Cancun- October 2010

Paul's parents surprised me on Mother's Day- with an awesome gift...A week at the beach! We dropped Paul IV off at Grandma's and headed south of the border. You can click each picture for a larger view.

This is the view from our room balcony- it was great eating breakfast each morning watching the sun rise over the Caribbean. The water was a beautiful power blue.

From our hotel door looking over the lagoon- a beautiful sunset each night!

As blue as the water looks- this doesn't quite capture it.

My first walk to the beach- it wasn't as scary as it looks :-)

The hotel offered free sailing lessons and boat usage- so we took them out in the lagoon for a while- it was fun and all- but I really don't see what's so cool about sail boats- I guess you have to be from a rich family in Martha's Vineyard to get it.

The hotel lobby had these thrones that Paul loved- he felt like a King!

Tulum

We drove down to Tulum- a Mayan fort right on the beach. The ruins were very cool and their setting on the beautiful beach was so dramatic. These dated to about 800 A.D.

The main temple at the fort- it's on a neat cliff hanging over the beach.

We had to walk through the jungle to get to most of the ruins- it was beautiful!

Stunning views from the main temple!

Ooooh- lush vegetation!

Down toward the beach from the fort

It was a lot of work!

Chichen Itza

We also went over to Chichen Itza in the middle of the Yucatan Peninsula. It was another Mayan site dating to about 450 A.D. The ruins were much more impressive and aged much better without the harsh beach conditions of Tulum. This is El Castillo- the main pyramid in the center of the city. They don't let you climb up it anymore, but it still makes for a great picture.

The steps were very narrow- scary to climb down!

Me in the middle of some civic building

El Castillo!

Historians have no idea what this was for. But considering it was next to one of the religious buildings (see below), I think it was used for baptisms

This religious building was so ornate!

The observatory- where the famed Mayan Calendars were created.

No explanation needed

Hurricane Paula decided to visit, even though our hotel denied it the whole time. They even boarded everything up and still tried to tell us nothing was coming.

We only had one day of

bad weather, then it was perfect again!

Paul really likes this picture- I wonder why?

Habitats

Little Paul and I have been going to the Louisville Zoo a lot lately. I'm doing my best to make it educational for him. The last few times we've been there, we've talked about the animals' habitats. So, the other day when little Paul earned a trip to McDonalds, he asked me: "Mom, is that a french fry's habitat?" I don't know if that's even funny to other people, but it was hilarious to me.

Also, another funny thing he did this week was discover a jack-in-the-box. The video is below!

Paul IV's favorite commercial

So, this is little Paul's very favorite commercial. Every time he hears it playing, he runs to the tv and sits there in a total trance until it's finished and then says, "I'm so happy!" Last night he even asked us to sing the "no pants song" as his bedtime lullaby. This has been going on for months. Should I be concerned?

Mother's Day

I'm officially the worst blogger on the face of the planet. So, just in case you were wondering, yes, my family and I are still alive!

I've also realized that I probable have the worst memory ever. I swear my brain is swiss cheese. Yet there are some things that I don't want to risk losing to my "Bermuda Triangle" mind. This Mother's Day was one of those things that motivated me, the worst blogger ever, to blog. Less I forget!

So, on Saturday my sweet husband took little Paul out to get me some things for Mother's Day. (Which, by itself was a great gift- 1 1/2 hours of time to get things done!) My husband let little Paul pick out some things that he thought I would like. Upon returning, Paul IV was unable to keep one of the gifts a secret. He ran into the house yelling, "I got a flower for you with no bees in it!" Paul III said that he meticulously checked all the flowers to make sure they were "bee free."

Sunday morning, Paul III brought me my breakfast in bed; complete with Cinnabon cereal, Dora the Explorer yogurt, Odwalla juice, and sour patch kids (not pictured). Little Paul picked each one of these things out for me. He especially insisted on the Dora yogurt, telling his dad that is was mommy's favorite.

I love my sweet boys who made Mother's Day absolutely perfect (and hopefully unforgettable)!

(p.s. Notice the Jone's Soda bottle/vase- Paul special ordered me a case with a picture of us and a cute little message for our anniversary last month. How cute is that?!)

Big Bumps and Peanut Butter Spoons

So, I only blog about my son, and I'm ok with that. He's what makes life interesting anyway! The other day I was feeling down for no particular reason and Paul gave me the sweetest hug and the best smile. Little Paul is my angel and is what makes difficult days tolerable. Being a mom is not always easy. There are frustrating and tiring days when I count the minutes until bedtime, but it's more that worth it. There's not a day since little Paulwas born that I have not thanked the Lord for the privilege of being his mother!

Speaking of prayers, one quick story- Paul loves "big bumps." We walk to work and on the way we go over 3 speed bumps and it makes Paul so happy. Every night when we pray, he reminds us to thank Heavenly Father for "big bumps." Just wait until I get that kid to Cedar Point. . .

Also, the other day while I was trying to get everything together for work, I made little Paul a PB&J. I went to grab his diaper bag and when I came back, Paul was hiding behind his bench with the jar of peanut butter digging in with a spoon. What can you do but laugh, take a picture, and then remember to put the peanut butter on a higher shelf next time.

Papa's home!

We had such a fun time when "Papa" came to visit. It was a very short visit, but a good one. All Tuesday morning little Paul asked about papa coming to play and just couldn't wait to see his papa. When Papa finally arrived, Paul was beyond thrilled! You know how you always want your kids to interact perfectly when their grandparents are around and just have everything go right? Well, for once it happened. I was so pleased that little Paul warmed up to his papa right away and had a ton of fun showing off his firetruck knowledge and his joy about diggers, french fries, ice cream, and swimming pools. Except for a few short, but typical two year old moments, little Paul was perfect. We look forward to more happy memories with family and are always happy when we get to be with the people we love.

A goodbye hug for Papa!

3 Pauls :)

"Paul, we don't drum on people, only on the floor. . ."

Growing up way too fast!

Paul turned 2 at the end of July. TWO! I can't beleive how fast he's grown and how much he's learning and how much our love for him has grown over the past two years.
Yesterday he found his old car seat and it made me think of the first time he sat in it.