Merry Christmas Everyone!

Just wanted to say hello as the holiday season continues! Hope everyone is happy and healthy this year and looking forward to the new year! We have had an exciting year with lots of big adventures, with even more adventures to come! We are looking forward to waking up on Christmas morning in our new house after a visit from Santa. Connor seems like he was bred to love Christmas...he loves the lights, trees, yard decorations, music, and christmas cards! AND SANTA!!! and candy canes! He loves every second of it all!

I wanted to share a poem that was on one of our christmas cards that reminded me of the reason for the season-


Love Came Down at Christmas- Christina Rossetti

Love came down at Christmas,
Love all lovely, love divine.
Love was born at Christmas,
Star and angels gave the sign.

Love shall be our token,
Love be yours and love be mine.
Love to God and all men,
Love shall be our gift and sign.


Merry Christmas and Happy New Year's from our family to yours! Love, The O'Neill's

Dan Nicolas Park- Halloween Campout

In process... check back for more photos and details...

In late October, Connor and I went with a group of friends on our second annual trip to Ganyard Farms Pumpkin Patch! Connor enjoyed all the activities there were to explore, although he was a bit overwhelmed by all the kids around!


Look how much Connor has grown since last years trip to Ganyard Farms



Connor always enjoys a chance to be around his friend Elise!



Playing on the haypile- wasn't as much fun without Daddy to help! Mom (well on her way to seven months pregnant) couldn't climb up to help as easily as Daddy would have been able to!




Connor kept taking off his hat and trying to put it on himself- here he is looking for cotton puffs.


We took a break from searching for a pumpkin to take some photos! It was a beatiful sunny day- a little chilly to get us in the mood for winter! Happy Fall!





"Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life."

Connor's 1yr Photos (a little late)

Living Aloha- Kauai style Part II

On Thursday, our last full day in Kauai, we started off with a leisurely morning by the pool before heading as far west as we could go. We set off to drive towards the furthest point we could go to the other end of the Na Pali Coast (a section of the island without roads).



Waimea Canyon is the largest canyon in the Pacific- over 10 miles miles long, 1 mile wide and more than 3500 feet deep. The lines in the canyon walls depict different volcanic eruptions and lava flows over centuries. The elevation changes as you drive up through the canyon and the overlook at the end is often enshrouded in clouds. We had decided to start out later than we originally planned, so we knew we ran the risk of missing the final view, but along the 10 mile drive, there were several overlooks that offered amazing colorful views. Connor was a bit frustrated that he could not run around free at the overlooks... he's just starting to show his independence and was not interested in holding hands. And since I was not interested in him falling into the canyon, we had a bit of a clash...welcome toddlerhood!











After seeing the beauty of the canyon, we wanted some more beach time... which ended up being a BIG adventure! We wanted to go to the furthest point which was Polihale Beach State Park, where you can see the start of the Na Pali Coast and also can see the privately owned island of Niihau. After driving down dirt roads through farmland and despite advice to watch out for the dirt road turning to soft sand, we drove a little too far towards the beach and got buried in the sand when we tried to turn back to park. But the experience gave us a taste of Aloha, as the few other people on the beach came to our rescue and helped push the rental car out of the sand. Believe it or not, the day was saved by Connors beach toys, which we used to dig sand out from around the tires. Once we were safely parked, we discovered Queens Pool, or a nearby tidepool protected from the otherwise rough surf that was unswimable. We spent some time visiting with a local Kauaian and the visitor she had brought to the beach, who just happened to also be visiting from NC. It is a small world!







We wanted to watch the sunset on the west coast on our last night, but decided we didn't still want to be on Polihale Beach at dark, especially as we were getting hungry and had already decided on McDonalds for dinner (to see what fries cooked in lard taste like). So we actually drove back into the Waimea Canyon to an overlook to watch the sun set behind Niihau. Unfortunately it was a bit spoiled by the clouds that always gather over the small island, but still a beautiful and peaceful sight.



Friday- our last day in Kauai. We spent more time by the pool until check out time and Connor took a nap snuggling with me. He enjoyed every second of our adventure... he got big laughs from a walk on the beach one evening by the hotel where we found washed up coconuts... Scott cracked a coconut husk by throwing it against a rock, and then cracked the coconut the same way. Connor loved the sound of the coconut hitting the rock and the crack... and loved seeing Scott gagging from the smell of rotten coconut milk. We all just laughed and laughed and then made him do it again just to see Connor's reaction!



Opaekaa Falls



Wailua River Overlook



We spent the afternoon at Lydgate State Park- a family oriented park with a protected swimming area, a snorkeling area, and a great playground. The surf was still surprisingly rough, even in the protected swimming area, so we mostly played in the sand and on the playground. It was the largest jungle gym/fort I'd ever seen and Connor enjoyed exploring it and checking out all the slides... but of course not as much as he liked the roosters, so we fed cheerios to the birds.





