Mexico

The entire Egbert family (minus Garrett) went to Mexico in October. We had been looking forward to it forever. We don't all get to be together very often since Jon and Jenny still live out of state. We left on a Saturday morning, and after many hours on the plane, in the airport, causing a scene with so many of us, we finally arrived in Cancun. We went straight to the beach! Conner found his old lifeguard friend, Pavel and believe it or not, he remembered Conner and the family from two years ago! He said he received our letter, picture, and Book of Mormon we sent him two years ago. Unfortunately, he said he had misplaced the book, but he had the picture hanging up on his corkboard at home. It was a great reunion. He told us all to come back to release baby turtles that night. We would be the first in line! That night, the hotel had a mexican fiesta and all the kids got a turn swinging at a pinata.

 It was fun to have Jon and Jenny's family there!

Sunday we went to church. Unfortunately, we got the time wrong and missed the primary program. What a bummer! So, we took a picture and headed back. We stopped at Wal Mart  and Home Depot to stock up on beach toys and umbrellas for the week. After lunch, we went out to the beach for a calm Sabbath day relaxing in the sun.

After dinner that night, we stayed around chatting together forever. It was so fun to catch up with everyone. The little girls entertained us all with their choreographed singing and dancing routines to Lady Gaga, Miley Cirus, and Carly Rae Jepsen. Rylee was the lead singer, with Dylan and Londyn as her back-up singers/dancers. It was hilarious. When we got back to the room that night, Conner noticed that his wedding ring was missing. He had taken it off before we went down to the beach and couldn't remember if he put it back on for dinner or not. We searched all week and never found it. It was a sad day when we had to leave Mexico knowing that it had probably been pawned for 200 pesos!

Monday we were back in the water: pool, beach, water aerobics, walks on the beack, and just lounging. It was fabulous.

Monday night we went to the mall across the street, La Isla. We did a little window shopping, and Conner bought a soccer jersey. An England soccer jersey. Kinda funny since we were in Mexico after all, but he loves it! After shopping, we went back to the hotel for a fancy dinner. We usually ate at the buffet, but we made a special reservation and all of the kids and spouses had a night out while Grammy and Papa watched ALL of the grandchildren. It was great!

Tuesday was an adventurous day. 20 of us packed into Armando's 15 passenger van and went to the Crocodile Zoo. Armando took us to our hotel from the airport on Saturday and we pretty much hired him for the week.

We learned all about crocodiles and other Mexican wildlife while at the zoo. Our guide was great.

Did you know that a crocodile's tongue is actually connected to the bottom of their mouth?

And they have somewhat of an epiglottis that allows them to catch prey without swallowing a bunch of water.

A few of us chose to hold the little guy...

Blakely was a trooper despite the suffocating humididty.

We held snakes too!

And fed monkeys....

And deer. (Not quite as exciting as swinging monkeys).

The girls entertained us with more American pop songs during the drive.

They even sang Karaoke in front of everyone in the hotel lounge one night.

We really crammed ourselves into that van!

We then went to Playa del Carmen where we ate at a local restaurant that Armando recommended  It was delicious! Then we shopped the streets for souvenirs.  We got a wooden skull to decorate our house for Halloween and I bought some overpriced earrings.

We were all tired and hot after shopping around so we headed back to get some beach time. We found Pavel digging for more turtles that had recently hatched. He retrieved 120 turtles from underneath the sand. It was incredible! That night, Conner and I went down to release more turtles into the water. It was so fun!

Wednesday was another relaxing day. We spent all day at the beach and the pool. That night we went to Senor Frogs. Taking 8 children and 11 non-drinking adults to Senor Frogs may not have been the best choice we made on the trip. I think next time we'll stick to the buffet. Things got a little crazy when they lit fireworks and were screaming happy birthday wishes to Jon. This is all before they threw a cream pie in his face. The kids were scared to death!

Thursday we went to Akumal. It was a beautiful little town with a beach that was so shallow you could walk out 100 feet before you had to start swimming. It was perfect for snorkeling. We saw numerous sea turtles and a sting ray. We ate lunch at a little restaurant overlooking the ocean. It was beautiful. While we were there, Conner and I shopped at the local stores. We got a wooden serving bowl for guacamole, salsa, and sour cream.

After a full day of sun, we headed back to the hotel for another fancy dinner with Mom, Dad, Julianne and Marissa. We knew to look forward to the cheese rolls since we ate so many the previous visit. After dinner, Conner took me by surprise when he pulled me out onto the dance floor. There WASN'T a dance floor. That was what was so romantic about it. We danced to the beautiful live music while everyone watched! Maybe he's more of a romantic than I thought!

Friday was our last day so we took advantage of our last hours in the sun. Conner talked to Pavel forever. Pavel shared his sad life story with Conner. He had a son who died of leukemia, and family members who had been killed by the drug cartels. He was shot in the foot in a drive by shooting-that is when he decided to leave his home and move to Cancun. Conner told him we would be sending the missionaries to his house and bore his testimony to him that he would see his son again some day. We hope that the missionaries find him and that he listens to their message. He would benefit so much from having the gospel in his life!

For dinner we went on Captain Hook's pirate ship. We boarded the ship, sailed out to sea, the kids dressed like pirates and played pirate games, ate a surf and turf dinner, had a battle with another ship, and the rest of the ship had a dance party on the way back. By the end of a long week in the sun, I think we had lost all motivation to participate in the dance party.

We packed up the next morning and headed home. It was a fabulous trip. Thanks to Mom and Dad for making it all possible!

My dad had to get some authentic crocodile cowboy boots to wear when riding his horses. He thinks he's a true cowboy!