More Memories

Being "whiskered".....the cane wrapped around my knee.....horses.....Grandma and Grandpa (with many others) coming to my volleyball and basketball games in Evanston and Green River--those were the road trips I looked forward to the most.....CMT music videos.....Chicken noodle soup.....Sitting at the kitchen table, with Grandma and Grandpa's spots at the head of the table.....skip-bo.....Grandpa's trophies.....headlights going straight up in the air while coming into or leaving the valley.....leaving Grandma and Grandpa's car at the port of entry to drive to the Wyoming games at BYU and Utah.....frozen cookies.....heavy quilts.....weighing horses.....pulling matches.....cheese factory.....tootsie rolls.....Fairview ward.....family prayer before church.....garden peas.....guitars and singing.....marbles and egg cartons.....did I mention horses? :)

Off we go! I can't wait to be with everyone!! :)

Love you!

Love you Grandma and Grandpa!

I can't even find the words.

I stole pictures from off of our family's website, and maybe I should get on there and steal everyone's words too.

My Grandpa Hoopes passed away today. In preparing for this day many stories and memories have been shared all week long about both my Grandpa and my Grandma. It has actually been a very happy time as we think about the incredible reunion they must be having! However, now that he really is gone the tears really are flowing and the memories keep going through my mind. I love being a Hoopes! I love my family! I love the examples of unconditional love and service I have learned from my Grandparents and from incredible Aunts and Uncles who gave everything to take care of Grandma and Grandpa.

I have felt Grandma's arm around me and her influence in my life many times in the last few years, and I know I will feel that with Grandpa also. I often think of the song that Grandma had a couple of versions of in her piano bench: "Where is Heaven? Is it very far?....When you’re with the ones you love, it’s right where you are."

Kaylee's Baptism

Kaylee was sure beautiful on her baptism day! For some reason the picture on the right and our family picture turned out fuzzy :(, but anyway, the dress on the right is what she was baptized in. It is the dress that my mom made for me and my sisters. We all wore it and Kaylee's cousin Brooklynne wore it too. Hopefully all of the little girl cousins will wear it!




It really was a special day for Matt too! I loved watching the two of them together. I was a little defensive when they were gone for a while and I said where have you guys been? They had been in the other room saying a little prayer together. I was sad at first that I wasn't in there with them, but knew that that was their time together. Kaylee and her daddy looked so wonderful in white together! I love that Matt was able to baptize her and I look forward to watching him with his arm around her more and more!



Aunt DJ did Kaylee's hair! Kaylee wouldn't have it any other way, and actually neither would I. Her hair was so beautiful!



So, I did a great job of taking pictures at first. Friday was when all of my family started rolling in. I even got a picture of the bags and shoes and stuff that started accumulating. Grandma and Grandpa had fun with their little grandsons and I had fun with them and my sisters!







Of course the cousins had a blast together!! Brooklynne and Briannyn even ended up staying an extra night and went home with Grandma and Grandpa! It was such a great time! We need to look for every chance to do that again! I didn't take nearly as many pictures on Saturday. :( That's when Matt's family came. I LOVE Matt's parents and the Heber cousins. Our families seems to always have a great time when we get together! Then at the baptism Kaylee had so many great friends there! I wish I had taken pictures of everyone! I did get one picture of Kaylee with her friend that was also baptized on the same day. It was so great for Kaylee to have that much support, so thanks to everyone that came! I'm sorry we don't have you documented on the blog!



It was a special day for me too, to be waiting with a warm towel and a hug as my oldest walked up the steps from the font. Then later, before her confirmation, we played the song "When I Am Baptized" as a piano duet. The whole day she was so sweet and so beautiful! She takes on so much responsibility as the oldest. She knows when I am starting to get flustered and takes over as a second mommy in taking care of the other kids or surprising me with a clean room somewhere. I love Kaylee and the sweet spirit that she is. It was a perfect day!

S.M.I.L.E.

So, some of these you'll probably see again on our Christmas card, but I had to post them here. Thanks to my good friend Kelly for taking these for us and to Kim for helping me with some photoshop stuff. I do plan on taking an online tutorial/class on photoshop here soon, but if we waited around for that I'd never have new pictures on my walls! Anyway, I have the greatest friends! Do check out Kelly's blog. We've decided that she is a wonderful photographer and that we have beautiful families in our book club!!

I was wanting to do family pictures, but my wonderful wisdom teeth bruising stayed around a lot longer than I wanted. It's kinda nice to have pictures of just the kids this time around though! It was a fun day!! Enjoy!!