Thankful in Cancun!

At 4, this girl all ready knows how to vacation!

In light of the recent exciting news, I almost forgot about the wonderful and relaxing eight days we spent in Cancun for Thanksgiving. And, thankful we were...for the warmth of the sun; for the indulgence of fine food and drink; for the evening of pampering massages for the adults; but mostly thankful that our Devi’s noggin was going to be okay.

The day before we left, she slipped on a patch of ice in our driveway, hitting her head and knocking herself out cold. Coming to in daddy’s arms lead to a seizure and a trip to the ER to be checked out. Having just received 6 immunizations two days earlier at her 4 year old check up, doctors were not her favorite people making her behavior at the hospital....well, the word hysterical comes to mind - a first, for our typically jovial girl. We got the green light to travel, with a thick cautionary pamphlet of information about head injuries. I must have asked the doctor eight times, “Would you travel with your child under these circumstances?” before I was convinced it would be okay.

She swims! Devi's first trip swimming unassisted.

Stealing daddy's hat is so funny!

Proof! She really is the best napper.

To give the highlights, this is the first trip we’ve taken that Devi has decided that napping on the pool deck was really a good idea. Typically, we would take her back to our room, but on this trip, around 11am each day, much to the envy of the other nearby parents, Devi would ask to take a nap. She then preceded to leave her newly acquired friends playing, climbed into a shade covered beach lounger, covered herself with towel and would close her eyes and sleep for a good couple of hours. Blowing on my fingernails and buffing them on the shoulder of my shirt (as if I had something to do with this), I do take a teeny bit of credit, but from day one, God saved our sanity by granting us an easy kid...an excellent traveler.

Devi soon charmed the bartenders and by weeks end they knew to have a nice supply of maraschino cherries and apple juice at the ready. Daddy and I sipped one or two banana monkeys (wink, wink), adding a drizzle of chocolate on top as our signature. The food was great - nothing compares to fresh guacamole and tomatillo sauce, liberally applied to everything! The highlight was Japanese style wok cooking table side which was a thrill for all of us. Japanese food in Mexico? I know it sounds odd, but this all-inclusive resort had seven great restaurants, serving all types of food, Italian and wood-fire pizzas too! Yum.

Seeing the world through rose colored goggles?

Higher daddy! Throw me higher!

Unknown to us, the UN conference on global warming was occurring at the same time as our visit, making excursions away from the resort near impossible. Due to the heightened security, the smallest of drives took hours. Luckily, we were quite content to stay put at Cancun Palace and just swim, play in the sand and relax, which included a wonderful therapeutic massage for Pat and I. Devi’s special evening was earning the opportunity to stay up until 9pm for the fire show one night. She worked so hard, eating good meals - even taking an extra nap, all in anticipation of watching dancing girls and swirling flames set to drum music. Dev chose seats in the front row chatting nervously with everyone around us in anticipation of the show. As luck would have it, just 3 minutes into the introduction, she was out like a light, before a single flame was lit. Nice try pumpkin pie. She did however experience the circus show and a night of dancing, both events scheduled for earlier in the evening.

Swimming! This is the first trip where Devi really swam all by herself. It was so fun to watch the deliberate movement of her arms and legs, visible signs that the hours of swimming lessons are paying off. This said, lets face the facts. When she stops propelling herself forward, down she goes, buoyancy being what it is in a girl with no extra body fat. She is still sporting an 18 month sized bathing suit!

Night of the fire show that she didn't see.

Coming back...yes. Enough said.

Filled with revitalizing quantities of sun induced vitamin D, we realized just how much we needed to escape from the stresses at home. It was a wonderful excursion taken just in the nick of time. Now home, we can enjoy the upcoming end of the year holidays and prepare for the next adventure. India anyone?

Away for some R&R, someone is still always on our minds.