Maui Day 6

We were determined to find a better snorkeling area, and after asking around, we decided to try Ulua Beach.  Several people said it was a good beach for kids.  It's located in a very nice area in Wailea, and it was hard to find since there was construction happening nearby.  However, it was a wonderful beach!  Even in the shallow waters, you could see fish that would swim around our ankles.  This certainly motivated Jeremy to use his snorkel gear.  It was exciting to explore and find fish.  There were also some fantastic tide pools in which we found all kinds of sea life.  Jason swam out further and was able to see a turtle up close.  After spending a good amount of time snorkeling, the kids played in the sand while the rest of us relaxed on the beach.  What a great time!

Maui Day 5

Along Maui's eastern coastline is the "Road to Hana," described by many as the last remaining unspoiled Hawaiian paradise.  Much of its 60 miles is one-lane and includes over 500 hairpin turns (I'm not exaggerating!).  Along the way, those who travel it are able to take in beautiful waterfalls, radiant pools, and lush rainforests.  It is certainly a road less traveled!  Well, since I easily get carsick, despite the amazing descriptions, this did not appeal to me at all.  Luckily for me, there were several other factors that led the family to decide just to stop off at the first waterfall.  It was a lovely hike to get to Twin Falls.  We were definitely in a rainforest because it would sprinkle every so often, and the trail was very muddy in some places.  From the end of the trail, we had to wade in through the creek to actually get to the falls.  I volunteered to stay behind and watch all of our stuff.

On our way back, we stopped off at a swimming hole along the trail.  There was a cliff that was perfect for jumping off of, so of course everyone wanted to do that.   

After we left the Twin Falls, we decided to try going just a little further on the Hana Highway to see if we could find a scenic place to stop for lunch.  Six windy miles later, we stopped off at Huelo Lookout and decided that'd be as far as we'd go.  Here, we got some fresh smoothies and ate lunch before turning back.

 

Maui Day 4

I think this day was one of the trip's highlights.  Jason, Jen, her kids, and Grace signed up for surfing lessons. 

While the instructor, Carlos, was teaching the group on the lawn, I couldn't help but notice how unfocused and distracted Grace was.  I thought to myself, "This is probably going to be a complete waste of money for her."  Well, wouldn't you know it- when everyone paddled out and actually started giving it a try, who was the first one up?  Grace.  I guess she was listening after all!

Amazingly, in the two hours that our group was out there, Grace only fell a few times.  Most times, she would ride the wave and then paddle back.  She definitely impressed all of us- even her instructor was impressed and said she was a natural!

Look at these two pictures- she and Jason were side by side, and even when they came across people who were in the way, Jason fell off while Grace kept going.

 Further into their time, they got comfortable enough that they started adding variations, like switching feet while on the board, and Jason and Grace even tried surfing on the same board together.  Fun!  It's too bad that we don't live on the coast, or Grace would definitely be surfing on a regular basis. She's our little surfer girl!

Later in the day, we got ready to go to Lahaina.  We shopped, walked around, and visited the big banyan tree in Old Lahaina. 

We were actually in Lahaina to go to the Old Lahaina Luau.

Overall, it was a fun night- the only thing that would've made the show even better was if they had fire dancers. 

Day 4 was certainly packed!

Maui Day 2 & 3

Day 2 started off with us visiting one of the farmer's markets to get our produce for the week.  Afterwards, Jen, Jason, and their mom went looking for a place to buy fresh fish.  The rest of us went back to the house and hung out there.  When the others returned, they went to rent snorkel gear.  One thing we've learned about this particular area in  Maui is that everyday between 3-5ish, the winds really pick up.  It's to the point where if you sit on the beach, you'll end up with sand blown into your hair and face, and it'll stick there, requiring much effort to wash it all off.  Knowing this, for every afternoon, this pretty much became our relaxing time. 

Day 3, we woke up bright and early to make the most of our day.  First up was snorkeling.  We heard from others that the southeastern coast of Maui was great for snorkeling.  The first area we went to was Ahihi Keanau Reserve.  It turned out to be a really rocky area with no beach.  The water was slightly cooler here as well.  We got to see some fish, but not a whole lot.  After a while, the kids wanted to leave, so we went exploring along the coast.

We ended up at south Maui's longest beach, Makena Beach (aka Big Beach).  The waves that day were perfect for body surfing, so that's what we did.

 

We stopped off at Horhito's Shrimp Taco truck for lunch, pretty much one of the few meals we ate out.  Our favorites were the shrimp tacos and the fish tacos.  Our family got to spend a little bit of time on our own.  We checked out a tourist stand and got to have our first shave ice of the trip.  YUM!

We spent the rest of the afternoon just lounging around at the beach house.

Maui Day 1

Jason's mom has been talking for a few years about how she wanted our entire family to vacation together.  Her family did that when Jason was younger and they still talk about it.  She decided to take all of us to Maui for a week!

We flew from San Jose to Kahului Airport in Maui.  The kids did great on the 5 hour flight.  As soon as we arrived, Jason, his sister Jen, went shopping at Costco for our meals for the week, and the rest of us drove to the vacation home in Kihei.  Jason's mom rented a waterfront beach house that fit all 11 of us.  It was beautiful and centrally located to everything.

From the house, there was a lawn leading to our own semi-private beach.  There was no public access, so pretty much, the only people we saw along here all week were ones staying at neighboring homes/condos.

The first day there, we truly didn't do a whole lot.  While Jen and Jason shopped, we explored the home, checked out the koi pond, the kids swam in the pool, and then we headed to the beach where we spent quite a few hours.  It was an easygoing, relaxing day!

Just a few hundred yards down the beach, there was this rock landing that we ended up visiting every night we were there.  For whatever reason, turtles swam right up to these rocks and the shallower surrounding areas.  We would see turtles pop their heads up every few minutes.  It was so exciting to spot them!

Happy

Happy to have such an amazing partner in Jason, the best daddy I could've ever hoped our kids would have.  Happy Father's Day, Babe!

Happy to see my friend, Jessica, who visited from Colorado a few weeks ago... Last time I saw her was 2

 years ago. (pic missing Jamie)

 

 Happy to spend time with my TAH "friends-for-life."  We went to Japanese Kitchen to celebrate mine and Lisa's birthdays (pic missing Mike).

Happy to have birthday lunch with my dear friend, Amy.

  

Happy that I felt special on my actual birthday, thanks to the Pozzi family and the wishes/thoughts from my wonderful family and friends.

Happy that even though this is the 2nd year in a row that we traveled on my birthday, that this is where we were headed for a week...