Altun Ha

You can't go to Central America and not see the ancient Mayan ruins. I wasn't sure how the boys would receive the idea of a history lesson while on vacation, but Evan said the visit to the site and climbing the Altun Ha ruins were the best part of the week long trip. 

He might have been imagining a bit of Indiana Jones fighting the bad guys, but we were all taken by the awe inspiring temples and the stories that were told by our guide.

It is assumed another 200 structures at this site alone are yet to be uncovered.

Evan later asked, "Why are these still standing and the Roman buildings are crumbling?" The age old question with no answer.

Nohoch Cheen Caves Branch

Today we left the sand for a cave tubing trip on the main land. We took a short hike through the rain forest and tried our best to avoid being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Last count I had fifty bites on one leg. And that's with bug spray.

Then we gathered up our tubes for our trip down the river and through the old cave once used by the Mayan as sacrificial grounds.

I wish we were able to stay in the rain forest a little longer, mosquitoes and all, because it was just beautiful!

The Places You Go, The People You Meet

We have met some really interesting people while on vacation this week. Wes met a true life Nazi, while eating lunch one day we met a family that traveled extensively around the world and had stories of places I never considered for inclusion in my bucket list, a South African couple on a 30 day holiday to the western hemisphere, a young girl spending a year volunteering in Central America, a newly wed couple backpacking through Belize, and so many more.

Our adventure continues. Keagan found a live conch while walking along the beach, took it to the on-site restaurant and asked the waiter if he would cook it for our dinner. It was a male conch and not big enough to harvest, though, so we released him back in the ocean. But we became fast friends with the wait staff after this incident.

Keagan climbed coconut trees and tried to persuade the guy working the bar to cut one open for him so he could try coconut water.

It worked. We were frequent and welcomed guests at the bar after this escapade.

We also ran into Don Johnson. Just kidding. He can take a great picture when he is bribed with "any drink choice with your lunch today."

Hol Chan Nature Preserve

Today we took a boat to Hol Chan Nature Preserve to do some snorkeling and swim with the sharks. We picked up our boat in San Pedro where we found a conch fisherman. We love to eat conch and we couldn't believe that the conch are caught in Belize by free diving 25-30 feet into the reef. When I learned locals were risking their lives to catch conch, it almost made me wish I hadn't ordered it for dinner but it wasn't enough for me to not order it at lunch.

The snorkeling was great; we even got to see sea turtles something I had secretly hoped to see. Then we went a little further out to swim with the sharks. The guide enticed the sharks to our boat by throwing bait into the water. Dozens of nurse sharks, very docile animals, circled our boat, and we all dove into the water to get a closer look at them while they fed. This was all good until I realized a 15 foot nurse shark was swimming directly under me and then made eye contact with me. While I tried my best to scare him with my direct gaze, I was actually the one frightened. So I decided to head back to the boat. I kicked my legs to get me a safe distance from the big shark when I felt something wrapping around my legs. I totally freaked out and kicked even harder, certain that big nurse shark wanted me for his next dinner. I found the ladder to the boat, quickly started to climb, and all the while tried to get what ever was chasing me at bay. Next step up the ladder, and I realized my fright was for nothing. It was only the straps from my life jacket wrapping around my legs and scaring the BeJeezus out of me. That put an end to my time of swimming with the sharks.

Wes and Evan swam right up to them and had the time of their lives. Keagan had watched one too many episodes of Shark Week and decided the boat was the best place to watch the sharks feed. I can't say I disagree.

Day One on the Island

Today the boys kayaked across the open ocean to a reef to snorkel.

I sat in my chair in the sun and worked on vitamin D production and spotted this beauty without my toes leaving the sand.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

We have been traveling for twelve hours and we have taken every mode of transportation imaginable. The car, a bus, a plane, a train, another plane, a taxi, and then a water taxi that took us to this dock.

We then took a boat that took us here. 

And the conclusion? Well, every minute of travel time was completely worth it! We have finally reached Ambergris Caye in Belize and that set of chairs will be our spot for the next week. 

Santa Was Here

This year's Santa list was much like last year's list. Jerseys and sports gear. They must have been good boys this year because they got everything they wanted and then some.

Evan got Lee's jersey and Keagan got Parker's jersey. We had to stay true to our Texas roots.

Keagan couldn't believe his luck when he also got basketball sleeves. He assures me that he will wear them and his new NBA headband to his next basketball game - "even if the white people make fun of me." After hours of playing bball in the driveway on Christmas Day, he is convinced the sleeves have improved his ability to shoot. 

Evan got a magnetic NFL standings board. Few people will understand his excitement for magnetic helmets or football stats, but trust me. He thought it was the perfect gift. It also means that we will save reams of paper since the standings will not have to be rewritten after each week's games. 

