Hey Surfer Boy!

It finally came! You were waiting for this for over a year and I think you talked about it each day during that year. It was cute to me that even though you didn't really know what Hawaii was, you were excited to go. Your excitement is so contagious. One of my favorite moments of the trip came before we even left the house when I saw you run upstairs, grab the lei you made at summer adventure camp, and tuck it into your backpack. I thought it was so sweet that I grabbed Annie's as well.
You couldn't wait to hit the beach - that is the first thing we did and the last thing we did. You loved everything about it - looking for fish, rolling in the sand, finding beach treasures, and of course getting wet. I don't know how this afraid-of-water-mother has raised two little fishies, but you and your sister certainly have no fear of water.

You kept us all entertained with your descriptions of the various sea life we encountered. Who needs an encyclopedia when you are around! You climbed nearly every tree you saw - they were just so tempting.

Hiking with you is quite an experience. I've always been a don't-look-around, get-to-the-top sort of hiker. Not you. You take it all in. We stop for every critter, every new type of vegetation, and every cool rock. We also stop for frequent drink breaks. Aunt Kar, Grandpa, and Annie may have beat us to the top, but Daddy and I certainly learned more on our hike up to the lighthouse.
Do you remember the Polynesian Cultural Center? Remember how proud you were when Daddy made smoke on the fire stick? Remember the Coral Reef show and how mad you were that people are destroying them? Remember how excited you were when they talked about one of your heroes, Jacques Cousteau? Remember how the people ahead of us pushed you out the door before we could get there and how you almost got lost but remembered to say a prayer and soon Daddy found you? Remember how excited you were for the fire eaters? So excited that the minute they were finished, your energy was spent and you fell into an exhausted heap on Dad. We had a lot of fun there.
You had two favorite things on this trip - one was getting souvenirs and the other was snorkeling. I loved watching you snorkel. You saw all kinds of beautiful fish. You could stay under the water for such a long time - longer than Mommy! It was fun to watch a fish catch your eye and see you swim off after it. You never caught them, but that didn't stop you from trying. Poipu Beach is one of your new favorite places.
You were a good brother on this trip (mostly) and let your sister tag along for all your adventures. What good times you two had together!

You loved the boogie board Grandpa bought for you. Loved it so much that Mommy had to re-pack her bags to get rid of one so that it could be her carry-on for the flight home. Mom's heavy bag weighed in at a whopping 50.0 pounds and barely missed the overweight charge at the airport. We were planning to leave the board in Hawaii for some other child to enjoy, but that was clearly not your plan. I can't wait to use it somewhere next summer.
Coley, your enthusiasm for life is one of your greatest qualities. You make even the ordinary seem grand and it makes my life happier. Thanks for a great trip!