Christmas in Hawaii

Christmas in Hawaii was more relaxing than at home in some ways, but at the same time just as busy! Whereas we didn't have any parties or get together, we also live in a big city where it takes forever to get anywhere and we're still learning the stores. You spend just as much time circling in the parking lot as you do in the stores too! We had a great time playing with the kids and doing special things together like stringing popcorn and making ornaments.

We took a day trip up to the north shore to see a surf tournament. The waves were bigger than any that we had seen so far and it was quite a treat to see the pro surfers riding them.

We also took a camping trip the weekend before Christmas. It was a beautiful beach and pretty uncrowded, which is a nice treat. The kids loved running in the open area and Derek was able to get a few pickup games of volleyball and go boogie boarding on some large waves. I enjoyed sitting on the beach and painting while everyone played so happily! The 2nd night in (our last night), we woke up with a half wet tent. We got drenched loading up the car and heading home. An amazing treat awaited us though. Oahu in not prepared for rain like Florida gets. They don't have retention ponds and no fresh water. The rain determines the flow of the waterfalls and the height of the streams. So, when it rained for just 1 day the streets were flooding and as we drove through the passes that take you home between the mountains, I counted at least 30 waterfalls streaming down the sides of the mountains. It was breathtaking!

For Christmas, we got sick. The kids all had bad coughs and weren't feeling well generally. After presents on Christmas morning, we decided to take Jett in and found out that he had Pneumonia. Poor fella. At least the antibiotics kicked in quick and he was feeling better by the time my family got here on the Tuesday after Christmas.