May Loooooooong

May Long weekend! Parties! Camping! The unofficial start to summer! Oh, the excitement and anticipation that this weekend brings.  For me, May Long weekend this year was just that... long.  It was long, rainy, boring... and long.  

Work had sent my husband to Texas, so it was just myself and my daughters, with nowhere to be and nothing but time. This wasn't the first time that he's worked away, nor will it be the last... but it was certainly the most exhausting thus far.

I woke up on Friday morning eager to enjoy the day with my girls.  We went to the gym, where I ran the track with the girls in the stroller. Once Briley woke up from her running-induced nap, we went downstairs to counteract my efforts with a coffee and cookie. I let Aaralee run wild down the hallway and up and down the ramps for what felt like forever. We watched people play hockey. Aaralee was happy, I was happy... Briley is almost always happy.  

Next on our list was a trip to the zoo! By zoo, I mean the pet store.  Fortunately for my wallet, my kids are just as enthralled by bunnies and fish as they are by elephants and tigers.  After declining Aaralee's requests to buy a bunny, it was onwards to the Dollar Store! 

We walked down the aisles; Briley distracted by the bright colours and Aaralee describing every item that she saw.  We left with glow sticks, and much to Aaralee's joy, a miniature hockey stick. She's been asking for one for weeks, and at $1.25, I couldn't say no.  Briley was a fan of our new toy as well. 

Home we went.  My friend Carley came by for a thrilling Friday evening of watching Ellen and eating takeout for dinner. We take this weekend partying quite seriously! Carley went home, I talked to my husband on FaceTime, and called it a night.  

Saturday morning, we woke up to rain. Pouring rain.  Our province is currently overrun by wildfires that have displaced thousands of people, so we needed the rain and I was not about to complain.  We had a big breakfast, a dance party, and I made a makeshift hammock for the girls under the table. 

 We read books, watched Sesame Street, and before we knew it, we were feeling bored and cooped up and it was only noon. For the sake of good moods and Mommy's sanity, Aaralee and I are both people that need to leave the house every single day. That being said, battling the long weekend crowds didn't sound at all appealing.  It was cold outside, so I dug out the warm clothing, bundled the kids up, grabbed the stroller and a baby carrier, and off we went for a walk. We had nothing to eat for supper, so we walked all the way to the grocery store in the cold and drizzling rain.

  I bought groceries, Aaralee ate her free cookie, and home we went.  For whatever reason, a nap was not on Aaralee's list of priorities for the day, so she was exhausted and grumpy as evening approached and bed time couldn't come soon enough. With both kids tucked in by 7 pm, I spent my evening on a FaceTime date with Ryan, finally deciding to go to bed around 11:30.  Just as I crawled into bed, Briley started crying... and then coughing... and then gagging. I rushed into her room to find that she had thrown up all over her crib, so I scooped her out of bed and brought her to the bathroom to get cleaned up.  My poor, sad baby continued to get sick and her confusion and discomfort made both of us cry.  After some much needed cuddles and reassurance, I changed her sheets, and put her back to bed. Only 10 minutes went by before we were up again, and I was holding my baby over the toilet. She was so upset, so tired, so sick, and I couldn't do much at all to help. We tried going to bed a few more times with no luck, so instead I hung out in the bathroom with my pitiful little girl in my arms. Despite her obvious unhappiness, she still managed to crack a smile and wave at her reflection in the mirror a few times. She loves the mirror.  

A couple hours passed, and I successfully managed to get her back to sleep. She was up bright and early, as per usual, but in far better spirits than she had been overnight.

I needed coffee. All of it. 

All of our potential plans for the day were out the window, with my focus on getting Briley back to her healthy self and avoiding spreading germs in the event that she had something contagious.  It was another gloomy, wet day, so I didn't feel as though we were missing out on much by staying inside.

We started the day with painting. Aaralee created a gorgeous work of art, and Briley screamed until I let her participate as well.  She dove right into the paint, smearing it across the paper and drawing lines with her fingers. She only taste tested it once... not bad for her first time!

