Let me just say that the international terminal at the DFW airport is the cleanest and nicest terminal in the airport. Which was good because there was no wait at all to check in and we had to hang out there for a while.
Grandma, Grandpa, Jamie, JD, Hailey, Ethan and Abby met us at the airport with the biggest size van you can get and we all piled in to head to the house. We were the last ones there an apparently we missed some fun while Bruce became reacquainted with how to drive a stick shift.
It was dark when we made it to the house. When we stepped out of the van there was a wave of noise from thousands of birds. It was very pretty but also very loud. Kenna was convinced they were monkeys and dashed away to try to go see them. The kids spent the night becoming acquainted with each other and I'm very happy that my kids now know who Hailey, Ethan and Abby are.
By far the best part of the whole trip was Cristina (and the fresh produce). Cristina came to our house every morning to make us breakfast which included two pitchers of fresh squeezed orange juice and homemade refried beans. I'm salivating just thinking about it. Everything was so fresh and the mangos were scrumptious!
After a delicious breakfast the kids let us wait all of about 2 minutes before we headed to the beach. It was the perfect beach day! We were in this little community with a small shopping center in the middle which was built around a pool full of dolphins and sea lions. There were lots of babies and most mornings included a trip to go say hi to the dolphins.
The water was beautiful and clear. There was a small breeze and it was warm and sunny. The perfect beach day. The best part was that the water in front of our condo was walled off so that you could walk side to side and end to end in waste deep water. Hailey and Kenna found a little corner to go play mermaids or something in and Callie and Ethan found rocks to throw.
While the kids were napping some of us took a trip to find a Walmart. It was a cultural experience. I'm not sure you have to pass any kind of test to be able to drive there and I'm certain that the rules for driving are just, 'do whatever works for you.' I also learned that no one is in a hurry. We did survive the trip and made it home. After naps we decided to give the pool a try. It was also exceptional.
Tuesday morning after more delicious breakfast and fresh squeezed orange juice we headed to a place called Xelha. It's called an eco park but whatever it was it was awesome! Kenna got to hold a parrot on her head and learn about talons. Callie got to help me hold the parrot. That may have been the highlight of their trip because they both still talk about holding the parrots. The highlight was this river that started in some mangroves and made it's way to the ocean. We got some tubes and floated down that. During your float you could get off and zip line or jump off big rocks and there was some kind of adult play ground with ropes and swings over the water. Nate and JD were in heaven. The best part was that the lifeguards didn't inhibit your fun. We could pretty much do whatever we wanted.
After the river we took the kids to this really cool play area with the biggest tree fort I've ever seen. It had bridges and rooms and went around forever. Whoever created its as a genius because it only had a single entrance/exit. We parked ourselves there and let the kids go to town.
Wednesday was a beach day for the dads and kids and mom's day out which included a trip to the local spa for some pampering where I also got to read my book and have a nap. Thursday we went to another ecopark which was cool in a different way. It was kind of a zoo mixed with ruins to tour mixed with a river to swim in.
The best part of the whole trip was the monkey. He realized he had an audience of five kids and put on quite a performance. He was leaping and jumping and swinging and falling allover the place while the kids shouted and giggled hysterically. The adults sat back and laughed at the kids who attracted an audience of their own because the were laughing so loudly.
There were sharks, and aquarium, a leopard, random native animals, crocodiles and my favorite part this huge river and pool you could walk over filled with these massive sea turtles. Most of them were at least as tall as Kenna. We climbed a bunch of ruins and Kenna was blow away by the fact that people used to live there and wanted to know what each building was used for. We guessed.
There was also a butterfly exhibit with hundreds of butterflies that flew around us. Kenna kept saying how beautiful they all were and asked me to take her picture.
Friday the boys got to golf while we took the kids to the beach. It had rained and there was a lot of gross sea weed on the beach. Kenna had to be carried over it. I'm not sure if Callie even noticed it because she just tramped right through it. The waves were high and Callie though it was hilarious to go out and be pummeled by the waves. Kenna was slightly less brave but also had fun in the waves.
Saturday was a bit chilly but since it was our last day at the beach we went anyway. We rented a paddle board and kayak. The kids enjoyed being chauffeured around and Kenna and Hailey even tried to take the kayak out on their own. I discovered that I really love paddle boarding. The wind was blowing away from the shore and I was just paddling away when I turned around and saw how far out I'd gone. It was really far and it took a lot longer to get back but I did eventually make it.
When Callie ran out of rocks to throw she found coconuts. The floated so she and Ethan could find them after they threw them into the ocean.
It was really sad to leave on Saturday but the sadness was overshadowed by panic when we relayed that 2 hours was not nearly enough time to get back through the airport. I left Nate at the security check and ran to the gate to try to make our flight. Luckily everything is late in Mexico, including the planes so I even to to use the bathroom before we got on the plane.
It was a very fun trip and it's always really sad to have so much fun together then leave all your family. We also really miss Cristina and her delicious breakfast. I'm glad we got to spend time with Delaware cousins and that the girls could make some new friends. And now, whenever Callie sees or hears an airplane she shouts, 'I go uh airplane to Mexico!''
