Hola from Cancun!

We are halfway through our trip. Although the really fun part for me and Ken starts tomorrow! These first 5 days have been amazing and we can't stop smiling, but we are super excited for the next two days at the Ritz Carlton and without any kids.

Here's highlights from our trip so far.

1st Day- Our plane ride was 2 1/2 hours. It went pretty smooth. The lady we rented the condo from arranged for our airport transfer. She also did some grocery shopping from a list I gave her, so we went straight from the airport to our condo and was able to make sandwhiches for lunch and then go to the beach. Not bad for just a few hours in Cancun. Ken and I were so relieved that the condo actually exists and it is as nice as it is in the pictures. We were kind of anxious since we bought it all online from a single owner. There are 3 bedrooms and 2 baths on the 2nd floor, the 1st floor has a large dining room, large family room, kitchen, and half bath. It's very nice especially the air conditioners in each bedroom. We also like the clothes line on the private balconies upstairs to hang our towels and swimsuits. We fill up the whole line with all 8 of them. There are balconies on the 1st level too, but they are open to everyone.

The water feels amazing, it so warm, and is such a pretty shade of blue. We also checked out all three pools. The pools are very warm, almost like a bath. Unfortunately the children's pool is the hottest since the water is shallow, so we haven't even been back.

2nd Day- Totally a beach day. Rose loves playing in the sand. The boys love playing in the surf with Ken. Ginger doesn't seem to mind the sand or the water much, she sleeps through alot of it. We are thankful my parents are here because they made a major run to Wal-Mart for groceries. We got good basics from our condo lady thinking we would eat out about half the time, but after doing that the first night and having a huge bill (just our sodas and water for 6 of us was over $40) we decide it's way better for our kids stamina and our wallets stamina to eat at home. The kitchen is nice but not stocked with enough pots and pans for our taste. Let's just say I would take more camping, but then again I overpack and like to cook.

3rd Day- Chichen Itza Tour. This tour took all day long. It was nice to see the ruins and to go to Il Kil (cenote, water sink hole) but next time we will do it totally different and save a ton of money. It felt like we were held hostage by their schedules and then they tried (and successfully) upsold us everywhere we turned. For example lunch was included at a hotel but the drinks(water, soda) were not. However Rose loves shaking her hips to the Mexican music and dancing along with the dancers.

We went to this really amazing cenote, but we only had 40 minutes to spend there. Next time I think it would be definately worth it to rent our own car and be on our own schedule and have more time to enjoy the ruins and the cenote. We also want to buy a church based archeological book about Mayan Ruins. Some of the things our tour guide talked about resonated quite alot with the BoM, it would be interesting to read up more on that!

At Chichen Itza we got caught in a jungle rainstorm. We didn't really mind the downpour because before it started to rain we were literally melting, I think I sweated 5 gallons! The rain cooled us off and made the heat bearable, then it stopped raining and it was back to being super hot! As we were leaving we got caught in a much bigger downpour that lasted for 20 minutes and we got completely drenched. It was really fun to be out in the warm rain until we realized we had to ride 2 1/2 hours home on a bus in only our wet swimsuits.

4th Day- Ken and I took the boys on a Jungle Tour while my parents stayed with the girls. We rode on jet skis to the reefs. Darin rode with me on the way out, it was pretty eventful. We got knocked halfway off the jet ski by a huge wave. Plus we got caught in a torrential downpour and I could barely see where I was going, keep in mind this is my first time on a jet ski, Darin probably would have been a better driver then me. It was scary and then when we finally made it to the reefs I was the 2nd to last to park our jet skis and of course I couldn't steer it in the right way to form the circle, so I had to be bumped into place with a boat, it was so embaressing! However the guy was giving me directions in Spanish (actually it's quite common to have people assume I speak Spanish, which I don't, and then see their shock that Ken speaks spanish).

We went snorkeling with the boys for an hour. As we were swimming back to the boats, I take off my mask and my air tube drops to the bottom of the ocean (6ft deep). I tell Ken who takes off his life jacket, but we are stuck in a part where the current is pushing us backwards, we ended up drifitng 20 feet away from our jetskis. So I am swimming back towards the boats with Darin as hard as I can. Nathan had already been pulled up onto the boats before we had floated so far away. But since Nathan sees I am in distress he announces that he will dive down and get my snorkel tube and jumps off the boat back into the ocean. My heart is racing at the fact that we aren't making much progress towards the boats, Ken took off his life jacket and now I have two sons to be worried about. I was starting to regret my many years of empowering my two little boys to be good little gentlemen who are strong and helpful to women in need. Everything worked out fine and I took Ken's jetski back to the marina with Nathan and it was a smooth uneventful ride. It was fun to go snorkeling with the boys, they loved seeing the fish so close, except when they touched them. I have to admit that was a little freaky to me, when I brushed up against a fish or bouy line.

5th Day- Pharmacy Day. In case you've missed my other posts, it seems like we cannot make a trip without one of our kids getting sick. This time Darin has had a cold (not really bad but it's slowed him down) but now he has gotten a stomach bug (we think it's from the water). Nathan has an ear infection or swimmers ear, either way his ear is killing him and both require anti-biotics. And it seems like Ginger is teething. We did pack a full aresenol of medicine knowing that our chances are qute high for at least 1 out of the 4 kids might get sick. We brought everything but the nebulizer, but alas they need anti-biotics. Of course we didn't need a prescription since we are in Mexico, but we did call our lovely pediatrician and found out what we needed to ask for. Then we went across the street and got the medicine for Darin and Nathan. Of course I am not surprised that it was easy to get the medicine and for 3 prescriptions it is $43, our co-pay in the US would have been $25 but I'm sure my insurance would have paid out over $200 for them.

We also took them to play at KukulKids, an indoor playgound. They are sick, but it's not keeping their energy down much and at least nothing is contagious. And then we went to Haagen-Daz for some yummy ice cream. Ken and I have decided that we need to make it "our thing" to eat Haagen Daz in every country in the world. I wonder how many countries that would give us an excuse to visit???

Anyway, other then going to the mall we have just hung out at the condo and played games today. We took the boys in the ocean for an hour while the girls slept and my parents were home. Of course Rose woke-up right when we came in and was crying for her swimsuit. She really really loves to go swimming. Like really loves to go swimming. So Ken took her out into the pool for a little bit, but she was still mad at everyone else when she came in!

We've been having fun with the kids and as a family. It's been a great opportunity and we've gotten very comfortable with staying here. Actually I feel pretty spoiled with a cleaning lady coming everyday and she has been washing our laundry too. Ken is definately dreaming of continuing to telecommute, but from Cancun;-)