The Hoppe Family

July 4th, 2010

2010-07-05T15:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-07-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-02-26T21:15:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-02-26T21:01:00.000-08:00

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.???

2010-02-26T20:49:00.000-08:00

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?

Family Pictures, December 2009

2009-12-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

My good friend, Heather Linderman, took some family pictures for us this past weekend so we could have something to send out in a Christmas card! Even though it was freezing cold outside she got some great pictures of us an of Layla! She is a stay at home mom and is starting to do photography on the side...if your interested in getting ahold of her let me know and I'll pass along her information! Thanks again Heather!!

What have we been up to since June??

2009-11-16T11:05:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick update of what we've been doing the past few months, mainly just fun pictures of Layla!

Forth of July
For Layla's first Forth of July we went to our Cousin's, Roxanne and Ted Berger, house. She had a great time watching fireworks and playing with the other kids. She was also in her first "parade"! Each year, on my parents street the kids do a 4th of July bike parade where they decorate there bikes for the 4th and ride up and down the street. The neighbors all stand outside and clap for them. My mom was very excited to take Layla in her stroller. I think at one point, mom and Layla were even running!

Layla's 1st Birthday
We celebrated Layla's first birthday in our backyard with our family and close friends, which I think all together added up to about 75 people in my backyard on a very hot July Saturday! Layla had a really fun time and I hope everyone else did too! We had a bounce house and slip 'n' slide set up for the older kids. We had a kiddie pool to keep the babies cool and we luckily had lots of shade. Thanks to everyone who brought food and to those who came to share Layla's special day!

Trip to the Oregon Coast
Ben, Layla and I took a family trip to Lincoln City, Oregon this summer and had a lot of fun! Actually now that I think back the majority of the trip was a disaster. First our digital camera broke so we had to buy a disposable (the reason for the scanned pictures below), then the hotel we rented was infested with spiders (I'm exaggerating, but we moved rooms anyways) so I spent the good portion of the day trying to find us another hotel which is very hard to do in Lincoln City on a Friday. Then I lost my cell phone, got home, went to AT&T and switched everything over, came home, unpacked and found my phone, went back to AT&T and got everything switched back. This is only a few of the things to happen to us on our vacation but I think you get the point. Layla had a fun time and loved the Ocean!

Halloween
For her 2nd Halloween, Layla was a butterfly, and let me tell you she was the most beautiful butterfly you've ever seen. We stayed home on Halloween night since Layla isn't walking yet and there was no reason to take her around the neighborhood but she helped me hand out candy and she loved seeing all the costumes! Easton was a Monkey and he looked adorable as always!!

Where does the time go?

2009-11-14T21:56:00.000-08:00

Well, I really have no excuse for why I haven't updated my blog in 5+ months. Normally, I would blame my crazy, hectic life, but honestly these past few months have really been great. Not too busy, not too stressful, we've just been enjoying our baby girl and life the way it is right now.

On to some updates on Layla. She is almost 16 months old and perfect in every single way. She is learning, growing, and changing every single day. Ben and I are amazed at how much she remembers and retains. She is becoming a very smart little girl. Her favorite thing to do is read and I never thought I would say this, but reading can get really tiresome after your tenth go-over of the same book. Layla is already starting to memorize her books and she will read them out loud to her self when we are cooking dinner or messing around the house. Granted, she doesn't say the words perfectly, but you can definitly tell what she's saying! She can count to ten and say her ABC's but is she walking...well that is the one area where she hasn't quite grasped yet. I personally just think she's being lazy and perposefully deceiving. Yesterday, she was playing in the living room and I was watching her without her knowing it. She was walking along the couch, which shes been doing for months now, when all of a sudden she started walking on her own over to our other couch. I quickly started clapping and said "Layla, your walking" to which she immediatly sat down and refused to do it again. She is getting quicker and quicker walking along the couch, and she'll stand in the middle of a room and just look at you, so I'm sure the walking on her own will happen very soon!

Here is a video of her counting and ABC's.

Turning 1 next month!

