Cancun -Em’s 9th – Christmas Time!

Posted on November 24, 2008

Time is ticking along… 26 more sleeps and the stress, anxiety, joy, frustration, blissful memories from the biggest day of the year will be all over. I love it all!

We are still in November and our kids are almost finished school down here for summer break. I will drive them crazy from December 5- the beginning of March (I would have it no other way) What are our plans during this long break you ask… hopefully something or this Mom is going to go to the crazy house :- )

Blog details…What’s New…

–We took a week to fly the coup and head up to Cancun Mexico.

–Emma celebrated her 9th Birthday (can you believe that)
–Jumped into the Christmas season in our shorts by putting up our annual funny tree.

(I forget sometimes that what we see on a daily bases has became so normal …. Things here happen very matter of fact, not alot of red tape to go through… If you need cables up, you put them up, it does not matter how…. just get them up.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE… It is easy to spot a veteran driver in the area because they are the ones who are dodging the man holes that have NO covers. I should take a picture next time I see someones tire stuck in a manhole because they didn’t see it.

We ran into an old friend here on the weekend and her front end was all dented in… (she is Panamaniam) … she was not paying attention and ran right into the back of a bus… The bus driver didn’t care and continued driving like a crazy man down the street. The accidents here are a sight. When you get stopped by the police they only ask for a drivers license … they never ask for insurance or registration (not everyone has the documentation) Why have proper information when it is cheaper to bride the cop :- )

(something else you don’t see at home. This is the VIP section at the movies. You relax and recline in a love seat, you even have your own personal waiter to serve you through out the movie. You can order sushi, rice bowls, sandwiches, snack foods, coffee and deserts and more. The price to watch a new release movie is $4.00/person. All theaters should be like this!!!)

At this movie we were the only people in the whole theater (it was mid afternoon) and we went to see 007 Quantum Solace .. James Bond. It was fun because half of the movie was filmed here in Panama. A friend of ours was an extra that got a 2 second scene with 007. All the action that were said to be of Haiti was actually Panama, the night club scenes & hotels are Panama also. Fun to see, good movie for James Bond.

Cancun Mexico…

The kids were off school for the National Holidays and since this place was a ghost town we were on the move again. It is only a 2 hour flight to Cancun from Panama which seems very short compared to our usual 12 hour + travel days. This was our first time to the touristy Cancun … last time we were in Mexico we were in Akumal when Emma was 3yrs. old.

Speaking of Emma we also celebrated her 9th birthday in Mexico…( what are we going to do when she is 13? She knows she has it good)

Cancun was great… Everyone said Cancun is touristy… yes it was! It is tourist prices, tourist shops, mega tours for tourists, even English was spoken most places, the whole shabang. To be honest though it was a welcomed way of life for a week since our travels normally are fending for ourselves to some degree trying to navigate and listening to the hairs on the back of our necks. There was even transportation from the airport to the hotel in a van that had no dents and had both front & back fenders… life is grand!

The Hotel.. Grand Parnassus: First off it is not that easy to find all-inclusives who will accommodate 3 kids & 2 adults in a room… Out all of the hundreds of resorts in Cancun I could only find 5 hotels who would allow this size of family. The set up was great, it had bunk beds with a trundle bed to keep the kids contained. Three kids is considered a large family… amazing how so many things are geared to a family of four.

The Parnassus was directly on the beach so the view from our room was magnificant, one of my favorite sounds in the world is the waves lapping onto the beach.

The Hotel REVIEW:

–room : better than I expected, again the kids had bunks and there was quite a bit of space. The beds were however quite hard. We had to have maintenace up a few times because we were creating a pool in our bathroom everytime the kids drained the bathtub… the water would come back up. The room was clean which is huge for us.

–food : The hotel had 7 resturants so the kids loved that. Each night we would try a new one. The buffet was decent, alot of (made to order) which was great. My favorite spot was the shake stand… yummy spinach shakes, the rest of my family thought they were not so great :- )

–grounds : The pool area was beautiful, it was a series of three infinity pools over looking the ocean. The adult pool was very secluded and quiet making the sunsets beautiful from here. Mini golf was lame but good for 25 min. Always an activity at night from professional shows in the theater to funny money casino even karoeoke for the whole family.

–beach : The sand was nice, the water was beautiful blue. The only problem was that there were big bolders in the water which made it a bit dangerous for the kids to body surf. When hurricane Wilma came through a few years back she really did a number on the beaches in Cancun we have been told. Our experience was good but someone who knows otherwise may be dissappointed.

