Costumes

Cody and Kyler were a Ventriloquist and his Dummy. Camdon was a Hobo. And,
I was Mom Jeans (SNL).

Thanks Caleb and Hayley for the picture.

Hard Day

Today was a hard day.

Camdon, who is usually a sweet and very obedient little guy, was not being himself. By 9:30 a.m., he had already been put in time-out three times (he woke up at 8:30). I was on the verge of hysteria as I sat next to his bedroom door, holding a screaming Kyler (who is another story all in his own), and listening to Camdon thrash on the other side.

When a day starts off like that, little can turn it around. I usually just have to cringe my way through it and hope the next morning things will be better. Not even lunch with my beautiful sister and hanging out with cousins cured what the horrible morning had started. I even tried to medicate with a Dr. Pepper. Its magic was lacking.

Finally bedtime came. Halle-freaking-lujah. I got him in his room and told him it was time for prayers, like I do every night. Still cringing. And, something magical happened. He didn't fight me. Instead he got on his knees, folded his arms, and said his very first unassisted bedtime prayer. As he finished, a smile (and maybe a tear) crossed my face.

The prayer did not erase the need I had for alone time and quite, but it sure reinforced why I am a stay-at-home mom; and that I do, in fact, love my children. They are beautiful, wonderful little souls that bless my life.

p.s. The other day, as I was changing Kye's diaper, Camdon ran into the room and said, 'You want to see my bum?' then mooned me. That kid.

Photo Finish

I have come to the conclusion that God loves a photo finish.

I have also come to the conclusion that I have some serious obsessive compulsive behaviors that I did not realize before.

I am a planner. I like to know...no...wait...I NEED to know, I HAVE to know what happens next. And, when I don't, I spend every waking moment trying to figure it out. I obsess, and obsess, and obsess.

Example: I almost always skip to the end of a book when it gets exciting to find out what happens. Then, calmly, I go back and read whatever is in between.

Horrible, I know.

Because of this incessancy, God always makes me wait until the very last second to answer my questions. I wiggle and squirm and fret, while he waits...and probably laughs. Then, when I'm scrambling to pick up the pieces, he releases the gates of inspiration and frees my worried mind.

Not cool.

Apparently he is trying to tell me something. You think?

Camdon Clarke

A few great things that my two-year-old said:

Every time I wipe his little potty-trained bum, "Mommy, do you want to eat my poop?"

After getting in trouble, "I still love you Mom."

Every bedtime prayer, "Heavenly Father. I thank thee. Jesus Christ, amen."

During family prayer: Cody: "We love you Heavenly Father..." Camdon: "...and Jesus too!"

Yet another prayer, "Jesus, today my bum hurt."

After scolding him for being naughty, "Oh Mom, don't be such a bawl baby."

"Mom, I have a hug?" then he ran up and spit on my shirt.

After asking him to pick up his toys, "I'll only be good for candy Mom."

I got a little upset at the Sprint worker, "Mom, you're not being patient with her."

Cody tried to put him to bed, "Mom, daddy's being naughty. He needs a time out."

While I was talking on the phone and not listening to him, "Mom, you're making me feel angry."

Payton and Camdon

I could go on...and on.
I love him.

Next

This last year in the life of the Hopkinson family has been insane. We moved. Then we moved again. And, now we're moving again. We have been through four jobs, a child, and family craziness that I can not even begin to describe. Things I never imaged would or could happen, did.

Stress and happiness have been felt at extremes that neither Cody nor I ever imagined possible.

There have been moments when I knew I could not handle anymore. Moments that made my soul ache, tremble, and cry. Moments necessary for growth and progression. Moments that showed the devil and angel inside me. And, moments full of happiness, love, and appreciation that stifled all else.

I've wondered if life was always this hard, and I just never realized it; or if the world has changed as I have aged. Maybe it's neither. Maybe it's both. And, maybe it's just me.

Why am I writing this now? After several lame posts of pictures, that even I get bored looking at? Because I really want to be good at blogging. Scratch that. I want to be good at journaling. I want to remember the good parts in life that happen each day, and even a few of the bad. I want to remember what I felt, and lived, and survived. I'm not sure I always want to share it with all of you (there are some people I would just rather not have access to this), but it is what it is.

So, here I am, waiting to see what happens next.

Fall

So far this fall we...

