HOPKINS

Fa la la la la...la la...la...la

2010-12-05T18:52:00.000-08:00

12/5

We've done a lot of playing this week...just hanging around the house. The other morning I was in the bathroom getting ready and Darren was in the tub. I was working on my hair when I didn't hear Darren splashing anymore...!!! I looked over and he had figured out how to roll from his back to tummy in the tub! Crazy child! I can't leave him alone for one second without him trying to do something crazy!JD started his new rotation for the month, he is at Children's Mercy here in Kansas City. He has 2 interviews this month...one here and the other in Billings, Montana. I love this time of year...I love all the cocoa, candy canes, bell ringers, hats and scarfs, egg nog ...I know, they are silly things...but I still love it all!

Oh...by the way...if any of you know my brother Spenser...he turned 20 this week!!! Happy birthday Tumpta Gubba!

Darren just loves his bath!

Check out his new trick! Up on his toes!

He can hold this pose longer than anyone...you wanna challenge?

Thats right Frosty! Take that! Darren loves to tackle him!

Check it! Ya, I am cute!

Some Christmas photos if you didn't get the card....

November 28...

2010-12-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

Yep, Thanksgiving has come and gone...and now Christmas season is in full swing around here!Thanksgiving was soooo yummy! I got a little sick because I ate tooooooo much! Oh but it was so good! Funny story...we were all sitting at the table eating away and someone asked, "Where's the cranberry sauce?" OOOOPS! So, just then I realized not only did I forget to make the cranberry sauce...but I also forgot to make the yams and my cheese dip! Where was my brain? I have no idea what happened, everything I was supposed to make, I forgot about! After dinner Tina, Lindsay, Amanda and I got the news papers out and started scoping out the sales! We decided to be a little daring this year and went to Walmart at midnight!!! Let me tell you....I LOVED IT! I got some pretty sweet deals! A waffle maker-that flips-$10, a 40 piece Tupperware set for $10, and some toys for Darren. Then we came home and slept some and then went to a few stores and got more sweet deals! I love sales!Tina and I got all the Christmas decorating done around the house this week. We have had fun with Amanda being here. We'll miss her!

My nephew Braden went hunting for the first time...he helped dad shoot a deer, bird and coon!

Darren whiped out from watching mom and Grandma put up Christmas decorations!

Me, Tina, Amanda and Lindsay all ready for our Black Friday Midnight run to Walmart!

Darren all looking good for church!

He is such a handsome guy!

6 months old!!!

2010-12-05T16:05:00.001-08:00

11/21/10
So...we've been out of town...yes, AGAIN!This time we went to Pocatello, Idaho and Ogden, Utah. Why? Well, these were JD's first 2 interviews for residency! Ahhh! And you ask why did I go along? Well, the spouse gets to come and see the programs, and can also go to the interviews! It was a ton of fun seeing the areas, getting to know the residents, and learning about the programs. I can't believe we are finally to this point! Ahh!We also snuck up and saw Great Grandma and Grandpa Dayton, Aunt Jacki, Uncle Andy and Uncle Spenser! It was so good to have a little time to see family on our busy trip!Since we've been back, Tina has had the house re-carpeted. Which means lots of moving things and lots of chaos! JD got a huge deer hunting this week! Make sure you "ooh" and "ahh" over it! It's his biggest one yet!I need another vacation! Ahh!

Darren's fake sad face....oh he hates airports!

But...he loves the big beds in the hotels!!!

The house got re-carpeted while we were gone! It turned out great!

Look at Darren sitting up! That's right, he's sitting up without anything behind him now!

JD, John and his friend Kyle. Check out his 10 point buck!

Grandpa Dayton and Darren!

Grandma Dayton and Darren!

Auntie Jaki and Darren!

Darren loves his Johnny Jump Up!

See that little bit of dark hair, aka "mullet"....that is all that is left of his baby hair!

11/7/10
Brr! It is getting cold out here! We decided to go shopping and get Darren a winter coat and hat. To my dismay...no where do they sell coats for under 6 months. They sell those one-piece suits (which we have a couple that we are borrowing). So, we bought a coat that is 6-12 months...poor little Darren, hopefully he'll grow into it!We got to go see my Aunt Wendy's musical this week. She is the theater director for Kearney High School. Each year they do amazing shows! You forget they are high schoolers! This year was Bye-Bye Birdie. Our cousin Colton was in it, which is so fun to watch! Bronson, his brother does the background stuff...it was so good to see them!We also celebrated Darci (JD's sister)'s birthday! We went out for Chinese...YUM! So much fun!Poor Darren has a horrible cold/cough. :( Not fun. He is happy even though he isn't always feeling good....such a good baby!He also started being not so interested in strangers. Usually he smiles at everyone and will let just about anyone hold him, lately he has begun to get more clingy! Ahh!Well, that is all for this week!Happy Birthday to Great Grandpa Dayton and to Darci!

Aunt Wendy, Uncle Tom, Grandma Fish, Grandpa Fish, JD, Darren and me!

The Kansas City Temple!!! 1 year left!

Darren's new favorite trick...spitting...

Darren and his big winter coat!

Oct 18th

2010-12-05T13:04:00.000-08:00

10/18
Hopefully the pictures explain themselves this week. :)We did get to go see my cousins Alan and Josh this week...both who have never met Darren! Good times!Darren is down for his morning nap...so I'm off to get ready for my day! Woo hoo! Sorry so short, maybe more next week! Enjoy the pictures! Hope they make you smile as much as they do me!

Oct 12

2010-12-05T12:57:00.000-08:00

10/12

Every week I get on here and think...what did we do this week? Then I look at all the pictures and realize we had some fun adventures!So...fall is here! Leaves are changing colors! We've had a few nights in the low 40's! Burr! But the days have been beautiful! We've been trying to spend as much time outside as possible! This week we went to visit National Beef! Which is always a good time, but we didn't have too much time to spend there. We were supposed to go to the pumpkin patch...which we did...but when we got there Darren was sound asleep! Poor guy! And then I realized I didn't even bring the stroller. So we decided to go this next week. So, there will be pictures to come!We also went to a couple parks, one with our play group and one with the family. It has been so much fun! Darren has learned to do some new weird sounds with his mouth. Hopefully I'll get some pictures of the strange face he makes when doing it! He has also learned how to roll front to back....so now he just keeps rolling back and forth. Last night he rolled across the room from Dad to Me! Sooo cute! It is crazy how fast he is growing and changing!This week I have started a part-part-time job! :) Soooo excited! I miss work soooo much! I will be showing rental properties. Not too busy. The guy needed a stay-at-home mom to be able to jump and go show when possible! So, this will be fun and interesting. I am being trained this week...which means Darren has to be babysat!!! Ahhh! He stayed with Aunt Lindsay last week! He just loves her! She said he did a good job! Then he stayed with a lady from church. I think he had a little harder time with her...but he survived! Better yet...I survived! It was soooo hard leaving him! I thought it would be a lot easier...but no! :) JD is busy busy...of course! Thank goodness for weekends! He does manage to get in some family time with us, and work on his hunting skills!My mom had her birthday this past week! HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! :) I can't believe she is a grandma! So weird! hee hee!Well, that seems to be it for now!Back to life...Back to reality...oh I just love that song!

Darren loves to eat...and loves the bumbo!

JD trying out his bow!

Look how cute my boys are! Out enjoying a day at the park!

The rest of October....

2010-12-05T12:38:00.000-08:00

10/31

Happy Halloween everyone!We are finally back home! Pennsylvania was amazing! I think it was the most beautiful place I have ever been! The leaves were all different colors, and the weather was wonderful! We had so much fun spending time with our friends, the Grahams! We sure miss them! Thanks Brit for EVERYTHING!I can't wait to get back there and see some of the historical stuff! Can you believe October is over? That means...Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner! Some radio stations start playing Christmas music tomorrow...how crazy is that???I can't wait to see all the tirck-or-treaters tonight! I just love Halloween!Oh, JD has gotten requests for interviews for all of the locations he applied to! So, now he is going to pick his top 6 or so, and go to interview at them. Woo hoo!I am down 40lbs since Darren was born! Yippy! Darren is getting more and more active everyday! He still wants to crawl so bad! He is sitting up pretty good too. Hope you all have a great night!

