Mexico!! Getting there.

Back in January Greg and I, on a whim, looked up plane tickets to Mexico and were amazed to see how cheap a roundtrip flight was - So, we booked a trip to Puerto Vallarta! The time had finally arrived for us to depart on April 19.

Mark and Kathy agreed to watch the girls all week long (bless them!) and it was a little sad to leave them at the airport, well, at least one of them. Sofia was crying and when I told Claire "bye," without even looking at me, she said, "your head is in the way." Yep, distance would be good for both of us. 🤣

We arrived in plenty of time. We had heard horror stories about how horrible it was getting through the new layout of the Salt Lake Airport, but we were thrilled to see that our terminal was one of the first after getting through security, so we had time to spare. Being a Monday, the place was not crowded at all. 

Putting on a brave face before going our separate ways.

It was so cool to fly over the Grand Canyon! Even though I grew up close to it, I never went. My dad always had a nightmare one of us would fall in, so he never took us. Now Greg and I can both say we've seen it :).

We made it!

And I did the exact opposite of what Greg told me to do and got suckered into talking to one of those salesman guys right after security. Greg grumbled all week, but the deal we got paid off tenfold! 

We took a taxi to our resort and this was my view while Greg checked us in. 

The view from our room.

Mexico was not exactly how I imagined it to be. Honestly, once we got off the airplane, I felt like we were in California. But, the warm weather was amazing and it was so much fun to be in a new place with my Greggy. We walked around Monday evening, taking in the new sites and exploring our resort. It was so much fun and I was soaking it all in!

Greg relocated a plantain. It wasn't ripe yet.

The colors in Mexico were so vibrant and I loved being able to hear the ocean wherever we went. I grew up in the mountains and love them with my whole heart, but there is something surreal about the ocean. I love it more and more each time I visit.

We had dinner that night at at the hotel restaurant. The food was sub par, but filling. Afterwards, we saw a snake while walking on the beach. Greg was thrilled!

A Dance Recital and Birthday Party

The party kept going for Sofia! She had a dance recital and birthday party all in one weekend and she soaked up the excitement like a sponge.

She had a fun friend party Friday night. Friends came over in their favorite jammies, decorated cupcakes and watched a movie. Sof was so excited to have friends over she didn't know what to do! The highlight was having her cousins Lexi and Baya drive all the way up from Lehi - thanks Tiff!

The cute little 3 year olds at their special table.

Saturday was Sof's dance recital. The theme was "Peter Pan" and she was a mermaid - so fitting! She has been so cute to watch as she has thrived in her dance class this year. It was a rocky start finding the right place for her, but when she walked into this class she never looked back. She made some really fun dance friends and it was fun to watch her confidence bloom. She is quite the little dancer and has very good musical technique, if I do say so myself :).

I was able to go to the dress rehearsal, so Claire and I once again stayed home on the couch so Greg could go and see the performance. We were provided with a live link to watch from home, so it was fun to know Sof's grandparent's across the state were watching her. She did so well!

Cheering from the couch.

On another exciting note ... Cherry Hill is open!! 

Sofia turns 6!!

Sofia Lu turned 6 and what a week it was! She is such a joy to be around and lives each day with gusto!

Sof may be a picky eater, but she is a lover of all homemade breads! She requested homemade cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

Boondocks for Birthday Bowling.

Sof loves nothing more than being surrounded by family! She is one lucky little girl.

Sof's rainbow troll cake! 3 layers of pure sugar.

The cute cousin table!

Claire lives her best life in the background when no one is watching.

I waited until the literal last minute to get 2 day shipping on Sof's birthday gift, and it didn't show up until 7:00pm on her birthday, but she was thrilled nonetheless. For some reason her birthday is always chilly, but she was so happy to rider her brand new pink EZ-rider.

I was laughing pretty good at Sof's lazy stroll the morning after her birthday with her new kitty and EZ-rider.