Hawaii : Day 12 (Whale Watching)

A long time ago, I blogged about a snorkeling excursion in Belize and said that it was the worst excursion ever. Ha, I take that back. I actually found something to top that. Ohmigod, the whale watching excursion we went on in Maui on Day 12, it was an absolute torture for the kids…and therefore, by default, me.

It was fine in the beginning. The kids were excited about being on a boat. Their first! They laughed, screamed, clapped, and even danced. We were all in a great mood and ready to see some whales! Twenty minutes later, with no whales in sight and sweaty from the hot sun, we went under the cover to cool off. This was when Will started to get fussy, really fussy. At first I thought it was because he wanted to be out on the deck so I took him back out, but that didn’t help. For the next half hour, it was a dance of me sitting down, getting up, walking around until he finally fell asleep in my arms. I thought he was just due for a nap (even though he had just cat-napped in the car on the way to the pier), but later realized that he was suffering from motion sickness. Luckily, one he fell asleep, he slept for the rest of the trip.

And he didn’t miss much. We didn’t see any whales.

As for Anna, she got sea sick, too. I could tell by her tired face. Hubs held her and she fell asleep as well, but she was so good and didn’t complain at all.

I guess it could’ve been worse. One kid (a young teenager?) threw up all over the table. At least mine just slept. But it was seriously the longest two-hour ever. When Will began to go crazy, I wish I could just turn the boat around. Screw the whales! Get me off the frickin’ boat!

Haha, now that I wrote it all out, it didn’t seem THAT bad. With little kids, you just kind of have to go with the flow and laugh about it. Really, the guaranteed fun for them was just spending time in the pool or at the beach, but this Mama wanted to do more. I seriously did think they would enjoy it, though. Never expected that they would get sick.

Once we got off the boat, they were happy once again. Even more so after we downed a mango smoothie.

The fun before the storm.

Both kids out. Haha, look at my happy face. Hubs' face was for real, though. He took it all in stride.

Blue ocean, blue sky, gorgeous day. But WHERE ARE THE WHALES?!
We drank that smoothie fast.

Dancing under the bayan trees.

We knew that the kids were done with their naps for the day, so we shopped a little.

And took a picture for a comparion. What do you think? I haven't aged a bit, right? :) Excuse my funny eyes, though, I was squinting from the bright sun.

[+/-] Extra Sugar!

[+/-] Enough Sugar!

Hawaii : Day 11 (Baby Beach)

Home sweet home! We are back from Hawaii. After a smooth-but-uncomfortable 9-hour plane ride, we landed on Friday around noon. We are still recovering from jet lag, but it seems easier to adjust back to EST. I return to work tomorrow....for real. While in Hawaii, I received an email from my boss that I've been placed on a project. So, tomorrow, I actually have to get myself dressed and butt out of the door. It's going to be an adjustment, after having a month and half off.  I wish I had another week to get myself organized after a long vacation, but I guess it's better to keep the paychecks coming! 

I knew about Baby Beach all along, but it took us until Day 11 to visit the place. I only wish we had gone sooner. It was truly a safe haven for the kids. Unlike other beaches with big waves, Baby Beach has coral reefs that blocked the waves, creating a shallow little kid-friendly spot for splashing around.

Anna and Will entertained themselves with the buckets and shovels that we brought, or just simply waddle in the water. Because the water was calm and we didn't have to worry about any waves, hubs and I were able to sit on our blankets in the shade and enjoyed ourselves, too. We only left because it was close to lunch and nap time.

Proof that the kids had fun.

You could walk all the way out and it was only about waist deep.  Can you spot me?  

The best toy of all is hubs.  He army crawled on his tummy and totally made them laugh.

Before we left the Baby Beach area, we took some pictures at Jodo Mission, which we just happened to came across when we parked our car.

That night we went to town of Lahaina for dinner.  Will was claiming independence and didn't want to hold our hands. 

They had the most fun sticking their heads through the fence and watching the waves crashing into the rocks.

Eating ice cream while watching sunset by the waterfront -- life doesn't get much better.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture of me and my girl.

Day 11 was hands down one of the best days we had in Maui.

[+/-] Extra Sugar!

[+/-] Enough Sugar!

Hawaii : Day 10 (Road to Hana)

We weren't planning on driving the Road to Hana. Hubs and I have done it before, and while the view was beautiful along the coast, it was a long drive that we were sure that the kids would not enjoy. But on Day 10, I felt restless so we packed a picnic lunch, filled up the tank, and took off.

Sigh. The long Road to Hana was made longer by two screaming kids in the backseat. Anna and Will are usually very good in the car, so I wasn't expecting all the drama. But in the end, I am still glad we did it. It's just one of those things "you had to do" while in Maui.

We didn’t make nearly as many stops as the average Hana traveler might (hiking to waterfalls wasn’t so easy with the kids) but we did try to take in as much as possible from the road itself – like stopping at scenic lookouts.

Our final destination before turning back was the Waianapanapa State Park, home to the black sand beach. I don't think Anna ever had a worse-r time than she had at this beach. It started out fine, until she got splashed by some waves while inside a cave. Then it all went down hill -- she cried and screamed that the beach was "dirty, messy, and stinky" and refused to be put down. Will, on the other hand, LOVED the beach. He loved getting splashed by the waves and wanted to walk everywhere (even climbing the stairs) all on his own.

