March 2020

 Spring Break 2020

Taos, New Mexico

Bryan and I got 3 glorious days of skiing to ourselves.  

Kate and Jane did two days of ski school.  Kate did great.  Jane survived. 

 

Kate lost another tooth. She is really good at loosing them in different states.  I think she lost one in Oklahoma, Arizona, Texas, and now New Mexico. 

 The mountains are my happy place. 

 A bridge above the Rio Grande.

Taking a bath in a hot spring on the Rio Grande river.

And then COVID-19 happened on March 13, 2020.  Social distancing began March 19, 2020.  Stay at home orders March 23, 2020. No school until April 7 or possibly all year.  I became a school teacher for a pre-K and 1st grader.  I also had school of my own.  In fact, I was completing a project with the emergency department with my hospital.  The rest of the month was really difficult.  It is a good thing we had fun at the beginning of the month. 

2000 piece puzzle completed. 

It's a good thing we bought the essentials before the grocery stores shelves were empty. 

 I took the girls for some hikes at Dana Peak park because it is a social distancing activity that gets all of us out of the house.  This particular day was St. Patrick's Day.  

 Jane attempting to Zoom with her dance class.  The first week was pretty rough. 

I have gotten pretty good with coming up with ideas to keep the girls minds enlightened.  This is the milk, food coloring, and dish soap experiment. 

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!

BUSY MARCH

The girls finally went down to San Antonio's Riverwalk with mom.  I know.  How could it have taken 7 months to get down here?  We have just been really busy with life.  I signed up for the Alamo half marathon and needed to pick up my packet.  I actually forgot my bib during the race, but I got my best time ever- even with the course being short.  1:49

We took the girls to this restaurant called The Magic Time Machine.  It was really fun, but the food is not so great.  The girls got their faces painted. They had bubbly drinks.  The waiters and waitresses were dressed in characters- like Moana, Dora the explorer, Alice in wonderland, and Jack from Pirates of the Caribbean. 

 Jane got a painted dog face.

 Kate became a butterfly.

 Green Eggs and Ham for Dr. Seuss day at school.

 Thing One and Thing Two. It is so much fun dressing these girls up for the little holidays.  They enjoy it too!

 Happy St. Patrick's Day! After school, we went down to the River Walk (again!) and watch the float parade.  They even dyed the river green.

Both the girls went to the dentist for the second time.  Jane did so much better this round.  She looks so cute with those sun glasses on.  

Oh, my children love to wear dresses almost every day.  

 We got ready for the Easter Bunny.  We painted some eggs. 

 And decorated sugar cookies!

We also managed to work on the house a little more.  With my parents coming to visit next month, I wanted to get onto the landscaping.  Here is a before of the front yards.  Nothing really but a tree.  Bryan put the shutters up, pressure washed the house and driveway and fences.  We also are preparing to finish the master bathroom.  Yes, we have been using the girls shower since August as well.  Haha!