Christmas in the Sand

Boy did we have a wonderful Christmas! Jer's parents surprised us around Thanksgiving-time and told us they would be taking the whole family to Hawaii for Christmas!!

We visited Oahu and my personal favorite, Kauai (The Garden Island.)

I've been to Hawaii a few times before but this was particularly special because I got to share in the fun and beauty with my sweetie.

 We took off bright and early on the 19th for Oahu. It was Tay, Becca, and Cam's very first airplane flight!

 On Oahu we spent a few fun-filled days visiting some very important sites. Most importantly we went through the temple with Katie for her first time (she leaves for Chile on her mission in a couple weeks) in the Laie temple. Such a special experience. (Sadly, our photos of that day were on Jer's phone.) Later that day, we visited the Polynesian Cultural Center.

The Fam.

 Jer was picked for a contest to make fire the way the Tongans do. He did an awesome job and got this headband that shows he is married (flower is placed on the left side.)

We also enjoyed an awesome Luau and show that evening. Great food, entertainment and company!

 Here are a couple shots of the amazing resort we stayed at on Oahu. Turtle Bay Resort.

 The kiddos.

Our last day on Oahu was spent visiting the USS Arizona (Pearl Harbor). It was cool and sobering at the same time.

First day on Kauai. This is the moment Jer went in the ocean with his iphone in his pocket. :o/ but a beautiful place to do it, right?

We stayed in these awesome condos so we were able to get some food and eat in a few times which was nice. Here Jer is getting creative playing with his food.

We drove around that first day and saw some of the beauty that Kauai has to offer.

 

 Sooooo pretty.

 That evening we visited some shops, ate at a local favorite and enjoyed some live music.

On Christmas Eve we went on Captain Andy's Catamaran cruise! We boated out to a spot in the ocean where we were able to snorkel.

Here's Jer donning his gear. We saw a sea turtle and some cool colorful fish!

And the highlight of the cruise for me. The dolphins! How cute is this mom-baby duo?! We also saw a couple whales.

That evening we had a family gingerbread house decorating contest. Becca and I were paired together and I think we did a bomb job on our house if I do say so myself! Later, we watched Home Alone.

Here she is! Aint she a beaut? And the house isn't too shabby either. ;o)

Christmas day we all sported our Hawaiian PJ's (Christmas Eve tradition) and opened our stockings! They were complete with some fun Hawaiian treats along with gifts, candy and fruit.

The adult kids got Di and Bry a Hawaii-Themed Christmas gift complete with apparel, recipes, spices and other fun treats. :o)

Stolen from facebook and totally crappy but here we are in our Hawaiian garb on Christmas morning!

That afternoon we took a walk along the beach and collected some fun shells and went tide-pooling. (I took a little spill which ended up being hilarious, wish I had a video.)

That evening we went to a delicious dinner and saw The Hobbit in 3D. Such a fun Christmas Day!

The next day we visited Waimea Canyon. Look at that background!

Our last full day was beautiful so we headed out for a beach day complete with more snorkeling.

We saw tons more cool fish and even some that starred on films such as Finding Nemo :o).

Paradise.

 Aaaaand this was my footwear on the way home. Apparently I had an awkward time transitioning from 80 degree weather to 20. It was quite the rude awakening to get off the plane in SLC!


We had such a blast this Christmas and have Di and Bry to thank for some unforgettable memories!