Cancun Round 2

We spent last week in Cancun with the boys. This was my 3rd trip to Mexico this summer and the boys' 2nd trip. We love Cancun because it's such and easy flight and the beaches are beautiful.

My people on our way to security.

I can't say enough how awesome my kids are on trips. This guy talked the whole time on the flight. He talked to me, to himself and when he wasn't talking, he was singing.

We stayed at the Moon Palace this time because we've heard that it's really family friendly. It was a huge resort with 4 sections. We stayed at the villas in the Spa and Golf Club which was set back further away from the beach. It was great because it was quiet and serene. We got our own private golf cart to get around in. 

The boys loved having our own golf cart. And they all took turns driving it! Matthew drove too, but for some reason, I didn't get a picture of him driving.

When we are on vacation, we have a pretty standard routine.  Wake up, go to breakfast, swim, lunch, swim little more and then go to our room to rest up before dinner.

The big boys were probably too big for the splash park, but they didn't seem to mind.

We tried to watch a magic show one night, but it was so crowded and we couldn't get a seat so we left  about 5 minutes into the show. Mark did not like the loud music.

Our resort did not have a good beach so we drove up to its sister resort in the Hotel Zone called Beach Palace and hung out there for the day. The beach there was awesome. The sand was like powder, the water was clear and warm, and the waves were perfect for Michael to boogie board in.

Even Matthew went in the water.

The pools at this resort had a waterslide that was big enough for the older boys and small enough for the little guy to go on his own.

He loved the waterslide.

He wanted me to take his picture while he posed.

It was so nice to get some me time at the Spa.

We liked the Beach Palace so much we went back a couple more times.

We probably spent more pool and beach time at the Beach Palace then we did at our resort.

Lunch at the Golf Club.

Matthew and Mark love their Shirley Temples.

This was Mark when we were in our room resting. He fell asleep in his tightey-whiteys a little while after I took this picture.

While he napped, M and I went to get a pedicure.

On our last full day, we took a ferry out to Isla Mujeres and had the best time. Our plan was to swim with the dolphins as a family after hitting some tourist spots and then spending the rest of the afternoon on the North Beach.

Unfortunately, the dolphin place did not have our reservation when we arrived so we didn't get to swim with the dolphins that day. Poor Mark was so disappointed, but it turned out for the best because we got to spend more time at the beach.

Waiting for the ferry at Puerto Juarez.

The ferry was very nice - it took us about 20 minutes to get to the island.

We rented a golf cart to drive around the island.

Our first stop was the turtle farm. It was a little small and not nearly as cool as the one on the Grand Cayman, but the boys liked it.

There was a pier that led to this area where we saw stingrays, huge sea turtles and a shark.

These two climbed a tree and got a coconut. Michael is obsessed with coconuts. He watched a YouTube video on how to get a young coconut open so he wanted to test it out.

He was obsessed about getting it opened and had that coconut with him at all times.

Still working on getting the coconut open

Finally, he was able to get to the nut and somehow made a hole in it to get the water out. I was pretty impressed.

We drove along beautiful beaches...

I was even more impressed when Michael somehow got his coconut opened in two halves. I still don't know how he did it. It took him half a day, but his persistence paid off!

We ended our day in El Playa Norte. This beach was AMAZING. It was perfect for Mark because the water was calm, shallow, and super clear. There were also a ton if fish swimming around.

The boys found some rocks to climb on. They would later give me a mini heart attack by doing flips off these rocks.

The water was so clear that you can see the fish without snorkeling.

They love to climb rocks!

I loved watching them play.

This is what he does when I try to take his picture.

We got some coconuts from a street vendor and then headed back to the port to catch a ferry back to Cancun.

It was such a fun day! After dinner we settled in to watch the Olympics and then headed home the next day.

I loved going on vacation, but it's also very nice to be back at home!

Catching Up

Happy Monday! It is such nice surprise to wake up to a rainy morning. We just got back from Cancun on Saturday and I'm still catching up on laundry and other housekeeping chores. I've also got a list of to-dos to get the boys ready for school next Monday.

