Swimming and Soccer

The kids enjoyed their Starfish Class for swim lessons a couple weeks ago and they just started another set of lessons at a different pool today.  The lessons that started today are just called Level 2 but the kids agreed that Tunafish Class was a nice name for it. :) 

First day, just before getting in the water!

Excited but cautious :)

On Fridays they had Fun Friday and got to go down the waterslide with their teacher. This was obviously a big hit (as were the blow pops and tootsie pops the lifeguards gave them after the sliding was done!).

Our housing area is doing a little soccer clinic for a few months right now and both kids are enjoying that. One of their favorite things is that they both have soccer shoes to wear - Grandma Hoopes brought some of our cousin Ryan's old ones to us and they fit Rebecca pretty well and Jacob's wearing a pair that we got from one of our favorite stores, NTTD: Next to the Dumpster.  Here are both kids in action a couple weeks ago:

Preschool Art Show and Graduation

Jacob went to preschool for about 3 months starting in January. It was just around the corner from our house at my friend Shana's place. He really loved it and was so excited to learn. Here are a few pictures from his art show in March and graduation in April.   

Pop art in the style of Andy Warhol in that top row.

Picasso-style art. Jacob thought this was so fun to cut up a picture of himself.

The Marcel du Champ exhibit...they used string to paint their pictures.

Sitting together right before they shared their lines to tell what they learned in their art and artists unit! Jacob got to talk about Michelangelo painting the Cistine chapel ceiling. 

Jacob with Miss Shana on graduation day!

He would never wear this shirt usually if I offered it to him, but that day he did because it was a special occasion...

T-ball

A couple parents in our housing community started up a weekly t-ball clinic for kids ages 4-7. Jacob has been having lots of fun. He is sure to wear his tennis shoes every Tuesday and his baseball cap (brought here by a friend's dad from China). The second week of t-ball we were walking to the diamond and he very frankly said, as though he were a baseball sage: "Mom, one of the most important things to remember in t-ball is to catch the ball, like this" (bends down to show me how you would catch a grounder).  So he's pretty intense about it!

Here are a few pictures from yesterday's t-ball practice. He's improved and now runs right to the bases, instead of overshooting them by several yards, but yesterday he was in the group doing the batting drill and after he batted he ran to 1st, 2nd, 3rd and home - passing the kids standing on 2nd and 3rd.  He loves being able to be out there with his friends!

Jacob at the Bat!

Running to first (and then all the way home, passing everyone else)

Something distracted me and I moved when I took this picture, but I love seeing his form and smile as he runs to home plate!  

Here is our neighbor Brooklynn waiting to run from 3rd. Every week Jacob wonders if she will be coming, too!  

And here is how this one spends her time at t-ball, hanging out with the moms and playing with other people's toys :)  

Easter then and now!

You know it's been a long time since you last blogged when the Post Editor changes a lot :)

Just wanted to post a couple pictures from Easter in 2011 and 2012 to see how the kids have changed.  And I guess I've changed a bit also since I have a little bit of a baby bump in this year's pictures, but you can't really tell from a front angle shot.  

For starters, we can see that I had no idea what to do with Rebecca's hair a year ago. It was in this funny baby-mullet stage still.

Dyeing eggs is so fascinating!  

Rebecca looks at the camera, Jacob looks at Rebecca's spoils...

Getting ready for this year's Ward Easter egg hunt. Dandelion picking was first on the agenda, and looking at the camera apparently was not!  

Both kids have grown and changed a lot this year!

And one obvious change is that for our family picture in 2012...

...we had someone else to take the picture for us instead of relying on the camera timer!  And look at that, Jeff wore the same suit and tie!  (I promise he wasn't wearing it for a whole year!) Glad to have everyone's head in the picture this year!

This year, it was fun to have both kids understanding that we're celebrating the Savior's resurrection at Eastertime. Rebecca has given us this lesson for Family Home Evening several times now, using paper cutouts from nursery. We let them hunt for their baskets Saturday morning this year just to give that a try and it worked pretty well.  We even got to stay in bed for about 30 more minutes while they kept coming back upstairs to get another clue. 

