It didn't hurt my feelings that Halloween would be spent on Oahu. My brothers, however, felt like the holiday still needed celebrating. The male cousins all had costumes in tow....we improvised with Moana-like outfits for the girls. Spencer wasn't in the mood to do much with the make-shift trick-or-treating we set up at different locations around the house. The kids had a blast, the candy consumption was minimal, and the two pineapples carved by Chadwick and Mark turned out fairly decently.
The kids read and played and coveted time with the Adams' iPads. We swam in the pool and swam in the Lagoon at Aulani, A Disney Resort. (The tide was such that swimming at just any beach would have been dangerous to the health of the little people. We had to find a place protected by a brick wall to enjoy the ocean.) Chadwick and I did a little snorkeling in the Lagoon and it was awesome to see the fish. I have to say, it is an unnatural thing to snorkel - put your face in the water, don't breathe through your nose (I didn't have proper goggles), and then breathe through a small tube connected to your mouth. Don't dip your head too far in any direction or you'll risk inhaling sea water. The two times I've been snorkeling, I had to repeat a mantra to myself, "Breathe slowly. Breathe slowly" to avoid hyperventilating. The kids loved the experience. It helped that Grandma and Grandpa were with us for this particular outing.
The Dole Plantation opened as a fruit stand in 1950 and opened as Hawaii's Pineapple Experience in 1989. They offer a train ride through the pineapple fields, give a brief history of how pineapple agriculture has changed over the years, and sell world-famous Dole-Whip (a pineapple flavored ice cream that tingled the taste buds in just the right way). The plantation also boasts the world's largest Garden Maze, stretching over 3 acres. We wandered around for a while on a hunt for stamps from the "secret places." Spencer and Jace were not impressed with the whole gig...Mallorie, Kade and Morgan had a ball running hither and thither with Chadwick.
There were naps in the car, hikes to a small waterfall (highly over rated per David's observation), bonding time in the kitchen, and reading with Grandma. Stuart and Laura spent much of their time hiking and birding. For some reason, a ride around the pineapple plantation on a small train didn't appeal to them!
With that many people, there is never a dull moment.
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