2009-06-30T20:43:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that my baby will be one year old at the end of July! We've been wanting to get some good pictures to send out in her birthday invitations, so we decided to borrow Gpa Ken's camera and see what we could do ourselves. For just "pretending" to know anything about photography, I think Ben and I did pretty well...ofcourse it's easy when you have a beautiful baby to work with. :)

Swimming Lessons

2009-06-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Layla and I are taking "mommy & me" swimming lessons along with my good friend Sarah and her son Easton! We have been having a blast! Layla and Easton are both doing great and are very fast learners, I'm sure they will be swimming laps in no time! Since it's very hard to take pictures while your in the pool we hired a professional photographer (aka Grandma Wanda) to come and capture the moment! Layla and Easton both LOVE the pool!

Layla, Squeener and Boozer

2009-06-30T14:45:00.001-07:00

Here is a video of Layla laughing while watching Squeener and Boozer play. It's a constant struggle for me to keep her away from them because she is at a stage where all she wants to do is pull hair as you can tell from the end of the video...

Summer Time Pictures!

2009-06-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

Sorry I haven't posted any new pictures in a while! Things with us have been busy, Ben has been working a ton of overtime and I have been busy getting my program closed up for the year. I am officially done for the summer after next week! I am so excited to spend the next month with Layla. We took Layla to Grandma and Grandpa Briggs' pool this weekend to see how she would do and she LOVED it! I'm excited to be able to spend my summer pool side. Other than work, we are now busy following our little crawler all around the house. She pulls on every cord we have and puts everything on the ground in her mouth so we are trying to get everything "Baby-proofed" as quick as we can. Man...why was I so anxious for her to crawl??

Enjoy these newest pictures.

Our hike up Badger Mountain

2009-04-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

With record breaking highs in the Tri-Cities yesterday, Ben, Layla, Eric, Leslie and I decided to take a hike up Badger. We had heard people talk about it all the time and have been wanting to do it for a while. It was beautiful once we finally reached the top. Poor Layla, refused to take her afternoon nap so she feel asleep 1/2 way up. She wasn't very happy when she finally woke up at the top! And yes, the hike kicked my butt and my legs hurt SOOO bad this morning! It's pretty sad that I was the slowest of everyone even when Ben was carrying 30+ pounds on his back with Layla and all our stuff! Oh well, atleast I made it all the way!!

Playing with Friends!

2009-04-03T08:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we went to the Spaeth's home to see new baby Xander! He was born last Sunday on March 29th and was 9lbs, 9oz! He was a big boy...but is such a cutie! Here are some pictures of Layla, Haylee, Donnie, and Xander. *And don't mind me in the background...

We're ready for Spring time

2009-03-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from last weekend. This was Laylas first real "outside" time. The weather was so gorgeous, we played in our backyard for most of the afternoon. We can't wait for Spring to finally arrive.

Ready for the Gym

2009-03-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Grandma Jan came over the other day to take some picture of Layla and after looking at them I realized that she really does look like she's ready for her workout at the gym, complete with headband and leg-warmers!

Having FUN at the Cabin!

2009-02-17T09:51:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful friends, Todd & Chandra Johnson, invited us up to their cabin in the Tollgate area for President's Day weekend. We had such a great time. Layla did great on her first "vacation". She slept the entire way there and back and was such a good girl the 3 days we were gone. Todd and Chandra's son Donnie is almost 3 months old and adorable! Layla and Donnie will be boyfriend/girlfriend before we know it! Thanks again Todd and Chan for the FUN time!

Rollin...Rollin...Rollin

2009-02-07T17:23:00.001-08:00

Our girl is officially rolling all over the place! I can't believe that 6 months has gone by already. Layla is such a happy baby, she has big smiles for daddy and mommy whenever she sees us! She loves eating rice cereal and has just started carrots this week, it's taken her a few days but now she loves carrots too. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful beautiful baby girl! Here are some new pics for everyone!!

Five Generations

2009-01-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

This past weekend at my Grandma's 70th birthday party we were able to take a 5 generation picture. Meet Layla's Great-Great Grandma Merle aka Mamo, her Great-Grandma Wanda, her Grandma Cyndi and her mom...me!

Layla's First Christmas!

