World's Greatest Dad...Really!

Wait...I thought it was still October! What happened to the rest of the year???

Well, it is Christmas time, and it's been a very very VERY busy December. Every year I think I'm going to have a much better planned-out Christmas holiday where I get everything done early and I'm relaxed and peaceful. This was not that year. Like many people, we have been hit hard with the down-turn in the economy, and it's been a difficult year. But while Christmas is a bit on the sparse side this year, it hasn't been without its joys.

Here's one thing that has brought a lot of joy:



You'll notice the ones on the right are rather sparse...there were 18 of them. Similar story for the ones on the left...there were 35, but no more. So yes, these have produced a lot of joy. A lot of joy and probably a lot of pounds, too. Santa is so generous so we like to treat him well. I made the usual sugar cookies with cream cheese icing for him (a personal favorite of his, I'm told), but I've added a new treat this year as well. I call them Chocolate Ridiculous, because they are so good it's ridiculous. (Jenster, you'll appreciate these!) A Chocolate Ridiculous is peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiched between two Ritz crackers and dipped in chocolate. (Insert "OH MY GOSH!!!" and Homer Simpson noises here)

See what I mean? Ridiculous.

Here's something else that made this season special. The girls and I went to a local craft store earlier this week so Little Bit could pick out something to make for The HOFFER for Christmas. She decided to paint a T-shirt for him, so she picked out the shirt while I found the paints. She started painting the back as soon as we arrived home, writing things like "World's Greatest Dad" & "My Dad Rocks!" The shirt sat on the kitchen table for a while to dry, then I suggested she hang it up to finish drying someplace secret. She hung it on the inside of my closet right on the door handle but neglected to tell me. So when I opened my closet door in a hurry later that day, the shirt with still damp paint flew off the handle (no pun intended!) and into a heap on the floor. It wasn't ruined, but it didn't come through unscathed, either. Upon further review, Little Bit was satisfied that it was still good enough to give as a gift.

The next day, she took the shirt out of my closet to paint the front, and again left the shirt on the kitchen table to dry. Unfortunately, Yummy, who is very mobile and very nosy, saw the shirt and decided to investigate. She pulled the shirt off the table into another heap on the floor. This time we were not so fortunate. Little Bit was crushed...she had worked so hard on it and was absolutely furious with Yummy. She was ready to throw the shirt out but I suggested she at least hang on to it to show her daddy how hard she had been working on a gift just for him.

When the HOFFER came home, Little Bit very sullenly showed him the shirt. I knew he would handle it well, but he answered her in such a precious way that it nearly brought me to tears. He very genuinely and lovingly told Little Bit that she had given him the best gift he had ever received. She (and I!) were rather incredulous, but he explained: "Little Bit, you gave me a gift from both you and your sister. The back is what you did for me, and the front is what Yummy did for me. I have a gift from both of you, and I love it!" He knew the effort Little Bit had put into it, and he validated that for her. When all was said and done, I could tell that was a special moment for her, and that her daddy had fixed things so that everything A-okay. I am certain she will always remember this Christmas for this precious moment. I know I will.

HOFFER, you really are the world's greatest dad. It is a privilege to be married to you. I love you.

My Girls

Just wanted to share some pictures of my girls. I took these on Father's Day for the Hoffer (he was out of town so I could do it!) in the courtyard of our church. I feel fortunate that I was able to get the pictures of Yummy as good as I did, because she was tired from missing her morning nap and hadn't had lunch yet. Not in the best mood for picture-taking. But both girls did well.










This is one of my personal favorites.







This is what I refer to as the "after-bath". Get it??? Aftermath? After-bath??? Okay, so it was weak, but it's all I got.



Again with the "after-bath"! Thanks to our friends Steve & Tresa for that cute bunny towel!!!




Our little shutterbug. I've GOT to get her a camera of her own. Thankfully, she has the Hoffer's camera here, not mine!





These are goodies from sweet Deb, the Daily B, that I've been meaning to get pictures of for some time now! Love the bow head!!







I think she looks like a flapper from the 20s in these hats, and Little Bit thinks she's too cute!











Deb, you are fabulously creative! Love all the head gear you made!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I don't get around to doing anything else with them, like scrapbook or even put them in an album, so thanks for letting me share here.

