On Sunday, I met up with Elaine for brunch in Palo Alto and stopped at West Elm. They had a whole garden section filled with succulents, vases, and accessories. 
I couldn’t resist picking up a a few air plants to add to my collection of succulents.
I already had this square vase and river rocks and all I had to do was drop these three little guys inside. They don’t require any soil and you only need to “water” them twice a week by spraying them.
We left Maui on Wednesday (3/6) morning and it happened to be Brother and Joy’s wedding anniversary too. Happy Anniversary!
It was a good week of sun, water, and family time. The house we rented was awesome and perfect for the seven of us. Loved having easy access to the beach at any time and the convenience of a full kitchen. Of course we missed the whole “hotel feel” of a vacation at times but we were still able to get a taste of it at the Sheraton pool and bar that was just steps away from where our beach camp was located. It was also so nice to have family around to enjoy this experience and also to help out with watching Kumquat. What a treat!
Also, thanks to Yoon and Kurt for coming over from Oahu to hang out and that bucket of rice lasted us three meals!!
The flight from Maui to Honolulu was short but painful since Kumquat decided to be h-angry right as we were landing. The 2-hour layover in Honolulu was just enough time to sit down for a proper meal.
Luckily the longer flight from Honolulu to SF was not as bad. She slept for a total of 2 hours and I had the Ergo to hold her and plenty of snacks to keep her occupied.
A vacation to Hawaii is definitely different now with a 10-month-old in tow but totally worth the extra luggage, lack of reading, and time lost in getting out of the house each day. Bringing her pack-n-play and feeding seat was worth it and Kumquat did quite well with the time change there and back.
Also, thanks to my mom for keeping Koa company while we were gone. Hope you had a fun vacation in SF!
So our next trip will likely be back on Oahu again. Not sure how we’ll be able to pull off staying at the Moana again but who knows what life will be like next year.
For our last night, we took Jason and Jia to Old Lahaina Luau. Jia had never been to a luau before so this was a nice way to finish the trip.
Kumquat had her plumeria and hula shirt on and she even got a lei.
Dinner was tasty and cocktails and wine was unlimited. Our server, Vincent, was pretty funny too.
Here’s a photo of the tahitian dancers. Shake it, ladies!
And check out my lava flow. Brother pointed out to me that it looked like a little man in a hot tub holding my straw. Do you see it?
Tuesday (3/5) was our last full day on Maui and it was spent at the beach. In the morning, we took Kumquat out to say “Good Morning!” to Mr. Ocean.
We tried to get a family photo but Kumquat was still not having it.
Jason came along and was showing how easy it is to read on the beach with his Nook. Silly Jason!
We then drove over to Ka’anapali Beach again for some more snorkeling and sun. 
Brother and Joy had already set-up camp with an umbrella and chairs and Kumquat was ready to play! We also took Kumquat to the Sheraton kiddie pool where the water was only one foot deep. 
There were lots of other kids around and she blended right in with her floatie.
From the beach, we were able to watch some whales playing pretty close to the shore. There were also a bunch of turtles swimming in knee-deep water. In fact, when Jes and I went snorkeling, Jes accidentally kicked one in the fin on his way out of the water. They were THAT close.
Kumquat had a decent time in the water too but then got splashed in the face. Unhappy baby.
Since we dragged the stroller out to the beach, Kumquat was able to take a nice long nap. Jes stayed with her while the rest of us went over to the bar for a snack and some drinks.
We had a nice spot overlooking the beach and shared a giant mound of nachos.
Here’s one of my tropical drinks. This one was a melon-rita. Tasty.
The weather was perfect and it didn’t get windy until the end of the afternoon.
Here’s a photo with my girls. What a fun day!
On Monday (3/4), we all piled into the minivan and drove out to Iao Valley State Park for a morning hike. 
Everyone was ready for a 45 minute hike up the mountain but it was actually just a 10-minute walk up a paved path and some stairs.
It was also a bit colder than expected. Regardless, there was a nice view at the top and a cute stream down below.
Unfortunately, Jia had a little misstep into the taro pond. Poor Jia.
Since Kumquat was riding on Jes’ back, he got quite a leg workout on those stairs!
Here is a family of Hawaiian chickens looking for breakfast. We saw them in the parking lot.
We had lunch at Da Kitchen Cafe and I had Fried Spam Musubi and Kimchee Crabcakes (bottom left and right). They were soooo tasty! I also tried Jes’ saimin and Jason’s garlic shrimp fried rice (top left and right). Those were just as good! Yum yum. This was one of my favorite meals on the trip.
After lunch, we went to Maui Ocean Center. Jes and I always visit this place each time we’re on Maui and this time we got to take Kumquat. 
She started a little grouchy but then had a great time once she had her milk.
Here’s a funny little fish that put on a show for us.
Her favorite part was the shark tunnel where she got to stand and stare at the sharks and fish swimming above.
When we got back to the house, everyone took a nap. Brother, Kumquat, and I were the only ones awake and we just sat around watching the Travel Channel.
Once Jes and Jason woke up, we headed out to the pool. 
We also walked over to the beach for a little sand and sun.
Here’s our family photo with Kumquat still a little afraid of the surf.
For dinner, we headed up the coast to Ono Tacos. It’s a pop-up shop that’s along a random sidewalk and has a few tables and chairs.
The fish tacos were so good and the ceviche was really fresh. This was also one of my favorite meals of this trip. We had a pretty tasty day overall.
On Sunday (3/3) morning, I was amazed that Kumquat was sleeping in. Once she woke up, it had been over 12 hours since she fell asleep the evening before. Brother and Joy were up with me again and they made Spam, eggs, and rice while I cut up the pineapple.
Here’s a little look at our vacation home. This is the front view. There are two master bedrooms with master baths for each room upstairs. On the ground floor, there’s a smaller room with two twin beds and a detached bathroom. That’s where Jes and I slept since it was closest to the baby who would be sleeping in the livingroom. There’s a decent kitchen, livingroom, and diningroom on the first floor as well. In addition to the house itself, we had our own patio in the back complete with chairs, a table, and grill!! 
Here’s the view from our house – not bad, huh?! It was even nicer from the bedrooms upstairs.
And here is Puamana Beach, which is just past those coconut trees in the previous photo.
When the rest of the house woke up, we packed up for a little shopping trip in Lahaina. One of the first stops was at Hula Cookies and Ice Cream. We got a few cookies warm out of the oven and scoops of ice cream. I got the Kona Mud Pie ice cream that was so delicious.
Once the baby woke up from her nap, we went to Aloha Mixed Plate for lunch. Sadly I didn’t take any photos but it was your typical Hawaiian mixed plate fare including teri beef, mac salad, poke, and loco moco. Afterward we drove up the coast to check out Honolua Bay. It was a beautiful bay but there’s not much of a beach – too rocky for a 10-month-old.
Oh and check out our dope ride. It’s a minivan with automatic doors and plenty of room for all seven of us.
On the way home, we stopped at Leoda’s for some pie. We shared the pineapple lemon tart and the Olawalu lime pie. My favorite was the pineapple lemon tart.
Once we were home, there was enough time to go out to the beach and then to the pool. We hung out at the beach for a little while but the surf was starting to get a little crazy.
So, we headed to the pool and it was pretty fun watching the baby float around in the pool. Brother did his impression of a breaching whale and we all got a good laugh.
For dinner, the boys made a tasty steak and asparagus dinner on the grill and we all went to bed with full bellies. Today was a good day.
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