Hopkins Happenings » Uncategorized

Swimming, The Girls, and an Egg

winz — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:36:50 +0000

We were invited to swim at Martha’s house for as second time this summer. Gavin and Miranda were also able to join in the fun this time. It was so nice to just relax and let the boys float around while we were able to talk and catch up on summer gossip. After enough time in the pool Dean decided it was time to find the girls. The boys fed the girls grapes, well…shared grapes with the girls. I think Dean ate more grapes than he threw. After snacking Dean decided to inspect the chicken coop and found a freshly laid egg in the nest. Dean and Gavin both had the opportunity to inspect the egg before Martha tucked is safely away. After our egg inspection Miranda and I decided it was time to head home with our boys. Thank you Martha for a great afternoon. We have enjoyed spending time with you and your girls this summer.

A Weekend in Katy

winz — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:17:54 +0000

After our visit to A&M we continued our trip to Katy. We were excited to spend the weekend with Adam, Genie and Mason. The trip did not disappoint. We enjoyed playing with Mason, squeezing his yummy thighs and watching him laugh, laugh, laugh. He is one seriously happy little guy. Dean loved playing with Mason’s baby toys and wasn’t concerned about the baby at all. He even manged to play the big cousin and scratch Mason on the face (so sad).

On Saturday we strolled around La Centerra, a shopping center in Cinco Ranch. There was a small farmers market set up in the center of the shopping area. After sweating and shopping we headed back for nap time and relaxing. Around 3PM Honey and Pops arrived to babysit so that the parents could enjoy a few hours of kid free fun. We loaded up and headed to KenZo, a sushi bistro, for dinner. The Sushi was fantastic. I personally enjoyed my spicy tuna roll and am looking forward to going back for more!

Genie cooked us a terrific lasagna lunch on Sunday before we headed back to Dallas. The food was wonderful and left our bellies very full for the drive home. On our way home we made a stop in Huntsville to give Granny a little birthday surprise. Dean had a great time stretching his legs and entertained Granny & Pop with lots of energetic fun.

The weekend was such a great treat for us and we look forward to doing it again soon. I look forward to watching Mason and Dean grow as cousins. It will be so much fun to see them playing soon. Thanks for a wonderful weekend Adam and Genie! We had a great time.

On the way back to DFW Dean stumbled upon something new. He must have been a little bored back there in his seat. I looked up at the mirror and immediately told Lindsey to grab her camera and catch this moment. We couldn’t stop cracking up. It seems the new sensation was interesting enough that DT wanted to try it over and over again.

Look what DT learned how to do! :/ from Matt Hopkins on Vimeo.

My Little Aggie

winz — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:56:53 +0000

Matt, Dean and I set out to visit Matt’s brother and his family for the weekend. We decided to take the route that led us through College Station. After eating at Rudy’s in Waco – such a treat for us as it is one of Matt’s favorites we finished our drive to Aggieland. I had hoped that I might be able to score a shirt or two for Dean while we were in town.

Dean enjoyed his trip to G. Rollie White coliseum, the bookstore, the demolition site formally known as the MSC, as well as Kyle Field. Dean also read his first issue of the Battalion. We were only on campus for a short while but I think Dean’s starting to bleed maroon and hold dear the many traditions of Aggieland! Whoop!

Dean Did His Business

winz — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 13:48:54 +0000

Dean pooh poohed in the potty for the first time today. I’ll spare you the pictures but let’s just say he felt much better after his experience. We are hoping he’ll latch on to this experience and start trying the potty a little more regularly. Here’s to hoping!

2nd Annual Sister Week

winz — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 01:21:50 +0000

Lesley and Emma recently visited for the 2nd annual sister week. This year Lesley and Emma made the trip alone and stayed for almost 4 days. We had a fabulous time visiting, drinking wine, and watching Dean and Emma play.

Lesley and Emma arrived on Monday evening just in time to head to the pool for some energy spending fun. We returned home to make homemade pizza, settle the kids for the evening and prepare for our trip to the zoo.

On Tuesday morning we set out for a day of fun at the Ft. Worth Zoo. Lesley and I planned to start at the top or back of the zoo and work our way back down. This was an ingenious plan in my book because we surpassed all of the crowds and had the a portion of the zoo to ourselves for a bit. The kids had a great time and managed to last long enough to see most of the zoo. After a time of rest Emma and Lesley made delicious brownies to go with our dinner while I assembled a tasty quiche (Lesley’s favorite food).

Wednesday brought indoor fun at the Gaylord Texan Hotel. The hotel was decorated with an Alice in Wonderland theme as part of their Summer Fun series. Emma enjoyed going from station to station seeing what each exhibit had to offer. Dean loved having the opportunity to run around the hotel. He wasn’t too impressed with the art. Granny Glenda joined us for the fun and then treated us to lunch at Cliffs. Emma loved playing on Glenda’s phone and had a list of new apps to download once they were home. Thanks for joining us Glenda! On Wednesday afternoon we took the kids to the pool for a second time and had just as much fun as the first.

