Judah's First Birthday

I have definitely gotten the message that we are going to have to celebrate Judah's birthday early in December.  It's just too crazy right before Christmas.  We did celebrate his birthday, it was just right in the midst of many other activities.  The Sunday before his birthday we had a party with yummy food, pretty cupcakes and fun gifts with the family. 

"Mama is making a crazy face.  What's all the excitement about?"

 "Hmmm....This looks...."

 "YUM!"

 "Mphfff..."

 A bath was in order.

Judah had a rotten cold that ended up in an ear infection, so he slept through the majority of his birthday party.  In spite of that, he had a good time being the center of attention. 

I know it's predictable, but it has to be said: I cannot believe Judah is already one!  This year has gone at light speed.  Our family has been so blessed by having Judah in it.  There is not one of us who has not completely enjoyed Judah.  I think he would say the feeling is mutual. 

Judah isn't walking yet.  He tricked me.  I thought for sure he would be.  He stands by himself for a long time and cruises the furniture, so it won't be long.  He is drinking well out of a sippy cup and eating only big boy food (which has seriously decreased the meal time screaming).  He has discovered foods he doesn't like.  Eggs was the first food.  He prefers foods mixed together.  Yay!  A southern baby...he loves casseroles!  I'm still nursing him, with no end in sight.  He's just so sweet about it and we have the sweetest cuddle time while I'm nursing him.  I recognize the value in that and know it will come in almost no other way.  My two big boys have taught me that. 

Judah has no idea that he is a baby.  He is convinced he's a big boy and tries all kinds of big boy things.  This morning he fell into the bathtub.  The other day he nearly hauled himself all the way into the toy box.  If the boys are outside, the why in the world isn't he?!! 

Kris has always been a jokester, and I think Judah will follow in his footsteps.  He always has this grin on his face like he's up to something.  He loves to smile and giggle and is happy the majority of the time.  Much more so when he's either in my arms or I'm out of his line of sight.  He gives the best kisses.  He comes at you with a wide open mouth, and once he makes contact with your face he might even lick you. 

Judah, love, you are such a snuggle bug!  I love you.  I enjoy you.  I look forward to getting you out of the bed in the morning.  Sometimes your Daddy and I take you out of each others arms because neither one of us can get enough of you.  Thank you for all your smiles and for the way you've settled so sweetly into our family.  Your first year has been a delight, and I will treasure it and you always.  Happy Birthday!

Christmas Scramble

I finally got around to wrapping presents Monday night, so Tuesday morning the boys were really excited to see them under the tree.  Eli picked a present up and turned to me with wide, excited eyes, "Is this my humpback whale?!" 

Oh. No.

He really wants a humpback whale for Christmas.  My entire Tuesday morning was spent online frantically trying to find a stuffed humpback whale in a store somewhere in the vicinity.  No luck.  I spent Wednesday afternoon scouring two different malls and various stores.  No luck.  Apparently, dolphins and penguins are popular.  Humpback whales, not so much. 

So, Eli will not be getting his humpback whale for Christmas, but at least I know what he wants for his birthday. 

The Most Pitiful Sound You've Ever Heard

Judah is a "little bit" under the weather (You can read that "the most rotten cold ever".)  He was crying this morning, and I got a recording of how he sounds.  While that probably isn't the best mama thing I could have been doing as he was sitting at my feet trying to wail, at least I didn't actually video him.  Right?

Luke and Eli's School Christmas Program

Luke and Eli had their Christmas program at school last night.  They sang songs for us and then, more importantly, we ate cookies.  I cry every single time my children perform.  If I didn't know that I was one of the many weeping mothers I might wonder if I had a hormone imbalance.  But I recognize that this is what happens when we become mothers.  Any time one of our offspring look unbearably cute, we smile, our chins wobble and then we weep.  It's inevitable. 

This was only Eli's second time in front of the large crowd.  This is what he thinks of performing for the masses (Eli is in blue):

Luke, on the other hand, is a seasoned veteran (Luke is in pink, next to the tallest girl in the school.  I told him to choose his place in line more wisely next time.  She made him look like a peanut.) 

