July 4th, 2010

For the 4th of July this year, we went over to Ben's dads house for a BBQ and fireworks! I was really excited for Layla to be able to see and enjoy the fireworks (Uncle Matt always buys a ton to shoot off since Eric and Leslie live in Richland). It had been a very busy weekend so Layla was asleep before it was dark outside so she really didn't get to see much. I guess we'll have to wait till next year...Here are some pictures!

Feeding the fishies in Grandpa's Pond


Look an airplane!


Giving Mommy "The Look"


Watching Uncle Matt set off fireworks


I just had to share this one...

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse

I have been anxiously awaiting the 3rd movie in the Twilight series to come out and since it has recently (it was AWESOME btw!)I thought an Eclipse background would be appropriate. And also I'd like to shout out to all my fabulous girls who went to the show with me...you'll find them below! :)

Ocean Shores Vacay

My work had a training this past week in Ocean Shores Washington and Ben and Layla were able to join me! We made a very fun little family vacation out of the trip. Layla absolutley LOVES the beach. The entire car ride up she kept telling us how she wanted to dig in the sand and that is what she did for literally 2 full days. I had a great conference and Ben and Layla had a great time lounging in the sand. The Washington Coast is so strange in that you are able to drive on the beach, of course Ben had to inform me that the beach is actually considered a state highway. We were able to spend alot of time with my co-worker and friend, Holly Boyce and her family. Holly and Josh have 2 kids and Layla had a lot of fun playing with them.

I have to share this funny story that Ben told me about that happened when he was putting Layla to bed the other night. He layed her down in her crib and as he was walking out of the room she said "Daddy...Kiss" so he went back in and gave her a kiss goodnight. Then as he was leaving again she said "Daddy...Pound it" (which is what she says when she wants to bump fists with you) so Ben walked over to give her a "pound" and at the exact same time after the pound they extended their hand and made a "psssshhhhh" sound which is know as "blowing it up" (this is hard to explain so I'm sorry if you don't know what I'm talking about). This is probably cuter to me because I've been working with Layla on learning how to "blow it up" for a couple weeks now, so I'm really proud that she finally caught on! LOL

Welcome Back to Blogging, Heather!

Wow! It's been 6 long months since I've updated the Hoppe Family Blog! I'd like to tell you all that we've just been so swamped with "stuff" that I haven't had a chance to update but that would be a lie. Life for the Hoppe's this past few months have been great. We found out in June that Ben has passed his Professional Engineers exam and he is now a licenced P.E.! For those of you that keep in contact with us regularly you know how hard Ben worked and studied these past few months in preparation for this test. I think he put in something like 300+ hours in a span of 3 months...but it completely paid off and Layla and I are sooooo proud of him!

Layla will be 2 years old at the end of July and ofcourse is cuter than ever! I can't believe how much time is flying by! She is amazing and the absolute best thing in our lives.

I am still working for the ESD #123 running the 21st Century After School site at Finley Middle School and I am absolutely loving it! A part of that might have to do with the fact that I am currently off for the summer which is a nice bonus for me! My plan is to continue to blog throughout the summer in preparation for a blog that I will be starting for my after school site so hopefully you'll see a lot more from me in the weeks to come!

Is that the kid from A Christmas Story?

Ben, Layla and I, along with our friends Todd, Chandra, and their son Donnie when up to their cabin in the Blue Mountains this past weekend. The weather was beautiful and they still had around 6 feet of snow! We were able to put Layla in her snowsuit (glad she got atleast 1 use out of it) and take her out to really play in the snow. Her and Donnie both went sleding behind the snowmobiles and had a great time. Here are some pictures of the two of them that are just too cute...

Attitude!

Our little monkey has quite the attitude lately! We've now experienced what it is like to have your child throw themselves on the floor in the middle of the store. Remember when you said..."My kid will never behave like that"...YEAH RIGHT!

I can't believe how big and grown-up she is already. Recently she's begun singing! Her favorites are the songs that I have on my phone for ringtones. When my phone rings, she immediately starts dancing and singing. She repeats EVERYTHING you say and has a huge vocabulary. She knows all of her numbers and most of her letters and she makes sure you know it if she is unhappy with something. Overall, our days with Layla are so much fun! We just can't get enough of her...But if you ever want to babysit, I think we can part with her for a few hours. :)

Everyone asks..."When's the next one coming?" and honestly, we have no idea. We are so happy and content with our little family although people keep reminding me that they don't want Layla growing up as a "weird" only child.

Here are some recent pictures. I apologize for the quality. Our nice camera broke and the one we are currently using is ancient.

"Sun-Gasses" as Layla would say.


She loves to cuddle right after bath time!


Woah! Check out that hair.


What? Am I not supposed to get into that?


We were laughing because Daddy's shoes are so stinky! :)

Addicted to T.V.???

I swear, she doesn't spend all that much time in front of the TV but after Ben and I finished looking through some recent pictures, it really looks like she does. What do you think? LOL!

Comfy on the couch


We found her laying like this one afternoon. If you can't tell, she's got her head back and she is watching TV upside down. We were setting up for the Superbowl. She put the blanket on her and everything.


Don't good parents tell their kids not to sit too close to the TV?