Life Update

Eliza: Eliza turned two last month. Two! I have a toddler, not a baby. We've traded middle of the night feedings for daily vegetable battles, the bedtime ritual of rocking her to sleep for reading books instead, and newborn coos for our very first "I love you." We go to "music makers" and a play group every week, I'd even go as far as to say we have a weekly schedule! Something you wouldn't have dreamed of having when they were just born, and yet there is the small ache in your heart to nurse a baby until they are milk drunk. Like I mentioned earlier, Eliza is quite fond of books. She enjoys pointing out every image and either saying what it is or asking what it is...over, and over, and over again. It's endearing until you've said the word "pelican" 5 times in a row like an automated machine, but I know she is learning so much and that it is a habit worth fostering. We have also loved watching her imagination develop. I told my mom today that she seems to be a nurturer. When I saw on the baby cam that she had woken up this morning, I went in and crawled into her crib to cuddle with her(she is a slow waker and loves to just lay there for half an hour every morning). She cuddled up next to me, then took her blanket and laid it over me before getting back under the covers. She is constantly tucking in her stuffed animals, giving the sips from her sippy cup, or putting a diaper on them. She also has a thing for bunnies- there are about three that float between our house and my parents, with one always staying in her crib to sleep with, and she always has a lot of enthusiasm to share for them when she finds them.

Kristin (me) and Charly: While their is a little hole in our hearts dedicated to missing Idaho, between the house projects, surfing, and climbing, this winter has gone by faster than I can say for any I experienced in Idaho. I have enjoyed taking Eliza to her dedicated groups that meet two days a week and then going climbing after with another dedicated group of girls. One day a week a take Eliza to the gym after group, and the other I put her to nap at my parents house and then go, and it works out beautifully! I can tell that as much work as it is to bring Eliza, on the days that I do, that on her own, without provocation, she is picking up on climbing. She is strong! And the people I climb with are always willing to lend a hand and help out and vice versa.

We enjoy surfing but still have no idea what we're doing! In my opinion, as frustrating as it can be sometimes, it is one of my favorite parts of a new sport. The not caring and just wanting to be out there. I got excited to plan a climbing to this area that a friend wanted to go to, but upon further inspection realized it was an eight hour drive to then do a strenuous 1 hour hike in order to climb easy, single pitch, slab. My enthusiasm slowly wilted as I tried to determine what the parameters would need to be to make a long drive/wrestling a toddler in the outdoors all weekend to be worth it. With surfing, we have no parameters. It's all just one huge learning experience and good time getting out.

Other than that we have just kept on enjoying doing Florida things. Eating some solid puerto rican food, dinner parties, going to a rodeo, and an airshow, and planning our next trip back up to Idaho :).

P.S. A funny story about that photo of the dolphin: I had just finished working out at the gym (the actual gym, not the climbing gym). I stepped outside and right as my feet hit the concrete I saw a dolphin. I got so excited and wanted a photo- don't ask me why, we see dolphins almost everyday and even within reaching distance when kayaking and I never take photos, but this time I decided to. Anyways, I had my phone and earbuds wrapped up in my hand as well as the gym key since I had ran there and was getting ready to run back and I totally spaced that the key even existed. After snapping some photos and running all the home I arrived at our drive way just in time to remember that it must have fallen out of my hand. I quickly drove back and ended up having three of the workers there help me look for it but we could not find it anywhere. Now, a little back story. We, the Hoppe kids, have lost this key to the gym enough times to make my dad a little extra weary of it, so I felt extra bad for losing it. Especially when I took it off the big keychain it's usually on which is there specifically to keep it from getting lost. When I told one of the guys this he busted up laughing! Then he told me to how to get a new one and how to rough it up and make it look older so my dad would never know! He was laughing and was like "they're only ten dollars, if you don't got ten dollars I do!" I still smile when thinking about the whole situation.

Deseret Ranch Camping Trip

Last weekend (which was months ago now, since I forgot to hit publish) we went on a one night camping trip with a couple of other families to the Deseret Ranch. We went back and forth on wether or not to go since the past few trips have just gotten worse and worse with Eliza and how horrible she sleeps in a tent. In the end we couldn't pass up the invite and went, mostly since I knew it wouldn't be freezing temperatures like it usually is in Idaho. Speaking of Idaho, we left all of our camping supplies there- both our backpacking tent and family tent- so we decided to borrow my parent's, who are currently in Australia, instead. They weren't 100 percent sure where their stuff was and there was something about a green duffle bag and a few other places to check. When I went to grab the stuff at their house I saw a tent like something in a green duffle bag and threw it in the car.

I don't know if my parents have a different definition for what a tent they'd say would "fit all of you but you wouldn't be able to stand up in" is, or if we grabbed the wrong tent, but the thing was a tiny little square. Neither of could even lay straight in it much less fit both our twin air mattresses into. Instead we emptied out the van, laid the seats flat, and started to put just one twin mattress in there because two wouldn't fit. During the process Cathy came up and, in more or less words, was all "wow you guys are gonna sleep on that how cute and cozy" and I was just kind of standing there grimacing. People, we are a tight knit family...but those fibers begin to come unwound when faced with inadequate sleeping space for two adults and a toddler. In the end we traded our twins for a queen that our friends had and it all worked out beautifully- better than a tent, in my opinion. We kept Eliza up until 11pm and it took her maybe 10 minutes to pass out. Sure, she moved around in the night, took all the covers, and crammed herself into us every. single. minute. of it, meaning we only got a few hours of sleep, but it was well worth it and exceeded my expectations.

Without further ado, here is some of the fun we had:

When we woke up the next morning we did did a lot of the activities that are up there, like the Pennywash slide, gun range, and obstacle course. Along with hazy car window mornings, hot dogs, berry cobbler, s'mores, and a slew of other junk food that was all enjoyed with good people and I say it was a more than a success.