What an exciting time! This coming summer, my nephew Braxton will be a big brother! It seems like only yesterday we were preparing for Braxton’s arrival and taking his newborn pictures. We couldn’t be more excited for our growing family. Based on these pictures, you can guess that Braxton is thinking the same thing. We are anxiously awaiting their gender reveal, which happens to be this weekend!
Chen Family Christmas Photo Shoot in Houston
Maddox’s first Christmas is coming up and I couldn’t resist taking some family photos. It wasn’t as easy as I had planned, but I ended up with some great shots that we can treasure years from now. Hope y’all have a wonderful Christmas!
Attacked by the lights!
Ball of uncertainty
Kauai, Hawaii Day 5 and 6
in Hawaii
We spent this beautiful morning taking another impromptu maternity shoot by the beach. We incoroporated the lei that we made a couple of days before.
Little Fish Coffee was walking distance from our hotel. A charming little coffee shop with colorful patio seating. Perfect for fresh local fruit, acai bowls, and breakfast sandwiches.
The Breakfast Bagel: Frittata, bacon, tomato, and cheddar cheese, with house schmear
Shippy’s Bowl: Acai topped with Greek Yogurt, bananas, fresh pineapple, coconut flakes, and granola.
The Tree Tunnel
Coconut Marketplace Farmers Market
We stumbled upon another Farmers Market, which is located in the parking lot of Coconut Marketplace. The Farmers Market takes place every Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 1pm.
Another great place to find exotic fruits and fresh vegetables.
This was our favorite stand in the Farmers Market. We picked out a mature coconut and this guy carved a hole in the top for us to drink the coconut water.
As he told us, every coconut has a “face.” You can see the mouth here.
After you're done drinking the water inside the coconut, take it back and he will use a rock to slice open the coconut to carve out the fruit.
Wailua Shave Ice…yes, again
Orange Dream: Orange Juice, Coconut Milk, Haupia Foam & Fresh Cut Orange and Lava Flow (front): Pineapple Juice, Coconut Foam, Strawberry Puree, Pineapple & Strawberry Fruit Topping
You can’t leave Hawaii without trying their shave ice.
Poipu Beach
We were lucky enough to see some monk seals sunbathing on Poipu Beach. The monk seals are an endangered species and the only seals native to Hawaii.
Hukilau Lanai
This restaurant is located behind the Coconut Marketplace Farmers Market. We went here specifically for their poke nachos, but were pleasantly surprised by their fresh local foods and atmosphere.
Complimentary focaccia bread with olive oil/balsamic dipping sauce
“Adam’s Poke Nachos”: ahi poke, local tomato, avocado, tobiko, inamona, wasabi cream, mirin-yake, crispy wonton chips
Calamari: panko & furikake crusted strips flash fried, lemon sambal aioli
Chicken and mushrooms: sautéed boneless chicken breast served on a pesto potato cake with a local mushroom lemon sauce
Lappert's Ice Cream
This ice cream shop always had a long line, so we had to check it out…
Kona coffee ice cream
The next morning, we packed up the car and headed on one last day of sightseeing in Kauai. Since it was so close to our hotel, we went to Poipu Shopping Village for breakfast.
We heard good things about Kauai Juice Co, so decided to start there. They specialize in fresh, cold-pressed juices in glass bottles. You can either keep the bottle or bring it back next time for credit on your next purchase.
Omega This: soursop, orange, dragonfruit, pineapple, chia seeds
We happened to stumble upon Anuenue Cafe when we walked out of Kauai Juice Co. There was a long line, which is always a good sign. So, we put our names down and waited for a table.
Kalua Pork Fried Rice: slow cooked Kalua pork, rice, pineapple, jalapeño, basil and two eggs topped with shoyu ginger sauce
Local Anahola Tropical granola and fruit. The granola was so good that we ordered some once we got home.
As if we hadn’t eaten enough, we made one last pit stop at Mark’s Place before our flight home.
A delicious mixed plate with chicken katsu, Korean chicken, rice, and macaroni salad
Kauai, Hawaii Day 4
in Hawaii
Due to the recent flooding on the northern part of Kauai, we were not able to visit that part of the island. So, that left us with a few days to relax and sightsee without a specific itinerary. This morning, we took the opportunity for an impromptu maternity photoshoot around our hotel.
