Christmas in Mexico

After waking up at 2 am on Christmas Eve morning (after only sleeping for about 3-4 hours), we drove to the airport in freezing temperatures and got on our first flight to Seattle. The boys were still in their jammies until we checked in for our flight. It was way too early to start! However, we did arrive in Manzanillo, Mexico at around 3 pm local time, so it may have been worth the early wake-up. Isaiah and Gabriel were wonderful on the airplanes (Spokane-Seattle, Seattle-LA, LA-Manzanillo) and having my parents with us helped immensely! We were all excited when we finally stepped off our plane into the hot and humid weather in Manzanillo! Standing in line at the immigration, customs, and car rental desk in the heat quickly suppressed our excitement but once we were on the road, it was back on!

The drive to Melaque and our hotel, Vista Hermosa, only took about 30 minutes and once we checked in, we headed down to the beach. It was amazing! The sand was really warm (but not too hot) and so soft, the water was a little cool but very refreshing! Isaiah and Gabriel weren't too sure about the waves yet but we were certain they would enjoy them soon. It was also Gabe's first encounter with real sand and he was a little hesitant at first but quickly adapted and started eating it! :)

Our hotel suite was amazing! We had a two bedrooms (with a total of 5 beds), a shared bathroom, a fully equipped kitchen (which was across the balcony), and an amazing front porch with a dining table and chairs on it that had a beautiful view of the whole bay! It was perfect! :)

After dinner that evening, Nick and the boys crashed after our long day of travel and my parents and I went out on the town to scope out the church and town. There were people everywhere! There were evening Masses and the church is on the town square so there were people walking all around plus all the shops were open and everyone was buying last minute gifts. Everything is open there--the church has wide open doors and windows, all the shops open out onto the sidewalks and have their wares out on the street, there are street vendors selling everything from hot dogs to pan Dulce (sweet bread) to crepes (the most amazing crepes ever!). It was really neat to see all the Mexicans out enjoying their Christmas Eve. We quickly learned that Mexicans love to set off fireworks for any celebration--they did it all night long and every night that we were there! There are no regulations on fireworks in Mexico so anyone can buy them (kids included) and some of them are very powerful. We saw kids in the town square starting fireworks in their hands and then throwing them at each other! And all of this was happening right next to a propane tank--yikes! We didn't watch them for long...

The next morning was Christmas and we woke up to 80 degree weather and sunshine--it was wonderful! And we discovered that Santa found us in Melaque--just a few things for the boys--sand toys and floaties for the pool. We spent the morning at the pool and the afternoon at the beach. After getting cleaned up, we went out to dinner to a fancy restaurant (outdoors of course) where they had a playground for the boys to play during the meal. Isaiah played with a couple of local girls the whole time--he had so much fun! We could hear the church bells from our restaurant and headed to Christmas Mass after dinner. The Mass was difficult for Nick and I because we couldn't understand much and couldn't participate in the singing plus the boys were tired after our long day...but it felt good to celebrate Christmas Mass anyway.

I won't get into specific days here because mostly they were all the same and went something like this:

Wake up and eat breakfast in the kitchen.
Head down to the pool or beach. Usually the pool in the morning and beach later.
Up to the kitchen for lunch.
Nap for the kids (and sometimes the adults too!).
Back down to the pool or beach for the afternoon.
Up to the room to change and shower.
Out on the town for dinner, people-watching, and shopping.
Back to the room for bed.

There were a couple of days that we had some adventures too...

In the afternoon on Monday, we decided to head out in the rental car and check out some beaches and towns nearby. We drove down to Barra de Navidad, the next town on the same bay as Melaque. It was so crowded! We couldn't believe how many more people were there compared to Melaque! The beach was a little steeper but otherwise very similar to our beach. Barra had a nice walkway that went in between a lagoon (where all the sailors and boaters hang out) and the ocean and we walked along that. It was a little overcast that day but very hot and we soon were overheated from walking so we stopped for ice cream and Isaiah found his love--lime sorbet! After walking through the town we decided to purchase a roasted chicken to take back to our hotel for dinner and ended up having to wait about 45 minutes for the chicken to be done. But it was worth it! My mom whipped up a delicious salad and guacamole and warmed some tortillas and we enjoyed an amazing meal on our porch overlooking the bay. It was heaven!

On Tuesday we wanted to go to a beach called Tenacatita that my parents had been to before. We set out in the car and the TomTom and ended up at a gate with armed guards and a 8 foot fence as far as the eye could see. It was a little scary to say the least! We found out later that the Tenacatita beach was owned by the El Hedo or the natives of Mexico and they were protecting the area from being exploited. Anyhow, we had to let them search our car, keep Nick's drivers license, and promise not to take any pictures before they would let us pass to the beach. There were armed guards all over the place and they made us park in a certain area and they watched us much of the time. However, it was amazing! The beach was beautiful and there were hardly any people there (big surprise!) and the snorkeling was amazing! I saw an eel and a jellyfish, Nick saw an octopus, and we all saw millions of amazing fish! Isaiah really got into swimming in the waves--the water was a little warmer than at Melaque--and had a blast. I ended up taking pictures anyway (shhhh, don't tell) so there are some from Tenacatita in the slide show.

