walk on Keye Beach. After the walk, Nana Beth and Adam went for a swim while Aunt Jeanne and I watched Aiden. Not 5 minutes after they got in the water, the waves started to get bigger and bigger and bigger. Nana Beth and Adam made it out of the water before it got too crazy but not before it flipped each of them a couple of times. They both looked very relieved to safe and out of the water.

he's got his own agenda

Over the past three weeks, Aiden has vastly improved his walking/running. He rarely falls now and is very good at making sharp turns. Here he is making Nana Beth chase him at the Waimea Canyon lookout.

life is just not fair

Aiden is upset that he can't play outside. Even though our house is on a dirt road, its still very dangerous for Aiden to play in the front yard. Cars, trucks, party mobiles drive buy constantly.

Notice the Hawaiian shirt. I love this look on him. He is cool dude with attitude. Nana Beth got him this shirt to wear in Kauai. Thank you, Nana Beth!

Kilauea Lighthouse

We went to the Kilauea Lighthouse today. The view from the lighthouse is outstanding. It was a cool place to visit but there wasn't much to do. Aiden got to run around a bit and chased the Nene birds (goose really).
The Nene, or Hawaiian Goose, is the state bird of Hawaii. The Nene is actually a relative of the larger Canadian goose, but has evolved very differently in Hawaii. It was originally endemic to Kauai, but had already gone extinct on this island by the time Captain Cook arrived. Fossil records show that previously there had been a large population of Nene in the lowlands of Kauai. The Nene survived on the Big Island and Maui, but came dangerously close to extinction after overhunting and the introduction of alien predators. A breeding program was begun in the 50’s, and the Nene was re-introduced to Kauai. The bird is still an endangered species, but has made a good recovery here.


Looking down from the yard in front of the light house - this is the view. Doesn't look like an area I'd like to surf or swim in.


My free spirited boy enjoying himself thorougly at the lighthouse. Kauai is beautiful and a lot of fun but I think this boy could enjoy himself in convience store parking lot. He just knows how to have fun.

exploring dry cave

Here's Aiden exploring the "dry cave" located on the north shore of kauai. I thought he'd be a little frieghtened by the cave but he wasn't at all. He enjoyed running around the dark.

sacred garden near key beach

We hiked to this ancient garden near Keye Beach (located at the begining of the Na Pali trail and the end of the Kuhio Highway). The ancient Hawaiians used to have important ceremonies at this garden. The view from this garden is just amazing. When you see the view, you know why they picked this spot for important ceremonies.

On the edge of Waimea Canyon

The view into this canyon is just breath taking. I've never been to the Grand Canyon but this canyon certainly looks GRAND to me.

I'm 18 weeks pregnant and boy does it show!


The edge of the canyon is really awesome. The terrain is also pretty interesting...just finely packed red dirt. It kind of reminds me of the planet mars.

wrestling with daddy at anini park

We went to Anini Beach park today. Its a beautiful beach park and its definitely family friendly. The park has expansive grassy areas; both shade and sun for enjoying the water. Snorkeling is good on the other side of the channel. It is a pleasant place to relax and have a picnic. Here's Aiden wrestling Adam. Aiden's trick move (and it works every time) is to pull Adam's ears...boy that painful! Poor Adam.


Aiden running like the wind


Adam enjoying himself at Anini


Bobba enjoying himself at Anini

aiden playing on our deck in kauai

The house we're staying in has a huge deck. I could spend the entire day on the deck just sipping drinks and reading a book. Aiden also likes to spend time on the deck which makes it not so relaxing. It's not that he's too rowdy its that the deck rails were not made using any child-friendly standards - in other words, the gap between the railing and the deck floor is like 7 inches...a small little wiggly kid could definitely fall through.

