February 2021

A beautiful ride at Dana Peak Park. I had no idea Texas would be hit by a crazy snow storm in a week.  

It took me 45 minutes to defrost my Jeep after work. 

We used our fireplace every day to help keep the furnace from running constantly.  Roasting hotdogs and marshmallows helps keep away the cold. 

Our street. 

One of my friends took my girls in when I got called into work.  I work in the surgery department at Seton Medical Center, and basically everyone in our area decided to venture out on the iced snow and break their foot or ankle or hip. 

My friend Rebecca brought her family out to visit us for Kate's birthday.  They are saints for enduring the car rides to and from El Paso, Texas to celebrate Kate's birthday with us.  

Jane's favorite part of Kalahari resort was the wave pool.  We could always find her there if the waves were going.  

Happy birthday to Kate! I had to make both of her birthday cakes because most of the stores were closed or had nothing on the shelves.  Quite the birthday to remember!  Luckily, Kate is similar to Bryan and I, and prefers homemade cooking. 

Kate and her American Girl doll with skates on from grandma Koplin.  Grandma is the best at giving gifts the girls love.  

Jane looking good in her new tie shoes! She is my determined child.  I am always wanting to hold her back, but she knows when she is ready to conquer a new skill.  We bought her new shoes and she was able to tie them by herself within 3 days!

Kate loves crafting and she loves to "work out" with me in our garage gym. 

Bryan went to the Best Medic International Competition at the end of January.  I am so proud of his accomplishment of winning 2nd running up.  He got a coin from the 16th Sergeant Major of the Army and people joke he could probably sign up for Ranger School and get accepted into the school as the only Army Optometrist!  Good work babe!

 

Jane has become really good and sneaky at playing "Cover Your Assets".  Watch out! She will manipulate you with her facial features and emotional tactics.  

 

Kate turns 8

Kate had quite the eventful birthday this year.  We had no clue Texas would be suffering from snow, ice, and freezing weather- shutting most places down.  Even so, she had an incredible weekend.  She invited a few friends from school for a movie night at our house and played in her new bedroom.  

Kate has been asking for over a year now, when she can move out of the room with Jane.  So, that was her big gift.  A new room reveal...

Her friends Avery, Abigail, Jane, Alise, Hadassah, and Samantha watched Big Hero 6,  

enjoyed some pizza, fruit, and popcorn for dinner,  

opened birthday presents, 

and ate birthday cake. 

Happy Birthday Kate!

And after everyone left, a surprise rang the doorbell.  

We love the Webster family and were so glad they made it safely.  I couldn't believe they decided to weather the storm from El Paso, Texas to hang out with us.  Our next big adventure was to drive an hour south to Kalahari Resort in Round Rock, Texas.  

 The white out from our hotel room.  We weren't going to let this snow stop us from enjoying the indoor waterslides and pools.  In fact, there were very limited amounts of people and restaurants to choose from, so we didn't need to travel out of the resort.

Eating at the Mexican restaurant within the hotel because everything shut down around the resort.  We only discovered that as we were driving down the main road and no one was out!

Luckily, our friends made it safely back to El Paso.  I am not sure they ever want to go on an adventure with us again. Haha! Texas does not have snow plow machines or salt.  This storm really shut down the state for about a week.  The temperatures dropped below freezing and pipes burst in peoples houses.  It was another manifestation to me, that 2021 was going to be another crazy year.  

Card My Yard couldn't come on the day I had planned due to very poor road conditions, but we did end up with 2 day with a birthday sign.  

Happy Birthday Kate!

Kate is kind and feels every emotion I did as a child.  She loves with her whole heart and wants what is best for everyone. She still loves to dress up and make believe.  She likes to put on make-up and act like characters from movies or shows she has seen.  She loves to play with her American Girl doll and all the accessories that comes with them.  She has really started to enjoy reading chapter books.  She loves the color blue.  She absolutely adores her second grade teacher Ms. Brinson.  Her best friend at school is Hadassah, but her best friend of all times is Emily Webster.  She is great at swimming and science is her favorite subject.  She excels in math.  She is extraordinary at memorizing songs and words/lines to movies and shows.  She would be excellent in the drama department.  She loves her grandma Koplin.  Kate is great! 

January 2021

Hanging out in Georgetown.

We played at the park and roller-skated on the cement walkway.  Such a beautiful January day!

Kate is working on excavating dinosaur bones or rocks from one of her Christmas presents from us.  