Anyway, the Road to Hana....we did not make any long-lasting memories here, but we survived. The kids both took a nap on the way back and when they woke up, they were happy and laughing and having a good time.

While the kids were asleep in the car, hubs and I sneaked out and climbed a little waterfall.

The exact same spot where we had a flat tire when we visited back in 07.

Inside a creepy cave.

The boys couldn't get enough of the black sand and hubs even wanted to go for a swim.  I stayed behind to calm a hysterical Anna.

The stunning view.

The sign says, "Do not go beyond this point," so he went beyond it.

Finally back at the resort and stretching his legs fins.

She forgot all about the traumatic time she had at the black sand beach.

Anna is getting really good at taking pictures!

[+/-] Extra Sugar!

[+/-] Enough Sugar!

Hawaii : Day 8 + 9 (Mother's Day)

Day 8 was a transition day for us...we said goodbye to family members (who were all leaving to go home or another island) and moved to a new resort further up north. Our new home has two bedrooms and a full kitchen (the Marriott only had a microwave and mini-fridge), which is great for us with little ones. Instead of going out for a meal that costs a minimum of $50 (and kids eating two bites of it), we bought a bunch of groceries and having been cooking at home.

The first and last hammock ride before checking out at the Marriott.  

At first, I thought having a 2 bedroom was a total luxury, but it is actually a necessity.  

$77 worth of groceries.  Bet I could have gotten the same things for a third of the price back home.

It was a happy accident for us to get a ground level room, the screen door opens completely and we have our own patio and garden.

The next day was Mother's Day. Happy belated Mother's Day to all the mothers in my life! We had a really low-key Mother's Day at the resort, just spending time as a family by the pool & beach. These past few days have been difficult.  Hubs and I are getting NO relaxation on this vacation. Everything is work.  For example, taking them to the pool. It's a whole production of wrangling the kids into bathing suits, putting on shoes, getting stuff (water/snack/towel) packed, keeping a close watch on them at the pool, dealing with meltdowns, and then cleaning them when we get back. Oh, and breaking up fights through it all.  It's exhausting.

On the other hand, when they are not fighting, Anna and Will play really well together and their squeals of laughter make our hearts so full. It reminds me that being a Mom is pretty darn good!

Thanks kids for making me a Mama - I love you guys!

Prior to this trip, neither of them had spent much time in the water.  In fact, Will had none.  It makes me happy that both have become little swimmers.

Will refused to get off of me.

Their first sand castle. I thought it was quite magnificent.

[+/-] Extra Sugar!

[+/-] Enough Sugar!

Hawaii : Day 7 (Wedding Day)

I don't know what's up with Will lately, but he has been a total Mama's boy. I am the one who has to hold him and feed him, and if I don't, a complete meltdown follows. This phase needs to be over, like, now.

My brother's wedding was this past Friday. Will was in one of his Mama-only mood and he was stuck to me the whole night. I scarfed down my steak and potatoes at record speed while he sat on my lap and poked the lettuce with a fork. Oh, and he's also on a hunger strike and only had maraschino cherries and croutons.

The wedding...it was nice, sweet, and simple. I will admit it, when my brother first told me about his wedding in Maui, although there wasn't a doubt that I would be there, I was annoyed. Dragging two kids on a 10+ hour flight with a 6-hour time difference? It sounded no fun. But now it is over, it was definitely worth all the trouble to be there for him.

His life was apparently ending when I had to put him down to get dressed.

Having a great time at the beach.

One of the few moments where he was okay with being held by hubs.

The reception was held under a tent by the beach!

I am usually not a messy eater and my hand isn't that chubby.

Pretty much the entire night was like this.

I wore my new maxi dress from Anthropologie!

At the end of the night, my cousin finally won him over.

Oh yeah, what's a wedding without the bride and groom?

The groom, my brother, Uncle Andy.

Exchanging rings. 

[+/-] Extra Sugar!

[+/-] Enough Sugar!

Hawaii : Day 6 (Iao Valley State Park)

On Day 6, we took a 45-minute scenic drive to Iao Valley State Park. Hubs and I have been there before on our honeymoon and I remember it being one of my favorite places in Maui. It was serene, lush with greenery, and mystic....so we decided to take the kids there. Forget the mountains and the streams and the natural beauty, they had the most fun playing with some rocks inside a little hut. Haha, it was all good, I was just happy they found something to entertain themselves.

On the way back, we stopped by Lahaina town to have the famous Ululani's shave ice. It doesn't hold a candle to Sno Dream, but it was just what I needed on a hot day to cool off. Then we just had to stop by Pho Saigon 808 again to get some noodles to-go.

Will had already napped in the car so we delayed Anna's nap time and went straight to the pool once we got back to the resort. The kids are getting more and more comfortable in the water. Anna doesn't even need the donut ring anymore and can get by with arm bends. She's fast, too.

We wrapped up the day with watching the sunset on the beach.

Here is a tip.  We bought these car seats at Kmart for $50 each.  It's cheaper than renting them from the car rental, not to mention cleaner.  We will try to take them back home.  

We came to the park to see this, the Iao Needle.

Carrying these two around is giving all of us a workout.    

Yup, I make them wear matching shirts.  I am THAT mom.

Under the little hut where they threw rocks.

I am sure we will be back to Maui some day and it will be fun to do a comparison picture at the same spot.

Shaved ice with mochi!  

Just lounging.  Living the good life.

The end of Day 6.

[+/-] Extra Sugar!

[+/-] Enough Sugar!