Hello! If you've read my "about" page on here, the you know I love to travel, especially when it's with my favorite people, my husband and daughters. We just got home from our spring break adventure to Riviera Maya, Mexico! We had a blast both relaxing at our resort and exploring the area. I think we managed to find a nice balance between the two.
I love the photo above, my girls sleeping quietly side by side. There was a lot of complaining and grouching before they fell asleep because L loves her space and G is a snuggler through and through, but they got it figured out and looked so peaceful.
I'll be honest in saying that I didn't drag my camera around the resort, so there are a fair number of cell phone photos. But I feel this is a perfect reminder to everyone to capture the moment with what you have., it doesn't have to be perfect.
One of our excursions, and I really think it might have been our collective favorite, was exploring an underground river. It was amazing! You probably don't know this, but I'm neither a swimmer nor a fan of being in the water. However, it was 1000% worth it to explore the gorgeous caverns in Riviera Maya. We loved this so much! If you ever get a chance, the company is called Rio Secreto and not only was the experience amazing, the tour guide was FABULOUS.
We spent an afternoon in Playa del Carmen exploring shops, enjoying ice cream and just having fun. We happened upon some acrobats (though, I'm pretty sure there is a better word for them) performing. It was so fun to watch!
Ignore the dates on these images, my mini underwater camera was confused. Again, another example of maybe it's not the best camera, but I wouldn't trade these photos for anything.
We had the opportunity to explore the reefs off the coast and it was amazing! As mentioned before, I'm not a swimmer and not the biggest fan of water, but it was beautiful to see the corals and marine life in the reef.
Sometimes, your kids take your camera and things happen. So glad to have these images, not only to remember the fun, but also to bring out at later dates in my children's lives...
Hey! It's me and my youngest in the water. Sometimes it's fun to be on the other side of the camera. I miss these blue waters, maybe not so much being in them but I do miss walking along the beach and looking out on the beautiful waves.
We headed out to Tulum and Coba for a day trip that was fantastic. We so enjoyed exploring the area at Tulum, eating a traditional Mayan lunch and trying Mayan cacao, and climbing the pyramid at Coba! What a full day of amazing experiences!!
I would like to point out how very pale we all are in these photos. We were asked each and every day of our trip if it was our first day in Mexico. Apparently, it's a right of passage to get horribly sunburned. We opted for some hats and SPF instead and were totally fine without any painful sunburns.
It was about a three kilometer walk to the pyramid at Coba. Our girls were tired and, honestly, pretty whiny about the process; but they soldiered on and even managed to climb the very intimidating pyramid. They were pretty proud of themselves once they reached the top. All "but this is boring" and "I'm tired" thoughts disappeared, total win!
The way up and down was STEEP. Like, you slip and you're done steep. The rope was a bit of a help, but the steps near it were worn smooth and it was being pulled on by 30 other people. Not the easiest climb or descent, but it was a great workout and the view from the top was pretty awesome.
After the pyramid, we explored the area.
Again, sometimes your kids get a hold of your camera and attempt to take "selfies"... Lovely shot of Miss G.
Other times you photo bomb your child's photo because, well, they attempt to do it ALL THE TIME to your images. Turnabout is fair play, right?
These amazing human beings are my favorites. They make me laugh, teach me new things everyday, and put up with my crazy idea to get up at the crack of dawn to do formal portraits on the beach. Yep, those are my girls smiling even though all they want to do is crawl back into bed. Love them!!
There were so many beautiful flowers around the resort! It was wonderful to soak in the color before heading back to springtime in Iowa.
Meet the coatis. One of these cute, furry little guys my children affectionately named Dori. Which one? No clue, but the the whole trip there was much talk about Dori, spotting her around the resort, and how my youngest was going to leave all her clothes behind so Dori could ride home in her suitcase.
After getting up a dawn on our last day, we decided to make the most of it. The girls and Josh headed out snorkeling while I enjoyed a drink on the beach. No better way to finish vacation!
Well, I hope you enjoyed a little peek into our travels. I seriously had the best time on our trip to Mexico. It was so much fun going on new adventures and watching my children learn and experience new things. They really are little sponges! I'm not sure when or where our next adventure will be, but I cannot wait!