Heidi Cruz texted friends and neighbors in the days before her family flew down to a Cancun resort, saying her family was heading to the Ritz Carlton property because their house was “FREEZING,” messages obtained by the New York Times reports.

Her husband, Senator Ted Cruz (R-Quintana Roo), told and media other travelers that he took the trip to Mexico to escort his family on their travels and that he intended only to stay for one night.  He claimed that his daughters insisted on going on the trip with some friends, and that he was just being a “good dad.”

Heidi Cruz, however, was the originator of the text string on Wednesday, telling the people on the thread that the Cruz’s had stayed at the Ritz Carlton resort “many times” and that the cost per room night was “just $309.” 

“With school canceled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends,” Mr. Cruz said of his daughters, who are 10 and 12, in his statement on Thursday. “Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon.”

Ted Cruz, appearing on the Joe Pags radio show on Monday, said that his Houston house hadn’t lost power at the time of the interview.  Cruz also had packed a large carry-on bag for the trip, more than enough for an extended stay in warmer climes.

And while school was cancelled for the week, the school required students who travel out of the country to quarantine for a week before returning to school, meaning that his daughters will  miss two weeks of school for the sake of a Mexican vacation.