Bomb Diggity Dad

I am a little emotional at the moment, so please excuse me if this post is overly sappy. But, you see, the topic is very near and dear to my heart, which makes it harder not to be...well...enamored.

                      This guy:

  Oh, I just love him. The more time I spend with him, the more I realize I love him completely- every last little bit of him.

And so, I have to write a post to toot his Father's Day horn. He is the bomb-diggity of fathers. This guy has, for the last 4 years, spent every waking moment of his life not only providing (as in work) and presiding (as in still taking on the majority of the familial stress and decision making) but also teaching his children to be the best person they can be. Every minute was spent doing what he needed to do to be the best he could be in his 3 lives:

Work, School, Family.

 

When he was at work, he gave it 100%. He took extra shifts. He took extra responsibilities. And he took an awful lot of crap with very little appreciation.

At school, he managed to impress his professors so much that next year  he'll be teaching for TWO of them. Not to mention that the numbers speak for themselves- the man graduated cum laude (yeah buddy!) with a 3.67 general gpa and over a 3.85 in his chosen major.

BUT, while those lives are impressive indeed, it is the man he is after he fulfills those responsibilities that I love. It is the husband, it is the father. He comes home, and he manages to take our children out for Daddy-kid dates regularly. He never faltered on date nights twice a month with me. We went to bed together to spend time with each other every single night (minus about 5 when I fell asleep on the couch while he worked feverishly on papers).

 Our kids know he loves them, they know he will ALWAYS take care of them, and they know they want to be like him.

Why? Because, like I said, he is the Bomb Diggity.

Talking Tanner

It seems like Tanner is picking up a few words a day lately, so I thought it might be fun to write them down and see how fast he really is learning! So, here are the words of Tanner:

Honk

Ball

Balloon

Me

Mom

Dad

Ian

Howie

Morgan

More
Uh-oh

Shoe

Fish

Woof Woof

Neigh

Night Night

Door

Light

Poo :)

Ow

Apple

Yucky

Hat

This
Bubble

Meow

Nan Nan (nanny)

Darci

Mac

Eggs
Book

Hi
Bye Bye

Whoa
Yay

I think he may have a few more, but that is all I can think of at the moment. It just seems like he is doubling his word count every couple of days! I love this stage of babyhood!

Fun at the Beach

We did a lot of fun things while we were in California, but I think our day on the beach was my favorite. There is just something so nice and relaxing about the sun and the sand- it's good for the soul :)

  We made a few discoveries on the beach, Morgan discovered that she is quite magical. Who knew you could throw sand at the waves and make them roll back toward the ocean?

 Ian discovered the water is really, REALLY cold, and that he does not like to tempt it into touching him.

And, we discovered that while it may be good for the soul, the sun is not as good for the skin :( Morgan definitely got the worst of it, but as long as we kept applying "aloe-raw-ma" every couple of hours she was alright. 

More to come on California later!

Forest Park

About 5 blocks from our house is the sneakiest, coolest little park. Not very many people know about it, but we love to go down to Forest Park. Every time we go I catch myself walking around thinking how cool it is to have a place like this right in the middle of town.

We always find lots of creatures and today was no different. This guy was a highlight- he was one HUGE beetle! The kids thought he was so super cool- that is until he flew and once they saw that guy could move with any sort of speed they were outta there :)

We found a GIGANTIC turtle too. (He might not look so big but he was at least the size of a pizza box) Apparently its giant critter day at good ol' Forest Park.

But the kids' favorite was not the big things, but the small. Morgan and Ian spent a decent amount of time trying to catch some teensy fish. And, all those fish have them 3/4 of the way convinced that we should let our turtle, Bernardo Antonio, come live in the pond and feast his face off on those fish. That is a huge success in my book! 

Reflecting

I have been spending a lot of time lately thinking...thinking about this, that, and the other. But mostly, thinking about me. And not in a selfish, all about me, sort of way- but really in a "I can be better" type of way.

Now, before you start thinking that I am walking around my house moping about what a failure I am, I want to assure you, that I am, in fact, not moping. Not anymore. I have done that for a LONG time. I have stood in front of the VERY stinking sink full of dishes, thinking that if I could just be better at keeping a clean house, then I could just be better at being a mom. I have cried over my insurmountable pile of laundry because my son is in the other room watching LOTS of tv so I can conquer it, because if I could just be better at staying on top of this every day, it wouldn't take an entire guilt ridden Curious George marathon to just get things to the point where I can look at them without getting a case of tacchycardia.