2008-12-30T19:12:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Layla's first Christmas! We had a such a great time with our family and friends! Enjoy!

New Pictures

2008-12-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

Happy girl after Cougars won Apple Cup! Thanks for the outfit Auntie Sarah!

Hangin with her BFF Haylee

Happy after bath time

Layla's first photo with Santa, she didn't scream but wouldn't smile. Santa had some pretty messed up teeth.

Layla's 4 month wellness check-up

2008-12-02T11:05:00.000-08:00

We had another great checkup last week on Layla's 4 month birthday! She weighed in at just over 16 lbs which is in the 95th percentile (she's coming down). Layla was great for Dr. Ello and she is a very healthy and happy baby! She did have to have 2 shots in each leg which made her a little cranky, but who wouldn't be cranky after that! We can't wait for Christmas with our little monkey, she is going to be very spoiled! I'll get some pictures up soon...

Not a happy Ladybug!

2008-11-04T15:15:00.000-08:00

Layla was a Ladybug for her 1st Halloween. As you can tell in BOTH these photos, she hated it!

She's even fliping us off in this one

Brittney Kluse Photography

2008-11-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

We had Layla's pictures taken this weekend by Brittney Kluse, a new and upcoming photographer. She did an awesome job and I would recommend her if you are looking for photos of your little ones! The link to her blog is under our family & friends section.

Layla did well for her first professional photo shoot. She only pee'd on Brittney's things like 3 times! We didn't get alot of smiles out of her, but she was wide awake for most of it. Enjoy!

Modeling Already!!

2008-10-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

The theme for our Campaign at work this year is "Live United". You may have seen people wearing Live United shirts around town or on TV commercials. Well, United Way wanted a baby to represent Live United and ofcourse, they all thought of Layla! I think it turned out adorable...

Layla's 2 month wellness check-up

2008-09-30T10:53:00.001-07:00

Well, our girl is doing great! We had her 2 month wellness check up yesterday and everything went really well. She laid their the whole time in her diaper just happy as a clam letting the doctor weigh her and measure her and poke at her chubby little body. She weighs an whopping 13lbs 8oz which is completely off the charts for her age! The median weight for a 2 month old is around 11lbs. Our pediatrician said that she was very "healthy" and that in a group of 100 babies, she'd be the fattest! I LOVE her chunky legs! She also had her first set of shots and she was very brave. I made Ben hold her and she only screamed for about 30 seconds. As soon as I picked her up she was fine. Last night, she was a little fussy and very tired but other than that, she did great. Her colic is getting a lot better too, FINALLY.

*She's not smiling in any of the pictures, it's really hard to capture because whenever she smiles she gets really excited and starts moving all around, so all her smily pictures are fuzzy. I'll keep trying...she has a beautiful smile! :)

Layla Kay, 7 Weeks old

2008-09-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast time has gone by! My baby is already 7 weeks old and getting cuter and cuter by the day. She has such a fun personality and I love being home with her. Unfortunalty for me I have to go back to work this Friday but Layla will get to spend some time with my grandma before we put her in daycare. Things we've learned about Layla so far are that she hates having even the slighest wet diaper, loves her bouncy chair, laughs in her sleep, looks more and more like her daddy every day, has a beautiful smile, seems to enjoy mommy's horrible singing voice and can scream with the best of them! Here are some new pictures.

Race City USA

2008-09-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

Ben and I were able to go out and watch my uncle, cousins, and brother race in Hermiston last weekend, I know it doesn't sound like much, but it was a "mini vacation" for Ben and I to the great ole town of Hermiston. I actually love going there, my family has been racing since before I was born so I feel like I've grown up at the race way. It was a fun night, my cousin Mike won his main event and so did Lance! Here are some pics!

Lance getting his trophy

Uncle Bob's late model

Cougar Football

2008-09-01T17:00:00.000-07:00

Well, for all of you who know Ben it shouldn't come as a surprise that Layla was dressed and ready for the Cougar game last Saturday! Unfortunatly, her outfit (Thanks Aunty Channy!) didn't bring them much luck but atleast she sure looked cute!

