Animals we have seen in Hawaii

Our list is growing, but here are the animals we have seen so far here in Hawaii.

Geckos, lots and lots of geckos. We have even held some baby ones, which was a dream come true for the kids!

Feral cats- in fact these cats look better than the house cat that lives next door. We have named him Mangie. He keeps us up at night with his cat's fights.

Wild goats on the side of the road eating grass in the lava fields.

A Humpback whale. He was putting on a show for us on shore with tremendous tail slapping!

Cockroaches. Enough said.

Lots of tropical fish while snorkeling. Puffer fish, yellow tangs, Nemo's, really anything from that movie we have seen and many more that we have no idea what they are.

Doves and many other birds that we don't know what they are, wake us up every morning, loudly, very loudly.

We had the chance yesterday at the Hilton hotel to hold some parrots. They were so sweet and the kids all had the chance to have Macaws sit on their head and hold a small green parrot like a baby.

There were also dolphins at the hotel. We watched mama and baby dolphins be trained and watched as visitors were able to swim with them as well. We passed on that adventure, $250 per person was a bit steep for us.

The highlight so far has been the sea turtles. At the Hilton there is a lagoon that you can snorkel in for free with sea turtles and tropical fish. It is so amazing. Paul got his high five and then also got a body check by another one. When they are all around you it is really intimidating, they are huge! Even little J Man went in today and swam with the turtles. B was happy enough to watch them from the paddle boat! Cici was a natural and lead the way. It will be one of my favorite memories from the trip, swimming holding my kid's hands following sea turtles as they glide below us.

We are hoping to see Manta Rays tonight.  They come close to shore near a hotel because the plankton that they eat are attracted by the lights of the hotel. Fingers crossed we can see these amazing creatures.

It is hard to believe that we leave tomorrow, it has been a fantastic trip. Lots of amazing memories made, we are pinker and saltier. Look forward to sharing more of our adventures with pictures when we arrive home. Till then...