Little Miss and her Photo Shoot!

So this past month I was able to book McKinley's 6 month pictures. We were a little bit behind the times since she was 7 months old, but I think it worked out perfectly! So to give you all an idea of the preparation that went into this I will begin with where it all started...PINTEREST.
I knew I wanted to get pictures done, but I had just decided to put it off until her first birthday. Her newborn pictures were phenomenal, but spendy, so I just couldn't justify spending more moolah on pictures. However, I just kept pinning new ideas, one after another. Until one day I broke down and decided to contact Brooke Mack and just ask about her pricing. She did the photography at a friends wedding and did a beautiful job, so I figured asking couldn't hurt. Well, obviously I booked her and I am so glad I did. :)
Once the pictures were booked, the outfit search was on! Zulily, and Etsy were my two best friends. My mom helped a lot with keeping her eyes open for the perfect outfits and I was like a mad woman on Etsy looking for the perfect headbands and accessories. Jonathan and I worked on making the tutu she wore and I almost caved and bought one on Etsy, but I had a budget! All in all the outfits came out perfectly as you will see.

So, the day of the photo shoot was finally here. All the outfits and props ready to go :) It took about an hour and a half to get what we needed and McKinley did her thing. She was as cute as ever and she even pulled herself up and stood for the longest she had ever done. Once we had taken all the pictures we could we called it a day. Then the waiting began...
Brooke got us the photos in about a week! I was so thrilled!! The end product was INCREDIBLE! I know I have an adorable little girl, but WOW...they were all so fabulous! So here they are, enjoy :)

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 :)