Just a Difference

I was told that the second child is usually the exact opposite of the first. The reason for this is unknown (at least to me). It could be a way to get attention; maybe for sheer competition; or, possibly just because God likes to see us parents struggle to keep up with each child's individual demands. Whatever the cause, I have already noticed it's truth.

When it comes to eating:
Camdon is demanding; he's always been that way. When he is hungry, he must eat right that second or else you have a serious melt down on your hands. Its not pretty.
Kye is lazy. He'll eat for a few seconds, look around, snack a bit more, grunt, go in for thirds...and fourths...and even fifths. I struggle to keep him interested long enough to get full.

When it comes to sleeping:
Camdon is great...now. But, in the beginning Cody and I dealt with a lot of ear piercing screams.
Kye doesn't cry, but he grunts and wiggles and squirms louder than any person I have ever heard. You might wonder how wiggles and squirms could be loud, but trust me his are.

When it comes to looks:
Camdon was born with pale skin and white hair.
Kye is tan with dark hair.

And, this is all noticeable in just 3 weeks. I wonder how the next 18 years will be...

Kyler Roy Hopkinson

He's here. Kye was born on April 25, 2011, at 12:49 p.m. at St. Marks Hospital. He weighed in at 7 lbs 9 oz and was 19.5 inches long. He has long brown hair which was a surprise to us because his older brother was born with such white hair. But, everything went well and we are so glad to have him in our family.

Bringing Kye into the world was a very different experience than when Camdon came to us. Camdon's birth was such a stressful and dramatic experience. It was full of such difficult and kind of scary moments, that I had built up in my mind another huge ordeal. I don't know if it was just because I had built it up so much in my mind, or what, but I was pleasantly surprised at the simplicity of it all this time around.

As with Camdon, Hanna was scheduled for an early morning induction. So, on Easter afternoon we took Cam to his Aunt's house so that he could spend the next few days hangin with his cousins and we could make sure Hanna and the baby had a little time to recover and adjust.

The next morning we got the early morning call and headed to the hospital. We got there at about 7:15 and checked in and from there we did a lot of waiting. Hanna was already at a 6 by the time we got there so things went pretty quick. Kye was quicker than the hospital staff for sure. Doctor broke the water at 9:07 and Kye was "knocking at the door" by 11. Of course we waited till 12:20 or so before the doctor decided to show up. He and the nurse had to take a lunch break or something. So, there's Hanna at a 10 literally sitting on the kids head waiting for like an hour and a half just for the doctor to show up.

I was a kind of a nervous wreck, pacing around because the only other time I have experienced child birth, as soon as Hanna was at a 10, like 5 nurses rushed in and she started pushing, and she was exhausted and pushed for like an hour and a half. This time we sat around and twittled our thumbs while everyone ate lunch. Then they casually come in and 2 contractions later there is another little human in our family. It was quite nice actually that it wasn't so stressful this time around.

Hanna and baby were healthy, happy, and quickly on their way to recovery. We had a lot of love and support from friends and family and thank you all for your love and prayers. We are so blessed to have such beautiful and happy boys. We couldn't be happier.

April 25

Only one more week and boy #2 will be here.

Thank goodness.

Funny Stuff

Yesterday I was feeling a bit negative, if you couldn't tell by my post. And, I wish I could say today was better...

However, I do have a few funny conversations to write about:

Me: "You're doing a good job Camdon!" as he walks down the stairs all by himself.
Camdon: "I know Hanna."

(He also likes to call me Hanna Hooge, then laugh hysterically.)

Camdon: "Juice please."
Me: "If you want juice, just go get your sippy cup. You don't need to ask me."
Camdon: sits there for a minute, "FINE!" and stomps off.

Cody: "Hanna, why are you limping?"
Me: "I'm pregnant."

Cody: we are about to leave church, "Camdon, do you want to go see Mimi?"
Camdon: clenches both fists and shakes them in the air, while growling with excitement. What he meant to say was, "Yes."

Cody: "Cam, is it your turn to say the prayer?"
Camdon: "Uh huh." He then stands on his head, and folds his arms.

Camdon: not liking to do things alone, grunts out from a hidden corner, "Mommy poop too?"

Pregnant

I am still pregnant. Which is unfortunate since today I hit my pregnancy tolerance limit. Only 2 more weeks and this baby will be out, no matter what. April 25 has never seemed so out of reach.

And, for all of your judging eyes, here are a few pictures for you to gawk at.

Shopping with one of my favorite people.



Me, right now, wallowing. p.s. I'm blond again.



