Once again we were able to talk Santa into meeting us in Mexico.  We celebrated Christmas for about an hour and then enjoyed seven days together as a family in one of our favorite places. 

Rosewood Mayakoba was such a great place to return to.  It’s the kind of place where everyone knows your kids’ names and it feels like a big family.  Upon arrival, we rode a little boat through the lagoon to our room while looking for baby crocodiles.  From there, we tried to slowly inhale each breath of warm, humid air.

We chased butterflies and found flowers on our way to breakfast… after the kids had already jumped in the pool.  We took walks to the beach through the “jungle” where we saw coatis (a Mexican critter that’s kind of like a raccoon).  The beach had an endless amount of seashells for Johnny to find which was his main focus most days.  He dug so hard in the sand that his fingertips were raw.  Charlotte oversaw daddy’s sand castle construction site where she cracked the whip on all of us – we successfully built a pretty awesome Christmas tree in the sand.  Lunch time consisted of nachos, hot dogs, and quesadillas on the beach.  I think we applied sunscreen seven times a day and got pretty good at it, but the kids never liked it.  Our dinners were filled with delicious food and a relaxed ambiance… so relaxed that Johnny fell asleep at every dinner or maybe he was just wiped from the sun, pool, and sand.  We didn’t mind.  It’s a good sign of Mexico.  

We left Rosewood a couple times to explore.  Our first outing was a boat trip along the coast by Tulum where we were able to snorkel and see a sea turtle, stingray, and moray eel.  Charlotte and daddy explored farther to see a starfish and a few more strange ocean creatures.  Our kids (and us) were blown away with this amazing Wild Kratts episode brought to us by Mexico.  Afterward, we relaxed and enjoyed a lovely lunch and Johnny fell asleep once again on my lap as we sailed back to Playa.

Our second outing was to swim with dolphins.  We’ve done this before but it’s been a couple of years so Johnny had mostly forgotten.  We were awestruck with these amazing creatures.  Our faces tell the story much better than words (below).  I think Johnny and Charlotte do an excellent job of bringing out our curiosity or amazement or maybe just our inner child.  It’s a beautiful thing to experience life with these brave kids.

To sum up, we had a blast and still really like the idea of Mexico for Christmas.  There are more moments and warm fuzzies than words and pictures can ever explain, but are felt deep down.  We hope these are building blocks for our kids and us.  Each day together is a gift and that is all John and I will ever want for Christmas.

Things to remember:  Alebrijes, bike rides, dinner in the garden, Wolfy and Chiquita, Charlotte making sushi, Big Boom, the rain storm, Sebastian the iguana, dolphin foot-push, stock market crash, Coco on the beach, two magical kids.

Below are the dolphin pictures (I had a hard time eliminating):