family – Page 3 – emerald city diaries

our trip to maui!

three weeks ago, we packed up our bags, boarded a plane, & landed in Maui! it was so, so fun to be there & my mama came along which was so tremendously helpful with Eloise & helped it feel like we were (at times) on an actual vacation! {because, let’s be honest, when you travel with kids, it is a family trip, NOT a vacation}!

this was Aaron’s first trip to Maui, & my mama & I haven’t been since I was 5 or 6, so it was basically new to all of us. we had heard that West Maui as a good location & decided to stay just north of Lahaina town. this was an excellent choice! while we didn’t visit much outside of West Maui, it was perfect for this trip & gave us a really good taste of what Maui had to offer.

before the trip, I did some due diligence & checked out the guidebook Maui Revealed. I am usually not one for guidebooks, but this one came highly recommended by more than one person, so we gave it a shot. it was really comprehensive & helpful with tons of tips. I took a lot of notes & we ended up using quite a few of the tips, so I would recommend it for anyone who is thinking about traveling to Maui. we also got lots of tips from our friends & family about things to do or places to see/eat/visit – thanks everyone!

we have really quickly learned that it is SO much easier to be away from home with Eloise if we have a house, meaning a separate bedroom for her & a kitchen. so we found this pretty great condo on Airbnb which had amazing ocean views, a great lanai, was super quiet, & was within a short driving distance to town.

okay, enough words. here are ~~some~~ lots of pictures from the trip, & then below I have some of our favorite spots!

{we took the light rail to the airport from Husky Stadium & that is Aaron with the car seat on his back!* // WA is insanely beautiful from the air // Eloise had a backpack full of new travel toys & we even got lucky enough to have the middle seat empty so she had her own seat! // but bedtime did not go as planned as Eloise did not want to sleep… two hours later Aaron finally got her to sleep}

*we rented all of the “baby gear” except for the car seat & I would highly recommend that if you are traveling with little ones. we used the Ergo for the airport which allowed us more hands to pull/carry our luggage, & then rented a Pack N Play, an umbrella stroller, a booster seat, & a beach tent. see below for more info on the rentals!

{the biggest banyan tree in the US is in Lahaina & it is awesome! // the ocean views from our condo were breathtaking // there were nice amenities on-site at our condo including a shuffleboard court. Eloise loved it!}

{our condo was just up the hill from Kaanapali Beach so we ventured down there one afternoon // Eloise mostly loved all of the fresh (& expensive!) fruit // ahh, those sunsets!}

{we hit up Kapalua Beach which was just north of our condo a few minutes & it was perfect! it was a pretty small beach, but we were able to set up our little tent & enjoy the beach in the shade. my mama & aaron went snorkeling, & saw some fish & a turtle, though it was a great snorkeling beach. Eloise had only ever been to the beach on the Oregon coast & was obsessed with it! she loved the sand & the waves & kept saying “more more” whenever a wave went out.}

{we had lots of food recommendations, but tried to eat out either just lunch or dinner each day. Local Boys Shave Ice in Lahaina (down by the banyan tree) was super good the first time we had it, & okay the second time. it’s actual shave ice (the ice, not the flavoring) was my favorite! // we also tried Ululani’s Shave Ice which was amazing. the syrups are all handmade from scratch & the mocha add-on on top was terrific! there are a few locations around the island, but the one in Lahaina was super convenient for us, though super packed! // and finally, Star Noodle came highly recommended & it did not disappoint! we went for lunch & ordered family style & everything was delish! we even got our malasada fix (which is a Portuguese donut) with caramel & chocolate dipping sauces.}

{Aaron & I were able to get out early one morning & go on a surfing date. it was SO fun! it was Aaron’s first time, & I hadn’t been surfing in years, so we took a lesson. the breaks were perfect on the south end of Lahaina town (Break Wall, I believe) for us rookies. we were SUPER sore for the next few days though!}

{one day we took a day trip east // we visited Baldwin Beach, had lunch in Paia, & drove thru Makawao (it was super cute, but Eloise had fallen asleep!)}

{Eloise & I got to wear our matching dresses & Salt Water sandals! // we had lots of shave ice on the trip. I had this genius idea on the trip: we still don’t let Eloise have any sugar, sweets, or juice, so whenever we ordered shave ice, we would also order the smallest size for Eloise with just the ice (no flavoring) & a spoon & she LOVED it! it was nice to feel like she was still a part of it without feeling like we were breaking our own rule. // there was this super low chair out on the lanai that Eloise liked to read in & play on. she loves being outside!}

{we did one short hike to the Nakalele Blowhole & it was pretty cool. the terrain down to the ocean was this crazy lava rock that looked like it was hit with acid. and the ocean was so beautiful!}

