Costa Rica

WARNING - In this post I'm going to shamelessly brag about our trip to Costa Rica.  If you don't want to hear about it or haven't had a good vacation recently, I wouldn't continue reading.

We are lucky.  I mean really lucky.  My brother (Josh M) works for a company called Exclusive Resorts.  Part of being an employee (a very good employee) is that he gets to stay at incredible properties around the world.  We have been fortunate enough to visit some of the properties with him and it's always an amazing first class experience.  The more amazing part is that he always invites family to join him on these trips.  This year he invited us to Costa Rica and we were able to say yes.  We joined Josh M, my other brother Josh S, and our cousin Chelsey.  We stayed in Peninsula Papagayo (Guanacaste) which is 30 minutes away from the Liberia airport.  Once we arrived we had a private villa (4 bedrooms 4.5 baths) on the side of a cliff with beautiful views of the water.  Our villa had its own private pool and hot tub and our golf cart allowed us to wander around the property and visit the private beach club, beach, and other resorts on the peninsula.  I did my best to take pictures but I had to borrow a few from the website.  The first four pictures are pictures of the villa we stayed at.  The pictures I took of our villa aren't quite as good as the web site's, which is why I'm borrowing them.   

Our living room.

Our dining and kitchen area. To the right you see the patio doors to the outdoor dining/grilling area.

 One of two master bedrooms.  This is the one we stayed in.

Our bathroom

I promise the rest of the pictures were taken with our camera.  

Our first picture in Costa Rica.  The happiness and relaxation was already in full swing.

Josh S. the man himself Josh M., and Chelsey.

Looking out from our patio...

Part of our back deck. 

View from the pool.

Getting silly.  That's what happens when you leave your child at home and go on vacation with your family....

The first morning breakfast was served at 10.  (And when I mean served I mean two lovely ladies showed up at our villa every morning and made a huge breakfast and then cleaned up afterwards).  Since we are used to getting up earlier with John Henry I was hungry before breakfast so I had my pre-breakfast on the lounge chair while enjoying the views.  It was a rough way to start the day.

We spent our mornings at our pool

And our afternoons at the beach or beach clubs.  Below is part of beach club number one.

Jay got to have plenty of snorkeling time.

And all the boys enjoyed the boogie boards.

This is one of the beaches on the peninsula (accessible from beach club number one and where the boys used the boogie boards).  It was just so crowded...

Maybe it was the crappy sunsets that caused the beach to be so empty.

I loved when the sky turned purple at night.  This shot is from our master bedroom patio.

In the middle of the week our crew (minus me) had an adventure day.  They went horseback riding, rafting, zip lining, and ended up in the hot springs and mud bath.  Here they are before heading out.   

Since I was pregnant I wasn't allowed to partake - so I went to the Four Seasons Spa and then spent the rest of the day at private beach club number two (below).  The picture below proves I was the only one there.  The poor waiters were so bored they started bringing me free smoothies and desserts.  I guess it gave them something to do.

There was a short walk from beach club number two to the beach.  The path was a little rugged (see below).

But so worth it once you got to the beach.

The pictures below were taken on our last full day (which happened to be Jay's birthday).  Not a bad way to spend it!

Enjoying birthday drinks.

Later that night Chef Nicholas came to our villa to teach us how to cook Snapper A La Talla, Picadillo De Papa, and Lava Flow.  

Chef Nicholas did most of the heavy cooking but we did help.  They boys even made sushi rolls with his assistant so we had something to snack on while we "cooked".

The three crazy chefs. 

The end result and it was delicious!  The snapper was cooked in banana leaves to keep it moist.  We licked the plates.

The lava flow aka lava cake.  A perfect end to Jay's 36 birthday!

The next morning we reluctantly headed home.  We had so much fun and the amount of relaxing time was beyond worth it.  John Henry was missed but he was well cared for by our favorite babysitter and our family.  Josh M - we are forever grateful and if you ever need travelling companions we will be happy to join you!

Not a good sign

This morning I took John Henry to see our pediatrician.  We didn't have an appointment but our pediatrician's office has walk in hours starting at 8:15 Monday through Friday mornings.  As we walked up to the front desk the receptionist said to John Henry,"  Hi cutie, we haven't seen you in three weeks.  You must have been doing better." 

I feel like that comment almost sums up our lives (at least since January).  Since January, John Henry has been to the doctor on average once every week.  And only one of those visits was a planned well check.  I kid you not.  John Henry has not been without some type of ear infection or cold since Christmas.  We don't even bother to put away the Advil, Tylenol, or Benadryl anymore.  We have at least 10 CVS liquid medicine dispensers in our kitchen drawer, and those are only the ones that haven't been thrown away. 

