Chris and I knew we were going somewhere on Spring Break this March, but we didn't truly decide until after Christmas on the location. We decided on Ixtapa, Mexico because we have traveled there prior to having kids, so we knew it was a clean, beautiful, and safe vacation spot. Randomly, I told my family about our plans and invited them to join us if they'd like. Jim and Karri said, "SURE!" so we soon had a small group heading to this piece of paradise.
We worked with a great travel agent who asked us if we were fairly flexible with our dates. Since Caden and Cooper didn't have school for a full week and also had Easter Monday off, we decided this would be perfect and also way less expensive to go from Tuesday-Tuesday. We had direct flights, they were longer (almost 5 hours) but eh, these boys are professional flyers.
We stayed at an all-inclusive and family friendly resort. We had to laugh at our mind shift as we usually find the resorts that are adults only. We stayed at a resort that had mostly good reviews, but what we didn't know was how beautiful our hotel room would be. We were amazed when we walked in to see the panaromic, double balcony view of the ocean. It was breathtaking!
Our room had two larger beds, a small kitchenette and enormous bathroom. It offered plenty of room considering we wouldn't be in the room very much anyhow. The best part was opening the balcony and hearing the huge ocean waves crash on shore.
I thought twice about keeping the balcony doors open when we discovered this little guy- Cooper wanted to keep the little lizard for a pet. Even though he was little, my answer was a definite "no" on that one.
One of the few/only disappointments was the beach- it was beautiful, amazing and great for walking and wading. It wasn't great for swimming and the flags were either black or red all week. This meant that we (OK, I) was ultra paranoid and constantly barking at the boys that they were wading in too deep. Caden instantly noticed the beaches were incredibly soft but had NO shells on them. A huge contrast compared to Captiva Island.
Everyday, we spent some time at the beach. The kids liked sandcastle building and I liked taking walks. Since it was spring break week, there was a lot of activity!
The vendors weren't awful, but they definitely had a presence. Cooper kept asking about the guy who was selling "co-co's" so I finally checked it out and sure enough, he was selling fresh coconuts. We decided to buy a few and share them.
Put the lime in the coconut....
We don't have any idea how some people prefer coconut water over other types, ish. Same with the coconut "meat." Clearly, we like processed food and plain old water, LOL! It was worth a try!
We didn't plan on excursions since Jimmy and Ava are 3 and 1 years old. We decided to take advantage of our resort and some nearby attractions, such as the massage "village" just a 1/2 mile down on the beach. I recall going here when Chris and I vacationed in Ixtapa 8 years ago. They were still there and with a minimal charge of $15 per hour (can you believe that!?!?!) we went three times during the week. Caden went twice and absolutely loved the massage. The massage ladies thought he was just the cutest thing ever :) With a tip, we gave them $20 each for the hour and enjoyed amazing massages along with a free facial scrub each time. We were in HEAVEN...
Cooper on the other hand, decided not to get massages and overheard one of the many mid-western families that we met share that kids only needed to be 3 years old to para-sail with a parent. He begged Chris to take him up, so as any irresponsible parent would say, "sure, why not!" I love Caden's concerned expression above. I could hardly stand watching this.
They took a running start, Cooper was in the air in a second, Chris soon followed, and their 5 minute adventure began.
The waves were crashing, the boat was all over the place, but apparently it was a smooth, relaxing and enjoyable ride. I have para-sailed once, in Captiva and was spoiled by a lift-system from the back of the cruiser. There was absolutely no doubt I wasn't safe. Watching Chris and Cooper 500 feet in the air behind an old Mastercraft and most likely frayed ropes (I chose not to inspect), was nerve wracking to say the least.
Whew, they made it safely back and yes, they loved the ride! Cooper wanted to go again during the week but once was enough for this Mama.
The pool was one of the main reasons we chose this resort. It had waterslides, a swim up bar, and plenty of room for rafts!
