The Melster and Family: Costa Rica Family Time

My parents had their 30th wedding anniversary this year and to celebrate they invited all of the family to go to Costa Rica with them! We all love to travel so of course we said YES! Its great to have the whole family together to celebrate our parents and in a tropical place!

Savvy was great on the plane- sleeping most of the time and entertaining some of our nearby passengers. Luckily we sat at the back of the plane with a few more families who were gracious about us having a little baby. I was worried about her ears but she was a champ in all regards. She even did well at the airports and with our extended layovers.

The first full day being in Costa Rica we went scuba diving w/o Savvy- my first real time away from her! Grandma stayed home and babysit the two girls while the rest of us dove or snorkeled. It was Chelsea's first time after getting certified to scuba dive and she did great! Our dive master was very helpful pointing out creatures to us and even letting us hold sea enema's. I had a few issues with air in my BCD and floating upwards but overall it was fun! Chelsea and Brice got a little boat sick going from one dive location to the next and I was exhausted so we both just snorkeled at the second sight. Kris got his own private dive and enjoyed it as always!

Our resort was right on the beach coast which is great for us! We had 3 quaint villas with a bedroom and living room so we could all get together. The flora around the resort was lush and green and the skies blue- except when the rainstorms would stop by. We could walk down in a few hsort minutes or walk up to be at the three pools. Either way we got BEAUTIFUL SUNSETS at our resort! We had some interesting moments with the food.. Chicken GORDON blue, third world special

pizza, and other Costa Rican/American hybrid creations! WE sure did anticipate dinner time and what we would eat! The best part was how plentiful fruit was and how much we all love pineapple now!

Water time for Savvy- it started off slow but by the end of the week she was loving the water! She started giggling and kicking while she was in her floaty. Of course she got cold a lot faster then us and our trips to the pool were hectic but short! Hazel & Savvy got to spend some more time together- especially in the pool! Hazel is so full of energy and loved the water and splashed Savvy a lot but it was fun to see them together. I can't wait until they can play for hours together without our help!

We rented a van so we could go to church on sunday and explore the area on Monday. With so many people we needed a van that fit 10 of us! I can't imagine the future when we will need two vehicles to get around. Dad loves to drive in foreign countries and seemed to fit in way too well with costa rican drivers! I'm sure we were quite a group to the natives!

On the second to the last day of our trip we did a Rain Forest Adventure with all family members- we got to zip lining, water sliding, horseback riding, and explore 5 hot spring pools and mud bath. What a great day! I stayed behind with the baby girls while everyone went zip-lining on 10 lines and even went upside down and backwards! From there we went on a super long water slide in freezing cold water! Grandma got a major shock while riding the water slide- she went completely under at the end. WE then had a great authentic lunch and break from the sun. Horseback riding was all Hazel could talk about because she is learning all of her animals and their sounds. She didn't go all the way nor did Savannah but they both enjoyed their little ride. When we got down to the hot springs we found Papa with both girls- one asleep and one hungry. Good to know he can multi-task sometimes!

Waterfall adventure- Mom had heard about this beautiful waterfall she wanted us to go to and as we drove in the directions we were sent we realized Costa Rica had no traffic signs. We went twice as long in the car until we realized we were too far and turned back. One small little sign had us pull off the freeway onto a dirt road to the waterfall. We thought we were gonna have to hike far in but it was already visable from where we parked. The water was freezing compared to the ocean but we all dove in and enjoyed it! It wasn't very deep and so we could play easily under the falls. It's amazing what beauty is created and worth the adventure to find!