January 7, 2009 - Paradise Snorkeling Tour

Chris and I were blessed with having "baby-sitters" with us on our vacation this year. Chris' parents were kind enough to keep Grant and Mason for us on Tuesday morning/afternoon so that he and I could go snorkeling together. We had a great time snorkeling and then hanging out on the beach at Morena Marina south of Cancun. We were even serenaded at lunch! How fun and so very relaxing! On the catamaran coming back from snorkeling.

Did I mention that to get in the water we had to jump off the side of the boat into the ocean about 10 feet below us?? How fun!

The coconuts were huge!

Yes, this is the man I married 5 years ago. Scary! ;-)

That night, the boys were so tired. We went to Chris' favorite restaurant and found the service to be EXTREMELY slow. We had some guys come around with guitars and sing a couple of songs. Grant got to add percussion to one of them which was the highlight of his day. You should have seen how his face lit up as he shook the maraca. But the boys didn't last until our meal was served. We did get to eat our salads, and it turned out to be my favorite salad all week - a peel of cucumber wrapped around fresh papaya, pineapple and grapefruit, drizzled with lime vinaigrette. Whoa! Boy, was it good!

There was much whining and crying from both of the boys, however, so to spare us all frustration, instead of eating, I took them back to the room and they were both sound asleep within minutes of getting there. Poor kids. They were tuckered out! I didn't realize until later that it was actually like 8:30 their time when we sat down to eat. No wonder they were tired. Chris brought my meal back to me and I enjoyed every bite! Traditional Mexican tacos with grilled chicken and green pepper. Yum!

Mason in Cancun

January 6, 2009 - Chris and Grant were napping this afternoon, so I took mom with me to take some pictures of Mason. Unfortunately, I didn't get very many good ones, but a few of them were decent, so I thought I'd share. I love the ones of him crawling. He's such a happy guy.

1/6/09 Cancun - Day 1

We landed last night at 8:45 - then we had to do customs, catch our ride to the hotel, check-in, and get to our room. We didn't finally make it to the room until 11:30. None of us had had dinner and Chris and I were starving, so Chris went out to find us some food, and I worked on putting the kids to bed. Surprisingly, it was extremely difficult to get them to sleep. They were all wound up, and sleep was the furthest thing from their minds. Finally, around midnight, they both drifted off to sleep, and Chris came back with a yummy panini for me to munch on before I drifted off to sleep myself. Ahhh...a bed is a wonderful thing!

Sadly, the next morning, because of excitement, I surmise, both boys were awake by 5:30. That's not much sleep for two little guys! Or for me, either. I took Grant outside on our balcony and we watched the sun rise for a while. Chris had Mason in the bed with him and was not happy to be awake. I opened the suitcases and was not pleased to find that our sealed Sam's Size container of formula had burst open during flight and all over one of the suitcases. So we spent the morning trying to clean up the sticky formula mess all over everything. Ugh. After breakfast, Chris and I met with the travel services to plan our excursions for the week. We were so excited about everything and were looking forward to our trips.

We took the kids to Wet and Wild this afternoon for some fun at the water park. They both LOVED the water and were having the time of their lives. Grant, however, had trouble listening. He would run off to the water all by himself without any warning, so we found ourselves having to keep an extra close eye on him. He got in trouble many times for running away, but it didn't seem to deter him. In fact, it only seemed to get worse during the week. He was so excited and wanted to see everything...still, that's no excuse. The listening proved to be a problem throughout the week. All in all, however, we had a great day. It was nice to be back in Cancun.

January 5, 2009 - Travelling to Cancun

A couple of years ago, Chris and I were blessed with a trip to Italy with my family. Several of you know the story - we left one of our bags in Rome by accident...the bag with my birth control...and we came home with a permanent souvenir...Mason! Well, I was quite determined that the same scenario would not occur this time. So, being extra careful, I thought it through and decided that the best place for my birth control was in the diaper bag, because I always have that with me. I wouldn't have to worry about losing it that way. So I put it in the side pocket and forgot all about it. I briefly toyed with the idea of taking another set and putting it in the suitcase - just in case, but quickly dismissed that idea as ridiculous and put it all from my mind. Chris was on call the night before we left, so I was busy all day trying to get the last minute things packed and ready to go. When he got home, we had several hours before we had to leave, so he was going through some things, making sure that everything was ready. He decided that we had too many carry-ons and that we should put some together in an effort to save room, etc. So we hurriedly transferred everything from the diaper bag to a larger bag...everthing, that is, except the contents of the side pocket. After we got to the airport, we had a very uneventful check-in (except that the lady helping us check in didn't know how to do an infant in lap ticket, so it took like an hour!), but security went very smoothly. I decided travelling with two parents is soooo much easier than by myself. Much more preferable, for sure. So we were at our gate with plenty of time. Chris took Grant over to see the planes, and I entertained Mason for a while. While we were sitting there talking, I had a terrible revelation and began chuckling...I, once again, despite my attempts at great responsibility, was missing my birth control. Oh, brother! If this is any indication of the trip to come, we're in trouble! We both laughed about our mishap for the rest of the week. I can assure you, however, we have no souvenirs this time except the ones we bought!!

God's Grace Changes Lives!

We are home! I will share more about our vacation in the days to come. For now, my church is celebrating its 50 year anniversary. Yesterday they had a time of testimony at how God had changed lives throughout that time. I'm so glad that we were able to share in this, even though we were on an airplane at the time. I thought it was a beautiful way to share testimonies, and very unique, too. Isn't God good?!!

A New Year...a New Leaf!

Well, the saying is true. A new year comes along, and many people turn over a new leaf and begin anew. In our family we have resolved to do a few things differently - I'd like to lose some weight, spend more time reading (especially my Bible) and get the kids outside more before it gets too unbearably hot.

I'm finding that in FL, the picture of turning over a new leaf could not be any more applicable. Remember the tree in my back yard that shed it's leaves only three weeks ago?? Well, here it is the first week of January, and it is holding true to the saying...its new leaves are already in bloom! I'm afraid that while we're in Cancun we'll miss the pretty progression from bud to leaf, but I took a few pictures so you could enjoy "Spring" with me - in the midst of the dead of winter! :-)

Notice that "Fall" still hasn't happened all the way and yet here it is - "Spring!"

I spoke with a friend today and she said they really only have two seasons in FL - Hot and Hotter! How true, how true.

My new Toy!

For Christmas I got a new noodle attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer. So I pulled it out one day last week and made my first batch of noodles. I haven't tried them yet, but they sure look yummy, and boy, did we have fun making a mess of my kitchen!

Isn't Mason getting so big?

Grant's New Buzz Costume

Grant was thrilled to get his new Buzz Costume for Christmas. He wears it often, and especially loves the wings! He flies all around the house making sound effects and all!

12.25.08 Christmas Day Celebration with the Worleys

We had a lovely Christmas with Chris' parents, brother, sister-in-law and nephew. It was so nice to have everyone together again. It was 80 degrees for our first Christmas in FL, so we spent the afternoon playing Bocce in our back yard. What a lovely day!

Waiting patiently for our party to begin. I told Grant that once Uncle Todd, Aunt Anita and Martin got there, we were going to have a party. Boy, was it hard to hold him off until then. He couldn't wait to get at those presents! So we distracted him in the play room for a while.

Grant got a new Buzz costume since his was getting too small...

and it's even complete with wings!

When he opened it, he hugged it and said emphatically so all could hear

to alleviate all confusion, "MINE!!"

Playing Bocce in the back yard