BYU! It's official!!!!

Okay...what can I say...I'M THRILLED that my daughter has had the dream of going to the college that John and I graduated from. We didn't push her to do it...but she has WORKED SO HARD FOR THIS GOAL, and we are so proud of her.  


Oh, and if you havent guessed...KINSEY GOT INTO BYU!!!! (I guess it is important to state that Kinsey also got into University of Florida...a very very difficult school to get into.  And she also got into BYU idaho)


The excitement level of our house has been VERY high as we can finally talk about the reality of Kinsey going to the school of her dreams.  

I realize it is that time of year when many seniors find out their fate. Find out where they will go to college.  But knowing the back story of this girl of mine, just makes it so amazing.  First of all...you have to realize how hard it is to get into Brigham Young University these days. It is a private school owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  So many people want to go there, that the standards are VERY high to get in. I don't know if Kinsey's friends from school realize what a big deal it is to get into this school.  Kinsey has wanted this since she was small. We visit the campus in the summers, and she has attended youth camps there, and she knows what a stellar institute of learning it is, and she has been very focused.  I feel like so many of her decisions for the past 4 years have been all about getting into college, getting into a college she wanted, and getting scholarships.  If you want to describe "determined", Kinsey would fit into that description. 


This is the part I get to brag a little.  Kinsey would die if she knew I had a post all about her "accomplishments"...but oh well.  Kinsey has had straight A's all through highschool (and middle school too).  In fact, with all of her AP classes, she has a 4.9 weighted GPA, and 4.0 unweighted.  She has taken a crazy amount of AP classes, and passed a crazy amount of AP tests.  In fact I remember when she was studying for her first AP tests and she was astonished that everyone didn't take the studying as serious as her.  Well, I guess it paid off. She has something like 24 college credits.  And all the studying she did for those AP classes (a crazy crazy amount each night), has prepared her for the amount of work she will have to do in college. I don't think she will be shocked by the work load at all.  And all of this she did on her own. She is very self motivated. I watched her over the years and realized how much effort she put into all of her classes.  She put in effort, even when others in her classes were not.  I was so impressed with that.  She has also been involved in Student government each year, (this year she is Senior Class Vice President).  She is also one of the leaders in National Honors Society, and is heavily involved in Chorus.  I know many kids are "involved", but you have to understand, that Kinsey does NOT like to be the center of attention, and has a very shy side to her, so this  has been a really an accomplishment for her to come out of her shell.  She is a good and loyal friend. She is down to earth, humble, hard working and kind...and she is graduating 16th in her class (of 800 students). I AM SO PROUD OF MY FIRST BORN. 

Since Kinsey found out about BYU, the conversation around the Lopez house has been so heavily about "all things BYU" , " all things college".  Kinsey have been talking non stop about where she should live, what the classes will be like, what the snow is like, what kind of people we think she will meet, what job she will get when she gets there...etc. etc. etc.  Surprisingly, Kinsey really listens to what I have to say about BYU, even though i was there so many years ago.  I feel like we have really bonded in talking about Kinsey's future experience at school. She is so excited, I am so excited, and it is neat to see her future coming so soon.  Kinsey wants to go into the very competitive Nursing program at BYU, and we talk a lot about that too. If anyone can do it, it is Kinsey. She already has the work ethic, the determination, and the smarts.  


Okay...now that I have stated that I am SO HAPPY FOR HER, I need to confess...I AM GOING TO MISS HER SO MUCH AND I'M REALLY HAVING A HARD TIME WITH ALL OF THIS.   It's not that I don't want her to have this experience, I totally do. I am just having a hard time with the fact that this day has come so soon. I am having a hard time that my family will be changing so much.  Only three kids at home?  That will be so different and so hard.  I will truly miss this girl of mine so much. She is such a pleasure to have around and it is hard to imagine my family without her.  Though for her...I can see that she very much has a touch of "senior-itis" and wants to be on her own.  So I guess it will all work out. 