So there I was again, standing in front of a stinky sink. The feelings of failure started to creep into my mind, but then there was this voice in there, one that I haven't heard for a while that said to me, "You are not a dish washer. You are not good at keeping a clean home. That is not your talent. But you are NOT a failure, because you can be an amazing mom. You can be an amazing wife. It is possible to be those things while not being an amazing housekeeper."

I put down the sponge and we went to the park. I left my guilt at the door and my phone in the car. We crossed long monkey bars and conquered slides, Ian learned how to pump on the swing. I was a good mom for a couple of hours and I allowed myself to feel good.

That night I had a Relief Society activity, the speaker was very involved with those in attendance, and at one point she started asking people (and not rhetorically, she demanded a real answer), "What do you love to do?" I sat there, terrified that she would point to me next. I don't know what I love to do. I know what I love- my kids, my husband....but what do I love TO DO? I have no idea....I spend my time cleaning and cooking and wiping faces.  But then, again, this voice in my head said, "Laugh. You love to laugh." And I felt this warmness overcome me, a testament to the truth behind the words.  The speaker went on, saying that we love the things that we do, so that we can share them with others, so we can bless others.  It started to click, and then, like it was being spoken to me right inside my head, "You love to laugh. Share that. Bless others with your ability to laugh. Make them laugh when they feel like they can't. This is what I have given you, this is what you are here for."

I am so overwhelmed and grateful that I get to have such an amazing calling. I get to apply the medicine of laughter to my children's wounds. I get to lift their fallen chin, and wipe their tears, and smile at them so they know things aren't so bad. I get to have joy, I get to give joy.  I get to feel at peace with my grimy floor for now, because I wasn't sent here to make my floor shine, I was sent here to make every day shine. That is an amazing thing to me.

 And so, what am I supposed to be better at? Better at being me! Better at laughing- better at bringing joy to faces and places filled with sadness. I have spent so much time wondering what I will be, wondering who I really am underneath the Mommy- it has been such a relief to know that who I am, what I am, is happy.

I can easily say that I am happy about that.

Growing up, I went through several phases of things that I absolutely loved. I tend to either be obsessed with something, or not really care so much. These phases would come and go, and there really aren't very many things that I LOVED during my childhood that I continue to LOVE today.  However, I did bring one great love with me into adulthood: Harry Potter.

I know what you're thinking, "Sheesh what a nerd." Yes, it's true. I am a Harry Potter nerd through and through. (and apparently a poet)  And because of this, I could not have been more excited than I was a few weeks ago, as I cracked the very first Harry Potter book open to read it to the kids. Ahhhhhh....it was a delectable moment. Okay, actually, no it wasn't. Morgan kept asking what book it was, and I kept not telling her, dancing around the question, because I knew if she knew what it was before she was hooked, she wouldn't want me to read it anymore. And, true to form, as soon as I caved and told her it was Harry Potter she insisted I stop reading. But oh no, I wasn't gonna give up on my love that easily, nope, nope, nope. So I told her we would read it for 3 nights and if she still didn't want me to read it, we could stop. It didn't even take 3 pages :)

Since then, we blew through the first book in less than 10 days and are now about half way through the second book. Morgan and Ian pretty much always play Harry Potter together. Ian always has something sticking out of his pocket that is serving as his wand.

A couple of highlights from the minds of my babes:
  Ian: "Mom, I think the slytherins are slytherins because they slither. Like so they are slitherers. But really actually slytherins."

 Morgan (while pretending to be a professor at Hogwarts) : "Gryffindor, that will be 10 points awarded to you for fine work. Slytherin, you may go now, you are never good."

 Morgan spends a good amount of the time upset about the injustice in the Hogwarts teaching system. "The teachers NEVER listen to Harry! They always just make him be quiet so they can take points away when REALLY he wasn't even doing anything wrong!" She is currently holding a grudge against Dumbledore for leaving Harry with the Dursleys and she is holding out hope that he will be able to live with the Weasley's from now on :)

 Morgan is also phenomenal at guessing the plot line and twists in the story before they show up. I don't know how she does it, but so far, she has guessed about 90% of the things before they happen. I'd say that's a pretty good success rate for a 6 year old!

Ian pretty much perks up when there is talk about boogers, quidditch, or the word "muggle". Anytime I read that word, he screams at me to not call him a muggle. Apparently it's pretty bad :)

It has been so fun sharing something with them that I love so much. And, as you can see, I think they love it too :)

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya, Tomorrow, You're Only a DAY AWAY!

Betcha didn't see that one coming when you saw the title of this post. Booyah.

Eddy Family Hopelist

A while back, my closest friend here in St George received some devastating news. She learned that her 6 month old baby boy, Mathis, had a genetic disease that would inevitably take his life by the time he was 2 years old. I will always remember my visit over to Jackie's house on that day- she sat and she cried and she mourned over the life she would not get to have with her boy. I had no idea how to comfort her, but our Father in Heaven did. He sent her a strong prompting to create a "Hope List". A list of all the things that a person should experience in their life- a list for Mathis. In what would turn out to be the final 3 months of his life, they created beautiful memories together because Jackie and Dujuan gave him the best life he could have ever wished to experience. They encouraged others to make a hopelist and to learn from Mathis, to have a plan for our hopes and our dreams, to write them down, to accomplish them. After some time and thought, this is our family's hopelist that was inspired by Mathis- our dreams in print.

Happy Birthday Tanner!

Happy Birthday to my little boy! Tanner, you came around and my whole world lit up. From the first moment that you were born, you have been nothing but a smile on our faces. I didn't realize how much I needed you until you were here, and I am so thankful that Heavenly Father sent you to us a year ago!

You are so funny. Right now you get so excited about things- you purse your lips into a giant "o" shape and you just oooooooooo your little heart out. Sometimes, if something is exceptionally exciting, you throw your arms out to the side and shake your hands back and forth. That's what you do when Mom or Dad come home. We love it :)

You've just recently started laughing when other people laugh, because you understand that when other people laugh, that means something is funny so you should laugh too. You throw your head back and just giggle your face off. It makes everyone else laugh even harder.

It has been about a month since you started walking, but a couple of days ago you jumped. Just jumped in the kitchen. Like a crazy.

You are more independent than either of your siblings. You're happy to just sit and play by yourself sometimes, especially if you are trying to figure something out!

I remember sitting there, the day you were born, wondering what your personality would be like. I had never met a baby in my life that was as content and happy to just "be" like you were. I wondered how that would change as you got older. So far, you are still that boy. You still love every single aspect of life and you make everyone around you enjoy it more because you are there. 

I love you so much, Tanner! Happy Birthday!

Real Life

This is going to be one of those posts where I talk an awful lot, but I wanted it to be out there because in reality, this is the closest thing to a journal that I keep.

I've been a little sad lately. Sad, because I venture outside of my little bubble and find so many things in the world that cannot be classified as anything but that- sad. And I am not even talking about the horrific things you hear in the news, I'm just talking about things like today when the 12 year old neighbor girl came knocking at my door in a panic because she can't find her 6 year old sister. And she hadn't seen her for hours. The whole thing made me sick to my stomach, the little girl came home at dark so it ended alright, except when you consider that the mother hadn't been home at all since before her kids got off the bus and it gets dark here around 8....Or when you think that poor 12 year old is responsible for taking care of her younger brother and sister and that she has to carry that burden when she herself is just a child. It wasn't long after this incident that I found out that one of the kids that I see in and out of my house all week long, her mother was arrested last month because she was cooking meth in a shed out back. How do people do this? How do people's lives fall apart to the point where even the love for your child isn't enough to keep you around? I don't understand....it makes me sad. Really, genuinely, deep down inside of me sad.

I just want to scoop up this little girl the next time she comes over- I want her to know that parents love their children- I want her to know that home can be a happy place and I want her to know that if her house is a place that her poor 8 year old heart isn't happy in, she can find it here.  It was in the midst of this deep sadness that I have for the things going on so close to home that I felt a bit of peace because I am able to say  that while they are close to home, they are not at home.

I am so thankful to my husband, who works so much and is gone at school and work so often, so that I can stay at home with my babies. So that I am not in the position of ever leaving them at home, or even in the hands of someone else- because they need to feel that I love them. I am thankful for being raised in a family that taught me how important that is. I am thankful for being loved, so that I am able to know how to love.

