Cave Kisses....

Today I got to accompany Grace and 39 other 1st graders (along with 2 teachers and a handful of parents) to Cave of the Mounds.

Grace and some of her friends

I went with Jack's 1st grade class and Grace couldn't wait for me to go with her. She woke up at 5 a.m. this morning asking what she should wear and can she have breakfast. She was a bit excited! We had a perfect day for the Caves...a bit warm but not as muggy. The bus ride was a bit breezy and loud :).

Grace on the bus!

First, we explored the caves...VERY cool (literally..it's 50 degrees down there & figuratively...it's amazing what God can create beneath the surface of the earth). Because it is the rainy season for the cave and we got a good amount of rain yesterday it was a very drippy day in there. The tour guide called it Cave Kisses....basically it was water running off the cave ceiling and dripping all over you :). The kids loved it!

My favorite picture of the caves today.

The tallest Stalagmite

The place where drippy Cave Kisses come from:

Then, everyone (parents and teachers included) got a bag of sand to take and dump into a sifter to see what fossils we got. One kid was so excited because he got 2 dimes in his bag of sand :). Next, a very nice lady took all the kids up on a hill and explained each of their fossils that they had found.

After that we went into a big barn classroom where the kids learned about how fossils are formed and got to hold petrified turtle poop (a big hit with the kids). Finally, it was time for our picnic lunch only to find out that all the kids in Grace's class that had the school pack their lunch didn't have a sandwich in their bags...only a bag of chips, a bag of cookies, a string cheese and a drink...I still have to call the school and figure out how that happened :). Luckily, I had brought a lunch so Grace could share with me so she didn't STARVE.

You would think after running outside and walking through a cave all morning (and not getting a full lunch) kids would be tired and the bus ride would be a bit quieter....WRONG....it is louder on the return trip :).

All in all it was a great day and I was happy to share the morning with my Goose.