Guess who turned 1 yesterday!

 Happy Birthday to you Whiskey Sipes!!

Rip & Beth and a Jack o Lantern

 

 

 

We had a fun time dressing up Yellowstone style for our annual Halloween party!

 

 

 

 

 

 I had fun playing with food and made a fun pumpkin appetizer!

 

3 little doggies

 

 

OH MY!  Lookie lookie.  I think there's room for one more!! :) 

 

Derby Day 2020

 

 

 

 

 We were so sad in May that the Kentucky Derby was cancelled.  It's our favorite day of the year.  As soon as we found out it was in September we were thrilled!  YAY!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had the best evening celebrating with our buddies! 

 

 

 

 

I am so thankful to have such amazing work friends.

 

 

 

 

I love these gals!

 

Spring Break is over!!

 We are so thankful to exclaim school is back in session.

After many many days of Covid 19 ridiculousness we are heading back to school!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Layla is starting her sophomore year.  

She is excited to go back to school, but wishes she could finish her freshmen year. 

 

 

 

 

Hayden is heading to his first day as a middle schooler.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am starting my 5th year!  I'm excited to see what this year holds.

 

 

 

 

 It is so weird to wear masks and we aren't fans of them, but we know this is what we have to do for now to end the longest ever spring break! ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this pup is hoping for some college football

 

Mother's Day 2020

I had an awesome Mother's Day!

I made buffalo chicken dip while drinking champagne. 

We headed to friends house for a crab boil.  It is the first time we've all really hung out since quarantine.  It was so wonderful to see everyone.

I'm so thankful for a fun filled day.  I lvoed every second of my Mother's Day!

The kids ended the day with yummy smores!

We are blessed indeed.

bring on the hot summer

we are a boat family now and i am excited to spend many many summer days on the lake.

patio bevvies and snacks

These quarantine days have me craving things I can't get due to restaurants being closed.

One of my favorite drinks outside on the porch is a frozen rose drink.

I decided to make it myself.

I froze rose wine in a 11x13 clear dish for 6 hours.  I put it in the blender and it was slushy, so I added frozen strawberries and blended them up.  I added a tiny bit of sugar and a small pour of peach Schnapps. 

I made up some appetizers an headed to the back porch to sip and snack quarantine style.

Gary grilled some sausage and I made potato salad and we continued the snacking all night long.

I'll be excited when I can go out to eat again, but I also have fun creating fun food and drinks here at home.

virtual cheer tryouts

 3 years of tryouts.

This lady made the Varsity cheer squad for 2020-2021!

The tryouts were different this year due to Covid-19.

Layla submitted her tryout video after working very hard all week.  It was stressful at times, but she did amazing and all her hard work paid off.

I'm thrilled for these two!!!!

I'm one proud mom!  I'm thankful for this young lady and the amazing lady she is becoming.

Our new normal

This is our first day of school picture!

Our district gave the kids an extra week of spring break while the teachers prepared lesson plans for online learning, so today was our first day.  Look at these kiddos.  They look ready to learn.

Hayden is easily distracted by his furry best friend, Whiskey.  She is a mess, but such a blessing right now during this quarantine. She steals socks and potties on the floor.  She tries to chew cords and really is a MESS!  We do love her so much though.

Selfie time.  Gangs all here!

Lily is gazing out the window, dreaming, like the rest of us.  Whiskey is taking a moment of reflection.  They are just so thankful their humans are all home and paying them so much attention.

Corona -- over the last week

Oh my goodness what a crazy time this is.  

I'm taking it in and slowing down.  I'm adjusting to the slower days and lots of family time.

We got home from a trip to Pagosa Springs, Colorado a week ago and it was a hard day for me.  Pagosa and Wolf Creek both have horrible cell reception.  We were pretty much disconnected for 5 days, and it was nice in some ways. We did have WiFi at the VRBO house we stayed in, but we weren't there very often.  I was in for a rude awakening once we got back to reality.  The 13 hour ride home scrolling social media had me worried, but didn't prepare me for what was to come.

We got home and I need to go to the store.  I usully don't let our supply run that low, but we only had two rolls of toilet paper.  We were leaving town, so I didn't go to the store prior.  Who does that?  We have 4 bathrooms in our house.  I HAD to get toilet paper, but there were zero squares to be purchased.  I finally went to the Dollar General and thankfully I got some paper.  Gary calls it John Wayne paper, but we have toilet paper. Hallelujia.  

I was blowing off the corona stuff because we all know how the media can make us all crazy.  I prayed and calmed down, but in the back of my mind I thought I should go to the grocery store.  I jumped on the Walmart app and $355 later we would pick up our groceries at 4:00pm. I felt so much better.  We had 3 days left before school started back up and I was stocked and ready to enjoy the rest of my Spring Break.

Then we got the news the kids officially wouldn't go back to school until March 30.

Monday was here and I ran into work for an hour, but man I was nervous.  I love my work family, but I didn't want to be around anyone.  I had just been in Colorado.  I shouldn't have been around anyone. When I left work to head home I was in a panic, so I stopped by Walmart and picked up another couple hundred dollars of stuff.  I got ice cream and cake mixes.  I got all the things to use to make bread in my breadmaker.  I just wanted to feel like we were set for the 2 weeks of home time.  It was a peaceful trip.  I was trying not to spend $6,000 because I can easily go into panic, hoarding mode.  I made it out and made it home to the kids and pups.  Gary reported to work to pick up all the things he needed to stay home also.  He is working remotely until further notice.

Kids, the kids.  Hayden seems to be doing just fine with the quarantine.  Our school district doesn't start instruction until next week, so he's been chilling and hasn't had a big issue staying home.  Layla isn't very happy.  She is our social lady.  She doesn't want to just Facetime her friends.  She wanted to hang out with lots of friends that had been in Florida and Califonia, but I'm a mean momma and wouldn't let her be with anyone.  What do we do?  Parenting is so hard.  I have to keep her safe though.

Of course the puppies are all happy we are home non-stop.  It will be great for the potty training that is going on with the newst Sipes pup, Whiskey.

I can't believe how much life changed in one week.  I am thankful for the slowdown and will fully embrace it.  I think and know this is God's plan and he knew this would happen before we did.  I will be happy though it all!!!!  Praise him.

Our spring break in pictures