White House

Going to Try again

2012-02-11T15:53:00.000-08:00

I think I might try to blog again! Not sure if anyone out there is interested still or not but I was looking thru the old pictures of the kids and it made me sad to see them so little. Elias is 10, Jonah is 8, Anna will be 6 in just a few weeks, and Elizabeth is 4. Boy how time has gone by quickly!

Silly White kids

2010-08-17T18:59:00.000-07:00

(this picture is from the fall I just love it!)

Sometimes what frustrates you most about your kids in the moment makes you love them the most when you are thinking back to what they do best! I think my kids silliness is one of those things. In the moment I think I am going crazy but when I reflect back or look at pictures of them, I fall in love with them because of their silliness. I have had people ask me alot recently about what it's like to have four kids, or if I woul recommend it to others. Some days I would say..."don't do it"...like on nights like tonight when we went out to celebrate Dan's birthday and noone would stay in their seat at the table or they were fighting over the ketchup bottle. But then when I come home and think about all of the things that we have and about our kids I feel blessed that the Lord thought we were capable enough to handle them. I love my kids more than I ever thought a person could love someone. My love for Dan grows as we parent together and my love for them grows as we see their personalities unfold with each passing day. So I love my silly kiddos, and am thankful for them even if they make me crazy!
These pictures are a few from the summer of us just being together! I will post pictures of the first day of school soon!

2010-08-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

2010-08-17T18:53:00.000-07:00

Keira & Auntie

2010-08-17T18:51:00.000-07:00

This is my sweet neice, Keira Marie! This picture is from Easter, but I just love her sweet little face, so I had to share this picture.

So Happy Together

2010-08-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Dan & I celebrated our 10 year anniversary this summer! We went on a cruise with some wonderful friends. We had a great time! I love this man with all my heart and am so happy to be his wife. Thank you Lord for bringing us together!

Proudest Moment

2010-02-16T05:53:00.000-08:00

So one of the proudest moments of us as parents is for our child to give their life to the Lord. Elias has been asking us and talking to us for several years about getting baptized. He has an amazing memory and knowledge of God's word. So as we have been talking these past few weeks about what it means that to be baptized and what it means to have sin in our lives and what the sacrifice of our Savior means, I was so proud of his responses. So this past Sunday, Feburary 14, 2010 our sweet oldest son Elias Edward White, gave his life to the Lord! I couldn't hae been more proud of his decision and confindence!

Here he is with Dan telling everyone that he was ready!

An extremely proud Dad! It was amazing to see these two men that I am so proud of to be doing this great thing.

Elias, I am so proud of you. You are a sweet boy with a love for your family, people and the Lord that shines so brightly. I pray that you grow up to lead many people to the Lord! I love you buddy!!

Thirty-One Gifts

2010-02-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

For those of you that don't know, I have a home-based business called Thirty-One gifts. Thirty-One is a faith based company that specializes in personalized purses, bags, totes & a few home items. So if you are looking for a great gift for someone or for yourself give me a call! Or if you are wanting to host a party and earn some free products let me know, I'd be happy to hook you up! And if you are looking for a great way to earn some income let me know. I LOVE my job and would love to share it with you!!
Check out my website at www.mythirtyone.com/tammy31

Sweet

2010-02-16T05:39:00.000-08:00

This is my sweet baby sister, Dante' and her adorable little one. Abigail is a sweet smilie little girl. She keeps Dante' & Robb on their toes! I love, love being an Auntie to all these sweet babies that fill our family with joy, laughter, tears, frustration and love!

Hoffmeier Reunion

2010-02-16T05:36:00.000-08:00

Cameron & Jonah had a great day hanging out. I never knew how much Jonah reminds me of my sweet little grown up baby cousin.

Here's my dad & Ronnie (my cousin, Cameron's dad)

A few of the Hoffmeier Men!

My dad's brother, Bill, loving on Abigail.

It was our first Hoffmeier reunion. It was a great day of laughter, food, kids, and fun. I can't wait until we can do it again!

Date Night

2009-12-30T11:49:00.000-08:00

Our friends came to visit us from NC this week. Between our family and theirs we have 7 kids. And we managed a date night!!! Awesome I know!! We went to dinner and then went ice skating. And believe it or not it was actually cold out so the skating felt like we really lived in the north! We had a great time!!

cuties

2009-12-19T12:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas pictures

2009-12-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again where people get excited to check their mail because they know there will be a new picture of their dear friends and family waiting for them! Keep waiting and watching those mailboxes. The White Family is just running a little behind as usual!!!
But I must say, we have the cutest stinkin' kids ever!!!

2009-11-09T21:22:00.000-08:00

Halloween Costumes

2009-11-09T21:20:00.000-08:00

I love how our kids decide what they want to be and we can get it done! We originally planned on doing a Peter Pan theme. But the more we talked about it Elias decided he wanted to be a martian-hence the green face & antennas, Jonah wanted to be a mad scientist, & Anna wanted to be a "sticker" pumpkin-we went with pumpkin! And of course an easy costume for a toddler is a fairy, she wore her wings proudly! And my favorite part of her costume was her black sparkly Converse! They were all super cute and we had a great time trick-or-treating in our new neighborhood!

Cousins

2009-11-09T21:12:00.000-08:00

The Grandparents & all the cousins!

Sweet Isaac & Elias

Hunter John, my brother Danny's baby...so cute!

Saying good-bye

2009-10-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

Best Pediatrian in the WORLD!!! We miss you Dr. Rao! Just knowing that I have to take the kids to some place else makes me sad!

Best Buds! These three boys have seen each other almost every week since September of 2004. We moved in June and had to say goodbye to our friends in Bristol, FL. It's still a little sad each week going to church knowing that these three sweet friends will not be together. We miss you Blake!!