–kids club : The selling feature. The kids club was fantastic, the staff was wonderful. Our kids did not want to leave there. I would take the kids to the club after breakfast and then go collect them at lunch time when they would beg me to go back after they were finished wolfing down their grub. Anyone with young kids I would highly suggest this hotel! The childcare staff who work there really like their jobs. Our kids had an advantage since they speak Spanish but other foreign kids made out pretty well. A young girl from BC was the director of the club, she was a treat to get to know.

–over all review : The hotel & food is not 5 star but the kids club made up for it. This was the easiest trip we have been on yet. I actually read a book and found myself not knowing what to do with myself at times. My kids are growing up to fast…ahhhh.

– weather : Great for my family… freezing for me… I never went into the pool or the ocean once. The heat was nice in Cancun but I am now climatized to the intense, humid, sticky heat of Panama. As I type I am sitting in my sweats and long shirt.

(our messy room… the kids are on the top bunk behind the partitioned wall. Trent was trying to hit them in the head with the football… what a great dad) :- )))))

(A view from the bed… we slept with the sliding doors open to listen to the magical sounds of the ocean)

(Everett trying to stay warm at the first of three infinity pools, it was 26 degrees out… he complains when it is 26 degrees out and complains when it is 35 degrees out… what to do with him?)

(Em taking a stroll on the beach… she is getting sooooo big)

(Easton has not changed a bit from since he was a baby. He has always loved sand, it used to run right through him he ate it so much… you crack us up Pal)

(Ev waiting for the water, he was having races with … he is a born beach bum… spending hours just playing by himself with the water and the sand)

“OUTSIDE AT THE KIDS CLUB”

(the famous KIDS CLUB – these water slides were the playground for hours a day)

(these waterslides were smoken fast… at least that is what they told me. The water was to cold to go in (even Trent said it was cold)

(playing tag … Everett was winning, no one could catch him)

“INSIDE THE KIDS CLUB”

(the huge open space was painted beautifully… it was a very alive, great place for kids to be creative)

(on this wall you can see Mowgli & Tarzan… it was a very fun place)

(I just like this picture of Everett he looks so sad in a way, but so darn cute)

(Nope not sad… here is the after shot of what happens when you put paint on the kids faces. They turn wild) they are so fun!

(everynight after dinner we went to the crepe house at the hotel for a donut or crepe with tea… the kids l-o-v-e-d this so did their daddy)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!
It was just chance the Panama holidays fell around Em’s birthday so she was estatic to go away. She asked if this could be a tradition every year for her birthday (you have to love her tenacity)

(a cake the kids club arranged… all the children played games and ate the yummy cake)

(Em felt so special… it was so nice of the ladies at the club to create a birthday party for her)

THE PIRATES ARE COMING…arrrr

My mom told us about this awesome tourist show aboard the Black Pearl with Captain Hook & Jack Sparrow. To celebrate Em’s birthday we decided to surprise the kids of a night of loud music, dancing, comical pirates, surprisingly great food and real sword fighting. It was alot of fun. Like I mentioned before Cancun has the tourist events down to a science (unlike Panama)

We boarded the ship at 6:30pm and sailed around the islands docking back at 11:30pm. It was a long night but a very memorable one for all of us. Ev was a trooper but he was pretty tired until the sword fighting began.. he was all over that.

(here is the Black Pearl setting sail)

(The kids thought Davey Jones was cool. I thought he was creepy)

(Jack Sparrow… he did Johnny Depp justice)

(the boys are ready to take on any pirate…. ARRRRRR)

(This was the kids favorite pirate… he was a little man they called TATOO… he was hilarious. We had the pleasure of being able to speak with him and he is originally from Cuba and loves his job)

(thanks for the fun mini pirates…. Happy Birthday Em!)

PARASAILING… ahhhhh

I would say I am a somewhat an adventurist and I love trying new things with the kids. Normally I would have no issues with expanding our thrill factor but this one made me a tiny bit nervous which was Everett’s fondest memory…. he prays every night to go sailing again.

This was a new kind of parasailing for me… you sore like a bird in a love seat so to speak. Trent went up with the boys and I with Emma. We were up some 300feet high for about 15 min. It was peaceful & beautiful WAY up there.

(the kids relaxing while we are getting into position for our departure)

(Trent and the boys loving the freedom of the sky)

(Em & I enjoying our ride until the wind picked up a little bit, which tipped our seat forward, making me a weeee bit unnerved. No worries though, I would just not recommend this for my mom… haha)

KIDS NIGHT AT SENIOR FROGS

Our last night the ladies at the kids club convinced us that Kids Night at Senior Frogs was tons of fun. That it was… crazy fun, except missing our ride back to the hotel (sorry honey)

Senior frogs are pros at entertaining kids… they had non stop action happening, so much action that our off spring barely sat down to eat dinner. Everyone got a state of the art balloon helmet, clowns roaming, dance contests, find the object races, balloon stomping… just one thing after another. Let us not forget the famous Senior Frog drinks.

