LAWNMOWER MEN

Branden & I have found that all Everett needs is a job to do. He is the BEST little helper. He loves to work with his Dad & does a great job. So, Branden & his shadow headed out Saturday morning to battle the lawn & the heat. As you can see, Everett wanted to be right next to him, pushing with all of his might. He is such a good boy!! I can't believe he is going to kindergarten this August.

OUR BIRTHDAY GIRL

SHE IS 13!!!!
She has always been a beautiful girl...but, can you believe how she has grown.



Here are some pictures from her 13th birthday party!!! Lots of pizza, friends & fun!!



THIRTEEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT KAMARIN--
1. She wants to do things right the first time
2. Her kind way towards her brothers
3. I love her smile
4. She is very organized
5. Her love of the Savior
6. She is a hard worker
7. She is a great writer
8. Her love of music
9. I love that she likes to hang out with me (I hope she always does!)
10. I love her zeal for life
11. I love that her favorite food is artichokes
12. She is competitive
13. SHE IS MY DAUGHTER!!!

MY DAD!

DANNY DUNCAN

I was unable to spend Father's Day with my Dad because he lives in Utah. But, I wanted to showcase a few of the photo's I have of him through the years.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!!!
A) Me & my Dad 1975
B) Britney (Duncan)Campbell, Danny Duncan, Adrienne (Duncan) Varner, & me, Amber (Duncan) Hoopes November 2006
C) Parker Hoopes & Grandpa 2003
D) Danny Duncan August 2007

MEN OF INFLUENCE

I wanted to wish all of these men in my family a VERY Happy Father's Day!! I love & cherish each of them.
1. Lance Duncan-my only brother....I love you Lancey!
2. Danny Duncan-my father, he gives the best "Grandpa kisses"(raspberries) to the grandkids!
3. Dan Varner-my brother in law, married to my sister Adrienne.
4. Branden Hoopes-my sweet husband, he is the BEST Dad!
5. Gherald Lynn Hoopes, Jr.-my father in law, & my favorite garbage man *wink*
6. Clyde Everett Weeks, Jr.-my grandpa, and Everett's namesake
7. Chris Campbell-my brother in law, married to my sister Britney.
8. Randy Bell-my step father, no one makes my Mom smile more.

I HATE YOU

"I hate you as much as garlic. And, I hate garlic so much!!!", Everett yells. Now he is fake sobbing. Hmm....all this because he wants ice cream for breakfast. "I wanna have ice cream.....(louder)....I wanna have ICE CREAM!!!" OOPS, I took his picture. "Maaaaaamaaaaa." Now we are really upset. Really?
Is ice cream that good for breakfast?
What am I missing? Oh, how I love this sweet, snuggly, crying boy!!



After a Poptart, (way better than ice cream, I know!) He got his ice cream. I am either the worst mother in the world...or the best. *wink*

INSURANCE

I know that everyone has seen Parker's fixed knee before. But, I wanted to share some information about the insurance company with anyone that is interested in reading. First, let me start by telling about my girlfriends son. He was playing over at the neighbor's and a slide fell on him. He was really hurt and had to stay in the hospital for head injuries. They HAD medical insurance. A short time later, their insurance company asked where and when the injuries occurred. She told them at the neighbor's house. Her insurance company refused to pay for anything, until a claim was filed with the neighbor's home owner's insurance. The bill for the hospital was well in the tens of thousands of $$$. This sweet friend had to go to the neighbor and ask them to file a claim for her son on their home owner's policy.
Okay, so that was a long story. But, interestingly enough, after we had Park's knee fixed...I received a letter asking me where and when his injury occurred. I knew why they were asking this information. I didn't give them false information. But, I did neglect to share with them the location. They paid for his stitches. Nice of them, huh?

SURFER BOY PARKER

MERMAID KAMARIN

BEACH BOY EVERETT

MORE ROCKY POINT--HOOPES STYLE

DOLPHINS, STING RAYS & SEA SHELLS, OH MY!

We are back!! We had such a lovely time. Another great BIG THANKS!! to Branden's parents for such a memorable Christmas (2007) gift. It is not one, that will soon be forgotten!! Our house was right on the beach!! My kids loved exploring the tide pools in the morning, while the tide was out. In the afternoon, we swam and rode the waves. We collected lots & lots of shells. I just emptied out the ziploc bag we brought them home in....and, oops, we had a couple of stow-aways. Can hermit crabs live with out sea water? What about a sea snail? We put them in our garden...who knows, maybe they will like it there. We came home tired and our skin is a little darker, it was a fun time for everyone. We saw lots of sea life...dophins, sting rays (remember to shuffle your feet when you walk), sea cucumber's, an octopus....& all shapes & sizes of crabs.

