Resort Day

One of the days in Maui we spent the day doing activities that were at the Resort.

Each of the kids selected activities and classes that they were interested in. Danny wanted to do the "Adopt a Cuddly One" class most of all. So first thing in the morning we went to see what it was all about. It turned out to be a Build-A-Bear type activity. He named his new buddy Churro.

Next, the rest of the family came down to the lobby for the Koi Fish Feeding Frenzy. It turned out that we went to the wrong side of the resort and missed them handing out the food. So we just put our hand toward the water, as if we had food, and the Koi all came swarming.

Our next Resort Day activity was the magic show. The kids enjoyed many of the tricks, including the magician holding a half full cup of water upside down, without the water falling out.

Ryan got chosen as an assistant along with this other Resort guest (who's name happened to be Anna, the name of Ryan's kindergarten girlfriend back home). The magician ended up linking them by the pinkies with a sort of mini handcuff...or I guess, pinkie-cuff in this situation. :)

Once Ryan and Lydia saw Danny's Cuddly One, they insisted that they have one, too. We knew that we were going to by one nice souvenir for each of the kids, so they each agreed that a new stuffed animal made in Maui, would be their choice.

Putting on the clothes. Ryan chose a black bear with an Astronaut suit. Lydia chose a pink unicorn with a fairy outfit.

Lydia and Ryan sitting just outside the lobby. I've always loved the view from this lobby.

After the morning activities we spent some time at the pool. Popsicles...

and lounging in the shade. Nice glasses Danny!

All of the kids had expressed interest in doing the Hula Lessons later in the afternoon. As it turned out the only one willing to try it with Kayla was Nathan.

One of the reasons we brought our niece, Kayla, along with us was so that Mike and I could enjoy a couple of evenings out. After our Resort Day we hooked the kids up with dinner in the condo and headed out to Whaler's Village. This is the view from our table at Lelani's. The sunsets are amazing.

Pool Day

I adore pool days. I get to RELAX and watch the kids play while sipping on a cold drink and reading a book. Sometimes it feels so good to do nothing.

All of the kids and Kayla tried their skills at Snorkeling in the pool. Best to practice there before heading to the ocean.

Aren't kiddie pools the best? Ryan and Lydia played for hours with their water toys and water guns. With the foot of my lounge chair sitting right on the edge of the pool, I did not have to worry about them one bit.

Though not quite ready to master snorkeling, Ryan had to give the gear a try.

Blue eyed Hawaiian Princess.

Blue Eyed Hawaiian Princess in flippers way to big for her! :)

Playing all together.

Yes, I had them pause for this group shot. Say "Cheese!".

I'm sure you don't need a log of everywhere we ate, but I couldn't resist showing you this photo. That night we ate at a yummy Vietnamese Place in the Lahaina Cannery Mall. We got to see another Hula Show while we enjoyed dinner. Ryan refused to use a fork and chose instead to quickly hone some serious chopstick skills.

Maui Night Life

I think that these pictures are pretty funny because you can tell everyone is so exhausted. We packed a lot into those first couple of days and the jet lag can really get to you.

After a busy day of hiking we went back to the hotel to regroup. Once showered and ready for a night out, we hit one of our favorite restaurants: The Hula Grill.

It is one of our favorites because they have an area where all of the tables are in the sand. They always have live Hawaiian Music. Once they light the tiki torches, it is just magical.

Hula Grill also has one of the best Lava Flows that we have found. As a special treat for our first night, we bought each of the kids their very own. Delicious!

We had been talking to the kids for a long time about taking them to the Hula Grill. It is always a stop we make while on Maui. Lydia was confused the whole time we were there saying, "I thought we were going to the Hula Girls. Where are the Hula Girls?" We were sad to tell her that there weren't any Hula Girls at the Hula Grill, but that we would for sure see some before the trip was over.

But then, just as we were getting ready to pack up a Hula Girl came to perform with the Ukulele player. Lydia was mesmerized.

And to top off the evening for Lydia, after dinner we found an entire Hula show was going on in the courtyard of the Whaler's Village Mall.

Totally Star Struck.

Hawaii Pics

A couple of days after school got out we took our kids, plus our niece Kayla, to the island of Maui. There were hundreds of pictures taken. Hopefully, over the next couple of posts I will be able to share some of our favorites.

The first day there we got up early and went to breakfast at our favorite spot: "The Gazebo" in Napili. After that we headed to the other side of the island for some hiking. Here are the kids at the Iao Needle. Quite the animated face Nathan! ;)

A lot of hiking in Maui is over slippery boulders and down riverbeds. Hold on tight!

Once we made it downstream a bit we came to the location we desired. We rested there and soaked in the beauty.

Others were brave enough to get in the waterfall.

Here are Danny and Kayla getting quite refreshed from the heat.

After hiking we headed into Lahaina for some Shave Ice. Can't beat it! They put a scoop of ice cream on the bottom and pour cream over the top.

We ate and hung out in the shade of Banyan Tree Park. It is quite an amazing thing to see. These are some of the details I found on the Internet: This Banyan Tree was first planted in April, 1873, and marked the 50th Anniversary of Christian missionary work in Lahaina. The tree was imported from India was only 8 feet tall. It now stands over 60 feet high, has 12 major trunks in addition to a huge core. It stretches over a 200-foot area and shades 2/3 of an acre.

Wow! What a busy day! Now on to some of the night life that we love so much in Maui.