Luke's Birthday Request

Luke told me for his "number six birthday", on November 3rd, (in case I wasn't sure when his birthday was), he wanted a baby girl sister.  I told him that was sweet and to pick again.  Eli is probably more likely to get his humpback whale.

Judah At Eleven Months

We went to Camilla for Thanksgiving and then we had a week of various illnesses, so I'm a little behind.  Judah hit 11 months on the 22nd of November.  Apparently, he thinks he's five years old because he gets ticked when he gets left behind.  He has started running away when he knows I'm coming after him.  He looks around to see if anybody is watching when he's about to get into or touch something he knows is off limits.  He gives me "the face" when I'm not making him very happy. 

Exhibit A:

Judah stands by himself for as long as he wants to.  He sometimes forgets he can't walk and tries to take a step but hasn't successfully completed one yet.  He still loves pretty much everybody with Mama being his #1 pick. {smile}  The only people who make him cry are Kris' uncle and cousin.  We have no idea why but everytime they're in the room Judah boo hoos like he's been assaulted. 

Judah hasn't met a food he doesn't like.  We have not yet deciphered the screams that accompany every single meal.  I think they mean "More!!", "Faster!!" and "All done!!"; but they seem to all run together without a break in between.  Meal times have become a bit of a challenge.  I know.  This too shall pass.

I cannot believe Judah will be one in a few weeks.  This year has flown past!  What a treasure he has been!

Wishing Big

Eli told me tonight with a deadpan face, "I want a humpback whale for my birsday."  Then he stuck his thumb back in his mouth and turned his big, blue, serious eyes on me, completely expecting a "Yes" out of me.

This is one of the millions of precious moments with my boys I absolutely never want to forget.

Keep Your Eyes Peeled for the PayPal Button

I think Judah has decided that my beef vegetable soup is his favorite meal.  I had to take a little video of him eating the other night because it was ridiculous how much he was enjoying his food!  By the time these boys are teens, I will either need to have found a part time job or to have added PayPal to my blog so my friends and family can donate to the "Feed the Hoffmann Boys" fund.

Can you believe the intensity?! I think the scream at the end meant, "Stop wasting my time, Mom, and give me more soup!"

Please Explain

Why do my children insist on peeing in the front yard?  We have three doors.  Why the front one?

I Have A Five Year Old!

Look at those blue eyes and that sweet smile.  This is my Luke.  I love this picture because it is such an accurate depiction of Luke's disposition.  Sunny, sweet, happy, loving, affectionate.  This child gives the sweetest smiles and the best kisses.  And he gives both so freely.  His brothers A-D-O-R-E him.  Eli follows him around faithfully, waiting for Luke to have an idea so he can copy it.  When he wakes up in the morning his first question is, "Where's Luke?"  When he is given any instruction at all his first question is, "What's Luke going to do?"  He absolutely hates the idea of being separated from Luke.  Luke is very good natured about it, but occasionally says, "I need a little break, Mama."  Judah starts dancing when Luke walks in the room and giggles out loud when Luke makes silly faces or movements.  Luke can, without fail, get smiles and laughs from his brother.  He is a good big brother and declared once that he wanted 11 sisters.  When I told him that I would need a lot of help taking care of that many children he said, "You could just feed them with your nuckles like Judah.  Maybe you could have, like, eight nuckles."  I didn't correct him on the pronunciation of that one, although I did try to explain to him that if I had eight "nuckles" I would be somewhat of a freak.

Kris and I, of course, think Luke is incredibly smart.  He is reading and learning math.  He loves to learn, asking me, "Teach me, Mama" all the time.  He likes to pretend that we're doing school every day when he works in his work books.  We are always looking things up on the computer to satisfy his curiosity.  The other night he asked us when God's birthday was.  When I told him God didn't have a birthday he said, "We need to check that out on the Internet." 

Luke is asking more and more questions about God, right and wrong, heaven and the future.  I made a comment about "one day when you have a family of your own and you live in your own house..." and turned around to find him crying.  After many tears and questions I finally figured out that he was NOT okay with the idea of us ever living apart.  While I know he won't always feel that way I love that he thinks he will always want to be right here with me. 

