Rozzy: champion traveler!

Being the well-traveled baby that she is already at 18 months, Roslyn has learned to nap in a variety of settings.  The carseat, the stroller on the beach, the backpack on the hiking trail, etc.  She's a rockstar toddler.

My favorite sleeping shot.    

Napping on daddy's back, during what the guide books call "the best hike in Maui"...

Exploring Maui

We were able to do a lot of exploring in our "beautiful, middle-aged mini-van" (as it was advertised).  

I feel like Milton is saying, "Don't worry my ladies, I'll protect you from that rain storm looming behind us."  

And off comes the t-shirt!

Milton is a very funny picture taker :)

We dodged a little bit of rain and came back to the van with a  flat tire.  The boys saved the day.  

Us girls got to hang at the beach while they took care of the tire.  Rozzy was thankful.

Exploring on a donut!  (We eventually got a replacement van that was much nicer than this one.)

Bring on more beautiful views!

Snorkeling!

We rented snorkel gear and body boards and visited several beaches in the area to test it all out.  Saw some sea turtles, an eel, and a lot of pretty fish and coral.  

I think this is my favorite photo of the whole trip :)

Fabulous Fruit & Hangin' Out

There were several fruit stands along the way during our time in Maui, and we enjoyed lots of yummy goodness.  Coconut water fresh from the coconut, fresh pineapple, mango, papaya, etc.  

We were fortunate to be able to stay at a resort where we could cook meals, grill outside, bump around a volleyball in the sand, and just generally hang out.  Roslyn loved the sand.

Organic Dragon Fruit Farm + Zipline Rides!

Day 1 of our Maui adventures began with a tour of an organic dragon fruit farm with some rides on a zipline.  Random combination I know, but it was a fun start to our vacation!

We love being flanked by Geigers.  In Maui.  

The farmer explaining a little about the dragon fruit plant.

The dragon fruit opens up at night, which is when their farm workers (WOOF'ers) came out to do their work.  

Brian getting ready to take a ride!

Amazing view.

Milt ziplining

Perfect pike position, Milt

My first time on a zipline!

Growing Pains with Maude

Maude recently followed a ball down a cliff bank that she couldn't quite get herself out of, so mama had to help rescue her.  In that process she sliced one of her front paw pads.  (hence the front sock)

Then, when mama was cutting Maude's nails, she cut one too short and it started to bleed.  (hence the back sock)

Poor Maudie

A big part of our evenings is getting the ball from under the couch for Maude.  Brian likes to remind her that the technical definition of insanity is doing the same behavior but expecting different results!

We had Maude weighed yesterday and at nearly 9 months old, she is 68.5 pounds.  Growing like a champ!

Maude, 9 weeks

Maude, 9 months

Maude's Manners Class Graduation

Maude recently graduated from her Manners Class!  

This class was more for Brian and me than it was for Maude, but all three of us had a good time.  It met every Wednesday evening for six weeks and we covered topics like sit, down, stay, no jumping, loose-leash walking, leave it, come when called, etc.  Maude has gotten much better at all of these, and we now know how to continue training her as she grows through her puppy-hood.  She's almost 8 months old already!  It's a good thing she has her manners in place, because we had our first bear encounter the other morning and she thankfully found her ball to be much more interesting than the bear. 

Congratulations, Maudie!

The class was taught by these two women, Sue & Hazel.  Hazel (white hair) is from Whitehall, Ohio.

Hazel spent three hours baking homemade doggie treats for gifts bags for all the dogs in the class.  We also got dog biscuit-shaped cookie cutters and recipes to make our own.  I've already made some pumpkin biscuits that Maude ate right up. 

This was from a photo shoot Maude and I did to send to Brian while he was away. 

Brian was gone for 10 days for work and play and had to miss Maude's graduation.  He was actually pretty bummed about it, and was happy to come home to our furry, little light!