Happy Birthday Staci!

Called to Serve!

Elder Brian Hopkin

And he has been called to serve in....

Mendoza, Argentina!

He will be leaving to serve the Lord on August 12th

Congratulations Bri!

We are so proud of you!

Brian on multiple conference calls while reading about his mission.

1 Month

Brooke is 1 month old!

(well, 6 weeks...but time is just going by

too fast for me to keep up!)

and this is why I get professionals to take pictures of my kids...
My at home attempt to take 1 month pictures:

Mom, what are you doing?

That flash is so bright I can't keep my eyes open!

Maybe if I push it out of the way...

Being so cute is such hard work...it's exhausting!

Things Brooke has discovered recently:

sunny weather at the park

her toys

her hands can reach for toys

her sister


the camera

a comfortable place to sleep :)

(LOVE this picture)

the following pictures was my attempt to capture her smile on camera

this was a great one
just imagine her arm not being in the way and it's a GREAT picture!

Mommy Next to Her Baby

I tiptoe down the hallway
to the playroom and peek my head in.
I like to watch you in your world
with your ponies all in a row.
You talk to them in your small sweet voice
and gently place them one by one
so carefully. I'm not ready for you to know
I'm here. For now
I just want to watch
long enough to breath in this moment
so I can remember.
You must have felt my eyes watching
because you look up at me
with your beaming eyes and cheeks
that always melt me.
You wave me over and show me a seat
right next to you so I can play ponies too.
The game is to line them up one by one
on the armrest of the fouton
and then to watch.
I place the mommy next to her baby.
Then I feel your head rest gently
on the side of my arm.
While we watch.

Sweet Sisters

2007:

Katie & McKenna

2009:

McKenna & Brooke

{tear::sniff}

Baby Brooke

By request...

This picture just makes me giggle...("what are you doing Mom?")

And in case you can't tell, she is VERY loved...

We love Grandmas!!!

We have been SPOILED ROTTEN for the past month having both grandmas here, one right after another. We've had yummy, home-cooked meals, extra hands to hold Brooke, extra eyes and hears to give Katie & McKenna all the attention they need, and extra rest when needed. It really has been amazing and made the transition a lot easier than I anticipated. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Grandma Hopkn was the first to come. She arrived a couple days after Brooke was born and was here for two weeks. She was able to be here for McKenna's birthday which made that day extra special for her. Especially her Ariel cake, which I definitely couldn't have made on my own!
Brooke got lots of love from Grandma,

Katie & McKenna got to paint with Grandma,

and they went to the park almost everyday!

A couple days after Grandma Hopkin left, Grandma Jensen came! She was here for 1 1/2 weeks. (Most of the pictures from her trip are on her camera, but I do have a few). The weather wasn't as nice for Grandma Jensen, so instead of the park we went to a couple playplaces - equally as fun and special for the girls.
We watched General Conference with her and ate yummy cinnamon rolls.

The girls colored temples during one session,

We had moments of nice weather while she was here when the girls were able to play in the backyard. They especially loved lining up the rocks on the fence with Grandma!

(I know this picture is sideways, but I didn't want to upload all the pictures again just to fix this one - SORRY!)

"Keep Doing a Lousy Job"

In Stake Conference about a year ago, there was a speaker (sadly, I can't remember who) who talked about how difficult it can be to do all the things we're supposed to (i.e. FHE, read the scriptures, family prayer, etc.) when we have young kids. He talked about feeling like we're doing a lousy job because we can't get our kids to sit still long enough to teach them anything. Sometimes it is difficult to feel the Spirit when we're constantly struggling and wrestling kids to sit still, fold their arms, or listen. Sometimes it feels like it may not even be worth trying to do while the kids are so young. I have definitely had those feelings! Well, he encouraged us to "keep doing a lousy job" because that is exactly what we should be doing to build a foundation for our family on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Even if the kids aren't grasping the concept completely, at least we are teaching them that these things are important to us!

Well, that was a very encouraging talk for me - here is our family doing "a lousy job" :)

and then here is Katie's version in "Spanitch" :O)

Our Little Mermaid

If you're having trouble understanding, she's saying "how 'bout a little bit loud?"