 We cleaned up with a long bath lit by our Dollar Store glowsticks. Aaralee was mesmorized by the "light straws" and Briley was happy to splash and play.  

We read about 632 books, and then it was nap time... sweet, glorious nap time! I don't often luck out with long simultaneous naps, but this day treated me very well. Rather than nap myself, I came up with the brilliant idea to take advantage of my husband's absence by doing some big cleaning projects... like my disaster of a closet. I regretted this decision almost immediately, but it was too late. The mess had now spewed out into my bedroom, and I had many hours of organizing ahead of me.  I started with my clothes.  It was finally time to say goodbye to some clothing articles for good. I had an honest talk with myself, reminding myself that I've had 2 children and that some things are just destined to never be worn again.  So long, little jeans and tiny tank tops. Goodbye, sweaters that I couldn't zip up if my life depended on it.  

Just as I was getting into the swing of things, the girls woke up and I had to put my cleaning on hold.  

Our afternoon activity of choice was emptying all of the drawers onto the kitchen floor. I didn't object. I just sat back, sipped my coffee, and watched as Tupperware flew across the room. 

It was a frozen pizza for dinner kind of night, but I chopped up some fresh veggies to make it seem like a healthy meal.  The evening dragged by, and finally it was bed time. I put the girls to bed, came downstairs eager to sprawl out on the couch... and then Briley woke up.  Rather than relax, I spent the next 3 hours trying to get her to go back to sleep, but she was perfectly content to hang out with me instead.  Eventually, I won the battle and she drifted off until morning. All motivation to do anything productive was lost, and bed time for me soon followed. 

I woke up to the beautiful sound of birds chirping outside my window on a sunny Monday morning.... oh wait... no... it was actually my kids simultaneously screaming and it was yet another rainy day. On the bright side, it was 7:52 am!  We had "slept in" for once!  

We had a lazy morning, and I finally decided that I'd had enough of sitting around the house. Judging by her constant whining over nothing at all, Aaralee needed to get out as well. We put on our sweaters, rain jackets, and boots and headed out into the cold and rain.  Something amazing happens once we get outside...  my children go silent. It's a strange phenomenon, but as I push the stroller they are content to sit back and watch, and I rarely hear a peep. We walked to one of Aaralee's favourite spots in the neighbourhood... a boardwalk over a pond. She ran and pushed her doll stroller without a care in the world, completely oblivious to the miserable weather.  We ran out some energy, and she was having a great time until she suddenly notice a "big cuddle" (cuddle = puddle)... AKA the pond. The same pond that has always been there. The pond that she has ran above many times in the past. Suddenly its presence was offensive and she wanted to go home. Toddler logic is something that is not meant to be understood.  I obliged, and home we went.  

I managed to put both kids down for a nap, took a sigh of relief, and then sat down with a bowl of cereal for lunch.  Their naps were short, but when they woke up we had visitors! People! Adult people!  My mom and her boyfriend were fresh back from a weekend in the mountains, so they stopped by for a quick visit. They entertained my kids, they provided conversation, and most importantly... they brought me some of my favourite treats from Banff. 

Once they'd left, I made dinner, put the kids to bed, and retreated downstairs to unwind.  The rain tapered off and through the clouds I caught a glimpse of blue sky. The weekend was finally drawing to a close and I was likely the only person excited about it.   

I realize that there are certainly worse things in life than spending 4 days trapped inside with my 2 favourite people. However, between tantrums, illness, and Briley gaining 3 new teeth in the span of a week.... I'm more than ready for my husband to come home.  I can't wait to see him, hug him, request that he take over bedtime duty for a few days, and dive into the suitcase full of brand new clothing that he's purchased for our kids.  

So long, May Long... maybe next year I'll be excited to see you again.  

Taking Back my Blog.

As I type this, a miracle is occurring in my household.  Both of my children are in their rooms, fast asleep, in the middle of the day, at the same time.  My house is relatively clean.  Dinner is cooking. I've been to the gym. I've showered. I've sipped a latte in peace. I've even folded a basket of laundry... that NEVER happens.  I feel like one of those imaginary moms right now. You know... the ones that have it all together.    

