We took off on a Hawaiian vacation at the end of January for a couple weeks and it was such a fun time filled with amazing beaches, warm ocean water, lots of yummy food, and time with family. Adam wasn't able to make the trip with us so it was pretty much like a girls trip with my sister, mom, and grandma that stays over in Oahu for a couple months in the winter to get away from the cold in Utah. I was just glad that I survived the plane rides flying alone with both kids and being 32 weeks pregnant. I'm sure everyone on the plane thought I was crazy, but I did actually meet some really nice people who offered to help with my bags or whatever they could [I feel like I find these sweet people whenever I'm flying solo and don't know how I'll manage but they help in someway]. We stayed the first week on Oahu and packed in so many fun things. We went to lots of different beaches and of course my favorite Lanaikai but this also happened to be the place where Liam got stung by a jelly fish about 15 minutes after we got there and then later that night at dinner a wild cat tried to attack him, so it wasn't quite his day. We also had an amazing time at the Polynesian Culture Center and enjoyed a fun Luau that night. And then we took off on a quick flight over to the big island of Hawaii which was really fun to see because it was my first time there. I didn't have high expectations going there because I have other islands that I thought I liked more, but the big island was so great and I loved it! The resort was gorgeous and I love how there is such diverse scenery all around the island and it isn't as crowded as Maui or Oahu so that was nice. I listed all of our favorite things we did down below incase you are looking for recommendations, plus I'll share a few tips for traveling with kids to Hawaii since I've done it alone a few times.

First of all, I would say to stay at a hotel where you have a kitchen in your room so that you can easily make quick meals for your kids. With the time change being so different, my kids were up the first few days at sunrise which was kind of crazy but I'm so glad we were able to make some quick breakfast and get an early start to our day. It also made it really nice to come in from the pool and get them snacks on some days we didn't want to order food. And usually when you visit Hawaii there will be atleast one day that you'll get some rain. The good thing is that it usually just sprinkles and then it's done in an hour or so, but it can ruin your beach day so it's a great time to go see a movie or visit the shops. I also think that bringing iPads are essential for long plane rides and to put them in their own backpacks so they can be in charge of carrying their own stuff on the flights since you have your own bag and enough to worry about. I also picked up beach toys and pool floats at the store when we got there so I didn't have to pack any of that and I packed light. I had both of my kids share a suitcase and tried to pack the minimum amount of stuff since I knew we could wash clothes there. It made things a lot easier to only have two suitcases between us all to worry about, but I wish I would have packed some of my essentials in my carry-on bag/purse because when we got home from our trip and arrived in LA - the airline lost my luggage! This was the first time I've ever had this happen and I was so sad because I literally put everything in my suitcase that I needed and didn't even have a toothbrush that night because it took them 24 hours to find my bag. The good thing was they eventually found it and I got it back which was such a relief because it would have been the worst to have to replace everything. Next time I'm going to put a big tag on my bag that will maybe make it harder for someone else to mistake as theirs.

| OAHU, HAWAII FAVORITES |

Favorite Hotels: Kahala Resort and The Royal Hawaiian

Seven Brothers

Kahuku Farms

Giovanni's Shrimp Truck

Haleiwa Bowls

Sprout Sandwich Shop

Duke's Waikiki

Leonards Bakery for Malasadas

Lappert's Hawaii at the Hilton Hawaiian Village

South Shore Grill

Matsumoto Shaved Ice

Dole Plantation for a Dole Whip

Activities: [Ala Moana Beach is great for kids, paddle boarding, and swimming, Snorkeling at Turtle Bay, Take Surf Lessons, Germaine's Luau, Jetskiing off Waikiki, Hike to Manoa Falls or Diamond Head]