running for hope

Hello my dear friends and family! I have been so busy with LIFE that I have not had a chance to really organize my thoughts so that my blog would even make sense. So, with that said, here is what has been happening around the Hoffman home :)
McKinley is crawling...enough said. LOL I have been running all over the house trying to catch her and make sure she doesn't get into anything she shouldn't. We have been slowly but surely baby proofing the house...any of you who have children may know this, but for those of you who don't, you don't realize certain things should be baby proofed until the baby finds them! Nooks and crannies I didn't even know existed the little miss finds and puts whatever is in there in her mouth! Good thing she is so dang cute!!

We took a little family road trip to Walla Walla Washington a week or so ago. McKinley did amazingly well and we had a wonderful time with Jonathan's Aunt Kari and Uncle Steve. They are some incredible individuals who are so giving and hospitable, we will be coming back soon Auntie Kari, I promise! Plus Jonathan's cousin Amber was there to give us the GRAND tour of downtown Walla Walla. It's pretty dang cute and you can conquer it all within an hour or so :)
I began training for my very first marathon. *gasp* No literally I'm gasping for air just thinking about it. It's tough, especially since my butt is so out of shape. I am working hard to get to where I need to be in order to run 26.2 miles...that's right 26.2 miles. On our road trip I kept looking over at the mileage and tracking exactly how far that is. In a car it takes a while to get 26 miles, even going 80 miles an hour, I'm SLOW...it may take me days to complete this. HAHA I will FINISH...I am determined. So, why run a marathon you ask? Oh, I'm so glad you asked! I am running with the Team in Training to help raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to find a CURE for cancer. This is an AMAZING organization and I am so excited to be apart of it. I know you all LOVE me so very much and most of you will be receiving a letter from me very soon, but please donate to this amazing organization and sponsor me on my running journey. I have committed to raising $1,500 and could use all the help I can get. You can follow my progress as I work towards my marathon on May 19 at my webpage listed below, plus you can donate there too!

http://pages.teamintraining.org/oswim/idaho12/bhoffman

So, that's what is new since the beginning of January! I told you I've been busy! :) Until next time...

happy new year!

Well, here we are, the first day in 2012! I can't believe how the year has flown by and how much has truly happened this past year. AMAZING that this time last year I was about 14 weeks pregnant and just beginning to feel somewhat normal again. BUT, I'm not going to recap our year week by week day by day...we would be here for the rest of 2012. So, let me hit the high (and low) points of our roller coaster 2011.

Jon+Bri+Baby = 3

• We found out we were having a GIRL!
• Jonathan was offered a job in San Diego
• We found a new home and then decided to move to San Diego instead
• San Diego fell apart...not literally, but for us it did
• We moved in with my folks during the transition
• My best friend Brynn got married!! 
• Jonathan left his current job due to ethical issues...what a nightmare that was
• Waited, waited, and waited for our baby to arrive
• 4th of July came and went, no baby
• She's HERE! McKinley Sophia Hoffman born July 7, 2011 8 lbs 6 oz 21.5 in long arrived via C-Section 
• He's HERE! Peyton James Beckett was born July 9, 2011! Amber and I had hoped to have the kids close together and who would have thought we would end up in the hospital together. What an incredible experience!
• Jonathan started an amazing internship with Eagle Fire Department 
• Rose and Brandon tied the knot and McKinley attended her first wedding
• Then the week before I was supposed to head back to work Jonathan was offered a position with Ada Boi
• I gave my two weeks notice! My dream of being a full time mommy was coming TRUE!
• NEW HOME! We found our new home and moved in just a week later!
• McKinley's first Halloween, she dressed up like a skeleton princess (that sounds so morbid, but it was hot pink and glowed in the dark...super cute) and we went down Harrison Boulevard
• He's HERE! Grant Michael Dismuke was born December 9, 2011!! Autumn and Daniel (my cousins) welcomed their first baby! The kids are hardly 5 months apart, so fun!
• CHRISTMAS! I hosted my first Christmas breakfast at my house :) SO FUN!
• Lastly we ring in the new year quietly at home!

What an incredible year and I can not wait for all that 2012 has to bring. The Lord has been so good to Jonathan and I! He is always faithful and blesses us beyond measure. I pray that we continue to seek his will in our lives and in McKinley's life as well! :)

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

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