Singing

Camdon loves to sing. He even makes up his own words and tune. AND, he'll do it on command. He is pretty much the coolest little kid ever.

Yep

I don't feel like blogging. I haven't for a while. However, I thought it would be wrong to deny you of a recent (as in about 1 minute ago) photo of the cutest boy ever. Along with the pictures of him dancing at Mima's house last weekend (stolen from Caleb and Hayley).

We anxiously await the next little guy. Who, hopefully, will be here in about 4.5 weeks.

This and That

I have this problem where I will do almost anything to not have to go to bed. Anything. Watch the weirdest, dumbest shows online, read random blogs of people that I have never met nor will ever meet, look up any and all questions I have (or anyone else has for that matter) about pretty much anything. I will even get up out of bed when a random question comes into my head, just to check it out. Its pathetic.

I think I do this because it is the only time of day I get to myself. With a work-a-holic husband who runs his own business, freezing cold weather, and a clingy 1-year-old I don't get out much or do a lot for myself. So, at night I take whatever I can get. Tonight, I am blogging.

I love my son. He has become such an awesome little being to be around. I love his age and all that he is able to do.

Today, for no reason in particular, he decided that he needed to hug everyone he met. He tried to hug the lady at the DMV, the old man in line behind us at the DMV, the checker at Smiths, the bagger at Smiths, and he DID hug a man at the shop that had come in to meet with Cody; the man graciously hugged Camdon back.

Along with hugging, he has felt the need to acknowledge and speak to every solid thing within a room. When we walk in the front door he says hi to the couch, the TV, the table, his cars, blocks, stuffed animals, whatever he sees. The other day we had a bit of coloring time, and he would not let me leave the house until he said goodbye to every single thing I had drawn for him; horse, frog, flower, house, fish, etc.

It is hilarious.

I find myself laughing at him, almost in tears, at least twice a day. It makes the annoyingly cold weather outside and my boring life that much easier to bear.

I love him.

Now, I better go watch Jersey Shore (don't mock), read a few chapters of Lord of the Rings (I finally made it to the last book), then maybe I'll consider sleeping...maybe.

Yesterday

I'm a pretty even keeled person. It takes a lot for me to get angry, or hyper, or whatever else. I'm usually just fairly pleasant, but not too exciting. Boring, I know. But, when I am pushed to my limit, it can be more bad than good.

To say the last few days in the Hopkinson household have been stressful would be an understatement. And, as a result, I have not been a pleasant person. I have been angry and stressed, and maybe even a little mean (okay, a lot mean). I know, I am probably the only person in the world who has ever felt or acted that way...or openly admitted it.

I tried to get over the way I felt. I tried to have a positive attitude. I even tried baking cookies for the neighbor (which burned), writing thank you notes, playing games, reading my scriptures, praying, but my anger and anxiety just kept building. That's when God decided to intervene. I hate that he waits until you are at your whits end. In a few seconds my entire mood changed.

Here's how:

Camdon was down for a nap and I was trying to clean up the tornado he caused while he was awake. In the process of cleaning I turned quickly, right into the corner of our entertainment system, splitting my knee open. It hurt like crazy, so I hopped around to find a seat. In the mean time I stubbed my toe, hard, and then hit my funny bone on another corner of the same entertainment system. By the time I finally made it to the piano bench, blood was running down my leg, I was hurting all over, and I was laughing.

It only took about 15 seconds, but I could almost feel God shaking his finger at me, telling me to just CHILL OUT. Its unfortunate that the only way he could get my attention was pain :)

Although the stresses were still there, the day ended much better than it started. Thankfully.

More Family Photos

Here are a couple of sample photos sent to me from our shoot on Saturday.

Ignore my hugeness. I already know its gross.

Today

Today Camdon's best buddy Payton came to visit us at Cody's shop. It is so cute when they get together. Thanks Craig and Whitney for the visit, the Dr. Pepper, the mechanic skills for my stupid car, and most of all the Coors Light. Ha ha.

We are sure grateful for our friends.

(Okay, someone actually was concerned about the Coors Light comment; understand that it is a joke, one of those inside kind. Don't you worry your pretty little heads.)

Anniversary #3

Its 11:48 and I should be trying to get some sleep (especially since I feel exhausted), but instead I am texting Cody and counting down the minutes to our 3rd anniversary. Go us. We made it past the average marriage length in the United States, or at least equal to it.

It has been an interesting, stressful, scary, and amazing ride.

3 years, 1.5 kids, 10 different jobs (between the two of us), 4 moves, 4 live-in guests, and plenty of vacations.

I could go on, but instead I will just say that I am grateful for all that I have right this very instant. I am one lucky gal.
 

