The remainder of January: lots of cold, slow days. I love romanticizing these kids' homeschool experience.
check up time with the pediatrician
didn't get to him in time for a proper nap - he made due with the floor
I absolutely love these candid moments.
February was mostly prepping for Mexico, Mexico, and recovering from Mexico. But before we left we did have a few things going on: for co-op we had a tour of the post office and a Valentine's Day party. We had some really lovely homeschool moments - lots of progress with reading for both boys. We had a proper snow storm that allowed for building a humongous snowman with Justin. It was good I snagged a picture when I did because it soon toppled over after.
The time finally came to take our dream vacation! We went with the two older boys and Jon's family. What a gift Justin's work provides for us to be able to take these dream trips. I already look forward to when Colby and Beckham are big enough to come along with us. Justin's parents flew down to stay here at home with them so they were in the best hands possible while we were away.
Mercado buffet at Mexico Hotel - we met Jon and Laura for dinner.
The boys were troopers getting through customs. It was an absolute packed room with people fighting for position to even get in line. It made me so grateful we didn't have the two littles!
Day 1 was adventure day at Xcaret! We did all the things: lazy river, dolphin swim, snorkeling, pretty much we walked the majority of the park and experienced all the things. Our dinner reservation that night was the hibachi experience at one of the hotel restaurants. I had been looking forward to this dinner the most and it was everything I wanted and more: absolutely the best salmon I've EVER had!
Views from our hotel room
exploring the hotel
lazy river
matchy matchy
snorkel time
these kids enjoyed their cousins so much
dophin swim time!
butterfly exhibit
fancy dress for dinner time
this dress needed a solo shot
the kids were delightful in their reactions to trying all the new foods
Day 2 was Xplor! When Justin and I did this nearly 3 years ago, we couldn't do ANYTHING because I was pregnant with Colby! So this was redemption and it was my favorite of all the parks. Right away we did all the ziplines - what a thrill! The kids didn't have any hesitation at all as the park employees casually hooked them into position. I thought a parent would be going with them but nope - they said this one was two kids together or solo. They did great and we ziplined for the next two hours! It was so so fun. Logan was too short for the huge water slide but other than that we hit every other ride available. That night we had a later dinner so there was time for the kids to swim at the hotel pool when we were finished at the park. The pool was the perfect depth that allowed the kids to stand if they needed. They got tons of swim practice! At dinner the kids ordered multiple steaks and Jon and I shared a piglet. The amount of food we managed to consume this trip was truly amazing. No regrets.
I think I had about 10 pina coladas a day...these are so dreamy
Day 3: our final adventure day! We hit the park Xsenses which I wasn't as excited about but Justin was, so, compromise. The first experience was a strange sensory deal that I immediately exited. Everyone else did it with no problems which is shocking to me. But anyway, we did a few water/mud activities before heading back to the hotel for lunch. We his the playa restaurant and enjoyed time at the beach before transferring over to the pool once more. I enjoyed a slower afternoon where the kids could just enjoy. Dinner was at the caves las cuevas with alllll the meats! Jon was in heaven - it was very fun to snag a piece of any meat that would come around. The kids were in heaven - they really thrived with all the buffet style food. We said goodbye to Jon and Laura since we were headed home the next day and they were headed to Xel-ha and the ruins early the next morning.
Emmett made a friend right away with a boy his age - Ethan from Kentucky - who helped him find cereal at the breakfast buffet. They reunited the next day and got to swim for hours together! So fun.
Thursday was the last day. We had time in the morning so we used it up by letting the kids swim. The rest of the day was an exhausting travel day of missed connections, reroutes, rental cars, and finally home. But the whole day if I started to feel discouraged I just reveled in the joy of all the experiences we had just had. Truly what a gift this time was, a gift homeschool is to give us this freedom and flexibility, a gift to spend time together. Typing it out now my heart is so full. Grateful grateful grateful.
Here were the professional photos from all the parks!
The rest of February we acclimated back to reality. We managed to watch the girls and boys districts - one before our trip and one after. We are officially MELTING over here. Spring is just about here and we are so happy to have more time outside - though the mess does make me a crazy lady for about a month. The kids wrapped their rec basketball season. Emmett managed to score in all his games - his league is the biggest and most competitive and he is on the younger side so that was fun for him! Logan dominated scoring multiple hoops each game, him being on the bigger side and a smaller league. We are proud and happy for them! The big kids have been more interested in exercising with us lately so a few times a week we take one or both of them to workout with us. There was a day after our trip where I had appointments in Idaho Falls and Rexburg for the kids, so we killed some time at the Aquarium and had the whole place to ourselves!
For March we are doing private swim lessons at the Browning's pool. It's a three hour drive round trip - a HUGE effort! - but they are making it worth it. They will be confident swimmers soon!