When I say that the receptionist's comment almost sums up our lives, it's because the three weeks we didn't see that doctor, we had two other doctor's appointments with the ENT or saw the weekend doctor in Kennesaw.  So for the time that she thought John Henry was better, he wasn't and we saw three other doctors.

While I know we should be grateful that we have access to doctors and medicine, we are tired of it.  John Henry now throws up every time we visit the doctor.  It's not because he has a stomach bug, it's because he gets so anxious and then freaks out while he is being examined that he literally throws up on Jay or I during the examination.  It's so sad.  We just have to remind ourselves that we'd rather be regulars at the pediatrician's office then at Children's Hospital.  We know it could be worse.  We would just like it to be better.

Tubes

Poor John Henry is just like his mother.  At least when it comes to ear problems.  After more ear infections than we care to remember, we visited an ENT and decided to have tubes put in John Henry's ears.  It was a very fast process.  We saw the ENT one week and had the surgery the following week.  John Henry had stopped responding to the antibiotics and was no longer able to sleep at night.  Jay was pretty anxious about the procedure.  I wasn't really worried, although that may have something to due with the fact that I had to have tubes when I was young. 

The morning of the procedure we got lost (in the medical complex) and had to ask directions from four different people.  Even though we were late, we were still able to make our 8 AM surgery time.  Before the surgery John Henry changed into his surgery gown.  Seeing him in the little gown was sad and cute at the same time.

The surgery literally took 10 minutes.  Before I had time to drink my coffee they wheeled him back to us.  Here he is still knocked out from the anesthesia.  Like the surgery, the anesthesia didn't last long and he was a crazy man until he realized who we were and what was going on. 

By the time we made it home John Henry was back to his normal self.  He was happy, running around, begging for food, and having a great time.  Apart from the surgery, he had a great day ditching day care and playing with his parents.  We finished the day by visiting our favorite park and then eating at our favorite Mexican restaurant. 

So far so good.  Fingers crossed that the surgery worked and we are in the clear.

Happy Easter

Easter with a 15 month old proved to be significantly different than Easter with a 4 month old.  We tried our hand at some Easter Egg hunts.  Which didn't go well.  We knew better than to attend a formal church service so we opted for the outdoor service that only lasted for 30 minutes.  We also knew that there would be zero pictures of John Henry posing for a sweet Easter shot.  Long past are the days where he sits long enough for a posed shot.  So knowing that life is different, we did the best with what we had.

The Easter festivities started off with an Easter Egg hunt and class party at his daycare.  It started okay but quickly went downhill once John Henry realized there were other parents on the playground.  You could say we are going to through an attachment phase...

He just realized that there were other parents that were too close to him.

The picture above shows how he feels about the other parents.

So in the end I had to hold him for the entire Easter Egg hunt and class party (which is why there are no pictures of the actual party). 

The next morning we decided to try our hand at a second Easter Egg hunt at Mt. Bethel.  This one was even less successful.  I don't really blame John Henry for not liking it.  It was crowded and clearly he doesn't like strangers.  We should have skipped this part but I wanted him to at least try to do it.  I think we picked up one egg before we called it quits.

There was also a 6'4" Easter bunny there and John Henry liked him.  As long as we were 15 feet away and he had a firm grip around my neck.

Thankfully the church had a petting zoo in addition to the scary Egg Hunt and ridiculously tall Easter bunny.  It was by far John Henry's favorite part of the morning.  John Henry thought the goats were dogs.  He had no problem trying to pet and hug them.  He also tried to eat their food.  He didn't particularly like the food but it didn't stop him from chewing and swallowing some of it.

So excited to pet the goat.

Yes John Henry.  That furry white thing really is a bunny.

Petting the llama

This was his favorite goat.

Our Easter Family picture.  A little more casual than last year's picture but we'll take it.  Thanks Kriya!

After Mt. Bethel Grandma Yeary came over to our house to have lunch and give us our Easter baskets. 

Thanks for the gifts and candy Grandma!

The next morning we attended the sunrise service.  It was early and John Henry went in his pj's.  I have a feeling that this will be our service for the next three to four years.  When we got home Jay made us pancakes and John Henry got to open his gift from the Easter Bunny.

If you can't tell, he got golf clubs.  He was actually really excited and couldn't wait for Jay to open the box and put everything together. 

Hurry Dad!  Open it!

Helping put it together.

Taking his golf bag for a spin.  Surprisingly he really loves his clubs.  He knows to hit the ball and so far he hasn't broken anything. 

