The Kopp's are going to camp this summer. Trek Camp. YW Camp. Grandparents Camp. Culver Camp. Kodiak Camp. Between all the camps we aren't going to be together as a family a lot the next couple of months. Last weekend we had a 3 day stretch where everyone was going to be around so we took advantage of this rare occasion and escaped to Park City. We rented a little condo at Bear Hollow VIllage and had a fabulous time. We rode the gondola to the top of Canyon Resort and spent the afternoon exploring, fishing and paddle-boating around the late. We spent another day enjoying the most amazing brunch at the Stein Erickson Lodge and then rode the Alpine Coaster and Alpine Slide. We strolled up and down Main Street, ate flatbread pizza, swam in the pool, shopped at the outlets and played all of Abby's favorite board games. We crammed a lot into 3 days and I'm a bit tired today, but it was exactly what our family needed before we start going our separate ways again this week.
June 17, 2013
February 01, 2013
January 31, 2013
Snowy Snowy Days
We almost had to buy a snow blower this past week.
Derek HATES shoveling snow and recently we've been getting pounded. Multiple inches of snow, multiple times a day, equals multiple times of shoveling per day. And then yesterday his car got stuck in front of our house after the snowplow came down the street and basically threw all the snow from the street into our driveway.
The kids on the other hand have been loving the snow. Yesterday Sydney, Evan and Emily, the neighbor, got all bundled up and went outside to build a fort. They ended up shoveling several of our neighbors' driveways....but not ours. When I asked Syd why she didn't work on our she said, "it wouldn't have been any fun and we have daddy who loves to shovel our driveway!"
Ten Things Tuesday
1> Sydney recently decided to put herself on a digital diet. I have no idea where she heard about it, but she decided she needed to focus less on technology. After about 12 hours she decided to 'rework' the diet. She could use the computers, ipads, tvs, and iphones in the house.....she just couldn't use her ipod. So basically she could do everything she was doing before, but now she needed someone else's device to do it.
2> Derek started drinking green smoothies for breakfast with me. I never thought I'd see the day. The diet coke, hostess, anti-fruit man has gone off the deep end. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next.
3> I bought Evan a bag of those crinkly-carrot slices from the grocery store and you would have thought I'd told him we were going to Disneyland. He was so excited he ran around the kitchen and asked for a HUGE handful. He loves fruits and vegetables. His favorite food used to be cucumbers (right now it is cereal) and he is constantly asking if he can have an apple or banana.
4> Both girls have been doing worm things at school this week. Abby has been dissecting them in science and Sydney said she was eating them. I'm not sure what Syd meant or if she was really eating them, I decided it was better to not know.
5> Sydney built a blanket fork around her bed and has been sleeping in it the last few days. Why was I NOT surprised when Abby went to "check it out" and it 'accidentally' got knocked over? Of course Sydney started crying and Abby was 'clueless' to how it happened. Sisters are great!
6> I think it has been a good couple of months since I've gone to the grocery store in shoes. At home I live in my slippers and I keep forgetting to take them off when I go out and about.
7> Every morning when Evan is ready for breakfast he yells at me to 'put on my rope.' I've corrected him a thousand times and told him it's a 'b' not a 'p' but he always forgets. I've decided to quit correcting him and just put on my 'rope' and get the cereal.
8> Archer went to all 3 hours of church on Sunday. Of course he was a perfect angel. He slept the first hour, had a bottle the second, and quietly sat on my lap the third.
9> Both of the girls' hair is getting super long, so recently we have been experimenting with braids and twists. This week we are trying to perfect the double braid headband. I thought it looked a little strange, but the girls loved it. I need to get better with poppy bins.
10> While Derek and I are loving the "gross green goo" (that's what Evan calls it) for breakfast, the kids are loving Frosted Mini Wheats. I didn't think it would be their thing, but Abby begs me to buy it whenever I go to the store and Evan hugged the last box I brought home because he said it is his favorite. Right now there are 2 boxes in the cupboard and 3 in the basement. But I'm pretty sure they'll all be gone within the week.
January 17, 2013
Right Now. Archer Mason Kopp
• 10 weeks old today. That is 70 days of loves, kisses, cuddles, and a few giggles.
• Of all 4 kids, he is by far the best nurser. He figured it out right away and we are still going strong. And the best part is, he still takes a bottle. He's not super particular....as long as he's getting food.
