Em'ry Dove Banks: Returning a little heavier and alot darker!

I cannot tell the true story of our vacation without mentioning the food! I have to say that it makes me so happy that Em'ry thrives on vacation. She eats well, sleeps well, and mingles well :)

I could not get enough of the fresh fruit and guacamole. Em'ry had her fair share of fruit and juice but also got spoiled by hot dogs and french fries.

No matter how far you are from home, give your kids some familiar food and a play ground and they are right in their element.

Dinners were amazing! Each night, we dressed up and headed to a nice restaurant on the resort. We were never disappointed. We had Italian food, Spanish food, and couldn't get enough Mexican food! We were in heaven from the appetizers to the dessert!

Each night after dinner we headed to the mini-disco. All of the kids were invited to dance on the stage and compete in contests. At times, Em'ry hides behind me, grips my legs, or begs me to hold her when someone asks her name or invites her to play. This was not one of those times! She literally ran up on stage when the activity leader waved her on. She danced until she was pouring sweat and it was time for the nightly show to start.

I think she liked the show just as much as she called all of the dancers either Barbie or princess.

We made off with many souvenirs as well. My heart melted when I asked Em'ry what her favorite part of the trip was and she responded, "buying a surprise for Ms. Nancy."

On departure day, our check-out time was noon which left plenty of time for fun in the sun.

The water was beautiful so Em'ry finally got her wish of going out on the catamaran. Only two were allowed to ride at once so Greg insisted that Em'ry and I go while he took pictures. While remembering Mexico, Em'ry describes this day to everyone who asks as, "mommy and me went on a boat but daddy didn't because he was a Scurdy Cat! hehehehe) I LOVE IT!

(Mom, this will be a bit alarming but I assure you I had a FIRM grip on my baby. Apparently in Mexico the rules are different :) )

We took the same boat ride last year but we had Em'ry's personal life jacket. I asked the man if he had a child's life vest and he said, "sure, sure." He had a child's life vest all right. A one size fits all from 2-12 yrs apparently...