Kauai - July 8, 2011

We took our time getting up (okay, I took my time getting up, while Mike dealt with the kids) and had a lazy breakfast in the condo.  When we finally got ourselves organized, we drove down the road a bit to do a hike to a (large) tidepool called Queen's Bath.  We actually did this the last time we were here, with our son in a backpack for the hike down and back.  This time, all three kids managed it on their own, even though it was a bit slippery from the rain the night before.  Once we got down to Queen's Bath, they jumped right in and started swimming around to check it out, with our little one hopping in after her brother and sister.  They thought it was the coolest thing they'd ever done and they had a blast sitting in the water that flowed over the rocks, swimming around checking out the fish, and jumping off the rocks (our son) into the pool.  On the hike back up, we stopped to rinse off in the waterfall that flows next to the path, just like Mike and our son did the last time.

We headed into Hanalei for lunch and ate at the Hanalei Gourmet, which we remembered being pretty good last time.  It was even better this trip and our youngest discovered her new favorite sandwich - peanut butter and banana with honey.  From there, we went over to Blackpot Beach on Hanalei Bay and checked out the pier.  The signs say no jumping or diving from the pier, but there were lots of people doing exactly that, so our son wanted to give it a try.  Needless to say, he was occupied for a long time jumping in and climbing back out (it's about a 10-foot drop to the water).  His sister had to give it a try, too, of course, and the two of them spent the rest of the afternoon out there.  Our little one was happily walking the beach, singing and playing a game of pretend while I sat and watched from the beach.  Mike supervised the shenanigans on the pier from the water.

We finally dragged them all out of the water and got them cleaned up enough to head back to the condo.  We stopped at the grocery on the way back to pick up a frozen pizza for the kids and a roasted chicken for us and enjoyed a quiet dinner at our place.  Bedtime was quick and easy after that!