Hawaii with kids

Our family had such a wonderful vacation in Hawaii, that certainly will result in memories for years to come. We were so excited to introduce our children to this beautiful place. We went to Maui 6 years ago, without the kids, and looked forward to a time when we could bring them to Hawaii. Brad & I learned very quickly that a trip to Hawaii with kids is completely different than a trip to Hawaii without kids.

First of all, we found that it is a lot of work to TRAVEL by air with 4 kids - just take a look at the luggage needed for a family of six to take a 12 day vacation!


The most stressful part of our vacation was definitely getting through airport security with 4 kids, a car seat, and 8 carry-on bags. The kids definitely hated security and found it rather intimidating, but then, so did I! Once we got through security, it was then a major feat to get everyone on the plane & luggage stowed, and then finally off the plane six hours later. Ben was also a little trying on the plane - but overall, the kids were all pretty good.

How else was Hawaii with kids different than without kids? Well . . .

Our trip this time did not include:

sleeping on the plane, poolside pedicures, lounging by the pool (reading & resting), reading at the beach, leisurely evening strolls along the beach (although Brad & I did sneak one evening walk into the vacation), quiet morning walks along the beach, romantic dinners for two at nice restaurants, and sleeping in.

Our trip also did NOT include completely happy, care-free, whine-free, fighting-free children. For some reason I thought that when my kids were in Hawaii, they would be happy little keikis, so glad to be in Hawaii that they wouldn't even think of whining, complaining, or fighting. Shame on me for thinking such thoughts! Keikis will be keikis, whether at home or in Hawaii. We certainly pushed our kids with lots of activities and excursions every day, and we did hear some whining & complaining as a result. I adopted the mantra "there's no whining in Hawaii." However, after a couple of days, I had to give it up, because whether I liked it or not, there WAS whining in Hawaii. As we were viewing the beauty of Hawaii, certain Wallace keiki were known to say, "I'm bored, can't we go back to the condo & watch TV?" . . . or "I am not going to look at another waterfall! I did not come to Hawaii to see waterfalls!" . . . how about "I am not going to the beach - I don't want to get sandy!" . . . and of course the typical - "I'm hungry" (30 minutes after we had just eaten) - "I have to go the bathroom" (15 minutes after we had just made a bathroom stop) - and "I'm tired".

So - I've shared all the things that our trip did not include, but it included many rich and rewarding experiences that made all the inconveniences completely worth it! There were so many things we got to do that we didn't get to do when we didn't have our kids with us. For example, take a look at the picture at the beginning of this post. I love that we got to see Ben's already curly hair get even curlier in the humidity! Here's more that we GOT to do -

We got to play with our kids in the ocean & on the beach!

We got to see & feed baby pigs (while on a plantation train ride in Kauai)

We got to see how cute our kids are in flower leis (pictured here at the Polynesian Cultural Center with my sister Janae's girls)

We got to show our kids some of Heavenly Father's beautiful creations that they have never seen before.

We got to teach our kids about men who died in Pearl Harbor while serving their country.

We got to take our kids to some of the greenest places on earth - such a contrast to the desert they have lived in all their lives.

We got to watch our kids plant pineapples - you just might get to eat one of the 3 they planted in about 2 years! Just buy the Dole label.

We got to show them the Hawaiian Temple Visitor's Center, where their great grandparents served a mission many years ago.
This was a lovely place & our children did not want to leave. They loved the interactive displays & movies about Heavenly Father's plan for families. I could tell that they felt the spirit here.
While there we met a sister missionary, Sister Lundberg, the daughter of a couple Brad & I knew while growing up.

And truly - what could be cuter than a five-year-old girl pulling her Tinkerbell suitcase. Certainly a fun sight for her mom!

So - Hawaii is a wonderful place to go - with or without the kids! I was glad to have them along for this trip.