New entry table...

I had some money saved and I've been looking for an entry table/buffet that could give me more storage and fell in love with this!  Maybe it's because I've just been to Mexico but I love the funky colors and textures of this piece.  And it has lots of storage for games, bags, etc.  

Dana gave me this lovely, soft blanket for my birthday!

And another penny got stuck between the keys of the piano.  

Juliet's 5th grade cotillion...

Juliet wanted a new dress for cotillion so we got her an early Easter dress.  We found this super nice dress at JC Penneys but I wasn't a huge fan of the see-through top.  

So I altered it to make it opaque.

Juliet danced with some boys.

Merril dressed up and came to dance with her as well. 

These are the 5th grade girls.  They aren't going to be at Coral Canyon for very much longer!!

While we were away, the kids played at Grandmas...

The kids played with Grandma while we were gone and ate yummy waffles.

They went on a hike and found some ice.

It snowed enough to make a snowman.

Cenotes Jardin del Eden and Azul...

On our last day in Playa del Carmen, we had enough time to visit a few more cenotes.  These weren't caverns anymore, the tops had collapsed so they were just pools.  

The first we visited was called Cenote Jardin del Eden (Garden of Eden).  

The second was called Cenote Azul (blue). I saw the hugest eel under some plants and I squealed in my swim mask and backpedaled!!! 

I just loved the blue water!

I was nervous to go on vacation with friends but I had the best time! I feel like we got along well and laughed and told stories the whole time.

Mexico Tulum and Coba...

We started this day at Akumal Beach and swam with sea turtles.  I saw two small squids that changed color and took off!

Then we drove to Tulum to see some ruins.

These crazy iguanas are everywhere!

We left and found some tacos for lunch.

We went to Coba in the afternoon.  These ruins were tall and we were able to climb up them.

They were pretty steep steps and I was winded at the top.

Then we found THE COOLEST cenote! A cenote is a limestone cavern, or sinkhole, resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. There was a crazy spiral staircase and two places to jump from.  I think one was 30 feet and one was 15 feet.

The water was so blue!!

This was our first cenote and ended up being my favorite. It was called Tankach Ha. The entrance is small and as you walk down the stairs, it opens up into a huge cave with lights.  Teeny, black catfish swim in the mineral pool.  They were adorable!

Day 2: XpLor park

On our second day, we went to an adventure park called Xplor.  We ziplined on top of the canopy several times. Under the canopy there was a network of caves that we were able to swim in.  We took boats and paddled through the caves.  They were well lit and fun to go around in.

We had to wear helmets all day so we didn't bonk our heads on the stalactites.  Amazingly, all the food was included!  There were food buffets and drink stations and we could get anything we wanted.  I wish more theme parks in America would follow this example.  If you pay over $100 to get in, food should be included.  :)

Birthday Vacation to Mexico...

For my birthday, Merril planned a trip with Wade and Sherri Beatty to Playa del Carmen in Mexico. Wade's 40th birthday and my birthday and almost identical.  We caught the red eye out of Vegas.

We arrived and found our rental car.

We found some food and explored the areas around our airbnb.  We stayed in different places but close to
each other.

We changed and went to the beach.

I was cold.  :)

There was a fun touristy street by our airbnb.  We messed around and ate gelato.

Snow day...

Merril took the scouts camping up on Cedar Mountain and I drove up the next day with the kids to play in the snow.  

 
Brrrr, it was kind of windy.

Julie and Jack were building a tunnel.

We bought some sleds that totally broke in the first 5 minutes.  I should always buy tubes.

Mikayla's 6th birthday!

Yay! It's birthday time!  Mikayla was excited to get up and open presents!

We went to the pizza factory for dinner with my parents because Merril was gone.

Mikayla wanted a tiered cake for her birthday. 

Grandma Gordon ordered this cute blanket for Mikayla.

Group pics...

These turkeys are playing in the mud but they shouldn't be. 

We went to parents and pastries to read books and eat donuts. Yummy!

One more of just hanging with my kiddos.

Merril riding dirtbikes...

Merril has been riding with friends a bunch. He looks like he's having a good time!

Birthday Spa Day....

Valerie, Sara, Laurie, and I try to get together about every quarter.  Instead of breakfast, we decided to go get massages.  It was wonderfully relaxing and then we had lunch afterwards.

Val and I came to help Sara's family setup for a small reception.  It was like working in a calling together again. Glad these ladies are in my life.