Manoa Falls

One thing we knew we wanted to do on Oahu was hike together as a family.

The boys and Brooke did some bigger hikes, but we wanted to do one all together. 

So I found an ergobaby carrier on ksl (UT's version of craigslist) for a steal, 

and we found Manoa Falls.

If you have kids or just want a low-key hike, this one is perfect!

It was only a couple miles, there was a waterfall at the top,

and it was beautiful all the way through. 

No picture can do justice to the sun shining through a canopy in the rainforest. 

Disclaimer: These pictures turned out a little blurry on the blog, but I love them anyways. 

And at least scroll down to half-naked Rory on my mom's lap.

So good. 

Hawaii part I: hanging out

We've gotten too big for hotels, so this year my parents rented a house for family vacation.
The original plan was Jamaica, and we were all stoked, but the moment Jamaica was flagged as a "do not travel" location for Zika we decided it was probably a good idea to change venue. (Did you know you shouldn't get pregnant for TWO YEARS if you contract Zika? Two of us are in our child bearing years and couldn't risk it) 

Anyways, Hawaii it was! And we're so glad! It was a dreamy setup on the water with kayaks and paddle boarding galore. But the best part about this vacation? Unlike staying in a hotel, there was tons of time and space to just hang out! The olympics were on so we spent an inordinate amount of time (mostly late night hours) watching that, and we ate at the big table on the patio most nights.

The babies' favorite pastime was floating around in the water for hours on end, and Rory found her undying love for squirt guns and made her own version of a "pew!pew!/pow!pow!" sound every time she had on in her hand. Rory was into kissing Winnie, but Winnie was a big fan of hugs that went all the way to the floor and Rory wasn't as big of a fan of those. (though we all died laughing)

We love our people, and the times we can all be happy and together. Three cheers for Oahu.