A Little of This, A Little of That...And Then Some of Those

In my last post I lamented the fact that it is so very difficult to get Yummy's smiles caught on camera. Well looky here:






Little Bit got her giggling, and I grabbed my cell phone (my camera is AWOL) and snapped this. I love to hear babies laugh, and my Yummy is especially giggly. Doncha' love it???


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If anyone out there lives near Waco, there was a puppy mill shut down this week in the Waco area. Mostly rat terriers, but there were also some Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (like WonderDog!). No decision has been made as of this writing as to what will happen to these dogs, but if you are interested in helping out, whether financially, donating supplies to care for them, or fostering a dog or two in your home for a time, contact Sheila Simmons of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club Rescue USA, Inc. to find out more (www.cavalierrescueusa.org).

This is amazing to me, that people could be so beastly to those who can't defend themselves. Who says mankind is inherently good? "As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one..." (Romans 3:10)

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I love my sweet friend Flowerpot. She always has a smile on her face and a good word to share. She is one of the most beautiful people I've ever met, inside and out. Our girls have been in different classes this year, plus she's been working full-time and I've been so busy with Yummy, so I don't get to see her happy smile much. Since our schedules haven't matched up well this year, I like to go check out her blog to see what she and her precious family have been up to. (I like to do that anyway, but especially since we haven't seen each other much this year.) One of my "favorite" posts that she has written was back in February called "Worship Check". It's a very convicting post. She talks about how and where we spend our time and our money, and what that reveals about us. Ouch. For me, it wasn't pretty. This particular post been rolling around in my brain's very packed file cabinet, just lurking for the right time to be used. Well, God's timing is always perfect, and He brought it out of its "file drawer" and is using it in our lives to honor Him and help others. The Hoffer and I recently made a commitment to be better givers, to give to God His 10% first, even if it's difficult. (And believe me, with our economy the way it is right now, IT'S ALL DIFFICULT!) We decided to give more not just to our church, but also when we see a need. And God was faithful to give us opportunities to give RIGHT AWAY. The Hoffer was able to share with some who really needed it. I got an email from our church about a new crisis pregnancy center opening up, and we are donating a sofa/love seat combo to help get things set up. I hope I don't sound like I'm patting myself on the back...I am just so OVERJOYED at the opportunities the LORD is giving to us! How generous of HIM to give us yet another second chance to honor Him. Here are some verses He used to reiterate to me that we are to give generously:

Psalm 37:21, 25-26:

The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be blessed.

I love it when God gives me confirmation that I am on the right track...His track. :-) Thanks for the post, Flowerpot! Another jewel in your crown!!!

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Little Bit has had a rough afternoon. She has two BFFs (best friends forever, if you've never heard the term) that she has known for some time and loves dearly. One of these BFFs has been very unkind to the other one, and Little Bit was defending the wrong one. It was just too difficult for her to comprehend that someone she loves so much could do something wrong. Many tears were shed, but she is coming around. We are praying for a peaceful resolution. I love that God uses difficult situations in our lives to help others in need, and I was able to tell her about similar situations from my growing-up years and how I dealt with those situations. It's a comfort to her to know that she's not the only one to go through this situation and that I can give her some advice on how to handle things. Just goes to show you that God doesn't waste anything. :-)


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Finally, we have only TWO WEEKS OF SCHOOL LEFT!!! Bring on summer! I'm ready!!! And Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies and soon-to-be mommies out there!

I'm Heeeeeerrrrrre....

Wow...I have been gone a LOOOOOOOONG TIME!!! I can't believe April is almost gone! This whole year (translation: school year) has been such a blur, and my brain is so crowded with stuff. I decided I was long overdue for another blog post, so here goes.

I just HAD to share this picture. This is Little Bit with a family friend of ours from about five years ago.



OH MY WORD, ISN'T SHE ADORABLE???? She was SUCH a cute baby and toddler--she's about four, almost five here. Such a stinker. I always loved her hair like this. She hated it, but I'm pretty sure she was the only one who did. I went through a rather large box of pictures yesterday, dating waaaaaaaaaaaay back before she was even thought about! It was a ton of fun, seeing just how much Baby Bit looks like her big sister.

