Snorkeling and Hiking

Okay, so I don't actually have pictures of us snorkeling. But here is a picture of Audrey sleeping on the beach, which is the reason we were able to go snorkeling. I LOVED it. Scott and Tauna watched our sleeping beauty for us while we explored the coral and fish.

The following day we hiked inside Iao Valley.

Along the way we found a lot of fruit. One of Chris' favorite things about our trip is being able to pick fruit from anywhere and eat it. Here are a few of his favorites.

This is a strawberry guava. These are pretty good. The only problem is that there are small seeds in the center that you have to spit out.

This is a regular guava. Chris likes them a lot but they're too sour for me. Also, the problem with the seeds. I'm not a fan.

This is coffee. Chris likes to chew on the beans, but they taste bitter to me.

Each little round fruit has two beans inside.

These, of course, are bananas. We have been eating apple bananas the entire time we've been here. They are really yummy.

And then there's Chris' favorite. The coconut tree. Everywhere we go he looks for coconuts to open up, drink the water inside, and eat the meat. I'm not thrilled with the taste of the water but I really enjoyed the fresh nutty meat inside.

The Road to Hana

On Wednesday we took the Road to Hana. The town of Hana is beautiful, but the road getting there is AMAZING. Tiny roads cut into the landscape winding you through trees, waterfalls, and great views of the coastline.

That afternoon we went for a hike. There was a section of the hike that took you through towering bamboo.

At our destination, Waimoku Falls, we were amazed at how long it was. The camera couldn't fit the entire thing.
Hiking back, we stopped to admire this tree.

That night we camped with Audrey for the first time.

I've always wanted to see a black sand beach. Goal accomplished.

We swam in a freshwater cave. I am standing in the water up to my waist in this picture. The water is that clear.

And that day Audrey decided (drumroll please) the ocean is fun!

Haleakala & Some Beaches

Haleakala is one of the two volcanoes on Maui. On Tuesday we drove to the summit and did a little hiking into the crater. We didn't go all the way down - it would have taken a least 5 hours and there was no cover from the sun.

Audrey spent most of the day like this:

On the drive back down we felt like we might have gone to heaven - the clouds below us were so thick we could have driven right onto them.

The next day we went to a beach in Makena. Audrey wants nothing to do with the sand (too yucky) or the water (waves are scary). But she was perfectly happy to play with sand toys on a blanket.

After playing and relaxing we checked out the remains of the last lava flow on the island.

Then finished off with some more relaxing and wave watching.

We bought a coconut and drank it's juice and headed to Iao Valley.

The plants that grow in Hawaii are so surreal - I wish my backyard looked like this.

We're In Hawaii!!

On Saturday morning we got on a plane and flew six hours to California. Then we got on another plane and flew six more to Maui. It was a loooooong trip, but we can't complain because Audrey was an angel. Oh yeah, and because we flew to Maui!

The next morning (Hawaii is 5 hours behind us, so getting up at 7 was like getting up at 12 - awesome) we went to church. Very rarely are we the minorities at church - it was fun.

We are staying with some longtime family friends, Scott and Tauna Neerings. That night they took us to walk around a resort and watch the sun set on the beach. It was beautiful.

Audrey was very confused about the sand and water. And it probably didn't help that we were hanging out at midnight her time.
We watched as several whales played out in the distance from us. Yay, we're in Hawaii!

Monday morning we took a hike to Twin Falls.

We played around in the cool pool that the falls fell into.

Chris got a little adventurous. And so did Audrey...

A Day in the Life of Audrey

Audrey is getting so big. It's so fun to see her personality really coming out. Lately she loves to pick things out of the recycling bin and carry them all around the house.

It was so beautiful out a few weeks ago we took a little trip out in our canoe.

She LOVES it up in the loft.

This is how I found her the other day.

She was pretty excited to get a closer look into the pantry -she knows that's where we keep all the good stuff.