Mexico: days 1-2

A couple months ago, Jeb Brown invited us to join his family and a good friend of his, Robbie, on a fishing trip to Puerto Penasco, Mexico. The kids get a few days off of school during balloon fiesta, so we decided to make a proper vacation of it. We got the kids passport cards and Matthew bought two giant fishing rods (one 9 ft and the another 12 ft). We were set!

The plan was to depart at 12:30 yesterday afternoon, so we had all morning to finish packing. It was kind of nice to not get up crazy early or feel rushed to get out the door, but the kids were itching to get going and noon seemed like an absolute age to wait. About two hours into our trip, the check engine light started flashing, indicating that the engine was misfiring. We stopped in Truth or Consequences to check the codes. After confirming a misfire, we popped into two different garages to see if a mechanic could help us. No one could do anything for us just then, and we didn't have time to wait until the next day. Matthew was pretty sure it was just a fluke and felt like we'd be okay as long as we didn't push the car too hard. We prayed as a family, as we are trying to help the kids learn how to receive personal revelation, and we felt fine about proceeding with our trip. We made it to Robbie's house in Duncan, AZ without any further incident.

Two things I want to remember from the drive:
As a way to pass time, I asked the kids to share favorite memories. Mercy kept calling them rememberies, which I thought was adorable.

When the kids started getting a bit rowdy:
Matthew: Who wants to play the potato game?
Children: Me!!!
Matthew: Okay, everyone pretend to be a potato.

***

Robbie lives in a small old church house, which the kids thought was awesome. He cooked us a yummy dinner of chicken and potato salad, then we settled in to watch Nacho Libre projected onto the wall. It was a super fun way to watch the movie. We laid out air mattresses, camping mats, and sleeping bags, and all slept together in the chapel portion of the building. 

After a quick breakfast of cold cereal, we left for Mexico! We stopped a number of times for gas or potty breaks, and took a break in Tucson for lunch at In-n-Out Burger. The drive took about seven hours and felt really long. Passing through into Mexico took no time at all and they didn't check our identification or vehicle or anything. 

The first item of business once in Puerto Penasco was to stop at the tortillaria for piles of fresh tortillas. We also went across the street to a little mercado for some groceries. We had reserved a house that sleeps 12, but got a house that sleeps six. The manager said he didn't have anything else available, but was able to bring in another bed. Jeb and Hannah got a master bedroom on the ground floor, and Luci and Cora took the room next to their parents with two small beds. Robbie slept on the day bed brought over and placed in the foyer. Matthew and I took the master bedroom on the second floor, and the boys slept on couches in the living room. Mercy shared a bed with Luci on our first night there. The house was about a five minute walk from the beach, and there was a little outside shower that we could use to rinse off sand. There were always swarms of mosquitoes just outside the door. There weren't mosquitoes anywhere else, just within a roughly 10 foot radius of the house. Mercy got eaten alive within minutes of our arrival.

Once we were settled, we went straight to the beach. This was the first time any of the kids have seen the ocean and they were enthralled at once. The waves were big enough to entertain Abraham, but not so intense that I was worried. Mercy was not a fan of unpredictable water splashing in her face and preferred shell collecting in the sand. 

We had quesadillas made with the fresh tortillas and queso blanco for dinner, then Robbie and the kids played a game of Clue.