Spring Break

We spent Spring Break in Cancun with the Erskines!
We stayed at the all-inclusive Gran Caribe Resort and had the time of our lives. We were so excited to go with the Erskines because our kids all have so much fun together and get along so well.

All pasty white, suffering from "lack of sun" disorder

Our room had a little patio with a hammock that walked right out to the kids area or you could walk right down to the beach. The kids area had a fun tennis court, swimming pools, and waterslides.

We adventured out and rented a 16 passenger van! Cocoa Ricky was our tour guide and Jason the navigator! It was hillarious--we all jumped into this van and went exploring for the day

We found this place called Akamal: incredible snorkeling. Mallory and Emery were scared at first to jump in with all the fish, but it didn't take long before they were naming all the fish and having a blast.

So many people told us we HAD to see the Tulum ruins. Both Lisa and I said we didn't really like to see things that are ruined, but we agreed to go anyway. LOL. It ended up being a ton of fun and the kids loved seeing these rock buildings that were built over 2000 years ago.

It was soooo HOT....we had to keep reminding ourselves that it was a snow storm at home and the heat felt sooooo good. We went and took a dip in the ocean to cool off:)

These photographers brought this iguana by the poolside for the kids to hold. I hurried and snapped a picture before they told me I couldn't. They wanted us to buy the pictures they took. We found out that people in Mexico aren't very nice about taking our own pictures...they want to make money off us!

The Beach at Night!!!

The hotel had a fun outside bar on the beach with hammocks and swings....we had endless pina coladas!

The kids area was a blast! It was so nice because we just layed on a lounge and the kids played and played and played. They would run from slide to slide and every now and then go order another strawberry-banana drink!

Can you believe how not-crowded it was!!! Look at all those empty lounges. We felt like we had our own private resort. I guess Mexico has a bad rap right now because of all the violence going on around the border. We didn't let a little violence stop us --- Oh no, nothing was going to stop us from this tropical vacation. I love how Rick is totally passed out on the lounge --

The water was so nice and warm -- even Lisa didn't mind getting in.

It was so cute--Mallory and Emery made friends with this little girl, Courtney, from Michigan. They were the best of friends instantly!


The waves were perfect for boogie boarding!

I can still hear Lisa's scream... the same scream she has when she sees a bee or a balloon. ha ha

trying not to intake too much salt. hee hee

We were laughing our heads off. It was so much fun!

I love how the wave is knocking Troy out!

The kids posing for a cute picture on the beach, until......

Shark, Jason, attacks Caden's foot. How funny!

another great wave!

We met some people from Utah, who gave us this amazing kite. They didn't want to pack it...the kids had so much fun flying it.

Troy and Rick fit a little baseball practice in every day!

Rick and Jason took the boys for a kayak adventure!

Bubba Gumps Resturant was across the street from our hotel!

One night we went to Maria's Mexican resturant in the hotel. We had to take a picture of the gum stuck to Lisa's menu. I wonder how long that has been there?

Another great resturant was the Tepanyaki Grill. I thought it was funny we went to Mexico and our favorite food there was Japanese food.
Troy learned to eat with chop-sticks

Lindsie's and Elle's highlight of the trip was swimming with the dolphins! They were so excited:)

What a great vacation!!!! I loved that we got to go and just enjoy each other so much. Our kids are so much fun to be around. I love my family so much and I am so grateful for these incredible memories we are making.

April fools

While I was at baseball practice with Troy, our neighbor, (try to guess who) decided to do a little April fooling. This is what we came home to...

He took our Rhino out of our garage and drove it onto our porch.... he then took the keys so there was no way to get it off.. ha ha ha

So Rick was the first home to discover the joke... he thought it was pretty funny. After going inside the house, he soon discovered the Rhino was just the start of the jokes. He went over to the kitchen sink to grab a drink of water and the sprayer had a rubber band on it. Rick was totally drenched. ha ha ha

Then, Troy yelled from his room..."come look what they did to my room." He had underwear hanging from the ceiling, jump ropes tied all over, and this cute barbie football player....