So I won't fill you in on all the details of the past couple months, but lets just say that life is a whole lot busier & crazier & well, this flexible girl must be getting old because it has not been as easy of an adjustment as I thought it would be. But with some good talks with friends & some time with Dan & with time passing I am beginning to settle into life in a "city" as my kids call it! (because of the tall buildings! in a kids mind tall buildings=big city!)

We have celebrated two kids birthdays, an anniversary, and Dan's birthday here and now we are moving into the holidays so I imagine as we continue to build relationships we feel more and more settled!

Miss you Bristol!!!

Still here...

2009-10-07T19:28:00.001-07:00

Hello friends! I am not sure how many of you have lost interest in our family blog. Sorry it's been so long since new pictures have been posted or even words! We didn't fall off the face of the earth. But we did move and I seem to have misplaced my usb cord for my camera. It will be my mission this week to find that, so that you can see what our kiddos are looking like these days!

We moved to the Lake Mary/Sanford area of Florida! We love being back in the Central Florida area. Dan is the Lead Pastor at Safeharbor Christian Church in Sanford. The boys have started a new school, and are adjusting well. Anna & Elizabeth are settling into a new routine. I am enjoying growing friendships and catching up with old ones.

Elizabeth is going to be 2 in a couple weeks. She has really changed in the last couple of months.

Sorry it's been so long and that there are no new pictures. I will work on that!

Kindergarten Graduate

2009-06-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

Jonah R. White

Jonah & Mrs. Krystal-she's the best teacher ever! We love you Mrs. Krystal

A proud Daddy!

We are so proud of how well you did in school this year Jonah. We can't wait to see you grow and change into a Godly, smart young man. We love you so much!

Summer Is Here

2009-06-09T12:59:00.000-07:00

I love backyard pool days. And chubby "White" bellies & thighs! I love the sight of my girls in a little bathing suit!

18 Month stats

2009-05-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

I know it's a few weeks behind, okay...a whole month but it's been busy around here so give me a break!! Elizabeth Marie is changing and growing right before our eyes. I know we've been through this 3 other times but it never will cease to amaze me how much babies at this age change. She is silly, she is aware of being watched, she loves her big brothers and sister. When she hears the door knob she screams with glee and says "DADDY"! It's so cute. When we eat out she no longer can be forgotten about, she gets her own drink just like the "big kids". I forgot how little girls at this age who do not have to skills to communicate do a whole lot of screaming. We are working on trying to remind her to use her words but...I am not sure how successful we are being. And Anna thinks it's funny and chimes right in with her. I will be amazed if I still have ear drums by the time they are both 5. I am loving this baby #4, just like I did the others before her. It's so fun to see the difference in personality emerge. So I took her to the doctor this week for her well visit. She weighs 29 lbs 9 oz and is 33 inches tall. (95th & 75th %) She is healthy and doing great! Our wonderful pediatrician was pleased with her! I love you "Biz" and I am enjoying the time we get to watch you grow! ~Mommy

Helton Creek Falls

2009-05-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

Auntie Heather and her Anna Bananna!

The Posluszny Family

Mommy & her bunch!

The whole gang...Elias(7), Jonah (5), Isaac(4), Anna(3), Elizabeth(16months), and the parents of course...I just wanted to give you an idea of the stair steps for children that we have!

Spring Break Vacation

2009-05-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break, at the begining of April, we went to N. Georgia with my sister Heather and her family. While we were there we visited the Tocoa River, home of the 1996 Olympic 'watery' games. We checked it out one day without Heather and Mike and then drove back for a hike the next day with them. We had a great time!

White Kids

2009-04-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

I just love these White kids!! Being their mommy is one of my favorite things. I am truely blessed by them, even though some days are more challenging than I think they should be. I enjoy being their parent, with Dan's help, and am really enjoying watching them change and grow. I am sad that my boys are just that, big boys, now. No baby left in them. I have had many people we know who haven't seen them recently tell us that the hardly recognized the boys because they are so grown up. Elias will pass me in height in no time and Jonah won't be far behind. I am really loving the time I get with all of them and the blessing we have in and through our kids.

First Time

2009-04-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago for Spring Break we went on a family vacation. We actually went to the mountains but we had to make a stop before in Jacksonville to meet Aunt Becky's fiance, Mike. It was great meeting him and visiting but, I digress from the pictures. (sorry i just can't tell a story without some details...if you know me at all you know that's just who i am!) Okay, so while we were there we took a ride out to the beach. Elizabeth had never "walked" in the sand before. She had been to the beach on several occaions but her memory did serve her well. She was not sure what to make of the gritty, cold stuff between her toes at first. But after a few minutes she adjusted well. She was cute walking around trying to figure it out.

Always Running

2009-04-19T18:27:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about Jonah is that when we are at the beach he is always on the run. It's so cute, he hits the sand running and doesn't stop until it's time to go. Wether it's chasing birds, brothers, crabs, waves, balls or people he just simply runs. I wish that as a grown up I could, first have that much energy and, second, to be so carefree that I could just run without stopping while at the beach. I hope he grows up with wonderful memories of running at the beach.

2nd Lost tooth

2009-04-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

Elias lost his second tooth our first day of vacation! He's such a big boy! And a great big brother.

Congratulations My Friend

2009-04-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a picture of my wonderful friend and her Fiance'! Yep, Becky's engaged. This is Mike Waldron and he wonderful! They are planning an August 1st wedding. I am so happy for my friend. We have prayed for the perect match for her and here he is. We love him already. I love you my dear friend! Congratulations!!

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T13:32:00.000-07:00

Don't you love a cute little hiney and look at the laugh Jonah is doing...gotta love the carefree laughter of kids!

We need a bigger "baby soup" for Elizabeth!

Just relaxing like Daddy!

