Chasing My Joy

My journey to becoming an Ultra Runner and Ironman

Tulum Ruins – Day Two

We stated our second day out nice and early so we could get to the Tulum Ruins before the crowds and heat.

The ruins are very close to where we are staying so we felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The littles markets at the entrance are bustling with lots of things to purchase.

We did decide to hire a tour guide for our visit because we wanted to learn more about what we were seeing.

The ruins are stunning set right on the edge of the Caribbean Sea.

It’s a bit of a walk from the parking lot but the tropical atmosphere makes it nice.

The tunnel entrance was a highlight.

The kids did a pretty good job listening to our guide.

But when they got bored they just ran around in the fields.

This place is just gorgeous!

When we were done at the ruins we shared some Coco Frio, the kids were so excited to try drinking from a coconut, but they didn’t like it LOL.

We drove into town and found a little taco shop, the one Cory wanted to try was closed and the one we found was okay.

After lunch we decided to visit Grand Cenote that is really close to Tulum. I need to get our footage from our GoPro. This place was amazing, the Cenote was partially open to the sunshine and partially a cave. There were bats flying in and out, turtles and fishing swimming with us and stalagmites reaching down from above.

I was worried that it would be too cold or maybe scary in the caves with bats flying around, but she was in awe. Her face was lit up and she loved it all so much. Cannon loved it too, swimming around exploring everything, I was never worried about him not loving it.

We brought the kids’ life jackets from home so we always knew they would be safe have a jacket that fit well. This cenote did have jackets for adults and kids available. .

[Source]

After swimming there were showers and places to change before going back to our rental.

When we got back Emmy and Cory were very worn out so they took a nap. Cannon and I decided to test out the roof top pool and hang out in the loft together.

For dinner we drove down to the beach and found the cutest little pizza place.

This had to be some of the best pizza I have ever had.

We all loved it!

We walked around a bit after dinner, said hello to the ocean, then went to bed way too late.

It was a very full, magical start to our trip!

Tulum – Travel Day

We have not flown since 2019 when we returned home from Germany. I forgot what it’s like to pack into a suitcase instead of a car and the kids don’t remember flying at all so this was a fun adventure for all of us.

We left our house around 7 am to get to the airport, park the car then take the shuttle to the airport.

The kids did so well, and it was nice navigating the airport without strollers or diapers.

Our flight was around four hours and the kids did great playing on their tablets, playing in activity books and watching out the windows. I mostly entertained the kids and read a little about the sites we would see on our trip.

When we landed in Mexico Cannon loved how different it felt from Colorado. It is such a privilege and a joy to show the kids the world.

It took a while to get our bags then get our rental car but we lucked out that the rain didn’t start until after we were on the road south from Cancun to Tulum.

You definitely don’t need to rent a car to get around the Yucatan Peninsula, the public transit is great (and cheap) but you do get a really good feel of the area when you can drive around as you like.

We stopped at a grocery store on our way to get a few staples like coffee, milk and fruit for the mornings. We arrived at our rental after dark and got to enjoy the area all lit up.

The kiddos loved the rooftop deck with the plunge pool. We got to sleep way too late, but that is the way it goes for us while traveling.

SPRING BREAK ’22 | Fruita Colorado

We woke up in a hotel on the day we were supposed to drive home, towing our trailer, problem solving our blown tire.

We were stuck in town without a car and being told it would be at least two weeks before they could fix our truck. We rented a car so we could get out to our trailer and get around. My kind parents offered to come and tow us home (huge favor to offer) but luckily a mechanic was able to fit us in between his other work so we didn’t have to leave our Tahoe out in Moab for weeks! We really lucked out with the kindness we were shown! The tow truck driver was also very sweet to us, our crazy dog and two sleepy kids.

It felt like magic when we got our truck back just a few hours later totally fixed.

We got a later start then planned so we decided to drive just part way home to Fruita Colorado.

This little campsite is one of our favorites.

The kids weren’t sad about our extended trip.

SPRING BREAK ’22 | Goblin Valley State Park

Utah has some amazing National Parks but the State Parks should not be overlooked! We LOVE Goblin Valley State Park so we made the day trip over from Moab. It’s only 1.5 hour drive so not too bad.

In the morning we woke up to a bit of snow in our campsite.

It was a surprise but also pretty.

On our way to Goblin we stopped for coffee and treats.

When we arrived we decided to start with a hike.

