Puerto Penasco, Mexico

Mark and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary in October, but Mark's TWO week break for Thanksgiving started last week. So for that 5 year anniversary we headed down to Mexico for a little relaxation. Thanks Mom & Adam for being the best babysitters ever!

We stayed at the Sonoran Spa Resort and pretty much had the whole place to ourselves since it is off-peak season. Which also meant that a few restaurants weren't open but since the hotel "room" included a kitchen, bedroom, and living room, we headed to the local Ley's grocery store and made our own yummy breakfasts every morning.

Look at all those tourists on the beach with us. Oh ya, there weren't any. It actually took a little getting used to. All those big resorts and no one there. It was a little eerie at first.

Mark loves the Ocean. It might be his first love - along with me, mexican food, and football.

I have to admit. I have a hard time doing foreign. It takes me a while to adjust (especially when I'm pregnant). I just worry about everything! Safe drinking water, getting the car stolen, swine flu. Our first night there our waiter is chatting with us and says, "I spent all morning taking care of my 11mth old son who as the flu." Sweet. Just what I wanted to hear. Although, I'm pretty sure we have just as good a chance catching the flu in Arizona. :)

I felt like a did a relatively good job of squelching my worries and relaxing and enjoying my sweet honey, the beach, the sun, and no kids.

We are definatly going back with the kids though. They would LOVE it. I say we all go during next term break. Any takers Arizona friends?

Here is your first belly shot. Taken at 2o weeks. Half-way there!

Thanks for the great trip Mark. I love you!

P.S. When we got home we walked in the house and called for our kids. The response from both kids was, "what?"

I think that must be a sign of good babysitters. :)

Zina

Last night Mark came home for dinner around 5:30. Since it is finals week we had Family Home Evening Sunday night so that Mark could study. After dinner he said we could have him until 7pm. We were so excited! We spent an hour playing hide and seek (it really is a lot of fun). Towards 7pm after I had found Zina and we were looking for Mark and Wilson, Zina said to me, "I know just where they are. If you look all over the place & you missed somewhere THAT'S where they are!!"

Every night Zina makes us close her closet doors. One night Mark asked her why and she replied, "I'm just scared of the things that aren't real in there."

Love that girl.

On a side note check out my rain gutter bookshelf. I LOVE it. I actually put up another one on the other side of the craft drawers. No more clutter on the playroom floor and all the coloring books are easy access for my cute kiddos! Thank you blog world for the fabulous idea. I totally recommend this cheap alternative.

p.s. If you can't tell the picture of Zina is a self-portrait. Did I mention I love her. She is tender, bossy, sensitive, giggly, opinionated, and SWEET!

The Phantom of the Opera

On thursday Mark took me out for my birthday present to the Phantom of the Opera. I have loved Phantom since I was 12 and my Grandma gave us tickets to go see it in Calgary. I love the Hollywood version that came out on DVD and I was a little worried that I wouldn't like this one because of both of those reasons. Sometimes when we see or do things when we are kids we have a different perspective and then when we see it again as adults it just isn't as magical. Anyways, I still love it. I love watching people who have worked so hard to be or do something. Obviously you have to be a pretty amazing singer to be on Broadway and they were! It was really inspiring. I feel the same inspiration when I watch the olympics. They have just worked SO hard to be where they are at. I guess that is how life is. You have to WORK to achieve great things!

Me and my honey.

He always comes up with the sweetest ideas for gifts that always mean a lot to me, which I love, but it's kind of hard to keep up when it's his turn!

Halloween 2009

Halloween this year was really fun. We have never done a family theme before and the kids loved it. They were so excited that Mark and I dressed up with them and that all our costumes went together. Zina especially liked it because the whole idea started because she was determined to be Princess Tiger Lily.

Princess Tiger Lily & Peter Pan. People often thought that she was Pocahontas and he was Robin Hood until they saw the whole family together. Then they loved us!

Music Makers party friday morning. Wilson with a whole bunch of cute girls. :) We also got to go to a costume party friday night. Thanks Steph! It was seriously a lot of fun especially because of the NO KIDS!! :)

I just thought they were SO incredibly cute. :) Love these two.

This is what we did Thursday morning. I built the kids a fort and they ate all their candy while I cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. My house had been seriously neglected due to the making of costumes...and now it's dirty again. :)

Captain Hook and Peter Pan sword fighting.

The whole family! Made with love by yours truly. :)

The trunk or treat was surprisingly chilly. I think they are still adorable.

Both kids really got into the trick/trunk or treating. Zina was giggling in between trunks she was having so much fun and now when we mention candy Wilson's eyes light up and he starts to get excited too.

Scary Stories

This week I spent a lot of time bending over my sewing machine. Zina decided she wanted to be Princess Tiger Lily for Halloween and convinced Wilson to be Peter Pan. There was NO changing their minds once they had decided. I figured I could make Princess Tiger Lily but I was pretty skeptical about Peter Pan. After a trip to the Disney Store to find out they were all sold out of Peter Pan I knew I'd have to make it. A couple friends sent me this tutorial and I figured I could make it too. Then Mark decided to be Captain Hook and of course I had to be Wendy. AHHH! I can sew a straight stitch but this was seriously testing my sewing skills. Anyways, this post is NOT about our Halloween costumes. All I'm trying to say is that I had been spending a lot of time sewing one night when Mark came in and said, "Mama, we're having a family conference in the playroom." Well, I surely can't miss that so I set my sewing aside and went to see what was up. Mark made us turn all the lights off and sit around a single candle. He'd been busy making chex muddy buddy's or "Ghost Food" You shake them in powdered sugar and he'd told the kids it was ghost powder and if they ate it they would turn into ghosts until midnight on All Hallows Eve. It was hilarious. The kids were wide eyed and enjoying every minute of being scared. We sang the classic Halloween song that even Wilson knows all the words to because they love it so much. Later that night I heard the kids whispering in their beds about how they were now ghosts because Papa had convinced them to eat the "ghost food." It was really fun, and really spontaneous. Thanks Mark for a great memory and the perfect spooky evening.

I love the looks on their faces!

More Halloween pictures to come.....

Jack-O-lantern

We had some friends over this week for some yummylicious dinner and some pumpkin carving fun. I have been feeling the need to celebrate Mark's dwindling exam schedule to only 1 per week. Thank you Halloween for coming just in time and thank you friends for celebrating with us!

Jeremy and a poor poor pumpkin.

The Hinton Family (minus Dad who might be gagging over on the couch and I think maybe Andrew is holding his breath) Ha - to funny!

Zina Zee Zizzle and her papa

Wilson and Mama Becca. Yesterday I said something about being a Mother and Wilson looked up at me concerned and said, "You not Mother, you a Mama Becca."

I stand corrected.

Madison Kate and Steph!

Mmm, kidlets eating yummy dessert which I ate for breakfast the next morning and am currently craving.

I'm allowed. I'm pregnant.

Happy Halloween!

I love Zina's scary pose in this one. I had no idea she was posing until I looked over the pictures after.

Wind

I have a confession. I love the wind. Today it is windy (or if you are from southern Alberta you might say it is a slight breeze) and it is making me happy. When it gets windy here I start to feel... peaceful? nostaligic? happy? I'm not sure how to describe this feeling, but it is a good feeling. Even when I was a kid growing up I loved the wind. I felt like it blew the cobwebs from my mind and I could breath deep fresh air straight from the mountains. So thanks windy prairies for the feelings I'm feeling today.