Say what? Yes, school starts up again in 7 days! I can't believe how fast this summer has come and gone. I'm happy to back to scheduled days again but sad that we have to go back to scheduled days again. Make sense?

The Olympics make folding laundry less dreadful.

Anyway, since we've had a pretty packed summer, the boys will be enjoying some downtime before school. Read: Mamma's scrambling to get things done before school starts so they can spend their days in their PJs if they want to.

We've enjoyed watching the Olympics every night with this guy. It's my favorite time of the day. I look at him sometimes and it breaks my heart that he's not a little boy any more.

Board & Brush Party

My friend Fanny had a birthday get together a couple of weeks ago at this place called Board & Brush and it was so much fun.  It's doing a Pinterest project with guaranteed results because there's someone there to fix your mess-ups along the way. And of course, you get to do it with friends which is always more fun.

Getting ready to start our little projects. All the prep work was done for us. 

I had a little bit of trouble using the electric screwdriver. To be honest, I had a lot of trouble so my girl took pity on me and pretty much put the board together for me (see? Pinterest fail averted).

The birthday girl didn't have any trouble at all.

My board is ready for painting...

Stenciling, really.

Ta-Dah! The finished projects.

We goofed around a lot so the whole thing took a little more than 3 hours, but I had a great time. What a fun idea to celebrate a special friend.

Friday Favorites - All Over the Place Edition

Happy Friday! I'm linking up with Erika, Narci and Andrea for this week's Friday Favorites. This week's list is all over the place.

{ONE}

I got a few things from the ever popular Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. These are my two favorites. These boots look great and won't break the bank.  I've been looking for a great pair of grey booties and these fit the bill (is that how you say it?)

This COAT! It is so pretty. The shape is super feminine and flattering. Love the collar, love the flare. I can't wait to wear it this winter.

{TWO}

The opening ceremony for the summer Olympics is tonight.  Yippee. I kept seeing Olympic soccer and was totally bummed because I thought I had missed it, but nope! I can catch it tonight.

{THREE}

My favorite meal this week was super easy. Grilled tri-tip with grilled zucchini and hatch chiles. All you gotta do is get the tri-tip from Costco, stick it in a big ziplock bag with your favorite marinade, leave it in the refrigerator overnight before grilling it. If you're really ambitious, you may add slices of oranges and onions in the bag.

{FOUR}

It's time to get the Spirit Shop up and running. I'm helping Matthew's school raise money by running the Spirit Shop this year and we got our orders back from our vendors. Cute Dragon gear is my favorite.

{FIVE}

M's goal this year is to take each boy on trips with him so they can spend some one-on-one time together. This week was Mark's turn.  They flew to Phoenix for a couple of days and I can't wait to hear all about it when they get home later today. He's planning on taking Matthew to NYC in December and Michael to Waco - JK - he's not sure where to take Michael yet..

{SIX}

Took these guys to dinner at one of our favorite Italian restaurants for two-on-one time while Mark and M were on their one-on-one. No roses involved and no one got sent packing.  I love both these guys so much!

The Heart of Our Home - The Kitchen

Before we moved into this house a year ago, we did a complete renovation of our kitchen. It took over 5 weeks, but it was completely worth it and I love how it turned out.  I can now say that I have my dream kitchen.

This was what the kitchen looked like when we bought the house. 

This is what it looks like now (minus the everyday mess)

We removed the L island and the original island to make room for a much larger island. We moved the sink from the original L island to window and replaced pretty much everything.

I was so happy that my contractor found a double farmhouse sink. I didn't think it existed. Two dishwashers was a must.

We added an appliance garage under the microwave to hide the toaster and other small appliances. I also made sure there was room for my "coffee bar."

When I saw these marble arabesques tiles, I knew I had to have it somewhere in the kitchen and it made sense to add it to the backsplash.

And that's our kitchen.  Have  fantastic weekend!