10/24

We've had one fun week!We started out by celebrating Grandma Fish's birthday! We got to goto Red Robin...YUM! hee hee! Happy Birthday Grandma!Then Darren and I flew to Pennsylvania to visit with he Grahams! Theyare our friends from NKC, also in Medical School. They are a yearahead of us and are doing their residency in a small town in PA!Well, JD had to come out here for a test, so I thougth it would be theperfect time to catch up with our friends! We also were able to meetup and spend some time with our friend Lindsay, who's husband is alsoin Medical School! Ahh! I just love all my friends! Even after wehaven't seen them in so long, it's like they never left!So, back to business...Darren and I are out here, and JD comes out next week for the test!Britney and her kids, Drew and Hailey took us to Hershey! It is theactual town where Hershey the chocolate company was started. Ifyou've never been...it's a pretty big deal! They even have anamusement park! Crazy! Well, we had a ton of fun going to chocolateworld... a place where they sell pretty much any of their candies andchocolates...a woman's dream! We got to go on a ride that showed ushow they make the chocolate! Yum! We also did a quick drive throughthe town and played at the park! It was a gorgeous day!Well...we are goign to get started on dinner...so we'll have more next week!

Darren 4 Months.

2010-12-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

9/26/10

Ahh! I can't believe it! He is growing so fast! All you moms know how it feels! Even though he is getting older...he isn't getting much bigger. :) He is still a little guy! But he has finally graduated the newborn clothes and is in 3-6 months! Woo hoo! His personality is getting a lot bigger too! He can't sit still! He looks like dad...but acts like mom! He always wants to be looking and seeing what is going on. If I am holding him and talking to someone, he wants to see who. He wants to watch tv soooo bad if its on. He just does not want to miss a thing! This week we started him on rice cereal. He LOVES it! I was so sad to start him on it! He just isn't old enough, right? Oh but he just started slurping it off the spoon and couldn't get enough! He is having a lot more fun with dad. I think he's found a new buddy!

9/19/10

We are home...FINALLY! The vacations are over! Darren is one experienced traveler now! Whew, are we both pooped! We had a lot of fun! We flew out to Utah and stayed a few days in Amanda's (JD's sis) house and hung out around Provo. We went mini golfing, went to Thanksgiving Point, went shopping, and ate at all our favorite restaurants. Darren and I even got to go see his Great Aunts and Uncle...and cousins! After a few days we drove up to Idaho. We stayed with Tina's parents-Great Grandma and Grandpa Dayton. We got to go do some more shopping, Tina and Lindsay went to the temple, we road the 4 wheeler, rode the motorcycle, saw the Campus, visited with Uncle Andy and Spenser, got to see Kristopher and Katie and enjoyed time outdoors. We took a day and went to Yellowstone...so much fun! I wish we could have spent more time. We also took a day and went to Jackson Hole and saw the Grand Tetons! The weather was amazing the entire time we were on vacation! It was sooooo nice! JD is happy we are home finally! He is glad we are back to normal life and can get back on a routine!

Darren 3 months.

2010-12-01T15:41:00.001-08:00

9/9/10

Well, since we have been back we have had so much to do! We haven't been able to get Darren on a schedule which has been rough. Instead of sleeping for his usual 6-7 hours at a time at night, he's going every 4. :( We have been busy with family! Andy and Spenser were out here visiting...so we spent a few days hanging out with them. We got to go up and see family at Grandma and Grandpa Fish's house. Darren experienced his first sporting event...we went to a Royal's game! Darren was totally loving it...checking everything out! He was such a good boy! Aunt Lindsay is letting us borrow a Bumbo...which is the best invention ever! It is so awesome because he gets to sit up and watch whats going on! He loves it! A few new things Darren has discovered... He LOVES to stand up and sit up! He HATES laying down on his belly or back! How to grab onto everything and stick it in his mouth! Laughing Sticking out his tongue for fun The TV How to cry until mommy he is in mom's arms That he does not like the car seat or car! The Wheels on the Bus is his favorite song It is so fun watching him discover new things and grow! CRAZY! JD has a study month for September so he is able to be home and help out with Darren a lot more! I think we all kind of like it! Well, I will be gone for the next 2 weeks...Utah and Idaho! So don't be surprised if I don't get a message out until we get back!

8/9/10
Darren and I are in California! We are having so much fun! We only wish JD could be here too! He's busy back home doing a surgery rotation while we are out playing. :( This week has been a busy one! Darren has got to hang out with Grandma Amy. He has also got to meet....Grandpa Hawk, Uncle Tanner, Uncle Justin, and his Aunt Emma. Aunt Emma just got back from EFY and starts school this Wednesday! So we are trying to get as much time with her as possible! Sunday we went over to the Staley's for dinner and everyone got to love on Darren there too! Darren got to meet his first cousins once removed??? We have been pretty busy. One day we went to the Santa Cruz boardwalk....and I had a blast because I got to ride the roller coasters with Tanner and Bryan as Mom helped out with Darren. Darren got to see the beach for the first time! Check out the cute hat Uncle Tanner bought for Darren! I forgot to bring one, so he got him a Santa Cruz one! Emma and I have been busy re-doing her room...I forgot to take before pictures but we will have after ones soon! :) We went shopping around Monterey! I bought my first pair of non-maternity pants! woo hoo! They are a much bigger size than I was hoping...but who cares! They are real pants!!! I have realized how hard it really is living away from my mom and siblings...It really stinks that we have to live so far. It stinks that they will have to watch Darren grow up in pictures. :(

2010-08-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

So, what is my little 9 week old guy doing?

He's getting cute new hair styles...

Besides trying to talk, and eating his hand, he is learning how to play with his tongue...

He has also learned how to blow bubbles....

Check out his lashes! They just keep getting longer and longer!Today was Darren's blessing! He wasn't sure what was going on...but boy did he look cute!I think he is so cute in this picture...he could be a girl! I need a bow and a pink dress! :) Don't tell JD!Here's the happy family!Look who came all the way from California and Idaho! Uncle Gubba and Uncle Andy!Mommy and her boy!Two proud fathers!All the wonderful men that were able to be a part of Darren's blessing circle.Look who else came! The Wilsons!I am so grateful for my husband! I am glad to be married to a worthy priesthood holder who can bless me and my children! I love you JD!

I am also grateful for my handsome little son who has brought such joy to JD and I! He is such a good boy and so much fun!

2 months Old!

2010-08-01T12:31:00.000-07:00

That is right! Darren is 2 months old! I can't believe he is growing so fast!

This week we've been SOOOOOO busy! Why you ask? Because Auntie Jakie came in town!

She is very special to us. Tina's brother, the original Daren, was Jaki's husband. He passed away in 2005, so I was never able to meet him. I have seen many pictures and heard many stories and have just come to love him! We are so glad to have our little guy named after him! So, we've been all over this week with Jackie, we took a day to Independence to go shopping. We went up to Adam-Ondi-Ahman, Far West and Jamesport. Best of all we went to Nauvoo!!! We had a lot of fun out there! We went on a wagon ride out in the country. We got to see a musical show. We enjoyed some tours of a few buildings in the town. We did more shopping and tried a new restaurant.

Aunt Lindsay and Darren at the hotel...

Us outside the Visitor Center in Nauvoo

Daddy and boy!

Darren's first horse experience! He slept the entire wagon ride. :)

So...this picture is important although he is sleeping. Check out his cute shirt...well he decided to have the biggest explosion out his pants! It was the messiest ever...all up his back and down his legs! So while mommy was changing him..dad ran across the road to one of the stores and got him a new onsie!

Glad to have those dirty clothes off! And feeling much better!

New onsie!

Darren's Prairie Diamond from the Blacksmiths shop in Nauvoo

Our family outside the Nauvoo Temple

We had so much fun...I'm sure Darren would love to do it again!

2010-07-18T14:04:00.001-07:00

This week at the Hopkins.... Well John (JD's dad) surprised Tina for their 30th Anniversary and took her on a cruise to Alaska! Lucky her! They were gone all week...so Darren and I did a lot of NOTHING! It was really nice...but I got bored really quick!

Just showing you how big he's growing! This week he's at 10lbs 10 oz! :)

Check out those blue eyes! GORGEOUS! Hopefully they stay that blue...but also notice what is in his mouth! Ahh he's found his hands! He is constantly trying to eat them!

Darren with one of his friends from play group, Garret Walker. :)

Check out the top of his head...he's hair is starting to grow back!!! YIPPY!

His angry crying face! I just love it!

These last few pictures are of his tummy time.
Here he is starting to think about picking up his head!

Woo hoo! Head is up!

Look at me Mom!

Tired, glad to have the pacifier and now for a nap....

JD and I have enjoyed having time with just the 3 of us this week...we finally felt like we were our own little family. But can't wait for Grandma Hopkins and Poppy to be back! Hopefully we'll have more exciting things happen this next week with some fun pictures!

