Maui Family Trip 2018
We were so lucky that Brian's parents were able (and willing!) to watch George for us again this trip. Thank you SOOOO much! Its hard to have pets and to travel because you feel bad leaving them but honestly I think George likes his Grandma and Grandpa's house more than ours. He gets walks and treats and free range of everything. He even gets to sleep with two eyes shut without worry of the kids poking him or smothering him. He was in heaven for the 10 days. Thank you so so much Mom and Dad Reed for your willingness to watch george for us. We REALLY appreciate it!
We flew from Calgary to Vancouver with a 3 hour layover and then from Vancouver to Maui. The first flight was great! It went really fast and the kids kept busy with the little shows.
We were excited to see that their was an indoor playground at the Vancouver airport so the kids got to play and my parents got to relax and have a drink in the little bar right across from the park. Brian and i enjoyed the silence watching the kids play.
We got to Maui at 9:30 their time (12:30am Calgary time) we were beyond exhausted. That flight felt so long but the kids were amazing the entire time! We couldn't believe that the kids barely slept at all during the flight there. With the time difference, we were all awake at 4am the next morning ready to go! We were on the 3rd floor of the complex and the view was wonderful with the fresh ocean breeze in the morning was pure bliss. We stayed right in Keihi and although it was busier than what we typically go for, it was pretty central so we went with it!
The kids loved all the little lizards and massive snails that we saw everyday. Carter even was quick enough to catch one!
We started the day off at the pool in our complex. The kids LOVED this pool. We were in it at least once a day. On this particular morning, even a little frog jumped in to play. The boys loved it! Penny on the other hand.. was much happier to set it free.
While my parents took our rental van back towards the airport to pick up their rental vehicle we took the kids for a walk down to the beach just a couple blocks away.
It wasn't the best beach for swimming but it was fun to go for a walk in the warm weather.
We have friends who live down the street from us and Carter and their little boy Brady are good friends and it just so happened that they were in Maui the same time as us so we met up with the Hollands at Big Beach on Tuesday to enjoyed each others company and let the boys play.
This was the very first time for our kids playing in the ocean and I knew that they would love it but I didn't realize just how much! Carter fell in love with the waves and the ocean immediately! The water was warm and so inviting. These waves were huge and freaked me out with the undertow so i wasn't very relaxed and was acting like a "Hawk-Mom" but we had tons of fun!
After the beach the boys entire bodies were COVERED in sand. The real sticky sand that doesn't come off unless you rub it off. Their entire scalp was completely covered in sand and no matter how much washing it, we came home with sand in our hair. We stopped for some much needed Shave ice on the way home.
On Wednesday morning we were up really early again and ready to go! We left at 6am with my parents following behind us and we headed out to do the famous "Road to Hana" This is anything but a highway. "In a nut-shell the Road to Hana is crown-jewel of Hawaii driving tours. Lush rainforest, dramatic and rugged ocean vistas, countless waterfalls and pools." It has over 600 switchbacks. That's right, over 600 twists and turns on a road that should just be one way but is used in both directions 24/7. The locals FLY and honestly come an inch away from your Car side mirror on some of the turns. It's also in the car rental agreements that the road to Hana should not be driven in your rental car. It was CRAZY and no pictures will ever do justice. The father we went up it, the more miraculous it was!
Just after these pictures were taking, poor Bentley puked all over the rental van from being Car sick (not something he usually deals with but these roads were THAT crazy!). We got it all cleaned up and he said he wanted to keep going so we did. After a few hours, we finally got to the Pipiwai Trail. We were so happy it wasn't raining on this day in Hana (which is why we planned around the weather to do this particular hike) We started the hike. It was a muddy mess! Beautiful, but muddy! Half a mile up we made it to the grand Banyan Tree. It was remarkable how big it was!