Then the boys found the game table. There were lots of bad words said putting this together at 1230 in the morning in a garage where the temp was below freezing. Even more bad words were said when it was realized it would not fit through the door to the kitchen and had to be disassembled in the very cold garage and then reassembled once it made it upstairs. Forget deployments. If couples can survive the laborious process of putting together toys on Christmas Eve in the freezing cold in the late night hours, then the marriage is sure to withstand any hardship.

 Any one up for a game of table tennis? We can play a mean game, and this time I can promise no bad words will be spoken, even if you happen to beat us.

Christmas Eve

The stockings are hung, the cookies are decorated, and the reindeer food has been made. The boys  now await the arrival of Santa.

Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve Eve

Tonight we drove to Nashville to see ICE. Forget the beautiful ice sculptures and the attention to exquisite details, I can only see three adults and a child in this picture. When did my boys become one boy and one boy-as-tall-as his-mama? 

I'll tell you when. When he woke up on Wednesday morning and I noticed his NEW jeans were a little short. When he wore a different pair of jeans this past weekend, and they, too, were too short. When I noticed on Sunday that his brand new Addidas shoes had holes on the sides because his foot busted the seams. This seems to be a reocurring theme in our house.

That's okay. The taller he is,the better he will be able to see over the line next fall when he's playing middle school football.

As for the exhibit, we all agreed it was nicely done and a great holiday event, even with temperatures around 14 degrees.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

One of These Days

Basketball Week #5 may have brought new competition, but the same bleacher comments were made that have been made almost every other week.

1. What do you feed that boy? He's a big 'un.

One of these days I am going to have a really good come back. Today I just smiled and said, "Well, yesterday he ate a three pound bag of cutie oranges for his afternoon snack."

Evan's team won again today, even without two of the starters, 21-13. Evan got a three pointer, and I was the only one who seemed to notice.


2. Where did that little 'un learn to play basketball?

One of these days I am going to be bold enough to lie and say, "Those mad skills came from his mama. I can ball like no other."

Keagan's team won again today 14-11; this makes a two game winning streak. Keagan had an awesome pick that allowed another student to score. It just so happens that he and Coach discussed it at halftime and Keagan was able to incorporate it like he had been doing it all season.

We're on break until January. You will be able to find the boys in the driveway with the hoop, though, practicing those 3s and setting up picks.

Christmas Vacation is Here

We came home today and did the "It's Christmas Break!" dance. Which basically means I danced, Wes took a nap, Evan perused random football videos on the computer, and Keagan played video games. So maybe it was really like any other day in our house.

We celebrated our first night of vacation by going out for Mexican. We spent way too much money on baskets of chips and salsa. Evan decided he needed to walk it all off, so we drove downtown to the walk-through Christmas light display.

The boys smiled only because we promised that they would get to open a Christmas gift if they stood long enough to snap a picture. I think Keagan's eyes might give you an idea of the real thoughts behind those smiles. Apparently, taking pictures in public is the absolute worst thing you can be asked to do. I mean what if someone sees you standing in front of the tree smiling? It's the worst. I mean the worst.

But I got my picture.

Academic Honors

A month ago I received a letter that stated Evan had been nominated for membership in the Junior Beta club. I was so proud of him - so proud that he transitioned to his new school with such ease and success. It never occurred to me that he might NOT want to join. So I was devastated when he told me that only the "strange" kids join Beta Club. It took me three days to convince him to turn in his application and annual dues. I finally persuaded him that he needed to join because of the emphasis on service and helping others. Despite his firm legalistic view of the world, he does have a heart for the unfortunate.

Tonight he was inducted into the Junior Beta Club. He decided maybe it wouldn't be too bad when he learned that the first service project, entitled "Super Bowl", included food for the needy and the NFL play-offs.

Of course, it also helped when he learned that his friend Jack was also nominated.

I could not be prouder. We are blessed beyond belief to have such talented, intelligent, hard-working boys.  

Magical Season

Just when I thought the boys had outgrown our tradition of placing a boot by the door and awaiting St. Nicholas's arrival, Evan reminded me this week that December 6 was almost upon us. As we hunted for the combat boots last night, Keagan admitted he believed in the Christmas magic of Santa and St. Nick, and I said a silent prayer thanking Him for one more year of believing.

St Nicholas did visit our house last night and he brought the boys soccer jerseys from their favorite players. I think it was a big hit because the boys stripped down in the front hallway and put them on almost immediately. And then they posed for me.

Aren't they sweet? And cute?

Evan tore into his Hershey's Peppermint bar and said, "Mom, this is soooo good that I will call it Jesus food."

I let them eat all the candy from the boots they wanted and then ushered them outdoors for a game of football on our first snow day of the year!

A snow day without snow. Who says the Christmas season is not magical?