Merrymaking in May

May will have a few posts because so much happened! Here are some of our best buddies, Caroline, Brooklyn, Maggie, Boston, and Genevieve

Working with Daddy

The cubschouts of the ward made this for me for Mother's Day. It was so thoughtful!

Mother's Day gifts from my adorable children

Boston's interview answers about me

The rest of the card

Sadie's poem

Ryan gave me this gorgeous painting of the Phoenix Temple. I felt very loved this Mother's Day!

Sadie was selected as the Student of the Month. At first I thought they do this for every kid, but they don't! She earned it through hard work, kindness, and respect. The kids from each grade as student of the month get pizza with the principle! Sadie and Mr. Duguid

One night we invited ourselves over to the Sweetwoods to swim and play. It was hot that day and the public pools weren't open yet.

Genevieve and Sadie

One Saturday we drove down to the Tuscan area to visit some caves. We went with some friends, the Heuers. Here is Katie and Boston

Charlotte, Boston, Thomas, and Sadie

This is Ryan heading into the Colossal Caves. This cave totally lives up to its name. It was discovered over 100 years ago and the cave wasn't protected as it should have been. Many of the visitors broke off structures and took them a souvenirs. There were tons of pathways to take but it was still easy enough for the kids to wander through without too much trouble.

We also visited the Kartchner Caverns which was about a 40 minute drive away. It was seriously such a cool experience. I've been telling everyone about it since. These caves were discovered in the 1980s and was kept a secret until the 1990's when it was officially preserved as a federally protected land. Inside, everything is still 'living' and all the stalagmites and stalactites are still growing. It has been preserved so meticulously that they maintain the temperature and humidity of the cave. The big finale of the cave opens up into this huge room. There is a formation that is 5 STORIES HIGH! It is so crazy to be outside in this ugly dessert terrain among rolling hills. It's not even mountainous and underneath lies such a massive formation in all its splendor! Unfortunately, all the cool pictures were on Ryan's phone. Even then, pictures could never do it justice. It was voted the best caves in the United States by USA Today. Everyone should visit it!

Sadie's last day of school was also her birthday!

May 30th the kids started swimming lessons again. Sadie is in level 4, Boston in Youth 2, and Brooklyn in Preschool 1

This was Brooklyn's first year of swim lessons. She was essentially terrified the entire first class. I sat right by the side of the pool to keep her in. I braced myself for more screaming and crying over the next few days, but it never came. By the second class she was ready to go as long as she got a hug and a kiss before getting in the pool. Something about her tiny little body in a tiny little swimsuit just makes me melt inside.

You also may be wondering why my children regularly have zip ties on their wrists. Don't all Daddies make 'bracelets' for their kids? Haha!