Soon enough, the baby will wake up, cry and wake up the toddler. My normal chaos will resume and I'll feel a strange sense of relief.  The silence is wonderful for all of 5 minutes before boredom overcomes me.

My life has become so loud, so messy, so busy, that I no longer know what to do with my down time.  What did I used to do to pass the time?  I think that I read books at one time. I vaguely recall spending hours on the couch consumed by box series of television shows. Oh, and I used to write a blog. I used to sit down at my computer and write whatever came to mind.  Something always did.  There was no blank staring at a screen at a loss of things to say. There were no tiny people begging for Cheerios or making a mad dash for the dog dish.  I could describe even the most boring of events in great detail by adding a few extra adjectives. 

People read my blog.  I had followers who waited for my next post.  One day someone in the cabin crew lounge asked me if I wrote a blog, and after establishing that I was in fact the person who chronicled my work layovers, she congratulated me on my engagement that she'd just read about.  A few weeks later a fellow crew member told me that her mother read my blog and told her that maybe one day she'd work with me.   People told me that I entertained them, and occasionally even inspired them.  I miss that.  I miss writing this blog that people... sometimes people that I've never even met,  read for reasons that I've never understood.  

Being a mother comes with a great deal of sacrifice, and for the last 2 1/2 years I've sacrificed what I now realize was one of my biggest hobbies.  I've held off writing posts because my life lacks the travel adventures that it once consisted of, and nobody wants to read about my daily life with two kids.  I've written about weekend trips and vacations and thrown in a ton of photos to maintain interest.  But in all honesty, I started this blog for myself and the fact that other people enjoyed reading it was just a nice bonus.  I'm taking back my hobby, and whether you care to read about my life as a stay at home mom or not, I'll be writing about it.  

It might take days to publish one post written over the span of multiple naps, and I might never have a chance to proofread, but this is something that I enjoy doing and that I've missed. 

Life as I currently know it is certainly different than it used to be, but this chapter is pretty thrilling to me too.  My baby took her first steps this week, and the smile on my face was even bigger than it was the first time that I strolled under the Eiffel Tower with Nutella crepes in hand.  My 2 year old said "Love you mama." at bed time and I wouldn't trade that moment for sitting in the flight deck on approach to Hong Kong.  This is my life, this is what makes me happy, and I want to write about it... So write about it I will!  

Camping in April!

After a beautiful weekend in the mountains celebrating our anniversary, Ryan and I had finally enjoyed a taste of the mountains after a long time away.  We longed for more... so back we went the following weekend!  

The spring weather we've been spoiled with has been unreal so we've been trying to take advantage of it. (Except for right now, because it's cold and rainy and miserable outside.)  The end of winter always brings on the urge to camp, but with 2 kids and a tent we aren't ready to brave it quite yet.  However, Ryan's parents have an RV and are always game for camping, rain or shine. It didn't take much convincing for them to pack up and head west! We'd have the best of both worlds... cooking over the fire and hiking by day, and going to sleep at night in the comfort of our room at the Holiday Inn.   

Friday was a long evening of driving.  We are fortunate that our girls are such amazing travelers, but by the time we arrived in Banff we were all done with being in the car for the day. We dropped off the dog, visited for a short while and headed for the hotel.  We all needed a good night's sleep, but Briley missed the memo. I woke up longing for coffee, so we packed up for the day and drove to the campsite knowing that I could always count on my father in law for my caffeine fix. 

 We cooked our first campfire breakfast of the season and I ran loops around the campground with Aaralee.  It was a beautiful, sunny morning... warmer than some of the mornings we've woke up to in the middle of summer! 

 After breakfast we drove off to Johnson Canyon for a nice, easy hike.  Ryan and I tend to get overly ambitious from time to time, so we made the decision to carry on past the waterfalls and all the way up to the Ink Pots.   With the kids content (and at one point even napping) on our backs and Ryan's parents happy to join, we made our way up some steep, muddy, ice and snow covered trails. It was a long trek, but the views at the end made it completely worthwhile... at least for me! Ryan may have had a different opinion at that time.  

