Feb 10, 2012

Aloha

KONA_267

We recently visited the Big Island, and the kids had a blast. This is the second time they have traveled by plane, so they were pretty excited at the beginning of the flight.

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An hour into the flight, not so much.

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Since it wasn't a direct flight, we were stuck at the airport for a bit. This is what Kayla did while we waited.



After landing, we settled in and wandered around a bit before checking out a Luau.

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Kayla was expecting to see sea turtles right away, which we didn't encounter until towards the end of our trip, and then saw 6 of them at once.

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Sunset the first night we were there.

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Day 2 I was off to shoot a wedding, and the kids headed to the lagoon. On the way there, we saw some tortoises getting busy. Of course Kayla had to stop and stare. "Why is the tortoise on top of the other tortoise?"

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Day 3, off to the water and sand. Out of the 4 days we were there, I'd say they spent about 90% of their time playing in the water and sand.

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Kristin really wanted me to catch one of the fish that were swimming around the lagoon, but the best I could do was a crab. Even that took me like half an hour : /

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Water again. She could spend all day here.

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and....we pretty much did.

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Fish were swimming right by our feet, and Kayla managed to catch this one jumping out of the water.



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Cold drinks were a welcome addition. And by welcome addition I mean very expensive.

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I constantly overheard Kristin mumbling "I could get use to this......I could get use to this." We definitely need one of these in our house.

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After the water and sand, we went to the kiddie pool, for MORE water and sand.

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Head back to the room. "Kristin, what do you want to do now?" Kristin: "Go play in the water and sand!"

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The last day we were there, it was a bit overcast and was set to rain. We had arranged for the kids to go to the Dolphin Quest, which didn't start until the afternoon.

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We took the shuttle to nearby strip mall in the morning. The kids didn't like waiting.

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So they broke out in dance and practiced their hula moves.

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Their favorite part of the trip. Getting up close and personal with the dolphins. Kristin has always loved dolphins, and we must have close to 20 stuffed animal dolphins at home.
(images courtesy of http://www.dolphinquest.com/)

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Kayla loves dolphins too.

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Even I got into the dolphin love lol.

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That night the rain clouds started rolling in. Still beautiful regardless of the weather.

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The kids had been asking for room service during the whole trip, as that meant they got to eat on the bed. So on the day we left, we had breakfast delivered to them. This was probably the second best part of the trip.

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It was definitely a great way to end the trip, especially for Kayla.

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36 comments:

  1. Looks like you had an amazing time with your beautiful family!! I love watching them grow up! :) I have yet to visit Hawaii!

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  2. Isaac Wu10:58 AM

    Jason, as always, your girls are amazing and your documenting of the trip was fantastic! I mean it, you're such an inspiration for not only us photographers, but us fathers and parents as well!

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  3. Emilia11:09 AM

    I looove your photos! I would be cool to see some SOOC's and a maybe before Photoshop and after.

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  4. The photo of your daughter sitting on the rocks with the cerulean sky behind her absolutely took my breath away.

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  5. Have Kayla & Kristin read the American Girl Kanani books by Lisa Yee?

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  6. This looks like a heavenly trip! So glad you had fun together as a family.

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  7. Everything in here is so amazing! : )

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  8. Turtles got me lol

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  9. Oh wow - they're growing up so fast, aren't they? Great photos as always, thanks for sharing them with the rest of us.

    Oh, and our Zuleikha does almost the same as Kayla when you hand her a camera - she loves to take videos, and often starts by point it head down to herself, saying something like: "This is the cat movie..."

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  10. Everything looks beautiful! I can definitely see how fun the trip was. :)

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  11. wonderful photos. inspiring.

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  12. Anonymous4:21 AM

    I really like your blog:)Great pics and so much inspiration...I wish you a lovely weekend.
    LOVE Maria at inredningsvis.se

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  13. Rachel10:25 PM

    OH! i'm so jealous that you guys got to get so close to the dolphins!! they are also my favorite animals and my number one to do on my bucket list!! but anywho..beautiful pictures with beautiful girls!

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  14. So many great photos!! We took our kids to Hawaii in 2010 - it was amazing - I wish I had your skill so I could have taken better photos there!

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  15. James5:52 PM

    lovely pics, just wanted to ask, what lighting equipment did you bring with you? i couldn't tell if flash using diffuser or the whole strobe equipment.

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  16. Thanks all :) James, I used SB900's for the lit shots.

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  17. Your girls are so cute. and the photos are beautiful!

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  18. What gorgeous pictures and gorgeous little girls! I love your pics.

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  19. Thank you for sharing so many pictures! You guys are awesome as always!

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  20. Anonymous5:19 AM

    As always, you're such a BOSS.

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  21. Once again wonderful images of what must have been a great trip. When you return plan an Oahu stop over as well.

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  22. I stumbled upon your blog & I love your blog!!! It's my first time reading your blog & i really love the way you document your trip.. Your girls looked so happy :) Super great photos!

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  23. I stumbled onto your blog after reading an article in The Daily Mail. It's a very moving story, and my best wishes to your family, especially your mother.

    Your daughters are so adorable and the pictures are beautiful! I particularly love the ones with the dolphins.

    I hope this isn't creepy coming from a complete stranger, but the pictures were just such a great thing to see after a long day at work that I couldn't resist commenting.

    Take care!

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  24. oh wow, could one wish to have better holiday pictures to look at and to remember good times? amazing... I almost feel as I was there. perfect!

    Der Point.

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  25. I can only pray I'd ever get a chance to experience having a beautiful family like yours. And when I say 'beautiful', I mean the relationship you have with your kids.

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  26. So pretty and beautiful pics
    really like the light in your photos
    :)))
    Mouna

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  27. What beautiful images of a magical holiday. Your girls will probably only realise how precious these photographs really are in years to come - what a great gift for them and any children they will have in turn!

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  28. Wow, You are very good !!!

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  29. We just got back from Hawaii less than two weeks ago -- enjoyed this post.

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  30. Natalie5:51 PM

    Wow, this is beautiful! Your kids are beautiful! I just discovered your blogspot via theage website. So glad I did!

    Now I'm going to spend the rest of the day at work browsing through your blogspot!

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  31. Anonymous3:09 PM

    I love your photos and I also love the place you are staying. Can I ask where you stay in Big Island? I am planning to go during summer.

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  32. lovely series sir.

    thank u for sharing. excellent photography.

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  33. Anonymous5:34 AM

    your daughters are so beautiful! and keep those photos rolling! you've got a new fan here! :D

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  34. Aloha! Love your photography and it looks like the girls had a fab time at the Hilton. Next time, come over to the East Side of our island! Marcia

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  35. Anonymous10:01 AM

    Lovely photos indeed, though it gets me sad to see those dolphins: Please do watch The Cove for more info on dolphins in captivity: http://documentaryheaven.com/the-cove/

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  36. These photos are gorgeous, as are your daughters. but oh wow! those two pics on the black rock with the deep blue ocean behind... are AMAZING! I hope you've made them into big canvases at home - gorgeous!

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