Kendall opening gifts

One of her favorites and Jimmy's too-- the mini golf club set

More Christmas 2008 pictures

What this pictures doesn't show is that Kendall was swaying back and forth with Jace. He was just going along for the ride. And notice how cute the matching pajamas are. Thanks Mimi!

You know how Kendall loves books!

Here's the gift that made Jace the happiest!!

Jimmy's new toy

Jace's 1st Christmas 2008

What's going on??!!!

Well that's one way to do it.

Treats for Daddy, I mean Santa :~)

What an awesome day! The kids woke up around 8:00, yes Jace slept 9 hours last night!! Can you give me a "Hallelujah!" Kendall was such a treat this year. She loved opening her gifts and really got into the Christmas spirit. Jace hung out in his bouncy seat but also opened several gifts with Mommy and Daddy's help.

I made a huge Christmas dinner complete with a pork roast, corn souffle, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberry-raspberry jello salad, and rolls. It certainly was a lot of food for just the 4 of us, well 3. Sorry Jace, definitely next year you'll get to enjoy a more varied palette. :~)

I guess the only thing missing from our Christmas was our families. This was our 1st Christmas without having our parents visiting us and it's been a bit hard. Plus, the 2 best cooks I know are my mom and Jimmy's mom. We always look forward to those "Mom" cooked meals. There's nothing better, but there's always next year.

"It's mys"

If you haven't figured it out, everything belongs to Kendall. Well, so she thinks. As of lately, we've been hearing a lot of "it's mys" around here. And today was the best example of this yet.... she wanted to drink out of my water bottle, so as we were eating breakfast, I let her do just that. Well, when I was about to take the water bottle back, she said, "Don't touch, it's mys." Boy, does she got a little, I mean a lot, of spice to her.
She is at my favorite "age" so far but this is one aspect of this "age" that I could do away with. :~)

Jace-- 3 months

Jace is doing so great with tummy time and holding his head up very well. He may be a little guy but he certainly is strong. And he is becoming so animated; I absolutely love it!

Jingle Bells

Does she have a future singing career or what!? I love this.... She has been singing Jingle Bells nonstop as of lately. I think it's b/c she learned it at school. I didn't get it on video but when she finished, I said to her "not bad" and she repeated "yes, not bad." It was too precious!

What a happy guy in the morning!!

Jace and I got up early this morning. Well, I guess he got up early and I had no choice but to get up. Anyway, what a happy boy he was! He has become so expressive, smiling and "talking" when you look at him. I just love it!! He's also getting such big brown eyes. They are changing from that newborn greyish blue color to a medium brown-- just like his big sis.

Don't ya just love Christmas

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care

Oh Christmas Tree

Catching Up

I've completely slacked on this blog. I believe I started writing this back in June after a vacation and really used it as a way to post pictures of Kendall (since it was just her at the time) for the grandparents. Then lately, I've started seeing some of my friend's blog and how awesome they are and decided to jump back on the bandwagon. Plus, our littlest member of the family, Mr. Jace, needs some spotlighting. :~)

So, today as the kids were napping, I "blogged", catching up those who care to read this on my family, well mainly my children. I also decided to start writing a bit more than just picture captions. My goal is to write something at least once a week if not more and not at a structured time but as life is happening around our house. And, I can assure there is a lot happening.

Kendall's Preschool Christmas Party

How anyone can teach preschool is beyond me but we've certainly been blessed with Kendall's teacher. Mrs. Keller is wonderful and visiting her classroom on Thursday confirmed that. The parents were invited to come for a Chick fil A party and a small presentation of some of the things the kids were working on. I proudly watched as Kendall stood with her classmates and recited a bible verse and sang songs. Well, she didn't recite the bible verse (it wasn't even close) but she sang Jingle Bells and spiritedly shook her bells. It was adorable and actually brings a tear to my eye when I think about it. She is getting so big; her "baby-ness" is fading away and she is now a little girl who sings, rides bikes, talks and so much more. I could go on and on but I think anyone who has children understands this. I'm just so proud of her and while sometimes I find myself wishing she were older, I realize that I only have these "preschool"moments for such a short time. And what awesome memories they will become!

The cutest Santa

OK, seriously... is he not the cutest Santa you've ever seen or what??!!! I just love this picture of Jace. While he's completely clueless as to what I've dressed him in, he has to be wondering why I was "oooohing" and "ahhhing" all over him. I tell Jimmy all the time that Jace is a momma's boy and he'll say "no he's not" but I think deep down, he knows it true. :~)

Come to our house on a Sunday and this is what you'll see...

