Thursday, July 17, 2014

Mexico 2014

I should have brought my computer to Mexico so I could have updated throughout the trip.  Now, the events are already starting to blur in my mind and I have to start working in the evenings to catch up from taking about 15 days off (prep time before the trip!) from letter writing.  I HATE having my job hanging over me in the summer.

Anyway, the trip was wonderful and went well.  We had enough time at the airport on Saturday morning to play in the kids area before the flight.  It definitely helped tire them out!








The boys liked looking at the planes.

And they slept for a bit on the first flight to Dallas.  Not long enough, but at least they slept a bit.




When we arrived the boys got right to playing trucks on "tuita's" (from tu abuelita or your grandmother" garage table.


And they pushed animals and trucks around the garage in the stroller we brought.





The next morning, Sebastian "helped" Tuita sweep the garage.







We had tacos at our favorite place, but the boys wouldn't eat them.  They didn't eat much at all the whole time we were there.  Just cookies basically.  And the occasional scrambled egg.  Yikes.  What's wrong with them?  Mexican food is so good!



We found this play area in a nice park near the house.  Thank God because it was our savior.  The boys loved it.






Both boys got good at climbing the wall.





The boys loved their cousins so much.  They constantly beat up on them--teased them, hit them, pulled their hair--ti was kind of awful.  But the cousins took it all in stride.  No one had the heart to tell the boys "NO" though (except me and Carlos) so they kept doing it.  Poor Karen and Nati!





The boys slept with us for the first time EVER.  It was so nice to snuggle with them.  BUT, it was also kind of torture.  I hardly slept the whole time we were there!  The boys were on top of my or right next to me and I couldn't move!


It was Isabella's 4th birthday while we were there so we went to her Frozen party.  It was fun, and the boys loved the play space.





Back at the garage swing in Tuita's house.


One day we wanted to go to the zoo so we drove over an hour outside of the city through deserted country to get there.  I had no idea how deserted it would be or I probably wouldn't have agreed to go.  Luckily it was all fine.  But when we got there, it was closed!  It hadn't opened during the week yet for the season.  Bummer!  So we drove over an hour back to the city and then went to Kidzania, this really cool place for kids.  It's like a little city where kids have to do everything for themselves.  They have to work to earn money and then they can use their money to do things or buy things.  It's really better for older kids because the boys only wanted to play and didn't understand much of what was going on.  But they still had a great time.  Here they are in the kitchen cooking and cleaning.





This is one of the plazas in the city.


The boys liked the kitchen so much we had to go back!


They went to school and painted



Made their own Domino's pizza...


Worked a construction job...




Went shopping at Walmart for groceries








Drove a bus...

Worked as firefighters and cruised around the city on the fire truck



Danced at a night club...



and that wasn't even all of it!  I had a major headache when we were done, but it was an interesting place.  Can't wait to take them back when they are older and they understand more.

The ONLY thing that the boys REALLY ate when we were there was a pasta with meat that my father-in-law made.  EVERYTHING he has ever made is delicious so this was no surprise.  They had three,  yes *three*, helpings of it.  They also made quite the mess all over the floor and table.


Carne asada at Brenda's house--playing with the cousins.


At HEB supermarket.  Sebastian found M&M.


We played at Tia Kaka's house a few times.  The boys trashed the girls' room pulling out all their toys.  :-(


They lent the boys these stuffed birds for a few days.  Sebastian was sad to leave it behind.  His red bird looked like a paper mache one that Tuita has in a cage in the garage.  He would hold up to hers and say "It's the same!"





On July 11, we had my in-laws' 40th anniversary party/wedding.  The boys got all dressed up and looked quite handsome.







They were up until almost midnight...yikes!  Sebastian fell asleep first, but Adi fought it and fought it.  I had a hell of a time with him.  When he finally fell asleep, my whole body was sore from holding him.  He left me no time to enjoy the party.

The next day we went to the pool and tennis club with Carla and Luis.  It was a nice, relaxing day of playing, swimming, and eating.

















The following day was the boys' birthday party.  My mother-in-law and sister-in-law organized and planned the whole thing.  Yes, their birthday is in November, but they want to enjoy the boys breaking the pinata and eating cake etc. so they plan an early birthday party celebration.

The theme this year was McQueen.


























Then we went on this HUGE ferris wheel--60m high--with amazing views of the city.  My mother-in-law splurged on tickets for the "VIP" ride.  So we had an air conditioned box with music/video, and other luxuries.  The boys even went and loved it!
















The Ferris wheel is in a park that was created where an old iron factory used to be.  We played on the playgrounds there and took a train ride around the park.



The boys enjoyed a "raspado" (flavored ice).







That night after the boys were in bed we left them with my mother-in-law (Gracias, Señora Gloria!) and went to dinner at a new wings place right near the house.  The food was great, the beer was cheap, and we all had a nice time.  



Our flight left early on a Wednesday morning so Tuesday evening we went to a hotel near the airport to sleep.  That way we aren't driving on deserted streets too early in the morning (for safety) and logistically it's easier with the boys and all our stuff to not be scrambling at 4am to get to the airport.  There is a restaurant right near the hotel that has good food so we had dinner with the family there before they left us.

Our friends Carlos and Yolanda and their daughter Domy joined us.  It was Domy's 4th birthday and they were in the general area celebrating her birthday at her grandfather's house.  I'm so glad they could make it, too!




The boys were really good on the way home.  They started to get fussy at the Dallas airport because they were hungry and tired.  But some food in their bellies and a comfy seat and they both slept two hours of the three hour flight.  NICE!

When they woke up, Adrian played with his beanie baby turtle from the McDonald's Happy Meal (ONLY time we eat fast food is with Nana or when traveling)


And Sebastian contentedly lined up his trucks and cars on the tray table.


Tio Jim picked us up at the airport and we sat in traffic for 2 hours before we were finally home.  I also got pulled over by a cop in Brockton for doing 47 in a 30 zone.  (The area could easily have had a much higher speed limit!)  I guess I was just tired and trying to get home.  No excuses.  Anyway, the guy thankfully let me go since I have such a good driving record and he didn't want to ruin it for me.  That was good.  Phew.  We came home and put the boys to bed.  They were a little upset to sleep alone for the first time in 11 days, but they eventually went to sleep (with the help of Tylenol).  I needed Aleve for a headache and bodyache from traveling so I figured they might, too.

And that's all folks.  A separate post to come of our 2014 family photo shoot with our friend Alan.

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