March 2021 - Spring Break & Tessa’s 14th Birthday

Over Spring Break, Abby and I donated blood. It was Abby’s first time to donate. She was nervous, but determined to do it because she had been wanting to donate blood ever since turning 16. She did great. She got a little lightheaded towards the end of the donation, which they said is pretty common for first time donors. They were glad she told them so they were able to elevate her feet, and give her ice packs to cool her down before she passed out or had other complications. She found out she is A+ and she’s excited to do it again as soon as she’s able. Also during the Spring Break week, I was able to get my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. They had a registration for all EPISD employees who wanted the vaccine, so I was able to register and go. I went to one of the hospitals downtown and waited in a line, but it moved quickly and I was home after only one hour. My arm hurt that day and was very tender to the touch, but I luckily did not have any other reactions to the first shot, and it was totally fine by the next morning.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit for the end of the spring break week. They wanted to see the girls and some of their sporting events and then they headed up to Arizona and Utah to see their mothers. We were happy to have them for a couple of days on their long trek to visit everyone.

They got to come see Taryn’s last basketball game of that season. Because it was spring break, we didn’t have all of our players and the other team only had one. Luckily, a couple girls from the previous game were still there so they played again, and one of our players also played on the other team so they had enough players to play a regular game. Taryn did awesome as usual and had fun showing grandma and grandpa that she can play. It was a fun game to watch and see how much they had improved since the beginning of the season.

 

Tessa joined a running club for the month of March. She went with some girls from her cross country and track teams. She really enjoyed going. They met three times a week either at a park or at the coach’s house where they would run through the neighborhoods. After getting their cross country sweatshirts and wearing them at the same time, the girls got this picture together one day after a practice.

Tessa wanted a fancy hairstyle for church one Sunday, so she let me do my “Barbie” hairstyle that I learned when they were little. I took a picture before leaving for church, and besides the fact that it’s called a “Barbie” hairstyle, she really liked it. Taryn got to dress up for Culture day at school. She dressed up like a Mormon pioneer. We were able to borrow the bonnet from Audrey and I thought her outfit turned out super cute for the day. She was able to tell some of her teachers about her pioneer ancestors.

Unfortunately, we had some bad news in March as well. Our three bunnies had been moved out to the front porch once the weather warmed up and there they stayed for the last month of so. The girls would take them out to play when they cleaned the cages weekly and since they would try to fight or mate when they were together, they were each in a separate cage. Well, one night some neighborhood dogs got into our front patio area and ended up getting into Panda’s cage and killing her. The owners were friends of ours and were very apologetic for not getting to their dogs in time, but there was nothing they could do for Panda. We ended up burying her in our old garden. Aubrey was very distraught and would get sad or cry for the next couple days. Panda was our only female bunny and she was the fattest, cutest bunny. She was the biggest of her litter from the very beginning which was why Aubrey loved her. She was named Panda for her black and white fur, but also because of her size and we’ll miss her. The kids marked the stone above her grave so we’ll always remember. I also included this cool picture of the full moon in March as we were outside one night as the sun set and the moon rose over the mountains. I thought it was really pretty and I love the bright orange colors that indicated the beautiful sunset behind us.

 

While Grandma and Grandpa were in town, we ate out at Five Guys. It was yummy. Aubrey and Abby shared a shake and tried to recreate a picture from when they were littler. It was cute and I love their beautiful eyes. They’re nice to each other when they want to be and this was a good day when they got along just fine. Grandma and Grandpa Black were able to go to one of Abby’s tournaments while they were in town. It was supposed to be the big El Paso Bid tournament that’s normally played in the convention center, but since the convention center has been turned into a vaccine center, the tournament was played at the club locations around town. Abby’s games were played at Stars.

They did not do very well in their games, only winning a couple of sets all day. The issue was that they were missing a lot of their regular players. They had a lot of girls who had stopped paying their monthly fees, so they ended up quitting the team. So Abby’s team had to bring up three girls from the 16s team to play with them for this tournament. They only had about a week to practice and get used to each other, so they did good considering all the changes, but they did not play as well as they had in the past with their original players. While playing this green team, the green team had a professional photographer taking pictures during the game. We found some cool shots of our team once he posted his pictures on Facebook. I liked this one of Abby as she got to hit the ball, and we laugh every time we see this second picture because it was taken as the green team cheered after making a point. That point was after a good hit that Abby dove for to try and return, so in between their cheering team, you can see Abby laying on the floor after her dive.