A great Sunday!

Today in Sacrament meeting our Bishop and his wife gave wonderful talks. Bonus: J&R were pretty well behaved so I heard almost everything!  :)

Holly's talk focused a lot on her experiences as a 17 year-old girl in June 1976 when the Teton Dam flooded southeastern Idaho. I have heard many other stories about what happened after this disaster, since my mom was still living at home then also in Blackfoot, ID, but Holly's perspective was really intriguing today for some reason. She talked about what she learned in the months of cleanup that followed the flooding: that people are more important than things, that hard work produces a sense of accomplishment even and maybe especially in the wake of tragedy, and that people coming together to serve others in need is a wonderful thing to witness. Holly likened this experience to how we can learn and grow as we raise our children and strengthen our families and it really was great.

The bishop talked about the Mann Gulch fire of 1949 in Montana (somehow I'd never heard of this before, whoops) and how most of the men sent to help stop a fire in the gulch died. Two men's lives were spared when they raced to the top of a ridge to out-run the fire as it spread, and the other man who survived created what is known as an escape fire that he encouraged others to jump into in a split-second decision. His life was spared when he chose to be in that ring of fire. There are all sorts of spiritual implications to go along with this story, but I liked that Bishop Harris talked about how we need to trust the Lord, or our spouse, or someone else when the time comes for us to jump into a trial of faith or some other kind of "fire" that requires us to do something that seems ineffective at the time but that will preserve us in the end.  I leaned over to Jeff and said, "Hey, I've got a Garth Brooks song in my head right now..."  So here's the chorus of the song:

Standing outside the fire 
Standing outside the fire 
Life is not tried, it is merely survived 
If you're standing outside the fire 

I just thought I'd put some of my thoughts here so I could remember what I learned/felt today as I listened to their talks.

*Updated with winner* Weekend giveaway: Trix Yoplait Yogurt and Prize Pack

**Congrats to Katja on winning the yogurt prize pack!**

As penance for it being a long time since we posted on this here blog, I thought I would get things going again with a giveaway.

Thanks to MyBlogSpark and Yoplait we recently received the prize pack pictured above. Yoplait recently reformulated Trix yogurt to take out all of the HFCS, artificial sweeteners and colors and other such things.  I don't buy Trix yogurt usually, but we definitely go through plenty of yogurt here in general. The kids thought the Trix rabbit was pretty funny on the package.  Rebecca used our coupon to pick out the Triple Cherry flavor.

Leave a comment on this post telling how you or your kids like to enjoy yogurt and be sure there is a way for me to contact you in case I don't know who you are personally.  :)  Do you eat yogurt for breakfast, with granola, in a smoothie, for a snack, use it for a fruit dip, or anything else? I'll pick a winner randomly on Monday morning and post the winner here at 10 AM EDT.  I guess you have one hour less to enter than you think since we switch to daylight saving time on Saturday/Sunday. :)  You could win the same things we recieved:

• (1) VIP coupon for a free 4-pack of Yoplait Trix yogurt for kids
• Yoplait branded items including an insulated lunch tote, ice pack, backpack, folder, zippered pencil pouch, pencils, erasers, and pencil sharpener

Thanks to Yoplait and MyBlogSpark for sponsoring the giveaway!  Have a great weekend! 

Jacob's Talk

Jacob was asked to speak in primary today. For the spiritual edification of all who read this blog, I will post the text to his talk, in its entirety, below:

"One of my favorite songs is “Scripture Power.” Part of the power we get from the scriptures is to learn about important things that happened long ago. In the scriptures we can read and learn about when Baby Jesus was born and what will happen at His Second Coming. (Picture 1) Shepherds were watching their sheep when an angel came and said, “Fear not!... For unto you is born this day...a Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:8-9). (Picture 2) After they heard this, they hurried to go see Jesus. When I am told to do things, I also hurry to obey. The wise men also came to see Jesus after he was born. (Picture 3) They knew about prophecies in the scriptures and had seen a sign of His birth. I think the wise men were so wise because they read the scriptures. The scriptures also teach us about what will happen when Jesus comes again. (Picture 4) We can look for signs of the Second Coming and be ready to see Him, like the shepherds and the wise men. I have a testimony of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the scriptures and what I can learn about Jesus when I read them."

