February 16, 2010

Guess what I did yesterday! And I was only halfway done.

February 15, 2010

Monday was another travel day, but we didn't leave the resort until noon. That gave us time to take a few more pictures.

Ellie in the hammock on our terrace:

By the main pool, looking towards the beach:

The big shell Ellie found that we didn't bring home with us:

One half of our room:

February 14, 2010

Sunday was the best day ever. It was warm and sunny. We spent the morning at the beach and the afternoon at the pool, with a little shopping thrown in as well. The day ended with dinner at the fancy restaurant. Patrick's and Mary-Claire left early on Monday, so we said goodbye that night. And I put a very sad girl to bed.

This picture makes me wonder why we live where we do:

If you ask Rowan what he likes best about the beach, the waves or digging in the sand, he'll tell you the waves. But he spent quite a bit of time doing this:

Jon swimming in the ocean:

Working on the family castle:

Mary-Claire and I swimming in the ocean. I had forgotten how fun it is - I giggled like a dork after every wave:

Ellie in front of the pirate ship:

The water slides:

The view of the "small" pool from the pirate ship:

Ellie's front flip:

Best cousins with matching cute hair:

BCWMCH II:

Rowan in the pool with the big kids:

I like to call this one "Next time I'll have Conor and Jaden take off their goggles":

They're not looking at me, but I still like this picture:

Patrick and Kim:

The DS players with kind of matching necklaces:

Mayan coffee:

February 13, 2010

This was an interesting day. Patrick, Kim, Bailey, Jaden, Conor and Ellie went to swim with the dolphins. Jon and Rowan stayed at the resort. And the rest of us? The rest of us went on a trip somewhat close to hell. We took a bus to Chichen Itza. That was a depressing ride. On the way we stopped at a sinkhole, which was pretty, but not what we'd wanted to see. Then we had lunch, where there were dancers with trays on their heads. To leave the restaurant, we had to walk by them asking for tips. And to get to the bus, we had to walk by young boys trying to sell us things. And then at the ruins, there were more people trying to sell us stuff. Little kids, old men, and in between. They all tried to sell us tshirts, carvings, jewelry, and on and on. If you stood still you were surrounded. If you kept walking, they would call after you. And none of it was anything I wanted. But you should ask my Dad about his new hankie.

We got back to the hotel late, where the waiter at dinner kept bringing me pina coladas without my even asking. That made the day a lot better.

Mom and Dad at the main temple:

Sarah and 1,000 columns:

Chac Mool, not to be confused with Chuck Norris.

The sinkhole. The water was 68 degrees, but a lot of people swam. (We did not).

February 12, 2010

Sunset over the bay:

The pool and hotel (not the beach side):

I bought these two goggles in the gift shop. Conor told me it was one of the best things I've ever gotten him.

Water slides!

Sandy toes:

Whenever waves would hit Rowan's feet, he'd giggle like crazy. It was a mixture of panic and joy. I picked him up once after he got a mouthful, but he wanted right back down.

This guy also likes the waves on the beach:

The hotel from the beach:

February 11, 2010

I think I should start this post by saying there is no way I can tell you how amazing this trip was. We all had so much fun, and none of us were ready to come back. I can't begin to describe how beautiful it was, or how relaxing, or anything, so I'm not even going to try. So there.

This is what Ellie had been looking forward to most on the whole trip - the hammocks on the sand. She liked them, but there were way too many other things that she found that she liked better!

Mom and Mary-Claire.

Conor's necklace. He hasn't taken it off yet, except to sleep (and even then that's because we tell him he has to).

This is a terrible picture, exposure-wise, but I'm pretty sure you can see the utter delight. If you ever need a mood-booster, I highly recommend taking one of the boys to the beach. It's completely worth it!

February 10, 2010

Wednesday was a travel day. The kids had never flown before, so that made it an exciting travel day. Mom, Dad and Sarah all travelled with us from Des Moines, which made it easy. Five adults to three kids is a good ratio. And there were no arguments over who sat by who. Rowan went with Daddy, Conor with Sarah, and Ellie "Sigh, when will we see Mary-Claire" went with me.

On the train between terminals in Houston:

Napping in Houston: