The Lopshire Family

Announcing Emmeline Eve

2010-11-26T18:12:00.000-08:00

Emmeline Eve joined our family today at 11:07 AM weighing in at 8 lbs 12 oz and 21.5 inches. We are thrilled with our new bundle of joy!

The happy family minus Keara who is fighting croup at home with Grandma B. Asher shows his true feeling about having two younger sisters. Grandaddy Dave adores each of his 18 grandchildren!

Asher is 3 yrs old!

2010-07-19T13:15:00.000-07:00

Asher loved all his presents! Can you tell I'm pregnant?! I am having another baby girl in November. We are excited (even though it's a bit of a surprise). :)

His cousins (Kezia 4, Zander 2 and Sabra 6) came and brought the slip and slide. It made the party so much fun. Thanks Nat!

Lovin' the slip n' slide!

Ben loved the slip n' slide as much as the kids (or maybe more, I couldn't tell)!

This is cousin Phineas (7 months) and my baby Keara who is almost 1, what cute babies! My dad and mom are holding the babies. They are in Honduras right now picking up DJ from his mission. I love my family so much!

My in-laws (Becky and Jerry) putting a band-aid on Asher's foot while his cousins watch closely. Asher is so spoiled with love. Thanks everyone who came to the party, we love you!

The Latest With the Lopshires

2010-01-30T20:33:00.001-08:00

All 4 of us on a Sunday afternoon. This is the best picture we have been able to get of Asher and Keara at the same time. It's been fun and busy having two kids, but I couldn't be happier

Keara at 5 months being held by our good friend Mary. Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks!

Asher looks angelic when he's sleeping! And... yes that is a pink binky. It was late, we couldn't find any- so I ran to the nearest store (Walgreens) and all they had were pink and purple binkys. I wonder if he'll look back at these pictures when he's older and say, "Mom, I can't believe you let me suck on a pink bikny!"

I tell Asher to smile showing his teeth and this is the cute face we get! He is a great big brother to Keara- the other day a little girl he didn't know started rocking the car seat while Keara was in it- totally innocent, but not to Asher. He ran right up to her and pushed her away and said, "my sister!" I was trying not to laugh since the little girl was crying laying flat on the ground :)

Welcome Keara Lynn

2009-08-13T19:53:00.000-07:00

Here we are! Keara Lynn was born Aug 1 weighing 6lbs 5 oz and was 19.5 inches long. I made it to 40 weeks ( with Asher I only made it 36) and the VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) was successful! I feel really good and would have to say the second time around is a lot easier...

Asher is the one to keep me on my toes. All in all I would have to say that he is adjusting pretty well though- he's 2, so I'm sure it's only normal to expect him to point his laser gun straight at her mouth and shoot... it makes a loud noise too (he got it from my sister Nat and her kids for his b-day- I will return the favor when my nephew Zander turns 2) haha!

Though this isn't the most flattering picture of me, I thought that Keara looked adorable so wide awake :)

Sunday Best :)

2009-04-09T20:17:00.000-07:00

Asher is such a fun boy - and will be a great big brother- that's right, I am having a baby girl!! We are due Aug 2nd, but she'll probably come sometime in July. We are so excited and I am starting to feel a lot better- the first 18 weeks were pretty rough. It wasn't all rough, I mean I did lose 10 lbs! (no worries, the doctor assured me that since I was overweight when I got pregnant I am okay) haha!

Aren't they handsome?! Ben is really good at making Asher laugh, it's fun to see them- Asher is a definite daddy's boy!

Ben told Asher to pose, but Asher just wanted to see the pictures on the camera :)

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:18:00.000-08:00

These are some family pictures taken by aunt Marjie. They are a few months old, but you all know how great I am at updating my blog, hehe. Asher is making the funniest face, I don't even think it looks like him. He is really good at saying "no" and a few other words, we are working on "yes" for now. It's so fun to be his mom and it keeps me busy.

I will update with some more pics soon. Life has been exciting and the Lord has been good to us, so I really have nothing to complain about! Hope you are all doing well and know that I think of you, even though I don't keep in touch that great all the time. :)

Fun with the Fam!