From there, my Dad went back down to the car and my Mom, Brian, the kids and I kept going another half mile to the Bamboo forest. This part was INCREDIBLE!! The waterfalls and vegetation were beautiful. The jungle was so lush. Just stunning! When we reached the bamboo forest we were tired. That was a tough hike but the kids did AMAZING and the bamboo was amazing! It was HUMUNGOUS! So so tall and hearing them click together was a sound I hope to keep in my mind forever! It was so relaxing, such a cool experience.
We decided at this point to keep going. We were about half way to the top which was at the Makahiku Falls. We were such a muddy mess, all of us just covered, but it was worth the experience for sure!
We kept going. I was so impressed by the kids! Very little complaining and they were like little machines trying to reach the goal of the falls. They were pretty amazing the whole time!
We finally made it to the 200 foot falls with the "infinity pool" but unfortunately we weren't aloud to swim in the pool (probably because of all the rain that they had experienced) so we just took in the view before heading back down.
By the end of the hike, it was nearly 7km and the kids walked the entire thing! Once we got back to the car, my parents kept driving the same road we came in on but we decided to go back the way we came so we could go to Ho'okipa beach and see some turtles (Bentley's wish before we left was that he would see turtles at a beach). There was 10 turtles just lying on the beach relaxing when we got there and we got to watch a few more swim up as well before we left! We were in HEAVEN!
Of course Carter found some big waves to splash in and in time we all joined in!
I am in heaven at the beach. I truly am in love with the ocean.
We had "Maui's Brick Oven" for Pizza for dinner and OH.MY.YUM! We were pretty tired so after dinner we all went back and fell right to sleep.
Thursday was another really fun day. we had a quick dip in the pool and then we back back to Ho'okipa beach with my parents so they could see the turtles too and there were lots of turtles again! My Dad even snapped this perfect picture of the kids with one, thanks Dad!
The Waves weren't as grand in the morning so we headed out to Lahaina to play at Airport Beach. It was awesome! We played there for hours. Carter crashed into the waves, Bentley and Penny played in the sand, my Dad hung out on the beach chair relaxing and socking in some much needed Vitamine D from the sunshine and my mom and I swam in the ocean for at least an hour and Brian snorkelled. Unfortunately while Brian was in the waves he stepped on a large rock (maybe coral) and cut up his one foot pretty bad. It looked like he stepped on a cheese grater. It was bad but he toughed it out, wrapped his foot and toes in 10 bandaids and kept going the rest of the week without it slowing him down.
On the way back to Keihi, we stopped at Costco and the grocery store and picked up some stuff for a BBQ that night. This night was Carter's favourite he said. We had shrimp, caesar salad, hot dogs and chips and hung out by the pool for the evening. My parents bought the kids FIFTY glow sticks and we cracked them all and had a pool party until the pool closed at 9pm. It was so much fun for the kids. They loved every minute of it!
Friday morning we woke up early again and headed back to Lahaina to go on the Atlantis submarine tour! We were pretty excited and it was a cool experience to go into a submarine. We went down 127 feet. We read on the reviews that lots of people saw sharks and stingrays and but we only saw tons of fish, which, don't get me wrong.. was really cool but they had my hopes up. Either way, it was a cool thing to experience.
After the submarine tour, we walked down Front Street in Lahaina and went for lunch at Cool Cats and had their famous burger. It was so yummy, worth a stop! We continued walking a bit and ran into a man that was carving wood. Bentley was entranced because the man was carving a turtle (Bentley's current favourite animal). The man asked Bentley if he would like to learn how to do it. So he taught Bentley how to carve and Bentley made a little line across the turtle shell. Then the man pulled out a little turtle that was already carved and started carving Bentley's name on the back of it. He gave it to Bentley and said "Do you know how you're going to pay for this?" (fulling knowing Bentley had no money) Bentley shook his head "no" while shyly holding his turtle. The man told him "When you get a little older and you see someone who needs help, you will help them and that's how you will pay for your turtle". (*Insert crying mother here*). Bentley was so happy. We then asked if we could buy one for Carter and Penny too and if he could put their names on the back as well and he pulled out another turtle and Carter picked a slightly larger turtle for himself. He carved both their names on it and when Brian went to pay him, he refused our money. He said that he had 5 kids and his wife back on the mainland. We continued chatting for a bit and soon realized that he too is Mormon. He is a Stake president in Maui and works carving wood and goes to visit his family every other month. He chatted with Carter for a minute after realizing that Carter turns 8 later this year and can be baptized if he wants to be. It was a very heartfelt moment. We walked away in tears and feeling blessed by this generous man.
