{"id":282201,"date":"2007-02-08T08:25:00","date_gmt":"2007-02-08T16:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/2007\/02\/08\/maui-family-fun-2007\/"},"modified":"2016-11-19T19:33:48","modified_gmt":"2016-11-19T19:33:48","slug":"maui-family-fun-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/2007\/02\/08\/maui-family-fun-2007\/","title":{"rendered":"Maui Family Fun 2007"},"content":{"rendered":"

We are home!\u00a0 What a wonderful time!\u00a0 I am a bit sleep deprived as I try to adjust to the time change, but my tan has not faded yet, so I can still look rested while yawning. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

We flew into Honolulu this year to visit my aunt and uncle.\u00a0 They own a gorgeous condo in Ko’olinda.\u00a0 We spent four days with them.\u00a0 It is incredible how fast four days fly by!\u00a0 The beaches at Ko’olinda are (mostly) man made and are sandy, with no surf.\u00a0 It was a perfect environment to play with the boys.\u00a0 On the last night, we went to Roy’s restaurant and were not seated until 8:00pm.\u00a0 The boys were not adjusted to Hawaii time and were too tired to eat.\u00a0 I said they could rest behind my chair.\u00a0 Our server saw us and made a little bed for them.\u00a0 They crashed and we enjoyed a terrific, leisurely dinner with dessert!<\/p>\n

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While on Oahu, we went to the Dole Pineapple Plantation<\/a>.\u00a0 The boys enjoyed ‘dole whip’, and although we did not try to navigate their maze, we did a fair job of navigating their huge store.<\/p>\n

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We went to a great Mexican restaurant for lunch.\u00a0 Everything was open air and a rooster kept walking in.\u00a0 We joked that he’d better be careful or he might become someone’s lunch!<\/p>\n

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After lunch, we headed to the ‘North Shore’ (where all the major surfing is) and the boys discovered Hawaiian shaved ice.\u00a0 Can I just say this?….\u00a0 Blue hawaiian ice makes the most bizarre color of, well, how shall I put this…now, everythime I change ‘R’s diaper, he asks what color his poop is…<\/p>\n

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Here is a great family shot with my aunt and uncle.<\/p>\n

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The view from their lanai.\u00a0 I know, you can pity them…<\/p>\n

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Our time was up on Oahu, so we flew on to Maui and checked into our timeshare at the Westin Kaanapali Villas.<\/a>\u00a0 It is humpback whale season and our room had a perfect view of the water.\u00a0 We were able to see whales daily.\u00a0 I was unable to get any good breeching shots, but here is a fin…<\/p>\n

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Every night at 5:30, the property has a ‘keiki’ (children) hula show.\u00a0 The boys loved to ‘hula’ on our deck along with them.<\/p>\n

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A view of the pool from our deck…<\/p>\n

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Although we had a ton of family time together, DH and I would take turns taking care of the boys so the other would have some ‘down time’.\u00a0 I took the boys on an “adventure” and did not tell them what we were doing.\u00a0 We went to the lobby where ‘Miss Ady’ did henna tattoos.\u00a0 The boys each got a ‘honu’ (turtle) on their hands.\u00a0 I got an anklet of plumerias.<\/p>\n

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Then, I took them to the game room.\u00a0 If you ever want to become your child’s hero, take them to the game room!\u00a0 I did not even have to put quarters in the games!\u00a0 They could have done this all day.<\/p>\n

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Some friends of ours stayed at their timeshare the same week we did.\u00a0 We exchanged babysitting so each couple got a ‘date night’.\u00a0 We also spent an afternoon at their property, Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club,<\/a>\u00a0because their pool has a pirate ship for the kids!<\/p>\n

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After a week, we moved to another property, Outrigger’s Napili Shores<\/a>.\u00a0 We love going to this property as much as the Westin.\u00a0 They are very different from each other.\u00a0 The Westin is a big resort and has all the benefits of a big resort.\u00a0 Napili Shores is very low key and charming.\u00a0 There are only two floors and the condos are broken up into about 10 buildings that surround two pools, a grassy courtyard, and koi pond.\u00a0 This is where we spent the rest of our trip (12 days).<\/p>\n

Did we homeschool?\u00a0 Well, about 4 days of the whole trip we did.\u00a0 Here is a picture of us learning about some of the local marine life.<\/p>\n

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We learned that hermit crabs take empty snail shells and make them their homes.\u00a0 When they grow out of one, they move into another.\u00a0 For extra protection, they will take sea anenomes and place them on their shells.\u00a0 They will also move the anenomes from one shell to another!\u00a0 We learned about camouflage and that there are two reasons to camouflage: 1) to hide from a predator, and 2) to lure prey and be the predator.<\/p>\n

Napili Shores has a bunch of plumeria trees (my favorite) and a few resident geckos (love them!)<\/p>\n

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It wasn’t all perfect weather.\u00a0 We had a cold snap of high winds and rain.\u00a0 The fleece came in handy.<\/p>\n

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We drove upcountry.\u00a0 Here is a view from Kula looking over to Kahului.\u00a0 Upcountry Maui is one of my favorite places to be.\u00a0 It is mostly farmland and country roads.<\/p>\n

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The boys with their ‘telescopes’:<\/p>\n

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On a whim, we decided to drive up to the Haleakala crater.\u00a0 We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into!\u00a0 It was beautiful going up and we drove through a lavender farm and eucalyptus grove.\u00a0 Can you imagine the aromatherapy we received?!\u00a0 At the park, we saw a pheasant cross the road, but no ‘nenes’, Hawaii’s national goose and protected at the park.<\/p>\n

