Mexico!

It's been so long since I blogged because I didn't want to mention that we were about to leave for Mexico for a week. And I feel like pretty much everything that happened in December was just a lead-up to Mexico. We did "Christmas" more than a week early so that the kids could have their presents (Leapster Explorers) for the trip. So I had to do all the shopping early. And the laundry had to be done and the house had to be clean and the church responsibilities had to be taken care of, etc.
But once we made it to Mexico, oh what a time we had! My whole family was there in three neighboring beach houses. It was awesome.

I don't think Sammy was alone for three seconds straight. Nobody could bare to let him just lay anywhere. He slept in people's arms, he played in peoples arms, he was seriously coddled. Which was OK with him! Here is Sammy asleep in his Grandpa's arms.
The children ran in packs the entire week. Here is Naomi sandwiched between cousins Winter and Haley.
I admit, the adults kinda ran in packs, too.
Asher spent hours just running around the sand. He was so happy to be free of rules and restrictions and able to just run and throw and splash at his own will. We had the beach totally to ourselves, so we could let the kids run a bit more free than if there were other people around to worry about.
Here's a picture of the backs of the three houses we stayed in. They were great little houses. (Sure, our bedroom roof leaked a little, but once my awesome brothers rigged a tarp over our bed, it was all good.)
Isaiah was a little freaked out by the water and wouldn't really go close to it at all. I think he never so much as set a toe in it. But he had fun in the sand and followed whichever pack of kids wasn't down at the the water at that moment.
Naomi and Haley are best buddies.
Did I mention it was gorgeous?
It was great. Too great to really even come across in pictures or my words. We did have another "Christmas" while we were there, complete with a family gift exchange, a nativity re-enactment and pumpkin pie (you know, the essentials!). We ate local seafood. We joked with our siblings and their spouses. We lay in the sun and the sand. And on the actual "Christmas" day, we flew home, with Asher giving a cheery "Merry Christmas!" to literally everyone we passed in the airport. We arrived home just in time for a great snow storm.

Perfection.

(I'm sure more pictures will come as we share among those that were there. I can't wait to see the nativity pictures, gift opening pictures, and the professional photo shoot that Jessica did of us all on the beach. So stay tuned!)