Wacky Tuesday

Tuesday was a weird night at our home...

While I was passed out in bed, the kids thought it'd be fun to go WILD. Laney dressed up as a princess...

Max took this picture of himself trying to stay cross-eyed as long as possible...

And no, there's not trouble in paradise, but Jeff is no longer wearing his wedding ring. It seems his finger has swelled up to the point where it's cutting off his circulation. I don't know if it's summer heat or weight gain. NO MORE COOKIES! Unfortunately I purchased a titanium ring for him, which means it's unable to be re-sized since the metal is too hard. Oh, well. I'm not wearing mine either until he can wear his! :)

And here I am in bed...Jeff kept trying to snap unflattering photos of me, recovering from a migraine, back injury, and sprained ankle. Ugh...Thanks again to Mom Hopkins for sending over lasagna and rolls. It was my only meal of the day!

Little Galilee Camp

Jeff & I took the kids camping at Little Galilee in Clinton. It's a Christian-based camp on hundreds of acres of forest. It's one of the most peaceful places I've ever enjoyed.

The kids especially enjoyed paddle-boating on the lake. I don't think they've ever done that before...and they preferred it to the tipsy canoe. The lake is 17 feet deep and full of snapping turtles, fish and algae...so wearing life jackets are a must before coasting along the water!

Jeff encouraged them to also fish along the bank of the lake. I was so grossed out by his splitting the worms in two before hooking them on the poles. I really think it's cruelty to worms!

Max kept saying, "I'm the king fisherman! Grandpa says so!" He caught a total of three fish while Laney caught two. I don't care for fishing myself but it was nice to enjoy the peace and quiet of the lake and watch other families spend time together.

The hiking trails were outstanding in their lush greenery. Every path was surrounded by a forest of trees and a lookout point to the lake. I enjoyed sneaking away every now and then to listen to music in my iPod and observe nature.

Sometimes Jeff and I would go off by ourselves when the kids were occupied playing games with their friends on the field...we brought the game bag and played Elasund. I beat him for the first time! A big bonus about the camp is that there are tons of counselors and trustworthy adults on hand to keep an eye on the kids. I felt completely safe letting them run around.

Being a Christian-based camp, every morning kicked off with prayer and a devotional at the flagpole on this field. A pastor from Lincoln led the group in singing and a scripture lesson. From 8-9am every day we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast and then split off into adult Bible lessons/kid crafts and games until noon.

Of course, the one day that Jeff and I decided to skip the second Bible session and go canoeing, a storm brewed and we got stuck in a downpour in the middle of the lake. It was hilarious! We were soaked. Jeff kept asking, "Is it safe to be out here in the thunder and lightening?" My clothes are still wet!

The outdoor pool was freezing at 72 degrees and the kids shivered while they swam but they insisted on staying poolside and sliding down the magnificent slide contraption. Jeff tried it, too, even though it hurt his back.
Speaking of backs, I hurt mine by falling on a slippery spot...right after getting my sprained ankle bandaged in the first aide station! Needless to say I was in a world of pain upon our return from camp. But I had such a wonderful time with the kids overall, I can't wait to return next year!

This time I intend to reserve the premier lodge on the property a year in advance. I'm done with sleeping in the dorms! It was like a germ-fest with girls packed in bunk beds like sardines! It's way too roughing it for me. Laney loved it and made a new friend. But I was not raised to enjoy dirt and germs. In this picture I look dazed and drugged...I had Jeff take me to Wal-Mart for sleeping pills to get some rest!

Tonight I will be grateful for my pillow top bed, hot shower and a husband who will hopefully wait on me hand and foot as I recover from my weekend injuries. But boy did we have a blast...now we have a treasure trove of memories to draw from until we have the courage to camp again.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

"I Am Abe Lincoln"

Laney begged the whole family to watch her 15-second school performance of Abe Lincoln. It was pretty cute to see her, along with her classmates, recite a short monologue of historical figures while decked out in character.
Laney did a great job paying homage to the country's 16th president and pride of our state.
Alrightee...that's all the energy I have to blog now. Please pray for safe travels, nice weather and full sanity as Jeff and I take the kids camping this weekend to Little Galilee Christian Camp in Clinton. With gas prices spiking to $4.05, I don't want to go anywhere this summer! But we're hoping to expose the kids to fresh air, hiking trails in the country and canoeing.
For now I need to spend the next hour searching for blankets and sleeping bags. Have a great Memorial Day everyone!

The "Goodest" Day

This weekend while Laney attended a horse show with a friend, we had Max to ourselves. Jeff taught him how to make a strawberry-banana smoothie...

Max got to enjoy his lunch of choice--Mac & Cheese, of course!

