Happy in Hawaii –- Aulani & Oahu with a Toddler ~ Updated 7/20: Final Update and link to new TR!

[TheMaxRebo]

So great the kids got along and so cute the held hands on the way off the boat

Sorry about the broken mirror - sounds like a nice evening beyond that though and at least there were other things you wanted/needed from target

That's quite a bit to do on a "no plans" day

 

[hokieinpa]

Sounds like a fun night on the cruise! Glad Izzy found a friend!

Late night Target runs are always fun - even in Hawaii!

This picture makes me laugh!

Excited to read more about your trip!

 

[purplelover88]

Reading this trip report makes me want to go to Aulani. I always though of Hawaii as a lay on the beach vacation which is so not me and you are proving me wrong! I love how many characters are out there and a good lazy river is always appreciated. The boat ride looks like a great time. Too bad Izzy had to take off her shoes, I know she has quite an attachment to her shoes; did they have a reason for that? It just seems a little odd. What are the odds of that many broken mirrors close together, at least it became a little souvenir?? Poor Izzy for feeling so bad about it. Looks like the rest of the night went well though. Can't wait to read more!

 

[Schmagurty]

Wow, so close! I guess we'll warm the place up for you then!


Hope you enjoy her report as much as I do! Other resources are this blog (by a DISer): https://ttimes3.wordpress.com/category/aulani/, this blog: http://www.deliciousbaby.com/journal/2011/oct/03/aulani-with-toddler/, and this TR doesn't involve a toddler, but I got so much good info from it: http://www.disboards.com/threads/an...enture-chapter-32-added-5-23-the-end.3140126/ I know there were a couple other blogs I really enjoyed, but I can't seem to find/remember them right now. If you search something like "Aulani with a toddler", that might turn up some more things. If I can find the other blogs I'm thinking of, I'll post them later for you.


That worked out really well for us! I was just intimidated by the no bags, only 1 diaper, be quiet and respectful thing - with a 2-year-old. And we are very comfortable with splitting up for things, so I'm glad we did it. In retrospect, we really only needed to split up for the movie/boat/memorial - seeing the grounds and museum were fine to do together with Izzy in the stroller. Splitting up was nice too, as it gave each of us a break and a chance to fully immerse ourselves in our surroundings, rather than catering to a toddler nonstop.


Sounds like a great plan to me! That's similar to what we intend to do next time - use our non-Aulani time to explore a bit and mostly stick around Aulani when we move over there.

Hi Dugette,

I appreciate you keeping the place warm for us!

Thanks for sharing the web resources with me. I appreciate it! We're flying from just about as far as you guys...out of Chicago. So if feels like going so far that it won't be a place that we'll go back to very often and that we should try to plan it out the best we can.

 

[SimplyGoofy]

What a lovely end to your evening! I'm glad Izzy was able to make a friend on the boat and ending your day with a White Russian sounds wonderful!

I think someone else already said it, but that's quite a few goals for a day with "no plans"!

 

[Dugette]

So great the kids got along and so cute the held hands on the way off the boat

It was really cute that Izzy made a little friend on the excursion. Sadie was very sweet with her.

Sorry about the broken mirror - sounds like a nice evening beyond that though and at least there were other things you wanted/needed from target

Yeah, it wasn't that bad. And it only broke inside the frame vs. getting glass everywhere, so that was good. And it was a cheap mirror, so not a huge loss.

That's quite a bit to do on a "no plans" day

Haha, I know. But nothing compared to those heavily-scheduled weekend island touring days.

Sounds like a fun night on the cruise! Glad Izzy found a friend!

It was a great night and the new friend was a fun bonus!

Late night Target runs are always fun - even in Hawaii!

I agree! Something about the ridiculous running-out-late things on vacation sticks in my memory. Both this and the late-night cheese run at Pop on the August 2014 trip stand out in my mind as really fun, spontaneous memories.

This picture makes me laugh!

Gotta love how she refuses to wear that hat any time the sun is out, but HAS to wear it in the car after dark.

Excited to read more about your trip!

Thanks!

Reading this trip report makes me want to go to Aulani. I always though of Hawaii as a lay on the beach vacation which is so not me and you are proving me wrong!