Steelers fans #1,2 and 3.

Jimmy usually takes it upon himself to dress the kids on Sunday in their Steelers gear, or "steers" as Kendall affectionately calls them. I give him a hard time about this as he knows I'm usually the one who dresses them and it wouldn't be in yellow and black. Deep down, though, he knows that I think his "tradition" in doing this each Sunday is absolutely priceless. And, it's so cute how Kendall gets into the game with him. She yells "Steers football." I know Jimmy can't wait until Jace gets older and can watch the games with him.

Visiting Santa

(Sorry for the poor quality, I took a picture of a picture.)

I was so excited about taking the kids to see Santa this year. I guess I quickly realized that my excitement is not what matters. So, I dress them up in their cutest "Santa" clothes, curl Kendall's hair, comb Jace's (the few strands he has) and away we go. Now, I had been preparing Kendall for weeks for this visit in hopes that she wouldn't freak out when it came time to sit on his lap. We read books about Santa, talked about Santa, waved to Santa when we saw him at the mall (from a distance of course), and on and on and on.... Well, we arrive at the Village of Allen, a new shopping center near our house, and they have this amazing Santa setup complete with 2 reindeer and a huge decorated tree.
So, as I wrote earlier, I was sooooo excited for this photo op. It's Jace's 1st time with Santa and Kendall's 1st year that I feel she really gets the whole Santa concept. Well, we stand in a short line and as we approach Santa, I place Jace on his lap and he sits there happily. Next, Jimmy goes to place Kendall on his lap and she freaks, kicking, screaming, etc. Even her shoe came flying off. The picture above tells it all. In the end, I look at the pic and absolutely love it. What a memory! And so special because of it being Jace's 1st Christmas.

Mimi comes to visit!!

As you can tell by the pics, the kids had so much fun with Mimi when she came to visit. Mimi baked a sugar cookie snowman for Kendall to decorate. We think Kendall ate more of the gumdrops than she used for decorations but she had fun. We also did a lot of shopping, I mean A LOT! Jimmy and I were having a work party the following weekend and Mimi helped us tremendously in getting the house decorated and getting a menu together for that.

It made me sad to drop her off at the airport because Kendall got upset and kept repeating "Mimi in plane." I kept reassuring her that Mimi would come back and visit really soon. It makes me sad because it's more of a realization that our family is too far away.

Thanksgiving 2008

Our outdoor fireplace right when it was finished. All nice and clean but not for long...

Notice Jimmy's gloves....

Well, our tradition is to fry a turkey. I put Jimmy to the task as he knows how to work the fryer, so I thought. :~) What a fiasco this quickly became and the burnt gloves are proof of that. Let's just say we had a fire and Jimmy tried to put it out with water. Grease fire and water!!!!???? Not a good combo as he knew prior to trying to put the fire out. I felt so bad as Jimmy did get some burns on his arm but I'm thankful that was it. After all this craziness, I must say, it was a darn good turkey. Even Kendall ate it.

Also, we had our outdoor fireplace completed that weekend. It's so awesome. We noticed how popular they are in Texas and decided to put one in our backyard. We had our patio extended to make it fit properly. We've enjoyed several fires and even roasted marshmallows to make smores.

Gammy and Papa come to visit!

Kendall was so excited when Papa, my dad, made a surprise visit to see her. He was on his way from California back home to Atlanta when he decided to stop in Dallas. Gammy was already here visiting so it was nice that he could come also. Kendall is all about her Papa and when he is around all you hear from her is "Papa, Papa, Papa, Papa" over and over and over again.

Here is my extra set of hands, AKA "Gammy" or my mom. The week that she was here, Jace was sooooo fussy in the evenings. She knows how taxing that can be to deal with day after day, so she was so wonderful in "sharing the load" we'll just say. She deserves an award for calming a fussy baby b/c he calmed down when she walked around with him.

I absolutely cherish our visits together, as she is a wonderful help to me and my best friend. I never thought at 31 years old I would cry when she leaves to go back to Atlanta but it never fails.

Family Pictures- What a task!

I had to include this one. The fire ant shot. Poor girl! I know those little boogers wanted their photo taken but I didn't pay for them to be in the shot.

My fav shot of Kendall. I love her eyes in this one.

My fav shot of little man. I loved how Jimmy's hand is wrapped around him.

