Maui, Round 2, The Professional Pictures

I have said this many times before, but I am one spoiled mama!!  If you are going on vacation, make sure you take a professional photographer with you...even a bigger bonus if she is one of your dearest friends!  Lora outdid herself again.  My printing bill is going to be out of control this time.

Maui, Round 1, The Kids

For those of you who did not know, we have spent the past week or so in Maui.  We loaded up the kids, our friends, their kids and way to much luggage and headed west through the Pacific.  It was a wonderful time.  The weather was great and the kids were exhausted every night.

We went to Maui with Lora, Brad, Nolan and Andrew.  Yes, 4 adults and 5 kids!!  There was a definite need for Mai Tai's!  Here is round one of pictures, mainly the kids.

We started the trip with a stop at the Aquarium.  The kids had a great time looking at the colorful fish.  We thought it would be a good idea to see the fish and their names before we went snorkeling the next day.

The second full day was all about snorkeling.  We took a boat out to Molokini, a crescent shaped crater just a little way off the main part of the island.  The snorkeling was supposed to be great here, but we were not overly impressed.  Th kids had a great time though.

Nora Beth was not big enough to use the real snorkel gear, so they had some floaties set up just for the little ones to float and be able to see what was under the water.

The boat captain let all the kids have a chance to steer the boat on the way back to dock.

We stopped and let the kids see the largest Banyan tree in the world.  It was an amazing tree that took up a whole acre.  The girls were really amazed by the tree.

The whole group of us went to see a luau.  Yes, very touristy, but the kids loved it.

It was a very muggy night, so Calum's hair was very receptive to the mohawk.

We did the long, windy drive to Hana.  On the way we saw these amazing Rainbow Trees.  The bark was such beautiful colors.

Lamar got Nora Beth a lei one night at dinner.  She was so happy to have these flowers.

Recharge

Lamar and I have had very little alone time since Calum was born.  We are not complaining whatsoever, we know that this is what happens when you have a new baby.  Since I am nursing him, we are most definitely a package deal for quite some time.  The opportunity came up for us to get away for the night (22 hours to be exact) so we jumped on it!   We do not have family close to us who is willing to help out, so friends are our answer.  THANK YOU NICOLE!!!!

We decided to go to Portland for our time away.  We found a great Bed and Breakfast called Heron Haus in the Northwest neighborhood we wanted to be in (off NW 23rd).  The whole house was beautiful.  It was tucked in amongst other beautiful houses.  An amazing view of Portland.  Beautiful woodwork and furnishings.  Extremely comfortable and a house you just want to curl up in.

We had a dinner reservation at Urban Fondue.  One of the best parts of Urban Fondue is that it is next door to Bartini.  Fondue AND martinis...the making of a fantastic dinner!  We indulged in fantastic food and drinks, enjoyed our conversations and most importantly, were able to reconnect.

We eventually wandered back to the B & B.  We both slept so well.  We wanted to pack the bed up with us and bring it home.  We slept in to 8 AM.  Yes, I said SLEPT IN TO 8 AM!!  We wandered down stairs for our breakfast.  The food was delicious, at least I thought it was.  We were served a fruit salad with candied ginger yogurt, artichoke souffle, asparagus, green salad and cranberry scones.  Lamar was not impressed by the lack of bacon, but he did eat it all except the asparagus which I happily stole from his plate.

After breakfast we packed up and headed out to do some shopping before we went home.  I wanted to pick up a few things at Trader Joe"s and we both needed to do some shoe shopping.  Personal shopping is something that we both realize does not happen when we have kids in tow.  To actually be able to browse is a luxury.  Again, we enjoyed the time together until we realized that it was time to go home.

Upon arriving home, Calum was so excited to see me.  I am sure he was happy to see Lamar, but it was me that he really wanted.  I keep telling Lamar that if he would just lactate then Calum would feel the same about him! 

Everything went perfectly at home while we were away, just as we expected.  We are so grateful to Nicole for watching the kiddos for us.  We don't know what we would do without her.  It was really nice to get away, but it was also really nice to come home to all the hugs and smiles.

Technically, still on vacation

We made it home from Hawaii just fine. The girls were so excited to see us that they woke up extra early just to see us - or was that to see what we brought home in the luggage!

Fortunately, Lamar does not have to go back to work until Tuesday, so he is considering himself still on vacation. Jan and Marie wanted to go to the beach, so Lamar drove them over. It was a beautiful day and they really enjoyed themselves. Spending time on the Oregon beach was just not the same as the Hawaii beaches, but Lamar survived!


Today we loaded up in the van and headed over to the Oregon Garden. Marie has been fascinated by all the plants and flowers that we have here so we thought the garden would be the perfect place for her to enjoy. Luckily we were right!


Nora Beth was so excited to finally come to the Children's Garden. She remembered that this is where the Hobbit House is. She had so much fun running through the house.


Shi was looking for bugs while Nora Beth played.


There was even time for a good father/daughter time.

Even more Hawaii

The sunsets we were able to enjoy every night were wonderful. Each night was a little different depending on how clear the sky was and how much vog (volcanic ash and fog) was in the air.


Lamar enjoyed his time on the golf courses. While he golfed I spent some much needed time in the day spa.


My own Scuba Steve! We went snorkeling on our last full day. The water was beautiful and we were able to explore the coral reef and see all kinds of marine life. There was even a pod of spinner dolphins when we arrived. I liked to watch the school of puffer fish.


We had a great time on our last evening watching the manta rays feed just after sunset. We were still in complete denial that we had to leave in the morning. We did make a promise to each other that we would get the girls over to Hawaii in the next year. Yeah, another vacation to look forward to!

The Curse is Broken!

One of the things Lamar wanted to do while in Hawaii was go fishing. He has had terrible luck with ocean fishing in Oregon. Every time he goes out, the boat is sent back in due to bad weather. The forecast looked perfect for our trip, so he was feeling confident about actually making it out to sea.

While waiting for our boat to be ready to leave we saw these turtles playing near us. They were beautiful to watch. As the boat pulled out of the bay we had dolphins along side us - wish I had the camera ready for that shot!

We made it off shore. The waters were a little rocky, but not bad. Lamar was convinced that I was going to be sick. He was prepared with ginger candy, bland snacks, mints, water, and the list goes on. Fortunately, I never got sick and really enjoyed the trip - much more than I can say for another passenger on the boat - she spent the whole time with her head over the side. Glad it was not me this time!

We were on a 4 hour charter and there were no fish biting - NONE! Lamar was feeling the curse coming back. Maybe sea fishing was just not for him. We were heading back to the dock and just before we entered the bay there was a strike on Lamar's pole. YEAH, FISH ON!

Everyone on the boat moved so fast. Lamar assumed his position on the chair and started working on getting the fish into the boat. It was really putting up a fight and it took all he had to get it into the boat.


Finally, after about 10 minutes, Lamar won the battle.


He is really needing a drink now!


The fish is called an ONO (or wahoo). It is a local fish found around the islands. 19 pounds and 46 1/2 inches long. The only fish caught on this day - so he gets the bragging rights!


Gonna look great on the BBQ when we get home!