Polihale Beach (Barkingsands Beach)

Polihale Beach is the last beach on the road, this is Kauai's westernmost point (Na Pali devide this area from the north shore). It is an extension of Barking Sands Beach making it Hawaii's longest beach with 17 miles of sparkling white sand. From the northern end of the beach, the beginning cliffs of the Na Pali can be seen.

The sand dunes along this beach can reach up to 100-feet in height. The entire beach is unprotected from the ocean so surf and currents can be fierce here. On the northern end of the beach is Polihale State Park.



Some things we saw here...

- large stones stacked on to of each other perfectly balanced
- the most amazing sunset
- the forbidden island of Nihiau
- "nature people" going about their business in the nude
- local rowdies 4-wheeling
- whales (mom and two babies)
- HUGE waves
- acre after acre of abandoned sugar cane fields
- little goats climbing the cliffs

- we saw this amazing tree that I call "the tree of life"

- this really popular stop sign

Aiden and Adam at Wailua Falls

Years ago, a storm destroyed all of the chicken coops and freed the chickens. Now, there are chickens roaming the streets of Kauai. No one really bothers them and they've been wild so long that people don't eat them because they taste too "gamey".

Here's Aiden and Adam feeding the chicks at the parking lot of Wailua Falls.

porter

Aiden is really into holding this pillow behind his head and running around in excitement. I'm not sure what about it he likes but I'm sure us laughing at him and taking pictures of him while he does it encourages him to do it some more.

the dream

Adam and I had found this house on the internet while searching for a rental in Kauai. This house is/was for sale. The sale brochure made it look soooo good. For some reason, I had a dream we lived in this house. In my dream Aiden was running around with his buddy, a local Hawaiian boy named "Dougie". During our stay in Kauai, we decided to go visit this "little dream" house...it was kind of strange like living a dream. Turns out, the house wasn't as nice as what I imagined in my dream or on the real estate website.

Nevertheless, Aiden had a great time running around the front courtyard. In the back yard they had this really mean goose (as a pet) that Adam really disliked.

I like the picture above...I can just hear Aiden running "pat pat pat pat pat" around the front driveway.

the "rock" album

This is probably my favorite picture of Aiden so far. I love the expression on his face. I also love the layout of the picture. It really looks like the cover of rock album. Notice the coral (white rocks) in his fist...its almost as if he wrote his own name there. It also looks a little like graffiti but then you notice its all nature...

If Aiden ever forms a rock band, I'm going to suggest this picture as the cover for this first album.

aiden and the banana tree

Although he is only 14 months old, this little boy has such focus and curiosity. He was so preoccupied with this stick that he was holding that I don't think he even noticed I was there taking his picture.


I think he looks a lot like my mom in the picture above.


He has my ears...



There is one banana tree, several papaya trees and tons and tons of coconut trees in our backyard. Aiden loves going outside and picking up sticks and fallen coconuts.

Its nice to see him outside and playing in the yard. Since he first started walking (about two months ago) it's been too cold in Virginia to let him play outside much.

Aiden's first sunrise in Kauai

We had a fourteen hour flight from Washington, Dulles to San Francisco and then to Kauai. We left home at 6 am and we got to Kauai at 5 pm the same day....but don't forget the 6 hour time difference....it was a long long trip. Aiden did fine on the flight. We didn't get a seat for him but we did fly first class and sat at the front row so he had plenty of room to stand and stretch. For a 14 month old, he was awesome on the airplane. We arrived at the house in Haena, Kauai (north shore near Hanalei)and immediately went to bed. The next morning we were still on Virginia time and we were all up at 5:30 am Kauai time. Not much to do at that hour but to go out and watch the sunrise...so we did.

The pictures above were taken on the beach in front of our house called "Tunnels Beach". This was the first time, the first hour we were on the beach on this trip. Aiden was both scared and intrigued by the waves. The waves were a pretty good size although you couldn't tell by looking at these two pictures.

I love the dramatic "save me" pose above. The reason he's in such distress is that he has sand on his hands...he really does not like sand on his hands.