Cabo Part Three - Viva la Mexico

Here are the last of the Cabo pictures. We ate at a lot of great restaurants (minus the toddler) while we were there. This picture was kind of an afterthought. It was taken after flying and driving all day, so none of us are at our best. However, it was such a scenic dinner that we had to capture it. We were given our own private balcony at the resort's bistro overlooking the ocean. It was gorgeous.

Another fun restaurant that we went to was mi casa. All of the restaurants in Cabo are partially or completely outdoors and they have to set up the tables and chairs each night. I guess that works in Cabo because it rains about 4 days a year. We loved the bright colorful chairs at this restaurant.

The Tanners seriously put up with me a ton when I had to take my nauseated walking breaks or eat immediately. I'm excited to go to Cabo again when I'm not pregnant and enjoy it a little more. This particular break was in a small park in the center of town where we watched some break dancers in the gazebo.

We found fountains in the shopping center that made different shapes when the wind blew.

Again, these pictures were afterthoughts since we had come straight from the beach this day, but I think my hubby looks like a hottie here.

Speaking of my husband, he found this shirt in a souvenir store and thought it was hilarious. He really wanted to buy it. Such a sweetheart, I know.

Our last full day in Cabo was Troy's birthday. We went out for breakfast where they sang to him in Spanish and brought him some birthday pancakes.

He also was sung to at dinner with the lights dimmed and his own personal pianist (in the background). The waiters had a hard time saying "Troy." They kept calling him "Yoy," so Tricia explained to them in Spanish that it was like the movie "Troy" with Brad Pitt. The movie was filmed in Cabo a few years ago, so once the waiters associated Troy with Brad Pitt, they pronounced his name correctly. We joked around with them that unfortunately our cousin Brad couldn't make this trip with us.

Happy Birthday, Troy!

Cabo Part Two - The Beach and Spa

The beach at our resort was unsafe for swimming, so one day, we went to a different beach that you could swim at. It was just across from the famous Cabo Lover's Beach.

I only dipped my toes in the water because it was too salty and cold for me. However, we still enjoyed walking with our feet in the sand and lying by the ocean instead of the pool.

My favorite part of the entire trip was our day at the spa. All five of us were treated with amazing full-body massages. I requested deep-pressure which was exactly what my preggo body needed. After the massages, we relaxed in the jacuzzi and saunas (well I obviously didn't, but I still enjoyed the ambiance of the spa).

Tricia and I took advantage of the fresh cucumber slices that were available.

Then, we got slightly silly with our spa experience.

The other women in the lounge may have thought that we were a little crazy.

Cabo Part One - The Resort

Our week in Mexico was awesome. Minus the frequent dates I had with the porcelain bowl, it was a super relaxing trip. Once I got past saying goodbye to my baby, it was actually very nice to not have to worry about naps and meals and diapers every day. We stayed at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort in Cabo San Lucas. It was a gorgeous resort with breathtaking views. We woke up to this view every morning from the balcony of our room:

We spent a lot of time lounging by the pool, reading books and soaking up the sun. We only ended up visiting three of the resort's five pools, and they were all equally beautiful. We liked the main pool because it was close to the beach. However, I think my favorite pool was the Sky Pool, located on the very top of the resort's mountain. It overlooked miles and miles of the Pacific Ocean. This shot doesn't do justice to how beautiful it was.

It was so hot and humid that we spent most of our time in the pool.

That blue background? Nothing but ocean hundreds of feet below us.

The front porch of the lobby had a bunch of quaint rocking chairs where we sat to chat or wait for our car.

We found a cute little church to go to on Sunday that held an English-speaking meeting. Since Tricia is the only one of us that speaks fluent Spanish, we didn't really want to sit through a meeting in another language and not be able to understand anything. Only our family and another large family from Sandy, Utah were in attendance. So, we found a chorister, pianist, and speakers among us and held a little impromptu meeting. The whole Sacrament Meeting was less than 45 minutes. It's too bad that doesn't happen when we have Blake with us!