Once we'd ate our snacks and snapped our photos, it was time to turn around and do it all over again. Fortunately, the return journey was far easier.  Our tiny dog Niko was a trooper and hiked the entire trail with us. The kids also did amazing, but really... what is there to complain about when someone carries you all day long? 

We were exhausted from the hike, so we said goodbye to Ryan's parents and headed into Canmore.  Our friends Carley and Ryan happened to be spending the weekend there as well, so we met up with them for a poutine dinner and to collect a very important item.  In the rush to get out of the house on Friday we'd somehow left without Aaralee's most cherished possesion... her blanket. We failed to notice its absense until over an hour into the drive. Carley and Ryan saved our weekend by stopping at our house to pick it up and bring to us.  We'd made it through one night without it, but we weren't willing to risk trying another.  It was a very, very happy reunion for Aaralee.

We returned to the hotel for an early night. I tucked the kids in, left Ryan to watch hockey, and headed for the hot tub.  It was pure bliss to breath in the fresh mountain air, soak in the hot water, and be too far away to hear if my kids were crying.  I reluctantly headed back to call it a night. It was another night filled with too much time awake... partially due to our baby, but mostly due to our noisy neighbours congregating in the hallway.  Morning rolled around and we sleepily packed up the room, checked out, and went to the campsite for breakfast.  I ate more pizza pies than neccesary, stocking up in case our next trip isn't for awhile.  

 

We had a long day ahead of us, so it was time to begin the drive.  We stopped in Calgary to visit some friends in their beautiful home and to give the girls plenty of time to get rid of their energy before 4 more hours of driving.  Eventually, we made it home. We were tired (and sore) from a busy weekend away, but at the same time we felt refreshed. 

There is just something about the mountains. It's really a shame that we don't live closer. Please let me know if you'd like to hire my husband for a job in Canmore.  We'd happily ditch the city life for that.  

4 years of marriage!

4 years ago today, Ryan and I stood hand in hand on the beach and said our vows.  That evening had a bit in common with this evening.  On both nights, we had delicious steak dinners, plenty of laughter, the company of our favourite people... and cake.  

Of course, the evenings had their differences. Tonight, instead of sitting at a fancy head table in the sand, we sat at our kitchen table listening to our demanding 2 year old and our baby who has recently discovered squealing.  Rather than laughing at the speeches and dance moves of our guests, we laughed at our children playing in the living room. Oh, and speaking of favourite people?  We don't love our wedding guests any less than we did 4 years ago, but 2 new people have entered our world since then and have taken over the coveted "favourite" spots.  Our cake was a McCain Deep and Delicious rather than a fancy wedding cake, but if we are being honest, I'd take that chocolate bliss over a wedding cake any day.  

The day is over and it might not have been anything exciting, but it was an accurate portrayal of marriage and real life... the life that I'm so fortunate to call my own.  The kids are in bed. My husband is asleep and snoring on the couch. We won't dance the Macarena on a light up dance floor or go swimming in our wedding attire, but that's okay.  I'm still so thankful for our marriage and for the family that we've created.  I get to live with my best friend and together we get to raise 2 amazing little girls!  

That's not to say that we didn't celebrate this anniversary. If you know Ryan and I, you know that we celebrate everything. We spent the past weekend in Canmore and Banff with Briley while Aaralee stayed with Grandma and Grandpa.  The weather was perfect, and we took advantage of it.

On Friday we had the crazy idea to rent bikes for the day to bike the Banff Legacy Trail.  It is a 26 kilometre path that goes from Canmore to Banff. We rented bikes and a trailer for Briley and off we went! 