• Right now he has the BIGGEST zit on his chin. Poor guy. It is white, pussy and looks painful. And it is killing me to not pop it.
• Sleeps around 9 hours straight a night. Goes down between 10:00 and 11:00 and is up, ready to eat around 7:00. Most mornings after he eats he likes to snooze for a couple extra hours. He started sleeping thru the night around 4 weeks old. He sleeps in a snugly wrap and hat every night.
• He has clogged tear ducts on both eyes. He wakes up every morning with his eyes basically glued shut with boogers. I spend my life sticking rags in his eyes to try and keep it under control. The doctors keep telling me he should out grow it by his first birthday. I'd be perfectly fine if it happened sooner.
• Started sneaking out a few smiles around 6 weeks, but he's a pro now. He is a smiley, happy guy about 98% of the day. (The other 2% he gets a little squirmy and uncomfortable.) He gives the girls, Derek and me the biggest smiles, but he's not too sure about Evan yet.
• This week he started paying attention to his hands. He clenches them in to fists, swings them around, and then shoves them into his mouth.
• Binky boy. The binky is his best friend. There is always one attached to his shirt and never far from his mouth.
• Everyone says he looks just like Abby. Abby thinks that's pretty special. She loves to have him as close to her as possible whenever she is home. She sits him on her lap while she reads and lays him on the floor next to her while she practices bells.
• He is fascinated by the bright colors and movement on my computer monitor. I've gotten a lot work done of the past few weeks with him perched on my lap, mouth open, drooling, and staring at the screen.
• With all the yucky sickness and colds going around Archer hasn't been far from home too many times. But the few times we've ventured out, he has been perfect. Lots of sleeping in his carseat.
• He is keeping up the tradition of his brother and only pooping once every 4 or 5 days. He doesn't get fussy or uncomfy, he just likes to hold it in. But when he finally gets around to it, it can be pretty impressive. He has completely filled the leg of a couple pairs of pajamas.
• Took him to the doctor last week for his 2 month checkup. He wasn't a fan of the shots and peeped all over his clothes while I was getting him dressed, but otherwise they say he looks great and it progressing nicely. Look at those numbers below, we have our very own string bean. Super long....super skinny. You should check out his legs, there is nothing to them. Everyone says they looks like chicken legs.
• 24 inches long (85%)
• 11 lbs. 1 oz. (34%)
• 39.5 cm. head measurement (40%)
January 16, 2013
January 11, 2013
Goodbye 2012
2012 was a great year for the Kopp family. The highlight of the year was definitely adding Archer to our family in November, but the rest of the year wasn't to shabby. We played hard, we worked hard and most important we had a great time. Here is a list of highlights from the year.
• archer mason kopp joined our family on november 8th
• spent a week in california visiting mickey and minnie mouse • evan turned 3
• sydney turned 9 and is in 4rd grade
• abby finally turned 12 and is in 7th grade at the junior high
• went to palisades for our neighborhood campout
• jessica drove derek crazy with pre-baby to-do lists
• abby was battalion commander at culver
• derek, sydney & abby played ALOT of soccer
• evan is the star of his gymnastics class
• sydney sang like an angel in the school christmas choir
• abby was in the school play ‘charolette’s web’
• derek became a super scouter at woodbadge camp
• sydney fell in love with reading & always has her nose in a book
• evan loved itty-bitty football
• went to culver family camp
• spent a rainy spring break in st. george
Late November I quickly snapped these pictures for our Christmas card. I can't believe I have FOUR kids. I shake my head everytime I look at this picture and realize how lucky Derek and I are. It was SUPER COLD so Archer only made an appearance for a few minutes in the group shots, but the rest of the kids were bribed with donuts, cookies and 'ring poks' for a few extra.
November 01, 2012
Pumpkin Carving
We carved pumpkins Monday night. Like always, the girls thought the guts were disgusting but none of us were prepared for Evan's reaction to pumpkin guts. Luckily I had my camera out and was able to catch the whole thing. It was hilarious!
Eventually he calmed down and realized it wasn't as horrible as he original thought and got excited about carving a ghost.
Here are the finished products. Enjoy!
October 30, 2012
Happy Halloween
I do not like dressing up...wait...I HATE dressing up. It makes me super uncomfortable and I'm terrible at playing the role of someone else. But I LOVE dressing my kids up and start planning and dreaming up costume ideas months in advance. This year was no exception. Abby didn't even have anywhere to wear a costume (no costumes at school, no party to attend, possibly too old for trick-or-treating) but I was still excited to find her something perfect.
