Waiting on Spring

Just spending some time indoors - as we wait (and wait and wait) for the weather to get nicer. I think we ALL are starting to get a serious case of cabin-fever!!

Who Said Traveling Was Easy?

After a late night for Uncle Scott's birthday (getting to bed 2 hours late) and having to get up early to drive to the airport, Kailer crashed the entire 2 1/2 hour flight from Houston to Denver. He actually fell asleep in his seat, woke up, crawled in my lap, fell asleep and then towards the end of the flight woke up, crawled to his seat again and slept until we were ready to get out ... He was exhausted (rightfully so)! We just love his "Bill Murray" hair in these pictures ~ Adios Mexico, Bienvenidos mi casa!

Happy Birthday Uncle Scott

Our last day in Mexico was Valentine's Day & Uncle Scott's birthday. Scott and Martin started off the day with a round of golf, followed by meeting us for brunch at the Waffle House. There, Scott was given a fancy heart-shaped waffle as his birthday treat.

Make A Wish!

After roaming around two different outdoor markets, we headed home for a siesta before the evening's festivities. Diana planned a lovely dinner at a a restaurant called Pedro's for Scott's birthday with ~12 additional people joining us. It was a nice time, despite the fact that the service was quite slow. Thankfully we found ways, for the most part, to keep Kailer entertained for the 3+ hours that we were there!

Kailer playing with a stick, that once upon a time, had a heart balloon on one end.

Sombrero

Here's year 2 of Kailer in a Sombrero ....
And this is the Deputy's version of Sombrero! :)

Iguana Refuge

Diana heard from a neighbor at the condo that there is an iguana refuge in downtown Manzanillo so we decided to check it out. We drug (quite literally) Dan's brother, Scott (he was completely content in his swimming trunks in a lounging chair), downtown to check out the scenery and of course the iguanas. The directions to get there were "When the pretty arches end, turn left; walk to the very end of the street (we're talking like 5-6 blocks); take a right at the Kiosk (gas station) and the refuge will be on your left. Well, we only had to back track once and get directions one time, but we made it.

It actually was really neat and in my opinion worth the walk up there. Some of those iguanas were HUGE. In addition to the iguanas there were some raccoons, turtles and random birds.W-A-Y up high!

Soaking up some rays.

Spike!

These little guys were so cute and the one just kept staring at Kailer.

Only in Mexico do iguanas howl at the moon!

Mommy & the Mini

A few more water pictures - just in case you haven't seen enough already!!

Daddy and the Mini

If there's one thing Dan was most looking forward to during our vacation it was spending time with Kailer and me - AWAY from the hustle and bustle of life, a pager, crazy work schedule, etc. Though our time in Mexico was deeply cherished, there just wasn't enough of it! :) We're already back to the rat-race of work and Dan's schedule and I already miss getting to spend time with him DURING the day.

My boys.

No trip to the beach is complete without putting someone in the sand from the waist down!

Kailer was just an easy target, b/c we were able to make a small hole! :)

Love this!!

Playing in the, not so appealing, greenish colored water.

R&R By the Pool

Having a little snack before heading out.
Cruisin' in the pool & lovin' his pool toy!

My, not so little (anymore), little boy.
No trip to Mexico would be complete without a hunting magazine. Oye!

That reminds me ....

I spent a day and a half during our trip nauseous, with some vomiting, which in turn had my mother-in-law,Diana, and her friend, Juanita, convinced that I was pregnant. Diana even went as far as to calculate when the baby would be born (November), to which she told me "it would be perfect." I laughed and said, "No it wouldn't be, that's hunting season!" :) Needless to say Dan was sick right after me and we're pretty sure he isn't pregnant!

Roosters in Mexico

It's not at all uncommon to be lying in bed at 3:00 a.m. - AND HEAR A ROOSTER - or be lying on the terrace at 4:00 p.m. - AND HEAR A ROOSTER! The Roosters in Mexico don't really care if the sun is up, down or anywhere in between; they crow when they feel like it.
We heard the roosters while in San Juan Cosala, but while at the beach it was a bit more difficult to hear them over the crashing of the waves, honking of horns and thumping of music. But lucky for me, I had my own little toe-headed rooster .... I'm sure you can guess who!? Every morning Kailer was up before dawn and most of the time the first words of out his mouth were, "go to water!" (i.e. the pool or ocean). Lucky for him the temperatures were fairly descent early in the morning so while everyone else slept in, Kailer and I would walk on the beach. It's amazing how many people are out early in the morning running, walking their dog and of course peddling their goods.

Kailer enjoying some breakfast before heading out - note that it's still pitch black outside the window behind him.

Mom and Kailer checking out the ocean.

For some reason the water was quite green almost the entire time that we were there. Apparently it's something that had washed up from the kelp. Needless to say, it was kind of gross.

Lovin' the water!

Mommy watching the waves come in while Kailer has "no fear."

Rest & Relaxation

Our trip to Mexico came and went in a flurry of activities and before we knew it, we were headed back home. It's amazing how quickly time flies when one is doing - well - basically not much at all.
I will do my best to recap our trip and allow you to see Mexico through the eyes of a toddler. This year's trip was a huge improvement from last year when Kailer was a mere 7 months old, teething and not sleeping through the night. Thank goodness he jumped on the airplane (or rather 6 of them all together) and flew like it was something he does every day.
Upon arriving in Mexico we spent two days inland in San Juan Cosala (approximately 40 minutes from Guadalajara), which is where Dan's parents have their house. On day 3 we condensed our suitcases, strapped on the luggage carrier and headed out for the condo in Manzanillo. The 3-hour trip took us through some of the biggest raspberry fields in the world, dusty flats, bathrooms without toilet paper (always carry some in the car), palm tree "forest", poverty stricken towns, brigades of police officers lined up along the road (still not sure what that was all about), bathroom with toilet paper that cost 3 pesos to use, and finally the wide open view of the ocean. The weather was simply perfect - low 80s and just enough of a breeze to keep one comfortable.
The salty ocean air welcomed and comforted us for the next 4 days. After the car ride Kailer was ready to relax and these pictures were taken shortly after bath time in Manzanillo.

Checking Out For A Week!

Tonight we finish packing and crossing things off of our "last minute to-do list" as we prepare for 9 days in sunny, warm Mexico. In fact, I just looked at the forecast and we will be enjoying mid 80 degree temperatures while we're away -- and, as you can imagine, we're looking forward to it!!
We'll be in touch upon our return ..... and I know Dan and Kailer are glad that they wont have to split wood for awhile!
Ta-ta for now!!

Just A Little Play Time Jibber-Jabber