And speaking of Baby Bit, she will henceforth and forevermore be known as YUMMY. Because she is. Need proof?




Talk about sweet feet!!! Don't you just want to take a nibble? Here's the head-to-toe version:




And a head-shot:





Now you see why we started calling her Yummy. She's Super-Delicious!!! Many thanks to The Daily B for that fabulous--and I do mean FABULOUS!!!!--outfit. She wore it to Little Bit's school on Grandparents Day a couple of weeks ago and was a huge hit with that awesome bow! I love baby bowheads. :-)

And just in case you're wondering, yes, she smiles...quite a bit, in fact. She's incredibly ticklish, and we are merciless about making her laugh. But when it comes to pictures, I just can't catch her doing it with my camera. Argh.

Yummy had her 6-month check-up today (yes, yes, I know she's 7-1/2 months) and came through with flying colors. She is almost 17 pounds and 26-1/2 inches "tall". She is everything Little Bit was...times ten. If Little Bit was happy, Yummy is exuberant. If Little Bit was just a bit curious, Yummy is into everything. To steal a phrase from a favorite author--Deeanne Gist--she is everywhere at once! She isn't crawling yet, but when she starts I'll have to keep my running shoes on. She always wants to be doing something else. When she's sitting in her booster chair to eat, she wants to see what's going on out the window, see what Wonderdog is up to, check on the cat, play with whatever is nearby, watch her sister entertain her...you name it. She'll think about eating eventually. And when she does, it will be LOUD AND CLEAR. Did I mention she's LOUD???? It's funny to listen to her, but it can also get nerve-rattling. If I get to take a nap during the day, I can assure you...it is WELL DESERVED!!! :-) So needless to say, feeding time is interesting.

As for what she likes to eat, her favorites so far are sweet potatoes, squash and bananas. She'll also eat green beans, peas, egg yolks, banana-and-strawberry yogurt, and will try anything. She's at the age where I can puree whatever I'm eating, which is SO EXCITING to not have to make three separate meals for four people. Little Bit is very picky and won't eat what we eat. I'm hoping Yummy is different in that area.

Another first for her was our trip to the coast over Easter. The weather didn't permit much, unfortunately, but we did take the girls to the beach for a couple of hours. While Little Bit was rolling around in the sand and waves, Yummy stuck her feet in the sand and was done pretty quickly. She was ready for a bottle and a nap, which she promptly did. The rest of the weekend was a lot of fun, with the Hoffer's brother and sister plus families meeting us there. It's not often we all get together, but I was so glad we did. Brother lives in southern California with his three kiddos and sister lives in Houston with her two boys. Everyone had a busy life, so this was a treat to get to hang out with them. It was especially nice for me to have several helpers with Yummy, so my arms got to rest some. :-) Sorry, no pictures. The Hoffer packed my camera somewhere and we still haven't found it. It will show up at some point...!

Grandparents Day is a huge undertaking at Little Bit's school. I love it...taking time out of our every-day busyness to honor those very special gray heads full of wisdom. Each class prepares a little something for friends and family to perform on that day. Little Bit's class performed Longfellow's "A Psalm of Life", which became a favorite poem for me while helping Little Bit memorize it. Check this out:

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream! ?
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.

Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,--act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.


I am not big on poetry, but this one just jumped off the page for me from the first line. I plan to have this printed out and framed alongside the two "footprints" Little Bit made. One was for the Hoffer that said "Dear Daddy, I love the way you are funny. HAHA!" The other was for me and said, "Dear Mommy, I love the way you are perfect." (I'm going to have to keep that one handy for ammunition...;-)) She also made one for my mom, who couldn't be there because she is blind. It says "Dear Granny Bob, I'm sorry you can't see this, but I love you." She is so precious.

The Hoffer has been crazy busy expanding our business. He has been traveling a lot as well. I miss seeing him and look forward to our rare and short times together without the girls. In fact, we're going to watch some TV together and eat some super-delicious popcorn here in a few minutes. So let me share one last picture for today so I can go snuggle! This one is also about five years ago, after a race...which should explain the gear.



Okay, here are a couple more:




A contemplative moment. Not sure where this was taken...those aren't my curtains!




And would you trust your financial future to this little guy??? :-)


Ahhhh...it's good to be back in bloggerland!!!