Branson--Silver Dollar City

On a whim, Kevin and I decided we were going to take a mini vacation to Branson with the girls!  We surprised the girls by taking them out of school early on Thursday! Lucy was dumbfounded when we got to her classroom and her excitement didn't start until later. Laney was excited from the get-go...as if that should come as a surprise! 

On Friday we visited Silver Dollar City and had a blast!! We rode roller coasters, watched a show and enjoyed their Christmas parade.  

This is before riding PowderKeg, a roller coaster that goes from 0-53 mph in about 3 seconds.  Poor Laney might never ride a coaster again!  She was terrified the entire time!  Lucy didn't love it, but was ready to keep riding! 

The carousel was more Laney's speed! 

During the Christmas season, Silver Dollar City is lit up with millions of lights! Even their parade is lit up!  The elf came over for a picture with the girls and the ice princess (she's the ice princess because she is wearing blue, ask Laney) gave both girls a big hug too! 

Trick or Treat

Homecoming 2013

Laney was asked to be the flower girl for the Valley Center fall homecoming.  She was so excited to put on a pretty dress, curl her hair and be in the center of attention.   She looked beautiful and did a great job. The only downfall was the announcer called "Laney Hopper, a 5th grader."  

Ribby: August 4, 2004-March 6, 2013

I have neglected blogging for the simple fact that I didn't want to write this post.  Ribby was my shadow for 8 1/2 years, my first baby, a playmate for the girls and us, and most importantly our family. 

Kevin decided that for 25th birthday, we were getting a dog.  I was hesitant, but went to look and never looked back.  I remember driving down K-96 after we got her and she climbed and laid on my shoulders againsnt me and the headrest.  We took her to my brother's that first night and sat around the table trying to name her, thinking mainly about baseball names.  We came up with Ribby, which is the slang term for a Run Batted In.   Ribby was such a great puppy...easily housetrained, didn't chew too much...until we left for spring training.  Kevin's sister, Sarah, stayed with her and within hours of us leaving, she had chewed up a book, a fake tree and our wedding album.  It all makes me laugh now! 

Lucy, Ribby and I walked miles and miles together when Lucy was a baby.  Ribby went everywhere with us.  She would sit in the backseat and put her head on Lucy's carseat when she was rear-facing still.  Ribby loved to play ball, and the further you threw it the better!  She also loved the water...the lake, a baby pool, the faucet, even a bath!  She was such a messy drinker too...around her water bowl would always be a puddle.  And oh the drool!  One of my favorite things was the fact that no matter what time we fed her breakfast she was ready for her dinner by 2 pm.  She would start sitting in front of you, following you around until you caved and gave her food.  The biggest reminder of Ribby being gone comes each morning as we get the newspaper.  We trained Ribby early to fetch the paper every morning, and I think that was the highlight of her day.  Ribby loved to lay at the corner of the fence, or the back door and just wait for one of our cars to come around the bend...and then she would be off to the gate.  Her excitement never went away, just her energy. 

 

Lucy loved Ribby, but the relationship Laney had with Ribby was one like no other.  They truly were best friends.  Laney always felt the need to be near Ribby.  And to treat Ribby like a doll..dress her up, put headbands on her, feed her!  Ribby was the first person Laney wanted to see in the morning and she always had to tell Ribby goodnight.   The picture below is where Ribby would spend most of her day, laying in the sunlight.  Laney would always bring her toys up and play right there. 

Letting Ribby go was the hardest thing I have ever had to do as a parent.  Explaining to the girls that their best friend was going to dog heaven and never coming back was and still is painful.  But watching them look up in the clouds and talk about what Ribby is doing in dog heaven fills my heart with joy.  They remember all the happiness that Ribby brought to our lives and that helps my heart heal everyday.  

Build a Bear (or Puppy)

For Valentine's Day, we decided that we would take the girls to Build a Bear Workshop, since they have been begging and begging! We told them on Thursday that we had a special surprise for Friday night. They had no clue until we walked up the the store in the mall. Their faces just lit up! The choices for bears seemed endless, but Lucy finally picked a purple tye-dyed bear and Laney picked the puppy with hearts. The girls stuffed the, put their hearts inside, bathed them and finally picked out some outfits. Lucy was content with the pajama set she picked out, but Laney could have brought home every accessory in the place! I will take the fact that they are already begging to go back as a sign they loved their Valentine adventure!

Glory Days

Kevin got a phone call back before Christmas from his college roommate, Zach. Z had heard Rascal Flatts was coming to Wichita and would we want to get a group together from college and attend. Kev got on the phone and all his old roommates were game!
Zach and his wife, Shally, flew in on Thursday night. During this time, we learned that the concert was cancelled due to illness. ACK!!! No worries, we just made other plans and had just as much fun.
Friday night we hosted a huge gathering at our house for friends and their families. It was so much fun to get together and reminisce. Saturday night, the roomies (and wives) all went to dinner and then bowling. It was so much fun. We promised not to wait 15 years before our next reunion!!

Bowling

I purchased a Groupon a few months ago for bowling thinking that it would be a great winter activity. And it was a hit, for the adults and kids! Nana and Papa went with us and we bowled 2 games. We used the bumpers for the girls, although the adults might have used it to their advantage a few times as well. I have let it be known that I won the first game with a score of 132, and was the overall runner on the day.

Lucy did awesome at getting the ball down the lane and was interested in how she did. Laney on the other hand was more interested in which color ball everyone was using. She stayed by the bowling balls the entire time and handed them out!