Adventures in Maui: Day Four

I'm actually putting Day Four's post on the day it happened!  Tomorrow morning, we head out bright and early for the Kapalua Zipline, so there will be no morning laziness - the time I usually use to blog.  So, without further adieu - here we go.

To start, this view from our room's lanai.  The morning began a little sketchy with cloud cover, but turned into the best we've seen so far in terms of weather.  The effect of the sun through the clouds on the distant hills was breathtaking.  (Especially when viewing along side John, feeling better than ever about each other after the "storm" of last night).  =)

With as great as the weather was becoming, we were eager to get out in it - so by 9am, we were claiming our lounge chairs, swimming in the pool - and then on to the ocean.  It's all practically equidistant from where we lay out (both bodies of water) - just so awesome!  I had some fun capturing the essence of the ultimate in R&R with this pic.

After John and the kids had taken off for the ocean, I trailed with the camera to catch some of the fun.  Once we'd traded places as photographer, a kind man offered to take one of our whole family.  I'm guessing that will make the highlight reel Christmas postcard in about 8 months!

More proof of me actually playing/swimming in the ocean

The kids have adapted to just having just each other in such a cool way this trip.  They are especially strong playmates in the water together - playing pool games or "run from the wave".  Can't tell you how heartwarming (and what a relief) this is for us, especially compared to the typical sibling issues at home. 

I discovered that the best way to get me into the water in the pool is to start out in the ocean.  The pool felt like bathwater in comparison, which is hardly of concern in the first place as that ocean water is so comfortable too.  As an Oregonian, being in the waves means clenching your teeth through the literal numbing necessary to get past the pain of the frigid temps.   This island water is utterly miraculous!  Mikayla and I didn't get any pictures of our pool frolicking - down the slide, under the waterfalls, etc - but I snagged some shots of the boys in the hot tub as well as the Whites lounging in the other direction I turned.   Travis was able to feel Whitley kick for the first time Saturday night, and then while we were all lounging next to each other near the pool, he was able to feel her kick and move once more.   Before the end of the week I definitely intend to get a hand on Stephie's belly to feel Whitley myself.  I can't wait!

Since we'd gotten such an early start, by noon we were ready for a new adventure.  I'm definitely the one who urges road trips/outdoor experiences amongst our group - so I have to respect everyone else's feelings that that is not necessarily the majority preference.  So, it pleased me greatly when our family of 6 (7), all chimed in with enthusiasm for cruising the route to the northern most tip of Maui.  Stephie and Mikayla both (wisely) took Dramamine - and by the time we'd pulled out of the Kaanapali area, Mikayla was already asleep on my lap in the backseat.  We figured this nap was our ticket to get her to stay awake for a longer length of Lahaina cruising later on!

Our first pull-off stop to gawk was this bay.  Can you believe the color of this place?  We had actually intended to snorkel here the day before, but the snorkel shop cashier talked us out of it. 

Not sure what kind of birds these were, but obviously we weren't the only ones impressed by their crimson colored hoods.

The next couple of pull-offs for photography was to capture the surfers, then kite surfer. 

Eventually, given the rental car agency prohibits taking the vehicles beyond a certain point, we turned around to take the same route back.  John indulged me by stopping at an area I was especially intrigued with on the way there.   I loved this short little hike (which ended up taking us to that bay I mentioned with the awesome water color).  I felt like I was part of the cast of "Lost"...  Travis and John went with me while Brayden opted to stay in the vehicle with Steph and Mikayla who were asleep.  (I did feel bad as Steph ended up waking up and her and Brayden were concerned with how long it took us to return....blame it all on me, I was so enchanted!)

(I set John up to get Travis to make some funny pose with the sign next to the others at the bay....of course, leave these two guys at it- and this would be the pose they came up with!)

Sadly, by the time we returned to the Marriott, the majority of us were feeling a little "off".  Travis has come down with a nasty sore throat/cold (we're hopeful it's not Strep - as the back of this throat looks pretty icky).  John woke up from a bit of a nap with his stomach way off, and I was fighting a little bit of carsickness brought on by my own poor habits of texting Michele while on a windy road.   So, we opted to postpone another drive into Lahaina to eat at "Cheeseburgers in Paradise" until tomorrow night.  Mikayla and I were already dressed up by the time this decision was made, (as were Steph and Travis) so the four of us opted to get dinner down at Whaler's Village via the promenade walk.  (Along with some Chloraseptic lozenges for Travis at the ABC Store...poor guy).

The evening was divine - so glad we took advantage of it.  John and Brayden have made it a point to do a lot of walks together, so it was gratifying to take Mikayla on our own little adventure.  I was also able to pick out something special for her (anklet and earrings) as John and Brayden had picked out a real cool cross for him to wear on one of their previous visits.

On the walk home:

It was fun taking this picture of Travis and Steph - proof of the presence of Whitley on our vacation.

Mikayla and I ended up splitting ways with the Whites at Whaler's Village so we could bring home the pizza and Subway to eat dinner together with our guys.  While the evening didn't happen like we'd originally intended, it was great for me to slow down the pace a bit and get a chance to catch up - not only with all of the picture downloads and this blog post - but to set ourselves up for our big adventures tomorrow.  I'm so excited!