Hello Sunshine

After waking up all night long to the sound of the wind and rain pummeling the building it was time to bid farewell to our wet adventure in Cancun. Off to the airport and thankfully the weather cooperated and we were up in the air without much turbulence. Jacob was a trooper in the air again. More compliments that he was such a great baby on the plane. We had a long enough layover in Atlanta to grab a bite to eat and then were back on the plane to Chicago. As soon as we arrived we saw the sun and how sweet it was. Who would have thought we would have seen the sun and experienced weather in the 70s if we would have just kept our feet on Illinois soil!

Zoo & Ozzy were so happy to see us and it was great to be home. Now back to work and getting back into the swing of things.

Last Call Sunshine

Today looked like it would have so much promise. We woke up and grabbed breakfast and the sun was still shining.

We headed down to the pool and Jacob was so happy. Everyone was taking advantage of the sun too and the pool was packed. There were a few other kiddos around and Jacob was making his rounds trying to play with them - so cute! One little kid had a blowup black and white dog and Jacob would follow him around everywhere, I think he thought it was Ozzy.

As quick as the sun came out it was surrounded by the clouds and with it came the winds and the rain. Our hope of one day in the sun was gone.
   We hung out under cover and decided to brave the weather for our last night by heading into downtown Cancun for dinner. I didn't know where we were heading too, but when we arrived to the Taco Factory (a food court taco stand) I had wished I would have stayed back at the hotel.

Not sure if it was the fact that it wasn't baby friendly, that the walking in the rain and bus ride wasn't worth it or that I was way overdressed. Little strappy sandals, blingy jewelry and the little black dress I sure didn't have food court written all over me. To top it all off Gabe didn't even complement me - I think we were all ready to call this vacation quits. Soon enough we were back at the hotel, Jacob ate, bags were packed and we were ready for tomorrow to come.

The Rains Came Down

After breakfast at Tunkul we headed to the pool. Since Jacob wasn’t a fan of the ocean we thought we would try the pool. Gabe attempted and he wasn't having it, I tried and he took to the water like a fish.  Unfortunately, we had to cut it short as the weather didn't want to cooperate.

       
The rains didn't let up but we didn't let it stop us, we were venturing out. We grabbed lunch at Tunkul then headed into Cancun to La Isla for some shopping. Shawn & Jim braved a bungee ride while the rest of us laughed at their acrobatic abilities.

With souvenirs in hand it was back to the hotel. I must admit the bus ride wasn't as scary as I thought it was going to be. In fact there was a guy singing with a guitar on there…and here I thought you only got that in Chicago on the L.
  A quick change and then off to dinner at Sarape.
It seems we aren't the only ones sick of the rain. As we got seated at our dinner, perhaps we should have dressed in our swimsuits. The entire floor had rain water that had blown in on it and people were slipping here and there. There is something soothing and sets the scene when you get to eat dinner to the sound of the floor being squeegee. Soon it was drowned out by the sound of the mariachi band. Yes, we must have had the same social calendar as them. Gabe was able to get request in for El Paso - can't stop tradition at this point. After our tummys were full we took a stroll around the pools and grounds then to bed we went. I went to sleep singing "The sun will come out Tomorrow" in my head so let's hope it does the trick.

Jacob's First Day at the Beach

Gabe was out until 2 AM last night with the guys. They had taken the bus into downtown for a few drinks (Senor Frogs and a few other stops). With the late night when Jacob woke early I figured we would let Gabe sleep in so we went to explore. We didn't have a chance to explore so out we went. Although the sun wasn't out we still had fun - we even saw peacocks roaming.

When Gabe woke up we went over for our breakfast. When we checked in we were given a voucher to go over to the Grand Oasis and have breakfast so next time we would want to stay there…SCAM! Yeah that nice helpful guy that helped us skip the line at check in was a ploy to get us in on a time share presentation. Here I thought we had gotten ahead of the Mexican scams.

After we shook the time share scammers off we changed into our trunks and headed to the beach. The sun was trying so hard to peak out and was successful here and there but mainly it was fun in overcast…you can still have fun in overcast, right?
           

Jacob was playing so good on the towel and would venture to the sand here and there but then it was time to dip his feet in the ocean. I was hoping he would like it better here than he did in Michigan. It seems he is still too little, the sounds on the waves got him a little scared. It didn't matter if we were holding him, he wanted out of the water and back on dry land.

Breakfast and lunch were at Tunkul again, so tonight we will try something new. Steakhouse Tunkul was a rodizzo style restaurant (you grab your sides at a buffet and the servers come around with meat on skewers to cut you off a piece. It was a nice change of pace from the buffet. As we were eating who arrived…the mariachi band and what did Gabe request…El Paso!!

Lets hope tomorrow the sun has a better day and shines down on all of us. For today Jacob and I called it a night and everyone else headed into downtown Cancun for some evening of fun.

Happy 38 Weeks Jacob

What a way to celebrate...Cancun...Finally! The alarm went off at 2AM and by 3:30 we were on the road to the airport. Jacob slept all the way to the airport, woke up while we were there and then back to sleep for our first leg of the trip.

He woke up to switch planes in Detroit and then was Mr. Active for the last leg. Wouldn't you know that was the longer of the two. I was so happy to get off the plane. We learned our lesson for the scammers in the airport and made it to the shuttle with no delay. The last two trips to Mexico I headed away from Cancun so it was neat to head towards it and see the hotels.  I am hoping we will get a chance to head in to town and check things out.

Once at the hotel a concierge came up and assisted us so we skipped the long check in line. We stayed at an amazing hotel last time we were in Mexico (Moon Palace for my sisters wedding) so I thought this hotel was just ok. No frills or bells or whistles - in fact we had to pay extra for a mini bar to be brought to the room and a safe. I was surprised they didn't charge us for the crib. It sure was interesting. We'll see what Jacob thinks of it tonight. It is easy to forget about all the safety standards in place in the US that come to light when you step out of the country.

We found the Reeds & Wandersees and then off to dinner. We checked out Tunkul (International Buffet) for dinner. The food was ok. In the 2 times I have been to Mexico I got sick once and not the other. I sure hope I don't this time. A mariachi band came by and Gabe requested El Paso.

It had been a long day with travel so after dinner and catching up Jacob & I as well as Kizzy & Julie called it a night while Gabe, Jim & Shawn stayed out.

Mexico Here We Come

Wouldn't you know work was so crazy today. It was all I could do to not check out early mentally. I made it through and home to my boys. Finished packing our bags and snuck in a few last minute cuddles with the pups. Tomorrow at this time we will have soaked up some rays and be having some fun!

One More Day

I am so excited to be going on vacation. Life has been so frantic and hectic lately. I think a few days away from all the hustle and bustle is just what the doctor ordered. Just have to head to Chicago, finish packing and drift off - piece of cake!