Hawaiian Paradise: Day 2 (Part 2)

Hi ladies!

We just got home and I am SO tired (even though it's not even 10 pm) so I really want to go to bed.  But I wanted to email you first and tell you about the rest of our day. 

We went to the temple which was so beautiful.  It was so nice being in the temple and feeling the beauty of the spirit in there.  I'm excited for when you can go to the temple and feel so close to Heavenly Father.  I know you will love it.  It is a blessing to be a part of a family that has the gospel, is worthy to go to the temple, and has been sealed for time and all eternity.  Some day you'll realize how incredible it is to have all your grandparents, and ALL your aunts and uncles married in the temple.  That is amazing.

After the temple, we went to the Polynesian Cultural center.  We watched a guy cut open a coconut with a stone, and another guy climb a palm tree with bare hands and bare feet to get a coconut.  We also watched people do dances, sing songs, and play games from their native lands.  It was really cool!  Then, we had a big dinner.  They roasted a whole entire pig in the ground and then shredded it for dinner.  It was yummy!  We also had purple rolls and coconut cake.  (there was lots of other food, but those were the coolest.)  After dinner, we went to see the evening show.  It showed a lot of dances from different countries and taught about how family and love is what makes life worth living.  The coolest part was when the guys were dancing on top of fire!  And when these other guys were throwing around sticks that were lit on fire.  I turned to daddy and said "Keara and Taryn would love this!"  Maybe someday we'll be able to bring you here and you can see it too.

The hilarious Samoan guy.  What a riot.  You can watch some of his routine on YouTube.

Obviously, we were all entertained.

Braden's favorite memory from going to Hawaii when he was 8...the guy climbing the coconut tree.  You can also see this on YouTube.

Going to Aotearoa...aka New Zealand.  Having been to New Zealand, this was something I'd already seen before.  The building, called a Whare, was brought from New Zealand.  All the performers at the PCC are from the countries they represent.

New Zealand performers with poi balls.

Ooh-la-la

Yes, there are dreaded monsters in Hawaii, too.

What funny people!

At the Luau

The roasted pig...Kalua pork!

Not a great picture, but we had great seats for the show.

We need to get to bed so we can enjoy church in the morning.  We have a busy day planned, so hopefully I'll have lots to tell you tomorrow night. 

We love you so much!  We're excited that you're with Grandma but we miss you!  Have a wonderful Sunday!  You are the most incredible girls and daughters in the world.

We love you!

Mom and Dad

Hawaiian Paradise: Day 2 (Part1)

Hi girls!

It's not even lunch time, but I wanted to tell you what we've done already today.  We got up early because the birds were singing so loudly and the sun was already up.  It was beautiful!  After breakfast, it started to rain again.  We are staying only 10 minutes from Heidi and I called her, and she said it wasn't raining where she lives.  In fact, it's supposed to rain every day here at our little house, but its not supposed to rain at all where Heidi lives.  It's strange how we can be so close to her but the weather can be so different.

Daddy and a bunch of people had to go back to the airport and grocery stores, so Grandma, Laurie, Ben, Stacey, and I stayed behind.  We decided to go for a drive down the coast in Ben's convertible (you know, the car that doesn't have a roof). 

It was BEAUTIFUL!  Do you know that Hawaii is called the Rainbow State?  There were more rainbows this morning, which we knew you would love to see. 

Sure enough, as soon as we were about 5 minutes from our little house, the rain stopped and it got about 5 degrees warmer.  We pulled over by the side of the road to get in the water.

We didn't realize it, but we had stopped at Turtle Beach.  What do you think we saw in the water? 

TURTLES!  Sea turtles!  BIG turtles!  They were as big as our table in the kitchen, if not bigger.  There were some small ones too.  So cute!  (No underwater pictures yet...but just wait for Day 4!)  We got our masks and snorkles on and got in the water with them. 

There were a lot of big waves, but under the water, we couldn't really tell.  It was so beautiful and relaxing.  We saw a few more fish, but mostly there were just turtles.  We probably saw 12 of them.  One came so close to me, I could have touched it.  But we were told it is against the law to touch them, so I made sure I didn't.  They can swim for a long time under water, but they do need to breathe air, so they have to come up to the surface to breathe.  It was fun to see their little heads popping up out of the water every once in a while. 

We stayed in the water for a long time.  But finally, we needed to go home.  I just took a shower and got my church clothes on, because we're heading over to the temple.  After that, we're going to a really cool place called the Polynesian Cultural Center where we'll see dances, men climbing coconut trees, and people throwing around sticks that are on fire.  We'll hear cool music and eat a big special dinner called a Luau.  We're really excited!  I'll tell you all about it later.

I hope you're having a FANTASTIC day!  I'm so grateful that you are my daughters and I love you so much.  Remember to wash your hair so you can be all ready for church in the morning.  Remember to wear unders under your dresses, too!  And smile!  You're such beautiful girls.  Take care of each other.  There's no better friends in your life than your sisters.  I love you!

Mom, you're the best!  I love you too!

Mommy