Splash! Maui - Part 3

Another long post. Not sure if anyone is still interested in reading about our trip to Hawaii, but I want to preserve the memories, so if nothing else I'll enjoy re-reading this in the future. =)

DAY 3

Monday the family headed up the road to Makena to find a beach that we hoped would be pretty secluded. All the beaches in Hawaii are public, but the resort beaches seemed to be more crowded. The weather was not cooperating as gray clouds kept rolling in during the morning. I'm a bit paranoid about getting sun, but I still want it to be sunny at the beach! It was really windy too, which made the surf really big and powerful. I was a bit nervous about going in the water with all the warnings but there were lots of skimboarders who seemed to really enjoy it! So instead of splashing around in the waves I had Karis to entertain me!

We played Beach Dictator...

We played with a shovel in the sand...

Which we tried to eat....

Played dress up with Lolly's shoes...

Played Peek-a-boo with Lolly's hat....

The weather really didn't want to cooperate so we packed up the car and drove down the street to see some lava fields. It was crazy how dramatically and quickly the beautiful Hawaiian landscape could change! There were just stretches and stretches of lava-covered earth that eventually ran into the sea. 

The dark, rigid lava against the clear, blue ocean water made for a gorgeous view!

Although, that stuff is tricky to walk on!

Walking on lava works up quite an appetite, so we stopped by a  food truck on our way back home for some tasty fish tacos.

While the boys rested up when we got home, the ladies headed to the pool.

Zzz...

The Ho'olie pool was really fun. They had an on hand massage therapist, a grotto, and something I'd never seen before - a rock bottom shallow pool for kids.

rock bottom children's pool

I'm not sure about this rock stuff, mom...

What is this stuff? It's sticking to my fingers!

Can I eat it?

Karis wasn't sure about the rocks at first, but that quickly passed! Kar-bear loves the water! Splash, splash, splash!

After some pool time, Karis hung out with the guys and then went down for a nap, so my mom, sister and I went for some coffee and shopping across the street!

Karis hanging out with Uncle Miguel

These trees sorta reminded me of Live Oaks

Cool chest board hung on the wall, never seen one like this before!

Did I mention yet that we ate really well on this trip? It's really awesome to travel with people who enjoy cooking! Thank you, Jared and Miguel! Dinners on the lanai, watching the sun set, cannot really be beat... pout, I want to be back in Hawaii.

Num, num, num!

DAY 4

Tuesday started out with cuddles and breakfast on the lanai. Each morning we'd wake up and sit on the lanai; about an half an hour later we would be greeted with giggles and a little grinning Karis waddling out to say good morning! Too adorable! She would head straight for Lolly (though she had to make sure everyone else was watching her). 

This is how breakfast should be every morning!

After breakfast the family headed back down the road to the Makena area to find a little stretch of beach that was good for snorkeling. I think I got some of the prettiest views this day. It helped that the sun had finally agreed to come out and live up to it's Hawaiian reputation!

I mean, really. Can I move here please?!

Um... I would hurt myself trying to climb or descend these stairs I saw on our walk to the beach!

Walking to the little, isolated beach. Of course Miguel is up at the front =)

Ugh, to have Miguel's Latin skin... I wasn't trying to be modest, but I was terrified of getting sun burned. I had heard alarming stories about the damage the Hawaiian sun can do to your skin, especially if you are fair like me, so I stayed pretty covered up. (I hope our future children inherit Mig's complexion... and his eyelashes!) 

Tuesday we learned how much Karis was a fan of the water! That little beach cutie tried her very hardest to get out of our grasp and take off into the waves!

Karis is definitely braver than me! I wouldn't even go snorkeling! Which I regret now. I've snorkeled before, once in Key West and we went snorkeling on our honeymoon (I had to have a noodle with me though because I'm chicken) and though I loved the amazing things I saw, it still frightened me to have sting rays and BIG turtles so close to me. So I was happy to hang out with Karis and my mom while the others snorkeled.

It was really fun to try and take Lolly's hat off her head!

Ha, you know what I just noticed? That picture of my mom with Karis and the second picture of me with Karis, mom and I are making almost identical expressions! =) Of course we were told numerous times on our vacation that we looked alike. This happens almost any time we are together. I love it. My mommy is beautiful! 

I enjoyed watching Miguel snorkel. I'm his wife, so clearly I adore him, but I am constantly amazed at how talented and how much braver he is than me. Though, I doubt he would say those things about himself, he would probably just say I'm too timid. 

There's Miguel in the distance swimming back toward the shore!

I would have probably drowned if someone asked me to swim that far 

I previously mentioned that Sarah and Jared had originally planned this vacation to celebrate both of them turning 30 this year. Even though it ended up being a family vacation, Sarah and Jared planned an evening out for themselves to celebrate just the two of them. Jared booked a sunset dinner cruise that set sail on the north part of the island in Lahaina. We decided to all go hang out and visit the Lahaina while Sarah and Jared were on their date. We headed up the island in the early afternoon for a late lunch/early dinner at Mala Ocean Tavern. 

Yummy! Mala was right on the water and the sun light danced on the tides, making a picturesque setting.

After we dropped Sarah and Jared off, the rest of us explored Lahaina. Lahaina felt very, very different from Wailea! The little town used to be a whalers village. I was hoping it would have some interesting history, but it really felt more touristy.  It reminded me very much of St Thomas. Lots of touristy shops preying on the cruise ship tourists that come ashore there.  We had fun exploring though. Miguel played some ukuleles and humored me by taking some silly photos.

He can actually play, sounded very pretty to my untrained ears. The shop owner was impressed too and struck up conversation with Miguel.

Although, Lahaina did have one feature that was very impressive. A 137 year old Banyan Tree grows over almost an acre of downtown Lahaina. It is said to be the largest Banyan tree in the states. Banyan trees' roots grow above the ground and form trunk-like structures when they reach the ground. This tree is supported by 16 trunks in addition to the original. 

All ONE tree!

Miguel loves his niece. They spent some quality time together at the tree.

Like I said, Lahaina was a very different feel from Wailea, so we got our fill fairly quickly. The five of us decided to head down to the pickup location for Sarah and Jared. We entertained ourselves by playing with Karis and watching Sarah and Jared sail in as the sun set.

Thanks for the beautiful flower in my hair, Uncle Miguel!

Sarah and Jared's boat to the left.

Yep. I warned you that this was a long post. Though, I think it is partly because I add so many pictures to my entries. I've got to hurry up and blog about the rest of the trip! Too much time is passing and I don't want to forget anything special! Next post will mark the half way point in our stay. Ugh that's the worst feeling, knowing you're on the second half of your vacation. But, so many exciting things happened on the back part of the trip... our anniversary, luau, and the road to Hana! Stay tuned!