We also signed up for a Lei-making class, which was offered by Sheraton Kauai. The hotel offers daily classes, from basket-weaving to learning how to play the ukulele. We were able to sign up for the class that same morning.
These leis were made out of twisting tea leaves together and adding flowers. The leis can be frozen or dried out over time for continued use, just add fresh flowers.
Beautiful plumeria flowers from our instructor’s backyard.
Ta da!
These plumerias inspired us to buy a plumeria root to plant back home. The roots can be purchased in gift shops and airlines allow you to bring them in your luggage.
Shrimp Station
There are a couple of locations. The one we went to was in Waimea.
9652 Kamuali'i Highway Waimea, Hawaii, 96796
They will let you mix two different kinds of sauteed shrimp, which is a good way to try them all. The ‘Got Garlic’ and ‘Thai’ are definitely some of our favorites.
The coconut shrimp plate was delicious! Crispy, sweet, and steaming hot.
Koloa Rum Co
Since we were not on any kind of timeline, we happened to drive by and spot the Koloa Rum Company. Their award-winning rum is highly-rated and used in several of the local bars and shops.
Gift shop at Koloa Rum Co
The tasting tour is free, so make sure to sign up!
The Mai Tai, one of the many rums that we sampled.
Kukui Grove Farmers Market
This Farmer’s Market is held year-round every Monday in the parking lot of the Kukui Grove Shopping Center in Lihue.
Hawaiian Farmers Markets are the best place to buy exotic fruits, which is something we don’t see a lot of in our local grocery stores.
Mangosteens were one of our favorites.
Longans, creamy apple, chico, strawberrry guava. The longans were our favorite, very similar to lychee.
A couple of more days here in paradise, and then back to reality. We hope to make the best of them, whatever it is we may be doing.
Kauai, Hawaii Day 3
in Hawaii
Grand Hyatt
After a long day of sightseeing and hiking yesterday, we decided to take it easy today. We took our time getting ready, and then ventured down the street to check out the Grand Hyatt Kauai and have brunch at their buffet.
Indoor seating with a large open and outdoor patio area
Stairs leading down to the restaurant at the Grand Hyatt Kauai
We did not have reservations, but we managed to luck out! Our incredible view of the pond and beach at Ilima Terrace.
Not a bad seat in the house! Lots of options for sitting to admire the view or catch up on a good book.
Trail leading down to the swimming areas
Tidepools is an award-winning restaurant with romantic bungalows and koi ponds
Wailua Falls
Wailua Falls is one that is easily accessible by car and has a nearby parking lot, no hiking necessary. It is located near Lihu'e off of Highway 56.
Opaeka'a Falls
Opaeka'a means "rolling shrimp." It is located on the eastern side of the island in Wailua. Opaeka'a Falls is easy to get to in terms of no hiking involved and there's a large parking lot with restrooms available.
Maunakapu and Wailua River
If you walk right across the street from Opaeka'a Falls, you'll stumble upon this fantastic view of the mountain ridges of Maunakapu and the Wailua River. If you arrive before dawn, you may come across a beautiful sunrise.
Kilauea Point Lighthouse
The Kilauea Lighthouse opened in 1913 and it is located in the Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. Make sure to check what day you visit since the Lighthouse is closed to visitors on Sundays and Mondays. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful sight to behold, even from afar.
Wailua Shave Ice
Hawaii is known for it's shave ice and this place does not disappoint. Wailua Shave Ice uses fresh fruit. So, you won't find the overly sweet syrups or artificial flavors here. This place was a bit out of our way, but we managed to visit a couple of times and tried several flavors.
Dragonfruit with pineapple topping
We also tried the Lava Flow and Kauai Orange Dream. I'd recommend all of them, you can't go wrong.
Puka Dog
If you're in the Poipu area, you should definitely check out Puka Dog for their Hawaiian-style hot dogs. They were named by the Travel Channel as one of the Top Ten Hot Dog Stands in America.
There are a lot of different options for relishes, but feel free to ask for a sample. The Lilikoi's Hawaiian Mustard is delicious and sold in local stores so you can take some back home with you.
What makes these hot dogs so unique is that the inside of the bun is hollowed-out and toasted. Therefore, you don't have the problem of everything falling out of the sides.
