we got pounded with about 30 cm of snow the other day and while I’m not totally complaining, (I like the snow, it wasn’t majorly cold out, and I was indoors for most, ok, all of the day) I have had it up to about here (here is way high, about the height of our current snow banks) with winter. it’s beautiful, four seasons are nice , it’s beautiful, but ugh. blah blah blah. I’m over it.

we had a snow day. school called early in the morning to cancel classes and my sister and niece ended up being stranded at our place for the day. fun! despite being man to man with all the kids and adults in the house it was a crazy day. we all had our supercharged, a little unbalanced, cranky to the max, pushy and whiny moments, but all in all it was really nice to spend so much time together.

so while it snowed heavily outside, and the kids went to sleep for nap, I took the time to look through old photos of warmer climates, balmy breezes and the shining sun.

here’s a look at our trip to cancun this past december. man, that felt like a lifetime ago. thank god for photos and sunny rooms. it makes it easier to daydream.

this was the view from our balcony. every room in the place had an ocean view which was awesome, because with our two we knew we would be in the room for a lot of the trip. these days since we know we are tied to the room for naps etc, we like to get nice digs! anyway, the balcony and view made our nap times and early nights so much more fun! and i know it’s not the same as being at the beach, but it felt so so so close!

we booked through our agent at the grand park royal and although i have said that all-inclusives aren’t my thing, they have been lifesavers for the last two trips we’ve been on. hassle free and.. well, all inclusive. haha. it’s right there in the word for all to understand. with two under two it just made life so much easier. and right now, easy is the name of the game. i think we will go with a vrbo or apartment rental next time as we have steadied our travel feet a bit more and really know what we want and need on vacation, but again for first timers - this is the way to go! i will insha’allah do a post next week on traveling with kids/babies for all those on the fence on travel. quick teaser - just do it!!!

the sun shone bright and we were at the beach the instant it was possible. let me tell you, cancun has some really nice sand. and although niyya is crying like a crazy person in the photo above, she didn’t seem bothered by it in the least!

the wind was a little fierce in cancun. good for surfing i guess, but not so good for kids in the ocean. it was kind of dangerous with red flags up for most of the day. rough waters and a strong tide made me a little uncomfortable to take the girls in. and while there were periods of time where the water calmed down, we never really got hot enough to go all in. perhaps it was a waste, but we enjoyed walking along the shore getting our feet wet more.

we passed by this sculpture everyday on our way out of our room. can you guess what it is?

the food was good - fresh and tasty, and the drinks were so delicious. agua fresca’s in watermelon and tangerine and this green juice blend with mint and chia were staples at each meal. the girls had a great time together and i was so thankful that they were able to sleep in the same room without bothering the other. we woke with the sun, but our mornings were lazy because vacation or not, that’s how we like it.

ps. it’s a lobster! cool, right?

my uniform on this trip was my super baggy distressed boyfriend jeans and loose breezy tops. and i’m telling you right now, it will be my uniform come summer too. so easy and effortless.

our days consisted of eating, lazing around, playing, eating, talking, taking photos, eating, and after nap, showers and a change of clothes, we would take a nice long walk on the beach to catch the last bits of the sun. it was really such a fun trip for us. no expectations, just time spent together as a family.

while shopping was not our m.o. for this trip we did take one morning out of our usual routine to head to la isla. we ended up getting a few wooden puzzles for daani and family back home as well as some “essentials” from zara!

we packed a small assortment of toys and books for the kids. for travel days, the room and downtime, they are so necessary. books always come in handy. it’s a safe bet that when our papa reads we have attentive and calm babies.

i never wore daani in the baby bjorn as much as i wore niyya on this trip. what a handy little gadget! niyya ended up being my buddy - i would grab her and go! she was so happy be to be close and i was so happy to have her near, and hands free to take photos and wander. plus daani preferred hanging with her papa so it was a win win win all around.

i love this photo of daaniya. i think it might be one of my favourites. her smile is so full and she seems so genuinely happy.

this was our first family trip. we went to jamaica six weeks after niyya was born, but we went with my sister and her family, so it doesn’t count to me. there will be so many more trips just the four of us. insha’allah a nice lifetime of them. this one will always hold a special place in my heart because of that. as parents you know it’s a tag team effort always, and we worked well together. oddly enough, i was worried before the trip how we would fare, but so pleasantly surprised at how well things went. we were flexible, kept our stress levels way low and really enjoyed ourselves and each other.

hope you enjoyed and feel free to pin to your travel boards for some much needed inspiration! part II will be up soon!