Jessica Kopp

Vancouver 2010: Part 3

These are just a couple of shots I took with my iphone yesterday as we wandered around the city and BC Place. I personally love the Canadian Cupcakes and Cookies. But to be honest, they look a lot cuter then they tasted. 

The top left corner is a shot of the brochure we hand out every night. I used to think Quatchi was cute until I got to stand around staring at his face for hours everyday. Not to mention the boxes and boxes and boxes of these things we've moved and carried and hauled around.

Here are a couple of memorable moments:

* Last night, while surrounded by CRAZY Canadian fan, we were forced to cheer for the Canadian Women's Hockey Team as they beat USA. It was seriously a matter of life or death. If they would have know we were Americans, I don't know if we would have been aloud to leave unharmed.

• While exiting BC Place last night we started walking behind 3 members of the Canadian Women's Gold Metal Hockey Team. They didn't have their medal on, but they did have on gold sparkly shoes and GIGANTIC bottles of wine.

• Wednesday night we sat down to eat dinner at 11:52 PM. Then everyone in the house was asleep within an hour.

• We had the most insane bus driver last night getting home. I seriously left like I was on a roller coaster. He would totally gun it from one stop to the next and then SLAM on the breaks. And most stops where only 1 or 2 blocks apart. I totally smacked into the guy in front of me each and every time we stopped. Sorry.

• We have a mini van to help get us around, so every night we cram all 9 of us in to get to dinner. Yesterday I was sick of the squishy ride and volunteered to ride in the cargo area. It was nice and spacious. The most personal space I've gotten all week:)

• All the trees and bushes are in full bloom. They are beautiful and smell amazing. Nothing like spring blooms at the Winter Olympics.

* Still haven't seen any snow. I did see a sign yesterday that read, "Welcome to Vancouver. Bring your own snow!"

Vancouver 2010: Part 2

When I look at these pictures I just laugh. Look at our fancy new uniforms. Don't we look happy and excited and eager. It doesn't seem to matter to us that we are standing in the rain, holding 20 pound boxes and another 20 pounds of brochures in our backpacks....we are excited for our Olympic experience to begin.

This all changed very quickly. One hour later is a totally different story. I wish I had a picture to compare. One hour later we were shocking wet, walking up a hill. Our backs ached, our arms burned, our shoulders throbbed and our legs were weak. We were no longer smiling and laughing....we were panting and trying to catch our breathes. And the 'real' work hadn't even started yet.

But even with all the heavy lifting and sore muscles I'm having a great time. I have my morning to hang out, relax, and explore the city. At night we head down to BD Place to get as many flyers as we can into the hands of the 25,000 people attending the Medal Ceremonies and concerts. After everyone is seated we get to go in and enjoy the show. Tuesday night I got to see Canada get a gold medal. The crowd went CRAZY....they love getting golds. Last night we rocked with INXS. It was a great show, complete with fireworks at the end.

Last night after the concert we decided to head out and see a little more of the city at night. It was beautiful, amazing and crowded. The Canadian Hockey Team beat Russia last night so the streets were full of excited fans. They were dressed up in all sorts of face paint and costumes.  We walked down by the waterfront and checked out some of the international houses and I got my first listen of French Rap. Very interesting. The highlight of the night for me was seeing the torch. 

  

Vancouver 2010: Part 1

I arrived safe and sound last night. The flight was nice and short. I'm always surprised that it only takes two hours to get to Vancouver. This city is beautiful and super super rainy. I think it's funny I'm at the Winter Olympic Games and I haven't seen any snow. The bus driver said it is the warmest winter they have had in over 100 years. What a great year to host the world in the Olympic Games! But what they don't have in snow, they are making up for in Canadian flags. They are everywhere...every house, every store, every car, every building.

Our first stop was the accreditation office to get our badges so we had access to all the medal ceremonies at BC Place. I didn't think it was possible to get a worse picture then my current drivers license and passport...but I was wrong. Not only had I been traveling all day and it was it horrible lighting, but we weren't allowed to smile or look happy at all. Everyone in my group thinks they look like mug shots. 

