27 Years Old...Another Year To Be Thankful

As I had my Birthday phone date with one of my Best Friends from high school, I told her, " I remember thinking back in high school that people in their late twenties seemed old and then thirty seemed like such a huge mile marker. Now I am that person turning twenty-seven."

HELLO 27!

As I look back on my year I am beyond thankful for everything. My struggles, the hardships that have made me stronger and reminded me of how strong I really am. My happiness and my three Beautiful Daughters.  Now I am ready to start my new year as my new age. 

You never know what God may throw at you day to day, but I have learned that we all must live life to the fullest and never take our days for granted.

For this years Birthday...To be honest all I wanted to do this year was dress up in my new comfy sweat pants from Express, order Chinese food for lunch, grab my free Birthday latte from Starbucks and lastly, rent the movie Gone Girl.

So I did just that!

Now Your 7!

Today our oldest turned seven. As every parent says, "where did the years go?" So I wanted to do a birthday post different this time. I'm choosing to write in a letter form.

Dear Ev,

Now that your seven you have made known you are no longer our baby. You are officially growing into a young girl and have left the toddler years behind. I don't know whether to be happy or sad. maybe I am both. I am sad that you are no longer my baby, but I will forever cherish our memories together as you have grown. I am happy that I am your mother and will be able to help you grow into a young women someday. 

I am so proud of the little girl you have grown to become. I admit I was a little nervous being I was a teenage mother for the first three years of your life. But you have grown into an amazing young girl. I am proud of the foot steps you lead for your little sisters to follow. I know they look up to you and I hope someday you realize that too. But for now I know they make you want to literally scream at times. That's okay, as I always say, "that's what sisters do." I am beyond proud of your achievements. You are artistic, smart and have a heart of gold.
As you continue to mature into a little girl I pray that I teach you right from wrong. I pray that this next year is full of excitements along with brand new achievements. I hope you continue to dig deeper into your artistic side.
I'm sure there will be moments when you get mad at me or dislike but, but I will always love you. I will always be proud of you.

Happy 7TH Birthday!!

                                                                 Love, Mommy!

Happy 2ND Birthday Helen!!

Happy Birthday Helen!

I cannot believe our youngest is turned 2 years old today. Bright and early at 3 0' clock in the morning. We celebrated her turning 2 with a party Saturday evening surrounded by family and friends. I planned a Hawaiian luau theme. I couldn't have been any happier the way it turned out. 

First thing I told my husband this morning was, " We have a 2 year old and no new baby nor am I pregnant. Doesn't that feel strange??" With the first two I was pregnant for both their second birthdays. But I don't think guys think of things in those sort of ways. Right? 

As for my little Helen, I can't believe she is already 2 years old. When they say time flies when your a parent, their not joking. So take every moment in and enjoy it. Even those hair pulling teeth grinding moments. They are all beyond worth it in the long run. And of course those moments are stories to share once they are old enough. 

I am so proud of the little lady Helen is growing to be. She may be our little firecracker at times. Who am I kidding, most of the time, but we love her unconditionally. She can make the room light up in an instant with her silliness. Or she can clear a room with her screaming tantrums. Not only is she our little firecracker but our little busy bee. She keeps me young that's for sure. She is on the move from the moment she wakes till the moment she falls asleep. Even though she is learning the sharing method right now, she still has the heart of gold. If someone gets hurt she will always ask them, "You okay?" We are so blessed from God and excited to watch her grow another year. Even though she is now 2, she will always be the baby of the family.

Happy 90TH Grandma Hoffman!

A women with such a great legacy turned 90 the other day, as the family was gathered to celebrate with cake and ice cream. Of course that meant with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Never is a celebration a small one; even if not everyone is able to make it. Once we returned home I couldn't help but think how grateful I am to be apart of the Hoffman clan. They are full of Dr.s, nurses, business owners, teachers, lawyers, stay at home moms, artists, travelers, etc. But those are just titles. To me the family is much more.

I started to think back to the very first time walking into Grandma Hoffman's home. Not only was I meeting her for the very first time on Thanksgiving; also my husbands 11 aunt and uncles! He really has 12; they lived in New York at the time. Yes, That's just on my husbands dad's side. The embrace in grandmas hug was tight and heart warming. You know the hugs grandmas always give. It wasn't something I had felt in a long time since both my grandmas had passed by the time I had meet my husband. I feel gracious when I became apart of the Hoffman family 6 years ago. Actually almost 8 years ago since everyone was so welcoming in our situation before we married. Never did Grandma Hoffman show any judgment or pass any judgment

Though Hendrick and I may have to repeat who we are and our daughters when we see her now, I feel blessed that God has brought her in my life almost 8 years ago when we still had Sunday family dinners. She sure could make some wicked dinner!

To grandma Hoffman turning 90!

Happy 4TH Birthday To Our Little Firecracker!

Today is such a special day in our household! It's our little firecrackers 4TH birthday. She has been waiting so impatiently for this day to arrive. We were informed by her this morning that she is just medium big now that she turned 4 years old.

I will never forget the morning of her birth, as I was laying in bed between 7:30 and 8AM when my water broke 8 days early. I honestly thought she just had a hard kick, which was her usual. But once I stood up, boy I was wrong. Ha ha. She was ready to make her way in to this world even though we were not yet prepared. The nursery was not finished; I know 8 days before it probably should of been ready. Clothes were not quit put away yet, and so on. At least I had my hospital bag ready to go.

Of course even though my water broke I was not feeling any sort of contractions yet. After a little while of walking to get the show on the road, I couldn't help but enjoy the beautiful sunny, warmish and spring day it was outside. God had blessed us with a beautiful birth day. I believe that lovely sun shinning in the hospital windows helped me get through the labor and delivery. We were blessed with no complications during the labor or delivery of our sweet baby girl. We welcomed our little firecracker into the world on March 14, 2009 at 6:20 something!   With her little blue eyes peeking at us I couldn't contain myself. We were beyond excited to be parents again and to bring home a little sister to Evalyn.

Today March 14, 2013 we have nicknamed our sweet Vivian our little firecracker. Looking back, her nickname fits her well. She is our only daughter I had my water break early with. She was determined to make her way in this world just like today she is a very determined little 4 year old. She can be our little stinker and yet make us laugh so hard with her little phrases to make up for it. I have to admit she has her mommy's outgoing personality and loves being the life of the party. Even though there are days when we want to pull our hair out, she definitely makes up for them with her lovable side. I wouldn't change a single thing about our little firecracker. We love you Vivian!! Happy Birthday!

25TH Birthday & Thankful

Hello 25!

Today is my 25th birthday and all I can think about is everything I am thankful for. I woke up this morning to flowers awaiting in the kitchen along with a sweet note from my husband. After being married for almost 6 years, he has finally realized flowers are a way to my heart. There is something about the beauty of receiving flowers that I love. Flowers lift my spirits with their beauty and their aroma in the air. I made myself a cup of coffee while still gazing at my flowers. As I sip on my steaming hot coffee, I sit back and think of all that I am thankful for. I thankful for my family and friends to celebrate my birthday with. I am blessed to have a hard working husband who provides a roof over our heads, food in our fridge and clothing on our backs. I am more than thankful for our three beautiful daughters that God has blessed us with. Being their mother is the best feeling in the whole wide world. Of course the list goes on, with all seriousness.

 On the silly side what I am thankful for, would have to be a cup of coffee to wake my tired eyes up in the mornings and my wine at the end of a long day. Also good book to curl up with, even though I know I will fall asleep after a couple pages. My knitting which is a stress reliever for myself, along with me being able to create. With that being said, I am thankful for my 25th birthday!