Easter 2009

2009-04-13T13:29:00.000-07:00

Hiking

2009-03-17T19:50:00.000-07:00

So as you can tell, I like pictures and I have a really hard time picking the best ones. We had so much fun and I got some really cute pictures of our family and I couldn't choose just one or even 5 so I put them together in this collage.
We live in a neat area in that we are surrounded by lots of national forests, state forests and state parks. Just about 10 miles up the road is Torreya State Park. It is known for it's bluffs that overlook the Apalachicola River. Since we've lived here (September '04) we have had small children or babies who are not big enough to actually hike any of the trails. We go to Torreya to play on the playground or to have picnics. A few years ago we took the boys, when we were only a family of 4, for a hike with them in the wagon. Well a mile or so hike through the woods pulling two small boys in a wagon is not my idea of fun. So we decided to wait until our kids were older. Well the boys are older now, but we've added two girls! We decided to go out to do something one Saturday. We ended up at the park to go for a hike. We knew not to bring the wagon with us so we let Anna walk and took turns carrying Elizabeth. The kids had fun looking for things on our scavenger list and eating our snacks we packed. On the way back up the hill Dan carried Anna and I carried Elizabeth. Half a mile through the woods going uphill with a 26.5 lb child was not my idea of fun, but it was a good workout for my legs. Since then we have bought a hiking backpack! (I was excited b/c I got a good deal on it at a consignment sale!) Not sure when we'll go hiking again exactly but I hope to make good use of that good deal soon!

Playing Together

2009-03-17T19:27:00.000-07:00

Jonah and Anna were playing doctor together the other day. I can't really say Elizabeth was playing along, she was kind of observing but more interested in eating!

My New Sweater

2009-03-17T19:19:00.001-07:00

Do you like my new sweater? And my wrinkly knees! My Auntie Dante' got this sweater for me at a mom's group clothes exchange. My mommy thought I looked so cute on Sunday when she dressed me in it! I turned 3 last week. I am becoming a big girl now. I am working hard at going potty in the big girl potty. I love playing with my ponies, my doll house, outside and with playdough. Elizabeth and I are becoming better friends everyday and I can't wait until she is big enough to play with me rather than take my toys and run. I really love my boys (or brothers) I want to do what they do and say what they say. I hope you like the little picture collage that mom put together. ~Anna

Isn't she cute? We had fun posing for these pictures and I thought the progression needed to be shown. She's a sweet girl, full of life and energy and her own will. She brings much to our family with her sweet, stuborn nature. We so love her and who she is turning into. We pray that she becomes a Godly woman who uses her will for his glory. We love you Anna! mom & dad

St. Augustine Trip

2009-03-01T12:41:00.001-08:00

I love this lady and how she loves my family! Thanks for being such a great friend!
I fell in love with Dan a little more yesterday when we were in St. Augustine. I don't know if it was the "magic" of being in the Oldest City in the U.S. or if it was watching him with our kids or watching him explore history. Or maybe it was the sunshine and warm weather. I am not sure, but I do love him I love how he loves our kids. I love how he loves my friend, I love how he is willing to go hang out and drive yet another 3 hours for me. You are a great Daddy and husband and friend. I can't wait for more experiences that we can share like this, exposing our kids to history. I love you Dan!!
I love them! need I say more. :)
Do you think we can make money from Minute Maid for some advertising?

We went to visit Aunt Becky this weekend. We had a great time! Thanks for the suggestion Beck! (I know these pictures are sideways. I will repost them later the right way. I am out of time!)

Kids say funny things

2009-02-16T20:10:00.000-08:00

I just had to share something funny that Elias said at dinner tonight. Here's how the conversation went...
Dan..."who is able and willing to pray tonight?"
Elias..."Cain's brother and I will pray daddy!"

***chuckles***

I love it!

Pretty In Pink

2009-01-28T19:22:00.000-08:00

Elizabeth is sweet and learning quickly new words and physical things. She has turned into quite the climber and has been saying lots of things. Of course they don't sound like how you hear them but this is what she is begining to say, Anna, Daddy, Bailey, Mommy, Momma, and I am sure there are others but I can't think of them right now. Oh yeah, hi and bye and hey!
Now for the cute little clothes she has on. The overalls were Elias' first, Jonah wore them also, and now Elizabeth. I thought she looked especially cute in them. Maybe she doesn't and I'm in love with it more for the mere sentimental value they have to me. One of my very favorite pictures of Elias he is wearing them.

This is our big girl Anna! Isn't she adorable. I am very proud of here right now, she has been potty training for the last week. We are having great success. Of course I don't want to be too proud because we are still in the begining stages, but things are going very well. We were having fun tonight playing with our princess wand and posing for pictures.

My sweeet girls are sweet sisters. I am so excited to watch them grow into best friends some day. I love the friendship I have with my sisters and can't wait for that to be the case for them. I know we will have some ups and downs before they reach that point but I am excited about this. I love the ones of them kissing. I asked Anna to sit down and put her arms around Elizabeth so I could ge them both in the same frame, which I was having trouble with, and they started to kiss each other. So cute! I love my pretty in pink little girls!

Wii Party

2009-01-25T18:28:00.000-08:00

For Elias' 7th brithday we had a Wii party. We had Wiimote cakes, Rock Band, Golf, and Lego Star Wars, presents and goodies. What more could a kid ask for? His grandparents to get in on the Rock Band action! I think that was the highlight of the party for me! My mom singing a B'52 song and a Weezer song and watching my dad rock the guitar & drums to songs 30 years younger than they are! Awesome!!
Anyway, we had a great time celebrating our oldest child! He is such a sweet boy! We are proud of him and are excited to watch him grow and change. Although, this year I was a little sad for some reason to see him add another year to his life. I love you buddy!