I understand! We are not really lay on the beach people at all (in fact, we only got in the ocean the last day and not for very long). There is plenty to keep you occupied at Aulani and on Oahu. Even this coming trip, though we intend it to be much more relaxed, I doubt we'll be laying on the beach much. I feel like you could easily spend a week or two at Aulani and stay busy with the activities, etc.

I love how many characters are out there and a good lazy river is always appreciated.

The characters were fun. You really do have to seek them out, though, as they are not ever-present like at WDW. I loved the lazy river and hope to get in many more spins on it during our next visit.

The boat ride looks like a great time. Too bad Izzy had to take off her shoes, I know she has quite an attachment to her shoes; did they have a reason for that? It just seems a little odd.

I don't know the reason, but it was a "barefoot cruise", so everyone had to take off shoes.

What are the odds of that many broken mirrors close together, at least it became a little souvenir?? Poor Izzy for feeling so bad about it. Looks like the rest of the night went well though. Can't wait to read more!

I know, it was a like a mirror-travel-curse or something. But it all worked out okay. Poor thing, though, she was really upset about breaking it.

Hi Dugette,

I appreciate you keeping the place warm for us!

Thanks for sharing the web resources with me. I appreciate it! We're flying from just about as far as you guys...out of Chicago. So if feels like going so far that it won't be a place that we'll go back to very often and that we should try to plan it out the best we can.

Totally understand, as I did the same thing the first time around. I had a lot more of an agenda than most people going to Hawaii. This next trip is a lot looser, as we did so many things the first time, but I still have at least a rough agenda and lots of things I'd like to do. And, hey, if you find yourself wanting to go back, just set up some fare alerts and you might be tempted to make the long flight again if it's cheap enough (well, at least that's what happened for us! Can't pass up sub-$400 flights). We actually change planes in Chicago on the way home next time, by the way!

What a lovely end to your evening! I'm glad Izzy was able to make a friend on the boat and ending your day with a White Russian sounds wonderful!

Mmmm, I wish I had a White Russian right now.

I think someone else already said it, but that's quite a few goals for a day with "no plans"!

Ha, yep. Nothing was scheduled or set in stone, though. I just didn't want to have NOTHING to try to do that day. I'd be so confused.

 

[Dugette]

The Menehune Trail

Looks like Dug was enjoying the views in Palm Springs that morning:



Back at Aulani, Izzy and I woke up around 8:30am and I set her up with Frozen on the iPad in her crib so that I could take a shower and get ready:



That worked well, as I didn’t want her roaming the hotel room unsupervised (I can only imagine all the random phone calls she’d make and I’d be paranoid that she’d somehow figure out the balcony door – despite it being quite child-proof ).

After we were ready, I used the awesome little egg sandwich maker to whip up a breakfast sandwich for myself:



Not exactly a roomy kitchen for preparing meals, but it worked:



I was finally getting my appetite back and feeling better than I had the whole trip (though still not 100%). I went all out with an egg sandwich, part of a bagel, and part of a malasada that was leftover (and not very good anymore, after all that time):



Oh, and I also had a nice glass of POG juice (Pineapple Orange Guava).

Izzy had milk, fruit, bagel/cream cheese, pouch, and I think some cheese too:





Then I cleaned the kitchen and washed the dishes:



Much better!

Bellies full, we headed out to try the Menehune Trail interactive game. This is one of those things where you have an iPad and interact with your surroundings. On the way down to the Pau Hana Room (where you get the iPad), we stopped to take a Photopass picture with our favorite guy, Bob. Here’s a shot of us starting our day:



We could see Mickey greeting guests at Makahiki down below.

I took the opportunity to ask Bob if we would get any chance to meet Chip and Dale during our trip. I called the character line every day and they were only on there once, which was a time when we were out and about on the island. Bob checked his schedule and advised me that our best bet was to attend the “surfing lesson” at 4pm that day, as Chip and Dale were scheduled to make an appearance.

After that, we went into the lobby and came across a tour or orientation in progress. They were talking about that bird that you see on the floor:



It lit up, by the way. I don’t remember any details, though, sorry!

