Cancun 2013

Well, here it is.  A video of our 2013 family vacation to Cancun, Mexico.  A ten day adventure to paradise with all sixteen members of my family...my mom and dad, our five, Mark, Abby, Nolan, Heath, & Brooks, and Brad, Jayne, Cohen, & Arie.  We left all together on the same airplane on a Saturday morning and came home all together on the same airplane the following Monday night.  It was amazing.  The video, all fifteen minutes of it, will show you just what I mean.  But, I will expand on just a few of my highlights:

Between swim team four mornings a week, baseball three days a week, Wes's softball once a week, etc., this summer has not exactly been relaxing.  One of the best parts of vacation for me was not having a schedule to follow for ten whole days.  Want to go to the pool?  Sure.  Want to go to the beach?  You bet.  Wes played countless hours of catch with Brady (who ADORES his daddy), Payton hunted for creatures and seashells to her heart's delight, and Lando just pretty much went with the flow.  Whether it was going out to dinner or just playing, I loved spending time together as a family.

The amazing Cancun beach and water.  We had the best weather ever...it maybe sprinkled for two evenings, but other than that, we had the perfect amount of sun and shade.  Seriously, it could not have been better.  The ocean water in Cancun is crystal clear and just the right temperature.  There are no jellyfish or other scary creatures so the kids (big ones to!) loved playing in the waves.  During several afternoon naptimes, Wes and I took the big kids--PR and Brady--on some water adventures.  On my birthday, Payton and I went parasailing.  Super relaxing and cool to see everything from a different perspective.  The last day, we rented two wave runners for 30 min and had a blast out on the ocean.  I let Payton drive and she absolutely loved it.  The sound of her giggles as I held on for dear life is something I will never forget.

And lets not forget to mention the beach.  Fine, white sand perfect for making castles and other creations.  And just begging for us grown ups to play beach volleyball on.  The sand also became one of our favorite places to go at night.  It was sea turtle egg laying season, so each night, under the light of the moon, we would walk out quietly to see up to 10-20 giant sea turtles crawling on to shore and searching for a place to lay their eggs.  If they found their ideal spot, they would dig for several hours and begin to lay their eggs.  The security men at the hotel would go and collect the eggs and rebury them in a protected "nursery" so they can hatch safely towards the end of the summer.  We were able to hold eggs and get close enough to touch the turtles.  So cool.  Turtles really because one of the themes of our trip.  (Well, that and happy hour!) :)

And for my final highlight, being with family for ten straight days.  For some people, I'm sure that sounds like a nightmare.  But for me, it's one of my favorite things to do...hang with my parents, my brothers and sister-in-laws, and a whole slew of nephews.  Sure we have our little spats here and there, but for the most part, we really do enjoy each other's company.  And that is truly a blessing.  Thank you mom and dad, for everything you did to make our vacation so wonderful.

And now, enjoy the show :)