December is full of birthdays in the Hoopes family! Well, mine was on the 15th and it was a fun day! When you get older, birthdays aren't so magical anymore, but of course that's what happens to all the holidays when you get older! But I did get to go a fun birthday date with Nick and when we got back, my family was there to eat delicious ice cream cake (my favorite) and open presents. I got some fun things, like a new shower head (woo hoo), a new clock, a new vacumm (another woo hoo), a fabulous Celine Dion CD and a couple of Target gift cards (I really love Target)! It was a fun day! This was funny--Nick asked me on our date what was my most memorable b-day... I told him it was my 20th at Fletcher Brinkerhoff's pool house! Now that was a party! Just thinking about it makes me smile! And giggle a little too, cause if you were there I'm sure it made you smile too! It made Nick pretty curious, but I told him he wouldn't understand--you had to be there!

DANE IS 3!

Dane turned 3 on December 7th! We had a fun little party...it was on sunday, so we couldn't be too wild! All my family that lives here and G&G DeRusha came over and we played a few games, ate some Bolt cake and opened presents! We busted open a pinata too and that was funny! He got two little guitars so now he says he's a rockstar! He got a robot that shoots him and he can hide from, (Dane has a GREAT imagination), and he got a bike. He wasn't really into his bike, and on monday I found out why...he thought it was the bike we got for a buck from a yard sale and just painted it! After I convinced him this was a brand new bike, we was a happy guy! 3 years definately goes by fast! I love my Dane--he makes me happy!

Okay, so I know this is gross, but it's really funny! Well, to me anyway...Dane is really into picking his nose, and I mean like always picking his nose! He thinks there is always something there, and most of the time lately, there is, but even when there's not, he's still trying to find something! Tanner says that if I ever need to entertain Dane, just put a booger on his nose and he'll be trying to get it for hours...anyway, gross I know--but funny! He's just a gross boy!!!

I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!

This is my most favorite time of year! I love the chaos and excitement and parties and goodies and all those other things that go along with Christmas time! Oh, I I forgot the christmas MUSIC...it makes my heart happy! The other night my mom and I went to EA's Festival of the Carols and we took Paige! She was kinda squirmy, so I took her off to the side where the little steps are and we sat down on the floor. She crawled around for a minute then sat up and started wiggling her little chubby body! My 9 month old was dancing! (that might be totally normal, but I was excited!) She did it for the rest of that song and when everyone started clapping she would squeal and try to clap too! Needless to say, it was adorable! It made me love christmas that much more!
And yesterday, the three of us (Dane, Paige and I) were going to town to run errands. We have this little nativity set that talks and makes music and Dane likes it a lot! So he wanted to take it with us and while we were driving he listened to it the whole way--probably repeated 25 times! On our way home, he asked me "mom, what's a messiah?" I gave him an answer, then he asked "mom, what's dod (god)?" I guess we always refer to him as Heavenly Father, so why would he know who God was! Then he asked about the wisemen and the shepards! He didn't like any of my answers cause he kept asking them over and over! I was suprised that he was paying that much attention to it! Anyway--I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!