Hawaii Trip!

So we recently went to The Big Island of Hawaii with our family for two whole weeks! We were there with my (Natalie's) mom, step dad, brother and his wife and daughter. It was fabulous and so much fun to see through Jackson's eyes. We got to do many things while we were there and Jackson had some firsts. I was so nervous taking him on such long plane rides but he did really well. There were other babies his age on several of the planes that were screaming, but he was fairly quiet, we just had to make sure he wasn't kicking the seat in front of us as he is a very busy boy. There was only one flight that he cried on but it was a short flight and it was only on the decent. We were trying everything to get him to calm down but he only stopped when we landed and I stood up. I tried not making eye contact with anyone but everyone had their theory as to why he was fussy from ear pressure to teething. I very nicely agreed with them but inside I was thinking...mind your own business and Get Me Off This Plane!

The first week we we stayed at the Kona Coast Resort which was really nice and we got the second bedroom this week. Yeah! This week we did some snorkeling at a few beaches. While we were at the City of Refuge there happened to be dolphins in the area. That was amazing and a bit scary. All of the sudden there were about 30 dolphins swimming in a group right past my path. I'm bummed that I didn't have my water camera yet. Jack played on the beach and really liked the sand. I think we are going to have to invest in a sandbox this summer. He could play for hours in it digging, picking it up and watching it fall and of course the occasional taste test. We also found out that he loves the water. He loved the pool the best but I think any sort of water would do. I let him play in a sprinkler puddle one day and he just splashed and giggled for a good while.

The second week we were in Wiakaloa staying at the Paniolo Greens Resort. This is the week that we got the pull out couch. Ouch! This was a very busy week. We started it out with a "skunked" deep sea fishing trip meaning that we did not have even a nibble...except we did catch a garbage bag! Saving the earth one bag at a time. We went to Hilo and saw the volcano which was amazing to watch, went to a zoo, a luau and a snorkel tour. Jackson loved most of it as long as we weren't in the car. The drive to Hilo was no fun for him but once we got to the zoo he had a blast. The snorkel tour was Jackson's first boat ride and he loved that. He tried walking around the boat as it rocked and he fell all over the place, he loved the wind as the boat was going, he would put his hands out to feel it blow through his hands, and if you listened really closely he would whisper "I'm king of the world!!!" He also went into the water with a little baby floaty which he hated and wanted out of, then he went in with a boogie board with a view box on it so that he could see the fish and coral but he didn't really understand and wanted off, then his favorite was sitting on Larry's innertube and looking through a view box. We have some great pictures on a water camera that I have to develop still, which will hopefully turn out.

Here are some pictures of our adventure: