A Hawaiian Getaway- Day Two

Saturday morning, we woke up nice and early and watched the sunrise over the Haleakala volcano.  It was stunning to see the ocean waves roll in as the sun kissed the water. The boys and I sat out on the patio and ate our breakfast then went straight to the beach. After the beach we planned a helicopter tour over the volcano at 11 that morning.  

 Before I got airsick.

 After I got airsick.

 The volcano was totally covered with clouds so we flew to the nearby island of Moloka'i to see the waterfalls.  They were stunning.  Edward said this was his favorite part of the trip.  He wanted to buy all the helicopter swag!

 After our helicopter tour, we went to Paia to have some shaved ice and flatbread pizza!

 We headed back to the condo and we all fell right to sleep.  I was so exhausted. Of course, after our naps, we went right back to the beach.   We actually heard from a couple staying in a our complex that there was a beach nearby that the turtles came out to sleep on at sunset.  Thus started our mission to find turtles.  We drove over to the beach they mentioned and it was a resort beach.  It was so crowded but the sand was super soft and the waves were perfect for the boys to play in all evening.

After sunset on the beach, we went back to the condo and we all fell right to sleep!!

A Hawaiian Getaway- Day one!

Oh, my goodness!  Where do I begin?

A few months back, Nolen, Edward, and I were looking at my photo books.  I pulled out a few photos from a trip to Maui 17 years ago.  I told him that I swam with the fishes in Maui and it was one of my favorite vacations.  Nolen then made an observation.  I have taken many trips for Edward's previous birthdays but we have never taken a trip for Nolen's birthday.

This was sadly true.  Shortly after Nolen was diagnosed with autism, I went in to autism mom mode.  We went from speech, to occupation therapy, to ABA therapy.  We spent all our time (and money) on therapy.  I am so grateful we took those 4 years to understand autism and help Nolen adjust to the trials of autism.  However, we stopped all trips.  The trips we took were to see family.  

When Nolen mentioned that we hadn't taken a trip in years I started formulating a plan.  I looked up a trip to California.  It was expensive.  Nolen really wanted to swim with the fishes for his birthday.  I could not find a single snorkel tour off the coast of California.  It was disappointing.  My dad mentioned checking Hawaii.  I sort of laughed at the idea.  But I checked.  It cost the EXACT same amount to go to Maui as it did to go to California!  It was a miracle.  

I booked our trip and we headed out at 6 AM on Friday morning.  We landed on Maui at 11 AM and hit the beach.  My plan was to spend as much time at the beach as possible. 

After a few hours at the beach, we headed over to our condo and walked back out to the shoreline to spend another few hours in the water while we waited for my parents plane to land.  

I was so tired by 8 PM that I fell asleep.  Stephen stayed up and pick up my parents from the airport at 9:30 PM.  It was such a fun first day!  Paradise!

Sipapu weekend get away

This last weekend, we took the boys up to a high altitude training camp with the cougar track club. It was so beautiful. The fall colors were in full swing. The weather was perfect and the boys ran their hearts out. In total, they ran over 15 miles over a 3 day period. Friday, Stephen got off work early and  drove the boys up to the mountains for their first run. After teaching a few piano and voice lessons, I drove up to Sipapu to spend the rest of the weekend with the boys so Stephen could go back to work. Saturday we woke up to run the mountain. It was an intense run. I felt like my lungs were on fire as I ran up the mountain. After playing on the ski lifts, we ran back down. The boys played capture the flag and built forts then we went on the second run of the day. We ran up a gradual hill and back down. I felt much better on the second run. Saturday night we roasted marshmallows with the team then went to bed. Sunday, we woke up and ran one last time before heading home. It was so much fun! I love spending quality time with my family. These two boys ran their guts out!

2017-2018 School Photos

Ah, yes, it is school photo time again!  These photos just crack me up.  I love these sweet little boys!

 Edward Barnes 3rd grade

Nolen Barnes 1st grade