Fun with Leaves

Hard to believe I took these photos the day before it snowed. Our neighbor's pear tree shed its leaves all over the ground. The leaves still had its bright colors and it was so beautiful. The kids had fun playing and rolling around in it (and Ryan enjoyed putting them in his mouth too).

Christmas Eve Snowfall

We went from hot and sunny weather in Mexico to cold and snow in Texas. Christmas eve day we got some snow! And it kept going, and going! We bundled our kids up and braved the strong, cold winds. It was Ryan's first time in the snow and Natalie's second time. The kids really enjoyed seeing and feeling the snowflakes on their faces (and Natalie got a little taste too). We froze our tails off but managed to get a few good shots :)

First Family Vacation - Puerto Aventuras

We went on our first family vacation (as a family of 4)! We had planned on going to Belgium and Germany to spend Christmas with Alain's family, but the flights were completely full. Since Alain had 2 weeks off, we wanted to go somewhere, just anywhere out of Texas ;-) So we picked Puerto Aventuras - located on the Mexican Riviera Maya. Alain and I have been to Cancun and Playa del Carmen (before we had kids); but this time, we wanted to go further south, where the sea was calm and the beach less crowded. We flew on short flight from DFW to Cancun which took 2.20 hours; however, the transportation from airport to our hotel was 1.5 hours! Yikes! Luckily, the kids did great on the flight and in the van ride. We stayed at the Dreams Resort & Spa, an all-inclusive hotel where all our meals and drinks were included. We got a great deal plus the kids stayed for free - SWEET! Now get comfy...there are a lot of pictures ;-)

We arrived at our hotel around 6pm, so it was already dark and we could not see the ocean. It was late and we were hungry, so we dropped off our bags in our room and went to eat dinner at Portofino (Italian restaurant).

Day 1: After we ate breakfast, we walked around to check out our beach, ocean and surroundings. Natalie was super excited, she ran around the gazebo. She could not wait to get into her swim suit to play in the sand!




Now it was time to play in the sand and the water!

Natalie brought her bucket, shovel, and sand toys (a gift from Grandma).

Here is Ryan's FIRST time in the ocean. He loved it! He kept splashing his arms and legs in the water. We have another water baby, just like Daddy ;-)


Back from the beach, the kids were exhausted and they took their naps. The hotel offered cribs for their little guests, which was nice. Natalie did well sleeping on the love seat as her bed ;-)

Day 2 - back out on the beach and more sand fun!

Ryan loved playing in the sand. He was more interested in raking and digging his little hands in the sand and then put it in his mouth. He did it so fast before we could stop him. We had to rinse his face and mouth several times!

Our room was only equipped with a shower, so we had to bathe Ryan in the sink. Here we are getting the kids ready for bed - Natalie enjoys reading her books, so we brought a few of her favorites.

Day 3 - At the lagoon. This area was beautiful. The lagoon was deep and had an inlet where it meets with the sea. You can snorkle in here and see so many bright and colorful fish.

Ryan enjoyed dipping his feet in the water several times.

Daddy and Natalie feeding bread to the fish.

So many fish swam around their legs and feet. Natalie was not even afraid! She even threw some bread pieces near her feet (like Daddy) so that the fish came close! She found this really amusing! If you click to enlarge the pictures, you could see there were some big fish too!



More pictures of the lagoon


Day 4 - It was mostly cloudy, cooler, and it rained off and on, so we rested in our room and later walked around the other side where there was a marina, dolphins, and shop.
Here is Day 5 - our last full day of fun


My little boy Ryan. He is 7.5 months old and loves to give Mommy kisses. I hope he stays this sweet FOREVER!

On our last night, we went to eat dinner at El Dorado - Mexican cuisine. The restaurant was nicely decorated with lit up lanterns all around - very cool. Our server sat us by the lit tree where the kids enjoyed the lights and lanterns up above.


On this trip, we found out that Ryan loves to gnaw on the crusty bread rolls. He has no teeth yet; but somehow, he can rip up the pieces with his gums. He does this cute smile and goes "uhhh" when we take a picture of him. Natalie gave us a big "cheese" smile, too. They are too cute!

Day 6: Our morning before leaving... After breakfast, we walked by the lagoon to feed our breakfast breads to the fish, seagulls, and pelicans around. We later went to chill out on the swings looking out to the ocean.

Overall, we had a great time! The best part was seeing our kids explore another side of the world and sharing this experience as a family!