While we were in Kauai, we got to do a family tour of the Na Aina Kai Garden. It was a kid paradise and the tour was one of the highlights of our trip. The garden is known for its many beautiful sculptures. 
I noticed a frog pattern in my photos of the garden. There were frog sculptures here and there.
And then the guide pointed out this real teeny, tiny froggie, which my son immediately put in his hand. The frog immediately hopped out of his hand. I barely had time to snap this picture.
If my son had his way, he would have spent more time by the pond looking for an even bigger frog. I think he would have liked to be that boy in the sculpture.
I’ll be writing a more informative post about our tour at the Na Aina Kai Gardens soon (when report card week is over at my day job). Stay tuned.
Everyone has their own image of a perfect beach. You get that image in your head when you are having a bad day: you stepped in a puddle and soaked your shoes right through, forgot to pay your credit card bill on time, and picked up your feverish child from daycare. On those days, you want to feel the warm, ocean breeze on your face. So you go to the perfect beach, even if it’s only in your mind.
Life is not always in focus, and neither is this photo. I’ve gotten pretty good at snapping pictures of my quick-moving son, but there are times when I just can’t capture every moment in its perfect state. Photography with kids is sometimes challenging. I’m usually clicking away on my camera and also talking, walking or barking directions at the same time. Even so, I often find little photographic nuggets of awesome, amongst the hundreds of photo discards.
This isn’t a scratch and sniff photo, but I sure wish it was. Then I’d be able to transport you to the Alii Kula Lavender Farm with me, and you would breathe in the lavender breezes high up in the mountains of Maui. I can’t do that, so you’ll just have to use your powers of imagination. After visiting this place, I was ready to quit my job and become a lavender farmer. This place was just that beautiful.
Snorkeling with a young child for the first time is hardly a peaceful experience. My son went for his first underwater excursion in the clear waters of Maui, at the age of 5. In the weeks before our trip, I tried to get him ready for the new experience. We searched for the perfect snorkel mask and I let him practice in his grandma’s pool. He spent a few afternoons swallowing chlorine water-and whining about it-until he got comfortable enough.
Get a load of this classic view. This is Waikiki Beach from the veranda of the Hula Grill, above Duke’s Restaurant.
I learned about the Sugar Cane Train on one of my son’s favorite train videos, I Love Toy Trains. I can’t tell you if we saw it on volume 1, 2, 3, 9, or 10 (or why I own that many volumes of I Love Toy Trains), but we saw it there first.
Even tourist traps are more fun in paradise. That’s why we pulled of the Kamehameha Highway in Oahu, to make a stop at the Dole Plantation. At this road stop, you can shop for pineapple-shaped souvenirs, ride the Pineapple Express, and visit the Pineapple Maze. We only had time for the world’s largest maze.