Christmas PJ's

2009-01-03T20:07:00.000-08:00

My parents get all of the grandkids matching Christmas pajama's to wear on Christmas eve. So here we are showing our jammies off. Getting all of our sillies out so that we could go to sleep...so the great "visitor" would come. I love how our house if full of silliness and how well it's displayed here. I know sometimes I complain and sometimes I even yell at Dan for getting them all wound up before bedtime. But I think this kind of stuff will be what I miss the most when our kids are too cool for us. Or maybe they won't ever be that way...can't a girl dream!?

Rock Band

2009-01-03T19:52:00.000-08:00

Dan and the boys rockin' out with Rock Band!

White Kids

2009-01-03T19:41:00.000-08:00

I had to chronicle yet another attempt to get pictures of four children who want to run in different directions and do different things. I managed to get a nice shot of everyone they just don't all seem to be in the same picture. :)

Monogram Letters

2009-01-03T19:35:00.000-08:00

I am going to shamelessly plug myself here and say, these are some monogram letters that I have made for people for Christmas presents. I usually make them for baby shower gifts but for Christmas I was trying to be creative for a few recipients and here's what I did. So if any of you would be interested in having a personalized monogram made, let me know and I am sure we can work out some sort of deal. I am even willing to ship, for a small fee. :) Anyway, you can pass this information of if you'd like. Just post a comment and let me know if you are interested. We can customize it for room decor/theme/color. Thanks!!

Christmas Pearls

2009-01-03T19:29:00.000-08:00

Anna Christmas 2006 with the pearls before they go on the tree.

Elizabeth with the pearls Christmas 2008. I am going to try to get pictures of my girls and the pearls every year at Christmas time. I can't find my pictures of them from last Christmas, but I think if I don't have them my friend does. I might try to add them if I can get them from her. See how Anna has grown. And don't you just love the t-shirt and diaper only baby! I was just trying to show off her thighs!

Happy New Year!

2008-12-31T21:08:00.001-08:00

Happy 2009 friends! I know some of you are dying for an update. Sorry it's been a while. I have lots of pictures to share and I plan on working on them in the morning. :) Off to bed to dream of all 2009 will bring to our family.

Christmas card pictures

2008-12-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

(Scroll all the way down to where the red shirts stop and you will see the good picture we will use!)

So I have been working on our picture night. Last night we went and got the girls and I red shirts so we could all match. That went well, and then came tonight...Things started out okay and then when Dan came in with a girl from church to snap the pictures Anna and Jonah decided not to coopearate. Below I mention how they started out that way. As you can see from the pictures directly below it didn't go so well at first. Anna & Jonah wouldn't smile, my hair looks funny on one side and trying to get 6 people all smiling and looking at the same time is nearly impossible. Then while Leigh Ann (the girl from church who was helping us) was taking the pictures the camera batteries died. And of course she had to leave, I couldn't see the pictures she had taken and the clock was ticking closer to 9 pm with each passing tick! It's funny how in my mind I think things will be quick and easy but they never go that way in real life. It's a joyus thing to have our children in our lives but on nights like this when we want their cooperation all at once I question my sanity in wanting this family. I wouldn't trade them for the world but I was wondering what I was thinking as the sweat was begining to collect on my face. To finish about the pictures...Dan came to my recuse with some back up batteries and we were able to bribe cooperation out of them! The pictures at the end are the good ones we will actually use! (as a side note, you can obviously see that we were in front of our tree but notice how there are no lights or decorations on it yet! we've been so busy that we haven't been able to get our decorations out or up! I just thought it was funny that we were in front of an undecorated tree.)

2008-12-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

Tonight was Christmas card picture night! It started out well. The kids were all happy, smiling and willing to cooperate. Dan was at church still so I thought I would take a few of just the kids. That went fine as you can see. Everyone looking, smiling and cooperating. And of course we had to do silly pictures so I've included those!

2008-12-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

Not sure what Jonah was doing.

Decent picture but mommy is missing!

Elizabeth was done!

This is the one we will use!

Fishing Girls

2008-11-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I picked up a "moses basket" for my sister's new baby. While it was here the girls decided to use it for a boat. I came in the room and they were telling me (Anna was since Elizabeth's vocabulary doesn't consist of more than grunts and giggles) that they were fishing. Just thought I would share pictures of their adventures. (they both got in by themselves!)

Friends

2008-11-16T19:01:00.000-08:00

This past weekend my girlfriends and I went on a road trip to Illinois. For those of you who don't know, (left to right) Xenia, Cindy, myself, and Becky were roommates in college. We formed a bond during that year that has held up to a lot of life experiences. I am so thankful for these three friends of mine. They are some of the best friends a girl could ask for. Cindy had a baby on October 31st. And let me just say, he's beautiful! When Elias was born Cindy and I both lived in Lincoln and Becky & Xen came to see us. We had a roommate reunion. When we talked about Cindy's baby coming we thought it would be a great excuse to have another one. So Becky, Xenia and I drove about 16 hours to see them. We had a wonderful time. The drive was great therapy, we laughed, we cried, we told each other our secrets, sang, danced, and laughed some more. In Lincoln we got to love on Aiden and help take care of our friend. We had a great time. Thanks girls!! I love you so much!
And we did all this kid free. Which for me is a big deal, since I have 4. Dan kept the kids home with him. I am so proud to be married to a man willing to give up his time and freedom so that I could go with my friends on a fun trip. Thank you Dan!! You don't know how much I appreciate you and your willingness to make this trip happen for me. I don't know how you did it without going insane because I don't think I could have done it. You are the best. (Thanks Derek for sending Xenny with us!)

