Th Big Vacation!

Every year since Bailey was little Mat and I have taken the kiddos to Disneyland for a family vacation. While we love it there we always talk about doing something else. This past summer Mat and I told the kids if they wanted to help us save the money we could take a more extravagant vacation. They chose Hawaii. So we got a jar and started saving. The rule was that we didn't go until we had enough saved. We knew the bulk of the money would come from extra jobs Mat did but wanted the kids to contribute as well. After the first 3 months we counted what we had and told the kids that if we tried hard by Spring Break we could go. They counted down the months and days leading up to our trip.

When we first got to the airport we had some glitches in our travel already. The flight delayed us 8 hours! I was frustrated knowing that we were traveling with 4 kids and this was not ideal. Bailey kept reminding me that it was okay. We still got to go.

When we finally got to Oahu it was GORGEOUS! We didn't have a bad day there. Our hotel was fabulous and the beach was pristine. Of course that's the first place we went.

We did everything we wanted to do. Shopped at Aloha Stadium, went to Pali Lookout, snorkeled a ton, and went to the Polynesian Cultural Center. Mat and I kept asking the kids if Hawaii was what they expected. Of course they had conjured up different images in their minds but were certainly not disappointed.

The favorite stop was the PCC. They loved the night show. Usually by the time we've been on vacation for a week we are more than ready to head home. We really could have easily stayed another week.

One thing I really wanted was family pictures on the beach. So we packed up the tripod and took out the remote control and headed out. We never did get a "perfect" shot. We did get a load of great ones though. Of course we were worried if we were spending too much money so when we got home and tallied up our expenses we found that we had $500.00 left! Woohoo! We're already on the savings train for the next vacation. Wonder where we should go? :)