All of the grounds at the Pueblo Bonito were landscaped beautifully. Bright trees and tropical flowers covered every square inch of the resort. The Tanners brought some fun dresses for us to wear from previous trips they've taken to Mexico.

Home Sweet Home

We're just returning from a week in Mexico with Troy's family (more on that later). Can I just tell you how much I missed this little guy?

I seriously cried the whole way to the airport when I had to leave him, but it helped knowing that he was in such good hands. He had a wonderful time with his Grandma Julie and Uncle Jorden. My mom was awesome enough to take care of him while we vacationed, but it was more of a delight than a task for her. Blake greeted us at the door with hugs and he clung to me with an iron clad grip. That tore my heart right open. He quickly forgave our leave of absence when we presented him with souvenir maracas.

Soon To Be

February 2010

Revamping the Guest Room

Sometimes I get in these kicks where I want to change the look of a room. Then, the wheels in my head start spinning and I end up wanting to redo and update every room. We've been in our house for a year now, so the ideas for room transformations were bound to come. I've been changing around and adding things to almost every room, but one of the first rooms I wanted to tackle was the guest room. When we moved in, we threw a mattress in there with some bedding on it for when company came, but that was about it. I wanted to make the room a little nicer and add a dresser for clothes since the closet is full of my craft supplies. Of course, once I got going, I couldn't just stop with the dresser. So, I embellished a bit more.

To my dismay, Troy is against painting the walls of rooms. So, I had to add color in other ways. The hanging frames in the corner are from Ikea and I used coordinating papers to brighten them up. I also added some artwork and ribbon covered lampshades. However, my most proud accomplishment was the construction of a headboard using this tutorial. I actually built the headboard in one afternoon, but gathering all of the supplies was the real time consuming part.

The rocking chair is now an addition to the guest room as well because I am transforming Blake's room into a big boy room. That room isn't quite finished yet. I'm trying to convince my husband to let me paint it. I think that brightly printed walls should just be a part of a child's bedroom. I picked up the wooden lanterns forever ago and didn't have a place for them until now. I had to get out the hot glue gun for repairs because my toddler slightly destroyed them, but I think they fit perfectly. That white wall needs something still.

I also painted, papered, and sanded some wooden mirror frames.

They actually hang next the to the mirror in the guest bathroom, but I couldn't get a shot of the bathroom and frames at the same time.

So, everyone should come visit us and stay in our revamped guest room. We love company!

Blake's Prayers

Blake recently learned how to fold his arms. Ever since he learned this reverent habit, he never ever forgets to say prayers. He often puts me to shame as I join him at the breakfast table with my toast and he remembers to fold his arms when it hasn't even crossed my mind to pray.

He also knows the routine of song, then prayer. After every hymn sung at church, he immediately folds his arms.

He promptly gets ready for prayers at home after we sing him a bedtime song. In his prayers, he repeats after us the list of people to be grateful for. He'll go through the whole line, repeating the names mama, dada, Jesus, Jo-Jo, Tricia, Todd, and Grandpa. However, each time we get to Grandma, he clearly states, "yup." For whatever reason, he will not say the word Grandma. It's driving his two grandmas crazy, but we think it's pretty funny that he just says "yup" every time instead of attempting the word. What a sweet reverent boy, all grown up and learning to pray.

Boating At Last

I can't believe that we didn't get out on the boat until August this year. It was our third attempt, but with tires shredding and exploding, various vacations between all of us, and an incredibly rainy June, this was our first successful voyage on the actual water.

Troy soaked it all in.

Besides the straight jacket that Blake detested, he really enjoyed the boat. He especially loved spending time with his aunt Tricia. All day long he says, "Tee-sha," even when we haven't seen her for days. He's really going to miss her when she moves to New York in a few weeks.

Paparazzi shot.

Sibling love.

The water was so cold that we had to wear wetsuits to wakesurf.

Blake dipped his feet in and that was about enough for him.

Troy still thinks it is the best idea ever to take his one year old son on the surfboard with him. He sees no danger in it whatsoever, especially now that Blake is "so big." We deterred him for today at least.

 The surroundings don't get much better than the beautiful Jordanelle Lake.