Friday, February 5, 2010

A Mexican Vacation



Wow, where to start! We had a wonderful week in Mexico (Playa del Carmen - 40 miles South of Cancun)! We were all so excited to escape the cold and spend time with family who we haven't seen for 6 months.

Besides hanging out at our awesome resort and playing on the beach we got to visit some fun places and participate in some cool activities.

* Scott and I attempted to get in a day of scuba diving in Cozumel but when we got over there we found out the wind was so strong that they were not allowing scuba boats out. We had to settle for a shore dive at Paradise Reef. It was fun to be under the water again! Also got to play with my dad's new toy - a digital camera that could go underwater WITHOUT a waterproof housing. It is supposed to be good to 30 feet but we discovered it worked just fine from 40 to 90 feet as well.

* One of the days my dad, Scott, and I hit up on the Myan ruins of Chichen-Itza and Ek Balam with an LDS Tour Guide (my wonderful mother watched the kids). We've been to most of the ruins in the Yucatan Penninsula, and even to one in Guatemala, but having everything put into an LDS perspective made this day trip VERY cool and interesting.

* Swam with the dolphins at Puerto Aventuras. This was Easton's first experience with the dolphins and once we actually got in the water he had a bit of a freak-out as I predicted he would. :0) We were able to get him calmed down and convinced him that the dolphins were nice. He was smiling and having fun by the time it was all said and done.

* Scott and I visited a fairly new place called Xplor. Again, a big thanks to mom and dad for watching the kids! This place was a BLAST! It has nearly 2 miles of zip-lines. On the course there are 11 zip lines, 2 suspension bridges, a water slide, and 3 water landings off the zip line. They also had rafts that you could paddle through the underground cave systems in the water, as well as swim through the caves. The 4th activity was driving Rhino-like ATV's (they called them Amphibious vehicles) out through the jungle, across bridges and down into caves, etc.. To top it all off, the park entrance fee included an awesome buffet for lunch!

* The day before going home we spent all day out at the pool and beach. We all got a bit of a sunburn to prove that we were there and Easton finally decided (go figure - on the last day) that he wasn't going to die if he put his head under the water and tried to swim. Once he figured out he could do it, he didn't want to stop. Mia took a liking to the water as well. For some reason she got a kick out of stepping off the edge of the pool and going underwater until I pulled her up. Not once did she suck in water. I was pretty surprised. This was her favorite thing to do second to chasing the big black birds all around. Scott's mom and dad even met up with us on that day and we all went to dinner that evening.

It was a fun week! Easton is probably going to have quesadillas growing out of his ears soon and I've got to work on that 5 lbs. of guacamole weight that I put on. He he he. We also learned that a mild tranquilizer would be great for Mia the next time we fly with her. That girl refused to sit still! :0)

6 comments:

Frank, Heidi and Family said...

That looks fabulous. I can't wait for our vacation at the end of this month. I love that Xplor idea. That looks like a blast.

Angie said...

Wow, fun! I'm SO jealous. That Xplor place looks awesome. I would love that! Glad you had fun. I'm interested in hearing how Scott's parents ended up in Mexico with you?

Kelly said...

Oh my gosh, Mia looks so big!!!! Glad you had fun. You guys always have such great adventures!

Mindy said...

Wow! Looks like so much fun! I think it's funny that you said you had to get "out of the cold" or something... girl, you don't know cold! :) Glad you had a fun trip! Mia's hair is so adorable and she's like the baby girl of my dreams! :)

The Harrises said...

Glad you made it home safe and sound. Sounds like a perfect trip and a perfect time of year to go. have fun getting back to the real world! (not fun)

Tia said...

Wow, Jess. These pics ROCK!! They make me want to go there. That xplore place looks SO fun! I love the pic of Easton holding a monkey. I'm so jealous! I've always wanted to hold a monkey. :)
Glad you guys had a great time! And how nice of your mom to watch your kids. Mom's are the best!