One last batch of island photos. Need I even narrate? More of the same old, same old. That glorious Maui same old, same old…
We scored the perfect pool chairs on Tuesday morning and camped out there for several hours. Isaac took his first and second naps poolside while Juliette popped out of the water only for her hourly sunscreen application.
I swam for awhile with Juliette while Isaac dozed in his dad’s arms. I always went down the slides first, partly so that I could be at the bottom when Juliette landed, but also because I loved to look back at her as I slid out of view, her beaming at me and yelling, “Go Mommy!!!â€. Eight is great – she’s so much fun to pal around with these days.
And…he’s up again! Time for lunch.
We drove up to Paia and chowed down on pizza from the Paia Flatbread Company – their Mopsy pizza with Kalua pork and pineapple and mange bbq sauce was outstanding.
Isaac and Juliette are achingly sweet together most of the time, but this picture is also quintessential – him unknowingly digging his nails into her arm or pulling her hair and her looking at him like, “Why would you do that?!”.
We popped over to Ho’okipa Beach after lunch to enjoy the crystal clear water and watch the kite surfers, but the wind kept us from lingering too long. Take us back to our quiet little beach at Wailea!
Late afternoon pool play…
And then sunset at Makena Cove, which was just a few minutes south of our resort but a totally different beach landscape.
My attempts to get Isaac to nap that afternoon had been unsuccessful and I knew we were risking a sunset meltdown, but once Shane tucked him into the Bjorn, he fell into a silent daze.
Too…tired…to…fight…it.
Photog-in-training:
I had asked Juliette if she wanted to wear her swimsuit to the beach, but she said she didn’t want to get wet. The call of the ocean never fails! We both left with wet hems on our shorts.
Shane headed out for a cocktail with Jack after dark. Isaac fell asleep without much fuss, Juliette started watching Hamilton for the umpteenth time, and then BANG! We were all startled by an extensive fireworks display, which was a mostly-nice surprise, minus the baby wakeup.
Wednesday! You know the drill.
We opted for beachfront chairs that morning and La Verne rented a couple of boogie boards for the kids. Juliette mostly loved it, until a wave took her under and forced saltwater up her nose.
Who you lookin’ at with that mean mug, baby?!
I put Isaac in the Bjorn and waded out in the water with him, where the gentle waves could lap at his legs.
Reading break after another gnarly fight with a wave…
And more of this… I remember feeling some baby fatigue that morning, wishing I could just put Isaac down and walk away for a couple of hours, but then a mom in a nearby chair saw me holding him and said with such sincerity, “Oh, I miss those days so much it makes my heart hurt!” and I recalibrated. This phase is hard, but it’s also fleeting and so full of goodness when I lean into it.
The plus-side of holding a baby – nobody asks me if they can bury me in the sand!
Morning, Bud…
Juliette can’t ever resist the urge to try again. I love that about her.
The sun felt particularly strong that day and we’d blown through most of our sunscreen, so we decided there was no shame in just enjoying an afternoon in our hotel room.
Juliette snuggled up with little bro…
And then I snuggled up with Shane, at which point Juliette exclaimed, “You two are so romantic!” and asked if she could snap a picture. “Romantic” is one of her favorite words these days – I’m glad we make the cut.
Evening pool sesh…
And then over to the Chens’ beachfront cabana for pina coladas and one last sunset.
And…there it goes! The kids clapped extra-loud for the sunset that night as whales flipped their fins and spouted water in the foreground. Â
Tuckered.
We had an afternoon flight on Thursday, so we were able to squeeze in a couple of hours of beach play before heading the airport.
We don’t see nearly enough of these folks in Seattle – so fun to be neighbors for a few days.
And…the pool is on the way to the room, so why not?
Isaac and I headed back to the room to finish packing while Juliette and Shane did one last loop (or three) on the waterslides. Oh, baby…you are not the easy-going-est of travel partners just yet, but I sure do like having you around.
Juliette tossed coins into the fountain as we were checking out – I asked her what her wish was and initially she said it was “to have kids some day”, but after realizing how high those stakes were and how hard it was to land a shot, she wisely adjusted course. “I hope I have fun with my grandparents when they come to visit!”
Stuck it!
And with that, we were Seattle-bound. I know, so many photos (kudos to Grandma Schnell for letting me know she’s looked at all of them!) but so many memories. I want to remember forever how blonde Isaac’s hair looked in the sun, how it would get just the slightest bit curly after taking a warm nap in my arms. I want to remember Juliette’s utter glee as she came down the waterslide, how her head would disappear underwater for just a moment and then she would emerge gulping and laughing. Those sunrise walks with baby boy were the stuff of dreams. Shane and Juliette’s matching Husky hats and the way those two play together as the very best of buds. Acai bowls and fresh poke and a frosty pina colada, sipped with one of my favorite ladies. We haven’t gotten out much these past couple of years, but ooff…what a way to re-emerge.