 

On March 24th, Tessa turned 14. I took a picture of her on her way to school that morning. She wanted her hair curly so we spent the morning getting her hair just right. As I posted pictures on Facebook, this picture of when she turned two came up on my memories. I had to post them together because her hair used to be naturally curly and I thought they were adorable pictures side by side. My blonde, blue-eyed beauty!

 

Tyler got up and made Tessa a birthday breakfast of waffles and fruit. He also made Tessa’s birthday cake that turned out beautifully. She asked for a white cake with strawberry filling and frosting and chocolate ganache. Tyler made it all from scratch and was very impressed with himself for even making a strawberry reduction that he used in the filling. It was a delicious cake and so pretty. 

 

Since her 13th birthday was right when the quarantine started last year, Tessa was able to have a real birthday party this year. We did our usual family party with the cake and presents, but the weekend after her birthday, she and 10 of her friends got to go to Bob-Os to play. Their awesome group of friends from church and school get together almost every weekend. So for her birthday, Tessa wanted all of them to come to her party. It was her first boy/girl party and they had a blast on the rides and doing go-carts and laser tag. I don’t have any pictures because Tyler took her to the party and was the chaperone who basically sat with all of their belongings. I thought he’d have more fun hanging out with the teenagers, but he said he didn’t get to do very much besides sit at the tables. But Tessa said she had fun and she loved all of the gifts that her friends had gotten her.

For our Kasibbons dinner, we were able to celebrate not only Tessa but also Grandma V and Tony who share a birthday the day before Tessa’s. Audrey made three separate desserts so they each had something to hold when they blew out the candle. There was a strawberry cheesecake dessert, a banana cream pie, and a lemon blueberry dessert. They were all super yummy and it was fun to celebrate all of the birthdays together.

I took this picture from a post my mom was tagged in on Facebook. When my parents left El Paso after visiting with us, they headed to Arizona to see my Grandma. They also got to see some of my aunts, and while they were together, they took this picture and I loved it. My Aunt Karen took the picture and it has my mom, my Aunt Denise, my Aunt Bonnie, and my Grandma Jeanne. I love all of these ladies. My final picture for the month of March was just a fun decoration we did at work. Our Assistant Principal is about to become a grandma, so for her birthday (which she shares with Tessa), we decorated her office door in a Stars Wars theme because she loves Star Wars, and one of my coworkers found these adorable baby onesies. I added the saying, “Age matters not, celebrate you must” on the door and we decorated a little inside the office too. Mrs. Clay was very surprised and happy when she saw it. She kept it up for a couple of weeks and everyone who came into the office admired the awesome decorations. I really like working in the office and I love the ladies that I work with.

February 2021, Part 2 - Valentine’s Day Snow, More Sports

Tyler is always good to his girls on Valentine’s Day. We hosted the Kasibbons dinner on Valentine’s Day since it was on a Sunday this year. Tyler had roses for all the girls and chocolates for everyone. It was a fun surprise. He also got me a bouquet of tulips - my favorite flower. I took a picture a week or so later once they had bloomed. Beautiful!

El Paso had a fluke snowstorm the weekend of Valentine’s Day. In-person church was cancelled so once we did a sacrament meeting on our own, the kids were out the door to play in the snow. They found the neighbors and had a lot of fun once we finally got all the snow clothes out. At one point I think I had over a dozen kids in my house as they all took a break from the cold outside and had some hot cocoa.

While the girls were still dressed in their church clothes, I talked them into going outside for a little photo shoot. I loved the snow on the bushes behind them and in some of the pictures, you could even see the snow as it fluttered around them. Taryn chose her pose and facial expression and it turned out so beautiful. Her lips matched her dress perfectly. Everyone wore shades of red or pink for Valentine’s Day. I loved Aubrey’s hair as it blew in the breeze and I love how you can see the blue pool in the background surrounded by all the snow.

Tessa and Abby had pictures taken while it was still snowing, but it just enhanced the pictures. I love these beautiful ladies. After a lot of pictures were taken, they chose their favorite one to include in this post. I loved them all!

 

I took a picture with all four of them as well. Tyler had too many meetings so we didn’t get any family pictures, but having one of just the girls was great for me. It’s currently my phone screen saver. February 14th also happened to be the day that Abby was scheduled to get her patriarchal blessing. We met the patriarch, Pres. Jensen, at the church that afternoon. He met with Abby for 5 to 10 minutes to visit with her, and then Tyler and I got to join them as he gave her the blessing. It was so awesome. We were all crying by the end. She had been preparing for this moment for months. She had fasted and prayed to know when to get her patriarchal blessing and she fasted and prayed leading up to it to be ready. She was spiritually ready and I think she was very happy with the outcome. Pres. Jensen raved about Abby to us and about how impressed he was with her and her upbringing. He said he always gets pictures with the people he gives blessings to and Abby was happy to have a picture as well. It was a great day.