We had been watching the weather all week and Friday night was the only evening in Makena that wasn't going to be raining. We really wanted to do some fun family pictures at Makena Cove so we went back, got ready and we lucked out with a somewhat clear night. First I took some of my parents.
Then we set up the tripod and had my Mom push the button for us! Thanks Mom!
Then we snapped a few more. Man, I fall in love with these kids every single day. Despite their fighting, pushing or whining, I will love them inside out and more than they will ever comprehend!
I am thankful for my parents and how they jumped on the opportunity to join us in Maui. Exploring and making memories with them was so much fun.
And of course I am forever grateful for Brian and his hard work for making this family trip happen and for his incredible navigation skills... heaven knows we would still be lost on the island if I was the one navigating. lol Love you babe.
On Saturday my parents did their own exploring and so did we. We found a bird tour at the Hyatt hotel that was open to the public so we decided to go! Why not right?! There, we met Shrek...
Madison..
and R2-D2...
Each bird was so funny. R2-D2 sounded like a droid. He made lots of clicking and beeping sounds he was also really good at whistling. In fact, at one point I think he was hitting on me (*wink wink*).
Madison was really good at dancing and making all the feathers on her head spike right up. The kids liked her the best. Shrek was just really loud. Like screaming loud.. he needed more attention I think.
We also got to see some penguins which was really fun.
The grounds were just beautiful, with so many beautiful flowers and plants.
The kids got to feed the ducks too which they loved. They were also aloud to feed the swans but they were way more cranky. One snapped at Carter.. we laughed and said he was cranky like Carter (he was in a "mood" beforehand so the joke was fitting) Carter laughed too.
The Cranes were Penny's favourite birds. Probably because they were behind glass. She played with them and fed them under the glass and laughed when the guy told her that their names are "Mike" and "Spike".
When we saw the flamingoes, we all thought of my niece, Sawyer, who's Favourite animal is a flamingo and I wished I could take her there in that moment!
It was a great morning with these three cuties!
We ate lunch at Bubba Gump's Shrimp House (from the movie forest gump) and this quickly became the kids favourite place to eat since we got there. I will agree, it was delicious.
Driving back to Keihi from Lahaina, we stopped at this awesome beach just off the highway that was completely calm and perfect for snorkelling! The boys went out with Brian and I took Penny out snorkelling and she was SO EXCITED to see the fish! What an awesome memory! Our Go-Pro crapped out and wouldn't work so Im super dissapointed we don't have video of them snorkelling but the moment will be cherished either way.
We went back and played in the pool for an hour or two before headed out to dinner at "Fat Daddy's" with my parents. Penny was beyond exhausted so she went straight to bed but we stayed up a little later with the boys and watched a show and pigged out on some American only candy.
Sunday was a bit of a hit and miss day. We got up and went to church in Keihi. Bentley was so tired from the night before that he was so irritable at church and him and I ended up cuddling up on the couches outside of the chapel for most of the service but it was nice because we could still hear everything and at the church in Maui they just leave the doors to the outside opens so there was a nice ocean breeze on us while we sat there. It was a sweet quiet moment to have just with Bentley and apart of me was thankful that he was so cranky and needed to be excused.