And we played upteen rounds of "Guess Who?" Max proclaimed, "Laney missed the Goodest Day Ever!" It's nice to spend time with the kids one-on-one. Max tends to be overly sensitive and quiet when his sister is around but he's incredibly well-behaved and talkative by himself.
Jeff and I have been married 8 months now...but just the other week I told him I finally felt like our family has adapted to a "normal" routine and dynamic I find relatively comfortable. It's hard enough to adjust to marriage but it's pretty challenging to create a "new family" while being respectful of the "old dynamic" you're walking into.
For the very first time Sunday night I felt like a true parent. Jeff had a guys game night at a friend's house so I watched the kids.
Everything was great until I heard the kids scream and wail at the top of their lungs at each other upstairs over something silly. I rushed upstairs and yelled, "STOP SCREAMING THIS INSTANT! You will not raise your voice in this house unless you're seriously hurt!" I've never raised my voice at them--EVER! I've always been afraid of scolding or disciplining them because I don't want them to hate me!
They were instantly quiet and just stared at me. It took a while to sort out the situation, talk to them about respect for others, and encourage them to make up with hugs. We said prayers together and I tucked them in.
All the while I was thinking about a comment Max made earlier that night. I told Jeff, "It looks like I'll play nanny while you're gone." Max responded, "You're not my nanny. You're my Miko Mom."

Fashion No-No

I about fell out of my chair when Jeff walked downstairs to announce he was ready for bed. His nightpants from the 80s paired with his ratty "I Love NY" shirt screams, "I BELONG IN GOODWILL BECAUSE NO ONE WANTS ME!"

Get a load of this tight shot...they just don't make 'em like this anymore--for good reason! It'll never make a comeback because it wasn't "in" in the first place!

For another fashion flash-back...here's Laney trying on Jeff's old wig he got at Disneyland when he was a teen. He said Alice in Wonderland commented, "Nice hair." I think not!

Jeff the Dad

While I was getting ready to hang out with friends last night, I caught a glimpse of Jeff playing a silly game with Max, Laney, and her friend. I snapped a quick picture because I thought it was so cute. Jeff's such a great dad.
I hung out with some friends from church past midnight. The talk turned to the critical role fathers play in their children's lives. One woman shared an observation from our pastor that a majority of the wounds we feel as adults can be traced back to our relationship with our fathers. Pastor Jim said his many years of counseling has taught him to clue into childhood wounds inflicted by dads--the theory holds especially true for men, but is also true of women.
I thought that was interesting. In our culture, women tend to be held in the highest esteem as children's primary nurturers and source of love and well-being. Fathers are often viewed as tangential players who should cheer their kids on from the sidelines and provide for their material needs but aren't a critical part of their development. That's most clearly reflected during custody disputes in divorce cases. It's common for women to be awarded primary custody and child support while their fathers see them every other weekend. When I share Jeff's split custody situation with people, most are surprised that he sees his kids so often.
The court system is so biased--research indicates fathers are cited more than mothers in issues such as psychological maladjustment, substance abuse, depression, and conduct problems. On the flip side, a father's love provides a buffer against the development of these difficulties and can contribute to a child's good physical health.
One of the reasons I was so drawn to Jeff was because of his genuine love for his kids and desire to be an active, engaged part of their lives. His love is more sacrificial than most moms I know of...He felt they were so slighted during the divorce and wanted to make sure they were the main priority and felt safe and loved in his home.
I always tell the kids, "You're so lucky to have a dad who loves you and would literally do anything for you." I wish I had that. I know if I operated from that same foundation, I would've made different choices in my life and felt differently about myself.
Max and Laney may come from a broken home but they can rest assured that their Daddy loves them fully and has done everything to work out the Lord's redemption and restoration in their lives and will always be a consistent support of love.

Flight 101

It was the coolest "Take Your Kids To Work Day" for me...I was assigned an article for Numero Magazine to write about flying with an instructor for the Bradley Flying Association. I asked if I could take Jeff and the kids with me and the instructor graciously obliged.

I confess my stomach was a bundle of nerves as we taxied down the runway. Of course, the instructor had full control, but he let me press on the brakes to steer the Cessna aircraft. The plane couldn't hold all four of us...so we took one trip in the air with me in the pilot's seat and on the second tour air-bound, Jeff took my place.

We had to wear head-sets so I could hear the kids if they had any concerns. I just kept hearing them squeal into my earpiece, "That is so cool! Oh my gosh! Look at that!" It WAS very cool.

I snapped this picture in-flight. Peoria's not so shabby looking from an aerial view!

By the time Jeff & the kids returned from Round 2 in the air, the sun was setting on the plane field. Sunset has always been my favorite time of the day. I've always been drawn to reporting because it allows me a peek into other people's lives and passions. And sometimes it gives you a fabulous excuse to live out a fun adventure. This time, I was happy to take my family with me.

Mother's Day Weekend

Oh, what a glorious Mother's Day weekend the Hopkins family enjoyed! There's really nothing quite as special as enjoying quality time with family. I missed my native family in Hawaii but I really loved the company of my in-laws this weekend.

