March

March was exciting because Lon and Sherrie came to visit! They were our first visitors in our Silver City house. Boy were we excited!! They were excited to explore the state with us, so we took them to Carlsbad Caverns First thing. It was incredible! I can't begin to describe the majesty of that place. We'd think we'd seen all the beauty it could possibly offer, but then we'd turn a corner and find yet a new way that the stalagmites and stalactites had formed. I will not hesitate to go back if I ever get the chance!

Bekah and Sherrie on a rock as we stopped for a break on our long drive to the Cavern. I love those girls!!!

Xander wearing a mountain man hat in the gift shop where we had to hang out for a while because the road up to the cave was super icy. But it was beautiful outside the visitors center.

The camera flash was super bright in the cave, hence the squinty eyes. but I don't mind, it's adorable!

On our way home from the caverns, we stopped at White Sands Nation Park. It was super fun! The sand was so so white and so soft. We forgot to bring sand toys so we just used plastic spoons and cups, which worked great. Another place I hope to return to someday.

 Garrett took Lon, Sherrie, and I on a tour of the mine. I loved seeing where he works and what he does. The mining equipment was very impressive. I was in awe of how extremely large the equipment was.

When we got home, Garrett made a model of the mine out of clay and had his parents use straws to "drill" to find the "ore body". It was so fun! He gave them restrictions so that it was like they had a realistic budget to follow.

The next day we went to Safford to see the temple. The kids were beat and couldn't make the ride. The temple there is really pretty. The grounds are small but full of flowers and green green grass.

The kids loved having their grandparents here. They got so many stories read to them and so many games played with them. I loved it too! I got to have so much fun with them and I got to have help with meals and dishes and kids. Sherrie kept apologizing for eating too much and for being an inconvenience, but my goodness! That week was a vacation for me! It was so so hard to say goodbye.

We made one last trip before they had to leave. We went up to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. It was a beautiful day and we really enjoyed the short hike up to the dwellings. Grandma brought ice cream for us to eat at the viewpoint half way there. It was delicious, but some of us made bigger messes than others!