We took a family vacation during our school break this year. Our district gives an entire week off in remembrance of President's Day, so we took advantage of it. Thanks to the generosity of Gpa and Gma Downs sharing their time shares we were able to take our entire family to Puerto Penasco, Mexico! We chose a location we could drive to, just over the Arizona border. All week prior to the trip, Lizzie would run to her room to start packing for our trip to "Messkito". She's so adorable! The joy and excitement leading up to the trip was almost enough to call it good. Almost.
Oliver was just too cute while eating breakfast on the road to not take a picture. He was dipping and licking the same french toast sticks into syrup over and over again.
Bryan took this picture from our patio. The kids loved seeing nature right outside the window.
Going to a beach resort in February meant that we had nearly the entire beach to ourselves. It was also chilly and windy...so that also contributed to any other guests staying indoor. Not us.
We took advantage of the sunshine and played on the sand when we could.
Gorgeous views!
Oliver thought the mobility ramps were slides. Up and down. Up and down he would go. After a few times he got frustrated that the strips would slow him down...so he just starting running down the ramp.
We spent the majority of our play time in the indoor pool. Now we know that this part of Mexico has very similar temperatures to our home...so traveling there in February wasn't really an escape from our cold (for us) winter.
We took a break from swimming just long enough to do some activities put on by the resort. One of the activities we participated in was a tortilla making class. It was so neat to see how the different types of tortillas are made...and we got to eat them after the class was finished.
YUMMMM! **and the kids (and Bryan) all decided that we need to get a tortilla press and start making our own tortillas. I'm all for it as long as they are willing to help out. Considering their excitement, I think that can be arranged.**
We spent a very windy day inside our room playing games and watching movies. It was so windy that a few roof panels were ripped off of the indoor pool building. Yikes!
It turned out to be a pretty fantastic day for us. Enjoying each others company and growing closer to each other was our main objective for taking a family vacation. Goal accomplished!
The closer we got to the ocean, the more shells were on the beach. The sand near the pools was nice and soft. And there was a natural wind barrier. Bonus!
Sun, sand, and books. Who could ask for more?!
Zeb dug several holes. He would dig and dig until he found water (or just moved on to other things). Sometimes the holes would be narrow. Other times they could fit Zebediah.
Abigail couldn't stay away from the water. Any time she got in, she came out shivering. But it was all worth it to her. The water temperature wasn't actually that cold - especially in the shallows - but getting out meant being wet in the ever present breeze.
Oliver loved burying his sister. She was a good sport about it and the smiles just kept coming.
We had fun with dive toys, jumping into the pool, playing pool games, and making new friends. It really warmed our hearts to see our kids befriend others. What made it even more special was when the parents and grandparents of their new friends would tell us how kind and amazing our children are. We know they are awesome - but it's always fun to hear it from other people.
One of our favorite scripture study lessons during our week away from home was learning about each of the beatitudes. Maggie and Lizzie had worksheets to draw pictures describing the attributes we should strive for.
My absolute favorite was Maggie's interpretation of "Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness". She drew chocolate milk of courage, apples of acceptance, nuggets of goodness, and fries of righteousness.
Smiles for days!
Brothers are the best!
The girls had a blast playing the poolside games and even won some prizes! Abby won at blackjack and Maggie was at bingo. They got free drinks from the poolside bar. They discovered the yumminess of virgin drinks.
After a few days of no naps, the littles were in definite need. Bryan took Zeb and Abby for a walk down the beach to search for shells (it was more like they had to search for spots to step that weren't covered with shells) while I helped naptime happen.
They found some pretty amazing shells and kept a collection for memories.
All in all, we had a wonderful trip as a family and made some great memories. We played games, played on the beach, played in the pool...all things we can do at home - but there is something special about being away from home and doing activities together.
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