Happy Mothers'...Week!

So on Sunday, May 4th, we had our next set of visitors. Desi and Brittney Taylor came and so did my mom, and we have been going non-stop ever since. On Monday we got up and went to Waikiki. We started off the day at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, and then just walked and walked from there.

We stopped and got some delectable smoothies before heading home. It was a fantastic way to start the vacation.

On Tuesday, Mom and Desi shopped all morning at local favorites (Ross and Sam's Club) and then we headed off to Lanikai. The water was beautiful, but it was super windy so we didn't stay for too long. I don't have any pictures because of the lack of camera. Maybe my mom will blog some if you're lucky.

Wednesday we went to the Aloha Stadium swap meet. The tourists bought all sorts of souvenirs, and then we decided to try Pearl Harbor. Unfortunately, we were too late and they didn't have any more tickets that day, so we went to the beach.

Thursday the ladies (Mom, Desi and Brittney) went up to the PCC. I stayed behind and babysat a little girl from the ward whose mom just had a baby. That night when they got home after picking Jason up from work, he brought me a birthday/mother's day present...a new camera! Hallelujah! I was so excited to test it out the next day at Hanauma Bay.

Friday we were going to hike to this light house, but we had a hard time finding the trail head, so we skipped it and just went to the Bay. Our car only has 5 seats so Jason and I shared the front while Brittney drove.

The best part about our new camera is that you can take it underwater! It was so much fun snorkeling and trying to take pictures. My finger kept hitting the zoom, so I mostly missed the fish. Maybe after I get more used to it I'll get some better pictures... at least you can see the reef.

I was, however, able to capture one particularly interesting fish.

Ashlyn loved hanging out with Brittney, especially when she shared her ipod.

Mom got all tuckered out from all that swimming and decided to take a nap on the beach.

This picture of Ashlyn cracks me up. I think she is trying to fly away in the wind.

We ate dinner that night at Benihana in Waikiki. It was delicious.

Ashlyn and Jason walked along the shore while waiting for the fireworks to start. They shoot them off every Friday night at the Hilton. We hear them from our apartment, but this was the first time we actually watched them.

On Saturday, Jason planned every minute. We started off by driving to the Valley of the Temples where we saw this Buddhist temple. It was pretty cool. Jason especially liked ringing the gong. Ashlyn's favorite part...the fish.

Our next stop was the Macadamia Nut Farm for some free samples, and then onto the Laie Temple. We walked around the grounds for a few minutes, enjoyed all the beautiful flowers, and then headed off to our next destination.We went to get Acai bowls at this little hole in the wall on the North Shore. There were little green geckos running all over.

After filling up on Acai and getting some snacks for lunch later, we were off to Waimea Bay. Matt and Melissa McIntosh met up with us and we played with the underwater camera some more. And Ashlyn showed off her swimming skills. After Waimea, the McIntosh's introduced us to this beach where the Hawaiian green sea turtles love to hang out. This one was just chillin' on the beach, and because I knew my underwater photography skills were lacking, I handed the camera over to Matt for the under water picture and video.

We had to leave the beach so that we could get to Matsumoto's in time to get some world famous shave ice. It is a must when you come to Oahu.

We ate dinner next door at Haleiwa Eats, but Ashlyn wasn't too interested in sitting in her high chair. After her walrus impression, she just wanted to sit and read magazines. On Sunday morning, Jason and Ashlyn surprised the mothers with fresh flower lei. We snapped this shot after church. Then Jason made us a scrumptious Chinese-food dinner and we ended the night with some card games.

Monday came around again, and all the playing had wiped Brittney out. We decided to take it easy and watch movies all day with a quick trip next door to the Ala Moana Shopping Center in between. Desi and Brittney have to head back to Arizona today, but I still have my mom until Thursday! We'll have to see if there is anything blog-worthy tomorrow!