Puerto Vallarta

We just got back from a family vacation in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. We stayed at the same all inclusive hotel chain as we did in Riviera Maya, but just in a different place in Mexico. We had an awesome time.  I highly recommend The Grand Velas all inclusive resorts for anyone! Especially if you have young children.  Nuevo Vallarta was even more kid friendly than the last place. Judson and Addison both are probably still pruned up from spending all week in the pools. And each day, they had zip lining, trampoline jumping, horses to ride, rock wall climbing and a fun obstacle course for all the kids. Each day there was a kid show at one o' clock. We saw a sea lion show, a mime, a parrot show... And each night there was a "theme" show, like disco, mexico, circus, etc... SO. FUN. And you all know that food is very important to me... Like a hobby.... And this week did not disappoint. The food is great. And the service is even better! The ocean was not conducive to playing in the water because of sting rays, jellyfish and a very strong undertow, but you could still go and build sand castles!  Judson had no trouble making friends at the pool, and he and his friends played Lion King and pretended to catch sea lions for fun.  Addie bobbed around and floated along having a good time. She even made a friend the last day there at dinner. They picked up rocks and handed them back and forth saying, "ball. ball." ;)  We only left the resort once, to go into Puerto Vallarta to The Malecon and do some shopping for trinkets. Judson just had to have a spiderman cape and a suction cup bow and arrow as his souvenir. Addie was happy with a nap and ice cream. ;) We had such a great time. Judson LOVES Mexico and did not want to leave.  I must say, I was SO ready to get off our airplane coming home. Our flight was delayed because the radar system wasn't working. Then they hit the reset button....??? And it starting working again. Then, it was the rockiest, most turbulent ride e.v.e.r. And the airplane made all kinds of loud sounds. It really needed some major WD-40, in my opinion. :) Thankfully, we landed safely and made it home!

Let me see ya what? Ya ya GRILL.

Fifty cents in a gumball machine can buy you hours of entertainment when your kids want to wear their bubba teeth grills all afternoon.

Movie Time

Addie Bop, Judson and I headed to the movie today to see Horton Hears a Who. Judson loved it. Addie Bop- not so much. She was more interested in trying to find and eat all the popcorn on the floor, so we didn't stay the entire time. :)

Backyard Fun

Dad bought a pool for the kids while I was gone on vacation with my Mom. We filled it up last weekend and let the kids have some fun. The water was SO cold! Dad smoked a chicken for dinner and he and Judson made homemade strawberry ice cream. It was all delicious!

The Dreaded Four-Year-Old Shots

Well- Judson survived the dreaded shots. I never gave him any warning. They came from out of nowhere, poor Jud. Addison looked at the nurses in confusion and ran towards Judson like she was going to save him. :) Once we got in the car, he asked me, "Why did they do that to me?" Poor thing. On another note- Judson LOVES Dr. Barret, which I am so happy about!

Sourdough City With Mom

My mom and I took a trip to San Francisco. Just us. For three days. I had never been away from my kids for more than one night, so this was a big deal. Mom and I had So. Much. Fun. We arrived around lunch time on Thursday and checked in to our hotel and then took a cab to Ghiradelli Square and had lunch and walked around the area and Fisherman's Wharf. We ate a small dinner at our hotel that evening and hit the sack. Mom stayed awake to watch fireworks from our hotel room, and I just looked at my eyelids.

The next morning, we took a boat tour of The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. We took lots of great pictures and really enjoyed seeing the city from the water. We had lunch at The House, a recommendation from a friend and we were not disappointed. It was FAB. That evening we went to Gary Danko for dinner, which is apparently a big deal. There is usually a two month wait to get in, but we batted our eyelashes and were able to sit at the bar and have dinner. ;) So we held our pinkies up and enjoyed a four course meal with our noses in the air and laughed and had a great time. It was also delicious.

The next day, we walked to The Ferry Building and walked around with our mouths open just hoping things would fall in. They had fresh meats, cheeses, vegetables of all kinds, fresh herbs, ALL kinds of fresh prepared foods... Empanadas, chocolates, pastries, biscuits.... The list goes on and on.  They also had lots of local artists and vendors with booths outside the building, so it was neat to see everything they had to offer. We then took a cab to The Stinking Rose, a restaurant where everything has garlic in it... Garlic ice cream, garlic wine... We skipped dinner that evening. We were still stuffed from lunch. We walked through Chinatown on the way back To the hotel. I loved Chinatown. It was there that I found Judson his Kung Fu outfit and Addison her Kung Fu Princess dress. :). 

We were all set to fly out the next day, but received a call that our flight had been cancelled because of the Asiana plane crash at SFO. We were not able to get a flight home until Tuesday because the airport had closed and people were stuck. Some for days. Apparently at one point, folks couldn't find rent cars or hotel rooms. The entire city was full. It was really a horrible sight. Even when we flew out on Tuesday, the airplane was still on the tarmac being examined.

I missed my family big time, but mom and I made the most of our extra days. The next day we did a hop on, hop off tour on a double decker bus. It made 20 stops in the city and you could stop and walk where you wanted to and then hop back on to the next stop after that. This day we walked uphill at least four or five blocks to see Lombard Street. Not just uphill... Like majorly uphill. My calves are still sore. The highlight of the tour for me, was probably The Japanese Gardens at Golden Gate Park. It was stunning.

Our last day in the city, we went back to The Ferry Building to try Blue Bottle Coffee (the line is always ten miles long, so you know it must be good), and we ate another empanada. :) Then we caught the ferry to Sausalito and walked up and down the street there and looked in all the shops and of course, wait for it... had lunch. :) We ate at Scoma on the water and it was great food!

So I seriously gained at least five pounds on this trip with my mom. I'm not sure we ever actually let ourselves get hungry in San Francisco. I love my mom so much and am so grateful for the time I was able to spend with her and laugh and enjoy each-other's company.

While I was away, I just knew my family would be sitting at home singing "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone", but apparently that wasn't the case. ;) They went to a party with huge inflatable slides and pools at Auntie T's  Farm, they played two full days in the water at Nanna's House, Dad took them to the zoo, the the park, to Chick Fil A... They partied like it was 1999 around here! I'm so glad Jeremy was a real champ and handled the extra days like a pro.  I had already told Judson about his Kung Fu prizes, so while I was expecting sappy music and slow motion running into the arms of my family after my trip, that wasn't really what I got. It was more like, "Hi Mom! Where's my Kung Fu???"  Addison just gave me a ten minute stare down, like she had already adjusted to life without me and wasn't sure if I was leaving again. :( But all it took was the stare down and then she was attached to my hip like an old pager. It was nice to be home again with my fam.