With that, here in bullet form is what we’ve been up to since Halloween.

• Ben finished football season with two games in November.  Highlights of the season:  starting at wide receiver in the last few games, ending the season with four catches for almost 100 yards and  1 touchdown.
• The regular soccer season for both kids ended in early November.
• We celebrated Zeny’s birthday.
• A weekend trip to Chicago where we saw Ted’s mom, caught up with some old college friends,  went to the very exciting Northwestern v. Iowa game, and where Ben met up with the director of the Integrated Science Program, the honors science program that Ted majored in.  Ben was able to find out a lot about the program, and chat with some professors and students about the academics and student life at NU.
  
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• Ben’s team won their post-season soccer tournament.

• Thanksgiving with Ted’s brother and his wife, but without Ted’s mom this year, who was recovering from surgery and unable to travel.
• A weekend trip to Philadelphia to visit the Franklin Institute, to make up for a field trip that Kate missed because we were on our way to Chicago the day her class went.  We also saw the Liberty Bell, Constitution Hall, and other notable Philadelphia sites.
  
• Basketball season started for both kids.
• Kate had her school chorus concert
• Christmas!

It was also great for the kids, who could always just pop into a snack bar or buffet for a quick bite to eat or a snack.  They got particularly adept at ordering from the beach bar!  Kate’s favorite drink was a virgin strawberry daquiri, which gave her a lovely red ring around her mouth, leading us to call it “the Joker drink”.

The resort was right on a gorgeous beach, which is where we spent most of our time.  The ocean was a lovely shade of blue, fringed by white sand and dotted with palm trees. 

The kids tried both pools that were available to them — the main pool where all the activities and contests took place, and the newer pool which was quieter but had the novelty of a swim-up bar. The kids also tried out the hot tub one afternoon.  We had a view of the adult-only pool from our room, which was ironic given that the kids couldn’t use it!  But at least it was quiet. 

We went on a couple of excursions while we were there.  Our favorite was Hidden Worlds, where we zip-lined, rode a Sky Cycle above the Yucatan jungle, and snorkeled in cenotes.  We also went to Xel-Ha, a natural lagoon for snorkeling, and Tulum, an ancient walled Mayan city.

Ted and I had been to this area of Mexico 23 years ago, and a lot sure has changed.  Resorts now line the highway between Cancun and Tulum, whereas there was only beach and jungle the last time.  It was still fun, but I have to say that Xel-Ha was a much less enjoyable experience.  Twenty-three years ago, Ted and I were practically the only tourists there and we could spend all day exploring at leisure.  Now, even though it never reached Disney World crowded status, there were far too many people for our taste.  Tourists are also no longer permitted to climb the ruins at Tulum, which is understandable.  But one of the highlights of our first visit was climbing to the top of El Castillo and gazing open-mouthed at the view of the ocean, and then scooting down our rear ends all the way back down.  I hear you can still climb to the top of the ruins at Coba, though, so perhaps one day we’ll return to the Yucatan and do that with the kids.

A full slideshow is below.

We’re all still recovering, but the picture above basically tells you what we focus on at our house at Christmas. Sure, there are presents to open and family to socialize with, but everyone knows it’s all about the food! Ben asked, as he was stuffing himself with his food, “Have you ever considered buying bigger plates?”