Guest Blogger here, David.....Treva posted some awesome pictures of Maui, and I had a few on my phone that I wanted to upload and share, along with my commentary. I was telling Treva that this was perhaps the best family vacation we have ever had - it was so awesome to have our friends close by and around all the time...the pool and logistics of the resort were amazing....the price was reasonable and didn't feel like a huge stretch because of booking through Costco Travel and using Miles for airplane tickets....our room was awesome and big enough to tuck two little boys away in different corners for naps and sleep time...we had our own kitchenette so could make breakfast / lunch / dinner instead of having to eat out all the time. I mean, it was just fantastic. What a great trip, we are certainly blessed!
Okay, to some quick pics!
I had the boys in the back row of the plane on the way down, and they did great! Though, after a while of sitting together, they had to be separated with Papa in between :). We went video-less for a couple of hours, and even when I turned on the video, Parker was less interested than I anticipated. They did really, really well though - a lot of snacks, some lego's, a lot of books and stickers....6 hours in one seat is tough, and they did awesome. Important to note that the direct flight from Seattle during that week is FULL of families. So kids are all around, especially in the back of the plane so noise wasn't an issue and we certainly didn't feel bad if one of our kids raised their voice in pleasure/displeasure at some point during the flight. That was super helpful!
The Pool was great - had multiple pools, and a water slide that Parker loved. Actually, Conway loved it more but it was technically illegal to go down with a child on your lap...I had to talk my way through that "exception" a few times for Conway but didn't want to abuse the system. Parker does awesome with his swim vest, he's a real champ in the water right now which shows the work he's doing at Safe N Sound really paying off. And then Conway....he kept his Puddle Jumper on ALL the time, he did awesome the entire week. Really, the only drama with pool time was the work required to put sunscreen on multiple times a day...the sun is hot down there!
Conway wants to be around Parker all the time - it's pretty cute. They talk to each other, share (for the most part) and Conway is constantly looking to Parker for direction / inspiration. Parker constantly looks to Conway for affirmation and attention - they're a nice little duo at this age, pretty fun. Parker is getting so big and so old - he's really figuring out how to be kind and share, and show his little brother the ropes. Of course there are arguments and sharing / stealing is an issue that's directly correlated with sleep / hunger / mood for the boys, but spending a week day in and day out with them continues to be my favorite thing in the world and you just see and pick up so much! These pictures were taken from the Pannoni / Verhasselts penthouse when they hosted a gathering for all of the families. Super fun and Conway's first all-in foray into Watermelon...we've created a monster!
Treva posted on this earlier in the year, the concept of "Rest." The boys love to get their blankets and stuffies and "rest." Parker likes to fake like he's sleeping in fact whereas Conway is content to just cuddle. I just loved this one morning where they wanted to rest where Mama and Papa slept and so they went in there on their own...Parker even helped Conway get up to the bed. I, of course, rested with them and even turned on the TV to find some sports. Talk about an awesome morning - my boys, rest, and sports!!
Speaking of sports, Parker's T-Ball team is still getting after it like crazy - Parker on the other hand is still figuring out if he likes T-ball at all. He's great at hitting and running and even has turned into being a decent little ball-tosser. General interest and drive to ATTACK the ball on defense comes and goes. Now Conway watches the games from the sidelines and Treva literally has to tether the kid down or else he'll run on the field. He can't wait to get after the ball, running all over the place. Parker still loves to cuddle and watch sports with me and Conway prefers getting out and chasing the ball around himself. Interesting personalities and will fun to see them grow and change over time. I think they call that parenthood.
Our deck / patio from the room. It was pretty humid all week, but we did get dinner out there as a family with the Huey's one night. This is just the boys looking out the window from our "Partial Ocean View" room. Our room was on the top floor, was next to the elevator so we were lucky to get this little den in addition to the one-bedroom and living room...perfect for the boys to have their own space and rest in!
The schedule was pretty much the same each day...the boys acclimated to Hawaiian time well, and by the second day were sleeping to 6:45-7am. We'd get up and have breakfast, and then we'd head down to the pool around 9am. the Huhmensons had been at the pool for an hour already :) - they're kids did NOT acclimate well to the time change, ha! We got to hang with them, and then the Hueys came down around 10ish, followed by the families with the older kids (Verhasselts and Pannoni's) who showed up around 11 each day. Then we left for lunch around noon and I could get a workout in while the family rested / napped and then go back down to the pool to see the friends again. Then of course after nap, it was full on Beach Time! Both the boys love the beach, but I would say that Conway was more interested in going on a daily basis. The Pacific is indeed impressive my young child :).
These boys! Pretty happy, go lucky guys for the entire week. What a fun family vacation and so much love for Treva, the pregnant one, for her patience and sticking it out while I had to go to Honolulu for the day for work!
