Because I Love You

Okay, so I am slow getting boating pics up, but I will do that soon. I just wanted to share a little conversation I had with my precious daughter Nyah recently.

Me: I am so lucky that you are my daughter. Do you know how you came to be mine?

Nyah: No.

Me: Heavenly Father decided to send you to me and to Daddy.

Nyah: Wow.

Me: Why do you think Heavenly Father decided to send you to us?

Nyah: Because I love you.

Talk about melt your heart! I was not sure what answer she was going to come up with, but that is the very best one I can ever imagine. I love that girl!

Potty Training, T-Ball, and Princesses

I have been so darn busy lately! I want to cram in a few things that I have been meaning to blog about but haven't yet. Enjoy!

Nyah finally decided 3 weeks ago that she is a big girl, and she is ready to wear big girl underwear and go to the potty. I was a little scared since we had big plans that day (Saturday) to go to Lagoon and I didn't want to ruin her resolve by making her wear a diaper, so I took some extra cloths with us and crossed my fingers. I couldn't believe it, but she told us 8 times that day that she needed to go to the potty, and she did it every time with NO ACCIDENTS! She did it at home twice, at Lagoon twice, when we were driving home (We pulled over and took her to Wendy's), and while we were at my sister-in-law's house twice! I don't want to get too graphic, but it was pee and poop! Since that day 3 weeks ago she has only had 2 accidents, and they were both right in front of the potty while she was pulling off her undies. Yay for Nyah!!!

Zane recently started T-Ball on the Lehi City League, and Jeff volunteered to be the coach. I can't tell you how excited Zane was when he found out that his dad would be his coach! We have had 2 practices and 1 rained out game, so Zane is itching to get out and play another team. He really is quite good, he knows all the rules (he watches baseball with Jeff and plays with Jeff all the time), he can throw and catch quite well, and he is one heck of a hitter. I heard that his cousin Tyler (who I think is almost 10) is a baseball phenom, so I guess Zane is trying to follow in his footsteps. There is another family rumor that Jeff and his big bro Dan were awesome ball players in their day as well, not to mention the Softball skills of all of his aunties, so maybe baseball runs in the Hoppie blood ;-)

Nyah will be three on Monday, and I wanted her to have a little party with all of her 3 year old friends to celebrate. Ny wanted a princess party, so we decided to go with it. We get little Disney princess invites and handed them out to her friends in the area. She also told the next door neighbor about her upcoming party, and she offered us some beautiful crystal looking plates and matching cups to make the girls really feel like royalty. I was afraid that they would get broken, but she assured me she didn't mind if they did since she had so many and bought them second hand anyway. I couldn't believe her generosity!

I decorated with purple flowers, a strand of Christmas lights, party favors (crowns, rock candy wands, stick-on earrings, barbie stickers, fashion rings), and the cake.

The Table

The Cake and Place Setting

Lizzy, Nyah, and Megan

Getting Ready to Bead Bracelets

Princesses Eating

Princess Nyah

Heart Shaped Sandwiches

Bracelets!!!

Directly After the Party

( lol.)

It was so much fun to have all those little princesses over making bracelets, eating finger foods, opening gifts, playing together and giggling! Thanks to all of the moms who let us borrow their little princesses for the afternoon. It made Nyah's party so fun and so memorable.

Funny Nyah

Nyah says some of the funniest and or sweetest things, but I always seem to forget to write them down, so I thought I'd put a few of them here.

The other night Jeff was not here and I was putting Nyah to bed. We usually have family prayers before bed, but it was just she and I this time. Anyway, Nyah and Zane always want to say the prayer, so we usually let them take turns (sometimes we let them both have a turn on the same night), meaning Jeff and I don't get to say the prayer very often. So on this particular night, Nyah wanted to say the prayer (of coarse), and after she did, I asked her if it was okay for me to say a prayer too. Her response? She gives me a great big sigh and says, "This is gonna be a long one" before she kneels down and closes her eyes. Ha! So of coarse I tried not to make it too long, just to prove her wrong :-)

Later that night I had gone down to the basement to chat with Kimmie, and Nyah had gotten out of her bed and was looking for me. When she didn't find me she started crying... hard. So I ran upstairs and reassured her that I didn't leave her and that I would never leave her alone in the house and she said, "You were talking to Kimmie?" and I said, "Yup." Then she said, "Oh, I just lost you." So I just giggled and said, "You lost me for just a minute, but I was here all along." I could feel her breathe a sigh of relief.