I should probably mention that I don't bike. At all. I sold my bike about 8 years ago and haven't touched one since. My husband was once an avid biker, but that was many years and about 50 pounds ago.  It was a long journey to Banff.  Turns out that there is quite an elevation gain in that direction, which made for quite a struggle when combined with the headwind. We did make it though! Our bums were sore from the rock hard bike seats and we briefly contemplated walking the entire way back to our hotel in Canmore.  We ate lunch and set off for our dreaded return journey.  Much to our surprise (and relief) the other direction was a breeze. Downhill, a nice tailwind, and 19 degrees.  We got back to Canmore happy to have conquered the Legacy Trail, but confident that we'll probably never do it again. 

The next day was our real "celebration" day.  We started off at the Fairmont Banff Springs for afternoon tea.  This was obviously more for me than for Ryan, but he was a good sport.  There isn't much better than sipping tea and eating a tower of desserts with one of my absolute favourite views. 

Once we'd stuffed ourselves with cake we drove to Lake Louise.  When we got there, Ryan stayed in the parking lot to do some car fixing stuff (we'll just leave it at that because I'm admitedly clueless about all things car maintenance) so Briley and I wandered to the lake for a little walk.  Last anniversary it was snowing so much that we couldn't even see the lake. This year it was so warm that I could have been wearing a t-shirt.  It was a beautiful, sunny, busy day! 

Once the car was good to go and we'd finished taking the same photos that we take every visit, we drove back to Banff. We had dinner reservations at a restaurant that we'd tried last year.  We were going to indulge in a tower of seafood or steak and lobster... something fancy and delicious. I'm not really sure how it happened, but the suggestion to go for hot wings instead came up and we both were onboard with the idea.  Fancy dinners are nice, but sometimes you just want chicken wings.  We cancelled our reservation for our romantic dinner and instead ate wings, spinach dip, and calamari.  It was so typical of us, and thus a perfect way to celebrate 4 years of marriage.  

When Sunday rolled around we were sad to return to reality and flat land, but excited to pick up Aaralee!  It was the perfect little getaway to celebrate our anniversary. Short, but sweet and jam packed with fun and food.  

Happy Anniversary Ryan! Here's to another year of fun and adventures! 

Briley does Texas.

From time to time my husband's job takes him out of town.  I'm not usually thrilled about these trips, but I know that it's part of the job. After years as a flight attendant I really have no right to complain...    that doesn't mean that I don't.  As a stay at home mom, I long for 5 pm when Ryan walks in the door. Finally! Someone to help with the kids, and more importantly... a grownup to converse with.  The days are extra long when he doesn't come home at night, and I tend to go a bit stir crazy.

A couple of weeks ago he announced that he was headed to Texas and I was disappointed for several reasons:  

- The Canadian dollar is terribly low right now, making shopping in the USA far less of a bargain than it was in previous years.  Ryan typically returns from these trips with a suitcase full of goodies. (AKA baby clothes and Oreo flavours that aren't available in Canada.) 

- I'd be forced to do the bedtime routine all by myself. All of you moms reading this can sympathize.

- I was jealous.  I wanted the warmer weather. I wanted to shop at Target. I wanted to try McDonald's new mozzarella sticks.  

He went to book his flights and discovered that the prices to Houston were the lowest we'd seen... ever. We'd been talking about a trip to Texas for quite some time.  Just like that, Briley and I were tagging along for the journey! Now that Aaralee is 2, she's no longer free to fly. She'd also prefer a week with Grandma and Grandpa over spending her days at Target, so we left her behind. (I felt guilty until we returned, but it was really the best for all of us.) 

Off we went, just the 3 of us! Briley did amazing on the flight down.  She hates sitting still, so I'd braced myself for the worst. She was a perfectly happy baby who even took a nap!  

Once we arrived we drove across the city to reunite with Ryan's former roommate and friend who had  been brought to Houston by marriage.  Him and his wife took us to an incredible restaurant. After our feast we headed back to their house, put Briley to bed, and watched a movie.  We never watch movies.  It was perfect. 

The next day we did what we do best.  We shopped.  We were in all of our glory at Walmart, shopping malls, and the mecca of all of my Pinterest dreams... Hobby Lobby. Even with our terrible dollar, some of the deals were far better than what we'd ever find at home. I just can't say no to $3 baby outfits.  We also tried McDonald's mozza sticks. They happened to be awesome, in case you were wondering.  

