Day One: Wednesday 4/23

Boy oh boy…where do I begin?  We went to Hawaii for our annual trip and it was one of the best ones yet.  I can’t decide if it’s because we stayed longer than just 2 or 3 nights or if it was the additional company we had or maybe it was because Kumquat is the ripe old age of 2 and understood so much more.  Maybe it’s a combination of all of those things.  Regardless, it was really fun family vacation for the three of us.

We flew on Hawaiian Airlines (our usual) on Wednesday (4/23) and stayed in the Sheraton Waikiki this time.  The flight went pretty well with the exception of when we were boarding the plane with a toddler who was screaming and refusing to walk and a husband who was on a conference call and couldn’t help.

Once we were all settled, the rest of the flight was just fine.  I loved that Kumquat had her own seat and I came well-equipped with food, toys, and the iPad loaded with new apps and videos for her.

Oh, I guess there were two other eventful things that happened on our journey to Hawaii that day:

1) Kumquat puked in the car on the way to the airport (gross) and 2) I spilled half a glass of mimosa all over my lap and didn’t have a change of clothing (stupid).

The Lams joined us on the flight, which made it an even more interesting flight.  I think they had it pretty rough considering they were flying with an 18-month-old who didn’t want to nap and a 3-month-old who had to be held the entire time.

Luckily, they did get a moment of respite when Keenan finally fell asleep.  They were exhausted that afternoon when we arrived in Honolulu.

Instead of renting a car for the week, I made arrangements for Roberts Hawaii to pick us up.  It was great, they greet you at luggage claim, take your bags, and whisk you away to your hotel lickety split.  Kumquat especially enjoyed the bus ride and Jes took a nap.

When we arrived, Dayantha and Krissy were out front and we we went to have lunch at Ramen Nakamura. 

We were all starving and Kumquat thoroughly enjoyed her cup of ice water with a spoon.  I guess she was pretty hot too. Here’s my kimchee miso ramen with a side of fried rice.  The ice-cold beer from the ABC Store threw it over the top for our first meal on the island.

The rest of the day was spent at the pool.  Jes took his usual monster-long after-flying-to-Hawaii nap while Kumquat and I met up with the Fernandos.  It’s fun having other friends in the same hotel – especially when they’re able to be an additional set of eyes on a constantly-moving toddler in a pool.  Fortunately, she liked the pool and having the 1/2-foot wading area was perfect for her.  The pool at the Sheraton is definitely a +1 over Moana Surfrider.

I also took Kumquat to say “hello” to Mr. Ocean.  She was not a fan.  This was the only time she was calm enough to stand on the sand.  It was at the farthest point from the water by the wall adjacent to the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.  Otherwise, it was all tears and clinging on like a koala.

Dinner was at Duke’s and we stayed longer for drinks.  I got my first order of poke and it came with furikake rice.  Nice touch, Duke’s.Yoon came by after another social function and we were lucky to have a kid that sleeps well in a noisy restaurant.

Thank goodness for our stroller.  This girl was knocked out.