6 weeks

2010-07-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

We have been super busy...well at least Darren and I have.

We've been fishing and hiking at Smithville and Watkins Mill Lakes.

We've celebrated Darren Jones and Jake Doans bdays.

We went to Melissa Reynold's baby shower.

We went to National Beef and visited lots of people from work.

We've been to 3 play groups! Oh I'm tired!

Darren doesn't seem to mind the going...he enjoys looking around at new things and can sleep anywhere through anything!

He is such a good eater, sleeper and smiler!

Oh...and he's weighing 10.3lbs this week!

Family 4th Photos!

2010-07-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a fun 4th!

5 Weeks

2010-07-07T14:33:00.000-07:00

Darren is weighing in at 9lbs 10 ounces! Ahh! I think the chub is all going to his chin and his belly! He still has dad's stick legs! :) He is finally too big for his newborn clothes! Officially moving into 0-3 months!

This week we got to go to Smithville Lake with JD's sister Lindsay and her family, and some friends from our old ward. It was fun!

Darren loves being out doors! He loves sitting in the baby backpack and being walked around so he can check out everything! So cute!

We also went to a driving range...Darren and I just sat back and watched the Hopkins crew swing away.

This is the first week I finally clipped his nails with clippers! I've been using a nail file and I finally got brave enough to clip this week! Ahh!

He is starting to like the bath...but is still not for sure about it!

This week...Darren started smiling at us! I have yet to get a good picture...but hopefully will soon!

4 weeks

2010-06-26T19:37:00.000-07:00

He's officially 1 month old! Getting bigger every day! He can finally fit in some zero to three month old clothes! He is weighing in at 9lbs! He's losing his hair, getting lots more acne but his clogged eye duct is all clear!
I love the time I get to spend with him! I just don't ever want it to end, it makes me sad that he is going to get bigger.
He loves sleeping on JD's chest! He's figured out the pacifier is not mom. He is getting used to baths, even though he really doesn't care for them. He knows how to whine until you hold him just how he wants.
It is amazing how much personality he already has! I just can't get enough of him!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T17:33:00.000-07:00

A friend in our ward did these for Father's Day!

It is so fun having a cute little guy to take pictures of for JD! JD just loved them! Check out how cute he is!

Thank you Mandy!!!

3 WEEKS UPDATE...

2010-06-16T16:59:00.000-07:00

I'm still alive! Sheesh, this baby stuff is draining! Some days I don't even get to shower and get dressed until the afternoon! It is way more busy than I ever thought it would be! I feel so drained both physically and emotionally some days, I just don't want to get out of bed! Good thing this little guy is so cute!

Darren is growing like crazy! He weighed 6.3lbs when we left the hospital, over the last 3 weeks he has grown to 8.7lbs. He's eating about 3ounces at every feeding.

He is really working hard at holding his head up. I call him my bobble head turtle. :)

He is still wearing newborn clothes and diapers.

He loves to stare at things. His favorite things to stare at are our faces, his turtles on his mobile, his bugs on his rocker seat, and things on the wall. It is adorable!

I think he has finally figured out day and night time! He was having a hard time at first, wanting to be awake while we want to sleep! But he's doing much better with being awake for short periods of time during the day and sleeping after he eats at night.

He is really a good baby. He doesn't mind when I change him, or give him baths, or strap him in the car seat. He really only gets fussy when he wants to eat or he's having gas.

He has one eye that has a clogged tear duct...not fun! And he started getting that baby acne. Cruel world!

He loves to be cuddled and loves laying in bed with us. He loves being walked around so he can check things out.

It has been so much fun having him! JD and I just can't get enough of him!

2nd-3rd Week

2010-06-16T14:52:00.000-07:00

1st Week

2010-06-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

Mom's side with Darren

2010-06-16T14:38:00.000-07:00

Dad's side with Darren

2010-06-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

First bath at home...thanks Grandma Amy!

2010-06-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Hospital Room

2010-06-16T14:25:00.000-07:00

Darren at Hospital

2010-06-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

Birthing Story....(Readers discretion is advised:))

2010-06-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

So, people keep asking me about how everything went...well, I did my best to remember and record it. I'm sure I am off on a few things. Mom and JD probably remember it better than I.

Well, there I was using the bathroom around 11:30am. I thought I had finished when all of the sudden I felt a gush of liquid come out. At first I thought, well that was a weird extra pee...but then I thought again...what if, what if it was my water breaking? So, I put some tp in my underwear just in case. I went to my desk and grabbed my water bottle so I could go refill it. I headed for the kitchen when I noticed that my underwear felt wet. I headed for the bathroom and sure enough, I was leaking! There was a co-worker in the restroom and I asked her for a pad, she asked if I was ok...to which I replied...no, my water broke! She found me a pad and ran out of the bathroom. I headed for my desk to gather my things so I could leave. By the time I made it over there, my entire department was standing up so excited and congratulating me. A group gathered around my desk as I'm standing there with my pants soaked trying to grab my things. A member of the HR Department called my father-in-law and asked if he could give me a ride to the hospital. We headed out with everyone giving their good luck wishes. The lady that notified my father-in-law told him before I could even pick up the phone to call at my desk! She had found out from the lady who helped me in the restroom. Everyone knew before I could say anything! On our way to the hospital, I tried calling JD, Tina and Lindsay...no one would answer! I finally called my mom and gave her the great news...to which she just screamed in the phone with excitement. Early in the morning we had been emailing back and forth about these strange crampy feelings I was getting. Nothing too terrible, just different. Little did I know it was my body getting ready for this great experience. We arrived at he hospital, wet pants and all. I got checked in and then taken to my Labor room. We got a hold of Tina who said she'd keep trying to get Lindsay. We finally got a hold of Lindsay who hurried to drop the boys off with Tina so she could come stay with me. John eventually headed back to work and we all waited to hear from JD. Finally Lindsay got a hold of him and he was headed from his Surgery rotation in Richmond. JD arrived around 2pm. They had started me on pitocin because I was only dilated to 2cm and they wanted my body to kick into gear. The contractions were nice and steady about 4-5 mins apart and weren't any worse than period cramps. I got a call from Mom who booked tickets andwas on here way!!! I was so excited because I didn’t think she’d be able to make it! The best surprise ever! They decided to pull me off the pitocin because I was not dilating. They decided to wait until 6pm to apply some cream to my cervix to help soften it and hopefully get me to dilate more. Then they would do a second application at 9pm, followed by the pitocin at 4am.The contractions slowed down but became tenser. At 6pm I was still 2cm. So, no epidural for me. At 9 pm I was still 2cm. My contractions got worse, to the point that I was almost screaming and crying in pain. Between 9pm and 3 am they tried to give me two different kinds of pain killers throuhg my IV. Neither worked. They clouded my head a bit but did nothing for the immense pain. Mom made it to the hospital around midnight. I remember JD telling me she was here and all I could think of was I hoped she didn’t hear me yelling and crying because I didn’t want to scare her. I was so glad to see her and wanted to talk but was in too much pain to have too much of a conversation. Mom and JD took turns holding my hand, letting me push on them and rubbing me. I felt bad but was so grateful for the comfort they brought to me. Around 3am I was finally dilated to 4cm and was able to get the epidural. It was horrible, I could barely sit without gashing out in pain. JD tried to hold me so that they could insert the needle. They were finally able to. It started working! The pain started to go away! It felt amazing! But then, my blood pressure dropped and Darren’s heart rate dropped. I don't remember much of what happened, it was almost as if I had blacked out. Mom said the Anesthesiologisht was in my room for about 20mins. The next thing I remembered was them putting an oxygen mask on my face. They were able to get me and Darren under control. I was able to have the minimal amount of the medication…it was enough to make my legs numb and that was it. They came in every 15 mins to check to see if I dilated more and to let me get a quick shot of the medication for relief. It only helped for a minute or two, and then the pain was back. Around 4am they checked and I was dilated to 7 & 1/2 cm. Still in severe pain. JD and mom fell asleep and I tried so hard to suffer in silence. At 5am the pain had gotten much worse to where I wanted to start pushing. They came in and said I was 9cm! I was not allowed to start pushing until I was at 10cm. Knowing that you are that close and you are suffering with such sever pain, it felt like I was going to die. The pain is nothing like I have ever felt before and was so terrible there is no way to explain it. Around 5:30am I was at 9 & 1/2cm. At 6 am mom awoke and I asked her to get the nurse because I had felt his head move down and I was having contractions that were making me push and I couldn’t stop it. The nurse came in and check and sure enough he was there and I was ready to push. They made me wait until the doctor arrived. Dr Rearden came in around 6:10am and we began the process of pushing. It took 4 contractions, 3 pushes a piece. And he was finally out at 6:20am. The pushing was so hard, I remember telling them I couldn’t do it. I just wanted them to cut me open and take him out! My legs and arms were exhausted from all the contractions, I did not think I had it in me to push this child out. I felt them give me the episiotomy. I felt his head come out, I saw the top and just wanted to fall back and be done. With another push the rest of him came out. I heard a cry, pushed again as the placenta came out. Then I fell back and just cried in pain. I did make sure the doctor knew that I wanted JD to cut the cord. He did. They took the baby away to get him cleaned off. I felt the pain of the doctor sewing me up. They asked if I wanted to hold Darren and do skin to skin. They brought him over and laid him on my chest and I just laid there in shock. I didn’t know whether to cry or to kiss him or laugh. So, of course I cried when JD came over and kissed me and we looked at our brand new miracle. I held him for a few minutes and then had them take him away to clean him up. My body shook for a while with the chills after I gave birth. I was exhausted and never wanted to do it again! It was a long 19 hours and but only 15 stitches...and a really cute little man!