Rode a pony,

Played in corn,

...more than once

Went up the canyon,

and played at the park.

We drank some blood,

Then begged for some candy.

All in all, it's been a great season.

More Halloween pictures coming soon...maybe.

We went to Lake Powell



Camdon was there.



Kye was there.

Cody too.



Even a few cousins.



And, of course me.

We went on the boat.

We relaxed.

We all hand a good time hanging out.

Too bad we had to leave.

I know I am not unique in thinking my kids are the cutest ever. But, I thought I'd post some pictures from Sunday to prove it.

If only I were a better photographer.

On our way out the door for church.

Kyler taking a nap instead of going to church.

Way Back in June

We blessed Kye way back on June 5. But, like the great parents we are, we didn't take a single photo. Luckily my dad did, and he just sent me the masterpieces today.

We had A LOT of support from family and friends. We made up at least half of the Sacrament Meeting that day. I even had an old lady chew me out because our family took their regular seats. ha.

We had so many people, in fact, that I totally underestimated the amount of treats we needed...and drinks (but they were technically not my responsibility); which was bad since it was late in the day on a Fast Sunday, and it was roasting hot outside.

Then, a bunch of old people took the tables at the park that we were going to use. Dumb old people. So, I sort of felt like it was a disaster.

Fortunately everyone there loved us so much that they stayed and showed their support anyway. And, most importantly, Kye received a very special little blessing that Cody performed. It made me tear up a bit; not like its that hard to do anymore.

Next go around I promise I will be better prepared.

And Kye, we love you. You are a special little boy. You have won my heart over, and over again. I will be forever grateful to have you in my life.

A Question...

Do you think they look a like?


Kye at 10 weeks



Camdon at 14 weeks





St. George

I better hurry and get these pictures posted while Camdon is still willing to play in his bed after waking up from his nap (20 minutes ago...)

We had a Hopkinson/Childers family vacation in St. George. Then, since I was in town, Camdon, Kyler, and I stayed and hung out with my mom for the week (along with my niece Kaitlin).

It was so much fun to have everyone together for the weekend (not to mention the fact that Cody and I had the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in...ever). And, it was pretty amazing to get to have my mom all to myself (sort of) for the week. There was a lot of swimming, eating, and awesomeness.

I even brought our camera. And, took 12 pictures of our time there. That might not sound like a lot, but for me it is an over achievement.

Here they are. Well, some of them...

Burton and Camdon






Kye Guy all dressed up




My team was "The Taliban"



Grandma and Kye watching a movie


 




My Mom's view is amazing



Camdon was sick so he did a lot of this

...and this

I love him

4th of July

This year for the 4th we headed to Delta with Caleb and Hayley.

We started out the day with a parade. Camdon was a little timid when it came to chasing the candy. Probably because all the bigger kids kept running him down.
 
Then we headed to Hayley's grandma's for a nap...which was much needed since I was up by 4:30 (thanks for that one Kye).

After the nap there was some lunch, a little wiffle ball and crochet, then it was off to the demolition derby.

 

Camdon loved it, Kye didn't as much. Half way through I ended up in the car with a sleeping baby and a wound up two-year-old, but it was still very much worth it.

 

We ended the night with a spectacular fireworks display, then headed back home.

 

We all had a great time. A big thank you to Bubba and Hay for the invite. (Don't judge their shirts too harshly, they were homemade.)

 

2 Years

Well, Camdon turned two.

We celebrated with family a week earlier at the drive in watching Kung Fu Panda 2, so his actual birthday was left just for us. The way I like it.

We started out the day with a giant brownie for breakfast (brownies are always a little bit better than cake in my book).

Then after errands and naps, we headed out to Hogle Zoo. Camdon has a love/hate relationship with animals. He LOVES the idea of them, but hates being too close. He is definitely my kid.

We had a blast.

Then there was dinner at Red Robin and the opening of presents.

That night as I laid in bed I started thinking about Camdon's two years, and how pretty soon his two years will be five and he'll be in school. In a way, it gives me anxiety. I don't like him getting so big so fast.

I guess I just need to make sure we live every moment of his two-ness to the fullest, since we'll never get it back.

He ended the whole birthday celebration in Camdon style, with a fever, cough, runny nose, and cold chills.

Way to go little man. Our love for you is more than words can express.

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.