I had such a good time when I went Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP) a year ago that I wanted to immediately sign up for more outings. Just a few days later, I discovered a good reason I shouldn’t SUP anytime soon – I was pregnant with James! As soon as we booked this trip to Maui, I told my dad I wanted to SUP. I thought it would not only be fun to get my family involved, but I knew I’d be able to get Annabel out on the board, too.

Right next to where we’re staying is a tiny little beach enclosed by a cove, perfect for playing in the sand, chilling out on the beach, and swimming. I gave my family a quick SUP lesson and then I was out in the water. It’s so peaceful out on the water, and it’s a fun way to see what’s swimming around below you.

After I did a lap, I brought the board back to where Annabel was waiting impatiently with Mike. She really wanted to “surf” with me, so we loaded her on the board in front of me. The place we rented the boards from also included a waterproof camera with a board mount, so I turned it on and it filmed video. I grabbed a few stills from when I took Annabel out on the board.

…but first I had to make sure it was working, like some kind of goober.

stand up paddleboarding

I had Annie sit down on the front of the board to start.

stand up paddleboarding

And then, once she realized I wasn’t going to let her fall, she was like, “Look at me, I’m queeeeen of the ocean, hello to my people!”

stand up paddleboarding

It was fun paddling Annie around. I really enjoyed having her out there chatting at me non-stop.

stand up paddleboarding

When I brought her back to where Mike was waiting, Annie begged to stand up like me.

stand up paddleboarding

We have the boards for another day, so Annie and I can work on getting off the board together. It didn’t go so well the first time:

stand up paddleboarding

Wipeout. Notice that Mike caught Annie. I see how it is, Michael.

Mike, Sebastian, and my dad all took the boards out. Sebastian loved it as much as I do, so I’m sure we’ll spend time paddling around the cove again.

SUP

sebastian sup!

Mike is looking forward to doing more body boarding, while Annie is excited to, in her words, “Swim and maybe float and also build beautiful castles out of sand for butterflies.”

James is just looking forward to chillin’.

James, master Chiller.

He could teach a master class on relaxing.