The Cabo Casa

On our first morning in Cabo, after breakfast Orelia wanted to sit on the edge of the pool and dangle her toes in the water.  I had to laugh, as it was pretty much the exact same thing I wanted to be doing.

 Last year we spent a great vacation in Cabo as a family of four, and when we got home John immediately started researching our next Cabo vacation.

The weather is fabulous, it's close to California, and it's only one time zone away.  It's perfect for families, so John decided to recruit some of our family friends to join us for our next Cabo adventure.

John found the perfect house complete with three bedrooms packed with bunk beds and a pool with a shallow area the babies could play in.

It had tons of space for the kids to play when we weren't in the pool or at the beach.

There were four families and a total of seven kids.  Orelia was the oldest at the ripe age of three and a half.  (It was a madhouse.)

Orelia especially loved vacationing with her best friends and thrived on the craziness.  Bennett liked all the activity too, thankfully.

By the end of the week Bennett was saying the names of his two buddies there (one boy is three months older and the other is a week older).  He's not knitting friendship bracelets for them yet, but our forced friendships seem to be working okay so far.

Orelia got to spend the week sleeping on the top bunk of a bunk bed and having a "sleepover" with her friend.

 Half the time she complained to us that her friend talked to much in bed, but I know she would much rather lose a little sleep to chatting than sleep by herself.

 We are so lucky to get to vacation in such a beautiful place with such wonderful friends.

Mexican Sea and Sand

This girl was right at home on the beaches in Mexico.

 There's nothing she likes more than dressing the part of whatever role she is playing at the moment.  And beach gal worked well for her.

 Bennett was also a natural on the beach and was a lot less scared of the ocean than Orelia was at his age.

 Only in Mexico do they have swing-up bars.  Bennett ordered a milk and drank the day away.

We had a table for 14 (did I mention our friends went on vacation with us?) in the sand with quesadillas and a bucket of beer brought whenever we asked.  Heaven?

 The other beach we visited was empty and private, which was also wonderful.

 Orelia rode her first wave on a boogie board.

 She seemed to love it, but then promptly finished the ocean part of her morning adventure right after her ride (so we will have to wait and see if she ever rides another wave).

She spent the rest of her time on the beach that day finding coral, climbing up cliffs with Daddy, and digging in the sand.

Bennett cozied up to his sister when she joined him under the palapa.  

We are happy to be home, but I'm definitely missing the fun we had in the Mexican sand last week.

Hola

 Hola!  We are back from Cabo, where we had an incredible vacation.

Bennett spent his vacation like this.

Making use of waterproof trucks.

Eating apples for hours (just like at home).

And wearing backwards overalls in a box.  Duh.

Orelia spent her vacation like this.

 Turning pruny in the hot tub every day.

And generally having a blast.

More to follow.  :)

Happy Valentine's Day

Haaaaapy Valentine's Day!

This sweet girl was so excited for Valentine's Day this year, and it was infectious.

She even agreed to take some valentine photos in her valentine dress wearing her homemade valentine jewelry.  (And I didn't even have to bribe her!)

The photos were put to good use, as we glued them to her valentines for preschool.

Since only one or two kids in our class can read, I figured using a photo would be more useful than a name.

Orelia carried her valentines into school with pride.

She's wearing "flamingo" (flamenco) hair because she spent the morning practicing flamenco.  Obviously.

 Nothing beats sharing a holiday with a kid who is finally old enough to join in on the fun.

It was my work day at preschool, so I got to see Orelia distribute her very first class valentines.

And after class, Orelia got to break into her box to see her goodies.

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!  May it be as full of love as Orelia's day.

The Easy One

I'm not sure an "easy" child really exists.  They all require tons of work, though admittedly some are much "easier" than others.

Sometimes I think I give the impression that Orelia is much more difficult than Bennett.

 This is true in the sense that her opinions are expressed as arguments - occasionally with stamping feet and whining.

Bennett expresses his opposition by screaming and crying, as babies do.  It is much shorter lived than an Orelia argument, but it happens all day every day (usually when preventing him from eating an apple right this instant or by not allowing him to go outside).

 Orelia is much easier to take to the grocery store, or any errand for that matter.  She is old enough to be predictable.  And be bribed.

When a one-year-old is done with something, they are DONE.  There is no reasoning with them, and you may have to leave the store without purchasing the items in your cart.  (Not that Bennett does this necessarily, but mostly he doesn't go to the store.)

Bennett is a much more adventurous and interested eater than Orelia, but Orelia is an easier dining companion since her hunger doesn't cause her to scream or cry, and she doesn't find sitting to be an entirely unacceptable pastime (like a little boy I know).

 Time will tell whether Bennett will be a strong willed three-year-old like his sister has become.  At the moment he's just a one-year-old whose personality is just starting to shine through.

When things are easy with Bennett, they are a breeze.  He toddles around our house looking at truck books and vroom-vrooming his cars around the tables.  But when nary a truck book or car can be found (say at the end of Orelia's ballet class), he isn't quite as laid back.

Sure, Bennett can be put in his crib without a thousand books and cuddles if necessary, but there could be yelling and tears.  Orelia may drag out bedtime until the eleventh hour, but once the door is closed you can usually relax that she will take care of herself.

Like every parent knows, neither child is "easy" but luckily both of mine are fun, unique, hilarious, adventurous, and beloved - even when they are being their most rascally selves.

That being said, I'd probably say Orelia is "the easy one" at the moment.  Ask me tomorrow, though, and I may change my mind.