Vacation

Life in the Savage North is grand, but there are times you just need to escape.  We were lucky enough this year to escape during February for a week in the Mexican sunshine.  We decided to finally take Megan and Phil up on their offer to visit their timeshare in Los Cabos, Mexico for a week with them.  It was a week I don't think any of the five kids will ever forget!

Where to even begin...
How about starting with the flight to Mexico.  Todd had received two free drink tickets on his last work trip.  He gave them to Megan and I to help us get relaxed and in the vacation mood.  I ordered some cranberry juice with vodka.  When the flight attendant dropped off my cup of juice and small bottle of vodka, Molly and Colin asked to try to the juice.  Molly thought it was so good that she asked the flight attendant if she could have some juice, but no vodka for hers please.  It turns out every time the kids ordered a drink, they had to confirm the drink was without alcohol.  I guess that is better than the alternative!  But, I can only imagine what will come out when they share how they spent their week at the bar ordering fruity blended drinks, like mango margaritas and pink panthers.

Our week was spent pool side drinking cocktails (sin alcohol...which is Spanish for no alcohol...for the kiddos), swimming, playing in the sand and waves, and eating from the various buffets in our hotel.  We went on one whale watching cruise which was not quite what we expected due to Hilary Clinton being in town.  At one point Todd and I became extremely concerned about Colin.  He seemed listless and uninterested in everything.  We were sure something was wrong with him, until we realized he was just relaxed and going with the flow.  We realized that we haven't seen him relaxed in a LONG time.  We actually aren't sure we have relaxed that much in a long time!  Todd finished all three of the Hunger Games books and I read the most recent Steven King novel on the JFK assassination.  I walked every morning on the beach and watched the sun rise.  We spent most evenings dancing with the kids in the disco before the bands or DJ started the nightly program and then crashed in bed by 8:30 or 9:00 PM completely exhausted.

Honestly it was the first time in ten years that we have taken such an effortless vacation with our kids.

Here are a few of the 800 plus pictures I took.  I hope to get the rest into a Kodak album to share.

The nine of us.

Zach on the first morning after the waves knocked him to the ground and Megan revisited her lifeguard training to save him from the strong undertow!

Sisters

Brother-in-laws

so happy to run!

A whale's tail and another whale taking a breath

The famous Cabo Arch

Daddy and his little girl

Military boats which spent time in the Sea of Cortes outside our resort as protection for Hilary Clinton

Megan enjoys the whale watching excursion!

Everyone is happy in Mexico!

Molly and Zach in the water

All our lovies had to come to Mexico!

Three beautiful kids on a beautiful beach

Morning has broken

My happy girl enjoys the water slide

Hi Mom! A break from football in the kiddie pool.

Most beautiful waves

Phil braves the cold water with the girls!

Zach's favorite spot was in the sand

His second favorite spot was in the waves

Such a grown up boy

Building sand castles each and every day beats playing in the snow