GARDEN & WATER BARRELS

Our efforts at gardening seem to have been paying off. The garden is actually growing! Woo Hoo!! We may have tomatoes, peas, beans & carrots yet. It has been Parker's job to water the tiny greenery. Yesterday morning, we awoke to the security alarm going off at 6:15 am. Parker had awoke before anyone else and decided to get to work. It scared him to death. I jumped up and silenced the alarm, but he had already been tramatized. After he settled down, he went back to work and gave all of the plants a big drink.

We also spent an evening cleaning out these barrels. They had once been filled with Dr. Pepper syrup. The boys had a grand time filling the barrels with soap suds and then rolling them around. It tooks us quite a while to complete this task. But, if we ever need to use Dr. Pepper flavored water for anything....we are totally ready!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

THIS BLOG HAS BEEN HIJACKED!!





Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday, dear Amber!
Happy Birthday to you!

We had fun at your party!!
Fun with our girlfriends and our 28 children. Whoa. We know how to party!

(Please leave Amber a comment wishing her a Happy 34)

AMISH FRIENDSHIP BREAD

My girlfriend Maquel gave me an Amish Bread "start" early last week. It takes 10 days to finish and then, it just keeps going and going. At the end of 10 days, you have enough "start" to share with 3 other people & make yummy cake-like bread. I decided to be creative and made a Caramel Apple Struessel & Chocolate Chocolate Chip Bread. The plan is to freeze it & then take it with us to Rocky Point later this week.

TO GO, OR NOT TO GO? THAT IS THE QUESTION.

The Weeks side of my family has recently started a tradition of getting together for a reunion each summer. We have a trip planned at the beginning of June (Rockypoint, Mexico) and another for the Fourth of July (Seaside, Oregon) & a boating trip over the 24th with my brother and sisters. So, we are already going every which way this summer. I really want to see my extended family & I want my kids to know their relatives. Can you see the dilemma here? The reunion is June 21 & 22nd. I would have to drive us up to Utah and then fly Kamarin back to spend the weekend with Patrick. I would then have to drive back by my self with the two boys. Hmmmm, this is not sounding very fun. I am leaning towards attending the reunion...every other year.

REACHING FOR THE STARZ

I switched weekends with Patrick so that Kamarin could go to Girls Camp, so it was just Branden, the boys and I. Branden wanted to take some desert pix, so we loaded up the truck and went to Usery Park. The weather was great!!! I am always nervous about snakes after it gets hot here. We teach our kids to walk heavy. Everett had to ask what that meant. "Just stomp when you walk." "Oh, I get it....so the snakes can hear me coming. Don't worry Mom, I will walk really hard!"

Parker decided to be Branden's shadow...and they hiked through the brush and cactus. Hopefully, he captured the perfect pix. Everett & I dug in the sand and made many moats. We finished our outing on the swings. The boys both got very daring and took turns jumping off into the sand.

ROCKYPOINT....HERE WE COME!

For Christmas last year, Branden's parents gave each of us a vacation to Rockypoint, Mexico together. The house is gorgeous & large enough to fit all of us. I took the kids a few years ago & we had an amazing time. Kamarin & I plan to have our hair braided again... a super simple "do" for long days at the beach. Here are some pix of when we went before:

GIRLS CAMP

Kamarin went to Girls Camp this week....we missed her. I remember really enjoying going to camp when I was in Young Women's. (However, I know that one of my sisters HATED every second.) It was one of the places that the foundation of my testimony began. Girls Camp had a "Sweet is the Work" theme this year...our ward was the POP ROCKS. In line with the candy theme, her leaders asked the parents to choose 4 candies to give to our daughters. Each parent was instructed to write something about the candy & liken it to our Young Woman. I picked Starbursts, Hot Tamales, Milky Way's, and a Ghiradelli gold bar. This is the letter that was given to her along with her candy on Friday night.

STARBURSTS
I have chosen Starburst for my last candy. I felt that it was important for you to know that you can accomplish anything in this life. One of my favorite quotes, is: “Two people can accomplish anything, as long as one of them is the Lord.” Always reach for the stars!! Always reach for your Father in Heaven!! We are all sent to this earth to be tested. There is a sure way to “ace” the test and return to live with your Heavenly Father…obey the commandments, search the scriptures & pray diligently. If you rely on the Lord, you will attain all that he has in store for you. You are a CHOICE daughter of God. I know that you were saved to come down to the earth at this crucial time. The Lord has an important mission for you. I know that you will be faithful! I love you so much!!

**Mom