Are you guys tired of hearing about my vacation yet? Too bad, I’m not tired of talking about it! Today I’m linking up (again) with my friend Kim at The G is Silent.

One of the problems with going off the beaten path for vacation is finding souvenirs. I found a magnet to add to our collection without a problem. I also found gifts for the big kids without much trouble. But when it came to the little kids it got loads harder.

We bought the little boys some baskets that were weaved by the family of the cacao farmer who gave us a tour. I filled them with M & M’s from the Houston airport. While in Punta Gorda I found a build-your-own Mayan house kit. It seemed like a good idea and something we could do together.

I didn’t realize I would need a PhD in engineering to put it together. I managed to get the walls together and threw out the rest.

Reese adjusted…

He’s a creative kid.

Since we live at the ends of civilization in Alaska it took us forever to get home. We had a 23 hour layover in Houston. Luckily, Dallas’ sister lives there so we got to see them again. I looked high and low for a little present to bring my nieces back from Belize. The only thing I found in our travels were some Mayan dolls that were a little creepy looking. There were plenty of toys around at the local shops, they just weren’t authentic.

I was looking for something authentic.

By our last day in Belize I still had nothing for Audrey and Daphne. I decided I would just pick them up a cheesy Belize t-shirt at the airport. Imagine how excited I was when I spotted maracas in the gift store! Not only were they authentic looking, they were also loud.

Not that I would purposely buy my sister-in-laws kids a loud toy. It’s not like she bought my kids maracas once…

Anywho, I bought the maracas and took them back to Houston. The girls played with them a little and then left them on the couch between me and Autumn. At the same moment we both realized how inauthentic my gift turned out.

Seriously?