The heat was intense... I thought I was becoming intolerant due to my ripe, old age. To my relief, I found out it was 105 degrees with the heat index a few of the days. Otherwise, it was high 80's to low 90's with full sun every.single.day. We went through 5 bottles of sunscreen and thankfully, no one suffered a burn besides Chris and I, go figure. Cooper took advantage of the umbrella and slept soundly for a few hours one afternoon.
Caden and Cooper frequented the tiki bar as much as the adults did. They had endless glasses/thermos mugs of smoothies (banana was the favorite flavor of the week)
The kids were so amazing all week. Considering it was boiling hot, service was often slow at dinner time, and they were just run down by the end of the day, they were rock stars! We absolutely cherished our time together.
We ventured to the Ixtapa Markets for a very quick shopping trip. The boys brought their piggy bank change which is always so surprisingly more than expected. Caden fell in love with a handmade wooden whale and Chris got suckered into paying $10 for it. He also bought a pair of frogs figurine; both are proudly displayed on his dresser. Caden loves knick-knack treasures.
Cooper bought a stuffed animal octopus that says "Ixtapa" on it. He calls it, "octi" and it now sits on his bed. I convinced him to buy a soccer ball in super cool Mexican flag colors. He agreed and so at least one souvenir is actually worth something. Oh well, the boys had so much fun experiencing the markets and spending their hard earned cash on their special treasures.
Most evenings were spent in the restaurants during the sunset. We knew we had to catch the last few sunsets and many times we noticed it would cloud over right when the sun went down. On Easter evening, we made it a point to coordinate and take some family pictures. The sky became so unbelievably beautiful, that I will never forget the colors we saw that night.
What an amazing blessing... especially on Easter!
Earlier in the day, the resort had many fun activities for the kids. They had some scary Easter bunnies, and some really fun games that included Mexican candy and prizes. The boys were hooked.
Little did they know... they took the bat away from Cooper after 2 swings. Everyone else got 5 tries. He was going after that minion!
Happy Scary Easter!
We were blessed with one last sunset before the end of our vacation. Jeez, Chris and I have crazy tans... we did wear 50 SPF all week (FYI)
Ms. Ava loved the sand too much to even want to pose for me....
But she did on her birthday! Auntie's girl turned 1 on Easter Sunday and I snapped a classic photo- she was eating sand!
We definitely created special family memories on this trip. The boys were great, we all enjoyed and appreciated the time together and of course, the time to relax and rejuvenate.
Since we returned, we hit the ground running as we went right back into our day to day routines. Caden had "Market Day" at school two days after our vacation. We had to quickly complete his project, which he decided would be pet rocks. The kids in his class earned classroom bucks which they exchanged for goods or services. Caden made 41 pet rocks (there are 20 in his class) and he returned home with about 4-5 rocks. His teacher sent me a photo and said his stand was a hit! He charged everyone $2 classroom bucks for one rock. We even found cute pet rock manual printables online :) Caden also returned home with various goodies, as well as painted fingernails and he was relaxed once again as one of the girls in class was offering massages. Hahaha!
Some pet rocks- ladybugs, birds, bees, frogs, minions, penguins, fish, whales, rock stars, owls and Mikey (Monster's Inc). Thank goodness for Pinterest inspired ideas!
The principal emailed me and as any parent would, I was thinking, "Oh great, here we go Cooper..." Well, thankfully, it was a sweet email along with this picture. She wanted me to know that Cooper was selected as Beau's guest for a special lunch incentive that Beau earned. Cooper felt extra important with this great honor.
And in final news, just this past Friday, I was called into the Dean's Office for my 6 month performance review. My boss (the Dean) had positive feedback and was happy to share with me that I was being offered a permanent contract. I wasn't expecting a permanent contract so quickly, but I do have to say that it sure is nice to know that this crazy busy, challenging and exciting job has been well worth the uncertainty I faced for many months during the transition. Most university employees need to compete in a nation wide search and hiring process, but she "fought" to have my contract title changed from "emergency" to permanent and it was approved. I feel proud and know this was hard-earned and deserving. I look forward to continuing with some innovative ideas and of course, working with tomorrow's teachers!
