tales from a far-land

By March of this year, we had finally fallen into a good family groove with all of our kids' activities and school work.   Madilyn most nights of the week would have some sort of cheer practice.  She would either have her team practice or she would go extra nights to work more on her stunts.  Somewhere in-between all of the time at the gym, she would study for spelling tests. grammar tests and complete her homework, usually for math or science.  Then, on the weekends, she would either have more practice or a competition.   Aiden's schedule for the week consisted of lacrosse practice two nights a week with three games on Saturday.  He would then have flag football practice one week day night with his games on Friday night.   Both kids would also have Religious School every Sunday at the synagogue in the mornings.  Our weeks were packed, but we found a good rhythm and it worked for us. However, it made it even more meaningful when we ...

In March for the kids' spring break, we decided to take an international adventure for the first time in over a eighteen months.  With the travel vouchers we had from a cancelled trip due to COVID-19, we decided to travel to Cancun, Mexico.  Our friends, the Godbeheres, allowed us to use their elite membership at the all-inclusive resort  Moon Palace Sunrise .  We cannot thank them enough for the amazing time we had as a family.  With their membership, we were able to not only visit the Sunrise Resort, but the sister property, The Grand at Moon Palace.  It had everything that we could hope for -- swimming, bowling, a waterpark, an arcade, FlowRider, golf, tennis, a top-notch spa, nightly entertainment, restaurants galore, and plenty of sunshine.  The kids really enjoyed ordering in room service and having some autonomy to roam around the resort without their parents.  Josh and I loved that we were able to have a couple of date nights and some much...

On the final Saturday of the kids' spring break, we had the opportunity to attend an Arizona Coyotes hockey game.  Thank you, Delta Dental!  This was the kids first hockey game.  They loved it!  Surprisingly, of both kids, Madilyn loved it the most.  From the drop of the puck in the first period, she sat intently watching the game.  She only left her seat a couple of times to visit the restroom or have a snack break.  I loved watching her watch the game.  She was so into it.  Sadly, the Coyotes lost, but not without trying.  The game ended in sudden death during overtime.  What a fun night out for our family!

On our last night of vacation, we decided to do a family photo shoot.  We had to take advantage of the beautiful scenery.  Thank you, Christy, for being our photographer!  We really appreciate it.  It will definitely be a vacation we will soon not forget!

 While on vacation in Punta Cana, you could find our kids at one of three places, the Explorer's Club, the beach or in the swimming pools.  They love to swim and this pool was extra cool because it had an inflatable iceberg for them to climb and rope swings for them to enjoy.  I am so glad they enjoyed their vacation, too! My little swimmers Swinging Daddy and Aiden Climbing the inflatable iceberg