Almost fourteen years ago, Jer and I went on a high school graduation trip with his family down to Puerto Penasco, Mexico. We rented a little house right on a private beach with his (then) little family and spent nearly the entire week swimming, eating shrimp, and the like. Thinking back to those evenings where Jer and I walked the beach, or the days spent snorkeling with his sisters, or even walking the tiny tourist town, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that I would return again some years later as a married women to my high school sweetie, and then for a third time with our four children and a niece and a nephew to boot.
Although our first trip was just with six people, this trip included twelve of our now sixteen! And it should be mentioned, that six of our twelve were under the age of five. And one of the six made an ER visit in Tuscan, AZ for ear infections and dehydration. Yeaaaaaaah. So as you can imagine, things got a little {lot} rowdy at times. But our boys had a BLAST and were often too tired to even eat dinner. In fact, on Thankgiving Day, they cried and begged to go to bed instead of eating!! As for our Grace Girl, she loved the ocean despite the fact that the water was cold and the waves were strong. We had to be *really* careful not to turn our backs, as she darted for the water {or the seagulls} every chance she got! But the low tides made for happy kiddos and happy parents, as we were free to let them romp in the water and search for critters without fear of losing one to the depths.
There are so many details and memories I wish I could share; time just doesn't allow these days. But suffice it to say, a great time was had by all and we even managed a few pictures to remember it by. Perhaps the captions will help fill in the blanks.
Shopping in town with her new purse.
Cold water and an uncertain girl.
Sunbathing Ju.
This boy. Finding critters in his skives. The world really is his oyster.
Early morning treasure hunting found us a hermit crab.
An exhausted Grace fell asleep while tide pool hopping.
This is our porch and the tide is coming in but still has a way to go. Now you can see why we had to keep such a close eye on Gracie. Also note: sandcastle making boy in his pj's.
Toenail painting, beachside.
Sting ray sting. Those critters are NO JOKE.
The neighbors heard me scream from waaaaaaay out in the water and came running with the remedy. Go to the Mexican ER OR soak your foot in the hottest water you can stand for two hours, take four ibuprofen and try not to cry. Seriously people, I have had two babies with no drugs and this rated up there.
No turkey and potatoes this year.
First fish, fake smile.
First fish, stoked.
First fish, scared stiff.
