Sun, Sun, Sun

Our patio is covered in a blanket of white. Tiny ice crystals sparkle in the brisk night air. Our steep driveway is slick and treacherous; the van requires two tries to make it into the garage. I bundle the children in hats, mitts, boots and parkas. It's wintertime...

...and we are escaping it all!

This week my parents booked a tropical get-away for our entire family! My mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and our troupe of five are going to Mexico for one week! Yippee!

We are planning to stay at a child-friendly all-inclusive resort in Playa del Carmen on the Mayan Riviera. My parents visited the same resort last year. Mom and Dad enjoyed their vacation so much, they decided to take all of us with them this time around!

Ben and I have never travelled outside the country together. The longest trip we've taken with the children is a seven-hour car ride to Saskatchewan. Our boys are extremely excited by the prospect of riding on an airplane. (Ben and I are thankful that the adult-to-child ratio will be 2:1 for this trip!)

I've been busy starting the paperwork for passports and researching travel immunizations. I ordered new birth certificates for the boys (because the government revised the document requirements) and our family had passport photos taken last night. Early one morning this week I plan to brave the long line at the passport office. We've heard that the processing time for new applications is eight weeks, so I need to get a jump on things.

I'm looking forward to escaping to a sunny resort. Ben and I plan to spend most of the week lying on the beach, playing with the kids, hanging out with my family, and eating good food. We simply want to veg. I'm also looking forward to going out for a night with my husband sans les enfants.

April can't come soon enough!