it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Well, the holidays have commenced and I couldn't be more thrilled. It's McKinley's first Christmas, plus it is my absolute FAVORITE time of year. All the lights, singing, candy, family, merriment, you get the picture. So to begin the holiday season off with a bang, we attended the tree lighting at the Grove Hotel here in downtown Boise. It was a little chilly for our sweet baby girl, but Daddy made sure to keep her all bundled up safe and warm. It was a really neat atmosphere and I think we will go back next year to enjoy it again. They had candles lit, carolers, cocoa, roasted nuts, and of course the tree. It was really beautiful! I'm so excited to see what this season has in store for our little family and can't wait for Christmas Day!

camo bandades rock!

McKinley had her 4 month check up today and she did AMAZING! She weighed in at 17 lbs 7 oz, 25 1/2 in long, and her head is 17 in around. Our girl is getting so big! She had to get 2 shots and her oral vaccine and she was a trooper, cried just for a second and was smiling at the nurse in no time. Plus, she got an awesome pink camo bandade :) We don't go back for another check up until after the first of the year now...which is nuts! The doctor told us Christmas will be a ton of fun because at this age they are very observant, so the lights really excite them. Woo hoo! Looking forward to all the fun and exciting times we are going to have this holiday season with our baby girl!

Great job McKinley, mommy is so proud of you!

sweet sweet baby

Well, McKinley is now 4 months old and I can hardly believe it!!! She is getting so big and learning so much. Everyday she has something new that she does and it has been a lot of fun. The latest and greatest is she tries to "razz" (the sound you make when you give a raspberry) and she just spits everywhere. It is the cutest spitting act I've ever seen.
We recently started giving her solid foods and she LOVES it! I was bound and determined to make my own food when I talked with a lady who has twins who told me to forget it. She told me about the Plum Organic baby food and told me to look into it before spending money on buying a baby food steamer and puree system.  I was highly impressed and went and bought some :) Who would have thought McKinley would love it so much?!
Well, anyway, I took pictures to share, not only how cute she is, but how much she enjoys eating (just like her momma)!

the best is yet to come

Well, we finally have internet so I am hoping to blog WAY more. Not that I am not busy enough being a wife, mom, chef, house cleaner, etc...but this will allow for some much needed ME time. I need to pull out my camera, dust it off, and take more pictures and post them for all to see! Hopefully this is much more exciting now that I am getting the hang of this whole blogging bit. I thought at first I needed to make it long and drawn out, but as I look at everyone else's blogs, I realize how wrong I was. So, all that to say, stay tuned because there is much more to come :)

patience is a virtue

Well, it's about that time...this little girl should be here any day now! McKinley Sophia is growing rapidly and seems to already have a diva attitude. If she is anything like Jonathan or me she is going to do what she darn well pleases. At this point in my pregnancy I am exhausted and ready to be done. It feels like I have been pregnant forever...the doctor reminded me that no one has ever stayed pregnant forever. Yes, I'm a drama queen :)

The nesting is setting in, not only at home, but work as well. I have rearranged the changing table at least 6 times, hung up and categorized all of her clothes, and inventoried in a Word document all of her clothes. At work I have sent out links, quizzes, and handouts, attempting to prepare them for while I am out on maternity leave. I've e-mailed customers letting them know I will be out of the office and all the information of who to contact. I've called HR (twice), the insurance company, and the company who deals with the short term disability (aka maternity leave) to ensure things are properly in place so I do not have to worry. I feel like a crazy person!

I am nervous about having this baby, because I don't quite know what to expect. I constantly wonder if I have done everything I could have possibly done in order to make her as healthy as possible. Jonathan has been such a wonderful voice of reason and peace through this entire period. He reminds me daily of how beautiful I am and what a great job I'm doing caring for our baby. I could not have done this without him. The look on his face will be worth everything when he sees miss McKinley.

I'm sure posting will be few and far between (more than it already is) after the baby arrives, but I will do my best to post plenty of pictures. Wish me luck <3

perfectly pregnant

The end of my pregnancy is so close! We have about 10 weeks left and it is coming so fast. I thought in the beginning that the weeks would drag on and on and on...but here we are just weeks away from our sweet baby arriving. I'm becoming increasingly excited and nervous for the big day. I've talked with enough of the girls to know, labor ain't easy, but the end result is worth every minute of it. My doctor says everything is looking good, the baby isn't too big and not too small. We will have to see when she decides to arrive what size she really is! I'm seriously hoping she shows up on July 4th! Fireworks and fun every year on her birthday would be so much fun! The only concern would be whether or not the doctor would even be there...they said they haven't done the schedule that far ahead yet so there is no telling who might deliver this baby. This is an exciting adventure!

The baby shower is May 7th and I can hardly wait! I'm a sucker for any kind of party, but especially ones with adorable little clothes and the wonderful women who are apart of my life. The girls (Lexi and Brynn) went with a cute birdie theme to go with our nursery. Believe it or not I am terrified of birds, but these are so adorable I could hardly resist. I'm so blessed to have such wonderful friends to plan such an event! You girls mean more to me than I can even express!

I have tried to get prepared as much as I possibly can, but my kind of prepared is making headbands, buying clothes, and getting cute nursery bedding. The necessities! They say birthing classes, books, and research get you prepared...well it doesn't help when you forget to sign up and miss the class completely!! Yes, we've missed it. Thankfully, these classes are not required because this child is coming whether we've gone to classes or not.

Now that we are in the home stretch and my belly seems to be getting larger by the minute I have been amazed to see my body change. I can sit and watch my amazing belly completely shift and move without even trying. She seems to move most in the evenings, but settles when it's time for me to sleep. I can only hope this is a trend she continues after she makes her big debut.

Well, McKinley Sophia Hoffman should arrived in just 10 short weeks and we can hardly wait! Jonathan makes sure to talk with her everyday and tell her he loves her and can't wait for her to be here with Mommy and Daddy! We can't wait to be parents and for our sweet baby girl to arrive!!

baby Hoffman

Well, it's been WAY too long since I have blogged, but 2011 will be full of exciting things to blog about. Our sweet baby is due June 30, 2011 and we can hardly wait! We found out on October 17, 2010 and it was SO hard keeping it from everyone. Telling our parents was one of the best things we've ever done. Since it was around Halloween we carved out the inside of a pumpkin and placed a cute little card inside that said, "Jon + Bri+ Baby=3." Of course both sets of parents were ecstatic!!

As far as this pregnancy, things have been amazingly wonderful. I've had some nausea, but nothing that I can't handle. The first trimester I actually lost 11 pounds :) I HATE mayonnaise and have sworn not to ever eat it again! I have been craving FRUIT like crazy, which is nice that I am wanting healthy food.

Jonathan and I haven't fully decided on names yet, but we find out in about 4 weeks what we are having. The anticipation is killing me...I'm on pins and needles waiting to find out whether we will be buying pink or blue.

As, I read my last blog it amazes me how faithful my God is. How, could I have I ever doubted His mighty power? He always takes care of his children and I'm so amazed by his grace. Praise GOD!

I will keep you all posted on Baby Hoffman watch 2011!!