{we hit up Kapalua Beach for a second time & even though it was raining, we couldn’t complain! there was a gorgeous rainbow that appeared when we first got there, & it was warm rain that came in very short showers. plus, our awesome rental beach tent kept us dry & was the envy of the other beachgoers!}

{we hit up the swimming pool at the condo one afternoon & Eloise is pretty much a fan of the pool. she likes to sit on the steps & splash, & also spin around in the water & play “motor boat, motor boat” which she learned in swim lessons last year // Eloise had a great time with lots of the non-toys at the condo, including this wine box! // we had a few rough nights of sleeping where Eloise would just not go back to sleep & while we don’t ever bring her into our bed during the night at home, we make an exception on vacation. she spent a lot of time tossing & turning around, but finally would go to sleep with us, usually laying right on me!}

{on one of our last days we ventured to the Maui Ocean Center which is the local aquarium & it also did not disappoint! the exhibits were pretty good, especially the big shark tank & tube. we were able to catch the information show with the local diver in the tank with the sharks & the fish which was really, really cool!}

we had the absolute BEST time & it was so lovely to be on Maui. we tried not to be too “scheduled” & found a good balance between relaxing & hanging out, & playing tourist. Eloise really loved the time we were there & was a super good little traveler, despite the difficult plane ride over. she was up super early (4:30 AM) the first morning, but considering the three hour time change, it wasn’t too much of a surprise. the rest of the time she was up slightly earlier than her normal wake-up time, but she napped really well & slept decently at night. the biggest headache about being in a warm, tropical, & sunny place was making sure she was covered in enough sunscreen (yep, first world problems!) but she is pretty good about letting me smear white sunscreen all over her every two hours!

if you are planning on visiting Maui, this is what we LOVED (slash would recommend):

Lahaina town
Goofy Foot Surf School: even though it was just the two of us surfing, we opted not to do a private lesson. it was cheaper that way, plus we ended up being the only two in the lesson anyways!
Nakalele Blowhole hike: do the hike in from mile marker 38 and wear good shoes!
shave ice (yep, SHAVE ice – no “d”!): Local Boys Shave Ice (better ice) & Ululani’s Shave Ice (better flavorings)
Star Noodle: super good food, order family style, make a reservation, try the malasadas (hot!)!
baby rental gear: there are lots of rental companies on the island, but we used Nokaoi Baby Rentals and were really pleased. I would highly recommend getting the big family beach tent!
Kapalua Beach: a pretty small, family friendly beach. go early to get parking & avoid the crowd, or plan on parking on the side of the road & walking in.
Coconuts Fish Café in Kihei: we lunched here after the Aquarium and it was super delish!
Maui Ocean Center
drive to Paia and Makawao
Baldwin Beach
if you need a good pair of rubber flip-flops (called slippahs in Hawaii), go to Long’s Drugs (or Walgreen’s) and get a pair of Locals for less than $5
food is incredibly expensive on Maui (even in comparison to the other islands). eating in can sometimes cost as much as eating out, so keep that in mind, and we had trouble finding much organic produce. there is a Costco near the airport, but it’s still expensive and a lot of food! I would recommend packing snacks from home for the kids, & plan on spending $10 for a half gallon of organic whole milk!

Aloha Maui & a hui hou!

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photobooth fun.

Last Friday I got my haircut, which was sort of a big deal since I have been having the same person cut my hair since I was 15!, and Aaron and Eloise joined me. We had a fun evening down in South Lake Union (or SLU) after a gorgeous, sunny, and warm afternoon, and had dinner at an old favorite Cactus!

Anyways, Gary Manuel had a photobooth set up where Eloise and Aaron spent some time taking selfies, and I joined in on the fun afterwards! {And, you can’t really tell, but I cut off about 4 inches of hair – it feels SO much better!}

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So those pigtails, seriously, the best! And that is my old backpack from when I was a kid and Eloise is obsessed with it (I think it is the zipper)! It goes everywhere with us.

Happy Wednesday!

happy thanksgiving!

I just wanted to pop in & wish you & yours a very happy thanksgiving! We are spending the week with my family & are enjoying all of the family & friends!

Last week we did our family photo shoot (for our holiday cards) & we just got them back – LOVE! You can see the pictures on The Happy Film Company’s blog, & the little video/slideshow below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2aiRey0iZY]

Happy turkey day!

our trip to seaside.

labor day weekend we headed for seaside, Oregon to meet my mama (grammie) for the week. we had a little house on the necanicum river & it was SO beautiful! there was a great yard right on the waterfront where we could watch the birds & fishermen, & we were walking distance to the beach & to downtown seaside. we were anxious to get thru the long, holiday weekend since it meant a lot of the crowds cleared (as school started that week), but it really wasn’t as bad as we thought it would be. we also had the BEST weather! it was sunny & in the 70s – apparently it was great weather according to the locals. this was also eloise’s first trip to the beach so it was pretty exciting to share the sun, sand, & ocean with her!

