Mexico - Another park

We went to a great new version of an amuzement park on one of our last days in Mexico. It basically had all of our fun activities we enjoy on a trip, in one "park".

One of the really cool things is that there were automatic cameras everywhere and they knew who you were based on a scan it did on your helmet (which you had to wear everywhere in the park). So, at the end of the day, you could buy a thumb drive with all of your pictures! So, that's how we got so many great pictures of the two of us!

First there was zip lining....

There were 13 zip lines (including 3 water landings...and one water slide), total included 2.5 miles of zip line!

One great thing was you just went from one to the next! No waiting for a group, no sitting around. Just when you did one line, you had to hike up the huge ramp and tons of steps to get to the next! So at leats we got our exercise!

Water landings! Very fun! We've zip lined before, but never had a water landing!

Then the "amphibious vehicles"! Two courses at 3.1 miles each.

We could see the cameras now, so we would pose!

I'll be honest, this bridge really freaked me out!!!!

Here was our view...there were 2 courses,

so the bridge on the 2nd course was even freakier!

Again, posing for the camera as we came out of a cave!

Then canoeing through the underground caves, about 600 yards.

Richard was pretending to be asleep in this picture!

The stalagtites in the caves

In the center of the park there was this heart. It was like the meeting place to get to or from every course. So, what else would you do but take a picture in front of it? So, like EVERYONE else, we took a picture...of our backs! :)

There was a 500 yard swim!

It was pretty darn cold being in the underground river...but, not as bad as I first thought! :)

So, this is the last of my Mexico posts...not bad it only took me a week! :) I think I covered the main things we did! It was a blast. Very strange to be without our kiddos for an entire week. But we had so much fun. And we did race home, only to get to see them both fast asleep when we peeked into their bedrooms.

Mexico - Park

We spent an entire day at a park, which is described as an open sea aquarium. I'm not sure I quite agree with that, but we enjoyed our day there! It was a lot of land to walk around, swim in, bike on, lazy river through, and eat and drink all day long!

We started out wakling around the entire place. It probably took us about 1 1/2 to 2 hours and we enjoyed stopping along the beaches, rocks, sitting in some chairs and watching the lazy river and the rope walk, and just plain old walking.

We enjoyed some time down the lazy river, with a stop at the rope walk. Our lazy river didn't end too lazy though as Richard and I raced to the finish with a full on sprint, tube in tow! :) So, at least we got yet another good work out in (as if the 2 hour walk wasn't enough for us out of shape folks!)

We did some snorkeling, which wasn't the most impressive snorkeling I've ever seen. Honestly, in my opinion, it didn't come close, but I've been to The Great Barrier Reef, so I'm sure my standards are a little off! :) But, one cool thing was the caves we snorkeled through!

Mexico - Fishing & Playa del Carmen

Out fishing....

A deck hand and a barracuda

It's like we were on a cruise...our housekeeper left towel animals!

Me and Richard before leaving for Playa

On the beach of Playa...watched some locals playing soccer while enjoying (as well as being totally grossed out by) some local fruits!

Marissa (my cousin) & Me

Richard & Me at dinner

Alex & Marissa

A bunch of guys (and one girl) playing music downtown Playa...quite entertaining!

Fire Girl!!! :)

Mexico - swimming with dolphins

I've wanted to swim with dolphins for a long, long time. But one thing after another, I just never have. So, RIGHT in the area we were staying, there was a place called "Discovery Dolphin". As we walked around the shops every day, we were able to watch others swim with dolphins. It was right there, so when we ate dinner, we saw the dolphins. Our condos were actually so close to the manetees that we could see them from our pool! It was great. So, I signed up for swimming with the dolphins, it was amazing to be in the water with them!

Here's how my group spent our 30 minutes with two dolphins:

First, a kiss from the dolphin

Then, my turn to kiss the dolphin back

Holding/hugging the dolphin
(there was another one that was a smile, but I don't like that pic..lol)

Then one of the best, the "dorsal tow" (when you grab on the dorsal fins of two dolphins and get pulled through the water)

Me getting pulled by the 2 dolphins

Lots of touching their skin, splashing, dancing and singing with them...

And last, but not least, the "foot push" (when two dolphins find your feet and push you up and out of the water as you coast through.)

And here are the dolphins performing at the end

(I actually recorded this after someone else's swim...so, it's not actually mine)

The Easter Bunny Pictures

Nana and Aunt Denise took the kids to visit the Easter Bunny while Richard and I were in Mexico. Nana said she felt just awful that Kaisley was crying her eyes out...but mean mama warned ahead of time, "she'll cry, just quick, take the picture!" So, they got the pictures...here they are!

Easter at School

March 23rd (my 30th Birthday)

Brookston's class did an Easter Party and the parents were invited. It started with lunch in their classroom, but ended with an Easter Egg hunt on the playground.

Of course he loved hunting the eggs!

Kaisley also enjoyed herself.

March 26th

The kids had their Easter performance. They were practicing all year for their songs and arrived in their Sunday best. While Brookston barely participated in the songs and hand motions, he sure did look incredibly cute!

My handsome boy walking in

Don't you love the excitement of all of he kids! Hahaha!

Of course, AFTER the program, he did all of the hand motions for us!

Our family

Mexico!!!

Richard and I just got back from a great week in Mexico! We were there from Saturday to Saturday, along with my cousin and her husband. Wonderful Nana flew in a few days prior so that she could be here with the kids! Even my Aunt (the one who was letting us stay in her condo in Mexico), came to help Nana with the kids for a few days!

We were so lucky to have this wonderful place to go and the support from family to allow us a week long get away, without the kids. It was a GORGEOUS week, but we sure did miss the kids like crazy, so it was nice to come home and wake up this morning to 2 bright shining and excited faces. It helped that it was Easter morning and there was Easter baskets and a jelly bean hunt!

I have lots to catch up with on blogging, so I'll be back soon!

Sesame Street Live

Brookston and mommy went to see "1-2-3 Imagine" by Sesame Street Live this morning! We were given 2 tickets by a very generous friend with extras. It was so much fun to see Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Abby, Grover, Bert, Oscar, and "honk honk"...those were Brookston's favorites! But there were a quite a few more characters there!

We were sitting in the front row, to the side, where we were litterally between the 2 sets of stairs that the characters went between, or used to get on stage, the entire production! There was about 15 feet between these stairs, so besides the fact that it scared Brookston a number of times at the beginning (poor thing, he was on my lap and you could feel him tense and shake each time), but as time went on, he was looking for them to say hi! Bert especially! He seemed to be on our side a lot! We got to see them up close more times than I could even try to count...you could feel the wind as they ran by...that's how close we were. They even came to shake Brookston's hand, give high fives, and wave many many times.

Brookston seemed to enjoy himself. It was a mixture between getting into the music and dancing and being in total awe of the whole thing! I'd say it was a successful!

The purple one was "honk, honk" according to Brookston...anyone know his name??

***UPDATE: Apparently there are 4 of them, in different colors, and called, "The Honkers". Phew, case solved...maybe Brookston already knew that!

And Brookston watching "honk honk" was probably the most entertaining part for me! Almost EVERY time Brookston heard him honk his nose, Brookston would bop himself in the nose! hehehehe!!

Time to dance the hula (I think that's what they were doing!?!)

We were sitting just feet away from those stairs...so we saw EVERYONE this close!