Our mini Mexico vacation!

I was online Saturday while Jared was at work checking out the laws on passports and crossing the border on land when I discovered that you don't need a passport yet to drive across only if you're flying across. I told Jared and he jokingly said "so do you want to go to Mexico tonight?" I don't think he thought it would be something I'd go for, but I've actually wanted to go for a while now so I could meet the rest of his family. So when he got home we choked down the lasagna I made (I'm buying the frozen ones from now on!) and started a mad dash to get ready. Jared pulled out the computer Jerry had sent with us that was for Papa and Mama and started formatting it while I packed and entertained the kids. By the time we got everything done and loaded it was 10:00! Taly was able to get us a really good rate on a hotel room (thanks again Taly!) $80 for two nights at the Marriot! We stayed in San Antonio the first night and it was a good thing we did because we didn't get in until 2 AM! The next morning we headed out and after hitting the local Wal-Mart for bottled water (I love that it's everywhere no matter where you are!) we were off! I was kinda nervous thinking the border patrol would ask all kinds of probing questions, but they don't care who goes in just who comes out, so we went over without a glance from any of the officers.

We finally got there about 11 AM. Melody wasn't too sure at first, but Katelynn loved Papa from the beginning! He was playing with her and she was laughing a bouncing all over the place. After about an hour there were probably 10-20 people there including all of the kids. Melody was in heaven! From the stories I've been told Melody acted just like Jared used to when they went to visit. She got whatever she wanted from everyone! The older girls followed her everywhere and took a million pictures and shared all of their treats while the adults passed Katie around like a toy. Katie also loved the attention, she laughed and smiled at whoever had her at the moment.
After a while some of us walked over to the Rio to let the kids play. Melody kept trying to climb in and was freaking Jared out! There was a family fishing and Papa asked if the kids could look at the fish. I have a video in the video bar of this. Melody was so excited to see and touch a fish I don't think she realized it was dead. On the way back we passed a bunch of sunflower plants that were swarming with butterflies. I made Jared take a picture, but you can't really see them. I couldn't believe how many butterflies there were down there!

So on went the day and the kids never napped or ate anything healthy. Melody helped Papa make tortillas and Mama tried to piece them back together before she put them on to cook. Then she played with the chickens and got unbelievably dirty. She took bracelets from a few of the girls and walked around showing them to anyone who wanted to see. They all oohed and aahed over her! I put Katie down to play with the other babies, but mostly she tried to grab their hair and eat it. I'm sure her social skills will continue to develop!

By the end of the day we had Melody saying please and thank you in Spanish. We've been working with her on it and Jared frequently speaks to her in Spanish, but she only uses it when it suits her. I also had learned a bit more and was understanding it better. Usually I can follow conversations Jared has with Papa, but everyone else spoke so FAST! I couldn't follow anything they said. I'm going to have to crack down on learning if we're going to visit down there very often because it was more than a little intimidating not being able to understand what everyone was saying. They were all very understanding though and applauded my every effort to use what Spanish I did know.

We finally left at around 7 which wouldn't have been too late if we hadn't been detained! We knew we would be though because we got halfway and realized we had forgotten the girls birth certificates! We decided to play dumb American tourist and hope it didn't cause too much trouble. In the end it took an extra half hour, which Melody screamed through, and we were given a dozen or so pamphlets on what was required to cross the border. By next time I should have our passports so we wont have to worry about it.

The weekend was a hectic, but much needed vacation. We all really enjoyed ourselves and I was glad Mellie and Katie got to meet all of their relatives in Mexico. Hopefully we'll be able to go again soon! Check out the side bar for pictures!