 

We got to our LITTLE apartment late last night. It is a little over 800 square feet for 4 people. We are nice and close and cozy. Vancouver hotels were completely booked a couple of months ago, so they contract with cruise ships to come up and act as floating hotels. We had originally planned to stay on the cruise ships, but about 3 weeks ago they canceled because of low bookings. So we were left scrambling to find housing for 10 people. We found 2 little apartments. Cottonwood Canopy is the apartment I'm staying at with Liz, TIf, and Derk. It is about about 20 minutes outside of the Olympic Village. The rest of our group is staying in the middle of nowhere about another 30-40 minutes away. 

Here are some photos of our little home this week. It is on a cute little side street. We are renting the bottom floor. The next photo shows a little bit of the inside. Don't you love our sleeping arrangements? I'm standing on the 1st bed taking the picture. All four beds are right in a row. My bed in the one in the middle going in the opposite direction of the others.

 

Tonight we are headed to our first event. More photos to come.

mama...mama...mama....

Evan can say MAMA. He says it over and over all day long.

I love it. Derek is jealous!

I know what you're thinking....he is too young to really know what he is saying and it is only baby talk. BUT last Thursday morning when I peaked into his crib to get him up in the morning, he looked right at me, smiled and yelled, "MAMA MAMA MAMA." 

What do you think?

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In other Evan news:

 

• Evan can hold his own bottle and actually prefers it to others holding it for him. It is so cute how he wraps his little fingers around the end of the bottle instead of the middle. 

• Evan takes his binky in and out all by himself. Usually it ends up back in his mouth up-side-down, but I'm starting to think he likes it like that because he never changes it. I would like this trick even more if he could master putting it in the middle of the night and make it so Derek and I don't have to get up and do it for him.

• Evan went swimming for the first time last week. He didn't really love it, but he also didn't hate it. He looked super cute in his new striped skeleton pirate swim trunks with all his rolls hanging out. I dunked him under the water a couple times to get him used to it. I remember my dad doing the same thing to Abby when she was the same age and she SCREAMED and SCREAMED. Evan was the exact opposite. It didn't even phase him. 

Going for the Gold

The laundry is done. The house is clean (kind of). The carpools are arranged. The sitters are scheduled. The meals are planned. Mom is running away.

Okay, I'm really not running away, but I am headed to Vancouver for the rest of the week to work at the Olympics. I am so so so so so so excited!! 

I've spent the last couple of months frantically working with my team to get products designed and a site developed so people can order personalized photo products with their pictures from the Olympics. The site is now up and ready and a group of us from Rastar are headed to Vancouver to tell everyone about it. It is going to be a very busy week, lots of walking and talking, but so worth it to be at the Olympics.

Click HERE to check out the site. Super cool. Lots of fun products. Books, calendars, journals, posters, swatchbooks.

Photo Friday: Sisters

I grew up with a sister, but I don't remember us picking on each other the way these two do. They are constantly tormenting one another. There are a lot of tears and screams at our house. But when I look at photos like these I'm reminded that this is just a faze (HOPEFULLY!!) They really do like each other and can be sweet and kind when they want to. 

Big Boy: 7 Months

   

WOW! Look at that handsome little man...I know I'm the mom and see him everyday, but I can't believe that is my baby. So grown-up. Such a big boy.

Last week Evan looked so adorable with his snappy plaid shirt, fohawk hair and skeleton hightop Chuck Taylors that I couldn't resist taking a couple of photos. He is such a stinker and refuses to look at me when I get the camera out, so I had to haul along the sisters to jump up and down behind me. He ALWAYS smiles at his sisters.

I love that I was able to capture pieces of his personality right now. He is sweet, bright eyed, happy and still has some serious eyebrow expressions (check out photo #2).

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He is growing and developing more and more everyday. Here are a couple of 7 month achievements:

• Wants to be sitting up ALL THE TIME. And once he is up, he will just sit for hours. And if he does ever fall over, he only rolls to the left, never the right.