Gotta love her.

Flower Gardens and Toes

Thanks for all the potty training advice. I LOVE hearing what my friends have to say about thing like that. You guys are great!

It has been getting warm these past few days, and Jeff's sister Kim has had a few days off ( which is rare), so we decided to start working in our yards. We started yesterday and pruned back all of her big dead bushes and shrubs. We cleared out lots of old ugly bark and our neighbor Rob helped us fix the drip line. Today we planted lots of plants, flowers, bushes, and bulbs all over both of our yards. It has been so fun. I only hope the snow doesn't come back with a vengeance and ruin it all!!!

Earlier today Jeff's sister Kim took Nyah and Megan (my niece) to the nail shop to get pedi's. Nyah and Megan were so thrilled that they got their toes painted with flower designs! So cute! If I had a working camera I'd post a pic of Ny's toes. She chose a bright pink polish, and I think Megan chose blue. Nyah hasn't stopped talking about getting her toes done with Aunt Kimmie and Megan all day long. She is such a girl, and I am thrilled for her.

Potty Training Blues

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while. My camera has been broken, and I usually blog around my photos. In the meantime I will have to just work with what I have.

I have been trying to potty train Nyah, and I have to say things aren't going so well. I decided to start training a few months ago when she told me she had to poop and I put her on the potty just in time. I figured she was telling me she was ready... I guess I was wrong!


This is what I have tried so far:


1. I took her to the store to choose her own big girl undies.

2. I bought candy to give her each time she sits on the potty (one piece only).

3. I purchased 3 big things she wanted (barbie, pink dress, necklace) and told her she could earn them by putting her pee and poop in the potty.

4. I have filled her with her favorite beverages and set the timer for 30 minute increments. Every time the timer went off I out her on the potty. (She never peed in the potty that day. She decided she had to pee during the time she was playing.)

5. Pull-ups mixed with bribery and praise about being a big girl.



NONE OF THIS WORKED!!!!!! Any Ideas? I know she is capable, she just doesn't WANT to! Isn't there a way to get her to want to? I am open for any and all ideas. As a matter of fact, I am BEGGING for ideas!


P.S. I remember having a bit of a tough time training Zane, but back then I was in much better health and was able to devote all day for several days to training. Now that I need rest and exercise every day to be healthy, it seems impossible. What do you guys think?

Christmas and Stuff

I have been so busy/ tired lately that I havent posted in a while, and I have so much I want to post. I think I will wait on some of it for a while. Here is what I have time to share now...

Christmas was really great. We spent it at Aunt Kimmie's house with Aunt Jen and Uncle Craig and all our fun cousins. Even Grammy and Grandpa were there!

Since we were snowed in on Traverse Mtn, we decided to invite Eve and her family to spend the afternoon with us. Since they are our neighbors, we figured they were snowed in too and might like some company. Because of all the snow, several family members were unable to make it, so we had plenty of food to share with their family. This photo is of the two of us making our ugliest faces!

Aunt Jen and Nyah on Christmas Day. I just really like this picture, it is so sweet.

Zane recently started basketball, and he is on the Cougars (I think). He is number 34 just like Shaq! He made 3 baskets durring his last game, and had several rebounds. He loves to play, and we love to watch.

I Love December

Wow, I can't believe that Christmas is almost here. I love Christmas time, and I have really been trying to enjoy it this year. I feel so blessed to know that Jesus is my Savior, and that in him I can be forgiven and perfected. Today in Relief Society Sister Penny (I can't remember her last name for the life of me!!!) was reminding us not to just glorify Christ, but to emulate Him. What a wonderful reminder! I should not just remember and praise Him, but I should try to pattern my life after His.

There are so many family and friends that have served us and loved us these past several months. Some have helped us with a few bills ( my medical bills have gotten a little out of hand), some have been good listeners, some have offered advice, some have even tried to help me with access to an E. Stim machine! Can you believe the generosity? Some of the sisters in my ward have even provided me a warm hug and comfort to my soul. As women, we all need that some times. I am so grateful for the love and generosity we have been shown. These people have reminded me how to be like Jesus.