Our last meal in Kauai was a nice seafood dinner, sitting outdoors just prior to a rainstorm. The restaurant has a friendly donkey next door who comes by at dinner time for a feeding! Connor tasted everything we ordered, but was most interested in the lemons in our waters. We got to the airport in perfect time, Scott was able to return the rental car with no comments on how we trashed it (sand and mud EVERYWHERE, and floor mats ruined from trying to get out of the sand). That left us with just one day left of our vacation to enjoy back in Oahu...





Back in Oahu, we drove through the island towards Mandy's favorite sailing spot. We then revisiting Makapu'u Beach were Scott and I got married Dec 30th, 2005. It definitely was a different atmosphere with swimmers, fisherman, and hanggliders above! We were all worn out from our wonderful vacation and sad to return home, but happy that we had such a wonderful time together. It was a great experience and we already look forward to making another trip in a couple of years, possibly hitting the Big Island.







"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."- Hans Christian Andersen

Living Aloha- Kauai style

After a short hop to Kauai, we rented a car and started exploring the island. It was mid morning, but we drove to our hotel to take a peek and ask for an early check in. We then set off to see what beautiful sights the island had to offer. Mandy was planning to be the navigator and event planner, but quickly started feeling sick from trying to read maps in the car, so we improvised. We first happened across Wailua Falls- absolutely gorgeous!



We were able to check into the hotel and after a nearby lunch, we decided to spend the rest of the day enjoying what the resort had to offer (five pools, waterfalls, and a waterslide... all within view of the ocean)! Our favorite touch was a shallow sand bottom pool perfect for Connor. Another early night!




Our Little Dude!

Tuesday was also Scott's birthday, so our main goal was to find a waterfall to jump off! Thanks to our guidebook Kauai Revealed, we found an unmarked trail through sugar cane above our heads and followed it to a secluded waterfall. Connor and I watched from the top as the birthday boy jumped! Then he managed to convince Mandy to jump too!






Tree overlooking the waterfall

We then continued to the south to Spouting Horn Blowhole, although it wasn't as impressive as could be because tide was going out. Connor was more amused by chasing the roosters (his favorite Hawaiian activity).







We then did a bit of snorkeling at a small roadside beach at Prince Kuhio beach. Scott and Mandy saw a moray eel here and there were lots of big beautiful fish. The water was a bit rough, so we didn't spend too much time snorkeling. After a deli lunch at a playground, we went to nearby Shipwreck beach for a little break. Connor and I took a nap in the grass under palm trees, while Scott and Mandy explored a short cliff hike. This is a cliff that supposedly some people jump off of, but there was not a chance in the world that anyone could convince me that jumping off would be a good idea! No one jumped while we were there, so clearly no one else thought it was a good idea either!







We passed a gorgeous overlook on our way home which illustrated the green lushness that Kauai is known for.





Dinner was a fun and delicious teppanyaki japanese style dinner and a bit of sushi at a great restaurant Kintaro in Wailua. It had been a very full day, so after a great dinner, we called it an early night (have you caught on to the recurring theme yet?)





On Wednesday, we decided to drive further to the north and the day started off with a double rainbow that we practically drove through!





Our next stop was Kilauea Lighthouse on a small penisula surrounded by a bird sanctuary on the northern most point of the island.







We then looked for Queens bath for a little snorkeling- we had not found many opportunities to snorkel so far, as the beaches were a bit rougher than we expected. We stopped at Secret Beach which was at the bottom of a steep trail which we climbed down in the rain...flipflops not a good idea!





We also stopped at Hanalei Valley Overlook- a beautiful vista of crops, mountains, and waterfalls. We could see helicopter tours circling around the waterfalls in the distance.





It took us a while to find Queens bath, but it was a rewarding dip... and Scott saw another eel, but there was not a lot of other fish to see. Tide was coming in, so we didn't spend too long swimming there. On the walk out, we saw six or seven sea turtles swimming below us! We weren't close enough to get a good picture and didn't want to disturb them by trying to get closer.





We ate lunch at Hanalei Dolphin restaurant where we sat outside beside a river, as kayakers paddled by. We needed to refuel before an afternoon hike along the Na Pali Coast, an 11 mile cliff trail that is the only access to this portion of the island. We planned to only hike the first portion to the first overlook... it was absolutely gorgeous and definitely a bit treacherous... many people coming back saw Connor in the hiker and suggested we turn back. We never felt like it was unsafe at the current conditions so pushed forward. The view each step of the way was breathtaking and at the overlook was like being at the edge of the world. Connor started fussing a bit and everyone (but us) thought he was scared... little did they know he just wanted out of the hiker so he could explore and see what all the excitement was about. None of us got too close to the edge...here's an idea of what we saw!















On the north shore, we also checked out two caves and a calm shallow beach before heading home for the evening. We were actually too tired to pick somewhere for dinner... and really too dirty to go in anywhere, so we just decided on room service (always a nice treat). Scott and I went out for a drink and let Mandy babysit after Connor fell asleep... but were so exhausted from the day, we still were in bed just after 10... probably the latest we stayed up all week. The time change really had done a number on us and we all adapted to Connor's schedule!

The rest of the story to come in the next post... stay tuned...

(remember you should be able to click on any picture for a bigger view, then use the back button to get back to the post)