26 March 2015 - Cancun Part 3

Our next eco-park was Xel-ha.  This is a snorkeler's paradise.

The girls were unfortunately nearly eaten by a sea serpent, but Jessica saved them.

The girls sipped complimentary pina coladas next to the lagoon.

Why is the rum gone?!?

 A few of the many fish we swam with.  Joanne found a six foot barracuda.  After that, she was a little freaked out.

A view of the lagoon and the main part of the resort.

On Thursday we went to another Mayan ruin called Tulum.  This one is unique because it is on the side of a cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea.  The ruins are older than those at Chichen Itza, dating back to Book of Mormon times.

A view of The Castle, cliff and beach below.

The girls in front of The Castle.

The Castle with hibiscus and palm trees in front.

Iguanas enjoy hanging out on the warm rocks of the ruins.  These guys are everywhere at Tulum.

24 March 2015 - Cancun Part 2

On Tuesday, we drove about two hours inland to Chichen Itza, the largest and most well preserved ruins of the Mayan empire.

This is the Grand Pyramid at the center of the site.

Serpent carvings are very common throughout the grounds.  It was very hot and humid.  When I looked at this picture, I wondered if Madeline was hanging on her sisters for support.

In addition to snakes, skulls were carved in the stone.  I did my best impression.

This is the ball court where conquered enemies would play 'The Game of Life'.  They'd smack a ball back and forth soccer style, except they could only use their hips.  The losers were usually killed, while the winners got to be slaves.

This was the governor's observation tower for The Game of Life.

After a long hot day of looking at ruins, waiting for my lunch to be served was best accomplished in a hammock.

Fuel to recharge for the two hour drive with my amigos.

22 March 2015 - Cancun Part 1

For Spring Break, we took a family trip to Cancun.  The girls were so excited they were taking pictures before we were even on the ground.

We checked in at the Mayan Palace, where we got to wear a bracelet all week to show we belonged.

On Monday, we went to XCaret, the first of three eco-parks we had planned to visit.

We found some parrots and flamingos.

The girls ready for our XCaret adventure.

We swam in an underground river.  

We checked out the sea turtles.

Our day in the park included a seaside buffet lunch.

Checking out some Mayan ruins.

At the Mariposario (Butterfly Habitat) we found a Blue Morpho willing to pose for us.

We took a rest to watch a cultural dance show.

Goofing around a little.

Coati!

That evening, we watched a Mexico Spectacular show.  Lots of music and dancing and story line -- it was really cool.

22 March 2015 - School Achievements

This week Jessica was inducted into the National Honor Society.  They had a nice candle lighting ceremony at the school and each kid got a rose (even the boys).

Meanwhile, Madeline was busy building a leprechaun trap.  For her science class, she was required to use simple machines to invent a trap that could catch leprechauns if they try to steal a treasure.

On Wednesday the girls did glow-in-the-dark volleyball for their Young Women's activity.  They said it was lots of fun but hard to see the ball because it didn't glow.

15 March 2015 - Project Linus

Right now I am supervising a student who is an intern for Project Linus, a non-profit that collects blankets for underprivileged children in the United States.  Joanne decided she wanted to help with the Project Linus campaign that my student has organized on campus, so she got busy quilting.  This is an animal themed baby blanket.

For her second blanket, she did a Winnie the Pooh theme.  She used her Christmas gift to embroider several of the patches with Pooh Bear figures.

Here's a close-up of one of the embroidered patches.

This is a different quilt she's been working on.  It was too big so she had to piece it together on the living room floor.

8 March 2015 - Winter Champs Swim Meet

This weekend was the Winter Championship swim meet.  All three girls had qualifying times for the meet, which was held at the Nampa Rec Center.  They had a great meet, improving several of their event times.  If you won your heat you got a ducky.  This is Emily's 'Sir Ketchup' duck from winning her 100 Fly heat.

Joanne caught a good action shot of Emily doing the butterfly.  She's in the middle here.  She's behind at this point but caught up in the second 50 to win the heat.

For Wednesday's youth activity, the kids played human Hungry, Hungry Hippos.  You can get the idea from the photo.

1 March 2015 - Madeline's Birthday

Well, it seemed like it took forever (to Madeline), but her birthday finally arrived this week.

 Joanne made Madeline a Pineapple cake and Madeline always likes to light the candles.

Here's a close up of the cake before being cut to pieces and eaten.

Opening presents is always a party for Madeline, and stuffed animals are a winning option.

As are movies -- we've added Maleficent and Mr. Peabody and Sherman to our collection.

Madeline also got a new balaclava for skiing, or for exercising ninja skills when necessary.

Joanne made cupcakes earlier in the week for Madeline's birthday as well.

Saturday was the regional swim championships in Boise.  In between events, we passed the time by racing cars.

Hard to tell, but Jessica is on the left in this photo, doing backstroke.