LABOR IS NOT A PRETTY THING...BUT I JUST HAD TO HAVE A PICTURE TO REMIND MYSELF!

HERE HE IS! NOT HAPPY TO BE OUT OF HIS WARM HOME...

NOTHING A WARM TOWEL COULDN'T FIX...

HAPPY FAMILY...

JOHN DARREN HOPKINS, 6LBS 9OUNCES, 18 INCHES LONG!

SUCH A BLESSING AND A MIRACLE!

Mom's wedding!

2010-04-15T16:25:00.000-07:00

So, I was able to make a quick trip to CA for mom's throw together wedding!
It was so good seeing everyone! Aunt Melissa, Jessie and Amanda sure did a great job putting it all together!
If you want to see more pics....check out Tanner's facebook.

What a weekend!

2010-04-04T16:24:00.001-07:00

First off....HAPPY EASTER! Hope everyone had a great day! We celebrated by watching General Conference! :) Pretty scary stuff, if you ask me...lots of counsel for the parents...am I sure I want to be one??? hee hee...of course! I just better get my booty in gear!

Here is a picture of two bunnies hoppin around the yard this morning!

Well, we are on the count down! 7 weeks left! This past month has gone by so fast! I'm bigger than ever! Little D is moving a lot! Contractions seem to be at an all time high. Fun stuff. Swelling is getting a lot worse...I now only can fit in flip-flops and sleepers. Pretty sad.

We start birthing classes this week!!! Ahh!

JD did an OB GYN rotation so he learned a ton about what I am going through. Now he's doing a Pediatrics rotation. Hopefully this will prepare him for what lies ahead! muah ha ha!

In other news...mom is getting married...this Saturday! I'm very excited because my doctor is letting me fly! So, I get to go out there and see everyone! I'm so glad they'll get a chance to see me prego!

Hope you all are doing well! I have so much to blog about still...but...I'm feeling lazy. So, sorry!
Love you all!

Gross feet!!!

2010-02-21T09:18:00.000-08:00

This week we had New Beginnings in YW. I was on my feet for about 3 and 1/2 hours...little did I know my feet and ankles were getting larger. After I got home and removed my shoes I couldn't believe how big everything had gotten...then I realized my heels were black. I thought they had gotten dirty and I tried to clean them. Then I showed JD...and of course being the smart man he is he said, "honey, it's blood." Well...duh! My swelling cut off the circulation to my heels and the blood had pooled in them! NASTY! It took about 2 days for them to go back to normal. Thank goodness they are! I have learned my lesson and now will be wearing support stalkings if I plan to be on my feet for long periods of time!

Here I am...27 weeks!!! 13 to go! How much bigger can I get...honestly?!

For my Missouri friends-Hope you enjoy this ridiculous amount of snow/ice we are getting today!!! AHHH!

Fellow bloggers...

2010-02-13T20:30:00.000-08:00

Those that are still hanging in there blogging life away!

JD and I went and registered today for baby stuff! Lots of fun. By fun I mean stress!
After we registered for the main items, JD came up with a great question!
So, here it is and I need lists!!! Thanks all!

What are some things you WISH you had registered for that you didn't get or that you realized you needed after the baby was born?

A few pics and 24 week update!

2010-01-31T13:28:00.000-08:00

This is one of our Christmas pictures from this year...I also managed to get a few with Spenser. :)

Little D is going crazy! He moves around sooooo much! I finally got the good old stretchmarks. Can I get a shout out for stretchmarks, yeeh haw?!

I alsot started getting contractions...not fun! They scared me at first...but their not painful, thank goodness!

My doctor is making me wear support legging things because of the water retention and my vericose veins....another shout out please?!

Fun stuff this pregnancy thing is! Don't you love all the horor storries people share with you too? People tell you some crazy things. Have any good stories????

Baby update!

2010-01-17T08:53:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been looking all over for a farm theme for the crib set! And look what I found! I think it is soooo cute! I hope little D enjoys it!

In other baby news...the boy has found my bladder! I know, gross! I am not sure if he thinks it's a trampoline or a punching bag...but he's sure having fun with it!

He is moving a lot now and I can feel his little kicks out the outside. I can't wait until we can see a little elbow or foot poking out!

JD is still in Hoisington, KS for the rest of the month doing a family med rotation. He has yet to feel the kicks. :( Hopefully he'll be back this weekend for a visit! I sure miss him!

I am back in school and still working full time. I decided to only take 1 class this semester since last semester I took 4. I kind of burned myself out on that one! :) Oh well, at least I'm going!

It should be interesting to see what happens...finals are the week before little D is due! Yikes!

HIS announcement...

2009-12-24T20:23:00.001-08:00

So...here is the story. We found out the gender of the baby on Tuesday. It was AWESOME! I tried to convince JD that we would not find out the gender and have them seal it in an envelope and open on Christmas day. Well, I asked JD and he was like, no I want to know! It was cute because he was just too excited and wanted to know! So, we decided we'd find out and not tell anyone. Right after the doctor asked us if we were sure we wanted to know, they found his part! I was so excited and emotional! JD looked like he just wanted to jump up and down and give someone a high five! It was awesome! So, we decided we couldn't wait until Christmas day, so we decided to tell everyone on Christmas Eve. I convinced JD to get pink shirts and on his we wrote in purple glitter pens, "It's A..." and mine was also pink but we put in big blue letters, "BOY"! We went to JD's uncle and aunts house for Christmas Eve and JD took off his jacket and everyone got so excited and was saying, "Oh it's a girl!" And then I pulled off my jacket and revealed it was a boy! So much fun! I am excited that little John Darren will be joining our family! It has been a tough 3 and 1/2 years waiting for his arrival and we just can't wait! Thanks everyone for all your support and prayers!

5 MONTH BELLY PICS...

2009-12-20T13:15:00.001-08:00

Oh ya...check this belly out! It's not just the belly though...everything is getting bigger! AHH!

MOVED!

2009-12-18T16:53:00.000-08:00

So, we are all moved in! :) :(
Thanks to all that helped us with the moving! We had to pick the most horrible night ever! It was FREEZING! The windchill had to be like -10!!! Those guys worked so quick, they were done probably within a hour! Thank you guys!!! I also had some great cleaners that came over to help with the after work!

Anyways, we signed the house goodbye yesterday. Thank goodness everything went pretty smooth. Can't say the same thing for the in-laws who are taking us in! :) ha ha! Poor them! Not only are they getting us but they are getting a baby in a few months too!

On the baby news...we find out next week what the gender is! I have been feeling some movement which is soooo exciting! My belly is also getting hard! Woo hoo! No more flab!

JD has had a pretty easy rotation this month. Bunch of time off and only 1/2 days! He's one lucky man!

That's it for now! If I don't see you around during the holidays, have a good one!
Love you all!

Thanksgiving Day is Coming....

2009-11-17T10:14:00.000-08:00

So Mr. Turkey said, "How very careful I must be or I will lose my head!"
The Pumpkin told the Turkey, "Oh me, Oh me, Oh my! They'll mix me up with sugar and spice and I'll be pumpkin pie!"

Oh good times! I just love Thanksgiving!!! It means...less than a month until Christmas! ha ha...ok that is not why! I love the food and seeing family! Fat and Happy!
This year we are headed to Uncle Tom and Aunt Wendy's, which will be fun.

Anyone else have anything exciting happening for Thanksgiving?

Oh...by the way we will find out baby's gender hopefully the end of December!

Our Halloween...

