Maui, Days 4 and 5…
I was up before the sun on Monday morning so that I could grab some coffee before my 7am beach yoga class. I thought I would just quietly slip out of our room unnoticed, but who was I kidding? Isaac was up, which meant everyone was up, so I had company for my walk to the market.
I laid out my towel on the beach with several other resorters and we warrior-ed while whales played in the distance.
Yoga was fun, but I could see the kids playing down the beach with Shane and couldn’t wait to join them.
ISAAC!
We lounged in our chairs for a bit before going full-bore on sand play.
I thought I had plenty of pictures of Isaac in Shane’s hat, but then he flipped it around and I needed one more.
The kids loved having sand piled on top of their legs, but Isaac’s wiggly toes never stayed buried for long.
Time to rinse off!
Isaac picked out that orange car from the gift shop next to the shave ice place on Saturday and he clutched it close at naptime and bedtime all week. It’s almost as cuddly as his favorite deer. Almost.
We drove up to Paia after naptime for a late lunch at the Flatbread Company. We visited this place a couple of years ago and remembered loving the Mopsy, their signature pie topped with Kalua pork and pineapple. It’s as good as ever.
Pizza, then pool. Isaac leveled up on the waterslides and started doing the little ones on his own.
We spent a lot of time at the upper pool this year – it seemed mildly warmer than the big pool down down below and it was away from a lot of the hub-bub. Our family often had this area all to ourselves and Shane, Juliette and I played several rounds of Monkey in the Middle with our water-ball while Isaac happily bobbed around nearby. There was a moment when Shane lunged at me to block my catch and I was struck by the volume of my own laughter – I guess we made our own hub-bub.
She’s going to have this boy swimming on his own next year.
The kids reluctantly changed out of their swimsuits in the evening and then we spent awhile playing more Monkey in the Middle, this time on our favorite lawn. The kids ran and ran, then stopped for a snuggle.
We walked back after sundown and took a peek at the resort’s luau before calling it a night.
Goodnight, moon.
Tuesday! Up bright and early again. Shane headed out to play some pickle ball and I took the kids to the market for acai and coffee.
We stopped to look at some bugs and I reveled in how good it felt to be on island time.
CARS. Always with the cars.
We took our acai bowls down to the beach and munched and read and played.
When the ocean roars, Isaac roars back.
ELEVATOR BUTTONS. Another simple pleasure in the midst of paradise. We made a lot of extra stops that week.
Suit up, kids!
Shane joined us for some volleyball and a poolside lunch.
And then we did the tired march to naptime…
Naptime over. Right back to the pool.
Hot tub? Don’t mind if we do.
We gussied up for dinner and it’s like this kid was auditioning for Miami Vice, the way he strutted through the lobby. He clearly knew how good he looked.
Maui Brewing was all we hoped it would be – beer and nachos and cornhole, to boot!
I love a restaurant where Isaac can run free.
Shane’s got the best aim in our family when it comes to lawn games, but Juliette has the best style.
We jetted down to Makena Cove after dinner to catch the sunset. This little stretch of beach is pure magic at golden hour.
Isaac soaked and shed his shorts within five minutes of our arrival. Juliette gave me kudos for packing her swimsuit.
I know I’ve said this before, but gosh, watching my kids play tag with the tide is one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world.
Isaac really expanded his repertoire of facial expressions on this trip. This was a new one – he’d look at Juliette and me, wide-eyed and a little confused, then bust into a cheesy grin.
The sand here is some of the softest I’ve felt. Isaac spent a long time burying and then searching for a little stick he’d found, just for the feel of the sand running between his fingers.
Magic, I tell you! Magic!
Juliette and I were buzzing from our perfect sunset and felt too amped to call it a night, so we grabbed some ice cream from Loulou and went down the pool for a night swim.
We sat in the hot tub and chatted till we couldn’t take the heat anymore, then walked back to our room by the light of the moon. Top day.
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