After we left the beach and went back out through the checkpoint, we headed to Manzanilla (as opposed to Manzanillo where we flew into). Like Barra de Navidad, it was packed with Mexicans on vacation! We went to the crocodile sanctuary (only saw some in their cages and they looked dead), walked along the beach, ate some dinner, and watched a beautiful sunset over the horizon. When we headed back to the car, we stopped back by the crocodiles and got to see some very big ones eating their dinner--it was wild! Isaiah was impressed but very wary and wouldn't let me put him down the whole time. He is still talking about the crocodiles...

The rest of the week was spent in rest and relaxation! Friday night was New Years Eve and we wanted to stay up late to watch the fireworks across the bay in Barra de Navidad. We had a late dinner of seafood stuffed pineapples and they were amazing!The boys made it to about 10:30 and the rest of us made it to midnight but shortly thereafter headed to bed--we just aren't the partiers we used to be! The fireworks were great and people were setting off tons of their own (which were actually pretty good too) all over the place. We noticed that many of the people were waiting until midnight to eat their dinner--maybe it's a Mexican custom that we were not aware of. Anyway, it was a great way to celebrate New Years! :)

Nick, Isaiah, Gabriel, and myself headed home on New Years Day. Luckily our flight was not until 4:30 pm so we got to enjoy most of the day at the beach. The flights home were uneventful and we made it safely to Spokane. The boys are excellent travelers and we are so proud that they did so well and adapted to everything wonderfully! :) Getting home was nice, however the 15 degree weather was not! Brrrr! Isaiah has already told me this morning that he wants to go to "that Mexico place" so we will have to head back in the near future! :)

Overall, it was an amazing trip and we feel so blessed that we got to go! And that my parents came too--they were an incredible help with the boys and made it so that Nick and I could spend some time relaxing without the kids. Thank you Mom & Dad!

Baby, Baby, Baby!

As many of you already know, we are having another Baby!!! It was a bit of a shocker this time--we were not expecting to be expecting any time soon--but we are getting excited now! I am 12 weeks along and feeling pretty good. Isaiah wants a "sister baby, not a brother baby" and he calls the baby "Nomi" (Naomi is the name we have picked out for a girl). It is very cute! Gabe has no idea--and I have the feeling he is not going to be a happy boy when the baby comes! Gabe is definitely the jealous type! Oh well, I guess he will adjust.

Other than that, life has been going on as usual. Isaiah and Gabe are wonderful boys and have a great time together playing. Gabe is almost running now, he is always on the go and getting into things or climbing on things. He is a loud boy and he lets us know when he wants something. Isaiah is hilarious--he is always talking and coming up with the funniest things to say--we don't know where he gets this stuff but we love it!

We are looking forward to our vacation to Mexico--we leave next Friday. Sunshine, here we come! :) It will be so nice to get away for the holidays! It has been really great not having the stress of preparing for the holidays this year, maybe we will travel every year at Christmas!

Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and I will try to get some pics and a post up after our trip--but as you can see, I am very bad at blogging!

Here are a couple of recent pics of the boys--they are dressed up to go to a Christmas party with Grandma & Grandpa:

Beautiful Baby Girl!

Our newest niece: Malaika Rose Inez Bovenzi. She was born September 10, 2010. Theresa May did an amazing job growing this baby girl and then bringing her into this world! She is AWESOME! :)

Favorite Books

I love, love, love reading! I always have and I am sure I always will. So, here is a list of my 10 of my favorite books and a little review of each, just in case you were wondering...

1) The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. I fell in love with this book the first time I read it, and it's not even the story (although it's a great story!), it's the writing. Sue Monk Kidd is a wonderful writer and in this book she is at her best. I re-read this book at least once a year. The movie does not even come close to doing this book justice....There is one passage in particular that I just LOVE: "Every human being on the face of the earth has a steel plate in his head, but if you lie down now and then and get still as you can, it will slide open like elevator doors, letting in all the secret thoughts that have been standing around so patiently, pushing the button for a ride to the top. The real troubles in life happen when those hidden doors stay closed for too long."

2) Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Ok, this book is not a mainstream book at all--my mother-in-law lent it to me and I have yet to give it back. It's a Christian romance novel! I know, weird, huh? Well, it's just a great story and I think the biggest reason that I love it so much is because, like the heroine in the story, I am a sinner and I am Forgiven. Francine Rivers has many, many books and I also love her Lineage of Grace series which are novellas about women in the Bible. The one about Naomi & Ruth is my fave...

3) The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. I am not sure why I love this book, I just do. Actually, I am looking at the book right now and I see a review from the author of my number 1 book, Sue Monk Kidd: "Absolutely mesmerizing." Probably why I like it so much (and probably why I read it in the first place!)

4) She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb. It's a coming-of-age story about a girl who has to overcome many trials in her life. You will fall in love with the heroine in this story, Dolores Price. And you will rejoice with her in the end, when her dreams come true!