Soccer Games

2008-11-04T16:57:00.000-08:00

Our soccer season is winding down and we have had a good season. We haven't won all of our games but we do have a GREAT team! The big kids on the team are great sports and do a good job teaching the younger kids about doing the same. Also I am quite proud of our coach. (i know i'm biased since he's my husband, but really...he's great!) I love how he works hard trying to teach the kids teamwork and sportsmanship. It's really neat to watch him instill these values in our kids & other people's kids too. And it's not just about winning! If I can talk him into coaching every year I will try. :) watch out honey, you better run when it's time to sign up for soccer! I also love how he puts his heart into making the things he does great. It's funny how I go out there each game to watch my kids when really it's my husband whom I am most proud of. That's not to say that I'm not proud of my boys for the job that they do and for watching how they've gone from being afraid to kick the ball in the crowd of kids to getting right in there and kicking it. And Elias is developing into a great little goalie. He gets so excited when the ball comes towards the net. And Jonah has gone from being disinterested in the game at all to running after it and kicking it when the ball comes near him. (yeah, that means he doesn't actually run after the ball, he just stands around in a certain spot and waits for the ball to come to him and then he gets excited about kicking it!) All in all, it's been a fun season. And now we just have our tournament games left...which brings me to the reason for this post...Leena here's the schedule for the rest of the season!!

Thursday 11-06 Game 1--maroon vs. black
Monday 11-10 Game 2--Gold vs. loser of game 1
Tuesday11-11 Game 3--Gold vs. winner of game 1
The first 3 games will decide if further play is needed to determine a champion.
All games begin at 6pm!
See you out there! Thanks for lovin' on my girls even though you didn't know them before and for Cannon sharing all his snack! And for your willingness to bring drinks out there for our little players!! See you Thursday night!

These are pictures of the girls watching the boys play!

Girls Watching

2008-11-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so here are our sweet trick-or-treaters. Elias was a scuba diver, Jonah was a sheriff cowboy, Anna was a cowgirl, and Elizabeth was a UF cheerleader. (that's what Anna was a her first Halloween) They were all very cute and really had a fun time tonight. We had a fall fest with all of the local churches and the kids really had a good time running around, bouncing on bounce house stuff, eating popcorn & snow cones. Dan was busy working and running around like a mad-man so I enlisted the help of our trusty babysitter. And let me just say, she's awesome! She came with back up and helped me keep an eye on the kids. Anyway, I am proud of our cuties and their awesome costumes, if I do say so myself! Enjoy the pictures! :)

Cowboys, scuba gear, and cheerleaders

2008-10-31T19:53:00.000-07:00

2008-10-31T19:51:00.000-07:00

Here's what happens after a night at a "Fall Harvest Fest"! Of course we got loads of candy but we also got 3 new goldfish. And a naked baby!! After I took the picture Jonah told me he was hugging his fish.

Pretty Face

2008-10-30T19:31:00.000-07:00

One Year Old

2008-10-30T19:09:00.000-07:00

A year ago this is what was going on in our house. A pregnant mommy, I just had to show how big my tummy was, and then a beautiful new addition to our White house. Elizabeth Marie was born October 23rd. She was 3 weeks early and took us a little by surprize. As you can see in the pictures she was big and healthy and so loved. We have had a fun year getting to know her and had to work hard at learning how to be parents to 4 kids. I don't know who said it was the same as having 3 but I hate to tell them it's a whole lot harder. :)
Elizabeth is now 1, she's walking, babeling, eating table food, climbing, drinking whole milk, and does lots of exploring. I find her following me around the house just to see what's going on. She's still pretty quiet but will let you know when she's unhappy about some thing. All in all, she's been a great 4th baby and I am proud to have her as mine. I cannot wait to see how she turns out to be as she continues to grow and change. I have mixed feelings about her growing up, I am happy to see the changes and freedom that come in having your babies grow a little but sad to see these "baby" times pass us by not to be revisited.
Happy brithday sweet girl! We love you so!
(her stats for her 1 year check, 24lbs 8oz, 29.5 inches)

2008-10-30T18:59:00.000-07:00

Aunt Becky bought both of these outfits for Elizabeth! She has good taste in clothes. :)
(hey heather ramsey, i know you want to edit my posts for me...send me an email and maybe i'll give you my username & password so you can)

2008-10-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

My sweet Jonah helping Elizabeth check out her cake. He's such a good big brother. He's thoughtful and kind and concerned...most of the time. Occasionally he doesn't want to be bothered but I really like the love you can see in him in this picture! I also like the picture of him with the football at the end of a day of cake, presents, pumpkin bombs (don't worry they were fake pumpkins) and tackle football in the hay bales he was worn out. I love that little boy so! And then there's Anna with her infectious smile being silly. She was riding a broom around as a horse. I really love how my kids are silly and loving and love life. They are fun to be around, if I'm honest I should add-most of the time!

It's My Party

2008-10-30T18:50:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth was quite into her gift and wanting to check things out. It was very cute, I think she might have been the first of our kids to want to see what was in the bag and get her hands on it!

You have to love a baby cake face on the first birthday! How come we can't do that when we are 30? Maybe I should try that next year! The picture below are the kids who were at the party with us. We had an outside party which was nice, I look forward to all of the fall things we can do for Elizabeth's future parties.

Kissin' Cousins

2008-10-30T18:43:00.000-07:00

We had Elizabeth's birthday party this past weekend and these are some of the sweet cousins that were with us. My brother's kids couldn't be there with us and were grately missed but...the cousins that did get to hang out had a great time! In fact Issac didn't want to leave and had to be chased to the car. (cute to me but probably not heather!)

Sewing Project

2008-10-08T18:39:00.000-07:00

Today I made my girls a dress. It was my very first sewing project that I embarked on my own. They are called pillowcase dresses. They are super simple and so cute. I will have to fine tune them a little. Anna's is a little bit on the big side, and as you can see Elizabeth is not as petite as I thought. :) So I will probably pass it along to my new niece that is coming in November. (her name is Abigail) So to all my friends with girls out there...you will probably be getting these for Christmas, or birthdays or just because they are cute. And any of my friends with boys, I will be happy to make you one too but...I'm not sure how the daddy's will feel. Also if any of you want to purchase one, well we'll have to see about that. I don't know if I feel quite that confidnet yet. I was proud of my accomplishment and thought I would share with you!

