We're back!!!

Note: I think if you roll your mouse over the pictures, it will show you the caption. We made it back alive and well with a little more color on our faces and new resolve to make it through the rest of the long, drab, winter. Enjoy the pictures and here is a brief synopsis of our trip:
Travel to Hawaii:
The boys were quite good. Preston did kick the seat in front of him for awhile, but a VERY dirty look from the lady sitting there put a quick end to that. All of our luggage made it with the exception of BOTH of our car seats. I guess if we had to lose 2 things, that was a good choice. We rented car seats from the car rental company and were in business. We were all exhausted, but excited when we got there.
Sunday-Day 1:
Wynn, Joyce, Jared and Chandler attended sacrament meeting at the local ward (yes, they said, "Aloha!" at the beginning of the talks). It was Superbowl Sunday (and we were all jetlagged) so we pretty much hung around the condo and ate 7-layer dip, shrimp coctail, and veggies and dip. By the time the adults had finished watching the game, the boys were going stir crazy, so we made our first trip down Kuakini Highway to a local park and let them run around for awhile. Chandler made some new friends named Kona (the name of the city we were in) and Patrick. Very friendly people.
Monday-Day 2:
We visited some ancient burial grounds from 500 years ago. There was a nice little walk down to the shore through some lava rock. Beautiful scenery. Next we headed south to the 'Place of refuge.' The Hawaiian name for it is Pu'uhonua o Honaunau. That's why we stick to the English translation. Beautiful place and lots of history. While visiting there, we came across a gecko. The boys were excited to find their first creature of the trip. It was crawling along the garbage can when we found it. The boys went exploring around the tide pools there and found tons of hermit crabs. Chandler put 7 of them in a cup and brought them back to the condo with us. They only lived a couple of days, but it's the only pet we've ever had so it was fun for him. While some of us rested, Jared took the boys to the pool at the condo complex, but it didn't last long because they quickly realized that they don't heat pools in Hawaii. We ended the night with dinner at Bubba Gump's overlooking the ocean.
Tuesday-Day 3:
We noticed a sign in the elevator that the water would be off on Tuesday, so we decided that would be the perfect day to be gone. We made the 2 1/2 hour journey south to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We enjoyed an enormous and delicious cinnamon roll from Island Lava Java for breakfast (they are even mentioned in my guidebook). We had prepared sandwiches before we left and had a nice picnic just as it started to rain upon our arrival. The rain kept picking up and pretty soon we were in the middle of a torrential downpour. We were basically in the rain forest. We purchased ponchos at the gift shop and set out to see the volcanoes. We saw steam vents and craters and even some Ne ne (Hawaiian geese). Wynn, Jared, the boys and I took a short hike through a lava tube. It was really cool to see in the middle of the rain forest. Some of the highlights for the boys were their hats with the lights on them (see pictures) and what they called 'pig monster.' A wild boar that they had on display in the visitor's center. We drove ALL THE WAY back to Kona and had Chinese take out for dinner while we watched the Super Tuesday results.
Wednesday-Day 4:
Can you believe we had been in Hawaii for 4 days and not been to the beach? Well it had not been the best weather and we were doing other things, but the time had definitely come. To quote my guidebook, "You know how frenzied a dog can get when they go to the beach? That's how most people act when they see Hapuna for the first time." It is a perfect beach. Lots of soft sand and clear blue water. It even has restrooms and a little grill that sells food and drinks. Joyce and Jared snorkeled and the rest of us relaxed, caught some rays, played in the waves, and got some reading done. We enjoyed this beach immensely despite it being 30 miles north of where we stayed. On the way home, we hit Costco for some cheap gas and souvenirs and then Hilo Hatties for some Hawaiian clothes. We had a great dinner at Big Island Grill.
Thursday-Day 5:
We went to a Farmer's Market about a block from our condo. We got some locally grown star fruit, pineapple, and some other things I don't know the name of. Chandler got his first (of two) temporary tatoos of the trip. Wynn, Jared, the boys and I went to explore Old Kona Airport beach and then hit the local playground again. That night we went to a Luau at the King Kamehameha hotel. We watched them pull the pig out of the ground, got some more temporary tatoos, and had a great buffet dinner. After dinner there was a great show that demonstrated dance and costume for several polynesian cultures. The boys' eyes were absolutely glued to the stage for the entire performance. I worried about them being up so late and not being able to sit still for the show, but they loved it.
Friday-Day 6:
We went to find another beach to spend the day at, and ended up driving back up to Hapuna again. Seriously, it's a great beach. Preston, who had started getting a cold, got some sand in his mouth upon arrival and threw up. Not about to let this ruin the day, Jared rinsed off his clothes and put his swimsuit on. He was ready to go. Jared dug a big hole in the sand which was a huge hit with the little boys. After playing so hard, Preston took a nap in my arms at the beach while I read. On the way back we hit HORRIBLE traffice due to some construction. It took us an hour and 45 minutes to get home. It was still worth it.
Saturday-Day 7:
Wynn and Joyce attended the Church broadcast at the local ward building, while the rest of us went to 2 different Farmer's Markets, a candy factory (great salt water taffy!) and took some pictures outside the temple. After lunch at the condo, we headed out to Wawaloli Beach which is located near the Natural Energy lab. This place has a sandy area and also some huge tide pools in the lava rock that you can swim and play in. There was some pretty impressive marine life in the water too. It was a great last stop for us. We headed back to the condo to pack up. After we were ready, we went to Hard Rock Cafe for dinner just up the street. I think the loud music was a bit much for the eldest of our group, but the food was good and it was close to where we were.
Travel home:
We left Hawaii at 10:30 pm local time. I have never been able to sleep on airplances and this was no exception. I thought since it was so late, I would be able to sleep-I was wrong. The first 3 hours of the flight were so turbulent that they didn't even turn off the fasten seatbelt sign. A baby nearby was crying too. The little boys slept soundly for the whole flight, so for that, I am grateful. We had a 4 hour layover in Oakland before finally returning home.

So maybe the brief synopsis wasn't so brief after all, oh well. If you're still reading, I apologize. We did have a great time. The boys were troopers and we can't wait to go back!