Cliff's family had a reunion this year in Hawaii. So, we ventured off to Hawaii on Dec. 30th via Seattle (cheaper tickets) and arrived New Year's Eve. On the flight from Seattle to Hawaii (because my bro-in-law, Joe, works for Hawaiian Airlines) we got hooked up with 3 dig-e players and headphones. The attendant that recognized Cliff (because I wasn't around-off changing a diaper or something) is a friend of Joe's, but also a friend of mine that I went to college with at BYU-H. We were prepared though with the iphones and ipod touch for the kiddos to use.
Anyway, this was the second New Year's we have spent in Hawaii and both times we have spent it at my old boss's house, Harold Pukahi, from my days at BYU-H. He is such an excellent cook, if you like that kind of food. He always makes waffles to ring in the New Year. But this year with the traveling, we couldn't hang even until 10p.m. Hawaii time. We basically ate and then took off to have everyone crashed by 9:30. But then the kids woke up at 4:30a.m. It took them a few days to get adjusted, but we survived.
New Years day we began the reunion by camping on the beach. It was a total of (6 days of camping). Because our family was up so early, we went and held our spot even though it was reserved for us. When we got there all I would hear out of Kalena's mouth was, "Mom, I wan't to go to the water." Me, trying to be a good mother for once, tried to get her mind off the water. I played kickball with her and Maika to start it off, but it didn't last too long. She just wasn't a happy person until we went to the water. I gave in and took her. As we were walking over there, the boys decided they wanted to tag along. So, there we were, our first day on the beach waiting for everyone else to show. It didn't take to long for Kalena to get her clothes all wet even though she had her swimsuit on. Not even 2 minutes later, Maika decided to do the same thing even though all he had to do was take off his shirt. I was just the stupid one and didn't wear my swimsuit to the beach, so I didn't get in at all then. Tula'i wouldn't even come close to the water...He really doesn't like water all that much. He did have a hay day in the sand though. This was the beginning of the beautiful beach days that we were able to have for the next couple of days.
When the whole family arrived, Kalena was in Heaven. She had her best friend Ana to play with again. She always tells me, "Mom, Ana is my best friend." Lela was able to make it up as well, so the kids were really excited to see her. Maika had to let everyone know "This is my Lela," and he wouldn't budge on that statement either. Tula'i was glued to her hip the first day. Lavea'i wouldn't go to anyone. But, by the time we left Hawaii, he loved just about everyone. Thank goodness, cause he was soooo clingy when we first got there.
Kalena has bad eczema, our days at the beach were very few. She ended up breaking out in a rash the 2nd day at the beach. Poor girl, that is all she wanted to do. So, Cliff and I had to start doing things with the kids to deter them from the water unless it was a little overcast, then we would go. So, I think we went to the beach a total of 5 times while we were there. The other times, we went and had Matsumotos shaved ice (can't go anywhere else to get it, lilikoi and guava are the best flavors), went to the pet store and play area in the mall for a few hours so they could get some energy out and Mom and Dad could sit and rest their feet and minds. They loved the pet store and would have stayed there forever with the chocolate lab puppies playing with them, but we were getting tired of the pet store and were ready to get out.
My, brother-in-law, Jethro, had his birthday while we were all in Hawaii. I think by this time almost everyone was beached out because we went to the beach and hardly anyone got in. Cliff, myself and his sister Reenie were the only adults to get into the water. My kids and a couple of other kids were the only ones in the water as well. It was a little cooler that day, so we thought it would be perfect for Kalena. After the beach, we all went out to dinner at "Zippy's" (it is comparable to a Denny's setting, just different types of food), sang "Happy Birthday" and had cake. And for store bought cakes, they were yummy!!!!
The last night before everyone started leaving, we went to the beach. I wasn't planning on letting the kids swim or myself swimming, so I hadn't taken any change of clothes for the kids or myself. I was smart enough to take their pj's so that they could fall asleep on the way back to Joe's house and not have to worry about changing their clothes when we got there. Needless to say, I ended up jumping in the water first with the kids as soon as we got to the beach. I just thought, oh well, I will just stay outside of my sister-in-laws house until I dry off. But, what I didn't remember was how chilly it gets when you haven't dried off and the breeze keeps coming. So, I had to borrow towels and shampoo for the kids. They were lucky to just get into their pj's. But, thankful for a great family that lives in Utah and let me borrow their clothes that night. I was able to keep them until we got back to Utah.
The kids loved every minute of the trip, being able to hang out with there cousins ALL day long and not have to leave or say good-bye at the end of the night. As the kids got to know their other cousins, they enjoyed being around them. Maika and Tula'i played mostly with each other like best buds. There were times when we were setting up that they would be wrestling each other in the middle of everyone. They were fun to just sit and watch. They got used to their cousin Tua, especially when we stayed with Joe for the remainder of the time we were in Hawaii. Before coming home, Maika had to let us know that "Utah is broken." I guess he didn't want anyone going home. Like it is said, "All good things must come to an end." There were too many adventures to even write in this post, but I hope the pictures show all the fun we were able to have with Mom and Dad and the rest of the Fano Clan.
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