(our funny hats… We look so stiff but there was no room to move because of the crazy balloon lids)

(nice helmets chicos)

(Ev should wear this 24/7 to keep his noggin from further injuries)

(a NFL game was on and the boys were glued to it. We still have no TV at our house so for Trent to see a game is a big TREAT)

(notice the sign that reads “kid for sale” I had no bits on my biggest kid who chanced standing on a chair to cheer on our little munchkins on stage) Senior frog drinks… wink wink)

PRESS PLAY: Here is a quick video of the contest Everett & Trent went in. Everett was to paint Trent’s face like a clown with ingredients unbenounced to Trent (ketchup, mustard & mayonnaise) It was disgusting… Our Canucks did us proud, they won the contest by audience vote… Trent won yet another Senior Frogs specials with Ev walking away with candy.

(the boys twisted their Dad’s arm to get some body art. These tatoos lasted 3 weeks… they loved them and were excited they would fade away so they can get more again)

Princess of Cancun… ready to say good-bye. It was a fun trip maybe will be back someday.

Em’s Birthday Party…

Since we were away for Emma’s actually birthday we had a girls craft day the following weekend. Em invited Luiza (Brazilian), Alex (Panamaniam) & Dion (from Venezuela)

Funny story about Dion’s Dad. We had never officially met him, I had seen him at school but never introduced myself. He brought Dion over one afternoon, walked into our house and sat down. He speaks NO english and Trent & I together can get by with our Spang-glish. It was an interesting conversation. Their family moved from Venezuala last year and it was very facinating hearing his perspective of the political situation there and the stories to go along with it. We have no concept of what it is like to live in a country where you are not free to speak, act or do as you please.

(Dion.. Emma… Luiza – to much Spanish was flying out of their mouths. I was having a hard time trying to keep up)

(we spent four hours making braclets, necklaces and jewlery boxes. It was fun but I was tired)

(Emma wanted a Hanna Montana cake so bad. We had to impervise. Emma was Hanna Montana for halloween so we decorated the cake with Emma Montana. Trent baked the cake (thanks honey) and I decorated. The joys of living down here, you don’t get all the amenities like back home.

(Gotcha!!! … Happy Birthday Sweets)

Christmas Time…

I have mentioned that the decorations in the stores here are beautiful. Even my mom was in awe when I took her to the store in October. The rows are arranged by colors. I took a few pictures to try to show you but I was caught and told NO PICTURES by the lady who was hot on my tail. This is just a small climps that I could capture, not the greatest illustration but you will get the point.

(a quick snapshot before I was caught taking pictures of the blue & green isle)

(the copper & gold isle… our tree got a little bit of every color. There are rows of purple, silver (my favorite) lime green, dark green, red (another favorite) multicolor… so many decorations to choose from)

PRESS PLAY: A quick video to show an isle of ordaments… it is only 21 seconds, I got caught so I could not video anymore.

TREE TIME…

Like every year the kids get to roam the isles and pick 5 decorations each to make our tree. Last year we left Panama bound for Canada mid December so we gave Elia (our maid) our tree & decorations. This year we started from scratch again.

The kids LOVE going to the store and picking out a mish mosh of ordaments.

(hello my little elves it is time to get busy)

(Em’s big decoration this year was the ribbon, she was insistant on picking it and putting it on the tree by herself… looks beautiful cuttie)

(our finished amazingly, festive tree for 2008. The kids are so proud of their tree. Trent picked and arranged the lights (good job) After the lights the kids got into action, they decorated the tree all by themselves… this is their masterpiece)

Baby News….

We are so happy for my cousin George and his girlfriend Mel who are expecting a baby in the new year .. It is going to be a GIRL! Very exciting… My cousin Lori says she is going to be a HOT Auntie… love you Lor xooxox

Wedding news…

Congratulations to my second cousin Dave Sandusky (my Dad’s cousin) & his future wife Heather. They will be tying the knot in February of 2009. Beautiful picture… congrats!!!

Well I think this blog is long enough…. Thanks for following our story. This site helps family and friends whom we can’t see every week see the kids growing like weeds.

It is also fun to share some funny tib bits… We found egg nog the other day (that was exciting) you never know what you get when you walk into the grocery store. Zucchini has been scarce and vanilla yogurt sometimes is impossible to find. Small funny things.

Merry Christmas.
Enjoy the holiday season and celebrate every day you have with your loved ones.

all our love from down south.

Trent. Jody* Emma * Easton * Everett
xoxoxo