Maui Day Seven: Happy Birthday, Ella!

Our last full day on the island started out with some fun times at the pool once again. A couple of nice families were leaving that day and they gave Ella some sand toys and this awesome turtle floatie. We had to try it out right away and boy was it fun!

After a fun-filled morning of swimming, splashing and floating, I took a nap in the shade. I was zonked out!

For our final dinner in Maui, we went to Bubba Gumps. For those of you who don't remember the film "Forrest Gump," this restaurant is themed after the movie and named for his best friend, Bubba. It is very kid friendly so Ella and I had so much fun. Here I am looking at the sunset with Tutu. We had to wear our shades.

My meal of mac 'n cheese came in a big shrimp boat. It was so cool! The specialty of the house is shrimp prepared many different and delicious ways. But of course, I stuck to one of my old stand-bys. I am so predictable.

Here is a photo of our last Maui sunset. Mommy took it a bit too late but it's still just stunning. Boy, will I miss these sunsets. I've been looking for them every day since we got back to L.A. but they are certainly not the same in the states.

Later, we headed back to Tutu and Sir's room to celebrate Ella's birthday! She was going to turn two in two days so we decided to start the celebration early when we could all be together. Aunt Marisa made us all cupcakes. Oh, boy, cake!

Ella did an awesome job blowing out her candle. I think she was practicing.

Here I am munching my cupcake...

...It was messy and delicious!

Tutu and I decided that we should toast with our cupcakes. Silly!

So everyone joined in. Cheers!

Then it was time for some presents! From Mommy, Daddy and me, Ella got a hula bear...

...A cool monkey T-shirt...

...And a hula girl paper doll book. She loved them all!

We also got her a cute hula girl bracelet to match the necklace Tutu and Sir got for her. Neat!

Ella also got to wear these awesome birthday glasses. I guess when it's your birthday, you are so cool that you have to wear shades.

Works for me! Those glasses were the best!

Tutu had to try them, too. Shaka!

Finally, we all headed outside to test out the neat flashlights that Tutu got for us. Here I am checking out the ground.

Here's Ella looking rather spooky.

And here I am being my silly self. Flashlights are the best!

So our Maui vacation came to a fun-filled close. Awwww! Don't worry, we'll be back next year for more fun! And we will ave a new addition to our family to have fun with (I think Peanut will love it here as much as I do). Now it's back to L.A. and back to our normal lives. How can we stay on Maui forever? I will have to think hard about that...

Aloha, Maui, until we meet again! Thanks, Tutu and Sir, for taking us on such a wonderful family trip...we'll have these memories forever in our hearts!

Maui Day Six: Fun with Jack in Wailea

On the sixth day of our Maui vacation, we headed off to Wailea on the south side of the island to visit with Uncle Jon, Aunt Jenn and Jack. Little did we know when we were planning our separate vacations that we would be in Maui at the same time. Neat, right?