 At the mall, Ryan saw a segway course and decided to give it a try. I laughed at his nerdiness and took photos to document it. 

As evening approached, we drove my longtime friend Sami's house! To say that I was excited would be an understatement. She answered the door and we jumped up and down squealing.  This was only our third reunion since she moved back to Texas in junior high, but it was like we'd never been apart.  Her and her wonderful fiance Chris cooked us a delicious dinner. We chatted until we finally had to call it a night since they both had to work early in the morning.  

We set out for more adventure the next day.  I held on for dear life as Ryan flew down the busy 6 lane freeways.  Driving in big American cities is terrifying, but my husband absolutely loves it.  

We ventured to more stores, malls, and downtown to visit the butterfly museum! It was so neat! We stepped in and were surrounded by thousands of beautiful butterflies.  Briley was mesmorized as they flew past her.  Afterwards we headed outside and sat our baby down in some grass for the very first time. She was rather intrigued by it and tried as hard as possible to eat it.  When you're an 8 month old, everything is food!

 After dinner out with Sami and Chris it was back to the hotel.  Ryan had to be up early for work the next morning.

The next 2 days Briley and I were alone at the hotel while Ryan went to work. Fortunately, we were walking distance from the mall, Hobby Lobby, and a Super Target. I am one of the few that actually really enjoyed having Target in Canada, so I was pretty excited.  With Starbucks in hand and my baby in her carrier, we wandered the giant store for hours.  She napped. I shopped. All in life was glorious. I returned the next day to do it all over again, just in case I'd missed something.  

Our evenings were all about eating.  The first night we set out in search of crawfish, and crawfish we found! We feasted, and then headed to iFly so that Ryan could try indoor skydiving.  It looked like so much fun! It's a really cool place... if we were millionaires we'd probably open one in Edmonton.

Thursday was our last night in Houston, so we were determined to find a great Texas barbeque restaurant. We found one, and we ate more than our fair share of ribs, brisket, and terribly unhealthy side dishes. It was delicious. 

 On our way back to the hotel we drove past a Krispy Kreme donut shop and the excitement in my voice made it pretty obvious that I wanted to stop. We indulged in some fresh, hot donuts and they were just as amazing as I'd remembered.  Apparently we'd come in at the right time, because we paid for 2 and they gave us 4. We were so full from dinner, but who could say no to extra donuts for free?  

Friday was our flight home, but we didn't have to be to the airport until later in the day.  We drove to the adorable little city of Kemah. It is right on the coast and features a boardwalk amusement park.  Ryan was excited to ride the roller coaster, but much to his dismay it was closed for maintenance that day.  Instead, we wandered the boardwalk and had a picnic (of our barbeque leftovers) by the water.  

The weather was amazing and I was sad to leave as we headed for the airport.  The flight home started off with a grumpy baby who refused to sleep, but with a little help from my baby carrier she finally fell asleep. Something miraculous happened... I watched a movie on a plane for the first time since having kids! Briley slept like a champ, and woke up shortly before our descent into Calgary.  We drove to Red Deer and despite the fact that it was 11:30 pm, we woke up our sleeping toddler because we were too impatient to wait until morning.  

Our little getaway was short, sweet, and busy.  I'm so fortunate that we were able to tag along for one of Ryan's work trips, and I'm sure that he appreciated the extra company.  The one on one time with my baby was also wonderful, but I am so happy to be back home with my crazy, exhausting, sweet little Aaralee.  

new year, new passport stamp.

2016 has gotten off to a great start! On the third day of the year, we woke up bright and early and headed for the airport.  I'd never packed so much stuff for a one week trip in my life, but with 2 children packing light isn't the easiest of tasks.  (We only had 3 bags to check in, but the former flight attendant in me would be ashamed.)  After some breakfast and play time at the airport, we boarded our flight to Cancun for a week of sunshine and fun!