We did the Entrada Trail along some drainage areas and it was such a cool, unique experience. Dogs are allowed so Humphry came along with us.

We then made our way to the Valley of the Goblins, which is a big open area full of Hoodoos that you can climb and explore.

It is so fun to see the kids playing in the best (biggest) playground ever.

It’s the perfect day trip from Moab or this is a good stop if you are seeing some of the other National Parks. Last year we camped here on the way home from Capitol Reef.

On our way back to Moab we decided to grab a pizza and go back into Arches National Park to eat dinner.

This was such a fun way to eat dinner I highly recommend. At this time in the evening the park is pretty quiet.

Then we went down to the Double Arch area to go for a little sunset hike.

We have been down to this area many times but always hiked up to the Windows section. This was our first exploring the double arch side and I can’t believe we waited so long, it was stunning!

This hike is super easy and accessible to view the arches. To get up inside takes some scrambling.

The kids loved the sandy trails.

It was amazing watching the sun go down over the desert.

I will never get over this place! Hiking out in the dark was a fun experience since there is so little light out here.

Then on our way back to our camper disaster struck, I won’t go into the long story but we ended up in a hotel overnight, searching for a way to get our Tahoe fixed. Luckily we were all safe and together so it could have been WAY worse.

SPRING BREAK ’22 | Arches National Park

We spent our second day in Moab visiting Arches National Park. This is one of my favorite places and it never get old.

We started our day by going to the visitors center.

We needed to pick up our workbooks so the kids could do the Jr. Ranger program and stamp our passports.

The visitors center is super beautiful and has so much good information.

Our first stop was Broken Arch Trail, this one was a new one to us and a new favorite! It was really kid friendly and so fun.

I think this might be our 5th visit to Arches and we still find cool new places to explore. I am excited to do more epic hikes when the kids are bigger.

We had our picnic lunch and enjoyed some more overlooks. Then we went to Sand Arch which is our kids’ favorite.

We stopped on our way out of the park for the necessary picture with the sign.

Then we went into Moab for ice cream then back to the campsite for dinner.

The sunset was amazing!

Then we set out for another night hike because it’s the best way to get some energy out before bed time.

The kids love hiking with flash lights! And these trails are so pretty. Another magical day in Moab, I love this place so much!

Spring Break ’22 | Canyonlands National Park

We woke up early in Fruita, Colorado, made breakfast and coffee before hitting the road. It’s only about an hour to get to Moab.

We set up camp on some BLM land where we could have direct access to some awesome trails.

Canyonlands National Park is just down the road from our campsite so we set out to find some hikes.

First stop is to get a picture with a sign.

Then into the Visitor Center so we could participate in the Jr. Ranger program and stamp our passports.

It is so beautiful here!

We hit up some trails we didn’t do last time we were here and enjoyed a picnic lunch.

After a long day of hiking we went to Moab to grab some dinner and shopping. The kids got to pick out a souvenir and new sweatshirts.

Emmy picked out a dino puppet and was hilarious with it.

We had dinner at the Spoke on Center and then went back to our campsite.

Last year we started doing evening hikes after dinner and have continued it this year. It’s the perfect way to end the day.

Spring Break ’22- Travel Day

We spent the morning getting ready for our spring break trip to Moab. We attempted to see the “mighty 5” of southern Utah’s National Parks last spring break. We couldn’t make it to Bryce Canyon and Zion because of snow and I can’t wait to see them soon. We are only planning on going to Moab and Goblin Valley State Park this trip because we only have four days. Hopefully next year we can make it to the most western parks. We LOVE visiting Utah

We hit the road right after Cannon got out of school.

We were lucky that the roads were dry and clear!

We drove for about five hours through the mountains to our favorite place to camp near Fruita Colorado.

https://www.campendium.com/rabbit-valley-north-camping-area

Humphry was glad to be out of the car and settled into the camper for the night.

A Visit to Pueblo

On Sunday we played at our campsite on scooters and visited the lake a bit.

I don’t think it’s the most picturesque place in Colorado but I am glad we visited!

Our campsite had a good view of the lake.

On our way home we stopped in Pueblo to visit the river walk.

*source*

Normally this area is full of water and boats but it was empty when we visited. I would love to come back and see it like above.

We did find a fun little playground and a cute patio to have lunch that allowed us to have our three dogs with us!

It was fun visiting Pueblo and I would love to go back!

Road Trip Tips With Kids

It’s almost spring break season and I know a lot of people are considering road trips. We LOVE road trips!

