Monday, October 27, 2008

Playing Catch Up...

It feels like forever since I have posted on this thing....I apologize if anyone thought we had fallen off the face of the planet. Rest assured, we are alive and doing well...we've just been pretty busy the past couple of weeks and I haven't had a chance to keep you all up to date. So, while Doug is at school and the girls are busy playing in the tub, I figured I would take a couple of minutes to catch up.

Two Thursdays ago, the girls and I went to the Phoenix Zoo with some friends of ours. Even though Phoenix can't compare to the SD Zoo that I'm used to, we had a blast. The girls enjoyed seeing all the animals and playing with their friend "Gracen" (that's not really her name, but that's how the girls say it whenever they ask to play with her). Another total score is that since I bought the year pass before the girls turned 3, they will get in free for the full year under my pass - how awesome is that?! Needless to say, now that we have the pass we will definintely be taking more trips to the Phoenix Zoo. Pics from the zoo are in the slideshow below.



The Saturday after the zoo, the girls and I took a little trip out to California. Although I had a very enticing invite to go up to Utah the same week, there was no way we could swing a trip up to the cold land. So, instead we drove over to good ol' Southern California and saw friends, family, and the beach. Again, the girls had an aboslute blast and I have to admit I just enjoyed getting away from Arizona. Not that Arizona is a bad place, it really isn't, it just doesn't give me the same calming, "at-home" feeling I get when I'm back in CA. Anyway, the pictures from our trip to California are in the slideshow below. In case you are wondering what the girls are doing in the first few, they decided to help Grandpa Hoopes make some fresh-squeezed OJ one morning. AK was on orange selection duty, and Roo was on trash duty...it was pretty fun to watch them.



Finally, the Saturday after the girls and I got back, Doug competed in his first Jiu Jitsu tournament. Our nephew, Tristan, also competed in the tournament. It was a lot of fun, although I think the girls enjoyed playing around in the bleachers more than they enjoyed watching the matches. I haven't had a chance to see any of Doug's training sessions, so this was the first time I really got to see him in action. I was very impressed...and I'm not just saying that because he's my husband. He has really committed himself to this whole jiu jitsu thing, and he's given me the motivation I need to start running again and get back into shape. I have put the pics from the tournament in a slide below, but you'll have to excuse the blurry pictures - it's pretty hard to get a still shot when the guys are rolling around the mat so quickly. BTY-Doug is in the black.



The same night as the Jiu Jitsu tournament, our ward had its annual Trunk-or-Treat Halloween Party in the church parking lot. The girls decided they wanted to be princessess this year, but the only costumes I could find that I wasn't totally disappointed by only came in one color/style combination (I got them at Home Goods for 25% off). I really wanted to get the girls different dresses, but this is what we ended up with. Even though the dresses are generic and totally matching, I think the girls still turned out to be pretty cute princesses. I am planning to look for some crowns or fun jewelry for this Friday, and I'll probably put their hair up and use some glitter hairspray...but...considering the fact we didn't have much time between the tournament and the party, I did as best as I could. I also added a few pics of the girls after they ate some Halloween cookies with purple frosting...AK thought it was hillarious that she had so much frosting on her hands - she was quite proud, and Roo was just being a silly, silly girl that night. Enjoy the last slideshow!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Weekend Fun

Weekends are usually pretty hum-drum for us, since Doug's Saturday and Sunday are spent primarily at the dealership. So, this past weekend I decided it would be fun for the girls and I to go out and visit their cousins in Buckeye.

Weekend Fun

Weekends are usually pretty hum-drum for us, since Doug's Saturday and Sunday are spent primarily at the dealership. This past weekend I decided it would be fun for the girls and I to go out and visit their cousins in Buckeye. We drove out Saturday afternoon and came back Sunday evening. The girls had a blast - we attended an HOA fair, jumped on the trampoline, played with Polly Pockets for hours on end, painted our "toe-toes," goofed off with cousins, watched some movies, ate LOTS of food, and just had an all-around good time. AND, since the girls were otherwise preoccupied with their cousins, I was able to catch a little bit of General Conference - always a wonderful thing.

