Thanksgiving in Mexico

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I last posted. Forgive me!

We had an amazing and very different Thanksgiving this year. John's parents retired last June and wanted to celebrate by taking us and John's sister's family to their favorite place, Cozumel. Initially, we were to go last May, but the swine flu stopped that trip very quickly when the government strongly suggested for people not to travel to Mexico. It all worked out and we were able to work it out for 3 busy families to find a date that would work for everyone. We left on the Saturday before Thanksgiving and returned on the Friday night after Thanksgiving.

We stayed at Fiesta Americana, which was very nice. The staff was very friendly and it was a great place to stay. The pools were great, although a little cold for my liking. This did not stop the kids. :) The beach was not "the beach" we were all expecting. We are used to Florida beaches where you walk from your beach chair right into the water. Because of all the coral reefs, our beach was built up above the water and sand was placed there. You had to walk down some steps to get into the water. The water was definitely made for snorkeling and not for playing in the waves. It worked out fine. The girls enjoyed playing in the sand and then getting wet in the pool. We all tried snorkeling (except for Brooklyn) and it was amazing. I had done it once before, but had forgotten how beautiful God created all those awesome little fish. Emma surprised us all and tried snorkeling and loved it! She would stick her head down in the water and then come up murmuring loudly (couldn't understand her because of her snorkel) about what she had seen. It was precious.

We did so much and took so many pictures. I have posted my favorites here, but here is the link to a site where you can see them all. Here are some of highlights of our trip:

*Snorkeling (for me, it was watching Emma snorkel. I was so proud of her for trying it and loved hearing her mumble about the fish through her snorkel)










*Lots of Mexican food (it was good, but I'm still not sure I want a quesadilla, guacamole, or a margarita for a while)

*Chakanub Park (We paid $5 for this picture and it was worth every penny to document an iguana sitting on Sam's head!)










*Swimming with the Dolphins (I have always wanted to do this, but the price has always deterred me. This place had great prices and we were able to take our girls with us for free. It was amazing!)






*Relaxing by the pool and watching the kiddos (and Dad's) play







*Hanging out with my in laws and the Hannon's and watching the cousins play.







*Jeep Tour around the island with our family of 4








*Thanksgiving dinner at Hard Rock Cafe (My second most non-traditional Thanksgiving meal. My first was when I was younger and my family went to NYC for Thanksgiving and we ate at a Japanese restaurant)







*Getting to be with my sweet family of 4 for a week without anyone having to go to work or school and me not having to clean the house. ;)









*Our rainy day that was spent in the lobby playing cards, reading magazines and playing with Wikki Stix.

We had a great time!! Thank you Brenda and Larry for treating us to this fun trip!!!