2008-10-17T11:24:00.000-07:00

The first 3 pics are from Wednesday at Gardner Village- it is the Witch Festival and we have been going for the last few years. My parents are with all 12 grandkids! Little Megan was born to Matt and Melissa at the end of Sep- I love how Emily is holding her like it's no big deal. Zachary was born in June and now Amanda will have a baby in April! My nieces and nephews mean so much to me and of course my own baby means so much, too :)

The other pics are of Asher and me at McDonalds in Seattle where we saw my cousin Tabitha and her husband and kids (I didn't get pics of them :( ) , then the rest are just cute pics of Ash-ba-dash (as his cousins like to call him)!

So Much Going On :)

2008-10-17T10:19:00.001-07:00

Ben and I have been married two years. It's been so rewarding, at least for me, though I am sure he would say the same :) I get to stay at home with Asher and I babysit my friend Nicole's baby Grant a few days a week. Ben has 3 quarters left of school and then he will have a BS and officially be a Computer Programmer.

Not a great pic, but a great memory! We are in downtown Seattle at the Market Place where there are tons of people and fish; flowers come by the dozen (seriously it's like $3 for 12). It is gorgeous there.

Go Seahawks! This is Ben's favorite team so for our anniversary our brother-in-law Jeff got tickets for us to go- we went with Amanda and Jeff too, it was really fun. They lost, but we had fun anyway- these are some die hards that let us get our pic with them.

The Seahawks field is HUGE and loud- they have the record for causing the most false starts for their opposing team; bc it's so loud it makes it so the opposing team can't hear eachother :)

Amanda and me at the Seahawks game- She and Jeff did so much for us last weekend. Thanks so much! Also, Amanda is expecting the 13th grandchild on the Zolman side- we are all so excited :) She and Jeff are headed to MN for work- Jeff's a Psychologist and Amanda works with computers. Needless to say they both do pretty well for themselves!

This was a street performer that had Asher pretty entertained. The guy could balance a guitar on his chin, do 2 hoola hoops and play another guitar (I didn't get a pic of that amazing stunt).

Jeff and Amanda at Applebees, we had a fun time just hanging out with
them and their cute puppy Trixie.

Asher and Trixie playing- they are the same height and loved playing together. Asher loved giving her hugs and Trixie loved giving Asher kisses :)

2008-09-02T19:46:00.000-07:00

So, I realized that the reason I am not so great at blogging is because it's all or none- I spend hours looking at blogs and updating my own, or I don't look at anyone's blogs and don't update mine- the lesson; balance :) Isn't that the quest of life though- to have perfect balance?! Anyone who has got it down let me know how you do it!

Asher and I love hanging out all day, he is such a happy kid and makes sure we know what he wants. For example, I go to wipe his nose and he shakes his head back and forth so fast, while screaming, that all I end up doing is spreading snot across his face! It's like I have to wrestle him down to change his diapers, too. I can't complain though, he keeps life fun and interesting!

The top picture I took today after he had been in the laundry room staring at the dryer for more than 5 minutes- that's a really long time for a 13 month old -he was totally enthralled!
He is close to walking, but still prefers holding our finger as he goes. He now weighs 24 lbs and is 30 and 1/4 inches tall, he is getting so big and our life has so much purpose as his parents!

2008-07-15T20:21:00.000-07:00

The three Lopshire boys, so handsome (and hairy) with their shirts off. We'll let you know if Asher has hair on his chest/back by the time he's 2. He probably will!

2008-07-15T20:10:00.000-07:00

Asher is one! The Lopshires all went to 7 Peaks to celebrate Asher's first birthday and Grandpa Jerry's 50th birthday. Asher wasn't so sure about the cake at first. Then he got into it after Papa J smashed a handful into Asher's mouth. He also got a baby boy doll from Grandma Becky, which I think is awesome. But Ben kept telling Asher, "this is the one time that I will let you punch something in the face," a little dramatic, I know :)

PS Sorry that I am not so good at updating my blog, I just don't make time to do it. My sister Julia is a great blogger, so if you want all the updates you should go to her blog (you can connect from mine).

Asher and Grandpa Z

2008-06-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

The first picture is of Grandpa Zolman feeding Asher. At our trip in MT Asher was kind of clingy, but as soon as he saw my dad he went to him, it was a so sweet and a nice break for me! My dad calls Asher "AW" for Asher William. It's cute, even though it reminded me of the rootbeer at first!