White Girls

2008-10-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

These are our beautiful girls!

First Soccer Game

2008-10-07T18:53:00.000-07:00

We had our first soccer game tonight. Our team is the black team. Elias and Jonah are able to be on the same team, and Dan is their coach. It's a fun family time for us. Of course some times I wonder about our sanity since we are going to spend time with lots of other kids, Dan trying to get a group of 5-8 year olds to pay attention to him and I am trying to keep my 2.5 year old & 1 year old from getting eaten alive by bugs and from getting restless as we watch what is going in. And we call it fun! :) What are we as parents thinking?
Okay, as for the pictures, I'd like you to take special notice of the pictures and see how Jonah started out with his shirt on correct and then the 7th picture (i think that which one it is) he is turning his shirt around to put it on backwards. (not too sure why he did this, and why he waited until the whistle blew to start changing it) And then in picture #9 you can see his sleeve with no arm and they are all running! The reason the kids are sitting on the side was because our team had more kids than the other one. They did well out there running after the ball. We seem to have a good team but it's hard to get them to kick the ball in the goal! As you can see in the last two pictures they were doing something because they were sweaty!! Watch for more pictures as the season wears on.

Sharing with my dad

2008-10-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

I got to share a popsicle with my dad the other night! It was lots of fun, and daddy was nice enough to let me eat most of it. Don't you think I have the best daddy in the world? Who shares their favorite thing, but a daddy with his little girl.

Anna has been completely in love with her daddy these last couple of weeks. She always wants him to do things for her and wants to know where he is and what he's doing. It's cute! I am wondering if this popsicle sharing had something to do with it.

New Do's

2008-09-25T20:40:00.000-07:00

Mommy couldn't take the long haired boys or the crying every morning when we had to have the bed-head combed out. So we settled on keeping the top kind of long but letting her trim the sides up. (and no that's not dip in our mouths...it's skittles!)

Our Skater

2008-09-25T20:32:00.000-07:00

Isn't he amazing? He got the skateboard for his birthday in July! This is one of his favorite items and he uses it everyday after he gets home from school! He told me the other day if we lived closer to his school he would ride his skateboard! He wanted me to take some pictures of him the other day. So I thought I would share. Thanks Grandma Lorrie for this wonderful gift!

2008-09-25T20:26:00.000-07:00

Welcome....

2008-09-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

To our restaurant! What can we get you? What would you like to eat?
Elias and Jonah made a restaurant a few days ago when they were playing. It was so cute. They came running in asking us to please come see what they had done. The made a menu. Jonah was busy practicing his letters and word writing. Really cute stuff. Only I am afraid that our children seemed to have made a fast food restaurant for their playtime! I also must mention here how they are becoming better and better friends with each passing week. They even get upset when the other one doesn't want to play what they've picked to play. Don't get my wrong, they still fight and have their moments. But we have been getting more of these days when they go off and use their great imaginations and come up with some great things. Enjoy these following pictures. Notice how Elias seems to be the manager and Jonah is...well some shirtless, hoodie wearing employee. Not sure how I would feel to be served by someone dressed like this "for real" but the "for fake" employee sure is cute and had great customer service skills!!

2008-09-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is where Anna found her safety when we went down to the beach. She was pretty sure someone was going to make her touch the water. It was kind of cute. But she found a spot under the 50 stairs that came down to the beach over the dunes.
Grandma doing what she does best when we are all together! She took lots of pictures so that we could record the memories of our trip.
Anna and her Isaac having a great time playing together at the beach. They are becoming better friends and playmates as time passes. I am really enjoying watching my kids grow and play with their cousins.

Beautiful Face

2008-09-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

So I know that I am her mom and that I am a little biased, but have you seen a prettier face? Elizabeth is 11 months old now. She's trying to walk and has started saying "uh-oh" & "bye-bye". I wake up to her singing those two words through the monitor in the morning and hear her in the afternoon. She is still a joy but she is showing a little bit of "independence" and likes to be heard if someone takes something away from her. I am looking forward to seeing her change and grow into a toddler in these next couple of months. I am looking forward to this now and in the months that follow I am sure that I will be sad that she has grown. But the change is exciting!

Beach trip

2008-09-17T14:54:00.001-07:00

Sorry about the picture size, I am not sure what is going on. But I wanted to document our 3rd Hoffmeier beach trip. My brother and his family were unable to go with us. But here are some pictures of us. These are from Mom's camera and when I get mine uploaded I will post some more!

2008-09-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

Stand Alone

2008-09-05T15:10:00.000-07:00

8 teeth

2008-09-05T15:06:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth

2008-09-05T15:05:00.000-07:00

Bathroom fun!

2008-09-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

Anna was "taking a bath" the other day playing with her toys!! Thought these were cute. :)

Jonah was sick last night, he had a high fever and fell asleep in the bathroom and wouldn't get up off the floor. I thought he looked so sweet and peaceful.

The Girls

2008-09-05T14:50:00.000-07:00

Funny Face

2008-09-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

I love my boys! They are so cute and silly. I love how these pictures show their friendship blossoming.

new posts

2008-08-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Hello my friends! No I didn't fall off the planet, I have just been busy with VBS, rearranging house and hanging out with some old friends. I wanted to say hi and that I posted some pictures of the boys from their first day of school and some pictures of our visit with the Taylors. Read on down and enjoy. I will try to keep posting more regularly now that school is back in. Enjoy!!