He, of course, carried out his speaking task marvelously.

Indoor playground!

Jeff has been busy these last couple months building some fun things for the kids in the basement. See for yourself, and if you need something fun to do in the winter, feel free to drop on by! :)


squarygoround from Jeff Hoopes on Vimeo.



squarygoroundwithdrill from Jeff Hoopes on Vimeo.



slide from Jeff Hoopes on Vimeo.

A new way to travel to Bethlehem...

Jacob has been playing with his phonics train and our Nativity set this afternoon and I had to take a picture once he combined everything into one big playset. The shepherds never made it to Bethlehem faster than they did today:

Joseph apparently made it on the same train as the shepherds, and you'll see Mary above (on the couch) standing in the fields looking for her husband. We're loving this time of year and hope you are, too!

Tithing and something cute to remember!

On Sunday we had tithing settlement with Bishop Harris and I very briefly taught Jacob about tithing before we went. He had some birthday money from a couple months ago that he paid tithing on and last night I realized that maybe he did catch something in the 5 minute lesson I did with him.

I tucked the kids in bed last night around 7:20 or so and then went to use the bathroom. When I came out Jacob was standing in the hallway holding two books:

I asked him why he was out of bed and he said he needed to show me something. He pointed at both pictures above and said, "Mom, they are both just paying their tithing!" :) Now, we have read several chapter books with our kids over the last couple years, but not Dear Mr. Henshaw yet - he just knows the picture on the cover of that one from his occasional pastime of reorganizing the chapter books shelf on our bookcase. He told me how the little girl was writing on the same paper he did the other day but the boy was paying his tithing on a different paper.  Love it!

A year ago this week...

Something I've always been grateful for (or mostly grateful for) is that I can remember things pretty vividly. I have a lot of thoughts as December begins today about the things I did the first week of December last year. Since I most likely didn't blog about any of them, I figured I could reminisce here and process the memories that way.  Without further ado, a list of the things I was doing last year:

1. My sister Erin came home to MI with us after we Thanksgivinged in Virginia. She was here for a week and it was great!  Jeff ate lots of white cheddar popcorn on the drive home from VA, I attempted to sew her a hat  out of an old sweater and then my sewing machine went crazy on us when the bobbin case kind of exploded or something. In true sister fashion I think we both almost wet our pants laughing at how the inside of that hat looked.

2. I was rehearsing for Messiah performances every other night.  Yep, doing that again this year. And it's wonderful. Tomorrow night is our last dress rehearsal before our two Ann Arbor concerts, and then next week we have three  rehearsals before our two performances in the big D.  I am a little excited to sing in Detroit, having never sung in a big city before. PS I love singing Messiah. Not only is Handel kind to altos (we do have the first line in the first chorus of the whole oratorio), it is remarkable how spiritually riveting it is for me to sing beautiful text and beautiful notes (well, they were written to be beautiful, I am making no statements about how they sound when I sing them!). I am a lucky gal.

3. I accidentally went to touch up/finish off the top of Jeff's haircut after he had done most of it and didn't bother to notice he had handed me the clippers with the guard off, ready for me to shave off his fuzzy curls that grow below where he likes them to be in the back. So he had a nice little patch of baldness somewhere in the middle of his head and then we just went all out and shaved him since we were definitely beyond and possibility of fixing things.  You'd better believe I check really closely now as to whether the guard is on or off.  I must also point out that a year ago Jeff was telling no one except 1 person (our neighbor and his office mate at school) about this. I loved him so much for that, and luckily for all of us, his hair grew back.  