Izzy was having a blast exploring the lobby. However, it was a bit of a pain, as she had insisted on her little jelly shoes and they kept falling off. Didn’t stop her from running around, though:







She loved it when she found that kids’ area and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse was on TV:



Wall décor in that room:



Then this other girl came back to her spot and really blocked Izzy’s view:



That was okay, though, as I wanted to move on anyway. And who cares if we missed seeing more of Chip and Dale on the TV when they would be available in person later that day.

As we continued on our way through the lobby area and beyond, I saw a place to maybe explore. I thought it was a DVC open house type villa (and it may have been), but there was nobody around and voices coming from the other end and I got kinda creeped out and worried that I was someplace I shouldn’t be, so just took a few pictures and left :







Then I believe we took the elevator down to the pool level. And guess who happened to be in the elevator? Sadie’s mom, from the boat ride the night before! They were leaving later that day, I think? We never did run into them again.

We ran across another Photopass photographer outside, so got a few more shots. I love all the random expressions from Izzy:







We wandered on and Izzy thought this rock was pretty cool:



Later, I found out that it was a part of the Menehune Trail, if I recall correctly.

We also used this opportunity to spy on Minnie greeting diners at Makahiki:



We finally found our way to the Pau Hana room and checked out our Menehune Trail iPad:



Izzy was almost immediately bored with it. Too much talking for her, I think. She was perhaps a bit too young to appreciate the game. I chose to start with the indoor trail, as it was already very hot outside. But, first, we did stop to look at the fishies in the Rainbow Reef:



We also filled my mug up at the Lava Shack before heading back to the lobby. Our first clue had us finding the gecko in the lobby light:



There was a group of people hanging around under it, which made the interactivity stuff a bit harder to do. There was also a picture in the gift shop that came to life:



As you can see, though, it was pretty high up, so Izzy didn’t even notice (plus, she was distracted by a Minnie plush in the gift shop). Next, the game led us back into that kids’ TV room for another picture that came to life:



Looks like I took a little video of this one, if you’re interested:

(click to watch)

Again, Izzy didn’t notice, as she was watching the Doc McStuffins living picture:



So, I just did the game on my own while she watched TV:



Guess Izzy got tired of her shoes falling off:



As we stepped out of that room, we caught a glimpse of yet another Aulani bride and groom :



Up next: The end of the trail, then we head for the pool, only to run into characters first!

ETA: I just realized that I wrote this update exactly one year after that very day!

 

[jwwi]

So glad you finally started to feel better, what a bummer to not be able to eat! So jealous of the pog juice, I really need to figure out where I can get that when I go to WDW, I'm not planning any buffets and I think that is where it is mostly served. Any ideas? I would mix my pog with diet white soda in Hawaii, it was very good, and refreshing that way.
Izzys facial expressions in the photo pass pictures are so cute, I wonder if she will like the menehune game more on your next trip?

 

[foxyroxy40]

I'm enjoying report just wanted to say my son has the same toes as you and no one else in our family does the doctor told me when he was little and learning to walk to just have him go barefoot and it would correct itself needless to say I didn't believe him and I wasn't letting my son go barefoot outside

 

[hokieinpa]

It sounds like a nice, relaxing morning!

The trail game does sound fun - but more for older kids. It seems kind of like the Agent P stuff (is that even the right thing? we don't watch Phineas and Ferb) in the World Showcase?

Excited to read about your afternoon of characters and swimming!

 

[Leshaface]

Yes!

Looks nice!

I like, but your view is much better, IMO.

provides a free shuttle from Aulani

That's good to know.

This was a barefoot cruise, which meant we had to remove our shoes and socks before boarding. Well, Izzy was none too pleased about that. Sad girl, missing her shoes:

Ugh, I would have been like Izzy and thrown a fit too. I hate walking around barefoot! Even in my own home where I know the floors are clean, I still wear socks and shoes.

(And, yes, that is a rare look at my crossed toes – I debated posting that, as I generally don’t show off my “birth defect”, but I am a thorough trip reporter, I guess. And that drink was really good. )

My SIL has the same thing, but it's her pinky toe. I didn't even notice until you said something!

While we ate, I got a return text back from that Canadian number I had texted for Dug’s relative. But, um, it was some random stranger. And he’d gotten all of Dug’s texts too. Apparently, we had the wrong number. But, being a Canadian, this guy was very friendly and conversed with me over text for a while, apologizing for putting the other party in a negative light by not responding sooner.

