j & j: costa rica

was incredible

the picture above was our view from one of our hotels. unreal

mom and dad really spoiled us, we had the trip of a lifetime. it killed me that j couldn't be there. but we knew residency was going to be hard and sacrifices would have to be made. i can't wait to take him back someday:)

the monkey's were so playful and cute. mom loved watching them, she followed them around for an hour.. one even threw a mango at her! fiesty little monkeys!

we stayed in an airplane hotel that was featured on the travel channel. only one family stays at a time, so we had the coolest hotels in the jungle all to ourselves! when we arrived, monkey's were everywhere! it was so much fun to sit on our patio and watch them entertain us!

oh so close!

how cool is having the cock pit in the bathroom?

this is one of the bedrooms, the windows are so neat!

one of the other hotels we stayed in was so secluded, the only way to get there was to white water raft in. my whole family is very daring, except me.. i'm the cautious one.. i was scared to white water raft, but really had no choice :)

i was glad i did it!

one morning, sister came to my bungalow to wake me up and said sis, don't move.. yes, i had the biggest scorpion above my head. grafton and dad killed it. guess the canopy's aren't for looks after all..

i took this to show j. it was so cool because even in the bathroom, you felt like you were in the jungle!

the flowers amazed me. they look so fake and feel like plastic, i loved them!

pacuare lodge sure was good to us. the cooks were gormet. seriously the food was tastier than i've ever had!

loooove the fruit. could've had it every second!

jake was a fun buddy to have around, he kept me company at night. loved our sister and brother talks. he sure is all grown up. we loved pacuare lodge!

the views while we were rafting, were absolutely amazing!

we did level 4 rapids!

our guide was hilarious, he taught us to say pura vida (meaning full of life) while touching our oars. i love that saying!

he had us do things that no other guide did.. can't believe we stayed in!

we took a break from rafting and swam through a waterfall. such a cool experience!

going out to dinner was another highlight. love spending time with my family at the dinner table!

guess no one except me got the urge to act like a monkey..

it was my first time in a real hot spring! it was so relaxing, pictures don't do it justice. it was like being in a big hot tub in the garden of eden, no joke.

loved getting pina coladas at the swim up bar!

found the perfect fruit stand!

mm. coconut water!

jake knew how much we love coconut, and decided to climb really tall palm trees to get some!

the locals were impressed, he even figured how to open it! if i had to be stranded in the jungle with one person, i'd choose jakester!

i loved being on the beach. the ocean was phenomenal.

oh how i love her

sis and g high up in the sky!

breath taking

coolest little frog!

a beaut of a butterfly!

yes. it's huge. jake through down a mango and he totally swallowed it whole

such a daddy's girl.

we repelled water falls and it was awesome!

proof of me doing it!

the hiking from waterfall to waterfall was gorgeous!

go, dad, go!

we made it out alive!

cutest little mommy!

zip-lining was insane and wonderful all at the same time. i have to admit i had tears full of fear coming down without even meaning too before i went, but i did it anyway. it was so high! the views were un-describable. seeing the volcano was my favorite!