Hawaii, part 1

In July, we went to Hawaii for TWO WEEKS!!!  It was an amazing trip and I have lots of pictures to share.  I will share them over several posts so as to not overwhelm you (or me).

My parents rented a house, with a guest house, on the island of Kauai for a week.  My parents, my three brothers and their families, and our family stayed there and it was awesome!  Here is the view from the lanai as the sun rose one morning:

If you look in the other direction, you see the ocean.

The huge lanai had several tables, chairs, and chaise lounges for relaxing.

I was not prepared to see roosters everywhere we went.  There were even signs warning people not to feed them.

One afternoon we explored some sights near our house.  We saw Spouting Horn, a large blowhole that can spray water as high as 50 feet in the air.

As we walked along a nearby beach, we saw surfers and swimmers in the water.  Check out the guy on the boogie board in the picture below who is flipping in the air!

I've zoomed in on the picture:

 

We came across this heart in the sand. 

We then climbed this small cliff for some nice views.

 

Uncle Michael and Auntie Kathleen joined us on the hike.

  We saw several rainbows during our stay.  If you look really close, you can see the double rainbow below!

One evening we stopped by Wailua Falls on our way to the Smith Family Luau.

At the luau, we took a tram throughout the grounds and then walked around to enjoy the gardens.  We took a lot of family pictures.  Then we feasted on delicious food.  Finally we enjoyed a show with traditional Hawaiian song and dance. 

It was so great to finally meet our niece Adelaide!

Jim and the kids on a bridge at the luau:

Nana and Papa:

The sisters-in-law:

My parents with their children:

The whole gang (all 19 of us)!

Months before the trip, my mom decided to make matching shirts/dresses/skirts for her, my dad, and their 9 grandchildren.  They turned out great and she received a lot of compliments. My kids (and my parents) wore their shirts on our flights to/from Hawaii as well.  It made keeping track of them in the airport a lot easier.

We all sat together for the feast.

 The Hawaiian music and dance at the luau did not disappoint.