Thank goodness it was a nice guy and you didn't get someone that likes to carry on conversations, pretending they know the other person but they're just doing it for their own amusement.

There was only a small group on our boat and everyone was very friendly. The crew was great as well. I enjoyed everything about this cruise. We’re planning on doing their whale watching cruise when we go back in January – can’t wait for that!

That's going to be fun! I've never been out far on a small boat like that, so not sure how I would do with the rocking, but whale watching is something i've always wanted to do.

(and, back then, she really was babbling and not using nearly as many actual words as she does now)

I think it's so cute when toddlers who aren't full on talking, babble back and forth to each other and carry on their own convos like they totally understand each other

Aulani friends!

(and I’m still using my Hawaiian one, nearly a year later! )

Well that's just a nice little souvie then right (PS, I would have been irritated too, considering DS has broken numerous mirrors)

She also cuddled with me sometimes:

Aw sweet. I find it's harder now to get him to cuddle with me...unless I bribe him with candy, then I get plenty of hugs

Good for you

I don't know why, but this view just cracks me up for some reason. Probably because this is EXACTLY what would happen if it was me and DS

 

[Dugette]

So glad you finally started to feel better, what a bummer to not be able to eat!

It really was a bummer when there were so many things I had been looking forward to trying. I'm glad I get a re-do in January - so long as I can avoid getting sick!

So jealous of the pog juice, I really need to figure out where I can get that when I go to WDW, I'm not planning any buffets and I think that is where it is mostly served. Any ideas? I would mix my pog with diet white soda in Hawaii, it was very good, and refreshing that way.

Yes, it's good stuff, but I had way more than needed, since I only found gallons of it at Target. For WDW, you can get it (well, Lilikoi Juice) at Kona Cafe at the Poly. I wonder if they might let you order it at the sushi bar there too? I wonder if they have it at Captain Cook's?

Izzys facial expressions in the photo pass pictures are so cute, I wonder if she will like the menehune game more on your next trip?

Thanks. I hope she enjoys the Menehune Trail more next time. I think she will - she understands a lot more now than she did back then.

I'm enjoying report just wanted to say my son has the same toes as you and no one else in our family does the doctor told me when he was little and learning to walk to just have him go barefoot and it would correct itself needless to say I didn't believe him and I wasn't letting my son go barefoot outside

Thanks! Interesting that your son has the toe thing too. Ha, nobody has ever told me it would correct itself. My mom has told me that the doctor at the hospital basically said that it's something that I'd always have, but it shouldn't cause me any problems. And that's been the case.

It sounds like a nice, relaxing morning!

It was!

The trail game does sound fun - but more for older kids. It seems kind of like the Agent P stuff (is that even the right thing? we don't watch Phineas and Ferb) in the World Showcase?

Haha, I forget what's at Epcot too - I remember it being Kim Possible back in the day. But, yeah, a bit more geared toward older kids...you know, ones that have attention spans.

Excited to read about your afternoon of characters and swimming!

Coming right up!

Yes!

I always love seeing a sleeping girl on the monitor (like right now!)

I like, but your view is much better, IMO.

Agreed.

That's good to know.

Yes, seemed like a nice convenient perk.

Ugh, I would have been like Izzy and thrown a fit too. I hate walking around barefoot! Even in my own home where I know the floors are clean, I still wear socks and shoes.

I am seldom barefoot. I don't usually wear shoes at home, but always socks. I didn't love the barefoot thing on the cruise, but it was easily overlooked for the great experience.

My SIL has the same thing, but it's her pinky toe. I didn't even notice until you said something!

Huh, interesting about her pinky toe. I never run into anyone else with issues, but I guess we all probably hide them.

Thank goodness it was a nice guy and you didn't get someone that likes to carry on conversations, pretending they know the other person but they're just doing it for their own amusement.

I know, I was worried it would be someone creepy when I first got a message.

That's going to be fun! I've never been out far on a small boat like that, so not sure how I would do with the rocking, but whale watching is something i've always wanted to do.

I can't wait for the whale watching! I remember this being a pretty smooth ride, but I know it can vary, depending on the ocean, time of day, etc.

