February

We started the month with company for the UNI/Creighton Men’s basketball game!  Who knew that a random text would turn into weekend plans with family!  Krista:  Do any of you have plans to come to Cedar Falls for the Creighton game February 4th?!  Kara: No, but we should do that sometime, it would be a lot of fun!  Three hours later… Kara:  Dan says we would come to the game if you can get us tickets and a babysitter for the game!  And just like that the hunt for tickets for the game began. 

Dan, Kara, and their three kids, Quinn, Kate, and Cole, along with Kara’s mom Linda (my dad’s sister) drove up to Cedar Falls on Friday the 3rd.  It worked out great because students didn’t have school on Friday in Cedar Falls.  We spent Friday evening at my parent’s house.  The kids had a blast playing together.  It isn’t often that we are able to get together, let alone have an entire weekend to just play, play, play!   

We had to introduce the Koesters to Scratch cupcakes.  Everyone loved them but still feel Grandma Stella’s cupcakes are the best! :)  How cute are these UNI and Creighton fans?!

We ended up getting lucky and found 4 sets of tickets.  Not to mention four of the tickets were in the first 3 rows!  This allowed my dad and Phil to go to the game as well, while Grandma Tappy and Grandma Linda stayed home with 6 kids under 6!! 

The game was back and forth the entire time which made it very entertaining and exciting.  It was also fun to see Coach McDermott again, along with his incredibly talented son, Doug.  The Panthers pulled off the win with a three pointer at the buzzer.  A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! 

Matt also had family in town for the big game- his Aunt Kathie, Uncle Tom, Cousin Jamie, her husband Steve, and their daughter Maddie.  After the game we headed over to the Lindgren’s to eat supper and hang out with them for a bit.  Kenna and Maddie had a ball.  They were so cute together.  Maddie referred to Kenna as her best friend on multiple occasions!  These two are going to have a lot of fun at the lake this summer!

We ran McKenna back out to my parent’s before heading into town to meet back up with the Koesters and Garvins.  We were able to introduce them to a few of our favorite places downtown, including DJ TBeck at VooDoo!  Our cousin Adam was randomly in Cedar Falls staying with some friends so we talked him into meeting us out for a bit! 

You know you are old when you are ready to head home at 11:30.  Unfortunately we only made a small dent in the fish bowl.  I was planning on them helping me out, but by the time we got there they were pretty much done drinking! 

We had such a blast and are so happy things worked out for them to visit.  Maybe it can turn into an annual thing?!

We attempted pictures together for Valentine Day cards this year.  I received two coupons in the mail for 5 free cards from Shutterfly.  I figured Danielle could order 5, and I could order 5 and we could send to our family.  Who knew that shipping would cost $6 for each order?!  So much for “free” cards!  :) 

We started with individual shots before supper.  We waited until after supper to get a picture of the three girls.  The second we started we knew there was ZERO chance of getting a decent picture of them.  It was already past Lily’s bedtime, and Kenna was melting down for who knows what reason.  Ella was a perfect 5 year old and sat there like a champ smiling amongst the chaos.  Danielle and I were determined to at least continue to try since this was our only chance.  We had already waited too long and I had to order them that night if they were going to make it before Valentine’s Day!  It wasn’t until our husbands seriously started yelling at us to stop before we decided it wasn’t going to happen! 

As you can see the chaos pictures made the back of the card.  We thought it would be funny and it definitely captured their personalities that night!

Shannon is always coming to the rescue for mommy.  With it being conference week, mommy had NO extra time to do anything.  (You should see our house conference week!)  I didn’t even have time to get to the mall to get Matt his presents, which I felt terrible for.  Being the understanding guy that he is, he reassured me that he didn’t need presents and told me to stop worrying about it!  Shannon, Kenna, and Jordann made a birthday cake for daddy at daycare, which helped me out a ton.  We then were able to frost and decorate it when we brought it home that night.  Kenna was so proud of her sprinkle job.  She started off sprinkling the entire cake and then she decided to stick to one spot!

Kenna sang the sweetest version of “Happy Birthday” to her daddy for his 31st birthday before helping him blow out the candles.  She then proceeded to sneak a couple sprinkles.  I just love her facial expressions when she’s in the act!  We all enjoyed another one of Shannon’s delicious cakes. 

The one perk to conference week is having Friday off!!  It’s considered a comp day because we work from 8-8 Tuesday and also on Thursday.  By the time Friday hits I’m usually completely exhausted.  With having company the weekend before conferences started, I was unable to finish my report cards.  This meant I was working on them late into the evening Monday and Wednesday nights.  It makes the week even more stressful when I don’t have them done before the week begins!! 

