We escaped to Maui over the past 3 days for a wonderful family vacation. We had a goal to hit 1 island a year after we moved to Hawaii so we could see it all with no regrets (with the idea that we would never be able to return) and Maui was the last island for us to see. This picture was what Joel and I woke up to our first morning there. There is nothing like morning cartoons on vacation!
Our first stop was whale watching. This was really our main reason for traveling to Maui. It is whale season from December to March and Maui is the breeding and birthing ground for humpback whales traveling all the way from Alaska. Every morning, I would sit on the beach with my coffee and watch whales while the kids played in the surf. It was surreal. This morning I saw 3 whales breach right in a row. This picture was from our whale watch tour. This is a baby calf whale ...can you believe it was this close to us!!!!
Then after the calf played with the boat for awhile (slapping its tail and waving its pectoral fin), the male escort (aka. boyfriend hanging out with mommy and baby) surfaced from right under our boat. There are Asher and Anna right on the railing watching him emerge.
Again, here is the male escort after clearing the boat.
and his tail after a few laps and being tired of us humans.
Our next major adventure was a drive up Haleakala crater to 10,000 feet. We were at the top of the world as Asher was exclaiming as we took this picture.
Jesse and I enjoying the view. Well really he was too cold to do anything but burrow into me. He was the one kid we forgot to pack warm clothes for when anticipating this journey. Well, he is our spare kid (as Joel likes to call him)! I did my best to keep him warm and loved being above the clouds. Another surreal experience.
How can those blue eyes not make your heart stop?!
Anna banana, the expert hiker.
The sunset on top of Haleakala crater...AMAZING!
Just another nice family shot. It isn't often we get us all looking semi in the right direction.
The famous banyan tree in Lahaina, Maui. Yes, this is all ONE tree!
The kids had a blast climbing it despite the "no climbing" signs.
We spent our last afternoon there at the aquarium. That may seem pathetic to you but it was too cold for us locals to play at the beach! Yes, I AM serious. I was wearing a sweatshirt most of the time, something I SWORE I would never do.
The aquarium was awesome. Jesses LOVES fish and was beside himself with excitement running from one tank to another exclaiming "'ISH, 'ISH". We saw turtles, sharks galor in a tunnel passageway, sting rays, every fish imaginable, seahorses, jellyfish, petted starfish, etc. It was a great day and an all around AWESOME family trip.
We escaped to Maui over the past 3 days for a wonderful family vacation. We had a goal to hit 1 island a year after we moved to Hawaii so we could see it all with no regrets (with the idea that we would never be able to return) and Maui was the last island for us to see. This picture was what Joel and I woke up to our first morning there. There is nothing like morning cartoons on vacation!
Our first stop was whale watching. This was really our main reason for traveling to Maui. It is whale season from December to March and Maui is the breeding and birthing ground for humpback whales traveling all the way from Alaska. Every morning, I would sit on the beach with my coffee and watch whales while the kids played in the surf. It was surreal. This morning I saw 3 whales breach right in a row. This picture was from our whale watch tour. This is a baby calf whale ...can you believe it was this close to us!!!!
Then after the calf played with the boat for awhile (slapping its tail and waving its pectoral fin), the male escort (aka. boyfriend hanging out with mommy and baby) surfaced from right under our boat. There are Asher and Anna right on the railing watching him emerge.
Again, here is the male escort after clearing the boat.
and his tail after a few laps and being tired of us humans.
Our next major adventure was a drive up Haleakala crater to 10,000 feet. We were at the top of the world as Asher was exclaiming as we took this picture.
Jesse and I enjoying the view. Well really he was too cold to do anything but burrow into me. He was the one kid we forgot to pack warm clothes for when anticipating this journey. Well, he is our spare kid (as Joel likes to call him)! I did my best to keep him warm and loved being above the clouds. Another surreal experience.
How can those blue eyes not make your heart stop?!
Anna banana, the expert hiker.
The sunset on top of Haleakala crater...AMAZING!
Just another nice family shot. It isn't often we get us all looking semi in the right direction.
The famous banyan tree in Lahaina, Maui. Yes, this is all ONE tree!
The kids had a blast climbing it despite the "no climbing" signs.
We spent our last afternoon there at the aquarium. That may seem pathetic to you but it was too cold for us locals to play at the beach! Yes, I AM serious. I was wearing a sweatshirt most of the time, something I SWORE I would never do.
The aquarium was awesome. Jesses LOVES fish and was beside himself with excitement running from one tank to another exclaiming "'ISH, 'ISH". We saw turtles, sharks galor in a tunnel passageway, sting rays, every fish imaginable, seahorses, jellyfish, petted starfish, etc. It was a great day and an all around AWESOME family trip.
Incredible pictures! But the best is seeing you all together and so happy! I am inspired to try whale watching out here now.
ReplyDeleteNice Trip!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a great trip! Glad you all had fun!
ReplyDelete