• LOVES to eat. Baby food is okay, but just devours 'real' food. We are constantly trying to trick him by pretending to scoop food off our plates and really giving him baby food. He knows the difference and just spits the baby food back out. 

• Still loves to be wrapped up nice and tight in a blanket to go to sleep. The tighter the better and he is almost always still wrapped up nice and tight in the morning. 

• LOVES to jump. We have an old-school baby jumper that hooks in a door frame and he goes crazy in it. I will have to post a video, it is hilarious. He jumps for at least 45 minutes every time we hook him up and several times he has fallen asleep hanging in the jumper.

• Likes to play the Shy-Guy game. Whenever Evan gets really excited about something or someone he gets 'shy' and buries/smacks his face into whatever is closest (a shoulder, a stuffed animal, the couch, the ground, etc.....) and then immediately peeks to see if the person or thing is still there.  He does it over and over, burying and then peeking, burying and peeking. It is hilarious. He especially loves to play it with Derek.

  

Great Escape

Last weekend Derek and I ran away to Las Vegas. Just the two of us. We had a fabulous time. 

I loved being able to spend time alone with Derek. I feel like we spend our lives running and running and it was nice to slow down, relax, sleep in, eat room service and hang out.

The weather was crappy, rainy and snowy, but we didn't care. We ate some very tasty food and hit several shopping centers. The highlights of the trip were doing a session at the Las Vegas Temple and seeing Jon Stewart Live in Concert. 

It was a great weekend. Thanks Mom, Dad and Shayna for making it possible.

Yesterday

- Sydney stayed home sick from school. Then a couple of hours later announced she had only be faking it in the morning, but was NOW really sick. She was then miraculously well again in the afternoon, when it was time to play with friends.

-Derek went to an 8:00 AM dentist appointment, only to realized he was a day early. 

-I went to lunch at Paradise Bakery. I LOVE that place. I used to go there all the time when I worked in Centerville but it has been months since my last delicious lunch of Chicken Walnut Sandwich and Fire Roasted Garlic Tomato soup. I will be going back sooner then later. 

-Lynette and I spent the afternoon out of the office wandering through little shops and boutiques. It was great to get the creative juices flowing. We stopped by Home Again, my favorite consignment shop, and I got the cutest apple green folding chair. It is going to be perfect for photo shoots of the kids.

-Abby went to the grocery store with me and picked out a stuffed animal Valentine for her 'boyfriend' at school. On the inside I was freaking out, but playing it cool on the outside. She is wayyyyyyyy to young for this, right? I did put my foot down and not let her buy one that said 'Kiss Me.' And she promised me she isn't kissing anyone but people in her family. 

-Derek had about 15 people from his office over for Chicago style pizza and the season premier of Lost. It was a fun night. I can't believe this is the final season of Lost. That show is crazy. I have not idea how they are going to end it.

-What a good day!

3 down, 236 more to go

Abby: When are we going to start reading the Book of Mormon as a family?

Me: ummmm, ummmm.....When do you want to start reading the Book of Mormon?

Abby: How about tonight?

And that is how it started. 

No more excuses. 

Off and on we have been reading the little picture Book of Mormon, but I guess the girls are ready for the real thing.

Our goal is to read a chapter a day. So far we are off to a good start and hoping to have it finished by the end of the year. We thought about trying to read in the morning, but since we all have such a struggle getting out of bed in the morning, bedtime sounded like a better plan. Abby and Syd are doing a great job of reading and following along. There are some big words in there. 

I designed and ordered this sticky wall poster and it is a great incentive for the girls. They fight every night over who gets to color in the circle. At first I wanted to put it inside a closet or some place out of sight, but Derek said it needed to be out and visible if it was going to work....and he is right. There's nothing like a giant poster to remind us everyday of our progress.

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Due to popular demand, I've had the poster reprinted and it is now available for you to purchase here. I'm so excited for everyone to get this great poster in their home and start tracking their reading progress. It is perfect for family and personal study.

Please let me know if you have any questions and happy reading!