Emily, Bryan, and their girls visit

In April, Emily and her family came out to visit. They visited last year in April too, and it is becoming a highlight of our spring.

I’m so happy I have a pool heater. By the second half of April the air temperature is usually hot in middle of the day, but the night temperatures are still dipping quite low, and the pool water would be very cold if it weren’t for the heater.

The kids had so much fun in the pool every day!

Here comes Uncle John!

Last year we bought this children’s play set that nearly takes over the family room. It comes with tons of little plastic hollow balls, that Biska would crunch up with wild abandon if we let her. She did manage to crunch a few.

Biska did great, by the way. She’s very good with kids.

Family picture time!

John and Bryan took the older girls to a lot of fun activities in the afternoons, while the youngest slept. That gave Emily and I time to sit and talk and catch up. It was very nice.

Here they are at “Golf ‘N Stuff”, which is a children’s play venue just a few blocks from where we live.

On another day they went to the Reid Park Zoo.

When John sent me these photos, I was confused, wondering, where is that lake? Water is an unusual feature in Tucson, but apparently there is a duck pond at Reid Park.

There is a carousel at Reid Park Zoo. Thea had some initial trepidation…

Once they got started, she realized she loved it and declared with excitement and amazed relief, “I’m not scared at all!”

Now that’s a happy face 🙂

Butterfly girls at the Reid Park Zoo

Another day, another carousel, this time at Trail Dust Town. This is also just a few blocks from our house.

Trail Dust Town has a western theme. This “spooky western” train ride had them completely entranced.

Snack time!

Jailbirds! I love that face.

We had tons of fun. And suddenly, all too soon, it was time for them to fly back home – with promises to come again next year!

By then I hope to have all the peanut butter cleaned up!

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