Keeping Up With the Kocubinskis: The Spirit of Aloha

In March we were lucky enough to be able to go to Kauai with Matt's parents and sister. I could probably write for hours about how wonderful the trip was and how gorgeous that little Hawaiian island is, but I'll try to sum it all up as best I can without turning this post into a novel. Sue and Don had been there before a couple of times and loved it, so we were so excited to see this place for ourselves. As soon as you get off the plane, it's like all your worries melt away. It's as if stress doesn't exist in Hawaii. Everyone you come across seems friendly and happy. Tourists, locals, everyone. It's referred to there as the spirit of aloha. Essentially, the happy feeling you get when you realize you're smack dab in the heart of paradise.

We stayed in a very large, beautiful house that Matt's parents rented close to the beach in Poipu. We spent plenty of time on the beaches nearby and checking out some of the gorgeous hotels. One of the beaches had a protected cove called the baby beach where our little ones were able to safely splash and play in the water.

Ahhh...paradise

Evelyn loving the ocean

Max hard at work

Happy family

Love this shot of the whole family

The Spouting Horn- water shooting up through a hole in the rocks

The kids playing with Grandma at the baby beach

Julia and I

Max and Evelyn "surfing" at the baby beach

Happy Grandma

Who is this handsome fella?

Too cool

We were also able to take a tour of Waimea Canyon. It was one of the most beautiful spots I've ever been to. The pictures simply don't do it justice.

It was a bit windy up there

I pretty much know what Matt will look like in 30 years

Max and Evelyn love their aunt Julia

Beautiful Waimea Canyon

Matt and I snuck away one afternoon to go for a hike along the cliffs. We tried taking a shortcut back, but ended up getting lost. We had to run for a bit (in our sandals- no fun!) to get back to civilization before it got dark. Along the way we encountered a wild boar. Fortunately for us, it seemed to be afraid of us and kept it's distance.

One of the spots on our hike

Creepy blowhole. Crawling with little crabs and making scary noises

There's the boar

My dirty, blistered feet when we got back to the house

The rest of the trip continued to be a blast! We watched surfers, relaxed more at the beach, did some shopping, went to an art walk in one of the small towns, had fun nights out and just chilled out at the house. Aside from a few minor glitches- Evelyn getting in ALL of her molars and the fussiness that ensued, and some rainy days, it was a perfect vacation. I definitely want to go back again (and again, and again) when the kids are a bit older.