... Okay, so obviously I didn't finish this post. Now Christmas has passed, but I still want post what I had written, along with a few photos of our December before Christmas. I will do a separate Christmas post in a few days. Love to you all!

Zane telling Santa that he has been good all year.

Nyah would only sit with Santa if I was with her.

By the tree.

Zane's Christmas program at Challenger School.

Zane and Ny after the program.

Me and the kids at Zane's program. Sadly, Jeff had to work and couldn't attend.

Zane's Statue if Liberty in the Hall at Challenger School.

The map where the Statue of Liberty is posted.

With Eve at Glenn Beck's Christmas Show. Thanks for the ticket, Jeff. It was the best Christmas present ever!

The Nativity at Temple Square. The kids loved the lights and the Nativity story.

Zane's Artwork

I have been such a slacker about posting, and I have so much to post, but since I haven't loaded my new pics from my camera yet, I thought it might be fun to post a little bit of Zane's artwork. He loves to draw and paint, and I think he is pretty darn good at it.

Bat

Octopus
Dolphin

Santa Maria

Horse

T-Rex

The horse and the T-Rex were painted on the same day, and I like to think of them as a set.

The Praying Mantis is my very favorite.

I know I am his mother, but I think it is brilliant.

There are quite a few other pieces that I have put away and have not scanned yet, but I will scan a few other good ones later. Nyah loves to paint and color with Zane, but so far it is pretty much circles and lines. I will have to post a few of hers too so she can see her creations on the computer as well. I think her natural gift of art is dance. She has natural rythem, and can twirl and move with ease. We put on music just about every day and let the kids get their groove on. Jeff says poor Zane has inherited his dad's rythem. I wouldn't know since I have NEVER seen Jeff dance in the 10 years I have known him (other than basic slow dancing, of course). Anyway, he has a pretty cool way of busting a move too, and you can tell that he really gets into it. It's pretty funny to watch.

I love my kids, they bring Jeff and I so many smiles every day.

Our Halloween Experience

We had such a fun Halloween this year. When I say "we" I mean me and the kids. Jeff was sicker than a dog. Poor guy.

Getting ready for Halloween, the kids and I decided to make cupcakes for the ladies I visit teach. I ended up making 2 batches, but I only have pictures of the first batch. By the second batch I figured out a way to make the witches a little cuter, but you will just have to take my word for it.

Jeff liked the mummies the best.

Zane and Nyah enjoyed placing the spiders and worms.

Zane wanted to carve the pumpkin that he and Nyah got from Grammy and Grandpa. I pulled up photos of jack-o-lanterns on the net and let him tell me what he wanted to do. As soon as he saw a picture of a pumpkin barfing he knew he wanted to do that too. So I had him draw a picture of exactly what he wanted, and we negotiated a few funny changes (the eyes). Then Zane helped me draw the design on the pumpkin. I did all of the gutting, and Jeff did the carving. Zane thought the smell of the pumpking guts was revolting, so he walked seveal feet away from it while we worked. He is such a funny kid!

The Saturday before Halloween I took the kids to the community center for their big Halloween Bash. RJ and Ethan came with their friend John, and Krista and Tiff brought their cute kids too. We had so much fun playing games, trick-or-treating, and going through the haystack maze.

Gavin, Nyah, and Zane

Nyah, Alyssa, Tatum, Gavin, Brianna, and Zane

On Halloween I took the kids to the mall with my friend Heather and her kids to trick-or-treat. When we got home we had a dinner break, and then we went back out to trick-or-treat in our rainy neighborhood. We had so much fun seeing the neighbors all dressed up.

Every time we would get to a door, Nyah wouldn't say "trick-or-treat". Instead she would say,"happy Halloween!" And then she would reach down into her bucket and find a treat to put in the bowl of the person at the door. Most people were confused, and tried to give her treat back, but a few accepted her gift and returned the favor with two treats for her. Every now and then she would ask the person at the door if what she gave them was their favorite. So funny.

Zane was very excited and wated to go to every house that had a light on. By the time I was totally pooped, I told him we were done and should walk home. He conceded, but insisted on still going to the houses with lots of cool Halloween decor on them. That sounded like a fair deal to me.