Just a Friday afternoon

Oh how I love FRIDAY afternoons.  And oh how I love the "winter" in Florida.  This was just a Friday afternoon in early February. Perfect outside play weather.  After a long week of school, the minute we pull into the driveway, the kids and their friends just jump out of the van, and without even going in the house, they commence their "play".  Aww Friday. The day of no homework. A day of play. So this particular Friday afternoon, I followed them outside with my camera.  Most days I find a serious football game going on in the street (my boys along with our next door neighbor are OBSESSED with football), or a basketball in the driveway, or maybe some crazy trampoline games.  But today...I found chalk, chess, and a scooter.  Still provided hours of fun.  My kindle and I sat happily on the porch reading and relishing in our own "Friday" happiness.  Oh how I love Friday.  Friday means..."THE WEEK-END IS HERE".  Friday means..."PIZZA FOR DINNER". Friday means..."TIME WITH MY HONEY".   Friday means my Chick Fila "Date" with Cooper at lunch.  Friday means DVD's, and popcorn, and fun, and family time, or possibly a date. LOVE! 

Something "NEW"

So we added something NEW to our lives.  A new car.  Though I LOVE IT, and want to claim it as "ours" it will mostly be John's to drive.  It is "New" in many senses of the word.  "New" as in it is only a few years old.  "New" as in low miles.  "New" as in it has lovely leather seats and a sun roof opposed to crumb filled seats and a door that won't unlock.  And "New" as in it is a "New" concept for John to be driving a car that actually runs well, looks great, and that he likes.  And "New" as in...you don't actually have to literally Roll UP THE WINDOWS.  Believe it or not, my sweet husband has had the most humble of cars all these years, without one single complaint.  Not that my Van is anything to shout about, but it has always had a few more conveniences than John's car.  John drove the same car for 10 years. It was just a bare bones simple little car, but we have always been so thankful to have a car with no car payment. Even though most of John's staff at work has had a nicer car than him, John has been a trooper.  Well, that bare bones car died last year, and so John started driving another simple bare bones little car (a sweet couple in our ward gave it to us...and we got it running and were going to let Kinsey drive it).  Poor Kinsey had to give up the use of her little car so that her dad could have it.  But now...it was time.  We got John a "new" car, and the bare bones simple car is now Kinsey's "new" car.  I guess the word "new" is relative.  And I have a new "date" car. Yea!  What I love the most about this whole story is the fact that I have a husband that will do whatever is best for the family. He never complained, he never acted like he had to have a nice car to make him feel good about himself. He is humble, down to earth, and just such a good man.  But for the man that drives an hour to and from work...I'm happy he can drive in a little more comfort for now...even though he will have to learn how to use power windows :) 

Our cute "new" VW Jetta  (incidentally...the car I have wanted for years.  Yea! )

Cooper [now 5 years old]

My little man...now FIVE YEARS OLD. I can't really stand it!  I told him that he was not allowed to go above 4, but I guess he betrayed me. Ugh...how do you let you baby grow up?  It seriously kills me, but he is so darn fun, and so darn cute...that I guess I can handle it. We had the pirate party on a Saturday, and we had taken some pics of the party with a backdrop.  After his party, he was anxious to get out and play with his new flag football set.  Well...I bribed him to let me take a few pics of him first (since we kind of have a tradition of doing this on his birthday).  So I did this all in the matter of minutes.  Apparently the boy has some skills.  He has learned well from his mother and now just knows how to bust out those poses. He was cracking me up. So yes...I will now post far too many pictures of my boy.  But who the heck cares?  Right? 

Things I love about my five year old Coop:


He is just so dang funny.  Alway coming up with a crazy dance move, a silly face, or something funny to say.  


Today he asked me if Jesus created the world. I told him yes, but with Heavenly Father's guidance.  Cooper asked me if Heavenly Father was the boss of Jesus. After we established that they are pretty much a team, and that Jesus loves doing what Heavenly Father wants him to, cooper says to me, 
"Mom, when heavenly Father told Jesus to create the earth, I bet Jesus just said, 'LET'S GET THIS THING DONE"!  


He can spend up to an hour doing Wii "Just Dance 3".  


He tries so hard to keep up with his big brother that he is going to be an AWESOME football player someday.


His raspy deep voice.  Seriously...it should be on commercials.  Along with that lisp...he could be making us some big bucks. Too bad he is SO DANG SHY around people he doesn't know. 
I love how much he still loves me.  Always makes sure to give me enough kisses each day. 