We made it to the summit, but the crater was closed to due high winds.\u00a0 High winds?\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 By the time we reached the summit, the winds were about 40mph and icy rain was pouring down.\u00a0 We were all in shorts and tanks or T-Shirts.\u00a0 We were going to just stay in the car and leave, but a sense of family adventure overcame our sense of self-preservation, and we decided to run the 200 yards to get to the door of the Visitor’s Center.\u00a0\u00a0 The only thing I can relate it to is white water rafting.\u00a0 That is exactly how I felt.\u00a0 Because we were so high, (And, admittedly, out of shape), I was light headed\u00a0when we made it to the door. \u00a0Here is the fruit of our labor:<\/p>\n

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Was it worth it? Absolutely.<\/p>\n

Here is what we looked like when we made it back to the car.\u00a0 The boys were total troopers (we carried them).<\/p>\n

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Here is another rainbow shot while driving back down…<\/p>\n

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My BIL’s girlfriend, ‘S’, and her family live on Maui.\u00a0 She was so sweet to show us around South Maui, an area we had not spent any time on our previous visits.\u00a0 I am sad to say that I did not take any pictures of her or any of the places she took us to.\u00a0 I wasn’t thinking.<\/p>\n

She took us to a fish market called Eskimo Candy<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 This place is delicious! \u00a0We ordered lunch and ate it at Kamaole Beach 1.\u00a0 ‘R’ ran from a wave, lost his balance, and smacked a rock, causing a nice little gash on his chin.<\/p>\n

She also took us to Surfing Goat Dairy<\/a>.\u00a0 We went on a fantastic tour.\u00a0 We got to pet the goats and feed them.\u00a0 We also got to sample some of the cheeses and fell in love.\u00a0 It is my goal to try every cheese they make before I die…<\/p>\n

We went to Big Beach in Makena and saw where my BIL lived for the first three months he lived on Maui, (literally, ON the beach, next to an old war pillbox bunker).\u00a0 This is one of the most gorgeous beaches I have ever seen.\u00a0 I am so glad we got to see it.\u00a0 (The beach next to it is a ‘no clothing’ beach.\u00a0 I have a friend who told me about the time she and her family discovered it while hiking over the rocks.\u00a0 She still giggles after telling the story years later.)<\/p>\n

‘S’ works for the Fairmont Kea Lani<\/a>.\u00a0 She took us on a tour of the grounds.\u00a0 This property is stunning.\u00a0 A true upscale jewel.\u00a0 While we were walking back to our cars, I realized that DH and the boys were not behind us.\u00a0 Looking back, I see DH talking to someone.\u00a0 So we go to join them and I am a bit stunned to realize that he is talking to Lincoln Brewster<\/a>!\u00a0 DH is a huge<\/strong> fan of his and our family has been blessed by his music in so many ways.\u00a0 So, as he is talking to him, I am trying to make conversation with his wife and not sound stupid.\u00a0 They were very kind and gracious.\u00a0 It was pretty surreal.<\/p>\n

We drove from the Kea Lani to La Perouse, an area that is all lava fields.\u00a0 As we drove through it, we felt like we were on the moon.\u00a0 The boys kept asking if we were on a volcano.<\/p>\n

‘S’ made an amazing dinner for us that night, with Mahi Mahi from Eskimo Candy.\u00a0 It was the best fish I had while on the island.\u00a0 The way she prepared it was delectable.\u00a0 We had a terrific meeting with her, her mom and dad, brother and sister.\u00a0 Oh, I wish I took pictures!!<\/p>\n

OK, back to Napili Shores…. This property is mostly owned by ‘snowbirds’, so we see many of the same people every year.\u00a0 Each year, we get to know someone a littler better and have really established a strong sense of ‘transient community’ with them.\u00a0 Here is one of our friends, Mary Cay.\u00a0 She and her husband visit every year from Minnesota.\u00a0 We had them to dinner on our last night, along with my other aunt and uncle, who stay at a different property within walking distance to ours.<\/p>\n

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Here are the boys with Miss Vicki.\u00a0 Please note the stuffed cheeks full of candy that Miss Vicki plies them with every time they see her.<\/p>\n

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Napili Bay…This is a view from “our” tidepools, looking at Napili Sunset, where my aunt and uncle stay.<\/p>\n

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Playing in the tidepools…<\/p>\n

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The day we had to leave, I really wanted to visit the town of Paia, my favorite town of all.\u00a0 On Mary Cay’s recommendation, we went to the Paia Fish Market<\/a>\u00a0and enjoyed a delicious lunch before heading for the airport.<\/p>\n

Well, I think I pretty much covered it all.\u00a0 Oh yes, we did meet up with a real estate agent and have found a condo community, Villas at Kenolio<\/a>, that we would like to buy into at some point.\u00a0 We are working hard at getting our finances in order to be able to buy something within the next few years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are home!\u00a0 What a wonderful time!\u00a0 I am a bit sleep deprived as I try to adjust to the time change, but my tan has not faded yet, so I can still look rested while yawning. \ud83d\ude42 We flew into Honolulu this year to visit my aunt and uncle.\u00a0 They own a gorgeous condo […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-282201","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-fun"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282201","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=282201"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282201\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":792216,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/282201\/revisions\/792216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=282201"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=282201"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.centerdeep2.com\/riverbendprep\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=282201"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}