Maui!

We recently traveled to Maui for our friends' (Matt and Thom) wedding.  Traveling with an almost six month old was a little bit of an ordeal.  Sophia did fairly well on the flight out to Maui (luckily it was direct from Phoenix), since it was a daytime flight.  The flight back was a different story, as it was a night flight, leaving at 10:30pm Maui-time and arriving into Phoenix at 7:30am.  Sophia was overtired and fell asleep on my lap.  However, whenever I moved more than a few inches, she would wake up crying...  We were sitting next to the bathroom in seats that didn't recline also.  Needless to say, we were all exhausted when we got home later that morning.  Oh, and we forgot where we parked the car at Sky Harbor Airport so we ended up wandering around for about 45 minutes until we found it...

Anyway, now onto the trip itself.  Maui was wonderful.  We spent the first day (Thursday), getting settled at our villa, which was located on the Ritz Carlton property in Kapalua, just north of Lahaina.  It was a great deal - we got a villa with two rooms, a kitchen, washer/dryer, living area and patio for a really good price (cheaper than some of the hotels we were looking at, and much more convenient with the amenities).  Our villa overlooked the golf course, so we had a very peaceful view.  It was only a 10 minute walk down to the beach, which we did quite a few times with Sophia.

On Friday, we went into Lahaina to wander around the shops, have lunch and then get some shaved ice (delicious!)  In the evening, we had a quiet night with some takeout back at the villa.  On Saturday, we visited a farmer's market and coffee plantation in the morning, then went for a hike in the Maunalei Arboretum in the early afternoon, followed by dinner at Hula Grill with Cathy, Amanda and Andria (my coworkers).  Sunday was the day of the wedding, which was absolutely lovely.  The ceremony took place at the Sheraton and overlooked the ocean.  After the ceremony was a beautiful dinner cruise aboard the Pride of Maui.  Monday brought some downtime, where I learned to paddle board and we had some beach time.  In the evening, we went out to dinner in Lahaina.  Tuesday was our last full day before our flight back to Phoenix, so we visited the Maui Aquarium and Sophia made a fish friend.

It was a wonderful trip and we packed in a lot more than we thought possible with a baby!  A big thanks to Matt and Thom for inviting us to celebrate with them!!

"Oooh!  Where are we going?"

With Grandma on the patio of our villa

View of the ocean, from Lahaina

Sightseeing in Lahaina

Out to lunch at Hamburger in Paradise, Lahaina

View of the golf course from our villa

Mum, Sophia and I on the patio

Jeremy, Sophia and I

On the beach our second evening in Maui

Hiking at the Maunalei Arboretum 

Sophia catching a ride on our hike

Sophia and Jeremy after our hike

The Hillside crew on Saturday night

Jeremy, Sophia and I at Matt and Thom's wedding

Getting ready for the sunset dinner cruise aboard the Pride of Maui - congratulations Matt and Thom!

The happy couple!

Practicing our best Titanic pose

A beautiful sunset

Jeremy on the cruise

Thom, Matt and Cathy

Enjoying the beautiful sunset

Jeremy and I

Jeremy and Sophia playing in the waves on Monday morning

Sophia loved the beach

Exploring the northern part of Maui

Sophia thinks she is ready to walk!

My favourite photo by far!

Mum at dinner our last night in Lahaina

This little fish loved Sophia!  I think he was trying to figure out what kind of fish she was, due to her green and white polka dotted dress :)

At the Maui Aquarium

Last day in Maui - enjoying some quiet time at the Westin at the poolside restaurant

5 Months Old and Seattle

Sophia turned 5 months old this past week.  She is currently going through a growth spurt too - eating and sleeping lots!  Her favourite things currently: letting Toby lick her hands, laughing and showers (still).  She is learning to push up more with her hands, has rolled over from front to back a few times, can support herself on her knees and hands for a little while, and is learning to grab things and pull them towards herself.  

