Oahu Newborn and Family Photographer Hawaii | Little Bird Photography » A modern, fun approach to family photography in Hawaii.

Little Bird on Big Island | Hawaii family activities

So excited to travel to Big Island for a change of pace, change of scenery and a bit of exploration. We’ve made many trips there in the past decade and usually get a little carried away trying to pack it all in – a 14-mile hike in the park followed by a drive to the other side of the island for a bit of snorkeling? Sure, that sounds sane! This time we were going ultra mellow and revisiting some of our favorite kid-friendly hikes and beaches.

We spent 4 days in Pahoa with a chorus of coqui frogs (how long until they destroy Oahu?) and roosters and then 4 days in Kona. We rented a mini van and felt super cool. Hele on!

Micah has been begging to fly for the past year, but as soon as we get in our seats he discovers the flight safety card. He studies the images of people evacuating planes nervously and when he discovers there’s a life vest under the seat, it’s too much. He no longer loves flying and was relieved to be back on the ground.

big island family travel

Up in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Mila experiences “cold” for the first time. She’s not a fan.

hawaii volcanoes national park family activities

There are so many great, kid-friendly hikes in the park like this short one from the visitor’s center (or even shorter, from steaming bluffs) to the sulphur bank.

hawaii volcano national park

We always make the short loop at Thurston lava tube. It’s worth it for the birdsong alone.

family hikes hawaii volcanoes national parkhawaii family photographer

The Napau Crater trail hike to Puu huluhulu is a perfect for families and not very crowded. You get to adventure over the pahoehoe lava flows and end with a view atop the forested puu.

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We went to the Kalapana viewing area at the end of the road in Pahoa to see if there was any volcanic activity. I never knew there were so many houses out there. Sitting in a sea of pahoehoe with a view of active flows. Not sure that I would sleep well at night …

hawaii family lava viewing

When we got tired of hiking, we headed the Kapoho tide pools in Pahoa and the nearby hot springs at Alahanui park.

oahu family photography

We discovered the best candy store (Sugar Coast Candy) in Hilo right next to Cafe Pesto, our favorite stop for fancy lunch.

hilo candy store kids activities

 

Follow this Hawaii family photographer next week as we explore the Kona Coast!

Fun things to do in oahu with kids

I’m on vacation this week, but there’s lot of good stuff in the Keiki Monday archives. Head on over for some fresh ideas for keiki beaches, family hikes and random fun things to do in Oahu with kids!

Some of our favorites activities on Oahu from the past year -

  1. Best family hikes on Oahu :: Judd trail in Nuuanu Valley ( a diverse 1-mile loop complete with waterfall and swimming hole!)
  2. Best keiki beaches on Oahu :: Baby Makapuu (protected, shallow swimming, baby surf in a gorgeous background)
  3. Best free activities for kids on Oahu :: Hoomaluhia Botanical Garden (so good it has two posts here and here)

 

oahu family photographer

My girl

An afternoon at home with my girl.

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A lazy Sunday at Kakaako Beach Park | Oahu Family Photographer

Can I tell you a secret? or rather, an embarrassing little tidbit. I drove the 40 minutes out to Kakaako Beach Park for a photography session with Crystal and her family. They live downtown and Kakaako is pretty much their backyard. They often take their dog, the ebullient Mr. Waffles, and cruise around the park on a lazy Sunday, so we thought it would be the perfect location for photos. I drove up  fully caffeinated and excited to take some photos, went to grab the camera, and it wasn’t there. A desperate call home confirmed that it was sitting right by the door. That’s right, I went to take photos without my camera. I’m not sure why i’m sharing this with you except to impress you with my sheer genius. You only do something that stupid once, right? Crystal said it rained all morning anyway, but I think she was trying to make me feel better.

On our second attempt we were greeted with a rainbow. Now that’s more like it. We had a fun morning playing peek-a-boo, scaling stairs and playing in the grass. There was a tense moment when two chihuahuas in pink, bedazzled hoodies (I kid you not) tried to pick a fight with Mr. Waffles, but they were dragged away.

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I had to post the whole series. Too cute!

Want a photo session at your family’s favorite spot? Contact me and we can start to plan it! (I promise I won’t forget my camera)

 

9 tips for happy travelling with toddlers | Oahu family activities

We’re heading to Big Island this week, which I am so excited about. It’s been almost 2 years since I’ve left the island and I have some serious rock fever. It’s just a slightly bigger rock, but it’ll to do for now. Since so many of you travel, I thought I would make this Keiki Monday about keeping everyone sane and happy while traveling.

traveling with toddlers

Although our flight isn’t particularly long, we will want to go out to dinner and keep them distracted in the hotel room, so they don’t destroy it. Micah is a bit of a seasoned traveler, so I put together a list of some of our more successful ideas.

1.  Get sticky. I’m a huge fan of sticker activity books like “My big book of stickers”. Older kids can do the activities, while younger ones can just play with the stickers. You can find them at Ross occasionally or online. The books are a little big though, so for short trips you can find a variety of mini sticker books at Ben Franklin or online.  For the under one crowd, you don’t even need stickers. Painter’s tape does the trick!

2.  Get personal. I’ve always had good success with our photo key ring. I mentioned it in an earlier post here.

3.  Made by Joel. If you’re not familiar with Made by Joel, you should definitely check out his website. He’s a stay-at-home-dad genius and his website is full of fun toys and art projects for you to make with your kids. His mini city is particularly awesome for traveling.

4.  Get Artsy. Mila has loved to color since she was 11 months old. I mean loves, loves, loves to color. I’ve been told it’s a girl thing. In any case, I had to make a travel art kit like this for Mila.  Mine has the essentials, it’s just not so pretty since I tried to get fancy with a bit of mod podge. By the way, I found the smencils at Fisher’s, but I couldn’t quite stomach the $13 bill; even though they are ridiculously cool.

5.  Play that funky music. Both of our kids love music, so a solid playlist packed with Elizabeth Mitchell, Dan Zanes, Raffi and friends is essential. Audiobooks are even better. Micah started to listen to them when he was about 2.5. He would be captivated and want to listen to them again and again. If you don’t want hand over your precious iPhone, check out the Sweetpea mp3 player. We got one for Micah’s third birthday and it was worth every peace-loving penny.

6.  Playsilks Playsilks are magical. They weigh nothing, pack into tiny places and transform your kids into superheroes. Any activity is infinitely more interesting if you’re a superhero. Works for peek-a-boo if you’re in a pinch too.

7.  Light up my life. Tiny flashlights work great with the playsilks. Also great if you want to make a fort with your hotel sheets. We received these minis at a recent birthday party and they’re perfect! I’ve seen them at Pier One too.

8.  Tiny animals. A Toob is a tube of tiny animals or people. We bought an animal Toob for Micah for a flight to New Zealand 2 years ago and he still loves to play with them. You can make different “habitats” wherever you are. They have a bunch of different themes so there’s something for everyone. I’ve seen them at Ross and in the pet store at windward mall.

9.  Get technical. If you happen to have an iPad, there are a couple of fun books that our kids love (most are for the 2+ crowd) :

  • Bartleby’s Book of Buttons
  • Sandra Boynton – all her books are great!
  • The 3 little pigs (Nosy Crow)
  • Monster at the end of this book
  • PopOut! The tale of Peter Rabbit

hawaii flying with kids

 

Happy Travels!