2009-11-01T07:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I had been asking JD what he was going to dress up for Halloween as...and he gave me some rules...

Rule #1....He would not wear a wig.

Rule #2....He would not wear make up

So, I kept trying to come up with things...but couldn't find something he'd agree with. So he decided since he would be hunting yesterday morning, he would just stay in his hunting gear and goes as a hunter. Fine by me...at least he is "trying" to have fun with me.

Of course I like dressing up as a couple...so I came up with this...

OH DEER!!!

We had a chili cook-off at church...and also a small carnival and trunk-or-treat.

The Jone's Family Circus showed up....ha ha...they are so cute!

And guess who won the chili cook-off???? My very own sister-in-law Lindsay!!! Pretty good stuff!

Hope you all had a fun evening as well!

2009-10-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Well, JD is out hunting this morning...so I am home getting ready for tonight!! I still have some last minute touch ups on the costume and then I will be good to go. Hope you all have a fun and safe evening tonight! I will update tomorrow with pictures of our costumes and our fun evening!

Love you all!

Man...

2009-10-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

That baby tracker thing is UGLY!
But still exciting!

What....whats this....????

2009-10-13T19:09:00.000-07:00

ARE.....

So, we are almost 9 weeks...but we are just too excited to not share! As you can see we went to the doctors and had a sonogram! We were able to see the heartbeat!! This is the first pregnancy that we've actually seen a live baby in there! So, please keep us in your prayers!!!
This is it baby!!! (No pun intended!)

I'M ALIVE!!!

2009-10-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm alive for now!!! Some days I feel like I'm not though!!!
So, we had a crazy busy fun summer...and now we are back to real life.
I am currently taking a full schedule at school...still trying to get my Associates... :( I am also working full time. So, pretty much I have no time for fun. But if I keep up the business I will be done next semester!!! It has only taken me 4 years to go back..so it will be nice to finally have it done!
JD is in rotations! He switches every 31 days to a new hospital and with new doctors. He is loving every bit of it. He never knows what his schedule is going to be or what he will learn next. He is going to do his first night shifts in a couple weeks...so we'll see how he handles that! ha ha...poor JD!

Hope everyone is doing well...I miss having a social life sooooo much!!! :) Love you all!

And more fun....

2009-08-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

We had a picnic with the Staleys at Lover's Point in Montery...beautiful!

We went to the Montery Aquarium...so fun!

Tanner and JD keeping it real!

Linds, Laruen, Emma...and me, the short one.

We had a bonfire on the beach...aren't we cute?

We went and hiked the Pinnacles...went 8.4 miles! I thought I was going to die! I have never been sooo tired and wanted water so bad! Thanks to Tanner we survived because he ran ahead and got us water! Thanks Tanner!

Best of all...Spenser got a job! He is working at Doors Unlimited as the Hardware Manager!

Family photos and games...

2009-08-06T18:02:00.000-07:00

Why so serious Andy?Emmers is taller than me!!!!Family night-game night! Good times! Don't ask what JD is doing...I just don't know.

Other fun things...

2009-08-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

We went to a strawberry festival...

Don't ask about this one....We got to hang out with the Staleys while Tanner and Andy got their hair cut....Don't worry, Tanner did not keep his "Sanjaya" look... Emma introduced me to her new bunny...soooo cute and cuddly!

All good things must come to an end...

2009-08-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

We are back! Too soon if you ask me! We had a great time and I have sooooo much to get you updated on.

First off, we were able to to to the Oakland Temple with our cousin Cora who has been called to the Brazil Victoria Mission! It was awesome to be there and to see them!

After that we took a quick peak at San Fransico...very and busy and cold...so we didn't stick around too long.

Congrats Cora!!! We are sooo proud and excited!!!

Where are Jd and Megan???

2009-07-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

Soooo....for our vacation this year we were going to go to Idaho...but then figured out we didn't have enough mula. JD's dad was amazing enough to help us out with some "flyer's miles"....so we decided to scratch the Idaho trip and surprise my family in California....

Sooooo.....we called up Andy b/c he was driving from Idaho to Cali the same day we were flying in...he got Tanner and Spenser and told them he had to pick his friend "Kenny" up from the airport. The boys totally bought it and kept looking for Andy's short Asian friend...but to their surprise they found their short sister and her husband instead! It was totally awesome! Then we headed to mom's work!!! :) Sneaky Sneaky! He about lost it...screaming and all! It was a blast! Poor Emma is at girls camp this week so she is missing out...but we'll have some time to spend with her this weekend.

Well, we were able to celebrate Andy's 22nd bday! Oh and Happy bday to Sarah (yesterday)!!!

Andy got some pretty sweet presents...including this Jeep below...and some dating help stuff.

Yesterday we went to the beach and just hung out... check out these buns...And this bum...

Today we went and visited Amanda and Mason...that stinking Mason is soooooo cute!!!

Then we had to stop at another beach on the way home...saw a live seal and a couple dead ones...yuck...oh did I mention Spenser actually spanked a seal? Yes, he spanked it!

Andy and Tanner did some cliff jumping...I forgot how crazy my brothers were when they all get together!

JD and Spenser and their views on Proposition 8...look at Jd's shirt even...sick...

It has been since my wedding, 3 years ago, that all of us siblings have been together! I can't wait until Emmers gets back so we can have some real fun! Hope you all are jealous and love you all!!!

PASSED!!!!

2009-07-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

As you can see below...JD passed his boards!!! Both the DO and MD tests!!! Looking good for Residency in two years!!!

JD was also inducted into the Psi Sigma Alpha organization. What that is, is the top 15% of his class!!!

I am so proud of my husband. He has put a lot of time into studying and stressing and it has paid off! He is such a smart man and I am so glad he picked me! :) I just love him so much!! Good job honey!!!

Bitter Sweet....

2009-07-14T19:37:00.000-07:00

It is true...our house is up for sale. :( It is a relief and a stress at the same time. We are glad we are starting to get it on the market right now...but sad that it has to happen.

TANNER IS 17!!!!

2009-07-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIL BROTHER!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

Independence Day!

2009-07-05T07:49:00.001-07:00

Well, I woke up bright and early, laid in bed for about an hour...and JD was still sleeping. So I got up and ran on the treadmill....JD still wasn't up. So I decided to make him a festive breakfast!

It wasn't anything too exciting...but still...exciting enough. French toast, RED raspberry syrup, WHITE powdered sugar and milk in a BLUE cup. (I thought blue milk was a bit much! :) ISN'T HE BEAUTIFUL???

Anyways...it was fun and tasty! Great way to start the fourth.

Then we went grocery shopping and met Aunt Jenny and Uncle Ron. We had to pick up the wheelchair from them. Side note- Amanda (JD's sister) was out in Utah...and some kid thought it would be cool to show off and do a Judo move on her...well, he broke her bone right under her knee....not good. So, she is unable to walk for 6-8 weeks. Now she is spending the summer out here!

Ok, after all that we went to the KC Riverfest. Nothing too exciting. Hopefully they will add more vendors and attractions. We did have a good time though...

There were lots of fun activities for the kids...bounce houses with no end! Braden had a great time!

The rest of us just had a great time just visiting. (Ross' parents came into town for Braden's 3rd bday.)

After that we headed for Liberty for their fireworks, free and a lot less busy!

HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GREAT 4TH!!! LOVE YOU!

:(

2009-06-22T07:19:00.000-07:00

Sorry everyone...but our Internet is still down at our house...they are going to finally send out a tech sometime this week. So, as soon as I can...I will update you with whats going on in our little world. But we are still alive! Woo hoo!

!!!!!!13 HAPPY BDAY EMMERS! 13!!!!!!

2009-06-17T07:55:00.000-07:00

AHHHH! EMMA IS A TEENAGER!!!!

I LOVE YOU EMMA! I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE MY SISTER!

National Beef Golfing...

2009-06-16T13:56:00.000-07:00

So, work puts on a golf tournament each year. Last year JD and Tina were in Utah so I golfed with John. This year we had the unstoppable Hopkins team!(ha ha ha)

It was 18 holes of mushy wet grass, mud and trying to hit the ball instead of the ground for me. But other than that it was ok.

We had a big dinner after where I won a gift card to Walmart and some golf balls. Not sure what to do with those...oh well, at least I got the gift card...woo hoo!

Boards Are Done!!

2009-06-12T19:37:00.001-07:00

What a great feeling to have USMLE and COMLEX step 1 done! I don't have much else to do this summer so I have decided to help my mom out and retile some areas around her house. Thank goodness Ross is helping me because I think that I bit off more than I can chew with this project. It will be a good experience though so that I can gain another skill in case this medical school thing falls through. Other than that not much going on around our house this summer.