{warning: picture overload!}

have you ventured to the oregon coast?

our trip to north carolina & indiana.

{sidenote: some of these pictures i shared earlier in a weekend update so don’t mind the duplicates! also, this is a super picture heavy post.}

the first two weeks of this month we were able to get away & fly to charlotte, NC & indianapolis, IN to visit aaron’s family. we joked that we were “taking the (Eloise) band on the road” but that we were just her groupies (since everyone really just wanted to see eloise, right?).

we started out flying to charlotte (via minneapolis) to visit aaron’s older brother david & his family (jodi & their three kids). it had been about a year & a half since we had last seen them all, so there was lots to catch up on. we also got to see aaron’s aunt molly & her girls who are also in the charlotte area.

{napping on the plane – score!}

{kitchen sink bath – eloise loved it!}

{eloise enjoyed looking at kitchen fixtures with david & jodi.}

{aaron was able to attend gavin’s baseball game.}

{megan, rachel, aunt molly, lindsay, & eloise!}

{all of the kiddos playing.}

{maddie let eloise borrow her baseball hat. so cute!}

{oh boy was it hot. like too hot to wear a shirt if you were under one year old.}

{date night! we noshed on burgers & sushi, & it was amazing!}

{eloise, how is that comfortable?}

{eloise loved her uncle david. he taught her all about baseball at gavin’s game!}

{eloise & sophie enjoying the game.}

{maddie & eloise.}

{we didn’t get a cousin picture until the morning we left. this is the best we could do…}

{saying good-bye.}

{eloise & gavin were such good buddies while we were visiting!}

traveling from charlotte to indianapolis meant a stop in atlanta to change planes. our flight crew on the first leg of our trip absolutely fell in love with eloise (who wouldn’t?). she was whisked away by cindy, one of the flight attendants, & got the full tour of the plane – cockpit, galley, & meeting some of the passengers. eloise even got a shout-out during the safety demonstration & was nominated to be “Miss Delta”! it was so fun. plus, we got our own row on the flight, & eloise took a nap. fantastic!

then we flew to indianapolis (via atlanta) to visit the rest of aaron’s family. while aaron’s dad & step-mom were out at the beginning of september (to meet eloise!), we haven’t seen the rest of the family for at least a year & a half (we were out two christmases ago). we also got to see the gilbertsons (kendra, greg, & their two kids) who were visiting from orlando. it definitely wasn’t a coincidence that we were in town at the same time!

{& these photos are in no particular order…}

{eloise & charlotte LOVED each other. charlotte kept saying “baby baby” to eloise. i can’t wait to get these girls together again!}

{uncle aaron loves to play with all of the kids, but sometimes needs to catch his breath.}

{frankie loved eloise too & helped me feed her one night.}

{eloise loved all of the attention during her meals.}

{crosby, kenley, & eloise.}

{a mother’s day selfie with kendra!}

{eloise & her great grandmother eileen.}

{eloise & beau, aaron’s parent’s dog. eloise enjoyed beau since he let her get closer than sadie ever does. he liked to sniff & lick her face though so every time she saw him she would make a face!}

{i got in a free golfing lesson courtesy of aaron & sam!}

{eloise & charlotte. eloise has a way larger head & charlotte has longer arms & legs, but basically the same size.}

{eloise was playing with her aunt cari.}

{eloise got to meet her great grandmother eileen. it was the sweetest thing when we were all sitting down at the table & eileen looked at eloise & said “she has my thighs!”}

{four generations of Lowers.}

{eloise loves to play the slapping game & her papaw sam was happy to partake!}

{crosby, kenley, & eloise. the best we could do of the three of them!}

{group shot of mamas & babies.}

{love those gilbertsons!}

{kenley & eloise.}

{mamas on mother’s day – aunt kathi, kendra, me, & diane.}

{can we please live closer or do this more often?}

{kendra & eloise.}

{eloise was enjoying a delicious brunch!}

{i was comparing my feet to frankie & teddy, they are 4 & 8. teddy & i have the same size feet & frankie isn’t far behind!}

{it took a few days but charlotte finally warmed up to aaron! they were so sweet together.}

{frankie helping me feed eloise.}

{our niece mallory feeding eloise.}

{play time with nana, charlotte, & frankie.}

{eloise had so much fun with nana & charlotte.}

{eloise also got to meet her great aunt susan.}

{eloise & i practiced crawling down the hallway. i think she had more traction on the carpet!}

{me thinks someone dropped a toy down there.}

{kendra, kait, eloise & me.}

{all of the (baby) cousins!}

{kenley, eloise, & charlotte.}

{me, kait, & eloise.}

{attempting to do bedtime on the flight home. it was mostly successful but ended up being more of a nap!}

I come from a pretty small family who lived mostly in the same place as I grew up, so marrying into such a big family has been a lot of fun! we were excited to see everyone & catch up, & also be able to introduce eloise to her extended family. hopefully we will be out to visit again soon!

a quilt for charlotte.

as I had mentioned here our niece charlotte was diagnosed with liver cancer back in february. you can check out the latest on her treatment here if you’d like. she just started her last round of chemo this weekend & is scheduled to have surgery at the end of the month. the tumor is shrinking but we would appreciate your thoughts & prayers as she continues her journey to remission.

