Ornaments 2021

This year's ornaments didn't actually get put up on the tree, because of our kitty-Christmas tree-light-eating fiasco.  

The kiddos all chose their own ornament this year:

Little Guy wanted a violin since he started taking violin lessons this year.

BB wanted an ornament of a boy singing since he started taking voice lessons this year.

Little Lady wanted a Hermione Granger ornament since she loves all things Harry Potter and it was her costume for Halloween this year.

Little Man has been loving Mandarin Chinese.  He's on his second year of learning the language in school and it has really made him love China.  He got his very own Chinese dragon ornament.

Ornaments from trips this year: Our summer road-trip to Yellowstone, our couples get away to Mexico, and our quick stop in Branson.

Other ornaments of interest:  Their cousins, Anna and KK, made them a hat.  KVC also gave us an ornament for being a foster family this year.  The cats got in the bag and bit off the ribbon for it before I even got it out of the bag.  Sigh.  Stinkin' cats!  Maybe next year we'll actually get to put real ornaments up on the tree.

Cookie Exchange

 I've lost track of the number of years I've been doing a cookie exchange.  I was sad we couldn't have one last year, so it felt extra special to get together this year.  I have one picture of all the cookies and that's about it.  I made Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake cookies and holiday shortbread cookies that have pistachios, craisins, and white chocolate chips in them.

My friend was sweet and sent some pictures after the party.  My friend, Jackie, brought decorations, because she has a gift for making her surroundings beautiful.

Tulum Taco Tour

 On our final full day in Mexico we headed to downtown Tulum for a taco tour.  It was AMAZING!  We all agreed that it was definitely in the top foodie experiences we've ever had.  

1st stop: Taqueria Maya

It was really interesting to see how they made the tortillas and grilled the meat.

I tried a deer taco for the first time and drank lime juice with chia seeds.  The other taco was lechón.

Stop #2: We perused a local market

Stop #3: Taqueria Honorio - it's the most popular place to eat in Tulum for a reason!

This started as a cart on the side of the street and has grown to this.  This place is famous for its Cochinito pipil (suckling pig cooked in the ground wrapped in banana leaves).  We tried it both as a taco and a quesadilla.  I've never had a quesadilla before this and WOW.  I don't know if I can go back to what we eat in the states.  We also had horchata. 

The black tacos are a specialty for Day of the Dead.  

Stop #4: Tamales Don Taco Matriz

We got to back into the kitchen and watch them make the tomales.  These tomales are made with achiote sauce and wrapped in banana leaves instead of corn husks, so they are particularly moist.  So good!

They make almost 300 tomales a day!

Stop #4: El Rincón Tabasqueno

We tried mole enchildadas.  Holy cow!  I've never had mole like that before.  So good!

We walked through the town square to get to our last stop.  

(The Mayan calendar)

(One of the oldest residents of Tulum)

Stop 6: We ended with Panna e Cioccolato.  Holy Moly!  This gelato was SO good!  I got dulce de leche and marzipan.  

We had such an amazing experience, but it was a bit more crowded in the taxi on the way back to the resort after eating so much.

Beach Time

 It is the most relaxing feeling on the planet to lay under a cabana and listen to the waves of the ocean crash against the shore.  We enjoyed beach time almost every day we were there.  We stayed for a sunset, and also got up early for a sunrise.  It was incredible.  We also spent a couple evenings at the beach after dark.  The stars were beautiful!

The colors of the ocean are simply gorgeous.

We saw multiple weddings while we were there.

Rebecca even painted on the beach one of the afternoons.  Joel and I read quite a bit and just relaxed.

The hermit crabs came out at night.  They leave little tire tracks behind on the sand.  They were all over, so we had to use our phone lights to make sure we didn't accidentally step on them.