One of the family shots I liked. Focus Jace :~)

I hired a photographer to come out to the house to take our pictures. I figured I could knock out family pics, Jace's newborn pics, and Kendall's 2 year old pics all in one setting. So, like any smart Mom I know that the "photo shoot" has to be planned around naptime or else it could be a nightmare. Well, that's exactly what I did; a 4 o'clock shoot. Kendall will be rested and happy, Jace will be rested and fed. Uhhhh...not so much!! It was a complete disaster! We started by taking a few shots in our home by the fireplace and Kendall just wasn't having it. I'm not sure how she felt about the photographer either, but he was a strange man to her, so I'll excuse her behavior a bit. Needless to say, none of the pics by the fireplace were worth a crap. So, we moved outside into our front yard. I desparately wanted some shots of the kids. Same scenario as inside, Kendall just wasn't having it. Sooooo, our last destination was our neighborhood clubhouse. While the behavior got better, what came next was horrible and quite unexpected. While Kendall was "posing" and smiling by a tree, she starts pulling on her pant legs repeatedly saying "mommy, mommy." I walk over to her only to see fire ants all over her shoes and crawling up her legs. I ripped her pants off so fast and swatted at her feet and legs to get rid of them. She got several bites but was fine, thank you God. After all of that, it was just about the end of our photo shoot and for good reason, right?!

With all that said, I was happily surprised by the the photos. The photographer got some amazing shots, not of me, of course, but of the kids which is what mattered to me anyway. I guess that's why he's the professional and I am not.

Halloween 2008

Our neighborhood Halloween party for the kids

I wish I could give credit to whomever took this precious pic. Isn't it precious!! The "skunk" is one of Kendall's friends in our playgroup.

Armed and ready!

What a fun Halloween this was! Kendall had a blast and "got" the whole trick or treat concept this year. We took her and Jace to about 10 houses around our block and she got lots of good candy. I have to admit it was thoroughly enjoyed by me and Jimmy. Jace slept in the stroller the whole time but he sure looked cute in his cow costume.

Kendall, Jace and Nate

Uncle Brad, Aunt Kim and Cousin Nate came to visit us in Texas. Kendall had so much fun playing with Nate and loves saying his name over and over and over again.

The boys... Nate- 6 months, Jace- 6 weeks

More Pics of Jace's birthday

Is this a handful or what!!?? Is Jimmy tired? Look at those eyes.
Finally awake and bright eyed
back asleep-- how peaceful!
my 1st bath-- not crazy about this but I didn't cry too much
bright eyed again- I love my swing!

Welcome to our baby boy, Jace!

Jace (James Charles Hoffner III) was born September 22, 2008 at 1:32 pm weighing 6 lbs. 10 oz. and 19 inches long. Quite a little peanut!! We stayed in the hospital for 3 days because I had a c-section. And talk about the nicest hotel, I mean hospital, I have ever witnessed. On our last night, we had a steak and lobster dinner, seriously! Kendall is adjusting well to her new role as big sis. She wants to kiss and hold him and we are working on the "gentleness" aspect with her. All of the grandparents were with us during his birth and Mimi and Gammy stayed on to help Jimmy and I around the house. I really appreciate that extra support, especially with a very busy 2 year old. Jace is awesome, sleeping like a rock and eating like a grown man. Makes me happy to know that he is happy!
Here are some pics from his birthday:

minutes old getting my 1st assessment
Meeting my mommy right after my birth

my 1st photo shoot
meeting my big sis Kendall

Jace Meets his Grandparents

Kendall at Preschool

Walking into the school on Kendall's 1st day- Sept.2, 2008
Notice how far away from Mommy she is walking....

Here are Kendall's friends in her class. There are eight 2 year olds. Can you even imagine!!??

I decided to enroll Kendall in a preschool program at a local church. She goes 2 days a week from 9-12. Her teacher's name is Mrs. Keller and Kendall loves her. Since she's started school, we've noticed remarkable changes in her vocabulary. She is talking up a storm now and making up to 4 word sentences.
She also brings us home the cutest craft projects. I absolutely love looking through her school bag when I pick her up to see what precious little craft will be in there.

Kendall and Mommy (at 38 weeks pregnant)

1 more week until Kendall's baby brother is born. Mommy sure is ready. :~)

23 months

Kendall attempting to use chopsticks. She saw Mommy and Daddy using them and had to try it, of course.

The loves of my life.... love that smile, Kendall!!! You can't read her shirt but it's a UGA shirt that says "Start 'em young, Raise 'em right." You know her mama loves that shirt. :~)

Kendall's 1st baseball game

We took Kendall to her 1st baseball game on Saturday. Unfortunately, it wasn't a Braves game but we still had a blast. She watched part of the game but was way more interested in the planes flying overhead.