This year it was an easy choice for Mr. Evan....Woody from Toy Story. From the the first time I asked him, Evan wanted to be Woody and I couldn't agree more. Last year he was Buzz and this was the perfect next step. He loves wearing his costume, especailly the 'real' boots with Buzz, Woody and Bullseye on them. He has been practicing all his Woody sayings: 'there's a snake in my boots' and 'reach for the sky.' I have a feeling this costume is going to get a lot of dress up use.
Sydney has talked about being Minnie Mouse for years, but every year the idea gets thrown out in place of a princess. This year she finally pulled the trigger and couldn't be more excited. I'm not sure which she loves more, the sequin ears or the yellow glitter high-heeled shoes.
Abby doesn't like having a 'traditional' costume. She is always looking for something a little different, a little unusual, a little unique. As soon as I spotted this gipsy costume I knew it would be perfect, but Abby wasn't sure. It took a little persuasion to get her to see how perfect it was. She has the perfect hair, the perfect coloring, and she gets to wear lots of makeup and huge jewelery. She finally came around and even found herself a crystal ball.
October 25, 2012
Around Here
• November 12th is the magic day. I went to the
doctor last week and if I haven’t had this baby by then (hahahaha!!) I’ll be
headed to Jordan Valley early that morning to meet my sweet little baby that is
currently kicking the crap out of my ribs.
• This week I've "made" $25.00 doing laundry. So far no one has claimed it, but I have a feeling come allowance day some little girls are going to be asking and wanting it back. But isn't the rule...finders keepers?
• Fall soccer is OVER!! After spending the last 8 weeks running from game to practice to game to game to game it feels so good to have a small break. Abby starts indoor soon, but at least we get 3 or 4 Saturdays without games.
• And Abby won’t be the only one playing indoor soccer this winter. Derek and some buddies have put together a team. There is a high probability it might kill them all, but I’m pretty sure it is going to be very fun to watch. If anyone is interested in watching grown men torturing themselves, let me know and I’ll get you a copy of the schedule.
• Evan just finished his first round of Itty Bitty Football and he LOVED it. It was only a couple of hours a week, but it was seriously the highlight of his week. He got to throw and kick the football along with run drills and try to pull the other players flags. He is already talking about how cool it will be to play Itty Bitty Basketball in January.
• Derek spent the weekend in Chicago with his dad and siblings. They helped his dad with some garage cleaning and organizing. It was a quick trip from Friday night to Monday morning but Derek came home completely exhausted. When his family gets together they always seem to forget about sleeping and spent the whole time laughing, eating and telling stories.
• Saturday morning Sydney and I went to a special Mother-Daughter Spa Day at the church. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast and then did facials and makeup.
• Abigail started 'techie week' for the play this week. This means she has practice everyday after school until 5 or 6:30. She wasn't quite sure what to expect when she signed up for the play, but is totally loving it. She is meeting so many new people and getting to try lots of new things. Opening night is next Friday...hopefully all the practice pays off and they are ready.
• My nesting has kicked in FULL FORCE, but I’m not your typical nesting pregnant lady. I don’t do cleaning…I call the Daisy Maids for that, but everything that has been on my ‘wouldn’t it be nice’ list is getting crossed off. Over the past few weeks nothing has been safe from my reorganization. I completely filled the back of my car with donations and dropped it off at the DI this weekend. It feels so good to have so many things checked off….but I’ve still got a few more to torture Derek with.
• Evan moved into this ‘big boy’ room this week and is loving it. It makes him seem so grown up in that big room even thought he looks so tiny in the middle of the twin bed. Derek painted the room and when I asked Evan how he wanted to decorate it and he told me he wanted robots and spaceships on his walls. The canvases are in the mail. He asks me everyday if his spaceship is here yet.
• By end of day tomorrow we shouldn’t have the most ghetto house on the street anymore. Earlier this summer we had a major wind storm that tore off half our shutters and ripped a huge whole in the siding on the porch. It took a couple months but we are finally getting it fixed. It is going to be so nice to not have broken, half shutters all over the house.
• For family night this week I put everyone in the house to work making freezer crock-pot meals. I am now the proud owner of 16 ziplock bags of yumminess. Derek and the girls thoughts I had lost my mind, but in the end it ended up only taking a couple hours and now we are stocked with soups and dinners for when the baby comes.
Jessica Kopp
wife, mother, designer
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