Laura, Paul and Chuminga the Destroyer

Chuminga - name meaning: of the Lord, Spanish familiar form of Dominic

Destroyer - adjective meaning: one who wakes at God-awful hours of the morning to run, play and throw Nalgene water bottles on the floor thus awakening Maddie the Crier so they may collaborate to create a most boisterous racket

After a day of recovery from our trip to Moloka'i, Maddie and I hiked the canyon so Em could get the house cleaned up for Laura, Paul and Dominic's arrival that evening. Maddie was overall well-behaved as was Dominic on the flights per Laura and Paul's report. They were exhausted, but happy on arrival and we planned a day at the beach to relax the following day. Of note, Laura and Paul were kind enough to supply me with some excellent beers from the mainland to restore my dwindling supply. Stone + Great Lakes + Bell's + Boulder = Yummy!
Maha'ulepu was more crowded than I'd ever seen it likely because of the holiday weekend. Still, it was deserted by Florida standards. Dominic didn't have quite the love of the ocean that Maddie has, but he's probably just old enough to understand that it's something unknown whereas Maddie just rolls with any new experience at 6 mos. By the time Dominic left HI a week later, he was smiling, laughing and asking for more.

We spent most evenings talking and having a few cocktails while the kids were sleeping. It was our 2-3 hours of respite from the hectic days of hauling 2 kids around and trying to do/see as much as possible.

The next day we spent driving Waimea Canyon Road and checking out the overlooks to the canyon and north shore valleys.

Dominic feeding the pests

On Monday, Paul, Nate and I hiked to a waterfall which will be chronicled in a separate future post due to it's utterly spectacular nature.

The rest of the week we spent checking out the drive up waterfalls on the east side, Sheraton beach and Ke'e beach. Paul and I managed to sneak in a couple 4-6 mile hikes on Sleeping Giant and the Kalalau trail.

Sheraton Beach and pool (illegaly, of course) because Em's still pale enough to pass as a tourist

"I'm not so sure about this..."
"It's all good!"
The 4 of us...I mean 6 of us. Boy, a lot's changed in the past 2 years.

Laura, Paul, Em and I also got an evening to ourselves at Tidepools thanks to our friends here who babysat as a team. We enjoyed a tremendous dinner and as a surprise treat imbibed the most excellent Rochefort "10" belgian ale, which until this point I did not think was available on the island. At 14 bucks per 11.3 oz. bottle, I don't think I'll enjoy it on a regular basis, but this was one of the first truly excellent tasting beers that I've bought and consumed here. Often, excellent beers arrive here in poor condition due to the long, hot transport over the Pacific. This one was perfect. See what RateBeer.com had to say about it http://ratebeer.com/beer/rochefort-trappistes-10/2360/3/1/

We also spent an evening at the Sheraton beach, drinking, grilling and watching some of the luau.

Like I said, he couldn't get enough by their final day.

Upon their departure to the airport and onward to Cincinnati, everybody was sad, but ready to resume their normal lives with kids who behave themselves when napping and eating at regular times. Their visit was thoroughly enjoyable, but it took a lot of work and patience to keep the little ones happy. I think Laura, Paul and Chuminga got a good taste of island life, but I don't think they'll be moving here anytime soon unless they can bring their air conditioner. Thanks for an awesome week, we look forward to seeing you 3...make that 4 in a few months or so!