Here are the pics from our little weekend getaway...I didn't get that many because the girls were moving non-stop! It's hard to snap photos of kids when they're playing hard...
Fun on the trampoline (we even saw a rainbow before we had to go inside on account of rain...sprinkles, really, but it was getting dark anyway)...
Playing with B-day Party leftovers and hanging out on the couch...
Hanging out in the doggy kennel (I'm not sure why, but all the kids wanted to hang out in this thing. I wasn't fast enough to snap a picture of both the girls in it, but I was at least able to get a few of AK...it was pretty funny)....
A very tired Roo, at the end a non-stop playing spree with the Hoopes cousins (notice the new orange pumpkin shirt her cousin Ashley handed down - it's been well loved for the past 3 years and will continue to be well-loved for many more)...

Thursday, October 2, 2008

It's Showtime, Baby!

This past weekend Doug went up to Las Vegas with our brother-in-law Brandon and some friends for the Mr. Olympia Convention at the Orleans Hotel. Their main reasons for going were to check out the health product freebies and to meet the MMA fighters who often attend these things....including one of my favorites Forrest Griffin. Doug came home carrying bag loads of health supplements, protein mixes, drink mixes, T-shirts, etc.

Even though he has since given away most of the health supplements to co-workers, he is still pretty stoked from this weekend. This wasn't the first time Doug has met professional fighters, but it was the first time he attended such a large venue. Although I'm sure he'll deny it, I think his favorite part of the entire trip was the dinner buffet...all the crab, lobster, and shrimp he could eat. All-in-all, he said it was a really cool weekend.

So, imagine his surprise when he went online last night to one of his favorite websites and found himself watching...well, himself! Yup...Doug has made it into the big time, folks...he has appeared in his first internet video clip. He was pretty stoked about it, so I figured I would post it on our blog. I couldn't find a directlink to the video, but if you click here (http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=Multimedia.home), it will take you to the UFC multimedia homepage, then scroll down and look for the clip dated Sep-29-2008 entitled UFC Fighters Meet Fans at Mr. Olympia (it is the fourth one down as I'm writing this post). You will catch a couple of glimpses of Doug and the guys at the beginning of the clip, then about 8 seconds into it, he gets a full on close up. NOTE: Look for the guy in the black G.O.S.K.A.T.E. shirt.

We're not expecting to get contacted by Hollywood agents, or hassled by the paparazzi any time soon...but this is Doug's first big "claim to fame," so we thought it might be fun to share with everyone. Happy viewing!

P.S. For those who aren't aware, Doug started training in jiu jitsu a few months ago. He absolutely loves it, and tries to train as often as his schedule allows. He has made a lot of improvement since he first started, and he loves the challenge of learning new moves. Doug's first tournament is in three weeks, on Saturday, October 25, 2008. Let's keep our fingers crossed and wish him good luck...he's already getting a little nervous about the event.

Thursday Tag

This one was kind of fun...ENJOY!

I am...trying to be better
I think...about anything, and everything, all the time. My brain doesn't seem to have an on/off switch, which is why I can't sleep most nights.
I heart...Doug, my girls, my family and friends, Target, craigslist, El Pollo Loco, Oceanside, food, fresh flowers...and the list goes on
I dance...all the time, whether there is music or not. Sometimes I can get the the girls to join in, but lately they've been telling me "Stop that mama. You stop that right now!"
I want...to be done with school, to be out of debt, to be in a home in Oceanside, to lose 10-15 pounds or just learn to be happy with myself, to be a good mother and wife
I have...an amazing husband, two patient and loving daughters, and the most wonderful family and friends. What more do I really need?
I am scared of...disappointment and failure
I hate...losing my temper with Doug or the girls; I should be able to control my emotions better than I do.
I miss...sunsets at the beach in Oceanside
I write...when I get mad, because I can express myself much better in writing; if I try to talk when I'm angry, I just get all flustered and tongue-tied
I wish...I were sleeping