Open House

2008-08-21T19:07:00.000-07:00

We went to the boys school tonight to meet the new teachers. We are blessed to have two great teachers this year. Elias got a veteran teacher, Mrs. Mercer, she's been teaching for 30 years and is retiring after this year. And you may recognize Jonah's teacher, Ms. Krystal, she was Elias' teacher last year. We are looking forward to two great teachers and a great year of school.
I love you my big boys, I am so blessed to be your mommy and to have spent the first 5 years of your life caring for you. I placed you into God's hands when you were born, and now I really ask for his provision of you as you spend your days with someone else. Go bless the people you come into contact with. Your sweet friendly spirits are bound to make someone's day. I will be waiting for you when you come home. I love you!~mom

First Day of School

2008-08-21T18:53:00.001-07:00

Our First Grader
Our Kindergartener
The brothers lovin' that they get to be in the same school. Elias has been so proud to tell people that Jonah is his brother and they are going to the same school now. It's been neat to watch him take on the role of BIG brother and care taker of the younger kids.
As you can see Anna had to hop in the picture of the boys for their first day of school pics. She must have asked me 100x's that day "where are my boys?". They seemed to enjoy their first day and I was sad that they are both old enough to be in grade school now. Although I can't lie it was nice to have a quieter house. I wouldn't say it was any neater b/c Anna and Elizabeth do a pretty good job of making things messy. I am looking forward to this year as Elias and Jonah learn new things and explore the world of elementary school academics. Elias has real big kids books and Jonah will be learning numbers, letters and how to read. Anna and I will enjoy spending time playing together, maybe doing crafty things and teaching Elizabeth new tricks. I am sure I will be updating regularly on their new world of school.

2008-08-21T18:51:00.001-07:00

Let's do it again soon! Maybe we'll do the mountains & tents next time!! We'll start dreaming now. :)

2008-08-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Anna & Caleb
Anna & Paige
The girls hugging!
Jonah & Emma

Caleb & Elizabeth--I loved the big eyes in this picture.

I didn't put one of Elias up, but I had some of him with the other kids, just ran out of room. :)

The White, Taylor Family gathering

2008-08-21T18:13:00.000-07:00

Our friends, Brandi and Adam Taylor, came to visit us this past week for Dan's 30th birthday. (yes he turned 30 on August 17th) They have 3 kiddos in their pack...Emma (5), Paige (2 year &8 months) & Caleb (6 months). Added together with our 6 pack, we had 7 kids & 4 adults in our house for 5 days. It was surprising as stress free as 7 kids all 6 and under can be. We had a great time and there was minimal screaming and no fighting. It was a neat experience to spend time with my friend, of almost 15 years, and her family. We even managed to hire 2 babysitters so that us grown ups could go out on a double date. We really enjoyed their company and getting to know their kids. Thanks guys for the visit. We will have to do it again soon. Enjoy the pictures!!

Happy Birthday Jonah (a few weeks late)

2008-07-26T21:59:00.000-07:00

We did celebrate Jonah's birthday on time, we just haven't been home long enough since then for me to do a slide show for his little life. I think after today I fell in love with him all over again. He may be a little challenging at times but, he is so happy and lovable. You will see that as you look at each picture.
My second born son/child turned 5 on July 6. When he was born he weighed 8lbs 5oz on grew at a rapid pace. He was a welcomed addition to our family and has brought us many laughs over the last 5 years and I am looking forward to many more. He is full of life and energy and is all things boy! He loves cowboys & guns & sheriff things. But he is so tender and loving and some days can't get enough love. He loves people and being around them. He really is a joy to our lives. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for him and his determined spirit. I think once I told someone that Jonah was teaching us what it meant to be parents, and I still think that! I love the way he lives his little life and how he loves his family. It's so awesome to see a child 100% in love with his daddy. I am proud to call him our own!
Jonah, I love you son. You are so fun loving and friendly and determined and helpful. I pray that God gives me the wisdom to raise you to use all the pieces of your personality for the Lord. Your tender heart is so sweet and I am excited to see you grow & mature. Happy 5th birthday!

Cousins

2008-07-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

These are all the Hoffmeier cousins! Aren't they a beautiful sight!!??!! And we are adding another girl, Dante' and Robb just found out they are having a girl!! Yea!

This is my nephew Isaac. He came to stay with us for a few nights this past weekend. I was amazed how well they all played together. Isaac went from Elias, to Anna, to Jonah and they all played differently together and so sweet. It was fun watching they bond. Jonah & Isaac were watching something on tv together, and I came in to find them like this. When Jonah realized I took his picture he moved his arm. But, I thought it was sweet that this picture was natural, not set up by me at all!!

PEAS

2008-07-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

For those of you who know me well, this is a sight you should hold onto because I am not sure it will happen again! I laughed at myself for turning into a true "southerner"! Dan asked me if I liked working so hard for my food, like in the old days. I said no way...I'd much rather pull up to a window or have someone come ask me what they can get for me. :) Someone from our church gave us 5 gallons of white peas...yes I said 5 gallons. As I type this my fingers shake from all of the poopin' & cleanin' they've done and I am only half way through that 5 gallon bucket! The kids were excited to help me shell some of them.

They were really into it, as you can tell!! We sang the Beans song by Andrew Peterson & Randall Goodgame! (it's from the slugs & bugs & lullibys album...you should check it out. it's very fun for the kiddos! that's been our travel music so far this summer!)

Anyway, we had tons of fun with the beans. We even ate some for dinner tonight. They are much like black eyed peas (which i actually don't like b/c of the texture, so all the hard work and I only ate a few of them!) Also I was having a little artsy fun with the beans in the bowls as you can tell.

2008-07-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

2008-07-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

If I can get rid of those rolls above my knees I might have a chance in the modeling industry! What do you think?

Birthday #5

2008-07-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Jonah's birthday at mom and dad's with cousins and friends! It was Piratey fun!

And then with our friends at the bowling alley close by. That was a blast. It took us 2 hours to bowl one game. And I think Emma was the clear winner!