4. I was taking Rebecca to the ER because we thought she swallowed a hearing aid battery.  It turns out she didn't swallow it, but I was so proud of how still she laid during her x-ray. And I learned that the UM ER staff in pediatrics is really nice, though I think I'll be alright if we don't make it there again.  

5. The same day as #4 (but of course) I was comforting my three year old Jacob who had fallen out of the cart at Sam's Club after jumping up and down excitedly after seeing a  Charlie Brown Christmas book.  I almost took him to the ER as well since I was afraid he had a concussion, but he was fine. I never want to hear the sound of a little person's body/head/whatever it was hitting the Sam's Club concrete floor again. Shudder!

6. I was remembering, as I always do this week of the year, my sweet Grandma McKoy who passed away on December 9, 2007, when Jacob was a couple months old.  Boy do I miss her.

7. I was enjoy the company of not only my sister but also David + Megan and their family since they drove up from Beavercreek for my Messiah performance and stayed for a day or so.  It was so great to have them close by for that and other occasions these past few years - and now I am missing them since they moved to California over the summer!  

8. I was having a colonoscopy a year ago this week. Everything went fine with that and the only reason I mention it here is that I was so glad Erin was here that day to help me out at the doctor while Shaunae watched my kids. I even made it to rehearsal that same night. 

9. Doing dishes.  :)  I was just thinking I better finish up this post and go do the dishes that are in my kitchen right now, and I imagine I was doing dishes at some point during this week a year ago.  

Happy Decembering and Happy Remembering!!

Visitors galore!

I can hardly believe it, but it's been six months since we moved to our current apartment. We didn't move very far, of course, but move we did!  Ever since the end of June we've been having lots of visitors, and it worked out quite splendidly to have a wee bit more space in the nick of time. It's been wonderful - wonderful enough that I wish I'd posted about all the visits right after they happened but obviously I didn't ever make time for it. So here is a quick summary of all the visits we've had!

Amy + Rick + Taylor + Dallin + Anna + Ryan + Rachel in late June

We were so lucky to be a stop on the Carter RV Adventure US Grand Tour 2011. It was so fun to have their family here for a few days here and then we tagged along when the headed down to Dayton to see David + Megan's family. Our basement can hold a lot of people, though perhaps not comfortably.

Kevin + Tess + Elisa in August (picture taking fail, at least on my part!  I know they have some on their camera of all of us but Jeff riding in a Model T. :)  But they are coming next week for Thanksgiving so I shall redeem myself then with a bounty of pictures!)

Kristin in September
Aunt Kristin came for Labor Day and we did all sorts of fun things like playing with play dough and building a Jacob Dog.

John + Myrna in October.
Our friends Janel and Derek took family pictures for us while Jeff's parents were visiting, so we got a couple shots with them and our family and one that I think is great of just them!  Excuse me while I resist the fixing mother's urge to yank Jacob's pant legs down to cover his little ankles...

A horse is a horse, of course of course.  Mr. Ed never looked so cute!  PS Go to Three Cedars Farm if you live near us. Or ask to go there if you come visit. Hours of fun for the kids.  

making dinner is a breeze when Grandma whips out a craft (or "prahject" as Jacob says) for the kids right as I start my work in the kitchen. I told her she could show up around 5 every night and that would be awesome :)  Though we'd love to have her any time, of course!

The Lisle Family in November

Mark had a residency interview here so I told Brittany they should all come visit, and they did! We had so much fun and the kids were a little bored with me today after Juliette and Vienna had headed home.  I am oh so thankful for great friends and great memories - and how wonderful that our kids can be friends, too. Here are a few pictures I snapped their last night here when the kids were all ready for bed. I think we'd all be pleased if they came here for residency :)

sorry so shadowy!

NOTE: If you don't see your picture in this blog post, never fear!  We are still accepting visitors' applications, should you wish to come visit us before we leave Michigan in 2013.  (I mis-typed that at first and it said 2019, ha ha ha!)

Halloween!

