June 2021

We flew up to Washington state to visit my parents and drop off the kiddos with them while Kyle and I go on a kids free trip to Belize! I'll be honest this trip to Belize with just me and Kyle was what kept me alive at times while Kyle was gone to Las Vegas for training. When life would get too overwhelming I would close my eyes and tell myself that if I could make it through these few months a fun trip was waiting for me on the other side. I think it was so smart that we had this trip planned ahead of time for us to have something to look forward to and work towards.

I was so excited to show my kids around my hometown. The first thing we did was go to the little cemetery that is up on the hill that overlooks my childhood home. It's also the cemetery that Nanna and my great grandfather, Carey Cowan, are buried at. It is always important to me that my kids know where they come from, their ancestors, and help them appreciate the life they live because of their relatives sacrifices. 

We then of course had to introduce the kids to a blueberry farm. I am willing to bet that Washington state grows the best berries in the world! It was blueberry season, so we had fun picking, eating, and collecting berries for some yummy treats like blueberry muffins, pancakes, and cobbler. 

Later on in the week we took the kids to Fort Vancouver. It is now a historical site where many trappers lived while hunting and trapping beavers to make top hats out of their pelts. They really have done a nice job to preserve the fort and to keep the history alive, explaining to the kids what life was like back then and giving them jr ranger badges after they completed scavenger hunts around the fort to look for items. Of course the day we decided to go explore Fort Vancouver was the day Washington had record breaking heat. Here we thought we were leaving the Arizona heat for a little cool down in the Pacific Northwest, only to have the scorching heat follow us. Layla was not a fan...

The blueberry picking was such a hit that we decided to go raspberry and blackberry picking as well! These kids ate and ate and ate the berries to the point where they made themselves sick. I still remember doing the same thing in my childhood, it must just be a right of passage I guess in every kid's life. 

Above all else we enjoyed spending time with my parents and James and Amanda who just moved to Washington. James is attending a radiology program in Portland and him, Amanda, and their two little boys are going to live with my parents for a while as he completes the program. 

The time came for mine and Kyle's trip. We left the kids with my parents and flew out to Belize for an adventure. It was so nice to have kid free time with just the two of us. I sure have missed him and have loved having him back home. 

Our Belize trip included lots of small little planes to make it to our final destination of San Pedro where we stayed at a Hilton resort and literally did nothing but sleep, eat, lay on the beach, and repeat. The water in Belize was so beautiful and crystal clear. On one of the days we felt ambitious and signed up for a snorkeling excursion where we got to swim with fish in this protected reef area as well as swim with a bunch of nurse sharks. Even though the nurse sharks are more like giant fish, it was still a little unnerving to be swimming with sharks bigger than me. I don't plan on repeating that activity ever again, but it sure made for a memorable time as Kyle and I were trying so hard not to panic as we saw dozens of nurse sharks swim towards us.

I think our favorite part about Belize is that no one drives cars. Everyone either bikes or drives golf carts around the island that we were on. Every night right before dinner we would drive around the village in our golf cart and try to find a good food place to eat at. It was the break I needed with my best friend and partner in crime. I am so grateful any parents were willing to watch the kids so we could escape and go do this together. Before we left to come back home we had to pass two different COVID tests to make sure we did not test positive to allow us back into the country. I was a little nervous because I started feeling a little under the weather towards the end of our trip, but luckily my COVID tests came back negative and we were able to return back to America and get our kiddos. 

As soon as we came back it was time to throw Abby her birthday party. Since it was a big year for her and she turned 8 we wanted to give her an official birthday party (Her baptism is next month). We decided to have a tea party and invited friends from church, dance, and school. It was honestly the cutest little gathering of girls ever! They all came in their pretty dresses, and we decorated hats and ate little finger foods. I hope Abby had a wonderful time, and boy was that a big task to take on!

Its recital season! My students came and decorated my house the night before the opening show. Oh how I love these girls that I teach. Our ballet this year is Snow White so they left lots of Snow White decorations around my front yard.

This recital was super fun because not only did I have all my students to watch and cheer on, but I had Abby, Connor and Brayden in the shows as well! I know the boys even enjoyed performing on the stage, and I also know this is probably the only year I can get away with my boys doing dance. Kyle has too much of an influence over them and they want to do a lot more sports come the fall. It was fun while it lasted for me, so I will soak up every last minute of my boys on the dance stage.

Every night after a recital show (there were 6 different shows) I would reward myself with a Dr Pepper shake from Wataburger. These recital days are long and grueling, but I know Dr Pepper can always lift my spirits and keep me chugging along.

We feel so lucky to have had some amazing friends come support us in our shows, as well as my mom. It was a big endeavor for me to choreograph an entire ballet, and I am so happy with how it turned out. 

Now that recital is all over with it has been "catch up" time. I went out to eat with my fellow k-drama friend Christina at a Korean BBQ, started running again to get ready for my half marathon coming up in a few months, and have been just enjoying my time with my silly kids. This is my favorite 3 weeks of the year... no school, no dance, no schedules!