Bubba's, ice cream and a few sunrise/sunsets..

We did a lot of fun things and ate at so many great places but what was our favorite? I asked Payton what her favorite part of the trip was and this is what she said. I liked the little fish we saw ,  swimming building sandcastles, the hula dancers and getting Ice cream at Lapperts. Really what didn’t she love. The day after we got back she asked if we could go back.

The first Bubba’s we visited - Kevin's favorite burger place  ( oh look a phone booth -Payton asked what it was.)

 Payton loved her corn dogs at Bubba’s!

We loved Bubba’s burgers – The new location was better than the first one( the first picture) It was in a new shopping center which was nice plus it had great palm trees and flower to look at and an ice cream place near by , they also had a better selection of t-shirts and this really sweet old man who worked their who gave Payton and I “kisses” – Hershey kisses with macadamia nuts inside. He was really sweet and both times we ate at this Bubbas he came and talked to his “girlfriends” .
Another place we liked to eat was Lapperts for some yummy ice cream – I had Kona coffee and Coconut fudge macadamia nut both were delicious! Payton always had chocolate and had to eat part of someone's cone. Kevin had a something different every time.



We also loved a few other places that we ate. Bobby V’s an Italian place had great food, Payton even ate her meatballs. Then there was the brick oven pizza place that gave Payton pizza dough to play with while we waited – Such a great Idea!! She loved it and made little pizzas for us all.

Payton's  little Pizza dough creations

One of my favorite thing was watching the sun rise and set. I took a million pictures of it but It was so beautiful and I wanted to remember it plus it was fun practicing. Here are some of my favorites.









Ok, so there are more than a few but these are some of my favorites. I took a lot more but I will not bore you with those, if you want to see them I can  put them in an online album. Our trip was great and filled so many great memories.We Love Kauai!

Flying to paradise

Flying with kids is an adventure and not one I want to do every year. Payton was excited to fly on a plane since the last time she had flown she was five months old – the same age Logan was for his first plane ride.  She enjoyed sitting with grandma and watching DVD’s, she even took a nap. So many people told us how great they did and I was very proud of them for surviving the long trip and not crying or screaming.

Waiting at the airport

Logan loved the air blowing one him- his first plane ride

Payton on the plane – she did great and had fun watching movies with grandma.

Welcome to LA

We even saw Mickey Mouse – ok so it was at LAX but she was still excited.

Going home – Good Bye Kauai , we sure had fun !

Splish- splash it’s beach time!

Lydgate beach –This beach was not to far from where we were staying and it had a great playground so if the kids didn’t like the water they could go there. It was both kids first time in the ocean and they both loved it. Payton was apprehensive at first and didn’t want to go out far but each time we went to another beach she would go out farther.

My little beach baby

Payton’s first time in the Ocean .

First time in the Ocean!

Hanamaulu Beach – We went to this beach twice, we built sand castles, and played in the waves. Originally we went to build a sandcastle, we hadn’t planed on getting wet. It was fun and every one but Logan got wet! The second time we brought daddy to join in the fun!

Ke’e beach – This beach is at the very end of the North side of Kauai. It was so beautiful and we thought it might be  a good place for grandpa to snorkel. There were some fish but not like we have seen in the past.  Logan got to play a little with grandpa in the water.

Family picture with the Na Pali coast in the background

Nukoli’i  Beach – This beach was fun, it had great waves and was pretty quiet. It also had little crabs that would run and hide as soon as you moved. The second time we went there was a couple getting married. We all got wet and had fun. Payton and Grandpa came three times to this beach, the first time just to watch the crabs and throw sticks. Kevin and I came the next time and the last time we went with Grandma and daddy stayed home.

Mommy the photographer – this is what I did most of the trip. I love to document everything.

She loved to  have us lift her up when the waves came. I think this was one of her favorite parts of the trip.

She had fun playing in the waves with grandpa!

Beautiful Kauai

While we were in Kauai we did a few fun things, saw a few sites and drove from one end of the island to the other. The first day out we went on  a boat ride to the Fern Grotto which is a very beautiful place and where a lot of people come to get married or renew vows. On the boat ride back there were hula dancers and some singers. Payton thought it was great fun and one of the dancers told her she did a great job.

The next day we went and rode the train at Kauai Plantation Railway . We toured the ground where many different fruits and veggies are grown such as Pineapples, avocados, and star fruit. They also had animals and we got off to feed some of them. My dad,Kevin and Payton fed a persistent goat but there were also pigs you could feed.

Pineapples

 Before we stopped to look at a few beautiful waterfalls.

  Wednesday we went to see the lighthouse on the north end of the island . This the view we saw since we were there earlier then it opened. We did get to see some beautiful rainbows as we continued to the beach.

Can you see the rainbow - it is on the left side .

Waimea Canyon is also known as the Grand Canyon of the Pacific. It is very beautiful to look at and reminds me of when I went to the real Grand Canyon. It would have been fun to hike into the canyon to see it closer up but it was still amazing. We also enjoyed some view points of the Na Pali coast and the city below. I think the highlight was getting to see some Nene’s close up – we are all believers – they do exist!

View of the Na Pali coast

Waimea city

Our last night we went to  see Spouting Horn where water rushes under a lava shelf and bursts through a small opening at the surface. It can get pretty high, Payton loved it and thought it was great to see the water spraying. She really didn’t want to take pictures with us. Below is a picture of me , Logan and Payton in front of the Spouting Horn – it was a pretty big spray. ( on a side note I love the Lillebaby Nordic carrier – I wore it a lot on this trip and it was so comfy. Logan loved it too, He often took a nap in it.)