Summer Days

2008-07-10T18:31:00.000-07:00

One day this past week the kids were all in the boys room playing. They were getting along so well, being quiet and not fighting at all. To a mom that sound is bitter sweet...nice because you aren't having to break up any fights or yell at anyone for being mean...scary because 3 quiet kids in a room that you can't see what's happening usually means they are doing something their not supposed to do! (like the peanut butter incident)

I hear them "roll playing" in the room. Elias saying something to Jonah and calling him "son" and Jonah responding with something "dad". I had to laugh to myself as I walked in the direction of the bedroom. When I came in I saw the bottom bunk of the bed....ahhhh.....look at all that stuff. And a completely empty closet. Oh MY!!! I was quickly informed that they were playing camping. The bottom bunk of the bed was the "trunk" of the car and the top bunk was the mode of transportation. And "Jonah is the colleger, mommy, which means he can drive us." from elias
I was happy they were playing so nicely and that at least they hadn't dumped out all of the toys. Instead they had just moved the buckets & bins from the shelf to the bed.

And they were having a great time. The clean up wasn't all that bad. All 3 of them helped me put it back. They had fun on their camping excursion and I was gratful for the peace and quiet. I just thougth I would share this with you. What fun memories they were making together!

Elizabeth & Pace

2008-07-10T18:17:00.000-07:00

This is Pace! He's my boyfriend, (sorry Ben...it all about proximity!) we were born one day apart.

He's a big boy as you can see. Our mommies were due the same day and Pace was born about 18 hours after I was. Isn't that neat? They were being checked into the hospital as I was making my entrance. We have lots of pictures together. I'll try to get my mom to post those sometime. She keeps telling me she's going to do it...but in 8 months this is the first time you've seen him.

Isn't he a happy boy?! We have fun playing in the nursery. He came over to play a few weeks ago. He wasn't interested in following me around so I just sat near him and kept pulling his hair. Hair...that's something I don't have so I was very interested in his!! He was a good sport though.

Mommy just loves their faces in this picture.

sweet smiles

2008-07-10T17:59:00.000-07:00

2008-07-03T07:53:00.000-07:00

Some More pictures of my grandpa and Elizabeth.

Noni & Papa T

2008-07-03T07:48:00.000-07:00

I went to California for a week, the second week of June. My grandparents live out there and I took Elizabeth to meet them & the rest of the Taylor family. We had a great time. I planned my trip so I could be there for my cousin's baby shower. It was wonderful visiting everyone, being away with just one baby and getting to see my grandparents, Elizabeth's great-grandparents, form a bond with my baby. There is nothing more special to me than family, and making memories with them. I love that God has blessed me to be able to take each of my kids to California, at least once, but the boys have both been a few times. I love that I have pictures to share with my kids when they grow up to show them who my grandparents are, and my aunts & uncles. It's neat to be an Aunt now and know just how special that bond is even if you have 30 something neices and nephews. (which isn't really an exageration, I think my grandparents have 28 grandchildren & almost 20 great-grands). I really enjoyed my time there. Thanks to all who made that happen!!

This is my grandmother, Ruth Taylor, our kids know her as Noni (her mother is Yugolasvian and Nona is what we called her...so it seems fitting that the greats would call her that!)

This is my grandfather, Al Taylor, Papa T. I think if he could have figured out a way to have a baby or steal this one he would have. He really enjoyed her. It was very sweet.

Papa & Noni, lovin' on Elizabeth.

My grandpa always liked his babies to come wake him up in the morning. So each of my kids have done taht while we've been there. I think I have pictures of all of them doing it. So special! I am hoping Dan & I and the kids can go out sometime to be there all together and to visit. Anyway, just wanted to share these pictures. I will try to post more from my trip!

The pool

2008-06-28T17:58:00.000-07:00

My guys

2008-06-28T17:57:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed our vacation. It's not easy or really what I would call relaxing to vacation at a beach condo with 4 kids. But it was fun, and relaxing in the sense that we didn't have to go anywhere or do anything but be together. The kids had fun waking up to cartoons, knowing that soon they would get to go play in the pool & the sand & have thier parents undivided attention. (when I say undivided I mean, only family focused because it seems impossible to have undivided attention with 4 kids) :) But that is the joy of growing a family. Your attention is focused all over!! Back to our days, then we would play in the pool and at the beach and take naps and play again! Then we'd eat dinner and people watch from the balconies. I think Elias really enjoyed the kareoke nights. He took his chair and a blanket out and was completely entertained until he fell asleep. It was cute. Anyway, we had a great time and enjoyed playing with our kids and spending time together. God really blessed us with this get away.

More Beach

2008-06-28T17:50:00.000-07:00

Beach Vacation

2008-06-28T17:46:00.000-07:00

(just thought this was a neat image I actually took it from the balcony of our room)

This was a sand castle the kids "helped" work on. There was this great family with grown kids on vacation together and this is what they did to pass their time in the sun. They were gracious enough to let our kids help them. They were patient and engaging with our children. It was really neat. This was the first one they built and then the next day it was something almost as grand, but it was in the shape of a ship!

We went to Panama City Beach last week for a vacation. It was nice to be on the beach, and enjoy our family. The kids loved the pool a little more than the beach although, they still had fun! More pictures to come!!!

Sweet face

2008-06-06T12:51:00.000-07:00

I just liked her sweet face in these pictures!! Enjoy!

Trying to crawl

2008-06-06T12:47:00.001-07:00

I know it looks like all I did was give my baby some torn up paper. But she was really loving a paper towel I had to wipe her face off. Anway, I was trying to capture her "getting around" mode. So far we have not put one knee in front of the other, we just get on our hand & knees and then sit up and "voila" we are in a new location! It's funny to watch her find something she wants and then sit up to go get it!! Hey whatever works babe!