A day in Vega Baja.

We are home from our amazing adventure in Puerto Rico!!

We absolutely LOVED it, and I'm sure I'll write a post later recapping the highs and lows. (...who am I kidding...mostly highs!)

But for now, I want to post about a few things that I don't want to forget. I thought I'd write about what a "normal" day looked like for us while we were there, since we stayed long enough to settle into a routine! We had so many good days like this together, so I thought I'd freeze just one to remember.

- March 3rd, 2021 -

We woke up bright and early with the kids coming into our room and whisper-yelling (you know the type), 

"MOM. DAD. Can we watch Sponge Bob?" 

Haha. We turned on cartoons, and Jord started to make pancakes while I got a wide-eyed, sleepy Monroe out of her bed. (There is literally nothing better than babies in the morning!!)

^i love her i love her i love her^

After breakfast and scriptures, I headed out with the kids on an early morning walk, and we ended up at the beach (like we usually did). The beach was beautiful and quiet, and the kids searched for treasures on the shore. 

Then we headed back to the apartment to get a snack, and we grabbed school books to do homeschool time. Sometimes we did homeschool at the kitchen table, and sometimes we took the books outside to work on them at the park. 

Today was a park day!

^Exploring while brothers did school work^

The boys decided they wanted to catch a lizard, so they put the books aside and went on a quest to catch one! Lizards were EVERYWHERE, and the boys never got tired of seeing them run around.

They usually just missed them (the lizards are so fast!), but today they got lucky and caught a teeny tiny one!

^Such a happy Brights with his tiny lizard!^

^I did some journaling and adventure-planning while they looked for lizards^

After some play and homeschool time, we hopped in the car to get some groceries in town. The grocery store is always an adventure when you don't speak the language--and you have five kiddos tagging along--so I was glad that Jord could join us on his lunch break!

(I don't have any pictures of our grocery trip...but just imagine total chaos, sweaty parents, google translate, and a wild bunch of kids...and you've pretty much got it. Haha.)

After the grocery store we were all hangry, so we stopped to try a taco place near our house--and it was SO GOOD. 

^Poco Loco!^

^Carnitas, Al Pastor, & fish tacos!^

^The best fish taco I've had, maybe ever?? It was so fresh and AMAZING.^

Jordan had to get back to work, so we ordered some desserts to take home with us! And holy smokes...they were amazing. 

Homemade tres leches cake, and piping hot churros with chocolate dipping sauce. YUM.

^I will dream about these forever and ever.^

^what "working from home" looks like when you are limited in space and you have a crazy baby who's obsessed with you. haha. Jord is such a champ!^

After some quiet time/ nap time for baby Rovies, the kids and I headed to "our beach,"--the beach that we could walk to from our place! 

We spent hours and hours under the shade of the palm trees on that beach. Eating snacks, digging holes, and exploring the tide pools all around. We were usually the only ones there, and we came to love the spot so, so much.

^tiny explorer^

^I wish you could hear her giggle in this picture. The absolute best^

^hashtag the mom life^

When Jord finished working for the evening, he came out and joined us for a bit before dinner. I love love LOVE that we were so close to the beach for this very reason!! 

It was just the best.

^Showing dad where all of the sea urchins are^

^found one!^

^Her little hand on my leg! I die.^

Brighton found us matching "wedding rings" (hollow sea urchin shells) and said

"Mom, will you marry me?"

I mean, how could I refuse that??

^we shall be married in the morning!^

^LOVE^

After the beach, we headed in to get cleaned up and have some dinner!

The kids got pretty good at the post-beach shower, cartoons, and chill routine while I made dinner in the kitchen. Transitions are always chaos (especially when sand and beach toys are involved), but the memories of a fun day on the beach are always worth it. Literally always.

^tired babies^

^sweetest daddy's girl^

After dinner, we walked over to the basketball courts in our complex so the boys could shoot a few hoops before bed! There's nothing quite like Puerto Rico evenings. The breeze, the sunset, the palm trees....just perfection.

I just loved that we could spend 99% of our day outside! From sunrise to sunset, the weather was usually just a DREAM.

Then we called it a night, and headed in for bed. 

The boys snuggled into their bunk beds and I put Monroe down in her pack 'n play, and soon everyone was snoozing. Jord and I watched LOST and folded laundry on the couch together, and thought about how grateful we were to be in Puerto Rico as a family. 

Just another day in paradise, and we could not have loved it more.