Before you continue reading, let me just state that there is no big announcement to come from this trip.  No engagement, marriage, or pregnancy.  We broke the trend this time around, and went to Mexico for the sole purpose of a family holiday.  However, It was Briley's first flight and first time leaving Canada, and that's a pretty big deal to us!

The flight to Cancun went better than I'd anticipated. Aaralee had her very own seat for the first time, so she happily sat and snacked, watched movies, and even slept!  I was pretty nervous about how Briley would do. She'd successfully learnt to crawl the week prior and has since wanted absolutely nothing to do with sitting still.  She surprised me, and with the help of my baby wrap and a great deal of rocking back and forth in the aisle, I managed to get her to sleep for a bit!

As the sun set, we landed in Mexico and proceeded to our resort.  We'd picked it based on the fact that it targeted families with small children, and I'm sure glad that we did! It had baby bath tubs, high chairs, an awesome play area, baby food,  and a pool shallow enough for Aaralee to walk in... with tiny little lounger chairs and umbrellas!  We never felt as though our kids were too loud or annoying, as most of the other guests also had young children.  

I'm not going to lie and say that our trip was pure relaxation and that traveling with 2 young kids is a piece of cake. Kids don't care if they are at an all inclusive resort.  They still cry, they still throw tantrums, and they still make a mess everywhere that they go. Regardless, we had a great trip and I'm happy that we had the opportunity to travel with both of them.

 Each day Aaralee would sit in her stroller and watch as the rest of us played in the pool. She wanted nothing to do with swimming.  I felt guilty, but she seemed content to sit and watch.  

I finally forced her out of the stroller, held her down kicking and screaming as I applied sunscreen, and strapped her life jacket on.  This was partially due to my own selfish reasoning.  All of the other parents were having a great time playing with their toddlers in the pool and I was jealous. With a bit of patience and gentle coaxing, she slowly made her way into the pool.  And guess what!? She loved it.  Each day she'd insist that she didn't want to go in, and then we'd practically have to drag her out so that we could go for lunch.  Meanwhile, our water loving Briley had daily naps in her pool floatie.  

Our days were filled with sunshine and cocktails. Every afternoon Ryan was kind enough to stay in the room as the girls had a nap. Who are we kidding... he napped with them.  During those amazing 30-40 minutes of simultaneous napping, I'd venture to the beach or the pool for some solo sunshine time.  I'd try my best to relax and enjoy the alone time, but I felt a bit lost without my babies.  

One glorious evening, a rare occurrence happened. Both of my daughters fell asleep beside me. On a hammock.  In Mexico. With no house to clean, no dinner to make.  Just me, my babies, and a whole lot of cuddles while Ryan gently pushed the hammock.  It was pure bliss. Never in my life as a mother of two have both of my babies fell asleep on me at the same time.  

Dinners were hit and miss.  The food was amazing, the restaurants were beautiful, but our children have unpredictable patience levels. There were some perfect evenings in which both kids slept through dinner or happily ate and played, and other evenings in which Aaralee cried (because the crayon pack didn't contain a yellow one) and I was forced to eat standing up while holding Briley.  Regardless of how our kids behaved, the food was always delicious and the staff always went out of their way to make sure that we had a great experience.  Most importantly (to us) there were always other families with young children who most certainly understood the chaos.  

After dinner we'd tuck the kids into bed and then sit on the patio sipping cocktails until they fell asleep.  It was nice to spend some time with my husband without the distraction of TV to be watched or dishes to be done.

Before we knew it, it was time to go home. I was sad to return to reality, but thankful for such a great getaway with my little family.  It was probably the most time we'd all spent together with just us since becoming a family of 4.  

Mexico had been great.  We played, we ate, we soaked up the sun, and Briley put her toes in the ocean for the very first time.

  We saw the sun set on each day, and thanks to my earlybirds, we watched the it rise up over the ocean as well.  

Our vacation was busy, chaotic, and loud... just like our family. It was perfect, and just what we needed... and just like the past few years, it went by way, way too fast. We were sad to leave, but  we'll be back! Mexico will always have a special place in our hearts, and yet again, it did not disappoint.