Some of our most favorite trips have been by car even when the kids were tiny.

Some of our tips for road tripping with kids:

  • 1. Start them young! We took long road trips with both kids starting when they were about three months old. They are pretty used to long car trips now.
  • 2. Stop for breaks at playgrounds. We love finding new playgrounds on trips and have the best time playing and getting our energy out. Sometimes we eat at our stops but usually we have the kids play as much as possible then have them eat when we get back on the road.
  • 3. We bring little lunch boxes for kids to eat out of that helps them not spill and eat while driving. Also we have the kids keep water bottles at their seats.
  • 4. Drive while they sleep! We try to get lots of miles in while the kids sleep so they feel like we aren’t in the car as long.
  • 5. Screen time! We do give the kids and other things to do in the car but we also don’t shy away from screen time. Both of our cars have DVD players so we rent shows and movies from our library so they have new things to watch. We also bring the kids’ Fire Tablets so they can play games for something different.
  • 6. When we aren’t traveling with our RV we bring a little travel potty. Our kids sometimes wait until the last minute to tell us they need to go and there isn’t always a bathroom near. We also pack lots of garbage bags and wipes so we aren’t stuck in a bad situation.

Some of our favorite road trips include:

  • Oregon
  • Yellowstone
  • Disneyland
  • Arizona
  • New Mexico
  • Utah National Parks
  • All over Colorado!

What are your favorite places to road trip?

Tips for Disneyland with Toddlers and Littles

We have taken a few trips to Disneyland now with our kids and feel like we have a pretty good system going. We have visited the park when the kids have been 9 months, 2.5 years, 3.5 years and 5 years old.

We have been for Valentine’s Day, Halloween and Christmas time and loved every visit.

Here is what made our visits not only manageable but fun for all of us:

1. Bring The Biggest Stroller You Can

Our stroller was the command center for every trip!

Babies, toddlers and little kids need a lot of things and can’t walk the 10 miles that a day at Disney requires. We store all the things we need for a day in the parks like snacks, water, changes of clothes, diapers, etc. in the stroller so we don’t have to carry everything.

The stroller worked as a great place for the kids to nap when they were younger.

We weren’t sure if we would have to return to our hotels for nap time, but both kiddos were able to nap in the stroller while rolling around the park.

Even at five and a half Cannon would get tired and want a break in the stroller. It was especially helpful as we usually stay in a hotel close to Disneyland but not on property so walking back to the hotel at night the kids would always fall asleep.

Our stroller also has a great rain cover that really helped when it rained during our visits. I think having a good stroller is key to having a good visit if you have little ones.

You can rent strollers at Disneyland if you can’t bring one with you but I am not a huge fan of them, they don’t look comfortable and don’t have a lot of protection from the elements. Still better than nothing but highly encourage bringing your own if you can.

We LOVE our double Thule Cougar Chariot.

2. If You Have a Baby, Wear Them

When we took Emerald for her first visit when she was nine months old. We brought our Becco baby carrier (as well as a stroller) and wore her while in line and often on the rides. She was comfy and happy to take naps and just hang out with us.

Baby Emmy in line for Alice in Wonderland

3. Bring Your Own Snacks and Water.

I am a BIG fan of Disney snacks, we particularly love a popcorn bucket to share while waiting in line. But we also bring lots of our own snacks so that we aren’t spending tons of money as well as the kids aren’t getting sugar overload. It’s nice for their tummy to have snacks they are used to getting. We also save special snacks to have while waiting in longer lines to make the time go by faster.

Frozen lemonade while waiting for Rise of the Resistance

4. Bring Portable Phone Chargers

More and more you need your phone to make plans, check the wait times and take millions of photos. I love the Disneyland App but it also drains my phone’s battery quickly so we bring portable charges to be sure our phones can make it through the day.

5. Find Time to Play

Waiting in line and sitting on rides isn’t a great way to get energy out of little bodies. It’s important to find time for them to move and play. Toon Town, Tom Sawyers Island and Red Wood Creek Challenge are great places to let kids run free.

5. Take a Break

When we are visiting for more than a couple days we like to take a break day.

On our trip in October we thought we would spend the day at our hotel pool then in Downtown Disney. It wasn’t very warm so we headed to the beach instead and had a great time before jumping back into the parks.

Most importantly take your time, enjoy the little things and know you might not do everything but you are making memories and bonding as a family!

What are your favorite tips for visiting a Disney park?

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