Tessa had her second and final track meet in February at the Franklin field and we were able to attend in person. The track girls took this selfie as they waited for the meet to begin. 

Tessa ran the 100 meter first and she was in the second heat. She was first in her heat which was awesome, but she didn’t place overall in that race. She ran the 400 meter next and ended up 2nd in her heat and 2nd overall. She was happy to medal in that race and is starting to feel like that may be her favorite race to run.

Tessa had challenged the anchor of her relay team during practice and won, so she ran as anchor for the 4 by 400 relay race this time. They were the only 8th grade team for that race, so they got the gold medal. They raced with their 7th grade team and lost to them, but they medal based on grade so it didn’t matter that they were 2nd in that race. 

 

Tessa likes running the relay and as she ran past the side where we were sitting, I was able to get a few good pictures. I loved watching her race. It was a fun morning. One of her Young Women’s leaders, Sis. Kener, came to watch and cheer her on as well, so that was awesome.

Tessa and her closest friends from the team took another selfie as they congratulated one another and said goodbye after the meet was over. I had Tessa send those pictures to me so I could have them too. It’s such a good group of girls. 

Taryn had more basketball games. I missed one while I was at Tessa’s track meet that Tyler went to, but I was able to go the following week to her next game. She’s getting pretty good and she really likes to play. She’s great at teamwork and passing the ball. She’ll also wait down in the post position and as teammates pass her the ball, she’ll turn and shoot and make the basket almost every time. She’s really having fun playing basketball, especially since she gets to play with Teagan, her best friend.

Another event from February was Abby’s child development assignment to take care of a robot baby for a weekend. She went and picked up the baby and all of his supplies on Friday and he “turned on” that night at 6:00pm. Abby named him Mateo Eugene. She was so excited to look after the baby. She wore a bracelet that activated his reactions and she had to feed him, change him, and hold him whenever he got fussy. She set up the pack ‘n play in her room and she was the one to wake up throughout the night whenever he started to cry. Abby was very good at taking care of him and she even had a baby play date with Sarah and her robot baby who was doing the assignment on the same weekend as well. Abby had to take him to her parties that her friends had on Saturday and also to church on Sunday. She did a great job, but she was happy when the baby “turned off” Sunday night. She said it was fun, but she was very tired from the lack of sleep.

 

Taryn has her friend Ashleigh over occasionally and they love to play. They like to make their own  pretend YouTube videos and record themselves as they talk and sing. I walked by and took a picture as they were recording themselves because they were being so cute. My final picture is of all the fun treats and surprises I received from my coworkers after I was voted Support Staff Person of the Year. I was pretty surprised when I saw my name on the list of those nominated, but I was completely shocked when they made the announcement that I had won. All of the employees at Lundy vote from a list of staff members which includes pretty much anyone who’s not a teacher - office staff, custodians, cafeteria, etc. I was completely surprised. Everyone congratulated me for days and the ladies in the office brought me the treats, flowers, and balloons. It was so nice of them. I really love where I work and I love all the people I get to work with.

 

February 2021, Part 1 - Aubrey Turns 12, Tessa Runs Track

Aubrey turned 12 on February 10th and she had been looking forward to it for awhile because we had set 12 to be the age for when the girls could get their ears pierced. Aubrey has wanted her ears pierced for years. Tessa got her ears pierced at 12 two years ago and ever since that day, Aubrey’s been begging for us to change our stance on when she could get her ears pierced. She was hoping she could get them done sooner than waiting for her 12th birthday. However, we held out, so as soon as her birthday came, it was the top of her to-do list. Her birthday this year was on a Wednesday, so as soon as we got home from school and work, we headed out to the mall to get her ears pierced. We had a little hold up when we got to the store in the mall because their piercer was not at work that night. They were willing to schedule us for the next day, but Aubrey really wanted them done that night. We tried another store in the mall that the lady recommended, but it was a tattoo and piercing store that didn’t allow children inside under the age of 18. We found another piercing place on the bottom level of the mall, but Aubrey was really hoping to have it done at a Claire’s, so we ended up driving to the outlet mall hoping to get there before they closed. Luckily, we made it in time; she got her ears pierced, and she was happy with her blue gemstone studs that she had been planning on getting. We love this beautiful girl and are happy to have her bubbly and spunky personality in our home.