Asher loves to stand and carefully move from cushion to cushion. I don't know why he loves standing and walking so much (with help), he doesn't even crawl yet! He rolls around and scoots backward. I'm not too worried though, I never crawled (I scooted) and I didn't walk til 18 months. We just take things a little slower :)

Memories in Montana

2008-05-21T09:54:00.000-07:00

My 2 sisters Natalie and Julia, our 4 kids (Nat has Sabra 4, Kezia 2, and Zander 11 months and I have Asher 10 months) and I went on a trip to Montana. It was so memorable and these pictures are just a few that we took in Great Falls at my Grandpa Art's grave. My parents are both from Great Falls and we saw my dad's mom and her husband, Grandpa Niel. That's a picture of them below.

I didn't know my Grandpa Art very well, I actually have no memories of him, but it was nice to see his grave and reflect upon how things have changed. My dad has made a complete 180 since his childhood. He and my grandma joined the LDS church when he was a boy, and that was the beginning of all the transformations. From a childhood of alcohol, hostility and abuse, my dad embraced the hope the gospel brings and did his best to raise us 9 kids with my mom. I am very grateful for that. Now my siblings and I, with our spouses are trying to raise our children with firm core values and Faith in Jesus Christ.

After 2 days in Great Falls, we went to Big Fork where my Grandma Vicki loves. My Grandpa Lee passed away a few years ago and so my grandma lives in their beautiful lakeside house alone (actually right now there is a family taking care of her since she was in a bus accident and broke her femur and her hip). The house is set on Flathead Lake and brings back so many fun memories of my childhood- boating, swimming and running up the twirly stairs in the house (sorry I have no pictures). I hope that my grandma continues to feel better!

The last night we stayed in Missoula after we went to my cousin Rande's wedding. She is the oldest daughter of my mom's youngest sister Sharla (these are the names of all of the girls, Sheila (my mom), Sherill, Shauna, Sharla). It is a total tongue twister! All of my aunts were there and my cousin Lindsay, her baby Dean, and my other cousin Chelsea, her husband Travis and their 2 boys Cole and Carter. We don't see extended family that much, so we just caught up. Chelsea's boys are sooo cute. They are 5 and 6 and fearless. They came up to me, "Hi my name is Cole, What's your name?" Carter did the same thing, shook my hand, and then they said, "nice to meet you." Talk about manners!!

I need to mention a highlight. We met my mom, dad, brother DJ and sister Amanda in Missoula. Amanda flew in from Washington and I just love her. She is married to Jeff and I secretly hope that they will move back to Utah where all the family is (on both sides). He will be done with his post doctorate Sep 1 :) My parents and DJ made a week of the trip and went to a few temples on the way, including the Cardston, Canada temple. I am so thankful for my wonderful family. I'll admit though, I was ready to come home and cuddle with my hubby Ben!

DJ and Asher :)

Sick Baby :(

2008-04-29T20:58:00.000-07:00

Bath time is so much fun! Even though Asher was more interested in looking at the camera in this pic, he really loves to splash like crazy. It's been so fun having a baby and experiencing all of these fun moments. I think that Ben is ready to have more (he has been since Asher was 4 months) but since I am the one that throws up and feels sick most of the pregnancy, I think we'll wait a bit :)

Right now Asher's ears are both infected. It has been terrible for us and especially for him. It's so sad to hear him groan in pain. Last night, at about 1:00 AM Asher was so wired and so tired that he was disoriented. He kept looking around like he didn't recognize where he was and he screamed any time I tried to lay him down or rock him. I wanted to cry! Luckily the antibiotic is kicking in and tonight he is fast asleep. This is my first experience with a really sick baby, so you all know how that is.

Actually, he first got sick at Kim Bell's house, a friend I hadn't seen since right after highschool (this is why I like blogging, we get back in touch). I had just fed Asher and was standing up to leave and Asher threw up all over me, himself and the floor. Kim's 2 year old Jaxson heard me let out a little yell and he ran over and asked "What happened?" It was so cute, he talks so well. I hope that her kids didn't get sick, too!

Flash back!

2008-04-16T22:15:00.001-07:00

This is Ben and his mom Becky. This is the day that we got engaged and we went to his mom's 30th Highschool Reunion. It was August of 2006. Becky is a great mother-in-law, so supportive and generous. The other picture is of us at Grammy and Papa's old house in Marysvale :)

2008-04-13T19:48:00.001-07:00

This is just a snapshot of Ben and me, not the best picture
but we were just hanging out on our well used blue couch.
The couch first belonged to my Aunt Shauna, and then it
went to my sister Natalie and then to us. Aren't hand-
me-downs the greatest!