About a week and a half ago, I went to Seattle for the AAFP (American Association for Feline Practitioners) conference.  I flew out on a Thursday morning, so I had a full day of sightseeing before the conference started early on Friday morning.  I really liked Seattle - beautiful city (I think I lucked out immensely with the weather, so that may have helped).  On Thursday, I visited Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, a Chihuly glass exhibit and Bainbridge Island.  I also met up with my friend Jenn (we met at U of A) and with my other friend Melissa (vet school) - it was great to catch up with them both!  The conference was great and it was nice to get away for a little while and have some time to myself.  I actually read a book!  I missed Sophia and Jeremy a lot though - Sophia was thrilled to see me when she and Jeremy came to pick me up from the airport.  I think Jeremy was pretty thrilled too - three days is a long time to be by yourself with a 5 month old :)

Sophia at 5 months old :)

Inside Pike Place Market

Seafood for sale - didn't get to catch a fish...maybe next time!

The original Starbucks - check out the line...  Opted not to go in...

The Space Needle

Enjoying the sunshine at the top of the Space Needle

A boat filled with glass, courtesy of Chihuly, at "Chihuly Garden and Glass" exhibit, just next to the Space Needle

Arriving on the ferry to Bainbridge Island, just across the Sound from Seattle (a 45 minute ferry ride)

Sunset over the Sound

Catching up with Jenn over some yummy Italian food

It was great to see Melissa and to have a conference companion!

A Fun Weekend

Arizona is fortunately starting to cool down a little, so we have been able to take Sophia outside on walks more frequently.  Emma and Toby are pretty happy about this also, as they have been cooped up inside for the past few months.  We managed to make it to the Fountain Hills Park twice this weekend, which was great, except for all the little insects that insist on also being at the park in the evening...

We met up with our friends Alicia and Max for dinner on Saturday night at True Food Kitchen for Arizona Restaurant Week.  Sophia was very good and even took a nap while we wandered around Scottsdale Quarter/Kierland Commons.  She did wake up when we went to get Cold Stone...coincidence?

On Sunday, we met up with Justine and Andrew for brunch at the Orange Table in downtown Scottsdale.  Apparently, pancakes aren't Sophia's thing, as she slept through the entire meal.    There is a really pretty green space behind the restaurant, just next to the Scottsdale Center for Performing Arts, so we took some photos after brunch, once Sophia was awake.

I'm off to Seattle on Thursday for a conference, so Jeremy will be taking care of Sophia by himself for four days...fingers crossed ;)

Sophia and Daddy

Playing on her mat

Trying on sunglasses :)

Out to dinner

Alicia and Max

Whoa!  What's this stuff?!

Trip to Prescott and Four Months Old

Sophia continues to grow taller and taller!  She reached 4 months old this past Monday.  Things that she likes:  standing up, giggling when Jeremy and I make faces at her, her stroller, swimming in the pool, car rides (makes a huge change from when she was 2 months old - she hated her car seat!) and being out and about - she loves to see new things.  Things she does not like: lying on her stomach (fitting for a baby with stomach reflux...), barking dogs when she is sleeping (Toby continues to irritate her in that respect), the heat (as we all do this time of year), and getting hiccups.

My mum and I took a trip up to Prescott with Sophia last weekend to visit our family friend, Suzanne.  The drive is just about an hour and 45 minutes away from Scottsdale, and the weather is about a 15-20 degree difference.  Such a nice change!  We took a walk next to Watson Lake and then went to a restaurant in Prescott called El Gato Azul.  It was wonderful to be able to spend some time outside for a change.  After lunch, we stopped in at a candy shop and had some delicious gelato (salted caramel!)  Sophia was a very good baby for the entire trip and seemed enthralled with seeing new sights.

She is quickly outgrowing Winnie the Pooh!

Mum and Suzanne

Sophia and I near the lake

Watson Lake

Happy baby! (with her toy stoat)

Out to lunch

Sophia and Suzanne

Checking out all the candy :)