I'm Away, Far Away, on an Island Paradise

We've been enjoying our "stay-cation" to Hawaii this week.  The food has been amazing. 

         Fruit Kabobs                                      Hawaiian Haystack

We busted open a coconut and the kids tasted the milk and the coconut meat.  While they weren't big fans, I was totally loving it.

To get a better feel for life on Hawaii we watched Soul Surfer.  The movie was fantastic and with the faith-based message we were happy for our kids to see it.  So, except for the part about losing an arm to a shark, life on the island looked very inviting.

Yesterday we took a little trip to see an active volcano.  The volcano wasn't the only thing erupting.  As we were building our little volcano Mason had a melt down because someone touched him and then he got sand in his eyes.  Colin was also crying because Kate kept scolding him for trying to tear the sand down.  I just had to give you a little glimpse into what life is really like behind the camera.

Once the volcano was ready and everyone was settled we added the baking soda and vinegar and watched the volcano erupt again and again.

The cute little gal in the bottom pic is Colin's friend Emily.

Today we went to Val's house to learn more about rocks, like the igneous (or "fire formed") rocks that make up the islands of Hawaii. The kids wore leis and ate tropical candy and dried fruit while Val taught them all about the different kinds of rocks and minerals as well as the layers of the Earth.

Val used to be an elementary school teacher.  She is amazing!

My contribution was Pop Rocks candy.  I used to love those as a kid. Actually, I found out today, I still love them.

That is a happy face.  He kept asking for more.

Today was a good day and I almost made it through the whole day without wanting to throw up, so I pretty much feel like I'm in paradise.