His ability to navigate john's iphone far better than I can. 


I love this boy so much. Happy Birthday Cooper.

Yo Ho Ho Ho

 Yo Ho Ho Ho, a Pirate's life for me.  Well...for Cooper at least.  For Cooper's 5th birthday party, he wanted a pirate party. We had a "amazing race"style treasure hunt, complete with tasks and clues.  We had "pin the treasure on the map".  We had a surprise visit from "the Dread Pirate John".  I think we achieved as much of the "pirates life" as we were going to get for one day.  Whew!  But we had so much fun and the kids seemed to love it. Most importantly, Cooper loved it.  

                                           The SURPRISE VISITOR, The dread pirate John!
(Okay...I must say...John did a great job with this. I basically sprung this idea on him the day before, and he ran with it.  He even gave the kids sword fighting lessons. Hmm. I think I like Pirates more than I thought :)

Goodbye to sweet baby Colin

Our hearts are breaking because of the loss of this precious little boy.  Colin McConaughy died this past month of a brain tumor, only diagnosed days before his death. The shock and sadness still hits me every time I think about him and his family.

The McConaughy's were friends of ours here in our neighborhood.  Our son Carver, and their son Andrew, have been in school together for three years, and been the best of friends.  Andrea and I carpooled to school together and our boys spent countless hours at each of our homes.  I remember two years ago when the McConaughy's adopted sweet baby Colin.  He had been waited for for so long, and he was truly the light of Andrew and his parents lives. Last summer, the McConaughy family moved to South Carolina, which has caused Carver much sadness. 


Last month I received an e-mail from Andrea telling us that Colin had suddenly gotten sick, and that after three weeks of doctors appointments, they found a brain tumor.  She was asking for our prayers, but a day later, little Colin passed.  The family was in utter shock, as were we all.  I cried for days.  I know that little Colin has gone to live with our Heavenly Father, but I cried for her family. I cried for his mother. I can't imagine what it would feel like to lose your baby. I am praying constantly that the Lord will give the McConaughys comfort. 


I had the opportunity to take so many pictures of Colin, and his family. I put this collage together and printed it on a 11x14 matt board for the family. I wanted to post it as a tribute to this little boy, and his brave family. He only needed to come to earth for a few years to get his body, and the McConaughy's are the family that were chosen to take care of him.  They are a very special family. 


Be sure to love on your little ones today, and every day. Hug them tight and be thankful for every minute you have with them. 

Prader Willi Convention

Can you imagine what it would be like to ALWAYS feel hungry?  Can you imagine if you were genetically built to be this way? Can you imagine what it would be like to only be able to eat half the calories as an average person, just to keep alive? Can you imagine needing a growth hormone that costs  $25,000 a year, and insurances don't want to cover it.  My 13 year old great-nephew Payton knows what this feels like. He was born with Prader Willi Syndrome, but was not diagnosed until a year ago.  His developmental delays were thought to be a result of a difficult birth.  The diagnosis was a shock, but a blessing as now my niece knows better how to take care of Payton. In November there was a Prader Willi Convention here in Florida.  Joanne contacted me to see if I could get together a group of people that might like to help out at the conference, with the PWS kids, while their parents attend meetings.  I was so excited to be a part of this and talked to women at church and got a small group that were able to come.  From one of them, a whole school group decided to come as well.  The mormon missionaries in the area were contacted as well, and 40 of them came to volunteer one of the days.  Kinsey and I went for two days to help with these kids, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I have had.  It was wonderful to be with my nephew for those two days.  My friend Stefanie and I were able to help with his group for the first day, and Kinsey and I helped the second day. I grew very very attached to these kids in his group (ages 10-17) and had such special moments with them. I love seeing my niece and her husband (Payton's mom), and my sister and her husband (they were all attending the conference). 

There was a "SURVIVOR" theme to the convention. These kids face very serious issues in their lives and they require special medications and special care and supervision, just to safeguard their lives.  They are very concerned about schedules, and what is happening next, and why...and WHEN.  Biggest question of the day?  "WHEN IS LUNCH".  We helped with many fun activities and crafts for the kids and grew to know them and love them. They are so sweet and so loving. It was AMAZING to have all of those missionaries there.  What a great sight to see them connecting with the kids. What a neat sight to see the conference workers so impressed with them.  19 and 20 year old boys that are polite and don't use bad language, and love kids?  They couldn't believe it.  It was wonderful to be a part of this.  Just wish I had brought my camera to capture the essence of my experience there.  Luckily a friend of mine took a few of these pics for me. 