Roasting marshmallows.  Sun glasses are needed, of course, to protect your eyes from the flames.  

The first of many snowstorms in Texas this year.  The year 2021 wasn't turning out to be any better than the year before- Biden winning presidency, COVID-19 saga, and Trump fans storming the white house.  However,  Bryan and I decided that we needed to try our best to make each moment count.  And we have tried our best to live our best life. 

Spa day with the girls.  They were a little jealous of my girls weekend back in December.  I told them we would create our own "spa day".

Spring Break 2019

Bryan wasn't able to get off of work for Spring Break.  Even though we missed him dearly, we had fun hanging out with all of our cousins and playing in the snow. 

This picture was taken the morning after we arrived to Utah.  The girls were so excited to play in the snow.  

I had another birthday celebration for Kate at the roller skating rink in Orem with some of her cousins.  I didn't really plan much- just bought a cake and told people to show up at one o'clock.  The rink worked for all ages because you could have balance bikes, scooters, roller skates, or roller blades.

Grandpa and grandpa Koplin, Kim, Zander, Norah, Linsey, McCartney, Daphne, Ezra, Amy, Emma, Alice, Lucy, Becky, Alicia, and Timothy all came to celebrate with us.  Kate even got some great gifts, which was not expected at all.  She loved the LOLs, hatchanimals, coloring books, treats, and twisty pet bracelet.  Thank you everyone for helping us make memories!

Kate never gave up learning to roller skate.  That little walker was perfect for beginners.  Watch her go!

We went sledding up at Tibble Fork in American Fork Canyon with Kim, Norah, and Zander.  Jane was traumatized from the bloody lip and Kate would not stop eating the snow!

We were able to attend Alecia's baptism.  Below is a picture of some of the grand-daughters and great grand-daughters of Bryan's parents.

 My girls enjoying Alecia's birthday/baptism cake.

I took the girls skiing at Sun Dance Ski Resort with the help of grandma Debbie and Becky.

We enjoyed fondue at Erica and Jared's house.  Erica, Ashley, and I get together about every 2ish years when I am visiting family in Utah.  We were high school friends, but all attended different high school.  This was so fun! I haven't had great fondue since Switzerland... just kidding.  We also enjoyed a dip in the hot tub.

Mary Poppins Jr. was a hit!  It was so much fun to watch Jane clap after every song.  She had so much joy in her eyes and pep in her clap.  We sat by Becky, grandma Debbie, Alecia, and Timothy.  Mary Poppins and Burt were excellent.

I got to enjoy a day with Erica at Snowbird.  It was the most gorgeous day and the mountains were so beautiful.  Snowboarders and skiers can be friends! Thank you mom for watching the girls.

Fresh air and the mountains are good for the soul.

Kate enjoyed rock climbing at the Lehi Legacy Center.  I even gave it a shot.  Kate climbed with cowgirl boots and I have snow boots on.  Very comical.  

Happy St. Patrick's Day. 

My children asked where Lucky the leprechaun was and why he didn't leave them goodies or Lucky Charms? I don't even know who Lucky is.  Mom fail.  I actually didn't think they would remember and was a little bit lazy the night before.  I just told the kids that Lucky is on spring break.  I think they were okay with that answer.  

My dad helped by making the girls green pancakes and my mom bought fancy necklaces.  

My sister Kim also helped by having a leprechaun scavenger hunt at her house.  When all the leprechauns were collected, the kids got a yummy treat!  I actually like that idea and might incorporate that next year.

Look at that fancy mint chocolate chip pudding.  I know my dad liked it!

The girls played a lot with their cousins.  It is fun to visit everyone's home because everyone has different toys to play with- trampolines, dogs, princesses, dress-up, hamsters, swings, hot tubs. 

Grandpa Koplin took some of the grand kids to Costco for hot dogs. It was a $15 bill.  Jane was the only one who got pizza.  And she almost ate the entire piece!

We also went swimming at the Provo Recreation Center.  The water was warm and the kids loved it.  Zander, Daphne, and Kate all have missing front teeth.  We definitely needed a picture of that.

Spring break has been so much fun.  We were really busy and stayed up late most nights.  It has been fun to enjoy the company of grandparents, cousins, and friends.  Amy fed us breakfast one morning. We went over to grandma Debbie and grandpa Robert's house for pizza, pie, and a movie.  So many memories were made and I hope my girls remember how much they are adored.  Thanks for making this a fun 12 days for us!