..............Wandering Wells Clan: McArthur Week (part 3-the dry highlights)

The Polynesian Cultural Center was a highlight. Ira got a little camera crazy- I think he has a thing for those islanders ;)

Before we got there, we stopped to see Kyle on his last day of work at BYUH. It has been a great experience for him. He is glad to be done though. My favorite part about this picture is that BYU is written in BRIGHT RED. Go Utes.

This is the main traffic circle of campus. Each country that has students at BYUH, has a flag displayed around the circle. It's not just for poly's. That should be their slogan!

We went to the Hukilau Cafe for lunch. Ira actually ate, and loved, the Hukilau Burger. It is a huge burger with a big piece of teriyaki pork and a fried egg on it. He wanted to go back the next day and have it again!

Anna, Natalie, and Matty: Waiting at the entrance of the PCC for their tickets.
Some of the natives that Ira just couldn't keep his camera off... (thanks I!)

The one with the hat on is the one I wanted to adopt.

My favorite native.

My kids favorite part of the whole place is the Tahitian fishing dock. They figured it out this time, the secret is to double up on the bait-even the Tahitians were amazed at Emily's catch. The girl helping was so amazed that she didn't want to have to touch it, and I had to get it off the hook and return it to the water.

Sarah and Evan both made great catches too....Evan's was a baby duckling that he just reached in and grabbed.

Here we were waiting for the Tongan's to entertain us and they did not disappoint.

We all got tattoos, some of them got more than one. They were ready to face the natives.

The poi balls in Aetearoa were a hit and when we got home that night, and early the next morning we made 8 sets of them so each of the kids could keep practicing.

I was talking to the "chief" about the experience I had had a few weeks earlier when the Maori's came from New Zealand. He was very nice and said that it was a pretty rare treat to have that experience.

Jen and I had to take a mom break for a little while. We went and found some Taro pudding and coconut ice cream and got lost for a few minutes. It was good to recharge....our patience batteries were running low.

They also loved the Maori stick game, she was very patient with them and they worked at it a long time. Emily and Sarah were the best partnership- they had it down.

They still need a little work on their Haka face too, but it was a really great attempt!

At the Luau, Ira convinced these two girls to "leave a mark" on these boys. The girl on the right was only 15 and was born in Bloomington UT. She really liked us (meaning him and Conner).
Ira got a perfect picture of them:

I got a perfect picture of his face afterwards.... he kept saying "I don't know why I was smiling!" I do!

We got to go up and dance on stage because it was our anniversary month. McArthurs were married 3 days (and 2 years) before us.

The girls came back after the show to visit some more, and Evan could not take his eyes off of them. He was enchanted (must come from his mom's genes) so we made sure he got his kiss too.

We like to call this the constipation totem...
The kids put on a talent show one day and this was the result of Conner and Evan's hard work:

We enjoyed an evening at the Waimea Valley farmer's market. Sarah got to taste Kona coffee, she said she thought it was hot chocolate :) I told her to spit it in the bushes. She got the taste out of her mouth with this delicious crepe.

Taste testing all the different kinds of peanut butters and macadamia nut butters, and yummy desserts.

The kids were great at photo bombing, so Jen thought she would join the fun.

I bought a bunch of small bananas- sugar bananas. They taste like they have already been made into banana bread!

We just relaxed and played on the grass until the sun went down. It was a really great evening.

Matty made Jen carry her in while she pretended to be asleep, because Ira carried in sleeping Natalie.

We got shaved ice from Matsumoto's- more than once. We hadn't done that before now. Gratefully, because we have done it practically daily since! It is good stuff. By the looks of Matty it is also very challenging to eat:)

We took them to Kavela Beach, not to swim but just to play in the trees. These were the trees that starred in the 2nd Pirates of the Caribbean movie-where Tia Dama lived.

We did several other things this week with the McArthurs, but I stopped taking pictures after a while because Ira was taking enough for all of us. Unfortunately for me I lost most of my copy of his pictures so this will have to do for now, it is none too shabby though I think. It was a fun filled non-stop week and the day after they left we all stayed in bed til about 10 am! It was so fun to have them with us. I think life-long friendships were forged and strengthened and priceless memories were made by all.

EPILOGUE.....(I got Ira's pics)
Ola' restaurant and Turtle Bay:

A view of Ola' from the point of the island.

This is the very Northern tip of Oahu. Laie is to the east and Pupukea is to the west and the waves aren't quite sure what to do right here. They come from all directions.