Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

We started our day at the beach. Today, we tried out a different part of the Waikiki Beach, just for fun. The sand was much more softer in this area, due to the direction of the currents washing out in the shore. The boys played with their beach toys, Gillian was swimming with her dad, and I tried to take Charlton into the water. Charlton, who absolutely loves to play in the sand, detests the water. We couldn't figure out why he doesn't like the water, because he loves baths and swimming pools. The only answer we came up with was that he doesn't like the motion that the ocean water carries. Every time we would bring him close to the shore, he would see and hear the noise of the ocean and would start crying right away. This never happened at the pool. I kept Charlton close to me on the sand. I would read, and he would drink his milk.

The day was so beautiful and we were enjoying it so much, that we literally didn't want to leave. But Charlton needed his nap, and we needed our lunch. We ate our Thanksgiving lunch, and then headed toward our beds for a delicious nap. A vacation without naps isn't a vacation, and we were making sure this was going to be an awesome vacation for all of us.
After our nap, we got ready and strolled through downtown Waikiki. This looked more like a stroll down town Las Vegas or San Francisco rather than Honolulu. There were endless shopping stores, nice open-air restaurants, and landmark hotels all along the Kalakaua Avenue, one street away from the beach itself.

After exploring this surreal street full of things one doesn't expect to find in a place full of luscious mountains, tropical trees and colorful birds and fish, we entered the beach and met with our friends. We stayed there and socialized for a while, and then we took our children for a late Thanksgiving dinner. We had all of the traditional Thanksgiving food, turkey included.

As Jefferson took his first bite of his Thanksgiving turkey, he got a special surprise. His loose tooth fell out, and we were happy to finally see his first toothless smile. What a special memory for a Thanksgiving Day (not that being in Hawaii for Thanksgiving isn't special enough)!


I hope you all had a great holiday surrounded by good food and loved ones. We are truly grateful for all of the wonderful experiences we have had, but mostly for being together as a family. When all is said and done, we know that family is the most important treasure in this life and the life to come. I'm truly grateful to have a wonderful husband and such amazing children.