Maui 2009 Collage

 

I decided I needed to hurry and write about our fun trip to Maui, as my memory is sadly fading. Feel free to completely skip the journaling as it is solely for that fading memory.

Saturday January 24th:
Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen traded in a timeshare and ended up with one in Maui, they so kindly invited us to tag along. How could we pass up the chance to enjoy 7 days in Hawaii? Josie went to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Kellogg and we drove to Seattle to catch our direct flight to Maui. We landed on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and we stopped at Costco for some eats then hurried out to Lahaina to the Marriott resort and of course their pool. Conor and I spent the evening at the pool while Kevin went back to pick up Grandma and Grandpa from the airport, they ran into some delays.
Sunday January 25th:
We went to church in Lahaina and ran into the Niska's,our old bishop from the Indian Trail ward here in Spokane...small world. After church which happened to be 3/4 visitors we went over to Waelaea and spent some time with Kristi and Ryan (Kevin's sister) They were on their way home the next day, another small world. Amazing the difference in vegetation and scenery on the different side of the island.
Monday January 26th:
It was a bit overcast, but that didn't stop us from going to the pool and beach. We spent a good chunk of the day being lazy at the pool then we went on a whale watching tour. The hump back whales are incredible this time of year in the waters of Maui. You could see whales from our condo deck and then on the boat you could see tons of them. Not too impressed with the company we chose to tour with, but now I know better for next time. (Frogman-through BossFrog)
Tuesday January 27th:
We woke up the next day to RAIN...bo hoo. It rained all day. Conor braved the hot tub for about an hour but even he had to come inside. Such a bummer day. We were all really disappointed. We took the opportunity to hit the shops in Lahaina and check out some scenery.
Wenesday January 28th:
The weather was slightly better, at least no pouring rain in the morning so we trekked out to the beach and pool all morning. Conor was tall enough to ride the big water slide and he practically wore it out. The rain finally chased us inside and we relaxed and napped and I think we wandered some more shops. One of Conor's favorite places was a little shop that where they were blowing glass. He was fascinated. We had to drag him away which is saying something for Conor and a shop. He also really liked the place with the boat replica's/models.
Thursday January 29th:
Our 1st absolutely beautiful not a cloud in the sky sunny day. Kevin and I spent an hour with a resort trying to sell us their crappy time share so we could go on the awesome zip line for 1/2 the cost. Worth the time!!! Conor and G & G spent the entire day at the pool and beach while Kevin and I went to this awesome zip line called Philo Ranch, it was brand new and the equipment was awesome and easy to use. The views were amazing and the rush was awesome. Highly recommend it.
Friday January 30th:
Another BEAUTIFUL day!!! 80 degrees no clouds and sun sun sun. We got up early and went to a blow hole we had heard about a few miles North of the Condo. Unfortunately this was the location of the death of our camera (may she rest in peace) We got a few great pictures and unfortunately a wandering wave doused me while holding the camera. I looked as if I had jumped in. Funny now, but a bit irritating regarding the camera. I don't think a wave has hit the spot I was standing in since...sort of a fluke. The blow hole was pretty awesome, but not $200+ awesome, ha ha. After the blow hole we went to the beach and Kevin and I went snorkeling up at black rock. We had a great time and we even got to see a tiny octopus and a big huge turtle. It is amazing all the beautiful fish you can see so close to the surface. We did some boogie boarding and sand castle building today and even got a bit burned. A fabulous day, probably the best one. What Hawaii is famous for.
Saturday January 31st:
Departure day, but still time to hit the beach and pool. We got up early and went boogie boarding and saw a really awesome rainbow, but no picture as we had no camera. :( We packed our bags and sadly left. On the way to the airport we had time to stop and watch the kite surfing. What a neat thing to watch. Looks like a crazy sport, but super fun. Next time. The flight was uneventful and we landed in Seattle very late. We hoped in the car and drove the entire way home to Spokane. We were exhausted. We slept as long as we could then we were into the car again to go and get little Josie. We missed her! She didn't really miss us though, she was spoiled and had a fabulous time, she didn't even want to leave Grandma Kellogg.

So there you have it....the complete detailed version of our fabulous trip to Maui. It was over too fast, but thank goodness for the wonderful memories we will cherish forever.

