¡Vámonos a México!

That's right, I still remember [most of] the Spanish I learned back in junior high and high school. It helps that my husband is of Cuban and Spanish descent, and whenever we see his family in Miami, we hear a lot of it. Granted, we haven't been down to Miami in two years now--not since our wedding. This is mostly due to my becoming pregnant the following summer and now taking care of Smash for the past 8½ months. We're actually coming down to visit at the end of January for a couple of days before we go on a cruise (Planned Vacation #2 with Smash!).

Let's talk about Planned Vacation #1. You guessed it, this will be Smash's very first vacation, as well as his first flight. Like the title of the post suggests, we are heading to Mexico--an all-inclusive resort in Riviera Maya. My parents are going with us, too. My mom and I planned the whole thing back in September when we decided we both need a tropical getaway, for very different reasons. My mom needs some time away from her hectic new job that keeps her working at all hours of the day and night and forces her to be glued to her Blackberry. I need a change of scenery and some relaxing time on the beach, as a treat after so many months of thinking only of Smash's needs and well-being. My dad and husband could use some well-deserved time off from their jobs, too, and everyone has a chance to spend some quality time with Smash. This vacation couldn't have come at a better time, either. Going over Thanksgiving means having to take less time off for everyone. Also, now that it's actually starting to get cold in earnest, the warm weather is more attractive than ever. Our flight leaves on Thursday morning, and the projected high in Chicago is supposed to be around 30, but I'm looking forward to being welcomed by 85° sunshine at Cancun Airport!

Now...if only I could stop reading The Hunger Games (aka procrastinating) long enough to start packing. :-)