Hola!

We are back! We had an outstanding trip to Mexico (thanks Grandpa & Grandma!)...things couldn't have gone better. Finley was PERFECT! He was such a good boy the entire trip!

This has potential for being my longest post ever; you'll see similar pictures, all we did was relax, swim and eat a lot - it was perfect! Cancun 2009...

Saturday, March 14th - The Perfect Plan

I mentioned the perfect travel plan last week....it was thisclose to working! We got Finley loaded very early and headed towards Minneapolis...near Menomonie I asked, "Someone grabbed the stroller right?" After a few four-letter words, it was determined that no, "we" hadn't grabbed it. Fortunately, Heidi hadn't left yet, so they threw in their big stroller for us (we have the same one, so it worked out perfect) and we continued down I94.

The perfect plan included just enough time to eat breakfast, play and be ready for a nap after takeoff...No thanks to Northwest Airlines, we had a nearly TWO hour delay...grrrrr...this was not part of the perfect plan!
Daddy was happy, while we waited Finley tried McDonald's breakfast for the first time!

We were determined to keep Finley awake before boarding; he got so tired (but thankfully, not crabby), that he fell asleep standing in line to board....he almost made it!
We settled in and took off!
Finley ate lunch aboard the airplane, then took a nice nap with Grandma, and woke up for playtime with Spencer.
That night, Spencer went to bed well, and someone must've spiked Finley's bottle with Kahlua - he was a monkey! We even called Grandpa & Grandma to come watch; he laughed, shrieked, giggled, made faces and entertained us all!
Sunday, March 15 - Easy Targets
Here's the first of Finley's MANY naps by the pool. He napped VERY well, it must've been the fresh air. We have many pictures of Finley asleep in his stroller near the pool; this allowed me to get some reading done in the sun.

Could he be any cuter?!

Finley LOVED swimming!
Floating in his crab...

...of course Grandma brought two crabs!
After swimming and napping, the 3:00 bell rang...happy hour!
Sunday night we walked to La Isla for dinner, it started off as a quiet dinner, the food was great...then the night got interesting...

We were waiting for the bill and Spencer was entertaining us by giving out kisses. Our attention was on him, which made us easy targets. Heidi looked up and a man was trying to steal my mom's bag; he'd thrown his jacket on top of it and was rifling through it! Heidi screamed, the guys jumped up and grabbed him (his girlfriend took off), they held him until the waiters led him out. Security came and the Mexican PD were called! Once things were safely under control, we couldn't let this photo opportunity pass...it's very dark, but it's a picture of Grandpa, Daddy, Uncle Ryan, security and the robber. Fortunately he didn't get anything (from us), but it gave us something to talk about!

Monday, March 16 - Turtle On Her Back
Every morning Grandma got up early to secure the perfect spot next to the kiddie pool (whoever thought our "perfect spot" would be next to the kiddie pool?!). "Our" spot (Grandma got the same one each day) was right between the pool and a little garden...Grandma got a little too close to the garden! After she screamed, we laughed, grabbed the camera, and then we rescued her!
We decided it was time to introduce Finley to the beach (the old "perfect spot"), we took LOTS of pictures...
...he dipped his toes in the ocean, with mom and dad...
...sat in the sand...

...and he even tasted it, (this picture makes Auntie gag)...
...then we washed him off, a two-person job!

Given Finley's redish hair, blue eyes and fair skin, he couldn't be in the sun for long. Lucky for us, he happily sat on a towel and played under the umbrella.
The crab offered shade too; thanks for the pushes Uncle Ryan!
On Monday, happy hour was held on our patio...
...it was easier with the boys...
...and we had a great view.
We had dinner at one of our favorites, Puerto Madero, a steak and seafood restaurant...
...Finley was REALLY impressed :)

Finley napped great all week, and his nights were just OK. They started off well, but he usually woke up a couple times and cried a little.


Tuesday, March 17 - Happy St. Patrick's Day!
(If you didn't see the post last Tuesday, scroll down for Finley's St. Patty's Day pictures.)

The swim-up bar was a must for St. Patrick's Day, they even had green beer for Daddy! Who knew the crabs would keep babies floating on bar stools too?!?
After another happy hour (this time in the lobby bar), we decided to stay in and order pizza.


Wednesday, March 18 - Another Rough Day...
Grandpa took the BIG boys golfing, so what did the little boys and ladies do? Spent the day at the pool, of course.
We met Nicole, she really liked playing with "the baby".

Grandma offered to take the boys up for naps, actually, she wanted to watch her soap opera. Regardless, Heidi and I happily accepted and got some baby-free time in the sun. Evidently, Spencer didn't care for Grandma's choice of TV, he crawled over and shut it off!
When the big boys got back, we had happy hour...do you see this pattern each day? Sunscreen makes your hair do crazy things!
Finley took his afternoon bath, he bathed in the sink all week!

We went out for Italian at the Kukulcan Plaza, they attempted to squeeze us into a round, teeny-tiny booth...ummm...do you not see two strollers and two busy babies? They quickly ushered us downstairs to the more casual wine cellar, the atmosphere was really neat and much more family-friendly.
Finley began walking! Well, not exactly...he's been bearing his weight for awhile, but we could never get him to put a foot forward. He will now take a few steps holding onto our fingers!


Thursday, March 19 - The Turtle Flipped Again!
Grandma again got too close to the garden...she can't even blame happy hour, this happened early in the day...bam, over again! Of course, more screaming, laughing and pictures!

We took another walk on the beach...
...then cleaned off in the pool :)

The ladies got massages and the boys went to...you guessed it...happy hour! We joined them post-massage for a relaxing sangria.
That night we stayed in, and had take-out in the room.


Friday, March 20 - Spencer's Cancun Birthday!
By this point, Finley was finally catching onto applying his own sunscreen :) I can proudly say, he only got a tad pink on one arm one day...not bad for all the time we spent outside.
We got ready for our final Cancun dinner...
We tried Harry's, a new-to-us steak and seafood restaurant; the food was good, and the atmosphere was incredible. It had a beautiful view of the lagoon, we were all very impressed with the service and ambiance.
After dinner, we walked "home" for Spencer's early birthday party! Of course Grandma went all out; she even made Grandpa go with her to Wal-Mart for birthday cake and balloons!

What party isn't complete without a scary clown????


Saturday, March 21 - Adios Cancun!
We had an afternoon flight, so we had time to waste in the morning. This allowed us to pack, get ready and keep the boys busy. We had fun spending the day with the Birthday Boy!
The traditional farewell photo, boarding our airport shuttle...
Checking into our flight was long; after wwwwaaaayyyyy too long in line, Grandpa upgraded us all to first class - now this is the way to fly with babies!
Both boys slept for about 90 minutes, allowing plenty of time for us to entertain them. I cringed when the captain announced (and woke Finley up) that we'd be landing in 90 minutes - really, why? You couldn't have made your announcement with 30 minutes left??


And just like that, we're back to reality! I'm not ready to return to work, I want more time at home. There's about 2.5 months left in the year, that's do-able! I enjoyed the whole week with my favorite boy...it was nice to spend time with the others too :)


Happy 1st Birthday Spencer!