Civil War Reenactment!!!

2009-06-06T22:03:00.000-07:00

Well, we went up to Kingston today and got to watch a Civil War Reenactment.

Gma Fish was working so we got to pick up Gpa and spend the afternoon with him!

It was a lot of fun!

We got to see a Riot at the courthouse....

We got to see a battle...

We saw a lot of things that just didn't belong....can you find something in each picture??

Answers: Top Left-tinfoil! Top right-Poweraid Bottom Left-man on atv Bottom Right-silly Gpa

But best of all...we got to see family!!! We had a blast and I got soooooo sunburnt!!!! OUCH!!!

Max

2009-06-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

We have some sad but happy news...Max, JD's Familie's Dog passed away this morning.

He has been really sick lately...so it is great to know he is finally at peace!

I'll miss that little punk of a dog!

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-25T08:20:00.001-07:00

Let us all remember those who have died in defense of our country!

Swedish and sweet....

2009-05-25T08:07:00.000-07:00

So, of course most of you were there...but we had cousins come all the way from Sweden to meet us! How cool is that?! Plus, I got to hang out with my fam...who I have missed terribly!

We had a potluck and then watched fireworks...good times!

And for the sweet....

JD got up and made me breakfast yesterday...Oh he is just so darn stinkin cute!!!

Saturday-Day!

2009-05-23T13:46:00.000-07:00

I know, we are supposed to use Saturday to get ready for Sunday...but I just did not want to clean today!!! So, while JD was studying...I decided to work on a project!

We are re-doing the colors in our upstairs bathroom. It used to be bright green and blue...but all the towels have bleach spots and are getting pretty ragged. :(

So, Tina found these cute towels for us! We have two sets, the polka dots and the stripes. Both have the dark brown and baby blue color that I love so much!

So, we bought a chocolate shower curtain...but it was just tooooo plain. So, I decided to add some baby blue fabric to make it stand out a little better. Since I am cheap...I decided to use an old sheet and pillow cases to add the blue!

Now if you know me, you know I DON'T SEW!!!

BUT...I do iron...so I use that no-stitch stuff to do my sewing...and it works great! Here is how the curtain turned out...pretty fancy stuff, eh?

Maybe someday I will become a great seamstress...but for now, we just have to work with what we've got!

I HAD TOO MUCH FUN...

2009-05-21T18:11:00.000-07:00

TOO MUCH FUN LOOKING THROUGH ALL THOSE PICTURES...I DECIDED TO TAKE YOU BACK IN TIME WITH ME!

THANKS FAMILY FOR MAKING MY WEDDING SO BEAUTIFUL AND SOOOO MUCH FUN!!! IT WAS THE BEST TIME EVER!!! I LOVE YOU ALL!

Happy Anniversary to Us!!!

2009-05-20T19:49:00.001-07:00

AHHHH! I can't believe it's already been 3 years!!!!

Well, this year we decided to be high rollers....and took ourselves out to Applebees...I know, talk about living it up! :) We did manage to go see Wolverine after...which was pretty dang good if you like Wolverine booty...oh you will see!

Anyways, we had fun and as a plus...we still like each other! woo hoo!!!

Remember this girl???

2009-05-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a while but since we've all seen her.

But she called me today and guess what?!?!?!

She was called as the Beehive President today!! Ahh! I can't believe my little sister is old!!

Congrats Emmers!

Mothers Day Excitment

2009-05-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

Sooooo....we (JD, John, Tina and I) were all meeting Ross and Lindsay for dinner on Saturday for Mothers Day. Well, Linds came in the restraunt and make us all close our eyes...weird I thought! I thought maybe her and Ross were going to give us pictures of Braden and Cashel...but I was way wrong! Instead when we opened our eyes....Darci appeared out of nowhere! Her and Scott drove out to spend the week with their moms! How fun! It is sooo good seeing them! And if you didn't already know... Darci is prego...so check out her blog to watch her belly grow!

Here is a cute one of us girls....with little Braden sneaking in! He is such a stud!

SNEAKY...SNEAKY....

2009-05-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

So, while Linds was in the hospital...I snuck into her house to do a surprise! (with the help of Ross)

The baby's bedding is a cute elephant print, and Linds wanted me to paint a big elephant on the wall above the crib! So, that is what I did!

SURPRISE LINDSAY! :)

I think it turned out pretty darn cute! I just hope the baby and Linds will enjoy it!

THE MOST AMAZING EXPERIENCE....

2009-05-04T19:21:00.000-07:00

Well, besides getting married and sealed in the temple it was the most amazing thing I have ever been a part of...

JD got a call from his mom at 10:30pm on Friday. Lindsay was having contractions and in the hospital! So, we headed out!

JD spent the night at their house with their older son, Braden, while Tina and I headed to the hospital. We got there around 11pm and poor Linds was having those fun contractions that

made her squeeze Ross's hand so hard, it turned colors! :) Soon enough, she got the drugs...then we waited....and waited....it seemed like forever! Finally things started getting crazy around 3:00am. The nurses were coming in and working with Linds getting her ready for the little man to arrive!

Come to find out... the hospital only lets you have 2 guests in the room while delivering...Tin, the remarkable woman she is, was nice enough to let me stay! She was there for Braden's birth, but I know she wanted to be there for this one too.... but I am so glad she let me stay!

So, then came the pushing...and then a little blue face popped out! And then some shoulders...and bloop out came the rest! It was soooooo amazing! I watched it all, (except when the scissors came out, I had to turn for that one!) I got to see everything! I can't believe what an incredible thing birth is! Mom's are amazing!!!!

And little Cashel is adorable and has such cute chubby cheeks!

Thanks Linds and Ross for Sharing that special moment in your life with me!

It will definitely be one I will never forget! :)

MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT THEIR BLOG FOR BETTER PICTURES! 'JONES FAMILY'

GUESS WHAT....

2009-04-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

We are getting a camera!!!
YIPPY!
You know what that means.....MORE BLOGGING!
I know, its sad that I can't blog without pictures....
But thanks to ebay, there will be lots of pics and lots of blogs...so everyone be patient for another week and I will update!

La de da....

2009-04-13T19:29:00.000-07:00

Well, I hope everyone had a good Easter.
We did nothing all day! Went to Stake Conference, went to the Hopkins, ate and then hung out.
Easter is so sad without little kids!
I miss the good old days when we got to watch all the cousins hunt for eggs. (I always enjoyed sneaking in there and hunting with them:)
I miss mom's Easter story she read to us each year with the cartoon pictures of Jesus!
I miss the excitement of dressing up extra nice and bright that Sunday for church.
I miss hanging out with the family at Grandmas.
I miss dying Easter eggs.
I miss all the chocolate and jelly beans...mmm.
Oh sometimes I hate being old and married! I want to go back to the good old days where I could just play and have fun all the time! Oh well! I guess someday we will have our own family and be able to do our own holiday traditions...but it will never be the same...and I will miss that! :(

I LOVE CONFERENCE!

2009-04-05T08:00:00.001-07:00

It makes me feel like I'm regenerated for the next 6 months!

I am so grateful for the technology that we have (especially being able to watch it in my pjs :) )

I was looking at the website...lds.org and you can listen to conference online in 60 different languages! How cool is that???

I love our prophet! He has such a fun personality and amazing spirit. He makes me want to be stronger, to have more faith, to love more, be more forgiving....all in all...just a better-happier person.

I am excited about getting the Ensign when the talks come out! That is the best! Sure, I get some inspiration watching the speakers...but with the Ensign I can study it out and really ponder on the things that have been spoken to us, for us.

Well, I hope you are enjoying this conference session!!!

Love you all!

PS...I lost my camera...so until then....no pictures. Scary! Cause I ain't no good wit them words an stuff.

Weekend, FINALLY!!!

2009-03-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

AHHHHH!!!! I AM SO GLAD THIS WEEK IS OVER!!!! Do you ever feel like you just want to hide from the world?! I'm ready for hibernation baby!

We did have a fun weekend though! We got to go with the Hopkins and Jones to the Legends and ate dinner at T-Rex. Braden was so excited to see the dino's but by the end of dinner he was scared and only let me take a picture with the cartoon looking dino.

We had our Fear Factor today! It went pretty good for being thrown together at the last minute! Plus Spenser came out and helped!

We had some nasty/fun challenges. We had a spicy area, where the kids had to eat hot stuff like jalapenos and hot sauce without making a face. The missionaries had a station where the kids had to eat a spoonful of cinnamon (we only had 3 throw up), we had a gladiator challenge, and a holding a sitting pose challenge, find worms in pasta and lots of others. Anyways, it was fun.

