7th

Now to bring you up to speed on Action.

He is 12 1/2 years old and just started 7th grade.

School is definitely not his favorite place to be and his lack of organization skills doesn't help, but we work hard to help him do his best.

He doesn't really like to read, but he did devour The Treasure Hunters series by James Patterson this summer ~ helps that it was interesting and a bit of an easy read for him!

He still has dimples that can light up a room.

Enjoys playing golf, baseball and football.

He is definitely an almost teenage boy and can find humor in the silliest things....objects and smells....I know, disgusting!

Much to his dad's chagrin, he likes to stick up for me!

He was gifted a remote control boat this summer and it has been the best thing ever!  He really enjoys driving it around the pond behind our house.  Only downer was when it ran out of battery power in the middle of the pond.  While he really wanted me to put on hubby's waders and walk in and get it,  I let him do a little brainstorming and figure it out himself.  It was fun watching him use his resources to solve the problem!

He enjoys playing with friends, going on bike rides and spending time on our actual boat.

I love his tender, loving, relaxed (although sometimes lazy) personality!

Puerto Vallarta ~ Part 3 ~ The Final Chapter

Onto the final chapter.....

Thursday, the girls hung out with another family and did a little shopping while Hubby, 

Action and I went zip-lining.  Action was feeling MUCH better and was excited to have his turn.  

The three of us had a blast ~ it's a bit invigorating to find yourself flying through the trees and over a river on a beautiful, warm, sunshiny day.

Friday ~ kind of a sad day ~ our last full day in Puerto Vallarta.....

Since Hubby, Action and I missed out on walking around and shopping a bit, we decided to to that on Friday morning with the Sassy and Smiley.   It just so happened that Friday wasn't just any Friday, it was Good Friday.  We took a taxi to the Malecon.  The Malecon is basically a boardwalk with lots of little shops and interesting sculptures.  On this particular day, there were also lot sand sculptures.  

This was one of them:

very cool!

There were also stations of the cross set up along the walk as well.  

I was very impressed and know fully that this would offend people in the US and most likely would not be permitted.

We continued walking and enjoying the culture.

Personally, I loved the architechure.

We also were able to visit this beautiful church, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. 

There was a Good Friday service in progress, so we just stood in the back and admired the inside of the church.

Sassy and Smiley had also gone in the day before when they were shopping with friends, and just like then, 

Smiley felt the need to kneel down and pray.

When we were finished, we headed back to the resort to enjoy our last day in the warm sun.....

(lots of handstands were performed in the pool)

Saturday we headed home.  

After a flight cancellation and an unexpected overnight in a hotel in LA, this is how we spent Easter Morning ~ 5:30am at LAX.  It was an adventure to get home, but we eventually made it.

This vacation was a much needed break from the run-around of our everyday lives.  

The hustle and bustle of school, work, sports and daily life.  

We had such a great time and made some awesome memories with each other and with our friends.

Puerto Vallarta ~ Part 2

I will just continue where I left off yesterday......

Wednesday.

Wednesday we had scheduled a dolphin swim experience (through this company, which I would definitely recommend). Two other families in our group were scheduled for the same time.  We all set off to create some lasting memories.  As we waited for our opportunity to interact and swim with the dolphins, the kids were able to hold a monkey (Smiley wasn't so sure about it, so she opted out):

Finally, our wait was over. After some brief instructions as a large group, we were separated by families with our respective dolphin and trainer.  We got in the water with the dolphin  (ours was a male) where we were able to  learn about him, "pet" him, dance with him, get and give a kiss, get him to "sing", do a few tricks (act like a shark, wave, have a water fight, blow bubbles) and ultimately we were given a ride by this amazing creature.  For me, this was a highlight of our trip, something I have always wanted to do that I can now cross off the bucket list.

After our dolphin experience, we were able to pick and purchase some pictures and a short video of our time with the dolphin.  While we were waiting for those to print, the kids were once again able to hold another animal, this time a parrot.  

We headed back to the resort and the rest of the day was spent relaxing by the pool.

Come back tomorrow for the final chapter......