Luke, you absolutely make my heart overflow.  EYE HEART YOU (with hand motions).  You make me smile first thing in the morning when you crawl into my bed to snuggle until you go to sleep in your little white undies at night.  I love that you love me.  I love that you love your family.  I love that you love your life and never want it to change.  And I love that as you grow and change I know you will always be an absolute blessing to this family.  Happy birthday!

Judah At Ten Months

Judah is already ten months.  I feel a little panicky sometimes when it hits me how quickly he's turning into a little boy instead of a baby.  Oh, and he is a little boy already.  He has learned how to make farting noises by blowing on the leather chair.  He grabs himself the second I take his diaper off to change him.  He eats whatever I give him and lots of it.  He smiles at anything female.  And he is happiest when he's being tossed around by his daddy or brothers.  Definitely all boy. 

 Luke and Eli still think he's fun.  They like it when he does big boy things with them.

 Sometimes Judah enjoys their love and sometimes he just has to endure it.

 He is more tolerant of Luke's type of affection.  (Mama, I promise Luke has had a hair cut since this picture.)

Judah is standing without holding on to anything for maybe ten seconds at a time.  He might be my only early walker.  He doesn't like to be crawling when everyone else is walking, so that would make him happy.  He is a really content fella, and he is always happy in other people's care.  He likes to give me a hard time, though.  If I'm anywhere near he has to fuss unless he's in my arms or at least has my attention.  When I'm holding him and talking to someone else he'll grab my face and turn it so he can smile at me.  He's a little possessive of his mama, which I may fuss about, but I secretly love it.  He gets jealous when I hold Eli or Luke.  It would have freaked me out if my other two were ever like this but with Judah it makes me smile.  I know how quickly they get to the point where Mama's affection is more tolerated than desired. 

Happy ten months, Judah!

Weekend in Georgia

Daddy's 60th birthday was on the 9th and we spent the weekend in Georgia to help him celebrate.  He knew we were all coming in to town, but he had no idea that there was a surprise party planned for him.  It was lots of fun to celebrate his life and what he means to all his friends and family.  We are blessed that he belongs to us!

We also had lots of fun in the gorgeous weather and playing with cousins.

Look at all those teeth! Trust me, he knows how to use them.

The boys stayed in a half nude state all weekend.

Eddie was a good sport about all the attention he received and even helped the boys run off some of their energy.

Luke loves his "big" cousins and hung out with them as much as possible.

What a Face

Without fail, this picture makes me laugh every time I look at it.  He was checking out the camera.

Beach Trip

I can't believe I forgot to put these pictures on here.  We went to the beach for the night about a month ago, and because our boys woke up E-A-R-L-Y we were able to catch the sunrise.  Beautiful morning and beautiful day!

Did I mention it was early?



Quotable Quotes

Judah and Eli have had the crud, so Eli hasn't been able to go to school this week.  First off...man!  You get used to having just one child around a couple mornings a week pretty quickly.  Second off, poor Eli.  He loves school and hasn't been thrilled about missing.  This morning I checked his nose to see how it was looking.  It was still runny, so I said, "Bummer, your nose is still running."  Quickly grasping what that meant for his school status, he said, "They have tissues at my school, Mom."  Smart little three year old.

I wrote about Eli being a copy cat here.  It sometimes frustrates Luke.  Okay, it really frustrates Luke.  Like, to the point that he whispers what he wants for breakfast so Eli can't hear and copy it.  Last night he whispered in Kris' ear that he wanted a piece of candy after dinner.  Eli, with his super hero hearing, comes sprinting into the kitchen, "I want a piece of candy tooooooo!"  Luke threw his hands up in the air and said, "For goodness sake, Eli!"

My MOPS group will be filling boxes for Operation Christmas Child again this year.  Luke was filling out a questionnaire that goes in the box so the child who receives the box can correspond with him.  I was explaining to him that the box will go to a little boy or girl in another continent like Africa, Asia, Europe, etc. and then that child might write him a letter. To which he declared, "I want a pretty girl from Africa!  Because I like pretty girls a lot."

How Times Have Changed

Sunday was my 30th birthday, and it absolutely made me laugh.  Kris gave me a blender, and when his parents took the two big boys home with them from church, we took an hour to rest and then cleaned house the rest of the time that Judah napped. 

The funny part? 

