Fiji!

The Kirkham family will be spending Christmas in Perth this year (and Aunt Amanda is coming!!) so Matt and I spent a while deciding what we'd like to do with the vacation time saved from not making a trip around the world in December. We both had several great ideas and finally settled on Fiji...didn't take too much convincing on either of our parts because who wouldn't love to go to Fiji? But instead of going around Christmas we picked October so that Matt could take advantage of the surf swells before they get smaller during the summer.

Last Saturday we packed up the family, four suitcases, and two surfboards and hit the road. No stroller, no pack and play, no carseats! It was a 4-hour flight to Brisbane and 4-hour layover with two VERY excited boys.

After a 3 1/2-hour overnight flight to Nadi, Fiji, two sleepy boys checked out the tropical air and early sunrise. Look at the bedhead on this one!

The resort's driver picked us up for the 2-hour trip down the coast and the little guys crashed again. The nice part of the overnight flight was that it got us over the jetlag of the 5-hour time difference almost immediately.

I booked a small "boutique surf resort" called Matanivusi and it was a dream come true....exactly what we wanted and just as advertised. It was a sight for sore eyes when we pulled up.

We settled into our room, got a much-needed shower and nap, then enjoyed our lunch by the pool.

It's a small, all-inclusive resort with set meals each day, so I was a bit worried about how the kids would like the food, but the chef was terrific and whipped up their favorites each day. He even grilled Ben's PB&J and that little guy ate more than I've ever seen.

They LOVED the pool and even though it was small, it was perfect for them because half of it was shallow enough for them to play. The hot tub wasn't hot while we were there but it was still a great place to play. Ben and Alex were the only kids while we were there so they had all the water to themselves.

The beach out front was a combination of sand and rocks and endless fun for little hands to explore.

The bungalows (called bures in Fiji) are tucked right into all the trees at the edge of the lagoon. The big waves break farther out along a huge coral reef that borders the coast.

There were tons of little hermit crabs at the beach so we were always entertained, even waiting for Daddy to come home from surfing.

Our first sunset was beautiful.

Part of the reason we picked this place in particular over a bigger resort was because it caters to surfers and has several surf breaks nearby. In Fiji, the fishing waters (and the surf breaks within them) are still considered property of the village they border, so all the big waves in view were basically private to the resort because it's on land leased from a nearby village. Matt had a great time surfing with some of the other guys and they all got spoiled having boats and guides at their disposal.

Another lunch by the pool with happy guys. Just a minute later, Alex was nodding off with food in his mouth...the jetlag got him!

Silly Ben hiding from the camera.

The boardwalk to the bures went through some beautiful jungle. We were fortunate to be in #2 because we could run back and forth all the time to get stuff from the room and also because it was within the range of the baby monitor so we could leave when the kids were asleep.

A look at the common guest area where we had all our meals, played games, and relaxed.

Our porch was just steps away from the beach and since we slept with the windows open we could listen to the waves at night.

A bit cramped with the extra beds for the kids but definitely comfortable. It was the first time we all slept well in the same room together, probably because Alex is no longer rolling around in a portable crib.

The bathroom was cool because with all the windows it felt like we were showering out in the jungle, but without really having to rough it. Alex HATES showers, though, and several people asked if we were abusing him because they could hear him screaming.

Maybe I wouldn't be such a stickler for bathing but after days like this, there is no way to send this kid to bed without lots of soap and water. Ben kept referring to this "ice cream disaster" for days and was horrified that Alex got it all the way down to his feet.

No worries for this guy! He just licked it off his arms and enjoyed every last drop.

Alex was checking out the daily catch. We enjoyed this little guy for dinner the next night. The food was terrific and usually included something freshly plucked from the ocean.

We talked Lesi, the only guy on the staff brave enough to climb the palms, into getting us some fresh coconuts. You can barely see his arms and legs at the top of the middle tree.

Yum!

Sweet, smiling faces first thing in the morning.

Both boys were excited that they could have their favorite foods for breakfast, not like at home where I cook one or the other and make them both eat it.

Another beautiful day with some big waves crashing in the distance.

There was more sightseeing to be had on our own porch! Somehow the naked jaybirds ended up outside yelling "Bula!" (hello) to all the workers carrying construction supplies to a new bure at the other end of the resort. They must have made 10 trips past our porch and the game never got old.

Who cares if it's a foot bath? It was the perfect size for Alex.

We did so much more than hang out at the pool and the beach. I'll have to pace myself this week because we have lots of pictures to share from our wonderful trip. Stay tuned!