Pool Time!

 These are all the pool pictures while we were there. They went to the pool everyday...sometimes multiple times a day! 

These first few pictures are from our first night there. They were so excited!

 

Even the teenagers swam that day.

 

 

 

There were two pools at our condo. One of them was just outside our door. Here is the view from our balcony that Noni took. You can see Boo sitting on the side of the pool and I am in the white chair behind her.

 

 

These two had endless energy! Even after being on the go all day they wanted to head straight for the pool the minute we got back!

 

 

The teenagers didn't have quite as much energy. :)

 

 

It is so nice that they are getting to the age where I can sit and watch and relax and not have to be hyper vigilant. Peaches swimming continues to improve and Lou is careful to wear her life jacket if she goes over 3 feet.

 

 

One day they worked on perfecting their cannonball skills. :) 

 

 

Lou was the best!

 

 

So happy!

 

 

They must have jumped in 30 times each!

 

 

 They also practiced using the snorkel masks T bought in preparation for our snorkeling excursion on Noni's birthday.

 

 

This cracked me up. Peanut was playing in the pool with them and they were plugging her nose for her so they could go under water. :)

 

 

We definitely got our money's worth out of the condo pool! 

Bikes!

 One afternoon Noni rented bikes for all of us! We had originally reserved one for Peaches but when we realized that we would be doing a lot of biking on paths right next to a busy road we cancelled her reservation and put her in the bike trailer with Lou. I told them they were like princesses and I was their servant pulling them around. Haha.

 

 

It was overcast that day and sprinkled quite a bit, but we decided that was a really good thing because we would have had a heatstroke if it had been hot and sunny! :P I was sweating as it was pulling those two, and I did have to walk them up a few hills on the way. T traded me bikes for a while on the longest hill.

 

 

 It was so fun biking along the palm tree path! The beach was just to our right.

 

 

We biked from Kihei to The Shops at Wailea, a beautiful shopping center that offers free classes. We checked out the place and the class schedule and did some shopping. Lou and Peaches got out and played for a while.

 

 

I think Peanut was off with T at this point. I thought it was interesting that on the mainland stores have been Christmas-decorated since the day after Halloween but in Hawaii they were just starting to put up their decorations the week we were there.  

 

 

Bug got this picture. :)

 

 

These pictures don't do the landscape justice. Everything felt so green and lush there. 

 

 

And the flowers everywhere were gorgeous!

 

 

We took a shortcut through an apartment complex so I wouldn't have to pull the trailer up the hill.

 

 

Here are some pictures Noni sent me.

 

 

So fun! 

 

 

Thank you Noni for the wonderful afternoon!! 

 

Funny Friday!

 

Happy Friday! :)

Beach Time and Date Night!

 After the aquarium we hit the beach! After a few pauses to admire the beautiful flowers on the way!

 

I wouldn't exactly call the water "warm" but compared to every other ocean I've ever been in it definitely was. The girls loved it!

 

 

 They played their little hearts out in the waves.  Then they would come up and build sandcastles and when they tired of that they would run back to the water. It was endless fun.

 

 

So pretty.

 

 

 Bug, F, T, and I left the beach early to get dressed up and go out to dinner. We drove to Kaanapali which was about an hour away and had dinner at one of the restaurants in a really pretty hotel. We ate separately. Haha. I grabbed a picture of them before we left for our table.

 

 

Celebrating (almost) 20 years! 

 

 

 

I got shrimp tacos. Yum. 

 

 

 

T got a chicken burger.

 

 

They had a bunch of flamingos wandering around in the middle of the hotel! And these cool pools with huge Koi fish. 

 

 

This was a really beautiful resort and it was fun to see it all decorated for Christmas.

 

 

We had to get a picture with their poinsettia wall. :)

 

 

This tree was so beautiful and had pretty lanterns dangling from it. 

 

 

We stopped for ice cream on the way back. I got Ube ice cream which is made from pureed ube yams that are purple. I guess they are kind of like a sweet potato. The flavor was hard to describe...very mild and tropical tasting. I really liked it! It also came with a chocolate coconut cookie. The other time we got ice cream I tried Haupia which had a mild coconut flavor. Both were very good and I was glad I branched out!

 

 

The others got ice cream as well. Noni walked them down to a gelato shop that was about a mile from our condo. They found this place and had to take a picture for Aunt Karen. 

Thanks for watching the girls so we could have a date night Noni!