{charlotte & her new hair-do!}

my very dear friend amanda was so sweet & made charlotte a quilt. it is so beautiful & I can’t wait to see it when we are in indiana this week. be sure to check out her post here (the front of the quilt is below but the back is a fun surprise)!

{a rainbow quilt for charlotte.}

thank you so much amanda for such an enormously special gift!

our trip to La Conner.

a few weeks ago, my mom came up to visit & then we all headed north to La Conner in the Skagit Valley. it is only about a 90 minute drive from Seattle (without traffic!) but it feels like a completely different world. this time of year (basically all of april) the Skagit Valley is bustling because it is the annual tulip festivals. rows & rows & hundreds of thousands of tulips fill the valley & it is amazing to see! my mom rented a house right on the Puget Sound in the small town of La Conner for a few nights which was a fun get-away! here are a few pics from our time away.

{eloise & aaron got some quality time when he wasn’t working.}

{grammie likes to side sweep eloise’s hair. I think she looks like a boy…}

{eloise had so much fun with everyone around during mealtimes!}

{there wasn’t a bathtub at the rental house, so each evening we scrubbed out the kitchen sink & in eloise went for her bath. she loved it!}

{the rental house was right on the water & had this great deck out back where could look out on the water & see Whidbey Island, or sit in the hot tub. the tide would go in & out all day, so it was cool to see how the landscape changed.}

{our good friends from oregon also joined us for the week, so we were catching up out in the sun!}

{since we were up there, we had to go see the tulips. & nothing is cuter than a baby sitting in the tulips!}

{the hot tub at the rental house was too hot for eloise, but we dressed her up in her swimsuit anyways because she is so darn cute!}

thanks for a fun week away mom! if you ever find yourself in Washington during the month of April, be sure to visit the Skagit Valley!

eloise {newborn photos}

as you may have seen in the facebook post here, we had melissa {who also did our maternity photos} do a newborn shoot for eloise. she was 10 days old & looks so teeny tiny!

even though I had worked with melissa to get this photoshoot set up before e was born {we couldn’t finalize the shoot date until she was born… obviously} I was really nervous to get them done. it meant getting out of the house with e at just 10 days post-partem & driving down to tacoma to melissa’s studio – about 45 minutes. it just seemed like a lot at the time & it was. but, aaron went with me & my mom met us at the studio, & I am so, so thankful that we did these. not only do we have the sweetest pictures of e as a squishy little newborn, but some great early family photos {not in the hospital!}.

did any of you mamas have newborn photos taken?

my {long} weekend in pictures.

{sadie really wanted to get up on my lap.}

{this face! #milkdrunk}

{caught some of a weekend mariner’s game. go Ms!}

{when eloise grabs my fingers it melts my heart.}

{we have been enjoying peach season.}

{anyone know what infant socks will actually stay on? in two minutes they look like this…}

{eloise was not ready to wake up from her afternoon nap for a feeding. she looks so proper!}

{aaron’s parents were in town & eloise got to meet her papaw & nana.}

we had lots of family in town – my mom & uncle, & aaron’s parents – which made for lots of cuddles of our sweet little eloise. it didn’t feel like much of a holiday weekend since we stuck around the house without many plans, but it was so nice to have aaron home for one extra day this weekend! I am completely in shock that it is already september, but for someone who has no idea what day of the week it is, I guess it really doesn’t matter exactly what month it is… how was your long weekend?

my weekend in pictures.

{got a sneak peek of eloise’s newborn photo shoot. can’t wait to see the rest!}

{my little family. love them.}

{couldn’t resist getting this little lion for eloise, especially since her zodiac sign is a leo.}

{I have a feeling we have a thumb-sucker on our hands…}

{eloise’s aunt jodi & uncle david sent over this book – so sweet!}

{this is sadie’s new spot, hanging out right next to the glider during feeding sessions.}

{we ventured out to pure barre’s newest grand opening at greenlake. congrats sami & brandon!}

{eloise in her sun hat. my heart melts.}

this weekend flew by – did it for you too? while my days felt similar to that of the week since we are on the same feeding schedule, it was so great to have aaron home to keep us company! we are gearing up for a string of hot days & it has definitely been warm in the house so eloise & I are spending a lot of time downstairs in the nursery where it is cool. we had a few visitors stop by the house this weekend – so great to see everyone! – & have aaron’s parents coming into town this week!

how was your weekend?
M