I think it's so cute when toddlers who aren't full on talking, babble back and forth to each other and carry on their own convos like they totally understand each other

Super cute! This was cute because the other girl was a bit older and could talk, but she happily put up with Izzy's babbles.

Aulani friends!

Well that's just a nice little souvie then right (PS, I would have been irritated too, considering DS has broken numerous mirrors)

Yes, I brought home the BEST Hawaii souvenirs - a mirror and a set of Pyrex bowls (which I just used one tonight to make a dish we're bringing to Thanksgiving tomorrow!)

Aw sweet. I find it's harder now to get him to cuddle with me...unless I bribe him with candy, then I get plenty of hugs

Yeah, Izzy only tends to cuddle when she's sick or tired or wants me to watch TV with her.

Good for you

Mmmmm....

I don't know why, but this view just cracks me up for some reason. Probably because this is EXACTLY what would happen if it was me and DS

Yeah, I thought it was pretty funny. Here I am doing this interactive adventure and she's just glued to Disney Junior and oblivious.

 

[Dugette]

A Lazy Afternoon

Izzy was walking along and climbing on things and, of course, her falling-off shoes caused her to fall. She was upset and I decided to change her shoes (I had thrown her good ones in the stroller for when she got sick of the others). There was a really nice CM nearby that saw what was going on and you can see her in the middle of this picture (from before the fall):



The CM came over and gave Izzy these stickers (that I put in the stroller pocket, clearly):



She was very friendly and chatted with us, commenting on how cute Izzy was. She was so sweet to help Izzy feel better. We moved on to our last stop of the Menehune Trail. This statue gives you a nut:





Izzy INSISTED on putting it back, though, so we left it for someone else to enjoy:



By this point it was almost noon and we were just goofing around in the lobby:



(Notice Izzy was watching those kids set a bad example – I don’t think that fountain was supposed to be walked on).

Lounging:



I guess we wandered outside a bit too. Saw some people doing the outdoor part of the Menehune Trail:



Oh, we might have been going to return our iPad at that point. I guess this is what Dug was looking at in Palm Springs at that time:



Izzy and I went back to the room and got changed into swim gear:



I have a picture that shows Izzy throwing a “tantrum”, but I have no memory as to why :



She really just carefully lays down for dramatic effect.

Once we got out to the pool area, we ran into Goofy right away, before his meet was even scheduled to start. Izzy was very happy to see him and ran right up for a hug and some quality time together:









Looks like he didn’t have any Photopass that day (they don’t usually have Photopass at the character meets at Aulani, so it wasn’t that unusual). It was a very sweet meet, though.

At some point here, we went to the booth to get our wristbands and towels for the afternoon. And then we ran into Donald, also before he was scheduled to start meeting! Izzy was hesitant to go up to him on her own, so I carried her:









As you can see, she warmed up quickly with Donald’s playfulness. In fact, she got so comfortable that she ended up dancing with him:





(That was the running around him in circles part of the dance, of course).







I think he’s shaking his tail feathers.

And a couple more pics together, thanks to a kind CM who snapped away for me with the water camera:





I was glad she got a lot of pictures, as I purposely left my phone in the room for pool time and couldn’t do video without it. (Though, in retrospect, I wonder if the water camera took video? I borrowed it from my dad, so I’m not real familiar with it. On that note, my dad and stepmom are awesome and are granting my Christmas wish for a waterproof camera of my own to bring on our upcoming Hawaii trip! They are getting one like the one they lent me, but newer and with more features. I’m fairly certain that one does video too. I’m so excited to use it in Hawaii! Okay, now that I’ve talked this out, I must have figured out later on that the camera did video, because I have some of the splash pad in a bit…)

So, our next stop was something I was very happy Izzy agreed to do with me – the Lazy River:





You can see in that picture where the waterslide (that you ride tubes on) lets out directly into the lazy river.

Ahhhh, heaven :





Partway through our lazy float, Izzy spotted Mickey. So, we successfully avoided the water sprayers and got out of the river to go meet the main mouse.

Up next: M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! And checking out Keiki Cove, the toddler splash pad. (Gosh, I’m just looking ahead at my pictures and I think this day may have actually been one of my favorite days! So many good memories to come as the day goes on!)