YOU WANNA BITE?

Then Spens, JD and I decided to go have a relaxing night by going up to Smithville and fished a little. We didn't get any bites, but it was still nice.

So, I feel like I can finally breathe! Until I wake up in the morning and realize I am not hibernating and I have to get up and get ready for church.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-17T19:24:00.000-07:00

So, this week I have been super stressed out!

1. I start my second 8 week class at school.

2. We had our huge St. Patricks Dinner/Girls Camp Fundraiser.

3. We have a 3 ward combined activity (we are in charge of) this Saturday!

4. If you haven't already heard...we are doing girls camp on a ward level...so figuring out where we are going to go has been stressing me out!

5. I am supposed to be going to the doctors to get my baby making parts checked out this week and things aren't working like they are supposed to be!

6. We had food day at work and I had to make food for that.

But slowly this week is going by! Woooo hooo! We had our dinner tonight which turned out AMAZING!!! THANKS TO MY COUNSELORS!!!!

We had an all you can eat dinner where the members had to buy tickets ahead of time. We served Mexican food. (I know, no corned beef) We also had a silent cake auction! We had 17 cakes!!!! (and we only have like 10 girls) The cakes were awesome! We had one go for $100!!! Being in this ward has been so challenging, especially with getting members help. However, they really pulled through this year! It was an incredible experience!

Here are some of the cakes....

Oh and of course...our little leprechaun Braden!

HOPE YOU ALL HAD A GOOD ONE!

WORK WORK WORK!

2009-03-11T18:26:00.000-07:00

So, we had plans to go up to the temple Saturday but Friday right before I was leaving work, I got a phone call from my Father-in-law. He asked if I could come to St. Joe and work over the weekend. Our company bought a tannery and they needed help with paperwork and stuff....so we went up there and I worked Friday night, Saturday and Sunday!! It was a long weekend! But we did manage to squeeze some fun in...Saturday we got done early so we called up Tina, and the Jones and they came up and we got to go see a small circus! It was a blast!

Sorry those ones were a little skanky, but man they were strong! Anyways....we had fun even though I had to work! Sorry we had to miss Noah's bday! :(

I'M STILL ALIVE!

2009-03-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

So, we have been pretty busy!!! But here is what has been going on...

We got to go see Lind's sonogram of the new baby!!! It was soooo cool! The first time I had been to one so it was a neat experience!

Last Friday JD picked me up for a lunch date...and surprised me with these gorgeous fun bright flowers! I asked him what they were for...he said "3 years ago, I purposed and you said yes" What a sweet cornball!!! How did I get soooo lucky?!

Pictures for Tanner

2009-02-27T13:55:00.001-08:00

Sorry everyone...nothing exciting....Tanner called and needed picture of us for a school project...so here you have it!

Poor Med Students Valentines...

2009-02-14T17:48:00.001-08:00

Well, this year for Valentines we did NOTHING! Wooo hoooo! Ok, I lied...we did go eat lunch at TGIF. Then we grocery shopping! Oh yes...tons of fun...
Hope you all had fun! Sorry, but I think Valentines is overrated....JD should buy me flowers and chocolates and tell me he loves me EVERYDAY, not just one day a year. Poor JD, I am one selfish woman!
Well, hope you all had enough corn to get you through the day! Love you all!

65 degrees.....

2009-02-05T16:53:00.000-08:00

Although it is February, we got up to 65 degrees today! It was so nice I convinced JD to go for a walk up at Smithville. It is very brown but it was a nice change.

I haven't heard from anyone in a while, how you all doing?

Family Bonding....

2009-01-27T14:45:00.000-08:00

Well, first Andy came to visit!

Next Mom, Bryan (her new "friend"), Emmers and Tanner came!

Seeing Blind

2009-01-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

So, if you all remember back in the day....there was this group of guys that played in a band called "Seeing Blind". The band consisted of....

Jake playing the drums....

Andy playing lead guitar....

Josh playing bass guitar...

And Caleb sang...but since he was not there...Spenser filled in with a little "screamo"

Here is a clip of them jamming...sorry my camera doesn't record sound very well!

It was so much fun watching them! I felt like a little teenage girl! :) Those were some good times!
It is so weird that we are all old now...married, having babies, going to school...what happened to those good old days when we just got to play? Oh well! It was sure fun! Thanks Misty for hosting!

23, I'm glad I'm me!

2009-01-15T18:44:00.000-08:00

Well....here how my big day went...

Got up at 5:30, got ready for work....went to work and my cube was decorated!

I don't have pictures because I didn't have my camera :(

It was cute though, streamers, balloons and signs! One of the gals printed out "Sweet 16" signs...since I'm the youngest of the ENTIRE company :) I tried to get a car out of it...but that didn't happen! But I did get this beautiful bracelet from some girls at work!

I did get a nice surprise before I left! A beautiful bouquet from my Mom, Tanner and Emma! Thanks my Californian Family!

After work, I ran home and JD took me to Apple Bees...our fancy night out!

Then went home....got to open my presents from JD...

I got the adorable apron! I have been wanting a second one for soooo long! It's hard to just have one...it gets dirty too fast!

And then, since it has been soooooo stinkin cold...I have been whining about wishing we had a heater blanket....and he came through with the surprise!

After our quick dinner and opening presents...I was off to school for 3 hours!

It was a great day, even though I had to work and go to school...but I can't complain!

Thanks to everyone for the calls, texts and cards!

They made me feel loved ! :)

Chocolate Rice Crispies....mmm....

2009-01-08T16:53:00.000-08:00

We are having a food day tomorrow and I didn't have much in my cupboards....

I found marshmallows but realized I didn't have regular rice crispies...all I have are the chocolate Malt-O-Meal kind....so I got creative, ok not too creative...

1 Stick of butter

3 Tbl spoons of Cocoa Powder

1 package of marshmallows

1tsp vanilla

8 cups of rice crispies (usually calls for 10...but I like mine chewy)

Make just like regular! Melt butter....add cocoa, add marshmallows and melt, add vanilla and then rice crispies!

So easy and they are AMAZING! Totally fix my chocolate cravings! We'll see how they go over tomorrow at work! :)

I think next time I will add peanutbutter....mmm!

Soooo.....

2009-01-08T16:42:00.000-08:00

I decided to go back to school! Ahh! I can't believe I'm doing it! But, it is the perfect time...no kids! ha ha! So, I am starting this Monday at Maple Woods! Wish me luck!

Celebrate Good Times, Come On!

2009-01-01T09:04:00.000-08:00

Well...this New Years it was just John, Tina, Amanda, JD and I. We went out to dinner first...

then went home and played games....

had a little too much to drink....

by the time we knew it, it was already 12 and time for the New Years Kiss!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!

The big 50!!!

2008-12-28T16:42:00.000-08:00

So, last night we celebrated Uncle Tom's big 50th birthday, the theme of the night was "Forever Young" it was an 70's and 80's theme! Uncle Tom had his suspicions....

Tom, Bronson and Colton groovin it up!

Trystan, Shawnie and Wendy!

The Fish Family

Table Decorations....oh ya, takin ya back?

It was soooo awesome!

Spenser...being Spenser.....

Jake and Spenser....don't ask me what they are doing...

Sorry Sarah...but you asked for it!

The Galbraith Family! Peace, love and chicken!

Annie and me! This girl is getting sooo big!

Don't ask me what Jake did to Ashlynn.....

Don't worry...she did recover!

And yes....me and Magnum PI!!!

Oh ya...I got JD to dress up! Doesn't he look good?! Oh and yes, that WAS my hair!!! Don't be jealous!

HAPPY 50TH UNCLE TOM!

God Jul!

2008-12-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

We had our big family Swedish Christmas party at Grandma and Grandpas! I forgot to take pictures of everyone...but I did get a few! Me and Spenser!

Cute Grandma and Grandpa!!!

Aunt Jenny and Jason and Ashlynn! I can't believe my Aunt is a Grandma!

Christmas Celebrations

2008-12-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

So, here are our Christmas celebrations with the Hopkins....

Tina...oh she's going to love this picture!

Me and JD getting ready to open presents!

Grandpa Dayton (Tina's dad) getting too excited about opening presents!
John and his new sweater!

Tina and her new book on Beagles!
JD and his new Indiana Jones movie! Woo hoo!

Grandpa Dayton opening another present!

Grandma Dayton opening her brand new toaster!

Darci and Scott!!!

Amanda and her cute little glasses!