Later that afternoon we tried our hand at our third Easter Egg hunt.  I was more optimistic since it was just for Holland and John Henry and it was at Aunt Sherridan's new house. 

Once we were there I had high expectations.  John Henry was interested in holding his Easter basket and couldn't wait to get outside.  Once Max and Henry finished hiding the eggs we turned John Henry and Holland loose in the back yard.  It went down hill from there.  Holland knew exactly what to do and John Henry could have cared less.  He just wanted to run in the grass.  Henry did his best to help him but John Henry had no interest at all. 

John Henry just wanted to roll in the grass.

At least Holland enjoyed it.  Here she is counting her eggs.

After the Easter Egg hunt we headed over to Jay's parent's house for Easter dinner.  It was delicious and the perfect way to end the holiday weekend.  Happy Easter to our family and friends.  We missed everyone that wasn't here to celebrate with us. 

Cape San Blas

This was our first year visiting Cape San Blas, Florida.  The weather was perfect, the water was clear, and the company was fantastic.  We spent the last week of March with the Calvert's and Ramsey's enjoying spring break.  We had been trying to plan a trip for a long time and we finally found a time and place that worked for everyone.  We rented the last house on the cape and it was beautiful.  It had plenty of room for all of us and was very kid friendly.  We loved the back porch since it was screened in and provided another play area for the 5 crazy kids.  We spent our days on the beach and our nights cooking at the house.  No one was brave enough to venture out for dinner with all the kids.  Also with Clint, John, and Jay cooking every night, I was more than happy to stay in!

Our house.  It really did accommodate our three families.

John Henry enjoyed the beach until he got sick.  Unfortunately he wasn't the only little boy to get sick.  Jack, Hunter, and John Henry all got sick at the beach.  It made for a few rough days/nights.  Luckily John Henry got sick at the end so he was able to enjoy the first part of the week.  Here he is checking out the new beach toys.

Sarah took this picture of Avery and I had to steal it.  Doesn't she look so happy?  All of the kids (except maybe Jack) enjoyed playing in the sand and water.

Hunter and John Henry playing with a bucket of water.  This is the closest the boys came to playing together.  They just aren't at that age yet.  They are still in the age of playing alongside but not together. 

On the opposite side of the playing spectrum was Reese and Avery.  These two were inseparable.  Since they are older and close in age it was perfect.  They had such a fun time together.

I say John Henry liked the beach and he did.  As long as we followed a certain routine.  It started with spending some time just sitting in the beach chairs so he could check everything out.  Once he got more comfortable, he wanted to ride in his car, then play in the sand, then in the water.  Don't skip the order or he may flip out!

We did our best to get family shots.  With the bright sun and crazy kids it was hard to do. 

Jordan, Jack, and John

Hunter, Clint, Avery, and Sarah

 

Our family picture.  Like I said, John Henry had to have his ride in the car...

These boys are getting bigger!

The moms and their babies (minus Jack).  This was towards the end of the trip when JH started feeling bad and going down hill. 

The boys really enjoyed the fact that they could fish all day at the beach.  They would set up in the morning and by the evening we had plenty to eat.  The fish in the picture below was caught on the last day.  The picture is a little misleading so I want to clarify that John caught the fish, Clint is just holding it!

The house had a kayak that we were able to take out.  John Henry really enjoyed it and although the water was cold it was fun to be out in the ocean.

As I said before John Henry enjoyed the water and sand once he became comfortable.  One afternoon while everyone else was still napping it was just the three of us on the beach.  John Henry had the best time running along side the water and waving at the birds.  That afternoon he had no fear.

So it may sound a little silly that we took JH's car to the beach but it was a life saver.  He loved it and so did the other kids.  He would just sit in it and stare at the ocean.  That car is worth every penny I paid for it and then some.

Mommy and John Henry

Daddy and JH.  This was taken on the last day when he was not feeling well.  I felt so bad for him.

Before we went on the trip I bought college t-shirts for the boys.  Each boy sported his dad's alma matter.  In theory it was a good idea.  In practice it was a nightmare.  John Henry was sick and upset which is why you see my hand holding him down for the picture.  This is the closest we came to getting all their faces in a picture together.

What we should have done was let them stand next to the car first.  Hard to get everyone looking but at least no one is crying!

Pretty girls.  They are so similar it's scary.

Our last attempt at a family shot.  It is what it is.

Apart from the sickness we had a great time.  I can't wait until the kids are older and a little more independent.  It's a lot to take young kids to the beach.  It's fun but it's not a vacation.  I would call it more of a relocation.  It would also be nice to not be pregnant at the beach.  Maybe our next trip will be after I'm pregnant and without kids.