Halloween Party

Today a few of the neighbors threw a really cool mommy and me Halloween party. The kids were so excited to get into their costumes and go see some friends. Even some of us moms dressed up! Here are a few hi-lites of the party:

This is Nyah getting her Halloween Groove on. She is the only kid dancing... what a cutie!

This is the last few seconds of Zane beating the crud out of the pumpkin pinata. He was the biggest (not necessarily the oldest) kid at the party, so they let him go last and bust that sucker open!

Shelly and I in our costumes

The cute witch is Selena, and the pregnant and pretty angel is Stephanie.

Thanks Selena and friends for a great party! I am not exactly sure of all the ladies that helped put it all together, but it was so fun, and I am glad we went. Hopefully we can do it again next year!

This Week

Hooray for Zane!!! He got his first goal last Tuesday at his soccer game! He is really learning how to get the ball out of the crowd of kids surrounding it, and kick it in the correct direction. He is the youngest kid on his team, and many of the other kids played last year, so they have a few more soccer skills than Zane does. But I think that is a good thing, because he is learning so much watching their example. It has been such a blast to go to the practices and games as a family and cheer the team on. I will be bummed when the season is over.

Zane is right in front of the girl (#3). This is the moment before he kicked the ball into the goal! Too bad you can't see more than a small part of the back of his head peeking out.

This is the photo I shot right after he made his goal. He was so happy.

!

This one is obvious... he is throwing the ball back into play.

This past week was filled with many fun things in our family. Just before Grandma Deb came into town, Zane decided it would be fun to help Nyah put on some makeup while I was on the phone. They did this in a matter of a few minutes!!!

It kinda looks like she has a moustache!

She's fussing because she knows she's busted.

Later that day Jeff and I put together her first big girl bed. She was so excited! All she can talk about (even now) is her new big girl bed. The first night she slept in it was Wednesday night, and she didn't get out even once. I find this to be quite a miracle because when Zane got his first big boy bed he was out of it like 50 times a night. We had to keep putting him back in it (without saying a word to him) until he finally got the picture. I am glad that Nyah's experience made it much less exhausting on Jeff and I!

Woo Hoo!!! My new big girl bed!!!

Dad and Ny on her new bed.

On Thursday night after the kids were in bed, Grandma Deb came to visit for the weekend. It was so fun! We went to lunch, went to the toy store, and had Sponge Bob Popsicles. We all loved having her here, and we wish she could visit more often. Here are a few pics from the weekend.

Grandma gave each kid a whole dollar! Zane was especially thrilled.

Grandma and Nyah.

My Hubby

Jeff was away in Vegas this weekend visiting his buddies. It was a good chance for him to get away for a few days, but we really missed him at home. Zane told everyone we came in contact with that his dad was on a vacation, but it was just for 2 days, and then he would be back. On Friday, the first day Jeff was gone, Ny woke up from her nap a little bit crabby. She plopped herself right in front of the door to the garage and cried for daddy for a solid 10 minutes. Zane and I tried to distract her, but she was bent on having her moment. Finally she was tired of crying and we were able to bribe her with a little snack.

Jeff came home today, and since I was sick most of the day they hung out with him. Nyah insisted on having Jeff sing to her before bed, which is something I normally do. It is so awesome that my kids have a dad that is so fun and so lovable that they miss him when he goes, and relish every moment that they have with him. I think he just might be their favorite, and I don't even mind.

My Little Ballerina

My little Nyah is two now, and the older she gets the more personality she shows. She is so cute, everyday she dances around the house to any music that she hears... even if it is her own sweet singing. She always wants me to turn the music on when I am at the computer so she can twirl, and leap, and hop, and flap her arms gracefully around the office. A few weeks ago I went to pick her up from her nursery class at church, and the new nursery teacher was gushing over how cute Nyah is. She told me everytime they started a new song during singing time Nyah would get out of her chair and start dancing. When the song was over she would sit back down, but as soon as the next song began she was back up on her feet. A few days later I heard the same story from my friend Sarah who happened to be in the nursery at the time. She makes me laugh! For her birthday, my friends Tatum and Lisa each made a cute little tutu for her. She LOVES to wear them and twirl around the house like a little pink ballerina. I guess I will be finding some dance classes for her soon so she can really have something fun to look forward to every week. Wh knows, maybe she will be a star on SYTYCD in 16 years or so! lol.