In March, when the wind was still a bit chilly and spring was just entering in, we photographed these two sweet sisters. A couple years ago we did a session with big sister Lily, and it was a treat to now meet her new little sister, Lyla, who’s nine months.

We walked around the park while Lily loved on Lyla, and we all searched for early spring flowers. We observed buds on the trees ready to soon bloom, and then Lyla got the biggest giggles while sitting in a giant pile of leaves.

What sweethearts!

I don’t recall how it all started, but I think that as I sat shivering during the winter of 2013/14, I began combing through beach homes and places worthy of travel. Actually, I became a bit obsessed…staring at warm places for hours with a warm cup of coffee became my solace from the bitter cold.

Recently, I had noticed gorgeous photos from photographers of Tulum, Mexico, just south of Cancun. It seemed like a unique place that captured a perfect mix of nature and culture and had low tourism. We decided last spring to go for it the following year.

Booking this trip for February may have been the best decision of my year. Our flight left at 7:00am following what was the coldest night of the year in Cincy, with a low of -15 Fahrenheit. YIKES was that a cold trip to the airport, but we knew we were in for a temperature shift. Turns out, it was nearly 100 degrees of a shift! We managed to plan this trip so precisely, that we missed the giant snowfall that covered Cincinnati, our kids were safe at home with their grandma and Uncle J who was visiting, and we were off to paradise! (That sounded a little mean, didn’t it?)  ;)

Besides a killer migraine upon arrival and battling a chest cold (thank you winter) this trip was just perfection. We needed this escape. We slipped off our boots at the doorway of the villa rental, and there they just SAT. Lonely. For five days, they didn’t move an inch. The boots, the wool socks, and the layers…..G-O-O-D–B–Y—E.

And speaking of places to stay….we couldn’t have been more thrilled with our surroundings for those (short) five days.

It took me a good couple days for my bones to warm…I’m not even kidding.

We explored Mayan ruins and beach side cliffs. We photographed all the unique lizards for our son to post around his room. He loved them. :)

The beaches, the clear water, the colors at dusk….Ahhh.

One of the greatest aspects of Tulum is the ability to experience Mexican life and culture without being frustrated by excessive tourism. You were immersed in it. We loved driving around the town and exploring the back streets.

From our reading before the trip we knew we had to experience a cenote. They are EVERYWHERE. I was mildly panicked at the idea, but somehow convinced myself it was OK to get into the waters of an underground river cave. I actually (sort of) liked it. Maybe. Brett loved it.

We found a beach that was covered in coral…completely. I wanted to take it all home, but alas, I decided to photograph it instead. Some pieces were 3-4 feet in length! Check out the brain coral below…

We were clued in to a secret beach and restaurant. Unfortunately, we visited the second to last day, otherwise we may have never ventured out to see anything else, it was that good. The most picturesque beach, with people who come out with the best ceviche of your life.

One afternoon we raced to Coba, and literally ran up the Mayan pyramid before it closed!

By our last night, Brett looked like he fit right in and may never leave.

We got up and watched the sun rise on our last day before leaving. Our lives are so busy, rushed, and time alone at this point in our lives is rare. What a blessing it was to have this escape away together and reflect on God’s goodness.