Moab

 Hannah and I were talking one day at work and decided it would be fun to go to Moab for Memorial Day weekend. I hopped on the computer and was able to reserve a campground at the KOA, a small miracle! It is a nice little spot with a pool so we were pretty excited. She brought Mateo and I brought Emerson along and we played in Moab for the weekend. It was the perfect way to start summer break.

We headed down Friday morning and got camp all set up. It was already pretty warm so we started the trip off with swimming.

After dinner we headed to Arches National Park and hiked Delicate Arch. Emerson and Mateo did amazing. We had a lot of fun. It had cooled off and we enjoyed an evening hike that got us back to the car in the pitch black dark.

Utah is so beautiful! We headed back to camp and retired for the night. 

In the morning we played some ladder ball. We didn't know it was in our camp until the morning when we went to the restroom. It was fun to play.

Emerson woke up each morning asking if he could play in the sand. Our campground had some really great sand. He was in the sand anytime we were in camp and weren't eating or playing games.

Saturday morning we woke up and it was cloud covered. The weather was pretty nice so we decided to hike Corona Arch while it was a little cooler. This is one of my favorite hikes in Moab. It is also dog friendly which is a bonus, even though I left Moki home this time. Emerson enjoyed all the rock he was able to climb on. I let him take some risks and climb pretty high. I think he enjoyed pushing boundaries a little bit. He is such a good little athlete.

The pictures are not in order but it was such a nice morning hike. 

After the hike we grabbed lunch and then decided to hit up the pool. I enjoyed the hot tub more than the pool!

We also spent the afternoon playing games. I played lots of games with Emerson in hopes that I could motivate him to hike morning and evening:)

This cute boy loves games so much. We played Monopoly Deal the most.

Sunday morning we decided we would start by hiking to Millcreek Falls. I had never done this hike, but Hannah had. It was short and easy with great views. You actually hike to a waterfall you can jump off of. Unfortunately this day was a little chilly so I did not want to get in the water.

Emerson got in the water above the falls and played.

It was a beautiful morning but after we had been at the falls for a little bit we noticed some dark clouds rolling in and then we saw lightning. We quickly decided to get out of there. It was a little over a mile back to the car. We started to hike back as quickly as we could but unfortunately got caught in a nasty hail storm. it was actually really painful and there were some tears. thankfully no one was seriously hurt but it was stressful for a few minute. We finally found refuge in a little hole in a rock where we could wait for the weather to let up.

Luckily we got some smiles after we got back to the car. Poor Mateo's look sums up how we all felt after the hail.

We were now pretty cold so we headed to town and got Emerson a hoodie so he could warm up. Then we went back to camp and spent the afternoon playing games in the tent.

Mateo took a nap!!!! Sleep did not come easy for this cute boy on our trip.

The weather cleared up in the evening and we were able to go back into Arches National Park and do another short hike. Emerson was SUPER resistant to this idea. I bribed him with screen time in the car. It was a gorgeous evening and we did a very short hike Mateo could do on his own and Emerson got to do lots of climbing.

We hiked Balance Rock and another Arch hike that was really short with the most perfect sand. It was a great way to end our hiking adventures. Then we went back to camp and roasted hot dogs. 

We really had such a fin trip. We got in lots of hikes considering we had two little kids. The weather was really mild considering it is usually so hot at the end of May in Moab. Poor Mateo STRUGGLED falling asleep at night but that was the only hiccup on the entire trip.

Sam's Kids

 I had a hot tub for a little while. It was an inflatable one. I really liked it. It started to leak so I returned it. I can't wait for the day when I live in a place that I can have a nice hot tub. The kids really enjoyed it while I had it. It fit perfectly in my backyard and provided so much fun. Caleb got his camera out one Sunday evening at dinner and captured the best pictures.

Gosh I love these kids so stinking much!!!!!

Wrapping up the school year.

 Audrey turned four in April. We spoiled her! Probably more than we should have but it was so fun. She is the cutest little girl with so much personality. It was fun to give her so much love and attention.

Sam and Amanda's kids played spring sports. Audrey and Emerson played soccer and Andrew played football. I made it to game on two different Saturdays. It is always so fun to cheer on these kids. It also brings back so many childhood memories.

During the spring I fell while hiking and split my knee open on a rock. I ended up having to get stitches. It was a big BUMMER! It wasn't too painful until about four days post injury. Then I was in quite a bit of pain for a couple of weeks. I ended up with seven stitches. The injury healed pretty well. My knee is still very tender but it gets a little better everyday. I am definitely too old to be falling so hard.

My poor knee is just so ugly with all the scars.

At work in April we had a teacher work day. We worked har din the morning and then played softball together in the afternoon. It was really fun to chill and enjoy each other. My work isn't always great at relaxing and socializing during work hours. It is always nice when we do get time to have a little fun.

Tanner and Hannah arranged the softball game. The teachers that wanted to come out and play did. It was a success.

I had the chance to take my students to hike Stewart Falls right at the end of the school year. Anthony hiked it with me the day before so I could make sure the trail was in good condition for my students.

Stewart Falls is one of my favorite hikes. Lori Atoa, a secretary at Lakeridge, came and hiked with me and my students. It was a beautiful day and my students did amazing!

The school year finished off strong. The start of the year was hard for me. Once I finished coaching sports things slowed down and I feel like the end of the year was great. There are a lot of changes at my school for next year. Change is always good but also a little scary. We have a new administration. I am excited about their vision for Lakeridge. I have given a lot of time and energy to the Lakeridge community and I really do want to see the students and families there succeed.