Our Chunky Monkey

2008-08-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

We went to the doctor today and Layla weighed in at 10lbs 2oz! She has gained almost 4lbs since we left the hospital which is very good (maybe a little too good, the doc says we might be feeding her a little too much). Layla also attended her first Fair and Rodeo this past week. Here are some current pics for everyone!

Happy with Daddy at the Rodeo

Our little princess

Layla and Mommy just hanging out at home

2008-08-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Ben went back to work last week so Mommy and Layla have just been hanging out at home. Things are going pretty well, we have our good days and our not so good days! For the most part she is such a good baby. She's been having some fussy spells lately so I am wondering if she doesn't like the formula that I have her on. We'll give it a few more days to see how she does. Here are some new pictures (mostly of her sleeping, its the easiest time to get pics!) She is already changing and growing so fast!

So precious

Grandma says when she sleeps like this it means she's happy!

Why can't she sleep like this at night!

Wide awake for daddy

Sleeping Beauty

Layla is 1 week old today!

2008-08-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

Layla is one week old today! This week has just flown by and Ben and I are adjusting well to being parents. Ben heads back to work next week so we'll see how I do on my own...I'll have to admit that I'm a little nervous. Here are some new pictures of Layla, she is changing so fast.

Layla with Mommy (look at all her hair!)

Wide Awake

Such a pretty girl!

Her first bath...she didn't like it too much!

The dogs are getting used to Layla, and aren't the least bit jealous!!

Layla's first Dr. appt

2008-08-01T10:41:00.001-07:00

We had our first pediatrician appointment today and Layla did very well. She currently weighs 7lb exactly which is good. She had lost quite a bit of weight at first and they had us supplementing her with some formula while we breast fed, now that my milk has come in, her weight is increasing and she should be back up to her birth weight by day 10. Tomorrow is her 1 week birthday, maybe we should have a party! Be sure to check back this weekend, I'll be posting some more pictures.

Layla Kay Hoppe is here!

2008-07-30T11:21:00.000-07:00

She is finally here! Layla Kay Hoppe was born July 26th, 2008 at 1:07 am at Kadlec in Richland. She weighed 7lbs 4.3oz and was 20.5 inches long. She is just perfect and Ben and I couldn't be happier that she is here! FINALLY!

The scoop...
We went into the doctor on Friday 7/25 for our regular weekly checkup. My blood pressure was high so our Dr. said we should go into the hospital to be monitored. After several hours, my blood pressure was getting higher and my blood platelets were getting lower so our Dr. had us admitted. I ended up having pre-acclampsia, which is basically pregnancy induced hypertension and the only "cure" is delivery. Dr. Bahnmiller decided to induce me to get things going. Everything was going well, except I was having horrible contractions every 1 minute from the pitocin and wasn't even 3cm yet!! We decided to get the epidural set up and the anesthesiologist who was on call WOULDN'T administer it!! She said my platelets were too low. There was quite a bit of drama going on at the hospital that night...my Dr. and nurse wanted me to get the epidural but the anesthesiologist kept saying no. We heard that they were arguing back and forth quite a bit. To make a long story semi-short, since my contractions were so bad and my platelet count was getting lower, we decided to do a c-section. Layla Kay was born at 1:07am Saturday morning. Things went so quick and completely opposite of how Ben and I had planned it so we were a little overwhelmed, but all in all, everything is great and we have a beautiful baby girl here now who we love more than anything! All I want to do is sit and stare at her all day long...Enjoy the pictures, I'll be posting more soon!

Layla just after delivery

She loves her Daddy!

Proud Daddy and Grandma!

Mommy seeing Layla for the first time after surgery

This is Layla with her Great-Great Grandmother

Layla with Grandma Jan at the hospital!

Look at those beautiful eyes

Sleeping with Daddy

Getting ready to go home

Baby Girl should be here soon!

2008-07-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

We are expecting Baby Girl Hoppe to be here any day now! She is showing mommy signs that she is ready to come out so now it is just a waiting game! Our official due date is August 5th but we have decided to induce July 31st at 7am. We're hoping that she will come on her own before that, so who knows...lets cross our fingers for this weekend!