 

[Dugette]

Ta Da!

We got out of the lazy river and went over to meet Mickey with minimal wait:













We had a very nice meet with the Big Cheese.

Next on the agenda was checking out Keiki Cove, the toddler splash pad area. Izzy insisted that I carry her through it. I showed her how to play with the fountains:









She started getting braver and walking around on her own :



And then she had to come back for a reassuring hug :



But she decided that it was fun to be brave and ended up having a great time :











She was yelling “ta da!” when she encountered a fountain.

You can see some of the background details of the area here:



More fun:



These two warnings cracked me up:





I mean, really, diving into 5 cm of water?! Who would do that?

She was having a great time, running back and forth along the perimeter:



Someone (no, not me) had switched the hours on the Keiki Cove sign:



I have to say that I would have preferred these hours. 5pm is way too early to close that area down.

Izzy was practicing her leadership skills throughout this time by demanding I do certain things like sit on the stairs or stand in a certain position. Bossy girl!

I also figured out how to take a bit of video with the water camera:

(click to watch)

After a while, we decided to stop over to the towel booth and get some water:



I asked the CM at the booth what time it was and when Minnie was out (right now!) I also asked again about Chip and Dale and she agreed that the 4pm surfing lesson event was our best bet to meet them. We headed off to get in line for Minnie. On the way, I got some pictures of cabanas (which I am enjoying seeing now that we have one reserved as a Christmas gift to our extended family on our trip in January ):





We made it to Minnie’s line and found that it was VERY long (we’d had short lines all day and were expecting the same). I figured we might as well do something else for a few minutes and come back when the line had gone down a bit, since it was the early rush right then. Izzy wanted to go to the Infinity Pool, so we headed that way:











The zero-entry pool was nearby, so we walked into that too. Izzy was apparently feeling very brave and just kept on walking and walking. I eventually had to pick her up when it got too deep for her. We walked all the way to the other end of the pool, in the cave, where the waterslide comes out:



We watched a few people come splashing out of the tube:





This was one of Izzy’s favorite activities. When a female came out, she was like, “That’s the mommy!” She was having the best time watching people fly out of that tube. We got out after watching a few and headed back to the Minnie meet.

Up next: Will we actually get to meet Minnie?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Sorry for my long absence! I think I'm all caught up.

Izzy INSISTED on putting it back, though, so we left it for someone else to enjoy:

That's so cute. And one less thing to pack.

On that note, my dad and stepmom are awesome and are granting my Christmas wish for a waterproof camera of my own to bring on our upcoming Hawaii trip!

That's awesome!

You can see in that picture where the waterslide (that you ride tubes on) lets out directly into the lazy river.

Such great design. That's one of the best lazy rivers I've ever seen.

We had a very nice meet with the Big Cheese.

I'm glad she was warming up to the characters more and more!

I mean, really, diving into 5 cm of water?! Who would do that?

That would be quite the trick!

I have to say that I would have preferred these hours. 5pm is way too early to close that area down.

Yes! I have no idea why they shut things down so early.

She was having the best time watching people fly out of that tube.

Who wouldn't?

 

[Dugette]

Sorry for my long absence! I think I'm all caught up.

No worries, you have a good excuse, being in WDW and all. Seems like everyone else just forgot all about this poor little TR.

That's so cute. And one less thing to pack.

Hopefully it made some other kid's day.

That's awesome!

I am so excited to have one! So nice of them to get this for us (and tell me that they are, haha!)

Such great design. That's one of the best lazy rivers I've ever seen.

Loved it! I am SO looking forward to enjoying a few laps on there again. Maybe without a toddler on my lap even.

I'm glad she was warming up to the characters more and more!

Me too!

That would be quite the trick!

I know they probably have to put those warnings and maybe if someone has a vision impairment it might be helpful, but it just seemed so funny to have warnings not to dive into what was essentially a puddle.

Yes! I have no idea why they shut things down so early.

That was super annoying.

Who wouldn't?

It was pretty amusing.

 

[Dugette]

Surf’s Up!