Their resort, The Fairmont, was just beautiful and Mommy, Daddy and I were excited to see another part of Maui. The Wailea south side of the island is a bit more woodsy than the country-like west side of Ka'anapali. It was quite a lovely change of scenery for us, for sure! Here's the view of the pool area and that's exactly where we headed first!
The resort had a great kiddie wadding pool. Jack and I "borrowed" a few pool toys from some other kids and had a blast splashing around.
Jack was super excited to see us, can't you tell?
Daddy and Jack had a some deep conversations about the pool.
And Jack and I thought Aunt Jenn looked a little too dry so we helped her out.
Who should we splash next, Jack?
Needless to say, the cousins had an awesome morning.
Every day, the resort has a fun activity for kids. Today is was hula lessons. Jack and I thought we might try it out.
We listened very closely to the instructors. Good thing Aunt Jenn was there to help.
OK, I think we're ready to hula!
Why do I have such a confused look on my face, you ask? Well I tried to hula for a few minutes but I got a bit frustrated when the steps got more complicated so I went back to the pool with Mommy. Jack and Aunt Jenn stuck around for a few more steps. I think they were really getting a hang of it.
Then it was time for lunch so we headed over the the pool grill.
Jack and I colored while we waited for our food to come. Mommy loves how alike we look in this photo. Boy are we cousins or what?
Finally, it was time to say goodbye. We headed up to Jack's room to change our clothes, which was beautiful and quite cozy. We had to pose with Ironman, of course.
Thanks so much for having us, Aunt Jenn and Uncle Jon! We had a great day. See you back in L.A....
On the way home, I took a big nap. I was exhausted!
Later that evening, we headed down to Lahaina for some Cheeseburgers in Paradise! It's one of our favorite casual dining places in Maui. Ella and I took in the beach scene while we waited for our table.
And we even snuck in a cool family photo. Cheese!
Here's a silly one of me and my Mommy. In this one you can see the restaurant. We sat up on the second floor next to the musician. Ella and I LOVED the music and danced and danced for all the other patrons. We were a hit! Mommy couldn't get a photo of us in action so you will have to trust me when I say that we certainly cut a rug!
Daddy and I got silly, too, waiting for the sunset. Check out those beautiful clouds behind us. Gotta love Maui!
While we were outside, we were fortunate enough to catch a lovely rainbow on the other side of the street. It was right near the famous Lahaina "L." Awesome!
The moment we had been waiting for finally arrived. Wow, what a sunset!

Can you believe we only have one more full day left on the island? Boy, did we hate to leave! Stay tuned for highlights from day seven: Happy Birthday, Ella...

Maui Day Five: Choo-Choo!

On day five of our Maui vacation, Sir, Uncle Mike and Aunt Marisa went surfing (that's right, Sir went on his first surfing adventure and did pretty well). So Tutu, Mommy and Daddy decided to take us kiddos for a ride on the Sugar Cane Train. We went for the first time last year and loved it so it seemed like a good way to spend our morning. And the best part is the station is directly across the street from our resort so we could walk right on over. Bonus!

Ella and I were very excited to get on the train. We had to wait patiently for the train to arrive.

Here I am still waiting patiently with Mommy and Daddy in from of the schedule board. OK, well mostly patient.

Finally, we heard the whistle blowing off in the distance. Daddy spotted the train before I did.

Here it comes! Oh boy!

Tutu, Ella and I took our seats and got ready for the trip. Can you tell I was excited? I LOVE trains!

Here's the typical view from the train toward the ocean. Spectacular!

And here's the view from the other side. Lovely country and hills, huh? And I think it's raining up there. Neat!

Soon we reached the Lahaina station. We all had to get off the train so the engine could turn around on the platform. It was neat to watch.

While we were waiting, Daddy and I slipped into the gift shop and picked up this awesome train whistle. It almost sounds like the real thing. It takes a lot of breath to get it to sound right but I got it after just a few tries.

I let Ella try it, too (since I'm a nice big cousin and all). She didn't quite understand the concept of blowing into the whistle so she made the train sound into it instead. It was adorable!

Then we were off on our return trip to Ka'anapali. I waved to the golfers we saw on the courses we passed. They waved back, of course!

Soon all good things have to come to an end. Darn! But we got one more treat before we reached the station. The engine had to turn around one last time and it blew off a bunch of steam right in front of us. We actually felt the mist. It was so cool!

One more photo in front of the engine before we left. What a great trip!

Tutu and Ella had to take one, too! So cute!

Here's a shot of the whole train as we walked back home. Hope to see you again next year, Sugar Cane Train!

That evening, the mommies and daddies got a special night out without their kiddies. Ella and I stayed with Tutu and Sir while Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Mike and Aunt Marisa had adult dinners out on the town. Don't worry, Ella and I had a blast coloring, eating popcorn and ice cream, and rolling in the grass in front of our building. Do we know how to have fun or what? (Note from Mommy: Thanks, Tutu and Sir, for giving us a parents' night out in Maui...we had fun!)

Stayed tuned for highlights from our sixth day in Maui: Fun with Jack in Wailea...