My life is full and my children are safe, and clean, and fed, and loved. I don't know that they will understand how blessed they are because of those simple things for a very long time- and I hope it stays that way. I hope to be able to shield them from the pain that is out there for as long as I can, and I hope that when they do have to come into contact with it, they will always know they can come home and I will shield them from the cares of the world again and again.

Most of all, I am thankful that I myself know what a beautiful life I have been given. There is joy in every corner of it. My house may be messy, and my kids' faces very well might still have lunch on them at 3 in the afternoon, but we have the love that shields us from the pain around us- and that will always be my biggest blessing.

The Chronicles of the Neighbor Weirdness

We have new neighbors. They are snowbirds, meaning they only live down south here in St George for about 4 months of the year. And, let me tell ya, that is a GOOD thing, because THEY, my friends, are WEIRDOS.

I think they have lived here for maybe 2 weeks, and here are a couple of nosy neighbor pictures I have taken through the window on our front door that faces their house. Please, observe the oddity that lives next door:

Now, you may be saying, "Hey, give the old man a chance." Well friends, that is a chainsaw he is holding and we have landscapers. So, what do you think his plans are with that chainsaw? By all means, tell me your ideas, because I got nothin.

And then today Howie starts barking like he is going crazy, and I look outside and lo and behold, there is a cowboy just laying in the driveway. Just a random cowboy LAYING in the driveway.

I feel like now is the perfect time to say, "Curiouser, and curiouser"

But don't you worry your little hearts, I'll keep you updated on The Chronicles of the Neighbor Weirdness. This, at least, if nothing else would do the trick, will surely keep me blogging.

Bummer!

In our house, if somebody yells "Bummer!" it's not what you'd usually think. Nobody is upset and something didn't usually just go wrong. It's actually more of a war cry...it's what we yell when we are gonna rub our bums on somebody. It's hilarious and I love it. And if you hear it, you better get running, or else you gonna get bummered. Boo-ya.

One Lucky Girl

It feels like forever since I have written anything, but I just needed to take a quick minute to say how incredibly blessed I am. I have a 5 year old and a 2 year old who play nicely every single morning so that Mommy can sleep a little longer. And then I am able to wake up to the soft sounds of my brand new baby, and they are happy sounds, because he is just content to wake up on his own and kick his feet and just be happy. I get to spend time with him, talking to him and loving on him before I get up and spend the day with the 4 people who make me more happy than anything else in the world.
It has just been one of those weeks where every time I turn around I am reminded of how happy I am. What can I say, I'm one lucky girl.

Hoffman Family Reunion 2012

This year for the Hoffmann family reunion we went up to Eden, Utah. We had such a good time seeing the family and getting away. On the way up there we needed to stop for some food (preggo here was staaaarving) so we pulled off at a truck stop in the middle of nowhere. The truck stop also happened to have a petting zoo! It was random, but so cool!

The poor zebra looked like he could use a good brushing, but the kids didn't seem to care one bit. They just thought it was the tops to be so close to a zebra.

 All of the animals would come up and sniff your hand to see if you had any food. We never did, but that didn't stop them from coming up to the kids to see if they did!

These next two pictures crack me up because my kids are just not so sure about giant birds. They were alright with the ostrich that was on the other side of the fence, but that emu that was just chillin' in the common zone was NOT something they had any desire to go by.

 We have been lucky to have the chance to go out with all the grown up kids in JD's family one night (minus Lynn and Alicia because she was about to pop out a bebe) of the reunions and it is always so fun to get out. It's great to have family who is willing to take all of our crazy kiddos for an evening so we can jump ship for a bit :)

One of the days I went upstairs to check on JD and Ian when JD was putting Ian down for a nap and had been up there a while. This is what I found. Asleep holding hands. Melts my little heart :)

These next pictures are from an evening that we spent down at Grandpa Don and Grandma Judie's house. They had these blow up things that are for adults to put on and be like sumo wrestlers. The kiddies thought they were great.

I was so excited to be able to take Ian to the treehouse museum in Ogden. We had taken Morgan there a few years ago and I was excited to go back and give him the chance to see it. Morgan didn't remember much of it, so it was great fun for her too!

"Mr. President, there's been an emergency. T-rex on the loose. Please come take care of this."