Friday night Ella performed at halftime of the Cedar Falls Girl’s game.  We decided we would support her one minute of fame while also being able to watch both the girl’s and boy’s games against West.  Before the game we headed to The Wild Hare to celebrate Matt’s birthday with his family.  This new restaurant recently opened in the old Beck’s (by Fareway) and has been super busy each night.  Grandma Jeanie and Uncle Jerm went at 4:30 to make sure we got a table!  The food was excellent and the atmosphere seemed like a lot of fun, well without an incredibly busy 2 year old!  I’m hoping they continue to do well and stick around for awhile, unlike the previous restaurants in that location!

I’m definitely that mom/aunt in the crowd while watching her niece perform.  If you’ve ever been to a parade with me you know I love to yell at the people I know walking in the parade, mainly my students!!  I got down close so I could attempt at some decent pictures.  (I always have problems with the lighting in gyms, and I need a better zoom!)  There was a huge smile behind the lens as I snapped pictures of Miss Ella.  I wanted to cheer loudly for her but I decided not to completely embarrass myself!  I was most excited because you could tell Ella was having a ball.  She was thrilled to be dancing in front of a large crowd! 

Unfortunately Danielle was unable to make the performance, as work was crazy busy and she was unable to leave when she was off at 3:00.  I’m glad I was able to take pictures while Matt videoed so Danielle was still able to see Ella shake her booty! :)

I sent my camera home with Matt Garvin so that he could show Danielle the pictures.  This meant I didn’t have my camera when Matt opened his birthday presents from us when we got home.  Good thing I have a phone that takes decent pictures!  Kenna loved helping her daddy open his two new dress shirts and new sweatpants!

McKenna LOVES to give Lexi treats.  I’ve taught her how to make Lexi sit and wait before she gets her treat.  Recently we’ve been teaching McKenna how to get Lexi to shake with both paws.  This has not been an easy treat to master, as Kenna likes to stand 5 feet away from Lexi!  Once she figured out that she had to be standing right in front of Lexi, she was able to get her to shake with both paws.  It’s super cute watching this 1 minute interaction between the two.  I hand Kenna the treat and then she immediately puts it behind her back, tightly wrapped by her fingers in her palm.  “Sit Lexi, sit”, then “Shaakkke… shaakkke”, and “Other… other”, and then it’s time for McKenna to open her now sweaty palm and hand over the dog biscuit.  She’s learned to open her palm flat otherwise Lexi sometimes nips (nothing hard!) her hand as she’s trying to get to her treat! 

I absolutely love watching these two together and it definitely reminds me on why we got Lexi in the first place.  We wanted a dog that would be good with kids and she has  and continues to do just that.  This poor dog is laid on, jumped on, and even hit on a daily basis.  There has NEVER been a day that I’ve been worried that Lexi might hurt McKenna.  If anything, I’m confident Lexi will watch out for her “little sister”.  : ) 

We celebrated daddy’s 31st birthday and Uncle Matt’s 26th birthday at Grandpa and Grandma’s.  Grandma used a new recipe and made a really yummy birthday/Valentine day cake!

  

Kenna got to join in the fun at Auntie’s helping them make Uncle his birthday dessert!  Angel food cupcakes and hearts with blue frosting and pink/white/red sprinkles! 

Our friends Ben and Colleen were back from Colorado for their first baby shower hosted by their family.  They are expecting a baby girl in May and we couldn’t be more excited for them!  Now if we could get them back to Cedar Falls, along with Ben’s sister Jamie, we could start our own girls basketball team!!  Grandma Jeanie watched McKenna so we could enjoy an evening out with our friends.  With a busy day ahead we decided to go home early.  It sounds like we missed out on a pretty good after party! 

It’s not often that Matt and I both have things to do on the same day.  Saturday the 18th Daddy had a bachelor party for Steve Cero in Cedar Rapids and I had a funeral for a long time volunteer at Lincoln School, as well as having to work at the Wacky Winterfest (Lincoln’s Carnival).  What do you do when you are in a bind…. call Grandma Tappy!  My mom graciously agreed to help out.  While I was at the funeral she took McKenna to Kindergym at UNI.  This was the first time we sent McKenna in big girl undies to Kindergym and we were praying things would go okay while they were there and they did!  Kenna told Grandma when she had to go and she went in the locker room bathroom, no problem!