Sunday was REALLY rainy and it seemed that no matter where we drove we were getting rained on. It rained everyday that we were there but for the most part we were able to drive around the island to find dry but on Sunday it seemed impossible. We originally planned on doing the Twin Falls hike that was so highly recommended to us but when we got there, the hike was completely closed because the waterfall pools were all overflowing and there were flash flood warnings out. They broke the news that it was would be closed until a later date after our trip. We were so disappointed but nothing we could do about it so we moved on!
At the same time, my parents were trying to do the pineapple plantation and Vodka plantation but they too were closed because of the rain. We drove around for nearly 3 hours to find a dry beach to play at and then finally said, never mind, if its going to rain, we are going to play at the beach in the rain! And so we did, poor Carter hated every minute of it.
We got back in the car and drove to Kamaole beach. The rain finally cleared up and we were able to enjoy the afternoon in the water and playing in the sand. I made each kiddo their "wish sand-animal" So Bentley and I made a turtle for him first. Cute Bentley even made his turtle a happy face!
Penny was excited to be a mermaid for a few minutes (and a cute mermaid at that!)
And Carter chose a stingray! Not surprising but his smile when it was done made me so happy!
Carter and I played in the sand for hours. He was making a city that we said looked like Jerusalem. He made over a dozen roads and tunnels!
Penny and Bentley played in the water with Brian.
Although the weather was windy and rainy, it still was beautiful.
Monday was our last full day and night so we used every minute of it in the water. The kids played in the pool in the morning, then we went straight to Uala beach. I wish we had found this beach sooner.. it was PERFECT! Amazing snorkelling, great for swimming, softest sand and although it was busier than the other beaches, it was still our favourite.
We went to Ulanis again for Shave Ice after the beach. I wish we had this at home. I could eat 4 of these a day.. at least lol. We finished off the last night at the pool again with the glow sticks!
Waking up Tuesday morning was depressing. This was the last day in Maui, we flew out Tuesday night. We made sure to be back in our pool at 8am (as soon as it opened!) and swam for an hour before finishing packing up. We left our little condo slowly and headed back to Lahaina to do Bubba Gump's shrimp house with the kids and parents one more time. We had planned on doing the aquarium before the airport and it did not disappoint. I did think it would be bigger but it was wonderful nonetheless. We saw this very friendly octopus who was loving on one of the workers. I asked if it had a name and she told me that they don't name their animals because the are a "release facility" which means the animals only stay there for a short period of time and then they release them back into the ocean and get new animals. They are also constantly pumping the water directly to the tanks from the ocean 24/7 which was cool to hear. We had a great time here and Carter FINALLY got to see the stingrays!
We saw an Eel too.. they're not very cute...
Can you spot the camouflage fish?
We got to touch sea stars and sea cucumbers too!
We had a little more time to kill after the aquarium so we found an arcade and spent too much money on the fun of it! The kids ended up getting 1400 tickets and got to pick way too much stuff from the counter but for them it was the perfect way to end "the best vacation EVER!"
Our flight left at 10:36pm (which was 2:36am Calgary time) and we were so beyond exhausted. We all felt ill we were so tired but luckily the kids fell asleep on the flight relatively quickly.
I was soooooo sick, my back was KILLING me and I couldn't get comfortable for the life of me but the kids were GREAT so I can't complain. We landed in Vancouver at 7am and rushed through security, grabbed a quick muffin and got on our next flight to Calgary. By this point, I just wanted to be home. We were able to keep the kids up all day and put them to bed for the night at 5:50pm. They were sleeping within 5 minutes. They all slept an amazing 14 hours straight and then I woke them all up just before 8 and got Carter to school. I think we will kick this jet lag pretty quick.
I am so so happy this family vacation created so many wonderful memories for us! We enjoyed every minute of it. Despite the weather being abnormally rainy it was still such a great time. I'm thankful my parents came and enjoyed some sun with us. Im soooo thankful and proud of the kids for rolling with the time change and being in such good spirits the majority of the time. They really were amazing little travellers and we can't wait for our next family vacation! I could never EVER get enough of these people!
