There isn't a whole lot left to say about our vacation, but there are pictures to show. [Well, I just finished the post and realized I found a lot more to talk about than I thought I'd find!] The plane rides to and from Maui were fine, but we had to wake Micah up prematurely from his naps in the shuttle or on the plane and he was not fond of that. He cried and cried and did not want to be held so he would push away from us or try to hit us. I'm hoping the hitting thing is a phase that he will quickly pass through because I'm not sure how to stop him from doing it. He is obviously frustrated sometimes and he works himself up into a frenzy and then flails his arms and most often we're holding him so he hits our faces. Once he calmed down, though, he was perfectly fine.
We rode in style from the airport to the resort. The only shuttle available to take us was a 2008 Ford excursion stretch limousine. It seemed a little eccentric for just the five of us, but hey! It was very nice!
We saw hundreds of whales putting on a show for us all throughout the week. Sometimes they were so close and jumping out of the water that we could hear the thud of whale hitting the water. It sounded like fireworks. Midway through the week you could tell we were getting used to seeing them because we would nonchalantly look out the windows and remark "oh, there's another whale" and sometimes people would come over but not always, whereas at the beginning of the week everyone would drop what they were doing and go to the balcony. It was spectacular, though, and I loved seeing them!
Micah loved the water. Once he got his feet wet in the ocean but the waves scared him so he was content playing in the sand or kicking a ball around the grass or chasing the birds. He loved splashing around in the pool.
Our condo unit was in a different building that Dave's parent's unit, so we had to walk over there to eat. Micah was always the first one ready to go whether we were in our unit and getting ready to go over to theirs, or if he wanted some peace and quiet away from the other kids he would hop into his stroller and sit there patiently until someone started pushing him. There was a beautiful walkway along the coast that we would push him along and he loved it. It must have something to do with the weather because when I'm here at home and try to take him out for a walk he doesn't do nearly as well. Maybe it will be better in the summertime.
Dave's sister planned for everyone to cook one meal during the week so we wouldn't have to eat out every night. It was great because at the restaurants in Hawaii, one could drop $100 per couple on one meal - and doing that every night definitely adds up. So the first four nights were planned - steaks, kabobs, fish tacos and spicy pork fettuccine. One night we got babysitters and went to a Hawaiian slack-key guitar concert, which was a lot of fun. Friday night the grandparents watched all the kids so the rest of us could go out to dinner. Dave's sister and their friends went somewhere themselves and Dave and I met up with a couple we know from our church who happened to be in the same area of Hawaii at the same time we were. It was nice hanging out with them and getting to know them a little better, all while enjoying the warm Hawaiian weather and a soothing waterfall beside our dinner table. :)
A couple of the days most of us went snorkeling. It was very cool seeing all the tropical fish, especially in their habitat. I've been to zoos before and have seen some cool looking fish, but to swim with them in their own habitat was the best! Dan, David's dad, apparently saw a huge turtle one time, but we didn't see anything like that ... other than seeing a beached whale (aka: the man himself) getting tossed around by the waves while trying to fix his flipper.
Ka'anapali is a really great location for a vacation. Since David's parents have a couple units there, we will be able to go back again and again, and as the cousins get older there will be a ton of things to do. There are kayak rentals, whale watching boats, surf lessons, snorkeling right there or on boat trips to see dolphins too. There will never be a shortage of things to do with growing young boys who will have lots of energy. Whaler's Village is a also a great place with fancy little shops and ice cream stores. The resort that we stayed at has tons of activities to do, too, from the little kiddie-pool pirate ship that Micah played at to the volleyball or basketball pools or the waterslide for the older kids. It was a beautiful vacation and I'm so thankful for the Christmas present we all received 2 years ago!!
We even saw a submarine surface and sit within our view one day and after a while it drifted past.
