more videos to come.

So I've found it much easier to put videos on my blog via our laptop versus the desktop so forgive the old videos, but I just have to share some of my favorites. Plus my kids are pretty cute so I know you won't mind:)

This one's for you Grandma B:)

family fun.

Back home to our cute kids. Our flight landed at 11:30 on Friday night and Mataya first saw me early on Saturday morning around 3 a.m. Cory's mom brought her in because she was crying and she didn't know what to think of me. She wanted Grandma to hold her, but she wanted to look at me and her look told me this, "Hey, I just realized you've been gone for a while...what's the deal, lady? And you just expect me to come running into your arms all happy and such?" She had middle-of-the-night wild hair and eyes so it was to be expected.

We came out on the couch and sat for a minute. I just sat next to her hoping she would warm up to me. She kept looking and me and staring. I was so tired and I started nodding off sitting there and I felt a little hand patting my cheek and I look over to see Mataya with a big grin on her face. She did that several times...what a cutie.

Phew....we're friends again! Here in my daughter wearing footie pajamas, a puffy vest, jacket, and boots. She puts together some strange outfits.

Cory's parents stayed a couple extra days once we got home and we went to temple square and explored. Here is Mataya pointing at a cool fountain next to the new Deseret Book.

In the south visitors center there was a Christmas tree. Here is Parker doing his best pose. (Uncle Aaron would be proud:)

We got to hang out with our cool cousins and celebrate Mitchell's 2nd birthday. I love Spencer's frosting mustache.

Mataya wearing her new fav vest "texting" on my phone. Oh dear, what kind of example am I being to my kids? Cory sent his parents (on the right) and their friends visiting from California on a carriage ride around temple square. A little "thank you" for watching our kids!

Big glasses, Scarface, and Versace.

I call these my South Beach glasses. Cory said I need little windshield wipers for them...haha!

Cory chillin' reading a book on the Kindle. (which is completely awesome, btw!)

Our last dinner on the cruise.
Back to Miami! It was a beautiful day. We were lucky to have great weather the entire trip.

We got back to Miami in the morning and our flight didn't leave until 6 that night so we went on a tour of Miami and South Beach.

"Say hello to my little friend!"

This is the house where Scarface was filmed.

This was a home in the art deco district. There were a lot of cool old houses in this area.

This was a cool looking memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.

This is the Gianni Versace mansion. I've secretly always wanted to see it. He was murdered on the front steps in 1997. Here is Cory saying, "What's the big deal with this place?"

Hangin' on South Beach.

mexico.

Wednesday afternoon we made it to Cozumel, Mexico. Cory and I didn't want to do any off shore excursions so we just walked around and shopped.

There in the middle is a brown hut with white curtains. During our shopping we walked on the beach and found this massage hut. We wanted to get a massage and the ones on the ship are way overpriced so we found this place and we both got a great massage and we were right next to each other. I told Cory the only way I will get a massage in Mexico is if he is with in arms length of me...lol!

Here I am by a strange sort of statue.

Viva la Mexico! We've been fortunate to travel to Mexico twice this year and I think I'm good for a while:) I've got my feel of vanilla and authentic knickknacks made in China...haha!

We soon discovered that Cozumel isn't the most exciting place, but we had fun shopping! In the yellow bag that Cory's is holding we got some stuff for the kids. Cory really wanted to get the boys whips. (That's not a bad idea at all:) So we got them each a 4 foot whip. When we were getting back on our ship we have to go through security and everything. They made us deposit the whips and we could pick them up the morning that we would be leaving. Kind of funny. They hold stuff for people that they don't want them to have on board....mostly alcohol...and weapons.
The boys love the whips and so far no injuries!

This is Cory saying, "Can we please go back on the boat before we spend any more money?"

This is our ship the Carnival Imagination. It looks small next to the other boat.

no spam for these cruisers.

We went on a cruise last week. It was a work thing so Cory had to go to a couple of meetings and do a presentation, but we had plenty of free time as well. We had Grandma and Grandpa Jones come to our house AGAIN for the week to watch the kids. Bless their little hearts!We got on the ship in Miami. Here we are relaxing and getting prepared to eat for 4 solid days:)

Tuesday we woke up in Key West. We came here on a cruise for our honeymoon, but didn't really see any of the island so we wanted to really tour it this time. Here I am with a sponge guy.

I think this guy is checking me out:) Riding the trolley car through Key West for the grand tour. The whole island is 2 miles by 4 miles wide. I asked Cory, "How could anyone train for a marathon if they lived here?" He said, "They probably don't." I realize that's a strange question to ask, but I was just wondering...lol!

Taking in some of the local flavor.

Wahoo! The southernmost point in the USA!

This is the southernmost house in the USA. So exciting....I guess you had to be there:)

We got off the trolley to walk around and explore. We went to a little cafe for a bagel and this was our view from our table. Pretty cool!

Cory went deep sea diving and this is what he caught!

Okay, maybe not! I took this pic for the benefit of my boys they have a deep rooted love for sharks and all things that live in the ocean.

I wish I could've bought one of these. They are fossilized Megalodon teeth. The big ones in the middle were over a thousand dollars! (Megalodons were prehistoric sharks that were enormous and lived millions of years ago! Just in case you didn't know and don't have little boys obsessed with dinosaurs and sharks and all that good stuff that live at your house:)

In this same gift shop we found something that I wanted to get for Parker. It's a crocodile head! I should post a picture, but when we got home and were giving the kids their gifts I had the croc head in a bag wrapped in paper and before I even opened it Parker said, "I really hope it's a crocodile head, I've always wanted one!"

I guess it's good we got him one:)

The houses were very cool. Even the new homes looked old that's just the style they build there. The tour guide said when there is a hurricane they can have up to 6 feet of water covering the whole island and people ride jet skis in the streets!

thankful.

I am feeling very thankful right now. It might be because I got away for a couple hours with some girlfriends tonight after the kids were in bed and went to Chili's and had 3 diet cokes and a brownie sundae and laughed so hard that I cried and thought the waitress would tell us to leave for being so disruptive!
I'm also very thankful for Cory's sweet parents driving all the way from South Dakota on Friday to watch our kids so we can leave on Sunday for Miami and then board a cruise ship on Monday until Friday. Spoiled doesn't begin to describe how I feel!
Earlier this week Spencer asked me if I remember when me and Cor went to Mexico and I told him yes and that I was going again next week. He said, "Why are you and Dad always going on field trips!?" (I love that kid!)
The boys are a little disappointed they can't come, but promises of gifts and surprises upon our return seem to help ease their sadness:)