A break in the snow - Mexico Pt. 1

Last week we escaped the snow for a few days. We had a great time. There are lots of pictures so I made them small. Click on any you'd like to see larger.

Day 1 - We're here! We arrived in Cancun (miraculously) after a very long check in wait. Abby was so excited to have the princess backpack, princess suitcase and teddy bear with her. She did a great job hauling them through the airport. We were so excited to find my parents and sisters et al soon after arriving at the resort. We went to the beach that afternoon.

Day 2 - We spent Friday morning kayaking. The pictures were great but they aren't on this computer so maybe I'll get some up at another time. Friday afternoon we went to an aquarium where Kaley went swimming with the dolphins. It was fun to watch and the kids loved "petting" the animals. Friday night at dinner, my cowboy of a husband won the mechanical bull competition!

1 - Briton enthusiastically watching the sharks, turtles and sting rays; 2 - The kids touching the sharks; 3 - Kaley swimming with the dolphins; 4-5 - Abby (sitting) and Mike (riding) on the mechanical bull

Day 3 - On Saturday, we hired Helaman as a tour guide. He was awesome! He took us to Chichen Itza and Ek Balam ruins and taught us a lot from the Book of Mormon that put some of the architecture and ornamentation into a Book of Mormon perspective. (The ruins were not built during Book of Mormon times but show left over elements of the Lamanite culture.)

1 - me in front of some relief sculpture in Chichen Itza; 2 - our entire group at the main temple in Chichen Itza; 3 - Brooklyn, Abby and Isaac at a building in Chichen Itza; 4-6 - overlooking the Ek Balam area after climbing to the top of the ruin; 7 - on the way down at Ek Balam

A bit of sun (and a bit of wind) - Mexico Pt. 2

Day 4 - After church we went down to the beach and took some pictures. The lighting was almost surreal with the ocean and the clouds.

Day 5 - On Monday we went on a "submarine" ride through a coral reef (more of a glass sided/bottomed boat). It was beautiful but we all got a bit woozy on the ride. Later in the afternoon we went shopping at the market (no pictures).

1 - on the boat out to the submarine; 2 - the crew on the submarine; 3 - our dentist in training; 4 - Mike and Briton on the boat; 5 - Abby, Isaac, Briton, Brooklyn and Jack

Day 6 - On our last day, we played in the beach with grandma, grandpa and Kaley (along with the obligatory shell collecting). It was a bit windy and chilly, but still "exquisite" (we're watching Sesame Street right now and "exquisite" is the word of the day). I told myself that this was going to be a relaxing, sit at the beach kind of a vacation. Hmmm...I have a hard time traveling like that. Someday I'll go on vacation a sit on the beach for days on end, but there was just too much to do and see.

1st Birthday!

Happy birthday to our favorite 1-year-old! What a year it has been! Here are a few great things about Briton:

He will smile at anyone.
He is very ticklish.
He gives great slobbery, open-mouth kisses (that often turn into a bite off the nose).
He loves playing the piano.
He enjoys playing with his sister.
He says "Hi" very, very well.
He's a great traveler.
He loves to eat.
He will eat anything.
He's a great sleeper.
He is adorable.
He has a very happy personality.

Here are some pictures of Brit each month:

Some catch up

I don't have a lot of pictures to post, but I should post something...

1. My days are centered around my kids and Relief Society (and Mike, too, but he's usually at work). I got a new calling (RS Pres.) in late November. Things started kind of slow because of the holidays and so many people from our branch traveling for Christmas so I feel that January is really when we got started. It has been a great opportunity and I feel that I've already grown a lot (sounds a bit trite, eh? but true). There have been plenty of growing pains, but it is good. There are some amazing people around here. We are so lucky to know many of them.

2. Abby is doing well. Here are some of her smarts. The other day we watched a Living Scriptures video about Alma the Younger. I tried to talk with her about it as we watched it. Afterwards, I asked her what happened to Alma. This is what she said:

Alma was being naughty. Then he took off his naughty clothes and put on his pajamas and went to sleep.

Translation: In the video, Alma was dressed in the "fine twined linen" during his rebellious days. The "regular" clothes must have looked more like PJs and the angel "put him to sleep". I think that for a 3-year-old she did pretty well.

3. Monday was a strange day. I woke up with the stomach flu. Mike made Abby breakfast and she threw the plate (and food) on the floor. I called Mike mid-day and asked him if he could come home. He did (bless him). Shortly after he got home, he asked when the disposal broke. Umm, not sure. Later that night, we found that the hot water heater was overflowing in the basement. We were glad when Monday was over. (PS The stomach flu is gone, hot water is good, Abby isn't throwing food and Mike is working normal hours. Unfortunately, the disposal is not working.)

4. Briton eats a lot. He'll eat anything. He can also go down the stairs as well as up. We still keep our eyes on him, but that is nice.

5. Abby loves to play games. We have fishing games, Candy Land, Chutes & Ladders and the sort. She likes to make up new rules and sometimes a completely new game. I feel guilty oftentimes, because she'll make up a silly new game or say something especially cute and I can't help but laugh. Unfortunately, when I start to laugh, I laugh a lot. I am not trying to make fun of her, I just think she is adorable. I hope my laughing isn't scarring her. Let me know if you have any great suggestions on how to keep from laughing at your kids when they do something fabulous (or just plain funny and they don't realize how funny it is).

Very cute

(except for my hair)

This milestone was reached yesterday.