My amazing in laws treated all of the kids and their spouses to a trip to Maui in remembrance of Bret's grandparents. No grand kids were allowed (no complaints here) so my amazing parents offered to watch my kids at my place for the week we were gone. We left on Tuesday at 4am and pretty much flew all day (3 hour lay over in Phoenix). We arrived in beautiful Maui that afternoon and the women were quickly presented with our first fresh flower lei's. They were gorgeous. We then ran some errands, ate some pretty yummy BBQ, and hit the pool for a crash course on how to snorkel. The next morning we headed to Big Beach and snorkeled for several hours. It was AMAZING! I say all kinds of ocean life including an up close and personal with several sea turtles. Careful no touching or you will end up paying $10,000. Pricey I know. After playing in the waves, a much needed shower to de-sand my body, we had some yummy fish tacos and off to Hilo Hatties where I got to open an oyster and chose a setting for my new pearl. It was a true highlight. That night we at Buzz's Wharf. Yummy. The rest of the days followed suit with 3-4 hours of snorkeling, lunch, and tourist sites, and then dinner. One night we went to a high class, open air restaurant called Mama's Fish House. It was a dream. We started off down the beach watching the wind surfers, then went to Mama's, which is right on the beach. Not only was the food OUT OF THE WORLD, but I got to see the sun setting from our table. It was wonderful. We also went to Paia, a true hippy town, and Lahaina for some great shopping. The trip all went too fast and was just amazing.
A normal avocado (itty bitty) and a Hawaii grown avocado (ginormous)
Sunset from Mama's Fish House
Wind surfing. One day I will learn...
The Black Pearl. Yes, it is all edible, and Bret ate it all...
Moray Eel
Humuhumunukunukuapau'u
Cole's favorite fish. Yes, he can say the name.
It is also the Hawaiian State Fish
Practicing in the pool
Sea Turtle. Amazing.
In the rainforest part of Maui. The Ioa Valley.
Pin Cushion Flower
The first church building in Maui. The first missionaries were George Q Cannon, and Joseph F. Smith.
These are coffee beans before anything is done to them.
I can't even tell you how yummy this panini was.
Wild Chickens. Everywhere. Need I say more?
Kapalua Golf Course - PGA
Bret, myself, and my FIL snorkeled here and around the tip with tide going out. Imagine huge crashing waves, which means a MEAN undertow for us snorkelers. But the little inlet pool we found made all the bruises and exhaustion WELL worth it. 
Sunset from Mama's Fish House
Wind surfing. One day I will learn...
The Black Pearl. Yes, it is all edible, and Bret ate it all...
Moray Eel
Humuhumunukunukuapau'u
Practicing in the pool
Sea Turtle. Amazing.
I can't belive that 4 years have already flown by from the day that this sweet little boy made me a mother. I can't even start to say how much I love this mischievous face. He has become a little man over the past year and it really has been fun (and challenging) to watch. Coulson is the living definition of living life to the fullest. He is still in a constant "go" motion. He loves to learn. And the kid has the most amazing memory EVER! Some of his favorite topics are dinosaurs, bugs, the ocean - especially sharks, and pretty much anything science. He also loves to play with friends of all shapes and sizes age is no matter. We spend all day outside playing with all the neighbor kids. He is just full of happiness. Happy Birthday little buddy!
Coulson also graduated from preschool in May. Sadly, I was not there for it but my parents had the honor of taking him and in my dad's words "He was the model citizen." He stood on the stage and sang all the songs, and smiled and gave thumb ups to my parents and was just great. We are so thankful to his teachers for all the time and effort they put into not only graduation but the entire school year. Coulson loves school.
Congratulation's Coulson. We are so proud of you!!