When Ian found the dr/medical part of the museum he was all business! He started listening to the baby in mom's belly and personally, I think he is just about the most adorable little doctor I have ever seen. 

We have some more pictures from the Treehouse trip and a trip to another petting zoo but they are on the tablet and I have yet to figure out how to get them off of it :) I will post them soon though because there are some great videos of the kids on there! 

85* in July? No stinkin' way!

Yesterday it was overcast and I couldn't believe it but the high until about noon was only 85! We have been living in 110 to 115 degree hotness for the last 2 months so when I saw it was only going to be about 85 we loaded up and went out on a nature scavenger hunt.

JD had already been out hiking since 7 that morning for an independent research credit class he is doing this summer (researching lichens....ooooooooh and aaaaaaaaah :) but when I was buckling up the kids he called and said he was headed home so he met us for another 2 hours of hiking. Sometimes, I just really love that man :)

The scavenger hunt consisted of:

   Something fuzzy

   Something smooth

   Something straight

   2 kinds of seeds

   Something rough

   2 kinds of leaves

   Something green

   A chewed on leaf

   A stick

   Something you think is beautiful

   A beautiful rock

   Something you think is a treasure

The kids were pulling some seeds off this bush. It's a good thing that JD is smart about plants because I would have never guessed those things were seeds!

The kids (okay and the grownups too) were so excited to see this guy! There are people who have lived in St George their whole lives and still never seen one of the local desert tortoises. We felt special to be able to see it.

                               And this guy reminded me SO much of my childhood!

The kids had a blast. Ian was cracking me up carrying around his "purse" but the best part was JD's response every time Ian would say purse. "Son, it's a bag. You're a boy. It's a bag." hahaha!

I didn't find anything fuzzy or smooth- I wasn't really looking. But one thing I did find, was something that I think is a treasure. 

They were kind of hard to miss :)

Spring Break Staycation!

My husband is...pretty much amazing.  I was begging for a vacation for spring break. I begged and pleaded. I NEED camping. I NEED Vegas. I NEED, I NEED, I NEED...blah blah blah. Turns out what I needed, was my husband :) JD decided that since our lives were boring, consisting of school and work and kids, kids, kids...he would jazz up our week. A declaration was made: It will be a week filled of fun in St George!

Sunday after church we went for a family walk up to a pond and fed the ducks and fish. Those fish are GI-gan-tic. We are talking 2 foot long gold fish. CRAZY.
When we got home, we played ourselves a rousing game of Build It Sorry. And, may I say, Morgan didn't seem too sorry to keep kicking my sorry butt back to home.
Monday, after working on the Motorcycle, we went to the Wildlife Animal Museum. We had so much fun, and my kids have seriously asked to go back 3 times a week since then.

Gotta love my boys :)

Mom, do you SEE these animal tracks?

Ian never learned how to turn the binoculars the right way :)

So many scary bears. Everywhere. We should scream. Okay! (we didn't actually scream, as that would disrupt the museumish atmosphere)

Ian was obsessed with this fox. He just kept screaming, "Eat! Eat 'im! Eat him! He...EAT... TWEET TWEET!!!!"

I still am not sure if I believe this thing exists. It looks like a fraggle.

Oh my family is perfect...wouldn't you say?

Alright, so then, we came home and spent some time with Morgan on her bike. I am going to put up a post on that all for itself, because, hello, huge accomplishment.

Tuesday, JD had to actually be responsible- poo- and go to work. But before he did, we managed a picnic at the park for lunch.

We had a few other fun little outings throughout the week, and just a lot of family time, which is what I was really wanting anyway.

We finished up the week with the airshow, which the kiddies thought was awesome. Ian still loves, "Jettttt planes"

"He's upside down, Mom! He IS UP-SIDE-DOWN!"

The "copter-plane"

Okay, so maybe we didn't actually go to the airshow. Maybe we went to a church that was like a half mile away and free. But hey, my kids got to ride their bikes when it got boring :) And this is Morgan talking herself through a risky maneuver :)

She was so proud of herself :) And, as you can see, we are not the only church-user air show stalkers.

Ian kept laying his trike down on it's side (which took a lot of effort) so it could be on it's side like Morgan's.

The kiddos watching the planes

I just love him.

My favorite plane of the day :)

All in all, it was a great week. My family is all I really need.