Bountiful Blessings

Braden is thankful for his cousins, so it seemed fitting that Sydney and Kendall slept over the night before Thanksgiving. We enjoyed spending time with Uncle CJ, Aunt Sandy, Sydney, Kendall and Lyla while they came to southern California for a few days.

There's never a lack of giggling when these kids are together.

They even remembered to polish their chops before bedtime.
Somebody managed to sneak out of bed and almost did so without getting caught!

After a busy, fun-filled afternoon, they claimed they were really tired. They chose to line up sleeping bags on the floor and said they'd fall asleep right away...

Matt came in to give them all a bit of a scare!

On our way to Gramma and Papa's for Thanksgiving dinner, the trio rocked out in the backseat.

We celebrated Papa's birthday on Thanksgiving. These kids sure are thankful for Papa! Happy birthday to Lyla too! A healthy, happy family is what we are most grateful for. We are so blessed!

South of the Border

Braden wanted a vacation from his busy life, so we decided to take a cruise to the Mexican Riviera for a week.

Our rig was well-equipped with tons of activities to do and endless food 24/7.

Braden's buddies, Landin and Keegan, vacationed with us. The boys had fun from the moment we boarded the ship.
The boys discovered that the kids' club was much more fun than joining us for fancy dinners.
I had to get a firm grip on Braden if I wanted him to stall for a photo.

So great to spend time as a family!

First stop...Cabo San Lucas.

A chance to have a gold pirate point a gun at Braden's head with a hook around his neck? Couldn't pass up that kind of opportunity!

Looking for a beach to display some muscles!

Had to make a stop before hitting the beautiful beach...The boys wanted a souvenir.

The mask/cape combo definitely makes muscles look bigger!

We were finally ready to walk to the beach....

Just a quick stop to pose with some green creatures!

These boys sure do get distracted easily. Keegan looked apprehensive about Braden's tattoo. Some random guy doing tattoos on the beach? Yeah, that sounds like a safe idea.

Can't wait to look back on this photo in 10 years! Hope those tattoos fade by then!

What a sheltered life he's lived...First time on a boat!

Braden, Landin, and Keegan became friends while playing on the Silver Knights together. The boys found a soccer ball on a beach in Puerto Vallarta and had fun kicking it around.

The backdrop was just a little nicer than the soccer field we spend many Saturdays at!

We are spoiled with having beaches near home...

but we could get used to this crystal blue water and the warm breezes!

But could we get used to these?!

Braden was eager to zipline with us in the jungle.

We talked Preston, Kessly, Chris, Kylee, and Taylor into the crazy idea.

In hindsight, hanging upside down was probably a bad idea.

We all had a blast on this adventure!

Braden had a hard time deciding what was better...the ziplining or the fact that Cheetos were sold in this remote jungle!

Our driver stopped off at a tequila factory that was embedded in the mountains. Braden didn't seem to like the pure agave shot he was given. Supposedly it is delicious on pancakes, but guess we'll stick to Aunt Jemima.

Looks like he's ready to play in a mariachi band...or maybe prepping for a standoff?

Braden wanted to take this giant sling shot home.

Ole!

We found replicas of the giant hand-carved sling shot on the streets of Puerto Vallarta, so we figured they'd make ideal marshmallow shooters....hard to find marshmallows around here though.

Couldn't find marshmallows, but we did find this donkey for our little caballero.

My only request for the trip....an occasional family photo. I don't ask for much.

I mistook this photo for a pool shot. Braden and Matt are actually in the ocean. The beautiful, clear water was deceiving!

Could we go on vacation without bringing a puzzle? Nope! Braden and Matt put together this one while chilling in our cabin.

This is the definition of 'delirious' in the form of a picture.

Braden and Landin were waiting for the family comedy show to begin...guess it wasn't entertaining enough for Braden. He asked to go back to the room to go to bed!

Heading to dinner....feeling like we had just eaten...that was a common theme all week!

The ship offered nonstop excitement...The water park was just one enticing feature!

A crowded Jacuzzi? Not my thing. Matt and Braden, on the other hand, enjoyed the mush pot.

Hard to pass up an opportunity to dress as a pirate!

The giant water slide can take care of all that face paint!

Braden loved the miniature golf onboard. Nice view!

The course actually offered fun for the whole family!

After a week of stunningly gorgeous weather, a rain storm struck on our way home. Clearly, this didn't stop our wild bunch of boys from playing a beanbag game outside.

Braden flashed a half-hearted smile from the balcony off our room as we cruised home.