Maui, Hawaii

For Christmas this year we gave our kids a trip to Maui, Hawaii.  They were SOO super excited to go!  

Jeff's company has a leadership retreat each year.  On the off year they go somewhere in the world like Australia, Thailand, Costa Rica, etc and on the on year they go to Hawaii.  Jeff's family and some of our friends bought the trip there on the Agel prices.  Jeff had flown out several days early to conduct his meetings / retreat.  I flew out later with the kids and Grandma Julie.  We left on January 6th and stayed for a week.  There used to be a direct flight from SLC to Maui but the airlines have done away with it.  So we left SLC at 11:20am and we arrived in Maui at 12:15am which was 3:15am Salt Lake time!  What is supposed to be a six hour flight took us 16 HOURS!!!!!  Ridiculous!  We had a 7 1/2 hour lay over in Los Angeles.  It was a killer.

But it made it all worth it when we arrived!  I absolutely LOVE the Grand Wailea in Maui.  We always stay there each time we go to Maui.  The drive pulling into the Grand was all decked out in lights still for Christmas.  It looked so pretty!

 They greeted us at the entrance and gave us lei's.

The kids were so good considering it was now about 3:30am for us!

 My favorite hotel in all the world!

The lobby......

The backside of the hotel faces the ocean.

This waterfall is in the front of the hotel.

The kids played and played in the ocean.  Each time I wanted to check on Cade, I had to scan the surface of the water.  He spent most of his time face down snorkeling in the water.  He found seashells and coral that he took home.

Canyon was so darling in the sand!  Jessica took him out there and he kicked and kicked and giggled and was so happy to be in the sand.

The kids loved having cousins there with them.  There was always a playmate!

The kids went boogie boarding a ton and made a million sand castles.

Cade and Gunner getting totally taken over by a wave!

Jeff took Ellie, Molly and Addley (Brandon & Julie Nelson's daughter) in the ocean to play and they had so much fun with Jeff.  They laughed and laughed at him.

Jens, Shayla S. & Katelyn playing in the ocean

Shayla, Sam, Jaxon, Danny, Katelyn, Jens, Jeff & Joel

One day Scott came running down the beach in a speedo!  It was too funny!  He dove in the water and swam right up by Joel and Burke Ballard who were snorkeling.  They thought some naked guy was creeping up on them and then they realized it was Scott!  When it came time to get out, he made Alivia bring him his suit because apparently the water was "cold" and things "shrunk".  But I still got SEVERAL pictures of him!  It was a funny joke!

Emma and Alivia found a crab.  They didn't care that it was dead. 

Chase and Gunner found a star fish - that was alive!

I'm not exaggerating when I say that a million sand castles were built!

Seth Bradley built some really cool ones.  He built a cool shark and an awesome sea turtle.

The pools at the Wailea are so fun.  There are multiple pools and water slides with a lazy river and a water elevator.

Cade loved the rope swing best.

Jens, Brock and Colby Ballard

Cade ~ Chase ~ Gunner

On the final night of Jeff's leadership retreat they held a luau.  It was THE BEST luau that I have ever been to.  The food was amazing!  Mostly because it wasn't luau food.  It was shrimp, prime rib, potatoes, pork, great food!

Sarah and Hudson Zolecki and me.
Hudson is our godson and he is the sweetest little thing!

We had some delicious pina coladas in carved out pineapples! 

The kids loved the luau.  Molly loved the dancers, especially the slap dance!

One evening we went to Mama's Fishouse

 ~ which is one of the best places in the whole entire world to eat! ~

Our whole Higginson family (adults that is) went along with Clifford and Lynda Hales, Emily, Brad & Shannon Hales, Burke & Natalie Ballard and Chase & Brooke Bazil came.

The view at Mama's is wonderful.  It's on the North shore of Maui.  The whole ambiance of the restaurant is what makes it my favorite.  Having this as the view, dining with open windows and having the ocean breeze blowing in and eating the most fresh (like caught that day fresh) fish to eat is so good!

There was a sand "snow"man outside Mama's that we took our picture with.

Ahhh........ Goodbye Maui!  

We loved you and we will miss you!