It was one of the best birthdays I've ever had.  Kris' parents did have a party for us Sunday night, and that was fun too.  It just made laugh that I was totally thrilled with a blender and a clean house.  It reminded me of all the times we would ask Mama what she wanted for her birthday or for Christmas and she would, predictably, reply, "Just obedient children."

Silly Sock Day

All these dress up days are brand new to me since we started in the middle of the year last year.  Both Luke and Eli had Silly Sock Day today in honor of the letter S.  We had fun decorating Luke's baseball socks (hope he doesn't need those again any time soon), and surprisingly, there were no arguments over having to share one of each sock. 

Another Lefty

I often forget just how much our children are learning brand new.  Every concept and idea is totally new to them.  Their way of seeing things makes me laugh!

Tonight Luke came to me and said, "Mama, I have some news for you."

Smiling, while trying to take him seriously because that was a new phrase for him, but he was obviously being very serious, "What news do you have for me?"

"I hurt my right foot.  It really hurts.  I can only use my left foot, so I'm going to have to be left-footed from now on."

Judah at Nine Months

Judah is officially nine months old.  This year is flying by so fast.  The first year has never been my favorite part of having children, but I have to say that at night when I'm nursing him before bed I sit and hold him thinking the whole time, "You are growing up way too fast, and I want you to stay a baby for longer."  Sometimes it absolutely makes my heart hurt.  He is sweet and handsome, funny and engaging.  He is at the point now where I have to peel him off of me like a banana whenever I drop him off somewhere or put him in the car seat or put him to bed or put him on the floor with his toys or put him anywhere, actually.  Oddly, most of the time I don't even mind it.  Maybe because he doesn't really act ugly about it.  He just whimpers and looks at me like, "But I want to be with you!" 

We had a photo session in the grass last night.  He wanted to check out his surroundings before we got serious about pictures.

After every blade was properly tasted, he was willing to smile for a bit.

And then he was done.

Kris and I got a date night this past weekend, and when we got Judah up the next morning the sitter had put him to bed in these jammies.  He was absolutely yummy!

We went back to the foot doctor this week, and we are officially finished with the corrective shoes!  His foot still turns in, but the muscles are flexible and the drift will be able to correct itself with time.  I haven't taken Judah for his nine month check-up yet, but at the foot doctor he weighed a little under 22 pounds.  He is wearing 18 months clothes now!

Judah is crawling all over the place now.  You would think that since he's my third child I would remember important things like making sure the boys haven't dropped pieces of cucumber on the floor or left checkers lying around.  Good times.  I also have to continually remind myself to SHUT THE BATHROOM DOOR!!!  I have found him hanging over the edge of the toilet with toilet paper in his mouth and on his hands more than once.  The toilet paper came off the roll on the wall and not from the toilet, but the sight is a shocker, nonetheless. 

Judah, you are precious to us.  We need you in our family.  You give something to each one of us that no one else can offer.  We love you!

Rock Star

Today was "Rock Star" day at Luke's school in celebration of the letter R. We had fun dressing Luke up, and the hair was even a success. I don't know that he quite understands what a rock star is, exactly. He kept mentioning birthdays and his friend from his tee-ball team named Rox. I asked him if he had fun at his rock star party and he answered, "Yeah, it was fun, but Rox wasn't there." Oh well, he was still the cutest rock star I've ever seen.

Seriously, he kept pulling his sunglasses down and giving me the, "How you doin'?" look. Too funny!

'Cause what good is a muscle tee if you don't show off your muscles?

Homemade Photo Shoot

So I must confess that we have yet to have a family picture made since Judah was born. Actually, we haven't had a family picture made since Eli was six months old. I know, I know. But it's just so painful! I'm working on it, though, I really am. We did have an impromptu photo shoot on our back porch about a month ago with the boys in their undies. We got a few good ones and once it turns a little cooler maybe we'll make a habit out of it.

This is as good as it gets with Eli. Sometimes I think he knows just how photogenic he really is and he's prepping for the catwalk in NYC. He absolutely poses. It's funny, even if a bit frustrating.

Luke liked being the center of attention for a moment, and he worked with us.
Sweetness!

We had a whole lot of this...
Plenty of this...

A little more of this...

But it was worth it for this...