Pearl Harbor and the USS Bowfin

Pearl Harbor is an incredible place to visit. This was my second time visiting it and it was just as amazing as the first time. While we were waiting to go in I told Janelle that this was a very special place where a big battle had happened and a lot of people died when they sunk some ships. Her birthday is Pearl Harbor day, so I mentioned that this battle took place on her birthday a long long time ago, and she goes, "So a lot of people died on my birthday?" I wish I could have captured the incredulous look on her face, I was trying so hard not to laugh.

It's a very solemn ride over to the memorial as the sunken USS Arizona comes into view. You could see the wheels turning in Janelle's head as we entered the memorial and she saw the ship underneath us in the water.

While Janelle was a perfect angel at Pearl Harbor, Spencer was a complete monster. He was surprisingly well-behaved while we were watching the movie and on the boat ride over, but once we got to the memorial he lost it. I looked at my cell phone to check the time, and sure enough, it was nap time. Just fabulous as everyone else is observing the reverence and solemnity of such a tragic event and sneaking glances at my obtrusive 18-month-old. I really didn't blame them. He really was not a good boy.

Can you see the tears streaming? And this is what happened exactly 1 minute after we got in the car to head back to our hotel:

When we got to Pearl Harbor the wait was already 2 hours long. So we got our tickets and then split up. All the girls plus Spencer headed to the Hawaiian swap meet (kind of like trade days - where I found all sorts of really cheap souvenirs) and the boys took a tour of the USS Bowfin Submarine. Kyle had our camera, so pictures of the submarine it was.