               Me and Kinsey with some of our wonderful friends that came to help at the convention. Savannah Sardon, Megan Wallace, Stefanie Dowdy, Lorraine Roe, and Rachel Mann (not pictured)

Just a boy, his mom, and a very famous mouse

What could be better than a whole day at the most magical place on earth...with a little boy as cute as this!  Well, about a month back, Cooper and I had so much fun on our special date to Disney.  I had a couple of free tickets to Disney and I wanted to go with Cooper.  Honestly, even though we live so close to this magical place, the kid has not been since he was pretty small, and since we don't have season passes anymore, we don't get to go very often. So, Cooper has been "earning" his ticket by getting smiley faces for being positive and helpful (Which means it took a bit of time to earn).  We had been waiting for the perfect day to go (which means we have been waiting a long time).  Finally, in the middle of December, we picked a day.  Before all the Christmas vacationers descended upon Disney, and far enough into the season that it was not too hot.  Cooper skipped pre-school and we high tailed it to the park...and WE HAD SUCH A GREAT DAY! We got there the minute the gate opened and that kid did not give up until we were kicked out that night. In the first two hours we just ran from ride to ride and had literally no lines.  Cooper got to ride everything he wanted...multiple times.  What was his favorite?  The Speedway.  We went on it five times.  The lines got a bit longer, but most rides were still only about 10 minutes. What a great day.  How fun to just be with my little guy all day long. He just talked my ear off, asked me 20 billion questions that I think I made answers up for, and was in the best mood.  We had such a wonderful time.  Of course I was tired by about 1:00 p.m., but I pushed on for the boy :)

A little more Christmas

Christmas eve was really neat this year. We had been so busy during the season and done some really neat things as a family and with great friends, so it was fun to just be together as a family on Christmas eve.  We had dinner at Macaroni Grill (kind of a tradition of ours, when it works out), then we headed over to the "Christmas Carousel".  When we lived in Seattle, we used to take the kids to ride a special carousel at christmas time.  And what a totally cool carousel it is.  So beautiful.  So we thought we would perpetuate the tradition here.  We headed home for hot chocolate, a special lesson about Christ, opening Christmas p.j.s, and the reading of the "Night Before Christmas". It was such a special evening and I loved seeing the excitement on the kids faces. 

And Christmas day was...as wonderful as ever.  Awww. I love Christmas. I love just hanging around the house in our pjs.  I love our Christmas brunch of egg nog, monkey bread, and egg caserole. I love taking naps.  I love watching movies together and playing new games together.  

I love Cooper's Face above.  So dang excited.  These boys know how to REACT to their Christmas presents.  

And this year...I loved going to church in the middle of all of this.Yes, that originally would have been said in a sarcastic way.  Actually, the last thing in the world I wanted to do on Christmas day, was get all dressed up and go out. That being said, once we actually got there (our church is 25 minutes away...so it's not just like walking across the street or something)...I LOVED IT! I loved being in church and hearing the beautiful Christmas music, feeling the spirit, learning more about Christ, and seeing so many of our special friends.  

The whole Christmas vacation was wonderful. Pretty sure I ate my own weight in cookies, candies, and other yummy stuff...but that's what new years resolutions are for...right? For John's birthday on the 30th, I had a photoshoot in the morning (not sure how that happens every year), but then I grabbed John and we escaped to Daytona Beach to an AMAZING hotel called "the Shores".  Oh my goodness. So gorgeous, such neat rooms, on the beach, fire pits around the pool, four poster beds, giant christmas tree in the lobby.  Seriously an amazing get-away. So glad we could get away and just be together to celebrate his birthday. Wish I would have taken my camera...but I think I was trying to get away from it. It was a VERY busy season for my photography.  Think I had 12 shoots in the last two months.  A blessing, but so busy.  Anyway, i think we have some cool pics of our "get-away" on John's phone. Hmm. it would be cool if I knew how to find those.  Hmm.