My new jacket!JD and his new meat grinder....get ready deer is coming!And these are my new beautiful earrings that JD got me! GORGEOUS!

We had such a great time with Christmas! It was a nice break from work and great to spend it with family. JD also got me a brand new set of scriptures!!! They are beautiful and he even got Grandpa Fish to engrave my name on them! We had such a fun time with opening presents, eating homemade cinnamon rolls and just laying around all day! Hope you all had fun during yours too!

HELP!

2008-12-19T14:27:00.000-08:00

So, we are doing the 12 days of Christmas for a family in our ward....and I need some help on a couple days...

9 Ladies Dancing
10 Lords A-Leaping
11 Pipers Piper
12 Drummers Drumming

I would like it to be food items...so if you have any ideas...please shoot them my way!!! Love ya!

Early Christmas Celebrations...

2008-12-15T18:43:00.000-08:00

Jd's sister Lindsay, her husband Ross, and their son Braden are leaving this week to go to Oregon... :( They will be out there for the Holidays. We are sure going to miss them. So, yesterday we had their Christmas! OH and guess what?! Ross has me for Christmas...and guess what he is bringing me...Marrionberry jelly! ha ha ha!

HAPPY SAINT LUCIA DAY!!!

2008-12-13T08:06:00.001-08:00

I was able to make a quick trip to Grandma and Grandpa Fish's and stopped by Tina's (Jd's mom) houses this morning with a few cinnamon rolls to celebrate. Bailey really wanted a turn...

He was such a graceful Lucia!

Well, hope you all had fun

ha ha...remember that one time Hil lit the top of the car on fire???? ha ha....good times...

WELCOME HOME ANDY!!!

2008-12-12T13:46:00.000-08:00

Sooo....I just got off the phone with Andy!!!!

I called to ask my mom what time he was flying in and she said hang on a second, then passed the phone....to who I thought was Tanner. So, I was just chit-chatting with "Tanner" until I figured it out! I about lost control!!! I screamed and started crying! I'm such a baby! I'm soooo excited that he is home! I just can't wait to see him!! I LOVE YOU ANDY! I'M SO GLAD YOU ARE BACK!!!

Lets play a game....

2008-12-10T16:10:00.000-08:00

Lets play...The 10 Things I Hate About Christmas.
Ok, it's not really a game...it is just a list of the top ten things that seem to get my holiday spirit down.

10. Going to "the mall"
9. Christmas song covered by pop vocalists
8. Inflatable Poohs dressed like Santa and/or a Snowman
7. No parking anywhere, including Walmart when I go to get some stinkin paper towels
6. No holiday bonuses
5. Christmas-themed clothing
4. Being afraid to say "Merry Christmas" because I might offend someone
3. The never ending commercials for things I can't afford
2. DEBT
1. Feeling guilty when I don't give to EVERY salvation army guy outside a store

Ha ha...sorry, I'm as bad as Scrooge!

Thanksgiving Day is coming....

2008-11-26T21:37:00.000-08:00

Sooo... Mr. Turkey said. "How very careful I must be or I shall lose my head."
The pumpkin heard the turkey, "Oh me, Oh me, Oh my! They'll mix me up with sugar and spice and I'll be a pumpkin pie! "

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

Deck the Halls...yes, already!

2008-11-24T18:46:00.000-08:00

So, I got a little bored and excited this week...and decided to go ahead and decorate... So, here it is!

We don't have a Christmas tree...so our ornaments get hung up where there is a place to hang...

Here is a cute wall hang my Aunt Jenny made me...but I didn't have a good wall spot...but I thought it looked cute on the bench!

And you can't forget about the Christmas Gnome!

Some of our shelves...

Some more....

Well, hope you all enjoy my pre-Christmas show! Love ya all and can't wait to see yours!

Sundays at the Hopkins

2008-11-17T18:01:00.000-08:00

So, this is what we do every Sunday....

Some of us make dinner while some snoop around for snacks...

Some read the papers...

Some sit and be anti-social...

Some like to wrestle...

And others like to get some lovin...

Well, there you have it!!! Thats what we do!

La La La....

2008-11-12T18:31:00.001-08:00

So, I'm bored and have nothing to post about...what are you all up to?

Jason's sealing...

2008-11-01T19:52:00.001-07:00

We were able to go to see Jason get sealed to Sarah and Seth...it was beautiful! Poor Jason wasn't too happy until it was over! Here is a cute picture of all the kids in white!

Here is poor Ella...she had a ladybug on her dress...and is scared to death of them! hee hee hee...

I can't believe a little girl is scared of ladybugs! Too cute!

Trunk or Treat....

2008-11-01T19:26:00.001-07:00

Oh yes, can't forget the good old Trunk or Treating...

Here is our car...since my trunk is broken, I made the children crawl through the back seet to get there candy! ha ha...I'm so mean! But it was fun!!!

Here is a cute shot of me and my nephew Braden...he is such a ham!!!

And a cute one of me and my hubby...

Here is Ross and Lindsay's car...nice deco hu?

Here is some of our friends and there cars...

The Grahams...

The Hutchings...

Sheridy...

We had a lot of fun...but I'm sure glad this week is over! Whew! Hope you all had a happy Halloween as well!

Work Halloween/Fall Food Contest....and my cube!

2008-11-01T19:11:00.000-07:00

So, myself and my cube neighbor, Kristin, decided to have a "pie off" a month ago. We had a pretty good turn out and after that...EVERYONE wanted more competitions. So we put together a Fall/Halloween Food Contest. I won the "Spookiest Dessert" with my Peanutbutter-white chocolate eyeballs!

I also thought you all might like to see where I live all day...here it is...my cube! :)

Here is my neighbor to the right, Char....

Here is my neighbor to the left, Kristin....

We have too much fun...thank goodness for windows! And here is the whole cube! Aren't you glad you don't live in a box all day?

Mutual at the Hopkins...

2008-11-01T18:52:00.001-07:00

So, I had all the youth over to our house this past week for mutual. We had a bag dinner and it was tons of fun! Here are some of my Halloween decorations, I took the pictures after the party so you don't get the whole effect :( I had canles lit all over, it was pretty spoooooky!

Here is something I did, I took plastic bugs, eyeballs and other gross stuff and put them in "mad scientist" jars...pretty scary hu?

So, I had this skull on my coffe table surrounded by candles....and eyeballs....and....(see next picture)

WORMS! Yes, real worms! Squirming all over my table! Totally grossed out the kids! I loved it!! Thank goodness none were eaten or lost!

HAPPY BDAY GMA FISH!

2008-10-14T18:56:00.003-07:00

Pioneer Children sang as they walked.....

2008-10-14T18:56:00.002-07:00

And walked...and walked.....10 MILES!

I guess there are many blessings when it comes to being a YW President. One of them is I get to go to Youth Conference! This year we split it into two days. We had a 14 and up day back in July. And this past Saturday we had the other half. We walked from Adam-Ondi-Omen to President Freestones house. A total of about 10 miles! (We were told it was only 5!)

It was a long day....here is our group with our mini-covered wagon.

The hike was a blast....EXCEPT for a few things. We had our lunch stolen from another ward...so we had to bum food off of the wards around.

We got yelled at by a Northern ward...wont say which. :) Our little group was passing a ward with 8 wagons, and they got a little upset that we were messing up there line. Oooops!

I did find a few faces I knew!

My cute brother!

And my 12 year old cousin!!! AHHH!!! So weird to see SAM at a Youth Activity!!!! He was a trooper... he got in front of all the wagons with our little group! Don't worry Nat, he was a trooper!

After we arrived at President Freestones, we played some games and had a bonfire, where the Stake President gave a nice little sex talk to our youth! Those poor 12 and 13 year olds!!!

After that we went to the barn for a "specail" dance....??? Umm, it was more like teaching the kids for 15 minutes to square dance and then everyone stood around due to the blue grass music they played the remainder of the time. Poor kids...they really wanted a real dance. Oh well, maybe next time will be a little better. But the trek was a blast! Plus, I survived!

Weekend Bday fun!

2008-10-14T18:56:00.001-07:00

I was able to go out with some friend from work Friday night to celebrate a 30th bday!

Here is Kristin and Candace Ostdiek. Candace is the one that was celebrating her bday! We had way too much fun and were out until 2 am! Ahh! I'm too old to be out that late anymore!

Where or where is the temple going to be????

2008-10-14T18:56:00.000-07:00

We drove by where they said the temple is going to be, literally 2 minutes away...and it is either going to be on this side....

Or this side....

It looks like a pretty area. They have a nice roundabout at the end of the road. So, if you come down this way, let us know and we can take you down! :)