I'm not convinced...

This afternoon after enjoying the local bounce house extravaganza, Cody tried to convince me that he no longer needed to take naps. Literally less than five minutes later this is what I found...

Second Honeymoon

Though we certainly didn't plan this trip as an official "second honeymoon," that is most certainly what it became as soon as we boarded our plane. Our resort was amazing, the weather was phenomenal, the activities were awesome, and my date was handsome, charming, and fun! We truly had an extraordinary experience. We logged six SCUBA dives, including a night dive (which freaked me out, and I never want to do again). On these various dives we saw all kinds of fabulous creatures, as well as some truly beautiful coral. Some of our favorite sightings were the 2 sea turtles we saw on the second day, the tiny seahorses, the lionfish, the splendid toadfish, and the crazy, creepy, batfish. Besides SCUBA diving, we spent a day out on the catamaran snorkeling, sunning, and drinking margaritas. We spent a day in town bargain shopping, walking around town, and drinking margaritas. We spent lots of time in the hotel pool swimming, making friends, and drinking margaritas. We also spent lots of time at the beach napping in the tiki hut, swimming and snorkeling, resting in the hammocks, and drinking margaritas. It was truly a perfect vacation, and as much as we missed our children, we were sad to say goodbye to the alone time, the sleeping in, the fun in the sun, and yep, the margaritas!

The view from our room.

At the restaurant on the beach.

Pretty sunset!

On the catamaran going to and from snorkeling.

At the fancy restaurant.

Margaritaville

Super strong margarita..hee,hee!

This one's for Cousin Kurt-

you now occupy a place of honor at the bar inside Margaritaville, Cozumel

(or at least a buck with your name on it does.)

Hamming it up with the band!

Now this is the life!

The O.C.

Our visit with my family was great. My sister Mary (AKA Auntie Meems) and I always have a great time together. She has always been the person who held the keys to my heart. She was awesome with the kids, and even won Emma over immediately upon our arrival. The cousins: Jake, Scarlett, Samantha, and Nattaleigh were also great at helping to keep Cody and Emma distracted and entertained while we were away. They all enjoyed their time together which included a trip to Disneyland, playday at Jake's school, and lots of mini-adventures and photoshoots. (I'll post some cute pics from the photoshoots as soon as I get them.)

Before Jay and I left, Mary threw Emma a fabulous 1st birthday party complete with tiaras, feather boas, and decadent cupcakes. All the kids had fun at the park, and the adults were pretty happy to watch them all play together and to catch up.

The birthday girl!

The Rowan clan also spent a day at the beach in Balboa, riding the ferry, the ferris wheel and the carousel, walking on the pier, and eating Balboa Bars - yummy!

It was a quick but fun few days, and then we were off to Cozumel.

Getting ready...

Tomorrow we are leaving for our vacation. Our first stop will be in Lake Forest where we'll spend four days visiting with my family and acclimating the kids to my sister, my mom, and the cousins. Then Jay and I leave for Cozumel, Mexico for a week. I have conflicting emotions about this trip...On one hand I'm thrilled with the idea of spending some quality time with my husband. After all, we haven't really been anywhere alone since our honeymoon - I'd say we've earned this trip. On the other hand, I've never really left either of the children for any length of time, and I'm really nervous about how I'll fare being away from them for so long. But, the bags are packed, the tickets are purchased, and the ocean is calling for me, so here we go!

Kindergarten, here I come!

Today was Cody's last day of preschool. His teachers prepared a commencement ceremony to celebrate the little ones that will be heading off to kindergarten in the fall. They sang songs in both English and Spanish, read poems written by the children, presented certificates, and ate cake and ice cream. The celebration was delightful for us parents and it was obvious that the teachers and children had worked very hard to prepare. Here are some of my favorite photos and a video clip of them singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Spanish.

The grande entrance.

Getting his certificate from Miss Noelle.

Hamming it up for the cameras.

With his teachers Miss Noelle and Miss Marylou.

Proud Daddy!

Proud Mommy!

Truman, Evan, Cody and Dawson have been in the same class since they were 1 1/2 years old.

Paper people!

"Twinkle Twinkle"