coming april 2013...

 a miniature addition to the Stephens' clan.

eeeeek!

already the cutest lime-sized baby i know... 

we can't wait!!

buuuuut... we've still got a LOT to learn.

so, here's to the next 28 weeks!

third year already...?

holy cow!

time has flown by... i can't believe i am starting Round 3.

for the past 2 weeks, i've been hard at work in Room 5

preparing for the 2012-2013 school year.

Kirk was SO cute to come and help me a couple of days...

I don't know how I ever prepared my room without his help.

here's a quick glimpse of the final product.

bathroom has been scrubbed and polished

okay Firsties... let's do this.

honeymooners: round 2

Q: what costs $395, lasts 7 beautiful days, and smells like salt water?

A: the Stephens' 2nd Honeymoon at the Grand Mayan Resort in Los Cabos, Mexico, that's what!

so, back in June we found this screamin' deal at a resort in Los Cabos that we just couldn't resist. 

$395 for a weeks stay at a 5-star resort? umm, where do i sign up?

so we jumped right on it and booked our tickets right away.

people, if you are looking for an affordable getaway to a beautiful place,

check out thegrandmayan.com

it is hands down the best beach vacation destination that i have happened upon.

amazing people, super safe city, delicious food, beautiful beaches, amazing pools...

let's just say i may or may not have cried on our last day there.

you smell what i'm steppin' in?

let's check it out.

here we are. heaven on earth.

 one of our many views as we lounged poolside

one day kirk joined a group of other dudes on the beach for a round of beach volleyball.

i had NO idea my hubbsie was an Olympic volleyball athlete.

he's pretty rad.

and hot.

 this is where i spectated said talent...

better than the stands, right?

 watching the sunset with my man

 this dude is one of the many Mayan gods that adorned our home for the week.

i thought this one was particularly handsome

 on our way to Cabo San Lucas for a day of fun.

we weren't directly in Cabo San Lucas.

we were about 25 minutes away,

but if your not into the all-day all-night party soiree,

and are just looking for a quiet beautiful getaway with the option of fun nearby,

Los Cabos is the way to go.

 in Cabo San Lucas for the day

 what's a trip to Mexico without Coca Light con Limon?

 in Cabo we decided to see the famous Arch and Lover's Beach by air,

so we paid our amigo Alexandro to take us out parasailing

 the famous rocks of Cabo with Lovers Beach on the right

but what do you do when Lover's Beach is closed?

make your own Lover's Beach, of course.

 on our way back from Cabo San Lucas,

we found another piece of heaven.

our own little beach at Chileno Bay.

 perfect, right?

 after playing at Chileno Bay,

we headed back to our Casa Bonita to lounge by the pool

and drink plenty of Mai Tais, sin alcohol of course.

 (oh, hot dang...)

 okay,

i know this was Mexico

but this resort of ours had THE BEST sushi i've ever tasted.

tempura shrimp, cream cheese, avacado, topped with mango?

yes, please! 

and look at that wasabi...

 another perfect view poolside...

 the resort had a fiesta one of the nights we were there

and it was a blast! 

delicious food, amazing entertainment, right on the beach.

aww, heavenly.

 my love affair with churros

 probably my favorite place to sit the entire week.

this was such a hot spot, that everyday by 10am it was full and we were out of luck.

so the last day we had in the sun, my darling hubs got up early while i was asleep,

walked our pool bag and towels down, and reserved us a spot!

(good thing too, cause i didn't wake up until almost noon that day...)

 and on our last day,

Kirk and I participated in the poolside music trivia game put on by the activity crew.

the winner got a free ride in the gigantic beach balls.

well, when you get two movie/tv/cartoon buffs together,

guessing the music from each of those categories is pretty breezy.

Let's just say that as a team, we scored 50 points.

The next person closest had a total of 23. 

Kirk enjoyed our victory in the "big balls."

gracias por su hospitalidad, Los Cabos.

me like-a you, mucho.