Hi ho, hi ho, it's hiking we shall go....

Aidan and I at the beginning of our hike with my cousin Kamaka on the Aiea Loop Trail. We're ready and excited for an adventure.

Here's Aunty Kamaka, our awesome guide and helper. I'm very grateful that she wanted to go hiking with us, since it isn't safe to hike alone with a baby and it's a good opportunity to catch up and bond.

Looking out on a spectacular view. It was so nice to be away from all of the noise.

The Kamaka's - (From L to R) Kamaka'koa & Kamaka'aina.The little man and his "teething face" he was so excited and happy to be out in nature. There were a lot of squeaks and squeals of joy. He also some great stories to share during the hike ;o)I thought this was pretty nifty looking, a big branch hanging on a tree, facing downward.We were constantly canopied by trees. It was so nice to feel engulfed by them. Aidan started getting tired and we were getting to a point where the trail was getting narrower and higher elevation so we decided to turn around and head back home. It would have been nice to have had a proper backpack carrier but I loved being able to see Aidan and I'm sure he appreciated being close to mommy's chest; he loves hearing my heart beat. I do plan on getting a proper backpack carrier though, I'd feel a bit more balanced and confident about walking on the narrow paths. Anyway, isn't this photo just precious? Us at the end of the hike. I had such a great time. The 3 of us ended up making a full day out of Saturday with hiking and going to the beach. Aidan went into the ocean, well Kamaka took him and helf him above the water to rinse him off. He was pretty much covered in sand. Aidan's still not a big fan of the big blue but he's getting better; his grip isn't as tight when we walk along the shore. We'll get there though, maybe next weekend we'll try a beach with some little lagoon and ponds so that he can just sit in the water and hang out.

It was a good 12 hour day. Aidan slept through the WHOLE night. No midnight wake ups to be cuddled. It was so nice to sleep through the night. Now if I can just get him to sleep in until 7:30 am on the weekends, instead of our usual 5:30 am wake up time. Anyway, a fun thing to do for free in Hawai'i? Hiking the abundance of trails on the island of Oahu then go to the beach, from mauka to makai - mountain to sea. One will definitely feel a bit more centered from all the nature.