Aubrey has always been our most fashion conscious child who loves to dress up fancy, accessorize, and have beautiful hairstyles. In preparation for her 12th birthday, she decided she wanted to have a new hairdo every day for the week leading up to her birthday. Her first hairstyle of three braids was also a twin day that she had set up with her friend Rianne so that they had the same hair and clothes for the day. She had a friend take a picture of them at school so I’d have it. I remembered to take a picture of her hair some of the mornings before leaving for school.

Most nights Aubrey would show me a picture of what she wanted for the next morning. We are usually pretty rushed in the morning to get out the door, but Aubrey was very good about waking up extra early so that we would have enough time to get the hairstyles in. She was ok with Taryn copying one of her previous hairstyles, so I was able to get two hairstyles in one picture one of the mornings. Aubrey said she got a lot of compliments each day at school as she showed up with new hairdos.

Abby and Tessa made Aubrey’s birthday cake - a double layered heart-shaped cake with a strawberry filling and blue icing. Aubrey’s favorite color is still blue and she loved the way the cake turned out. Aubrey opened up her presents after dinner where we had picked up food from her choice of restaurant. She got a few presents from her sisters, but the big present on the bottom was full of our traditional gift in a gift in a gift wrapping style. She was the last one of our family and the Kasallis family to get her birthday presents wrapped this way, so she had been looking forward to it for a long time. She was very happy with all of her gifts which included air pods, shoes, clothes, and lots of new earrings.

 

Aubrey was able to have a little birthday party at our house the weekend after her birthday. She invited five friends and they made their own pizzas and watched a movie. They had fun visiting and hanging out, and it was fun for me to listen to them as they talked about school and boys and things that they’re in to these days. It was definitely a girls middle school party. They were really cute.

 

The girls had a lot of fun eating snacks while watching the movie and doing karaoke on the wii. These are Aubrey’s closest friends from school this year - Lydia, Abby, Lexi, Aubrey, Rianne, and Angie.

One day as Tyler and I were driving home from an errand, we saw these deer in front of a house in our neighborhood. They blended in really well and at first looked like they were just statues as part of their front yard decorations until we saw them move. So Tyler made a U-turn and we headed back to get a closer look. I was able to get this picture of them as they were wandering in front of the houses. We realized as they started walking that the one in front must have been injured because he did not ever use his back right leg. You can even see it in the picture that he never put that leg down and you can tell that something is the matter with it. He was still getting around fine, but we felt bad for him knowing that there really wasn’t anything for us to do.

This year the middle school is doing a yearbook, but they are having parents send in the student pictures. I included Aubrey’s picture already, but we had taken Tessa’s picture a week or so later, so here it is finally making it into the blog. Tessa also started track in February and after just a few weeks of practices, they had their first meet. Because of the pandemic, fans were not allowed, so I had to drop her off early one Saturday morning and just take this picture as she got out to wait for the bus.

Luckily when she came home after her meet, Abby’s friends Astrid and Braelinn talked Tessa into a photo shoot so I could have a lot of pictures of Tessa in her track uniform. I really liked these pictures and those girls were really good about getting candid and natural poses out of Tessa that I loved.

After a few practices, they had their time trials and Tessa was one of the fastest 8th grade girls. She was entered into three events for their meet. She got to run the 100M, the 400M, and the 4 by 400 relay. She thought she’d be placed with the other long distance runners since she’s comfortable with those distances because of cross country, but because she was so fast in the trials, she was happy to do some of the shorter distances too.

She had a friend take a picture of her at the school where their first meet was held. She said it was a lot of fun and she did so well at the meet. She placed 4th in the 100M, 2nd in the 400M, and her team placed 1st in the 4x400 relay. She really enjoyed it and I was sad to miss watching it. Continuing on with sports, Taryn has continued playing basketball games every week and you can see the kids improve with each practice and game. 

Abby had a tournament in February on the east side of town. I was able to watch her play and she had a great day. Her friend Josh came to see her play as well. They were short on some players because of injury so Abby got to play all around and hit while in the front row. She really loves hitting even though her main job is setting. She was so excited to be able to play the front row at this tournament and I was able to get this picture of her as she scored a point from her kill. She also got to be the team captain for the day because the regular captain was the one out due to injury, so all around it was a great day for Abby and I loved watching her play.

Abby’s high school volleyball team posted this picture of all of the girls from Varsity and JV on their social media page. I saved the picture and was happy to have it here so that she can remember her volleyball career in high school.

All of our girls are awesome. We love how dedicated they are to their passions and how they like to grow as they learn new things. I love their positive attitudes and their amazingly good examples that they set to those around them. We are so proud of them and all that they do!