Fall break 2022 is a closed chapter in our book with more pictures than I can count! Our kids loved our fall break last year to San Francisco and we were looking forward to a similar trip this year. However, with the airlines being as expensive and unreliable as they have been, we opted for a vacation within driving distance. When our friends suggested Mexico with them we knew we had our plan.
We used to go to Mexico frequently with friends and then the kids got older and it became harder to miss school and weekend activities/sports. In fact it’s been two years since we’ve been able to make it work. We have such fond memories of our time with our friends on this beach, we were happy to make this happen at least one more time before all those little kids we once wrangled on the beach grow up and start to move on.
The area we like to visit is a surprisingly empty beach. We have the whole thing to ourselves and it’s beautiful. October is the perfect season because the water is nice and warm – even I like getting in! The kids wake up early and play hard (Although I’m not sure Hallie made it up by 11 except the day we were leaving!). When the kids were younger, they would wear out much faster and we often found ourselves relaxing in the beach house during the afternoon. Now that the kids are older, they just played. Even when we suggested they stay inside for a bit after lunch, they were ready to get back outside.
We experienced one really high tide day and the waves were crashing into the sea wall. We were all out in the waves having the best time getting tossed around on the paddle boards. When the waves finally subsided it was perfect skim board conditions. By the afternoon, we were out playing games in the sand and settling in to enjoy a beautiful sunset. The perfect day.
This trip, once a labor of love, has finally turned the corner to completely enjoyable as all the kids are independent and can entertain themselves with little effort – added bonus, they can put their own sunscreen on. Vacations just become more fun!
Life is a little different than it was a week and a half ago when we landed on the beach. And now that we’re home all day without any obligations I’ve been going through photos.
Spring time in Mexico (where we go) is warm-ish. The water was chilly but that didn’t stop the kids from taking a couple plunges. We spent time searching the tide pools – all sorts of fun treasures and creatures were discovered. Funny enough – the majority of all the kid’s time was spent on a large sand hill on the empty lot next to our beach house. The amount of sand the kids must have swallowed from laughing all the way down is undetermined. The first thing they did every morning was run to the hill – it was also the last thing we did every night.
Even on the day it rained on us – the kids were riding boogie boards down the sand hill. There were some good spills (me included, which there is video evidence of!) – it made for some great entertainment.
We played soccer and football. We had races and long jump contests. The adults stayed up late and the kids got up early. (not a great combination!) We played a lot of games. The little kids colored. We had movie nights.
I looked around the room on multiple occasions grateful for the people in our circle – our little village. They are some great people and my kids don’t like experiencing life without them.
We played hard – we usually do. And we all left dirty, tired and sand in every crevice.
Because there’s always so many “favorites” from our Mexico trip, it usually requires more than one post!
Everyday, vendors come up and down the beach selling their products – this is ideal because we get all the souvenirs we need without ever leaving the house. We enjoyed our daily mango beach vendor and all the kids managed to find the perfect sunglasses from another vendor. There were bracelets, hammocks and hats – everything showed up at the beach and between all the families, there was usually somebody buying something!
This little spot on the Mexico beach has our heart and our time to enjoy it is never long enough. We’re grateful for friends who love it just as much as we do and are always up for another trip!
Each time this trip gets a little better. This time, Briggs was potty trained which meant we weren’t dealing with swim diapers and such. Not to mention he can walk up and down the steep incline to the beach house which is a game changer. The kids stayed entertained for hours and Steve and I played beach games. Have I mentioned we’re in a good stage of life right now!?
And I include this picture because even in our happy place, we have these moments. The moment when you have one shovel but you really wanted two. The moment when you think two naps on a beach day would be better than one!