She went back home for a few hours before returning to watch Kenna so I could head up to school to work at our fundraiser.  At the end of my shift they met me so that we could eat supper as well as play some fun games!  Uncle Matt, Ella, and Lily also joined us for something to do while Danielle worked. 

The girls attended the Hansen Carnival together so they knew just what to do!  We went from room to room trying to get in as many games before they closed up shop.  Ella was able to get a feather put in her hair just as the clock hit 7:00.  Who knew a feather could make a girl so happy?! 

On a side note, we will be practicing the toilet bowl toss for next year, as this was McKenna’s weakest area.  Ella’s planning to work on her golf swing.  : )  Overall it was a fun night and I’m so thankful my mom was available to help us out!  

 

Panther day at Kindergym included a visit from TC!  McKenna started out clinging onto me for dear life.  The last thing I wanted to do was be in the pictures with her, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to have TC right there in front of us.  (Normally at games we have to chase him down and he is always on the go!)  I was able to set McKenna down and then quickly sneak out of the way while our friend Staci snapped a few pictures of the two of them together.  I love the one at the bottom of the page where she is waving back to TC’s “friends”. 

Kenna surprised us a bit during Kindergym.  Some activities she’d participate in for the entire time, and then there were games that she’d play for just a few minutes, wanting to take a break.  If we were near seats she would sit/lay and rest.  I was able to capture her crawling on the chairs while the rest of her group played!  I’m pretty sure she has zero competitive bones in her body.  (A lot like her mom.)  I’m not sure how her daddy is going to deal with this if it continues into her teen years! 

I’m confident McKenna enjoys herself each week even if she doesn’t show it while she is there.  I know this because she talks about it all the time.  We get to try to explain how many days away Kindergym is on a regular basis.  She’s going to be super sad when it’s over in a couple weeks!

Over a year ago we started Game Night back up with a group of friends.  We’ve not been good about getting together the way we used to.  We decided to change it up this month and go bowling!  We started our evening at Mulligans for supper and a few drinks before heading to Valley Park Lanes.  Garvin got smart and called to reserve lanes for us.  It’s a good thing he did because it was a happening place! 

The boys bowled one lane while we bowled another.  The night involved lots of laughs.  Laura was a trooper, bowling at 8 months pregnant!

Doug and Staci had just announced that they were expecting again so they headed home early while the rest of us went downtown for a few drinks!

We went to the last home game for the UNI women’s basketball team.  Ella and Kenna imitated the cheerleaders, standing with their hands on their hips while cheering for the Cats!

Starting in January I hosted my first student teacher.  I was blessed to have a incredibly sweet UNI student from Ankeny.  She graduated with my cousin Adam, so it was fun having a connection before she even started!  Over the last eight weeks our relationship grew to be more like friends, rather than teacher-student.  It reminded me so much of my student teaching experience in Harlan.  7 years later Becky and I continue to have an amazing relationship.  We can go months without seeing or talking to each other but can pick right back up where we left off.  We joke that I’m her long lost daughter, as she has two sons!  Becky’s first grandson is one day younger than McKenna, so we’ve enjoyed sharing stories about the two. 

I’m sad that Morgan’s experience has come to an end, but I’m excited to see what her future holds in education.  I can only hope and pray that I was able to help prepare her for life after college!

More from this month…

*McKenna now has all four molars.

*She is fully potty trained.  (More to come on that fun process!)

*Paci is still around…

*We’ve pretty much given up on the idea that our girl will go to bed early!  Some nights she will lay in her bed for over an hour before falling asleep.  She continues to yell for us often, but we are getting better at tuning her out.  It’s hard to be upset that she doesn’t go to bed earlier because she sleeps in to 7:30 or later on a daily basis, and she takes over 3 hour naps in the afternoon.  We’re finding she’s just like her mom in the sleeping department!

*Auntie french braided Kenna’s hair for the first time.  She of course would not cooperate for a picture! :)

*Ella and Kenna have really become buds.  They play great together (for the most part).  One night they decided to sit in the bathtub with every single bath toy, including the bath crayons.  I think they spent over 30 minutes “soaking” in the tub! 

I love that these two have more of a sister relationship.  I want so badly for Kenna to have a sister someday, but if she ends up with only brothers, I know she will have at least two “sisters” who will let her borrow their clothes, talk about boys, and join us shopping for her prom and wedding dresses! 

Now it’s time to start working on the March post!