Sunday, April 11, 2010

OK, our trip to Puerta Vallarta. These photos are completely out of order, but I do not have six extra hours to rearrange them all because that is what it would take me- that or a frontal lobotomy. So, on day five Dalton and Gavin did a jungle tour where they went zip lining through the jungles.

Gavin said that Dalton loved the bus ride to the jungle because they had the tour in one of those big army vehicles, so right from the start Dalton was in heaven. Plus there was drama on the drive because a lady got stung by a bee.
Shelby and I opted out of this tour. For some reason the idea of plummeting through the tree branches on ropes that do not look super sturdy, just doesn't hold much allure.
Dalton said it was his favorite part of the trip. He has turned his dad in to something of an adrenaline junkie.


This picture is on our last night in Mexico, on our way back to our hotel room after dinner and desert.
There was a little ice cream shop at our hotel with the best ice cream. We had it several times a day. Shelby was extra fond of the rainbow sherbet. Me- triple chocolate. Here we are after our Japanese dinner, getting some extra sugar.
The hotel had a Japanese restaurant on it's property so one night we did sushi and tepanyaki. Dalton and I had some wars with our chopsticks.
The kids did like the Japanese custom of sorbet cups in between courses.

One of the waitresses at the restaurant wore an oriental dress and had a yellow streak in her black hair. Shelby loved her. She told the woman that she was beautiful and the woman made her and Dalton an origami frog to say thank you. Dalton was a bit miffed that Shelby's was bigger and gold (more powerful) compared to his scrawny blue one.
OK, this is day five I think. There were about a zillion pebbles on a part of the beach that was down from our hotel. Shelby was intent on taking them all home. She called the black pebbles Scottie dogs, and the spotted ones Dalmatians. We had hordes of pebble dogs filling our pockets on the way back to the hotel.

There was a couple that was getting married on the beach. Dalton and I wanted to stay to watch but Gavin was not really sharing our excitement. I asked him if he'd want to renew our vows on our lucky 13th anniversary next year in Mexico. Ehhh.
OK, this is the end of Shelby's dolphin show with me. We did a dolphin show a few days after this. But for a few days before we practiced in the pool and she was the dolphin and I was the trainer. Here I am getting a kiss from the dolphin.
I took this from our hotel room in the evening. Gavin and Sis had gone down to the beach to collect more shells and rocks (dogs).
Here they are the next morning. We found out on this trip that Dalton talks in his sleep, or more like does the sound effects for a Rambo movie. So if you sleep next to him prepare for battle scenes being acted out next to you. It's like sleeping next to someone who just returned from Nam. Shelby on the other hand does kung fu while she sleeps. So if you are sleeping next to the both of them you have the full interactive Bruce Lee movie unfolding all around you. Dad took a turn with Sis one night after Dalton's voice over gave her nightmares.
I got sunblock on the camera, so some of the pictures are hazy, but I kind of like it because I remember it being pretty dreamy.
In town, there was a statue of Neptune, who Dalton thought was Poseidon. He is studying Greek gods in school right now, so he wanted to take a picture. We took it on our cab ride back to the airport on the last day. :(
Our hotel had statues of different sea life with their names in Spanish and English, so each night we'd walk a different way back to our room so we could pass by new animals.
More dolphin shows. I think that this was a sea turtle show. We spent A LOT of time in the pool and at the beach. Thankfully it was sunny and warm every day. I must be living right. :)
Two words for you: Miami Vice. No, not half Don Johnson and half of the other dude, but half strawberry daiquiri and half pina coloda. Heaven. I think we consumed our weight in these.
Here Gavin is, giving the hand signs for the turtle show. He is a genius at that crap. I just put my arms out and Shelby jumps through and flaps her flippers. But he MC's her show and tells the audience when to clap. He "feeds" her turtle treats every time she does a good trick. He rules.
More statues of sea creatures.
Some fat iguana the size of our cat that we all laughed at when we said that if Garrett were with us he would be riding. BTW, he was back at home this whole time with Grandma Paula. We missed him, but it was fun not having to stress about our little manatee while he had FUN with Grandma.
I read a book while I was on vacation...on Gavin's Kindle which I am now addicted to. The book was And Then We Came To An End (I think). It was good. I want Gavin to read it. It's all about the insanity of day-to-day inside an office during an economic downturn. But really it's not. It's just the inside look at different personalities interacting. It was like a Seinfeld episode. Can't wait to discuss in book group.
Shelby was really lovin her bootie on this day, so every picture taken she would turn her bootie to the camera.
Here, she was mad, and I wanted a picture of her mad, but she would not give me the satisfaction and INSISTED on smiling.
In the hotel lobby.
Dalton with Mom's sunglasses and Dad's ITouch. Has anyone ever heard about Plants Verses Zombies? Cause I sure hadn't. But on this trip, my entire family was ADDICTED. Gavin stayed up late in the night to solve levels and then at breakfast they would talk about what plants they were buying to defeat the zombies...whatever.
More Japanese restaurant fun.
The view from our room. We fell asleep and woke up to the sound of the waves crashing right outside our door. It kind of made me want to turn the noise maker off the first night, but then I got used to it.
Jacuzzi and Miami vices=awesome! It was in here that I'd try to talk a little Spanglish with the Spanish speakers on vacation. And it was always pitiful. Back to class. We decided we are all taking Spanish so that we can understand what the heck dad is saying to everyone.
There is the wedding thing-a-ma-bob behind us. How romantic!



More bootie.

I could eat her.
What I am missing is pictures of Gavin and Dalton on the banana boat in the ocean. Pictures of the kids boogey boarding in the ocean with Gav. Pictures of Sis and I at the spa getting our first pedicures together. OMG, the poor girl who had to paint EACH one of Shelby's toes a different shade of blue was SO patient. I didn't get pictures of the dolphin show on here where Shelby died and WENT TO HEAVEN with her two rides (cause Mom gave her ride up) on her baby dolphin named Nemo. I have those pics. I will upload them later. It was a great trip. We were happy to come home though, to our little blubber baby Garrett. Oh, that was a HAPPY day indeed! Did I mention that I stepped on a bee on day 1? That little fat furry peice of crud. So, my foot stung and then itched for a couple of days. That was the drama of the trip.

4 comments:

Delia said...

Wow what a fun trip! Tepanyaki! Oh heaven. I love reading that sleeping arrangement story. Your kids are hilarious.

That book sounds like The Office.

Erin Vorkink said...

magical!

Chip and Lisa said...

Your trip looks like it was it was AMAZING!! You need a good break from all that school work. Doesn't it make it hard to come back to dreary Utah???

Lindsey said...

your family is adorable. miss you guys.