The night before we left I sat there tossing and turning in bed, trying to envision what I could have possibly forgotten. We not only had to fly for 6 hours to get there, we then had the task of driving another 5 the following day. Along with the added challenge of entertainment for a week of doing nothing on the beach, as well as unknown sleeping arrangements, sparse places to buy food (probably little food they recognized) and packing just the right amount of fun things to do without having to check bags....I can happily confirm that I definitely over packed in the clothing department, but really didn't forget anything! Next time we know to pack far fewer clothes for sure!
Because I picked the ONLY dates that overlapped McKenna's national testing time (waita go mom!) she took her Iowa tests early, and I am sure she did a great job! Was also pleased with the kids' teachers in their willingness to prep the kids homework so they could stay caught up on vacation! After sitting for a few days I learned that I would be a terrible homeschool parent! Hard to focus with the waves pounding on the beach I suppose.
We woke up around 5am on Thursday morning. The kids were very agreeable and excited! I made sure to have a fun breakfast and to pack all the lovies and toothbrushes and we were off! We met Baca at the airport and got there in plenty of time to ditch the coats and park the car.
The kids were great on the way to Minneapolis - quick 45 minute flight, Zachary asked me to take a picture of the snow on the ground, stark contrast to the beaches in Mexico!
We sort of raced through the MSP airport. I tried to snap a shot of Grayson because he was so cute running with this bag to the international terminal. Because each kid had a backpack and we had 4 rollerbags, we had them help as much as possible, but realized about halfway through that Josh and I would be carrying most of it :) Next time I will pay to check at least one big bag!
We landed in Cancun early and met Gona there with a rental car. With the 5 of us, we couldn't all fit in her jeep! Between movies, games, toys and ipads I really was surprised at the kids behavior! A few little tiffs here and there, but the vacation was off to a great start! The kids couldn't wait to kick off their shoes and pants in exchange for shorts and flip flops! We stripped in the parking lot!
Zachary was not used to the bright sun, so he borrowed Gona's sunglasses :)
We stopped at a little Mexican restaurant on the way to our hotel. It had a wading pool and outdoor kids play area, along with the kids first taste of real mexican food. The tacos were not quite what they were used to here, and we had to emphasize not drinking water from the tap and throwing toilet paper in the waste basket - which was just mind blowing to them - ha!
After lunch we practiced a few Spanish words in gracias, adios, etc. Then we loaded up and headed to the hotel for the evening. The hotel was actually a condo that we rented that was part of a larger complex of houses, shops and boardwalks with a dolphin exhibit in the middle. The dolphins were quite playful jumping and splashing if you were walking by the large lake. The kids really got a kick out of it!
We made another stop of what I would call the walmart of Mexico. It sold everything from tires to lemonade, and the kids were allowed to pick out one special toy, boogie boards, and hats. The kids agonized over which toy to chose, finding it funny that all of the descriptions or sounds they made were in Spanish :) Then we waited in a very long line as many people were obviously there doing their once a month shopping. I was blown away at the amount of produce the lady in front of us was buying - at least 50 limes as an example! Grayson stood very stoic waiting to place his items on the conveyer belt. I never really thought about this compulsion he has until Gona and Baca thought it was so funny that he had to do it. Quite the character.
While all that was great they FLIPPED out when we got to see our condo. It was ginormous. two large bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchen living room all with a large patio that led out to a somewhat private pool. The pool had hanging loungers, and was pretty much zero depth throughout. There was also a large wading pool that looked sort of like a keyhole - while pretty was sort of odd :)
The kids played and splashed for quite a while in this pool. I took some pictures of the docks that were in the center of the large marina that the various homes surrounded.
Papayas growing right outside our door!
After the kids were sufficiently worn out from swimming we decided to walk on the boardwalk in search of dinner. This is when we met the dolphins and goofed around trying on various hats.
The popular choice was a small outdoor sports bar. The kids gobbled up the largest strawberry smoothies I have ever seen! After that they barely ate dinner. Kenna ordered plain noodles with butter and cheese on it....I fear she may not survive at this point as the mexican food she had tried so far was a thumbs down.
After gigantuan smoothie consumption we headed back to the room where the boys shared a room. I am pretty sure they fell asleep as they were laying on the pillow they were so tired. Kenna slept in Gona and Baca's room and had a total giggle fest with Gona. Apparently the pillows were so large that their necks were bent in a less than comfortable fashion. So I think that the jokes revolved round giraffe necks and other things that I would have had to have heard to fully understand I am sure. The next morning we ate breakfast in our room and piled in the car to head to Xel-ha!
1 comment:
Kenna laying around all sexy in that tiny swimsuit. Just a few more years and she be collecting dudes letting them all screw her random
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