Mexico - Part 2

The resort was a welcome change!  It was an all-inclusive with a lot of kid-friendly options.  There was an indoor play area that was sponsored by fisher-price with loads of toys! 

The kids pool had a splash area and shallow swimming section.  Plus adorable pint-sized furniture...

On to the reason for the entire trip!   The bride and groom at the rehearsal dinner...

Kam on his first dinner date with the flower girl

I left with Brody before I even finished dinner but Kam stayed for the whole thing...

The wedding!  Kamden took ring bearing very seriously...

Brody needed a little assistance down the aisle...

 

(my hair... really doesn't do well with humidity and wind ... ugh!)

Kam and the flower girl dancing with the bride.  Note: Kamden changed into shorts after just a few minutes on the beach and jumping in the ocean while wearing his suit.... shocker.

After the wedding we had a couple of days of bumming around the resort....

We were VERY ready to get home and back into a routine.  While the resort had a lot of great things (like others that cooked and cleaned for us and kid friendly entertainment) it also meant that we were all basically sleeping in one room. 

Disclosure: I hardly took any photos while at the resort.  Most of these are taken from others... thanks for sharing! :)

Mexico - Part 1

These next couple of posts are going to be looooong.  Sorry about that :)

We headed to Mexico in November for Aunt S's wedding.  Since we were spending the money for passports and flights for the kids, we decided to make it a longer vacation.

Brody ready for his first flight!  They did as good as could be expected but it is never fun to travel with 2 little kids.

We rented a house in a quiet area north of Cancun for a week.  It was awesome.  One of the owners is an architect and into Feng Shui.  I don't really know understand the details of that but regardless, the place was great.   It was really nice to have our own beach, pool, and plenty of space.

Here are a few pictures of the house....

We made it to the house after dark but no worries... this kiddo was asking to get out on the beach before sunrise the next morning.  

One of the first things I saw on the beach was a heart.  Looking for heart rocks and shells when hiking or beach walking has been something I have done for years.  It started when I was on a trip with my best friend's family and hiking in Colorado.  Great memories!

There was a big trampoline in the back yard and the kids LOVED it. 

One day we walked down the port and took a 30 minute ferry ride over to Isla Mujeres.  We rented a golf cart and explored the whole island.  First stop was a turtle farm.  The little babies were adorable!

One of the beaches on the island...

The last couple of days at the house, Aunt C and Uncle J joined us.  They were in Mexico early for the wedding, too.  I don't seem to have any photos... :(

It was a great week of "relaxing."  I say that in quotes because when you have a 1 year old and 3 year old, you don't really get to relax.... especially with multiple water bodies around.  It was memorable and fun though :)

Next, we were headed to the resort for the wedding.  I was ready for some service... we really missed our doggy clean up crew from our home... kids are messy when they eat!

Halloween

The Fireman and Firehouse Dalmatian had loads of fun Halloween night.  It was a really cold night so the Dalmatian didn't stay out long but our Fireman loved the trick-or-treating.  We invited Nana along and then sent the kids home with her afterward.  Joe and I were leaving town in the morning so, it worked out perfectly.  Let me also say that inviting a grandparent to trick-or-treat then sending the sugar-filled children home with them is genius.  GENIUS, I say!

Nebraska Reunion

Family reunion season!  Love it!  I apologize in advance for the crazy number of pictures.  This is the brief version :)

This year we met at in Nebraska, not far from Lincoln & Omaha.  The hunting lodge was a bit "rustic" but if viewed as very nice camping... it was a great place.  Plenty of space for the kids to go crazy.  We were right on the Platte River which would normally be awesome.  This year the area has been blessed with a lot of rain which meant the river was very high and not safe for the kiddos to play in.  Despite some rain, heat, and mosquitoes... we had a blast!

Did I mention this is is a hunting lodge....

This is how we do it.

 

This started approximately 7 minutes after the rain stopped...

 

These people were overlooking those two crazy kids and wondering the appeal of playing in mud puddles.  

There was way too much fun with water guns with both the big and little kids.  

Look at this little troublemaker....

These two have an adorable little bond

Some of the "big kids" ventured out in the river

The youngest two (the amazing baby T and Brody)

I am ready to gobble up this face

 

The Matriarch!

We had a rib cook-off.  We ALL enjoyed the entries but these two were the official judges.

Look at those clouds!  Luckily, this missed us but it provided a spectacular lightning show on top of some amazing fireworks.