2008-04-13T19:41:00.000-07:00

Multi-tasking! Ben is studying computers at Nuemont University
(a private school) and his schedule is 10 weeks on 3 weeks off. He
will be done in September 2009 and will have a BA degree. When
he shows me projects from school they are so over my head, but
at least he enjoys it. He is so fun with Asher too, sometimes I get
all teary-eyed because he is such a good dad (he doesn't really know
that). Needless to say, I feel pretty lucky to be his wife!

2008-04-08T14:15:00.001-07:00

Asher loves his biscuits!

2008-04-08T14:01:00.000-07:00

This is my sister Julia and Asher, she is the best
Aunt ever! She can make him giggle like no one!

2008-03-30T21:40:00.000-07:00

This weekend we celebrated 5 birthdays with the Lopshires - they wouldn't even give all of them free birthday ice cream, only 2 :) Happy Birthday to Jen, Leif, Marjie, Garry, and Peyton! We ate at the Wingers in Provo and it was super good.

The most fun was seeing Asher and Brooklyn try to take each other's toys, it's like their own toys weren't good enough! It was good to see Gma and Aunt Terry too. This weekend we get to go camping, so we will have fun pics from that.

Thanks for all your comments on losing the baby weight- they were so entertaining and even helpful :)

Losing the Baby Weight :)

2008-03-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

So, this is just a question that I want to pose. How do you all lose the baby weight? I weigh the same that I did when Asher was born and he is 8 months old. I know that I can eat less and exercise more, but did any of you mothers have a hard time losing the baby weight? It's not like I sit at home and eat all day, and I try to walk/run often, but it seems like I'm kinda stuck.

Please share advice, your own stories or just tell me that I look just fine - haha not really :) Thanks again, it's fun to be back in touch better with you all! Laura

Better Late Than Never

2008-03-24T20:47:00.000-07:00

It was my new year's resolution to create a blog and so here we go- 3 months into the year. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part, but I have loved looking at my sister's, my cousin's and all my friends' blogs. I hope that you all like looking at the Lopshire blog, too!

I'll start by telling you about Ben and me. We met 4 days after he came home from a year in Iraq. His sweet sister Jen and I worked together at Pinnacle Security and she wanted to hook us up. So, when he came into our work to visit Jen she introduced us- I loved how tall and big he is, and I still do of course. We went to the Stadium of Fire with all his family (great first date, I know) and hit it off. We started to date and weren't worried because I was planning to do a semester in Guatemala with my friend Lisa- plans changed and we were married 3 months later on Oct. 12, 2006! It was quick, but it's worked perfect for us! A month later I was sicker than a dog- yes, I was pregnant with our sweet baby Asher. He came a month early, so he was born exactly 9 months and 2 days after we were married. Grammy (Ben's grandma) jokingly says, "thank goodness for those two days!"

Asher has been a complete joy to us and made my less than pleasant pregnancy worth it. He is good natured, smiles a lot and loves to play in the bath. He loves when daddy tickles him or when I blow on his tummy. He's 8 months now and is good at rolling over, sitting up and eating foods (though he is partial to nursing or a bottle). You can tell that he wants to be mobile, but hasn't crawled or scooted quite yet. He did almost get up on his knees the other day! It's so fun to see these milestones, and like every parent we think Asher is so smart and cute (though in reality I'm sure he's just like every other 8 month old). He weighs 19 lbs and is 28 inches long! This is substantial since when he was born he didn't even weigh 6 lbs!

Right now Ben's in school at Neumont University (a private computer school in S Jordan) and I stay home in the day, babysit twice a week and teach Spanish 3 nights a week. Me gusta mucho, aka I like it a lot! Most of all I love being a wife and mom. It was always my dream and now that it's here I try to soak it all up as best I can.

Well, this has been a long one as the first one- kind of a "getting caught up" blog. I'll do my best to keep it up! Overall, life is wonderful and the daily challenges keep things exciting. :) I hope to be better at keeping in touch with you all- I think about you more than you know and love you all so much! Take care and your comments are welcomed!