5) 90 Minutes in Heaven by Don Piper. This book is a true story about a man who is in a terrible car accident and dies but is brought back to life. He tells about his 90 minutes in Heaven and it is amazing! I escpecially recommend it to anyone who has lost a loved one, it will make you rejoice that they are in Heaven.

6) The Smoke Jumper by Nicholas Evans. Just a great story. He is the author of The Horse Whisperer and many other books as well but this one is by far my favorite.

7) Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Giffen. Chic lit for sure. But I love myself some chic lit! These two are a series and I just love the stories...

8) Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella. I know, I know, more chic lit, but there is just something great about reading a funny book that makes you feel good! I love the whole Shopaholic series in fact and I read them whenever the mood strikes. And by the way, I just found out that Sophie Kinsella is a pen name and the authors actual name is Madeleine Wickham and she has several books out as well. Library, here I come! :)

9) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Yes, it is an adolescent book. But it is soooo good! I normally do not read sci-fi books but I LOVED it! And I can't wait to read Catching Fire & Mockingjay--hint, hint Ada!

10) Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Great story, great writing. She just came out with a new novel and I can't wait to read it!

So, after getting started on this list, I realized that I love so many books and there is no possible way that I can list them all or even remember them all! Therefore, I am going to try to start a journal and write books down as I read them. And I will try to share what I read with you all...

Some books that I am going to read soon: Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen, The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham, The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Ape House by Sara Gruen.

Busy Summer!!!!

I know, I know, it's been a long, long time since I have posted anything. I am not going to give any excuses for my lack of posts, but I will say this: I have been having a blast with my family and friends and have therefore lacked the time to blog. But now that fall is approaching and I believe things are slowing down I will try to get back on track...

Recent happenings in our lives:

Gabriel
1) 2 new teeth
2) crawling
3) pulling himself up on anything and everything
4) sleeping through the night in his own room (yay!)
5) eating everything he can get his hands on (including the rock that I found in his mouth today...)and therefore
6) growing by leaps & bounds (he is wearing the same clothing that Isaiah wore last summer--when he was 1!)
7) went to Pennsylvania for the first time with mama & grandma--did awesome on his first airplane ride!


Isaiah
1) talking up a storm--my favorite things that he says: "sure" "no nap, ok?" "whatever" (I totally know I shouldn't let him say this but it is sooo funny & cute!) "mama lay down?" and I am sure there are many more things that I love but can't remember right now!
2) riding his bike (tricycle) around the neighborhood
3) playing his guitar with daddy
4) dancing around the living room to Spearhead
5) swimming at the lake (with his life jacket of course!)
6) fishing with daddy
7) playing with his "cousins" & friends
8) "going" on his big boy potty (not consistently, but it's a start)


Teresa
1) having a blast with my Friday morning coffee group (you know who you are ladies! :))
2) completing the WunderWoman Triathlon on August 15--I finished in 1 hr 23 mins (7 minutes faster than my goal) (This also took up a lot of my summer in training...)
3) went to Pennsylvania with Gabe & my mom for my cousins wedding
4) Spearhead concert at the Festival at Sandpoint with my honey

Nick
1) playing disc golf
2) fishing
3) taking care of Gabe & Isaiah while mama was training
4) working so that we can do all of these fun things on the weekends (Thank you honey!)
5) Spearhead concert with me

And of course, as a family we have been doing tons of fun things--sailing, biking, playing outside, going to the beach, going to the park, camping, BBQs with the Young Adult group at church, and much, much more! It is sad that summer is coming to an end, but I am almost relieved that things will start slowing down a bit...

Here are some high lights from July & August:

The Love of My Life

Four years ago today, I married my soul mate. And it has been the best four years of my life!

Nick, you are everything I have ever wanted and needed in a husband. I used to marvel at how wonderful you are and how lucky I am to have you in my life. And I am still amazed by you everyday. You are an awesome daddy to our boys and an incredible husband! I love you with all my heart forever!

Firsts

When you have children, every day is a first "something". Some of them are big (you record them in your baby book)--first tooth, first word, first step; others are small (and you don't necessarily want to remember them)--first scrape, first fever, first tantrum. This past few weeks have been filled with many firsts for our family.

Gabe started eating solids--his first food was bananas--and he LOVED it!



Isaiah rode a horse for the first time at Grandpa Peter's in Canada.

Gabe went out of the country for the first time to visit our Canadian family.


Isaiah caught his first fish--a 10 inch rainbow trout at Lake Elsie--with help from Uncle Timmy. He wasn't too sure about the fish but was super-excited to tell everyone about it later.



Isaiah had his first pinata at his 2nd birthday party--it was shaped like a football and made by one of Aunt Shasta's students for extra credit. He cried when it started falling apart.

Isaiah got his first guitar (I am sure there will be more to follow) from his Aunt Celina. He LOVES it and has the most difficult time sharing!

I am sure there are many more that I am forgetting (not a first) but this is just a taste of a few. As a parent you wish that you could remember all of them (even the tantrums) because someday your days will not be filled with so many firsts! I hope that all the firsts in my life continue to happen because they make everyday exciting and wonderful!