After Izzy got her fill of watching “mommies” and “daddies” drop out of the waterslide, we headed back to see if Minnie’s line was shorter. And it was (and Mickey showed up too):



BUT….they wouldn’t let us join the line. This was the first and only time we encountered a line being cut off for a character at Aulani. And, of course, it was with Izzy’s favorite character. Luckily, Izzy took it well when we just had to stand and watch Minnie walk by and wave at her. I did take a nice paparazzi picture, though:



We decided to make the best of the situation and got right into line for Stitch, who would be coming out soon. We were second in line. Izzy was excited to see him show up:



When it was our turn, she didn’t hesitate to run right up to him for a hug:







This one cracks me up :



Izzy was so happy about this meet that she even did a little dance :



After that fun meet, we headed back to our pool chairs to sit down for a bit:



Izzy was pretending to go “nigh-night”:



Haha, look at ALL those people in the chairs:



We were right by the Menehune Bridge (kids water playground) and I washed my feet off in the shallow water there. Izzy was very upset about this. I have no idea why. But she cheered right up when she got to help me put our towels into this :



On our way back into the resort, we obviously had to stop into the kids’ TV room again:



Disney Junior dosage complete, we headed back to our room for lunch. We got cleaned up and changed. Izzy played with her little Disney Aulani figurines while I made lunch. She had a hot dog and some raspberries for lunch:



I apparently had some yogurt and Diet Dr. Pepper. Lunch of getting-over-illness champions, I guess:



After lunch, we checked out our Photopass pictures on the TV. I really like that you can do this at Aulani and it would be nice if the other Disney resorts would do this too. We enjoyed the slideshow of our pictures thus far. Izzy got a kick out of seeing Daddy in some of them.

By that time, it was 3:17pm. You may have noticed here that I was taking a gamble and having Izzy skip her nap this afternoon. Because we really wanted to meet Chip and Dale and it would have been difficult to fit in a nap before that, we just went without.

Izzy had gotten raspberries all over her top at lunch, so I changed her into a clean one, very much against her will.

I packed up our stroller with what we’d need for dinner after our Chip and Dale event, since we were going to check out the Monkeypod happy hour (across the street) that we’d heard so much about. We headed down to the surfing with Chip and Dale event and arrived a few minutes early. This was a free and open-to-all-kids event, by the way. It took place on the lawn by the convention center, right under our balcony, basically.

Izzy had her pick of surfboards, so she tried many of them out and then settled into one in the front row, next to a girl who would become her good friend by the end of the event :



Izzy quickly changed her mind on surfboards, though, so she ended up in the very back and I sat behind her, taking pictures:



As you can see, there was a CM surfing instructor. She taught the kids all kinds of surfing moves and had them try everything. I have to say, we only went to this event to meet Chip and Dale, but it ended up being a super fun activity! So glad we attended. Izzy got really into it and it was so fun watching her figure out how to do everything (though she was one of the youngest and didn’t follow everything) – I had no idea I had such a cute little surfer girl! Oh, but I guess she did also take a brief “nap” :



Learning how to surf:





Photopass was also at the event and got a few pictures of us:



More fun on her surfboard:









She got a little goofy and was running around a bit:



More surfing technique:



I guess she needed a cuddly break:



And another nap:



And a headstand :



I have a couple videos of the lesson as well, if you would like some idea of what they were doing:

(click to watch)

And, in case you wanted to know how Izzy would do jumping jacks at age 2:

(click to watch)

It’s so funny to watch these videos now, as it’s been over a year and the developmental differences are amazing. She was so little then!

At any rate, while she was doing a headstand on her surfboard, Chip and Dale finally joined the class. I had to get Izzy's attention and she was excited to see them :





I have one more video for this update. At the end, she excitedly points them out to me:

(click to watch)

Up next: Cuteness overload with Chip & Dale and that new little friend.

 

[alohamom]

Oh Dugette-she is so sweet! and what a fantastic activity, looks like you both enjoyed it!

 

[cindianne320]

All caught up! I really would like to go there while the kids are still little!

 

[SimplyGoofy]

What a fabulous day! So many of your pictures of the pool look AMAZING - what a fun place to hang out for the day! I'm glad Izzy got brave and played in the fountains!

In addition, what a great collection of character meets! It's too bad that you missed out on Minnie but I'm glad that Izzy took it in stride. The "surfing lesson" also looks really fun and it looks like Izzy was having a fabulous time!