Steven.Alison.Michaela.Andrea.Steen.Elisa
Daddy's boy!
Our Curly Girly!
Sweet Michaela!
It's a miracle this pic ever got taken...Steen wanted to be back hanging on dad and interrupting our kissing session...just like real life!
We stayed at the Cozumeleno Hotel which was an all inclusive resort with amazing snorkeling right on their beach!
This was the view from our front door...it overlooked a golf course.
This was the view off our balcony. We were literally right on the Caribbean and the view was spectacular. 
Our first night there...eating in the restaurant, sipping our pina coladas. Yum! The food was pretty good! They waited on you hand and foot and you could pretty much order what ever you wanted or get food from the buffet. There was food ready to eat any time of day! My favorite was they would make up fresh omelettes and smoothies for breakfast anyway you liked it! The fish was sooo fresh, I actually loved it, even though I'm not a fish person. Steven's favorite food night was the Spain night...he served his mission there and has been wanting me to try a rice dish called Paella...I have now tried it!
Paella with big shrimp and muscles in it. I think it had octopus and other things as well.
Steven's plate loaded with all his Spanish favorites! Steven had so much fun talking to the waiters in spanish...we both tried to speak Spanish whenever we could. We even went to church on Sunday and it was all in spanish. I was surprised at how much I still understand and we both even made comments in sunday school...yes, in spanish!!!
They had entertainment each night...our favorite was Mexican night. They had a whole fiesta with amazing dancers and a mariachi band. I didn't post the picture but they had guys dancing blind folded with machetes...that was pretty amazing! The girls also danced with beer bottles on their heads, and I know they were full because at the end, one of them dropped one and it spilled everywhere.
Steven and I took a bike tour through our hotel down to the marina.
The best part was the snorkeling just right on the beach. I am throwing bread to the fish and they are swimming up to me in hordes!
Steven snorkeling with the fish. Our disposable underwater camera doesn't reflect how blue and clear the water was.
Steven and I took an all day excursion to see the ruins of Chichen Itza as well as Ik Kil which is a cenote or natural water hole. By all day, I mean that we traveled 40 minutes on a ferry to the main Yucutan peninsula and then for 3 hours in a very comfortable bus...and that was only 1 way. We left at 6:30 in the morning and did not get back until after 9pm. Needless to say we were exhausted!!! Here are some of the pics from that trip:
This is Ik Kil...see Steven swimming in the middle. The 120 foot deep swimming area is accessible by a staircase that meanders down into the amazing area. Ik Kil has majestic charectieristics where the sunlight from 85 feet above filters through holes in the ground and vegetation. Known as “the Sacred Blue Cenote”, the fresh water is an intriguing clear turquoise blue and hovers at a comfortable 78 degrees Fahrenheit. (OK...I didn't write that, I stole it off this website which has more information if you want: http://www.mexicovacationtravels.com/snorkeling/enjoy-the-mayan-beauty-at-cenote-ik-kil.html ) The water actually felt cold to me...but that is probably because I have my bath water somewhere around 94 degrees. It was really pretty with the vegetation hanging down and the sunlight streaming in. We both jumped in the water...but I didn't stay in long...someone had to take a picture of Steven, right?
Here's a picture at the top of the staircase looking down into the water hole.
This is Chichen Itza...the sacred Mayan ruins. They used to let you climb up the stairs, but not any more. It was very intriguing to learn about...I would like to even read some more, especially from an LDS Book of Mormon perspective. As for our thoughts on this day...it was VERY HOT!!! About 3pm in the afternoon with no shade. The tour guides offered us umbrellas and we turned them down...what were we thinking? It was cool to see, but I don't know if I'd go again...maybe it would be more interesting first thing in the morning and not after 4 hours of travel and being SOOOOOO HOT!
Most of the days we just hung out at our hotel. It was soooo fun. This is a picture taken from the pier of the backside of the hotel.
Our kids insisted we build a sand castle for them and take a picture. Here is our master piece. We also built Chichen Itza's Temple...but forgot to get a picture of it. Notice Steven's bending over pose. He didn't put sunscreen on his back and a small one inch strip was showing while we worked on the sand castle. He got burned pretty bad on that strip...like we're talking fluorescent RED! Ouch!
This is standing on the pier and just taking a picture from above of some angel fish. The water was amazingly clear and blue on our beach.
This is the view from where we ate each day! Aaaaahhhh! Isn't that water beautiful...I'm ready to go back!
Here's a bunch of the girls in the jacuzzi.
The best part was this cool waterslide we borrowed from our neighbors. That is me going down the slide with Steen and Andrea. Way fun!
The boys hanging together....
Cute Michaela!
Friends eating popcicles.
Andrea in her cute new swimsuit with matching towel. Michaela has one too. (Lands End...shopping online...oh yeah!)
My friend Erika...This was my first year attending the school's dance festival. The kids did a great job. Michaela performed a Singing in the Rain act with all the first graders. They were adorable! Click above if you want to watch a condensed version, she is in the back row with the red umbrella and a pink rain coat and boots.
Andrea's preschool class did going on a bear hunt! Of course, I forgot to download all the pics on my camera from all the crazy activities early in the week, so I didn't have enough memory left to record the whole skit. Here is a condensed, condensed version! (Andrea is in the pink shirt)
It was really fun seeing all the kids from the neighborhood and they all did really well.
For the last day of playgroup we were supposed to all meet up and go on a picnic. With all the end of the year craziness, it got put off till the last minute and nobody had planned it, so I decided it would be fun if we went to Thanksgiving point farms. It was kind of last minute so several of the kids couldn't go and we invited some other friends as well that weren't in the playgroup...but technically it was to celebrate the last day of playgroup. Both Andrea and Steen had fun riding the ponies. There were lots of little baby animals that had recently been born...so cute! We'll have to go in the spring more often!
Look at that baby calf!
Andrea graduated from preschool...kindergarten here she comes. She has told me several times she does not want to go to kindergarten because she will miss her teacher Mrs. Chris.
Andrea had 3 teachers in her afternoon class. Thanks Mrs. Chris, Ms. Diane and Mrs. Jennifer! They were all awesome!