We had a great Halloween this year. Rebecca wore a costume my mom made back in the day, a vintage 1980s Strawberry Shortcake get-up. My sister wore it, I wore it and two of my sister's three girls have worn it. Rebecca got second place in our ward's Halloween costume contest at the church last week, too! Jacob wore a dinosaur costume that his aunt made for him to match his cousin Peter. It got some rave reviews whenever people noticed the tail as he walked by. I had thought we had a pretty successful Halloween until last night when Jacob reminded me that we never made Halloween cookies (I had talked about it earlier in the day how we hadn't used the new Halloween sprinkles we bought a couple weeks ago) and we needed to make them right now. This was at almost 9:30 when he still wasn't asleep yet.  I'm hoping I'll remember to make them next year, we'll see!   

The kids would describe our pumpkins as follows:

• Pig-a-let
• Kermitty Frog (Jacob knows him from Sesame Street where Kermit is doing news reports and says "Hi Ho there, Kermit the(e) Frog here..." and he is sure that it is said Kermitty. I love it!) 
• the one Daddy drilled holes in for Mommy

How times have changed

How times have changed. Here is me with my older brother, sometime a long time ago...

Here we are this summer...

If you didnt notice the biggest difference, it is that my brother does not fish much anymore...

J&R comedy hour

Just a few funnies so I don't forget them!

1. All during dinner Jacob kept saying he wanted to give the Family Home Evening lesson. Here's how it went when the time came:

Jesus was just a baby, but then he growed up to be a man. Then he wanted to get baptized. (Do you know who baptized him? I asked.) Yes, it was just John the Baptism. (What did Jesus say to John?)  He said he needed to be baptized. (Jesus is a good example, isn't He?) I think we should just obey Him.

2. During dinner we were talking about the songs Jacob has been learning in Primary. I asked him if he remembered this one from February and then I began to sing:

Mom: "My life is a...(while I begin, I look over to Jacob, expecting him to continue the phrase)
Rebecca: GIFT!
Mom: Hey! You've been keeping secrets - you know the song too? That's great! 
Rebecca: "Um, yeth"
Mom: (back to the song, with Jacob helping here and there now) My life has a plan, my life has a purpose in heav'n in began, my
Rebecca: CHOICE

I am excited to see what other songs she's been keeping tucked away in her subconscious...

3. Last night I sang "Tender Shepherd" for the kids (from the stage version of Peter Pan, if you haven't seen it you are seriously missing out. Check out the Cathy Rigby version from the library, or Mary Martin if they have it, she is great also). I think if we give it a couple more nights Jacob and I will be able to sing it in a round, which will be very fun. After he began to try singing the song with me last night he said at some point: "Mom, are the shepherds just really quiet when the sheep are asleep?"  Yes, yes they are!

4. A couple weeks ago a tree fell down (thanks to whoever posted pics, it has provided hours of entertainment for my son) onto the LDS institute building on the UMich campus. Jacob saw the boarded up windows on the building last week and has been very, VERY concerned about when it will get fixed. Asking about it multiple times per day and in some cases, per hour, sort of concerned. Jeff told him he should call the Institute director (since we know him). I should have him do that shortly since the questions and concern keep increasing, it seems.

On Sunday he asked me to drive behind our church building before we left the parking lot. I obliged, having nothing better to do before going home, and he showed me a tree he saw when his Sunbeam class went outside. It is a tiny thing but leaning a little. He said "I think that it will just fall and break some church windows. I told my teachers about it during class today. Why did that other tree fall on the Institute building, Mom? See this one is just leaning too?"  Last night and today we went on a couple short walks around the neighborhood and he has been pointing out the trees that are "just leaning a little funny. See, Mom?"  All the trees by the city pool parking lot were "leaning a little funny" today as well. So now the questions are all about why the tree fell over and making sure other ones don't fall over and was it sick and how come no one took care of it and why didn't someone catch it and will they plant another one there that isn't sick. I might need to brush up on my dendrology (yep, had to look it up), or call the girl I visit teach (since she studied agribusiness at BYU) and then hand the phone to Jacob...