PCC (Polynesian Cultural Center) Day 1

Last weekend, we finally made it to the PCC. We were actually thinking of not going at all. It is sooooo expensive (like everything in Hawaii), and we were worried the younger boys wouldn't like it, meaning everyone would be miserable, and it would be a HUGE waste of money.

Luckily, James' parents convinced us to go, and I'm so happy we did!

We all look so happy at the luau...except This:

Apparently he wasn't too impressed.
The rest of us were, though.

This is the kalua pig that has been roasting all day. Yum.

Delicious kalua pig.

Overall, the food was good. The pork, the teriyaki chicken, the chicken long rice (kind of like chicken noodle soup), the fresh fruit, the salad, and the awesome purple taro rolls were all delicious. Not delicious: marinated fish (bit into it, then spit it out), poi (not terrible tasting, but what's the point of eating it?)

After the luau, we headed over to the night show. It's a brand new show that's only been performed for a couple of weeks, and it was incredible. It's called "Ha-the breath of life", and follows a young man from birth into adulthood, marriage, and the birth of his own child. It talks about how precious and beautiful life is, and how the breath of life is passed down through the generations as we receive strength from our ancestors.

The fire dancing was our favorite.

Matthew and Justin especially loved this guy. The whole crowd was cheering loudly, and Matthew kept yelling "Wow!!" and "Oh my goodness!!" while clapping as hard as he could. Justin was also cheering and clapping with his whole body. He. Loved. It.

In fact, I was really impressed with the boys. The show would have been amazing anyways, but it was so much fun to watch the boys' reactions to everything. I was so worried going into it that I would have to spend the whole time outside with a grumpy Justin, but I was pleasantly surprised. Ethan slept through most of it, but woke up for the fire dancing at the end, and enjoyed it as much as everyone else. Matthew was way into it. He followed the whole story really well. In fact, during the intermission, he had to use the restroom, and he literally ran there, and all the way back because he didn't want to miss anything. Justin surprised me the most. I was hoping that he would just fall asleep at the beginning, but he didn't, and I'm so glad. He was sitting on the edge of my lap the entire time - cheering and clapping and thoroughly enjoying himself. I thought he would be bored, but he LOVED it.
After it was all over, Matthew said, "I thought it would be boring, but it wasn't. It was like a kid show, and it was AWESOME!"