Lesley and Emma packed up to head back to Houston on Thursday morning. We dropped Dean at school and then enjoyed breakfast and a little bit of playtime at the park before they had to head home.

I am so glad that they were able to come and visit. I look forward to our 3rd annual visit – and perhaps sneaking a trip in somewhere this winter. We didn’t do half of what I had planned but did manage to fill up every minute of our schedule. I’m an over-planner…what can I say?

Come back and visit soon! Dean is still calling for Nemma when we go to the pool.

Roxane’s Bachelorette Party

winz — Sun, 11 Jul 2010 01:15:11 +0000

The countdown is drawing near to Roxane’s big day! One of her church friends was so sweet and threw her a personal shower and dinner to commemorate the close of her days as a single lady. We had a great time sharing stories, eating at Monica’s Aca Y Alla in Deep Elum, and having late night drinks to wind down our evening. I think Roxane enjoyed her night and I was so glad I could join in the fun.

Muffin Man

winz — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 01:08:14 +0000

Blueberries have been on sale and I got a little rambunctious buying more than we could eat. I was afraid the berries were going to spoil and had a little bit of a sweet tooth so….Matt and I decided to try our hand a homemade muffins. I have only made blueberry muffins out of the box so this was a first for me. Matt and I were so excited about our yummy treat and happily popped them into the oven after mixing and pouring the batter so we could count the minutes down until taste time! About 10 min. after putting them in the power went out! I wasn’t quite sure what to do with the partially baked muffins and decided to pull them out and put them in again when the power returned. Thankfully the power was only out for about 5 min and the muffins were able to finish baking. I think our power outage resulted in a crumbly-er muffin…maybe…but they were still yummy! Matt and I enjoyed a late night snack and a delicious breakfast the next morning.

An Early Birthday Gift

winz — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 00:58:29 +0000

A few weeks ago Miranda showed up with an early birthday gift for Dean. Her husband Dave and I share a passion for coupon clipping and amazing deals. They happend to come across a steal of a deal on the Little Tykes Cozy Coupe and thought of Dean when they purchased one for Gavin. Matt and I are very thankful for the gift and so touched that they would think of Dean.

I was eager for Matt to assemble the coupe for Dean. Friday afternoon Matt and Dean got busy assembling the little car. Unfortunately the car was a little more difficult to assemble than we imagined. After a few play breaks with Dean we were finally able to complete all 32 steps of the assembly process. Dean LOVES his ride and has enjoyed playing with it daily. After a few weeks of work he has learned how to scoot himself across the patio in the coupe. I’m extremely thankful for this as I was getting tired of motoring Dean around the backyard. I would have to stay that the Coupe is Dean’s favorite backyard toy!

Thank you Dave, Miranda and Gavin for such a great gift!

On a side note…this experience has made us think twice about future Christmas gifts. Matt and I determined that we would purchase very few “assembly required” items to put together Christmas night!

Entertainment

winz — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:08:41 +0000

After returning from Houston I had made arrangements for Miranda to bring Gavin over to play. Miranda had a dentist appointment and I wanted to ensure that Dean had a little entertainment to help him come down off of the Houston fun. The boys had a great time playing but Dean ended up pooping out about half way through the date and took a very long nap. Gavin and I enjoyed a few hours of quality time before he pooped out on me too! I was blessed with 1 hour of quiet time before Dean woke up and Miranda came to get Gavin. It is so much fun to watch the boys play and change as they grow. We’ve already scheduled a few more sessions once Gavin returns from his vacation.

4th of July – Part 2

winz — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:47:10 +0000

After our fun weekend at the lake Dean and I headed to Humble to see Honey and Pops. Dean was super spoiled by his grandparents and enjoyed playing in the water hose, composing duets with pops on the piano, and cooking with Honey. We were able to visit with Ronny & Carla for 3 wonderful days. On Tuesday we headed to the Houston Children’s museum and then Carla was sweet enough to watch Dean so I could enjoy a girls night out! Jana, Lesley and I headed to the Woodlands for dinner at P.F. Changs and a little shopping. It’s been ages since I’ve been been able to walk through the mall and just browse. It was SO nice to enjoy some time with these girls and Dean enjoyed a night of spoiled play and bedtime with his H&P.

On Wednesday I had arranged a play date with a childhood friend and her son. Kim and Griffin along with Kim’s mom joined us for playtime and lunch at my parents house. Griffin and Dean are about 1 month apart and had a great time playing. It was nice to get together with Kim and swap stories about our children and our jobs (Kim is also a high school counselor). After lunch the boys were tired and ready for naps. We bid farewell to our friends and prepared to head back to Dallas.

Dean and I were so thankful for our trip to Houston and look forward to our next visit. Until Then!