Welcome to Akumal!

Have you ever been somewhere that you might never leave, that is if you didn't have children, careers and family at home. Going to Akumal, Mexico is pretty tempting to leave all those things behind. It is beyond beautiful and the fish tacos are to die for.

We decided it was time for a longer trip than just the weekend with no children, no dogs, no employees, no alarm clocks, no diets, and NO SNOW. We also decided to bring some friends along to join in the fun (Ike and Jenny.) The best part of the trip was leaving all those things behind, and giving that responsibility to the best sister in-law and brother in-law for the job, Shanae and Josh Farley. They did the most amazing job taking care of our lives while we were away. In fact, our baby Liam sleeps through the night now. I would love to hire them again every time we leave out of town, but after 8 crazy days being thrown in a life they weren't quite sure of, I think they might pass on the offer. I want to thank them for taking such good care of our lives and responsibilities while we were away, they made our trip awesome and stress-free. We love you!

So here are some of the pics in Akumal... There will be more to come of our travels in Mexico!

The Lagoon we snorkel at, right across the street from Casa Savasana

This is where Blake and I stayed on our Honeymoon almost 6 years ago. We went back to show Ike and Jenny.

The beach we hung out on our honeymoon!

Ike and Jenny

This is my favorite house in Akumal, it is called Casa MiraMar. It is awesome looking, I hope one day to see the inside.

Blake hangin' out in the Kitchen of Savasana(Probably looking for cookies)

Blake and Ike

I love this pic Blake took, I think it is cool

These are the kind of bugs chillin' with us in the house, every time we go we encounter some creepy crawly. Last time it was a tarantula

GROSS!! I know, but it is my favorite pic of us on the whole trip!

Our main transportation on the trip!

Blake and Ike at La Buena Vida

Ike and Jenny at La Buena Vida

La Buena Vida

The Beach at Akumal...and Ike's foot

Blake and I at the beach

Lovers....

Killian Knows Best!

We are getting ready to go up to my parents for dinner. Blake was getting Killian and everything in the car.

Killian says to Blake, "who's Driving?"

Dad says, "I am."

Killian, "Why, you get into accidents. I was with you when you ran into another car."

Dad, "Well I might run into other cars, but your Mother runs into houses!"

Killian, "That is why I should drive, I am the only one that hasn't been in any accidents!"

The Kid makes a good point. I do have a pretty long list of car disasters, including running into a house. Blake does seem to have a small problem watching where he is driving. He will argue with me, but I have been in the car many times when he has been very close to ramming the car in front of us. He might not admit this, but I know of at least three rear-end accidents he has gotten into (all his fault,) including when he got really lucky and hit a car of "illegals." They couldn't speak English and they let Blake go without making a police report.

He might only be 3, but I think we have a real debater on our hands. We must be really careful around him, because he really is smarter than we give him credit for. Cute little shit!

Treats!!

The one thing that I Love and Hate about the Holiday Season is the Yummy Treats! I consumed at least 3000 Calories at work today eating all the yummy treats our customers brought. I just can't stay away from them.

So as I am contemplating how many calories I seriously ate on my drive home from work, I start laughing. I have this image pop-up in my head of Liam.

We went to the mall yesterday to visit Santa. Each of the kids got candy canes from him. Liam was not really happy to be shopping so I thought I would see if a candy cane from Santa might cheer him up. I knew that sugar of any kind would definitely be a mood lifter, (he is my kid, the girl who would rather consume 3 candy bars for lunch than an actual meal.) I was so happy to find out that not only was the candy cane a mood lifter it was a smile maker. Pure Joy and Happiness, look at Liam's face. He definitely is my little boy, if sugar can make him soooo happy!

Moral of the Story: When you want to enjoy a holiday treat, do it with the utmost pleasure and don't worry about the calories, (until January 1st of course.)

Chicago

It has been awhile since Blake and I have gotten to take a vacation without the little ones...like three years, but it finally happened. We took a weekend trip to Chicago with Zak, Emily, Tami and Kevin.

While we were there we went to the Utah game, where we got our A--'s royally kicked by Notre Dame. The guys got lucky though, and saw the Chicago Bears whip the Vikings the next night!

In all, the trip was great and I would love to return to Chicago again. Great food..Great shopping..Great fun!!

For all of you reality show lovers, this couple is on "the Real Housewives of DC," you remember the ones that pretended to be invited to the White House and snuck in to meet the President.

We made it to Notre Dame

Tami and Kevin

All together before the game.

Em and Zak

"Touch Down Jesus"

Summer Cabin Trip

Have ya heard the saying, "the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree."

I would dream when I was pregnant with Killian that I would have a little girl that I could take to dance and put TuTu's on, curl her hair and buy cute little dolls. But the Doctor confirmed that I was pregnant with a boy, and of course Blake was so excited he already had his name picked out. Little "Killa" was born and I couldn't love him more, but there are times when I think to myself, I married a man and we created together a little clone of the same man. Aghhhhhh

We had been at the cabin and the weather was bad, so Blake and Killian spent most of the day shooting live things to make them dead..surprise...the story of a Flannery boy's life....

Really?!?! Yep, that is my three year old holding up his "Kill," more excited about the dead bird he and his father shot then a new toy.

This is my life, Boys, Trucks, Trains, Action Heros and a lot of Dead Things, but I can't complain. They are my life, they make it fun and interesting and I love all three of "My Boys" more than anything.

The rest of the pics are from our summer vacation in the Uintas. We had a great time, and all of us were able to come including the two dogs.