Mexico with the Rich's 2011

This year Jim and Joanne took all of us on a little trip to MEXICO!!!  Tulum to be exact!

 We stayed at the Gran Bahia Principe Tulum.

It was SO fun not to mention BEAUTIFUL and WARM!

Here is the Video that Pat put together about our trip.  Great job Pat!

Mexico - The movie

 Each day we had a new towel animal in our room.

And let's not forget the "locals".  This little guy actually ate out of Coby's hand. 

Sand Crabs...

And there was NO shortage of iguanas!!

Most mornings were started with a little Zumba.

Followed by some much needed Pool Time

 Then we did what we know best....LOUNGED....

Drank the delicious strawberry daiquiris...virgin of course!

Whit and I couldn't GET enough sun!!

 We took naps...

 Listened to some tunes...

 Knitted...

Snuggled...

Got in a few SMOOCHIES...

Went to the beach

 Played in the sand...

Showed off our mad Sand Castle skills

And walaaa....here's their masterpiece!!

Here are the PROFESSIONALS responsible for that awesome Mayan Temple

On to beach volleyball

Ben and Whitters

Lance and Marse

Sara and Bobby enjoying the scenery

In the movie "Crazy Stupid Love" Ryan Gosling talks about his signature move...the "lift" from Dirty Dancing....we attempted to do our own

 Honey and Poppy

  Ben and Whit

Cobe and I

I started to get a little nervous....

And down I went!!!

Lance and Marse NAILED it!!!

 

And to the victors go the spoils...Nice one Lance!!

 The boys went golfing.  The course was AMAZING!!

What kind of trip would it be with Ben wasn't doing some sort of flip?!!

I'm pretty sure he landed it...in some form anyway.

This resort even had dolphins!!

 

Marse even got to swim with them....

And I think he liked her!!

The boys found this really cool place to snorkel about a mile down the beach.  It was really great because it was totally secluded.

It was beautiful!!

Coby and I saw some really cool little fish. I love the really bright and colorful ones.  There was one that was bright blue with shimmery spots.  It was SO cool!

Then we found this old swing...not the most sturdy thing...but a GREAT picture spot non the less!

  Ben and Whit were really liking it!

Coby was liking the trees.

And here we all are minus our cute little Sara.

We took a tour of Tulum.  We were fortunate enough to get a tour from Nefi (one of the Mormon tour guides)  Always interesting to listen to and gain a better understanding of different parts of the Book of Mormon.

Here is the ancient Tulum Temple.

The people must not have been very tall...
It was "tiff" sized!!

Tulum is seriously SO gorgeous!!  I think it's one of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen.  The sand is soft and the water is super warm.

And here we all are at the end of the tour.

Me and my schweetie!

After Tulum, we went on a jungle tour of Zip-lining, Rappelling, and swimming in a Cenote.  We got to ride about 45 mins through the jungle in this sweet old Indiana Jones Jeep!  Corbin would have LOVED it!! 

 While driving through the jungle Whitney spotted a TRI-antula.  (Tarantula)  This is what she thought they were called...something about 3 sides?!!  :)  It was pretty funny!

Here we all are about to go Zip-Living.

I make this look GOOD!!  :) hahahaa!!

Here's Marse showing off her cool hat AND her ginormous muscles!

Bob and Sara

Anna and Pat

Even Joanne participated.  She's not only FUN, but quite the adventurer!!

After Zip-Lining, they took us to a huge Rock Wall.  We climbed up it and then Rappelled back down the other side.

Did Ben fall all the way down and break his teeth out you ask?  No...he's just cute like that!!

Here's Bobby...he's related to Ben!  :) 

And down we go...

Then it was off to snorkel in a Cenote.  A Cenote is a deep natural pit, or sinkhole resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath. 

While I LOVE the water...I've always been a little leery of things living in the water.  Especially when it's dark.  I would only swim in the well lit places.  Poor Coby...he's a trooper and never complains when I won't attempt some of the coolest adventures.  Maybe someday!

Each night we'd try to Skype with our little nuggets at home. 

We'd all hang out after dinner and play games and laugh until our stomachs hurt!

Or we'd go exploring...

The rest of the time was spent....EATING.... 

EATING....

And MORE EATING....

Our last night we had dinner at the Japanese restaurant.  They served/entertained us...Benihanna Style.  It was SO cool!

Here's a shot of the delicousness we were were blessed to consume!!

Here's a shot of the girls

 

But this is the shot worth a thousand words!  This is the shot that describes exactly how WE ALL felt about going to Mexico!!

Thanks Momma Jo and Poppy for taking us to Mexico.  We had such a GREAT time.  It was great to relax, hang out with everyone, make memories and laugh til our sides ached! We love you so much and feel so blessed to part of such an amazing family!

Thanks Mom for watching our nuggets.  I know it wasn't easy with the kids being sick and having PINK eye on top of it all.  Thanks for being such a trooper and an AWESOME Nana.  My boys love you and so do we!!