Camdon's face is amazing in this. Ha.



Pregnancy + Photos = Disgusting



Short Hair

So, I cut my hair. I haven't had it this short since I was about 12. That would be 14 + years ago (I'm 26, incase you were trying to figure it out. Old as dirt.)

I know you are all DYING to see the very high quality camera phone pictures I took. Ha.

So far I have been told that the hair cut makes me look like I'm in High School (thank you Cody) and that it makes me look more mom-ish (thank you Jenn). I'm not sure looking young or looking like the part I play in life are bad, but I'm still trying to figure out if they are good. Hmmm.

Curly

As for me, I welcome the change. Either way, its just hair.





Straight

2010 Reflection/2011 Resolution

Okay, the moment of truth. Here is a list of my resolutions for 2010. Let's see how I did...

1. Take time out each day for just me...even if its only 15 minutes. I haven't done this is a long time.
Done and done. Proof through the fact that I ran a marathon...among other things. 

2. Finish and publish "Pinky and the Witch" for my late grandpa that I love very much.
Nope. Although I did attempt it. I never finished. I am ashamed, it really wasn't that hard...just time consuming.

3. Become a better wife.I have tried. I think that I am, at least a little. Minus the craziness that comes with pregnancy :)

4. Become a better cook.
My cooking has improved significantly. I have also been told on several occasions that I make the best chocolate chip cookies EVER. Now, that is a big feat.

5. Finish at least one round of P90X.
Nope. I made it 6 weeks (half way) and gave up. I blame it on the yoga section that lasts almost 2 hours. Camdon just never let me have that much time to myself.

We have a few family goals too, but those I can use Cody to be accountable for...and with.
A few of our family ones included Family Home Evening, Prayers, and Scripture Study. We did better than I thought. And, continue to improve. The others had to do with debt, which we didn't do as well with, mainly because we just started our own business. So, ya.

3 for 5, not too bad.

This next year I want to:

1. Cook/Eat/Live healthier. I should be more specific as to how, but whatever.

2. Grow a garden (small, but successful - unlike the 2010 disaster)

3. Learn a new skill. I have a few ideas which include: piano, french, InDesign, photoshop, something to do with sewing, etc. I haven't decided on which yet.

4. Potty train Camdon.

I told Cody that one goal was to give birth to a healthy baby, and he gently reminded me how it is out of my hands and not a worthwhile thing to put as a goal. So, I will just be healthy and hope it translates.

Dang you Cody.

We came up with a few more family ones as well. But, this post isn't meant for them, just me. ha.

18-ish Months

I haven't done a Camdon update for a while so, here goes.

He is now (almost) 19-months-old. I have no idea his percentages because I forgot his doctors appointment. Whoops. But, I do know he is small for his age.


He peed through his clothes; this was all we could find.



Yesterday at the Aquarium. He sure loves animals.

Nicknames:
Camboslice
Cambodia(n)
Cambino
Booger

He can say pretty much anything you ask him too, although only Cody and me can understand it all.

Things he says:

• Foof = Food
• Ginch = Started out at the Grinch, but now means drink.
• Speaking of the Grinch, he also says, "The, the, the Grinch" like on the movie.
• Dumb = Down
• Peep = Pee, Poop, Spilling Something, Falling, Being Dirty
• Cooch = Cookie (makes me laugh every time)
• Beat = Blankie and binki
• Shoesocks = Shoes and socks, however to him they cannot be separated. He wont wear one with out the other.
• Kay = yes
• Two-Tree = What he calls anything that is/has more than one (if that makes sense).
• He knows the sounds and names of most animals (and LOVES to read books about them)

Things he does:

• When he is mad he holds his head very still and glares at you out of the corner of his eye.
• Also when he is mad, he starts hitting himself in the head. Then looks at me like I hurt him.
• He will run into whatever room I'm in and say "Hug?" give me a hug, then run out.
• Every morning when I get him out of his crib he asks for juice and the "Alma" or "Fefy" (Nephi) movie.
• When other kids do something mean or that he doesn't like, he'll walk up to them shaking his finger and say "No, no!"
• He runs, never walks.
• He LOVES to dance. He can dance in our living room for hours, as long as the beat is right.

His favorite stuff:
His beat
Juice
Dogs
Balls
Cars
Movies (Alma, Fefy, Nemo, and Cars)

Camdon is all boy; silly, mischievous, and loves to tease. He is also extremely sweet and extremely sensitive. If he hears anyone crying or yelling for any reason, he gets very concerned...even if its in a movie.

Boy oh boy, we love him. And, we are excited for his little brother Kyler Roy to come.