Happy December! Back from Vacation.

Happy December!  It has been almost a month since my last post.  November has been crazy busy.   We went off to our first "real" vacation as a family of 5.  It was the first time the girls got to fly on a plane (from Bellingham, WA to Los Angeles) and go on a Princess cruise down to the Mexican Riviera. We visited Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas and Ensenada, Mexico.  I must say that it was the perfect vacation -- despite travelling with 3 kiddies age 3, 5 and 7, a three hour flight delay and a fussy 3 year old that needed her nap in the mornings.  Being on the cruise ship, I didn't have to worry about meals, snacks, or anyone being hungry, since all the food was included. 

Now that we are back, we had to get back to the swing of our crazy schedules and somehow I got hit with the stomach flu.  Yes, I had non-stop diarrhea for 36 hours... to balance the great time I had on vacation.  To make everyone feel better, I will be VERY behind on Christmas preparations and baking!  

I just wanted to share some vacation and yummy food photos with my friends and family from around the world!  Also, when my kiddies read this entry when they are older, they can use this as a little travel diary from our spectacular trip. 

First, we had to drive down from Canada to Bellingham, WA and then fly to Los Angeles, where the cruise ship port is.  It was cheaper to fly out of the US than from Vancouver, Canada.

Approaching the US Border.  Peace Arch Park, Canada.  

Although we were delayed 3 hours, we managed to have a great 3 hour flight.  The girls' first plane ride.

We booked our vacation through our local travel agent.  Our travel agent ordered a wonderful surprise for our room!  A lovely plate of chocolate covered strawberries and a yummy plate of veggies and dip.  We were spoiled!

The first night, we had grilled salmon and veggies.  Cooked to perfection.

My son didn't want the kiddie menu (chicken nuggets & fries, etc), he wanted what the grownups had!

Enjoying our balcony.

Beautiful!  The Piazzo, with live classical music.  

The indoor pool at night.  

Every night, the dessert buffet had different delectable treats!  We were so spoiled!  There were even gluten-free options!  

The presentation of these desserts were so clean and beautiful. 

There were sponge cakes, tarts, cheesecakes, pavlovas, macarons...  Everything to suit the mood you were in!  Did we gain weight?  Oh, YES! 

In Puerto Vallarta, our first port, we walked a little off the beaten path to a supermarket chain called Soriana's.  It is Mexican owned and I wanted to see where the locals shopped instead of Walmart.  Look at all those dried chili peppers!  We don't have this at our markets in Canada.  

Of course, we had to look at the bakery section.  Even if you are in a Mexican supermarket, all goodies look universally delicious!

We took a taxi to downtown Puerto Vallarta to walk around.  Yes, I wore 30lb Baby in the Ergo carrier while I pushed Nessa in the humid 27C weather.  Baby needed her nap and wearing her was the best way for us while travelling.  

On the beach in Puerto Vallarta.  Yes, Baby is still napping!

The view of the famous rock formations in Cabo San Lucas from our balcony view.  

The children LOVED Medano Beach in Cabo San Lucas.  Mommy did too!

While the kiddies were in the Kids Club, Hubby and I had a brief moment to ourselves...until they paged me to get poor seasick Nessa.  Thank goodness we packed anti-nausea medication!

YUM!  Baked Alaska. Ice cream in any form is wonderful.

International Cafe.  Open 24 hours. We did not have to pay extra for salads, quiche, paninis, cheese plate, nuts, cookies and pastries.  The children LOVED the grilled paninis.

The International Cafe also had a lovely selection of pastries, cookies and desserts.  Hubby enjoyed the tall glasses of tiramisu.

Look at all those pastries!

Next to the 24 hr International Cafe is Alfredo's Pizzeria.  Gourmet thin crust pizzas made to order.  Delicious!

Finally a picture of the 5 of us on our First Formal Night.  So nice that everyone is sitting nicely and behaving properly.  My babies look so grown up.  I'm so happy that I was able to wear my evening gown again!  I wore it 9 years ago for our Honeymoon Cruise to Alaska.  The children had a wonderful time and made lots of great memories on this trip.  

Thanks for having a look at our vacation and food pics! 

Enjoy!