Celebrating our 10 year anniversary in Mazatlan!

We left for Mexico on Monday the 15th and after a long day of traveling enjoyed 7 sun filled days at the Emerald Bay in Mazatlan. We brought the kids but we also brought my cousin Teale and her boyfriend Dan to help with them so we could enjoy a few nights to ourselves. We had separate rooms and even though Jalen slept between us every night the girls had a few sleepovers in their room which they loved. We spent most of our days at the pool just relaxing, swimming and splashing in the ocean. Our long time friend Benjamin who lives in Mazatlan took us on a tour of the city, shopping in the Golden Zone, to see the Church of the Immaculate Conception and for a BBQ (they call carne asada in Spanish). We got to spend time with his wife Grace and two kids also named Benjamin (Junior) and Grace (they call her little Grace). It was amazing for the girls to see the "real" Mexico and not just the beautiful resort we were in. Benjamin's family took us to dinner one night at a "local" restaurant that tourists did not go to and the food was amazing authentic Mexican food. It is completely different than our version of Mexican food but also better! We treated 11 people to dinner and drinks and the entire bill was only $38.00! Jamie and I went to dinner a few times at the resort and enjoyed good food and beautiful sunsets over looking the beach....but paid way more than $38.oo! We were in the the pool so much that Jalen came back a little swimmer! He loves jumping and will put his head under and swim back and forth from side to side. It's a little scary now though because he has no fear so we can't take our eyes off of him! The girls also perfected their swimming as well as underwater back flips and handstands. They of course got their hair braided, painted the pottery and bought plenty of handmade necklaces and earrings and even little purses made out of candy wrappers. They loved the water bar and drank their share of smoothies and we had to order the fresh guacamole everyday...just because we were in Mexico! On Sunday we decided to go to the water park Mazaguas. No joke we were the ONLY Americans there and no one spoke English and all the signs were in Spanish. It is definitely not a tourist attraction! The crazy thing about it though is there are no rules or regulations in Mexico. There are no height restrictions or requirements, people run to get ahead of you in line, and all the slides are made of cement so if the paint happens to be chipped away you will come off with a nice little scratch on your back (which we did!) The girls favorite part was the zip line and they actually had a great little kids area with small slides and waterfalls. Let's just say it was no Disney water park! But then again it was only $9.00 per person to get it so I guess you get what you pay for! It was great having Teale and Dan along...the girls and Jalen both loved playing the water with them, and Jalen liked to take Dan to the pond to look at the fish and the iguanas. It was a perfect mix of getting to spend time with the kids during the day and then enjoy some quiet walks and meals at the end of the day. It was great to be able to celebrate our 10th anniversary there...it has special meaning to us since that is where Jamie proposed to me 11 years ago. It is fun to reflect back...but I am so grateful for the life we have now...our sweet kids and each other, and although we hit some rough patches in the years in between we wouldn't change a thing...it brought us closer together and to the happiness we have today.

Portraits

I have been trying to get a picture of each of the kids without it looking posed. This is next to impossible for two reasons...one the girls LOVE the camera so literally whenever I pull it out they stop everything they are doing and pose like they are Hannah Montana doing a photo shoot. The second reason would be Jalen...he also likes the camera (he holds his finger up and says "mo more" which translates "one more") but his pose consists of becoming the biggest ham...he tilts his chin up, opens his mouth in the biggest grin you've seen and squints his eyes so they're half closed. Neither of these methods make for very natural looking photos. I literally carried the camera around with me all weekend and here's what I got. The girls took several cute ones and after almost giving up on Jalen I decided to switch lenses. I put on my telephoto zoom lens which I rarely use only because it's so big and the last thing I want to carry around on top of the kids other gear is a huge camera bag. However, for around the house or special occasions I have become a fan. I was able to be far enough away from Jalen that he wasn't aware I was taking his picture and those were the ones that turned out the best. Doing this in the brightest light of the day made it a little tougher as well to get the lighting right but I'll take what I can get! Any guesses on which pictures of Jalen was taken with the regular lens and which ones were taken with the zoom? That is a joke of course since it could not be more obvious. So from now on you'll catch me hiding behind trees, cars, houses and whatever else so I can attempt to capture that "natural" looking photo! The girls are my next mission so stay tuned...

Fun in the Sun

Finally!! We had a weekend with PERFECT weather! Between softball games, birthday parties (Happy Birthday Lace!)and the annual garage sale we were able to get some fun time in the yard. The kids played between Jalen's new giraffe pool, the neighbors pool, the trampoline and the play structure. I was able to get a few flowers planted...how is it that you leave the nursery after spending $100 and way more flowers than you think you'll need yet when you get the pots full there are no more flowers for the ground? It happens every year and is so frustrating...since I don't exactly "enjoy" playing in the dirt I'd rather just get it over with all at once. I definitely did not get my mom's (or mother-in-law's) green thumb! I can do it and make it look pretty but it is by no means my "outlet" as they call it...I can think of way better places to make my outlet...the mall, pedicures, even sitting outside at Starbucks on a sunny afternoon! But I suppose if you have to work in the yard it doesn't get much better than 80 degrees with little kids laughter in the back ground...plus I got a little tan out of it! We are keeping our fingers crossed for the sun to shine this next weekend...but it is Memorial Day in Oregon so my hopes aren't too high.

Such a Lucky Mom

It's days like today that make me think I have the sweetest kids and husband around. (ask me tomorrow and I may think differently!) My day started with Jamie bringing me Starbucks in bed and then I had very specific directions from the girls to STAY in bed. I think that's the first time in almost two years that I stayed in bed past 7:30 so it was very much appreciated. The girls made me some "fairy queen quiches" with a little help from Daddy and Jalen and then delivered them to me for a very yummy breakfast in bed. Jamie got me a new orange Cole Haan purse which is an upgrade from my last Target one! Ellie made me a dream catcher with a poem attached that read...

My Mom is...
As generous as an angel
As playful as a puppy
As beautiful as an amethyst
I love my mom

Lily made me a beautiful picture of a vase with flowers that she had painted and cut out to go inside. The girls also gave me a much needed new pair of jeans and a cute shirt (I think they had a little help with that as well :)

We made our rounds to both grandparents to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day and while at my parents we also celebrated Lacey and Jalen's birthday since my mom is leaving on the 18th for her spiritual pilgrimage to Medjugorje. It was a special day and I am so blessed to be surrounded by such incredible family!

Mother's Day Luncheon

The girls and I went to the annual Mother's Day Lunch at our church along with my mom, Lacey and Tristan and Grandma Elsa. It was the first outing with Tristan and he was an angel. My mom had decorated one of the tables and it turned out beautiful! All the little girls looked so cute all dressed up! They had a cake walk and a craft for the girls, and we had a wonderful speaker who was so inspirational. I know Mother's Day is to celebrate all mothers, but it is always this day that I feel so incredibly blessed to have the sweet, healthy, kind, loving children that I do!

Tristan Ryder Prueitt Is Here!

Lacey was scheduled to be induced this morning at 6:45 but that little boy didn't want to wait that long! She went up to the hospital at 11:30 and at 4:52 delivered a healthy beautiful baby boy. It was the first time I have ever seen a baby born (I have always been on the other side of that bed!) and it is truly one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. It is such a miracle, I don't know how people could not believe in God after witnessing something that incredible. They named him Tristan Ryder and he weighed 8 pounds 14 ounces and was 20 inches long. I brought the kids back up to the hospital later in the day to meet their new cousin and they were absolutely in love with him. The girls each took their turn holding him, and Jalen gave him plenty of kisses. We are so happy he is finally here and thank you Lace for letting me be a part of such a special day.