When you tell people you are traveling for the first time with a two year old, you hear a lot of stories - some good and lots bad. When we booked our trip to Maui, we knew this vacation would be different. From the beginning, we mentally started preparing ourselves for how this trip would now revolve around the needs of our child. It wouldn't be like the other times we came here.
I think this mind preparation was the best thing we could have done. I listened to the stories I liked and the advice that made sense, and the rest I just set aside. We were determined from the start to make the best of it - to cherish this opportunity to go on our first family trip to Hawaii!
The first thing we did right was book our flight on a Monday so we had the weekend prior to prepare. We spent the weekend packing, organizing and cleaning the house so returning home wouldn't be so bad. I can't imagine if we had left during the work week. It was so nice having the weekend to get everything together and it felt like an extension of our vacation.
As departure morning rolled around (bright and early), we felt like we had very little to do to get out the door. WRONG. It was like everything multiplied and we were running around like chickens with our heads cut off. All those little last minute things that you are trying to check off your "brain to do list" before you head out. Even with a little chaos, we still managed to get out of the house only 10 minutes behind our schedule. We call that a WIN!
Oh, but I should mention we learned that Natalie does not like to be woke in the morning. It was a glimpse into what her teen years could be like. Meltdown after meltdown. But as soon as we were on the road, she came around. Whew...
Dad graciously agreed to get us to the airport and we arrived to their house only 7 minutes behind. Traffic was so smooth to the airport. When we unloaded the car, it was like "WHOA" how are we going to carry all this stuff. But we did. I swear that part of becoming parents includes gaining an extra set of limbs that appear just when you need them. Somehow between Joe and I we managed to carry 2 rolling suitcases (one of which was 50lbs), 3 carry ons, a carseat, and a stroller. Oh, and we managed to keep our toddler by our side as well. I can't tell you how many times I felt people's "eyes of sympathy on us." Well at least I like to think that's what they were. Some of them were probably more like "you're crazy" looks.
We checked into our flights the day before and had also already paid for our carry ons. ANOTHER WIN! So all we had to do was print our tags for our bags and hand them over. Easy peasy. Security was smooth, and before we knew it, we were at our gate. With plenty of time for a stop at Starbucks for some caffeine refuel. Thank goodness.
We boarded the plane, got situated, and off we went. I'm not really sure why, but I experienced a rush of tears as we took off. I think it had to do with the excitement of seeing Natalie experience her first plane ride or maybe just the fact I was already exhausted and thankful for the feat of even making the plane on time. Probably some of both.
Natalie was a champ on the plane! We didn't even have to use some of the "bribes" we had prepared. The fun of the take off and just being on the plane kept her busy for a while. About 45 minutes in we let her watch the movie Frozen. I can't even tell you how cute she looked in her pink headphones. Throughout the flight we had snacks, walks, lunch, more snacks, coloring, a sing-a-long with the 3 year old behind us and so much more! And yes, Natalie did get a little sleep. She fell sound asleep right around her normal nap time. We were thrilled and figured it was likely she'd sleep for the rest of the flight. BUT, about an hour from landing, the flight attendant came across the loudspeaker and sure enough that woke our sweet girl up. Dang! But at least she got a little...
When we landed we were the very last people off the plane. This was partly due to being in the back of the plane, but also partly due to needing extra time to gather all our stuff and get Natalie moving. We made our way to baggage, which was super quick, and then to get our rental car, which was also quick!
It was only 1:30 Hawaii time and we were already SO tired! We made our way to Costco to stock up on breakfast and lunch items. We also got a few dinner items as well. This is the best way to go for sure!!! We then headed to our condo. The benefit of staying in Kihei is that it's not far from the airport. When we arrived at our condo, we were pleasantly surprised. The location is really great and the condo was very clean and a little more updated then what the pictures had seemed. The complex is so quiet and the pool is nice and right across from our patio.
The rest of the afternoon is kind of a blur to me. We went for a little walk, checked out the beach, and came back to the condo for dinner. We were able to keep Natalie up until 7pm Maui time and she went down to bed perfectly. We followed shortly behind at 8pm (1am our time). I was SOOOOOO tired, but also so thankful for how great the day went!
Here's a few pictures. Enjoy!
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