Ok, so you are probably wondering if there is more.. Well of coarse there is more. Jason and his comrades, not to mention any names, would never stop just here.

I decided not to post the picture because it literally makes me gag. But let me just tell you that there was a very strong odor coming from our master bedroom closet, a VERY strong odor. We walked in to find a paper plate covered in dog poop. We weren't able to go into our closet for hours, even after we sprayed and sprayed with air freshner! GROSSSSS

I guess April fools is just getting started around here. We are now scheming our plan of revenge, and changing our garage code:)

Family

Look who came to town for a visit..... Bodie! He brought his mom and dad too:) While David and Lisa were off skiing, we got to have some fun with Bodie:)

We went to this place called "Airborne" It is a giant warehouse filled with trampolines and foam pits. The kids had a blast. Troy did a double front flip into the foam pit.. Bodie taking a little rest with Mallory

Bodie loved to watch all the older kids doing all their tricks. He loved this orange ball that we stole from the dodge ball area.

Bye Bodie -- we can't wait to see you again this summer.

We celebrated Janessa's birthday at my parent's house. Janessa is hiding because she just got her wisdom teeth out and doesn't want to show the camera her "chipmunk cheeks"

Troy and Spence love to play chinese checkers

Grammy and Lindsie

Cameron doesn't stay still for very long...he's off to play!

I can't believe Janessa is 16!!! I still remember the day she was born -- the first grandchild in our family. Now she is 16 --

Lindsie and Spencer are 12 this year!!!

Lindsie and Auntie Michele

The kids table

The girls!

Construction zone!!

Bring it on!!!

Summer can't come soon enough for me. I am so excited to get back out to last chance again. We took a drive out there yesterday to see the homes that are being built. There are two under construction right now, and one that will start any day.

Here is the front gate: There will be wood and rock all around it.

Enough said..... WOW!

Picture someone skiing by with a great big rooster tail to the sky...right out the kitchen window!

I'll be the skiier.... you can be the one cooking dinner!

All the docks are being built...everyone will have their own dock this year

Last Chance is my HAPPY PLACE. When we drove up and saw these houses under construction, Rick and I couldn't believe how our "little dream" has turned into REALITY. Rick has worked soooooo hard to make this happen. I don't know anyone who can juggle so many projects at once. Rick is amazing.... he has created a place for families to make memories of a life time. I know this project was meant to be and we already have so many fun memories.. and many more to come:)

Skiing

I am so happy today! My amazing, wonderful, loving husband took all three kids skiing AGAIN by himself. It's a lot of work to load three kids up and hit the slopes. He does it because that's just the kind of guy he is. The kids were so excited this morning as they all got ready to go. I wish more than anything I could have gone with them. Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the peace and quiet here all day long on a Saturday. I got my run in, cleaned the whole house, organized closets, made cookies, and now I even have time to blog. When does all of this happen, uninterrupted...NEVER.
But, I promise, I would much rather be there skiing with my family. The doctor doesn't want me skiing yet until the fusion is more solid. I miss the cold crisp air in the mountains. I miss the chairlifts, the feeling of cruising down the mountain as the snow crunches under my skis. I miss dropping into a steep bowl of powder, or traversing over to find the "good" snow. I miss the adreneline rush of my body turning over and over until my legs can't take anymore. I miss hearing my kids giggle and seeing the smiles on their faces when they conquer the mountain. I miss getting hot chocolate in the lodge and my kids rosy cheeks and noses. I miss the feeling of total exhaustion of a full day of skiing. I will be back next year to experience all of this, and that is why I am so happy. I am so grateful I WILL be able to ski again....more grateful than words will ever be able to express.

Here are the loves of my life...Rick sends pictures while they are there.

Thank you Rick for being such an amazing dad....these kids will never forget these memories. Look at all they have learned from you this year...they are all skiing so great.
I guess I will just go enjoy the rest of my quiet day because pretty soon they will all be home excited to give me a play by play of the day.... and then the quiet will end. LOL