20,000 women descended on University Street in Peoria to "Race for the Cute" but a whopping SIX Hopkins' ladies & babies decided to stroll the streets of Morton instead to "Walk for the Cure." Ali kept checking out Mom Hopkins' hat.

Even the Mamma Bird on my porch got into the swing of things. Her baby birds hatched this weekend...The kids anxiously anticipate the day when we can watch them learn to fly.

I could get plastic surgery up the wazoo and never look as cute as my precious niece, Ali. Never. She's truly the cat's meow and I love her to bits. I equally love my other niece, Brielle, who is just as gorgeous and sweet...But I'm afraid she starts to cry if I hold her so it's hard for me to sneak in a picture. Maybe this weekend!
I confess I was dreading Mother's Day...I have a lot of conflicting feelings about it, but Jeff and the kids made it especially sweet for me. I received the sweetest and most touching cards expressing love from Max, Laney and Jeff. Jeff also got me a new hanging plant to compensate for the Mommy Bird creating a nest in the one on our porch.

Mom's Day

This picture is small for a reason: I'm make-up-less and freezing...but my mom of course looks wonderful as always, which leads me to my list of things I love about my mother:
1. She is consistently classy and always minds her manners. She made me write thank you notes before playing with my toys and I've passed that habit along to Max and Laney--much to their chagrin!
2. She always keeps her cool. When I broke the news that I eloped in Vegas by phone, she was cool as could be...just collaborated with my stepdad to fly us out so she could meet her new son-in-law. I would've screamed and threatened murder!
3. She loooooves to shop and knows the value of a Kate Spade purse!
4. My mom is super sweet. I've only heard her swear once. She was medicated.
5. She's unconditionally supported me through bad boyfriends and bad break-ups.
6. Even when my mom was broke, she always had a blank check for me if I needed to come home--no matter the reason, no matter the price.
7. I never wanted for anything as a kid. My mom rented hotel rooms for my birthday, bought me every doll and toy under the sun, and always made me feel special.
8. I felt free to pursue jobs and colleges in different states because I had a home base in Hawaii with my mom.
9. She taught me all about skin care, make-up, and clothes.
10. She tries to be gracious even when situations turn ugly. I have yet to learn that!

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I'm sorry I can't be with you!

Summer Sweets

Pink Bubble Gum Ice Cream = HAPPINESS.
It's a seasonal summer flavor at Baskin Robbins and when I was a kid, my grandfather would purchase several quarts of it at a time so that it was always stocked up in the freezer. When Jeff and I visited my grandparents in Hawaii, he encouraged Jeff to give the kids ice cream every day. "It's good for kids!" he insisted. "It has sugar to give them energy and calcium to build their bones." Oh, by the way, we always washed our ice cream down with a can of coke. He bought those in cases! No wonder my diet is so poor as an adult.
Anyway, I read somewhere that licking ice cream cones always cheers people up because you feel like a kid and you can't help but smile when you're licking yummy goodness. I love giving the kids ice cream.

Jeff's favorite treat all year long, however, is chocolate chip cookies. I calculated that I make at least 96 cookies a month for my family--that's two batches of 4 dozen cookies each. Can you believe that? People have commented that we've both gained weight since getting married. When I stop to calculate the calorie count I know why.

But it's hard to turn down the kids when they beg to help make cookies. Max is a great baker. I forgot to ask him to wash his hands before helping last night and he asked, "You're letting me mix the butter with my germy fingers?"

Laney is a wonderful baker, too. She's an even better taste-tester. She exclaimed, "I don't like these cookies. I love them!" They were a great batch--crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. Delish!

Soccer Saturday

This weekend Max played the most popular sport in the world--soccer. Of course, most people in the world call it "football" but the rules are the same nonetheless. The main objective in soccer is to score goals. The little tykes who played understood the concept of kicking the ball into the net to score those goals, but some of the players were actually helping their opponents by trying to kick the ball into their own team's net. I wanted to yell, "Max, kick the ball in the opposite direction! You're helping the other team score a goal!" Jeff & I were cracking up as Max helped his opponents score. It was pretty cute.

You can see him in action in the middle here...Max must know I love him because I woke up at 7:30 a.m. on a Saturday and braved rain, 50 degree weather, and 15 m.p.h. winds to watch him play soccer for an hour. Now, that's love.

Mamma Bird

Jeff and I may be trying to sell our home...but a mamma bird has decided to take up residence on the front porch.
Jeff hung a lovely potted plant last year in the entryway to make it more attractive. I was hoping to plant flowers in the soil this summer, but a bird confused our hanging contraption for a nest...she even laid two eggs in it!

It's an endless source of fun for the kids, who check on the bird and her eggs every day they're with us. We took this picture of the eggs when we accidentally scared her away by getting too close. She just flocked to a nearby tree and returned when no one was around. I can't wait till the eggs are hatched to see the babies!