A Few Conor pictures in Maui

Making a fort to withstand the waves!
The beloved waterslide at the Marriott pool.
Conor wore his Lei for 1.2 seconds. I had to bribe him to hold all 3. No pretty stuff for my all boy, he was willing to hold them if it got him to the pool faster.
Playing in the monster leaf/foilage in Wailaea...where's Conor? The greenery is incredible.

Conor loved Hawaii. He adores the swimming pool and would be absolutely happy if the pool at the resort in Maui was in our backyard. Then he wouldn't have to endure all the traveling. He much prefers the pool to the sandy beaches or shopping or eating, or exploring the island. I suppose the pool would need to include the nice weather of Hawaii. He was always asking when we could go back to the "apartment," and the pool. He is one lucky kid! I know many people who have never been to Hawaii and my little 5 year old has been twice!! I guess being a diabetic can have its advantages.

January in Maui

Maui Sunset - January 2009

This is where I have been for the last week! We had such a fabulous time. Hawaii is a beautiful place. More later!

Conor blurb

I wanted to do a quick post on some of the memories I want to keep of Conor. Kevin was making crepes the other day and Conor could not remember the name for the life of him. He finally settled on Crops. I giggled every time he said he wanted another crop and I asked him if he was going to harvest it and he just looked at me funny.
Conor speaks very well as most of you know, but he gets really lazy when he says the word church. He always calls it turch. I hound him to correct it and I have him say other word with the Ch sound and he says them perfect, so now when he says it incorrectly and I say "what??" He says fine, We are going to Chicken today. Oh dear. I think that might stick. On Sunday we go to Chicken at our house not church. ha ha I love my silly Conor!!

Christmas in Spokane

Christmas Eve Jamies!!

Christmas was so fun this year! Santa braved the 4 feet of snow and made it to our house. Conor was very excited and was on his best behavior, if he was ever acting up in the weeks before Christmas we would start singing Santa Clause is coming to town and he would get hysterical (mean I know). We kept track of Santa all Christmas eve by calling the Santa trackers. Conor left out cookies for Santa and was thrilled that Santa ate them and left a note. When he saw the note he said: "I didn't know Santa had a red pen..." then on to the PRESENTS! He got everything he wanted and more.


Josie was a little bit bewildered by all the action, but once she got the go ahead to open the present she didn't hesitate. She especially liked the purse and cell phone and her own rocking chair. Once the Christmas craziness is over I love to sit back and look at the "debris" We are so so blessed. Merry Christmas!!



Josie blowing a kiss. I plan to keep her locked in her room after age 16 (ha ha)

Fun with Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen

We had a wonderful Christmas at our house. Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen braved an awful snow storm to drive from Utah to spend the holidays with us and we had such a great time with them.



Grandma and Grandpa with Conor and Josie



Making yummy Christmas treats with Grandma


2 Days after Christmas we went up to Coeur d'Alene and took a boat cruise to the North pole we saw Santa closing down his shop and still checking his list. We had an interesting experience when we went to dinner after the cruise. For some reason the electricity went out in the restaurant just before our meals arrived. There was emergency lighting, so it wasn't pitch black, but dark none the less. The waitress said they were still cooking our meal if we wanted to stay and we were hungry so we chose to stay. Unfortunately with out electricity the fans in the kitchens weren't working so the room began to fill with smoke and the fire alarms went off. To air out the room they opened the doors and arctic cold air came in to join us for dinner. The alarms were turned off so we opted to put on our coats and eat by candlelight. Fortunately the food was scrumptious and the adventure was one we will always remember.

Snow Snow Snow and more Snow

Conor and Josie in a snow bank. This was days ago, you should see it now. The piles are so high I can't even shovel it up there any more. Shoveling snow can be a good work out!



Kevin taking care of our roof. Thank you Kevin! We figured if he fell off he didn't have far to fall since the snow was piled so high.


I have been so busy shoveling snow I haven't had time to post! It is crazy here. We have something like 4 feet of snow all in the last 2 weeks. Conor got an extra 2 days of winter break because they canceled school because of the snow and then it just kept coming. Something like 30 local business roofs have collapsed. Costco and Walmart have even been closed because of roof concerns. Yikes. Kevin was out on our roof days ago and we feel confident that ours is fine, but it makes you a little nervous to go into stores. That is if you can even get to the stores. The roads around here are awful!