Maui Sunshine

Jordy, the giraffe-Kaitlyn's new friend!
I never thought I'd use one of these 'lesh' things, but are they cool!
Definitely recommend it to any mom who has an active child-
but only for busy public places!

We were given these fresh lei's upon our arrival!
Kudos to Steve for managing all the behind-the-scenes travel arrangements.
Little details like this truly added to the memories!

If only we were locals-our rental car plates!

View from our lanai-first night (4th floor). We ended up changing rooms after
the second night and were on the 9th floor,
room 911 for the remainder of our trip
(hmmm, Steve thought it was meant to be)!

Sunset!

Morning moments with Grandma....Kaitlyn is quite the pointer.

The usual look: shades, hat, sleeveless attire.

Chillin' after a nice boardwalk stroll!

At the luau-Feast at Lele.

Family times...beachfront of Mama's Fish House where we
enjoyed an exquisite Father's Day meal!

Nana and Kaitlyn

Happy Father's Day!

Loving every bit of ice cream...Kaitlyn knows what ice cream is and will
point, kick, do anything to get a bite if she sees it!

Cessna 172 flight from Kahului to Hana with pilot Armin (he was the pilot for Steve's Hang Gliding gig later that day so he took us along for his daily commute to get us to the Hana airport)!

One of the rare and notable red sand beaches in Hana-gorgeous!

Hiking in Hana-headed through some lava caves at Waianapanapa State Park
where there are blacksand beaches.

Steve getting geared up for his powered hang gliding flight
over the Hana rain forest area.

Thumbs Up!

View from the Cessna 172 on the way back to Kahului-
it was early evening and gorgeous!

Chasing after Kaitlyn while being pregnant means a camera is not the first thing I look for when digging inside my diaper bag! These photos are just a sampling of our recent Maui vacation-Steve and my mom have way more candid shots that must be obtained as my collection missed huge memorable moments...like our helicopter ride on Father's Day and Sarphen (our little guy in my belly) snorkeling at the Molokini Crater...yeah, a camera isn't a high priority accessory-diaper cream and wipes along with infant motrin, infant tylenol and my iPhone iPod make the priority list! Our adventure began Wednesday morning, the 17th of June and carried on well after we returned on the 25th-at least for Kaitlyn. She is finally her normal self, after being home four days (the flight home was horrifying-honestly, she was a wreck...I was juggling her while she was screaming, kicking, almost in a convulsive state-at least it seemed that way for an endless 90 minutes...she had been battling a bit of a cold prior to our departure and who knows what else but for a good duration of the flight I was 'one of those moms' who got stared down--you think I cared? Not one bit. I stood solid, caring for her as best that I could and was ever so grateful for the kind people along the way not too mention the motrin and tylenol)....
The plan was to have both Grandma's come along to be the Nannies and nanny they did. Steve and I took total advantage of their presence-especially me when Kaitlyn would wake up at 4:30am or 5:30am ready for the day. Usually one of the nannies was up and I'd get her situated with one of them then crawl back into bed to wake hours later knowing Kaitlyn was already fed and energized. Blessings, real blessings. While both nannies were terrific, and I had incredible times away from Kaitlyn, as a mom you still can't walk away when the crying starts. So, I was still Mom when traveling-I suppose we never lose that title no matter who watches your children! I can't say top ten highlights as these are in no particular order-but rather random notes about some incredible times, observations, feelings....you get the idea. Heck-it was a real vacation!

1. Kaitlyn's relationships with both Grandma (my mom) and Nana (Steve's mom)-now there is no doubt she knows each one really well!

2. Going to sleep to the sound of the ocean.

3. Kaitlyn dancing like a Hawaiian dancer-she would mimic the dancers from the fantastic Luau we attended Saturday night....arms up and wrists turning softly.

4. Kaitlyn walking backwards for the first time, intentionally.

5. Wearing a medium sized wet-suit top when taking my big belly snorkeling (nothing I wear these days says Medium so I got a kick out of it).

6. Dressing up for a date with Steve on Friday night-he surprised me with a night out for magic and appetizers (Warren & Annabelle's-FANTASTIC).

7. Kona coffee glazed macadamia nuts and POG (pineapple, orange and guava juice-I became an addict).

8. Seeing the island from an aerial view both on an hour helicopter tour and then from a Cessna 172-two totally different experiences, both completely outstanding!

9. Being with Steve in Hana, all day on Monday for his Father's Day gift---a powered Hang Gliding hour long flight (this entire day was memorable, romantic, invigorating, breathtaking.....necessary)!

10. Learning about my mom and my mother-in-law as GRANDMA'S! I'm so grateful they live close, and while they are both extremely different, they both have such gifts to give Kaitlyn and our little Sarphen!