MEXICO 2012

As we are driving to Mexico every year, I think about how this will be the year that I will blog EVERY DAY of our trip.  I daydream that I will be able to somehow capture the feelings that my family feels, and the love that we develop for some of the most amazing people we will ever meet.  But the week flies by, and the computer only gets opened when Rick needs to check on work, and before I know it we are back home to freezing cold Utah!  But as I look at the pictures of Mexico, I realize that it's okay that I didn't record everything that happened, a picture says a thousand words.

This is the view off our deck - AMAZING!

The first couple of days consisted of playing on the beach, swimming, going into town, eating, and playing on the beach some more.  It was a tough job but the Finlayson family was up to the task!

On Christmas Eve, after a nice dinner at Don Julio's with a bunch of families from Highland, our little family ran over to the Valenzuela's home to start the real partying - Mexican Style!  We headed over to Lupita's family party, but made a quick stop on the way for some fireworks.  Little did I know that it would be the children lighting off the fireworks!  

Julio and Jacob

When we got to the party, it was seriously the craziest thing I have ever seen.  Music was blaring, people were dancing, dogs were barking (this is all outside, by the way!), and they had cooked a goat, and people were dancing while eating the meat right off the bone!  It was so funny!

A couple of days before we left Utah, Julio called Rick and told him that there was a family that really was in a tough spot and needed help with Christmas this year.  The father of the family works for Julio as a dishwasher making $70.00 a week.  The dad figured out a contraption for his bike so that he can ride all three boys to school across town, he then rides to work, works, picks the boys up from school and takes them home, and then rides back to work and works the rest of the day.  When Rick found this out, he called his amazing brother Ryan and asked if Ryan could help with Christmas for this sweet family.  Ryan's response?  "I'll provide Christmas for all three boys."  Ryan and Andrea are two of the most giving and loving people we know.  I'm always in awe by their willingness to help, and I'm so thankful for their example.  When we picked up the Christmas presents from Ryan and Andrea, Ryan handed me hundreds of dollars for food for this sweet little family.

We wanted to give the parents of this family the Christmas presents on Christmas Eve so that Santa could come to their house that night.  Amazingly enough the family was at Lupita's family party!  It worked out perfect!

The youngest boy was asleep.  What a sweet family.

CHRISTMAS

Christmas in Mexico is so different than anything I have every experienced in Utah.  I find myself forgetting that it is even Christmas as we go about our day.  Our kids receive very little, (in fact Connor only asked for a pair of socks this year!) and so opening presents lasts about 30-35 seconds! I sometimes wonder if our children will wish they had a normal Christmas, but for now they all say they love Mexico and wouldn't want in any other way.

In the afternoon on Christmas day, the Families Helping Families group got together near the tracks to provide a good Christmas dinner to the families living near the tracks.  There was turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, hot dogs, salads and oranges.  I think we ended up feeding around 250 people.  Check out some of these beautiful children:

It's life changing folks!  Life changing!

AND THE WORK BEGINS

Families Helping Families built 3 houses, painted the outside of 2 houses,  and furnished, cleaned and gave away 1 home this Christmas Season.

"Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision.

It's the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."

-Joe Paterno