Team Gotch: April 2009

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Paci

I wanted to give you all an update on Bree and her Paci...

Bree has been doing very well with only having her beloved friend at nap time and bed time. The first day was hard! I was so surprised the next day when she was ok with leaving paci in her crib. She still has moments where she wants "Paci" for comfort. We also have a "lovie" (her purple blanket) so we give her that and she seems to be ok.

So as I was putting her down today for her nap...I gave her paci...well three paci's, one for her mouth and one for each hand. She was so cute...she was saying "more paci's" I said you have three paci's you are good. Her come back was "no...just four paci's" she said this while holding up 4 fingers! Where does she get this stuff from :)

Here are some pictures with her best friend Paci....

~Jenn~

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Four Generations

One love my Dad and I share is the love for the rodeo. As a teenager my Dad and I would go every year. The past two years we have added a couple people to our tradition... Braden and my Grandpa Hoffman (who has been out from Ohio). Four generations of Hoffman's all enjoying the rodeo.

Well...not sure how much Braden enjoys the rodeo. He likes watching the cowboys and the horses but after about a hour he is about done... as you can see it the picture below. He was falling asleep about a hour into it... poor little guy. We have been dropping naps latley due to him not being able to sleep at night. The best part of the rodeo for Braden is the new cowboy hat he gets every year. He loves the dirt and all the rocks he finds. This year he keep asking me if he would see any robots. :) The one thing Braden doesn't lack is imagination. Most of the time Braden is in his own little world of robots...at the rodeo, awanas, the mall, the grocery store, church, doctors, post office, bank and anywhere else you can think of.

I hope Braden and/or Bree will love the rodeo and it will be something we can do for years to come. Bree will be going to her first rodeo in September! We didn't leave her totally out today. Papa (my Dad) got her her very first cowgirl hat. She loves it! Here are some pictures of our day.

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Growing Up

This week has been a big week for Bree in the learning to be a Big Girl department. Some big girl changes have been welcomed and enjoyed and others have been met with lots of sadness and tears. Let me start with the happy changes :)

Bree has always had her toys out in the living room mostly so Brad and I could keep a eye on her. We never have trusted her to play in her room alone. Lately she has been taking toys in her room and playing. I would watch her without her seeing me...she would be so sweet talking to her babies and reading books. So this week I took her glider chair out of her room and moved in some of her toys. She is in HEAVEN!

Now for the not so fun changes for Bree. We have noticed that Bree has been talking with a lisp...not that big of a deal... she is only 22 months and we thought it was kind of cute. Well, the other day Brad had said "I wonder if she talks with a lisp because of the paci." It really got me thinking. The more I thought about it I realized for being almost two Bree did have the paci throughout the day more than she should. We didn't know what to do...I couldn't bear the thought of making her go cold turkey when I hadn't limited the paci use like I had with Braden. So we decided to start with the cut backs, and after a few months of that go cold turkey. So today was the first full day of only having paci at nap and bed time. Let's just say it hasn't gone well. It has been hard for Bree but also hard for Mommy. We have had many tears today (both Bree and Mommy). When she is begging for a paci it is so hard to tell her no. Below are some pictures I took today of Bree trying to climb to get her box of paci's (paci's are in the pink box). One of the biggest struggles I have as a Mom is teaching the kids how to be independent. Independent children is a Mother's main goal. You want to know that when you are gone your child will be able to take care of themselves. The struggle for me, and I think all moms, is when you see your child struggle in life you want to run to them and make it all better. But sometimes you know that's not what's best for them. Let's hope tomorrow will be a better day :)

So as much as I am happy to see Bree grow and become a "Big Girl" it is also sad for me. I miss my baby girl.

I wish God would let us keep them babies for just a little longer. With paci's on the way out and diapers right behind them, I see my beautiful baby girl growing into a beautiful big girl.

~Jenn~

Sunday, April 19, 2009

HOT

It has been HOT HOT HOT the last couple of days! Yesterday we took the kids over to Jeremy and Annette's pool to cool off. They had a blast! I don't know how I did it but I gave birth to two little fish. They both love the water so much...it makes Brad and myself a little nervous because they both have NO fear. Here are some pictures...

~Jenn~

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Braden and Bree

When asked as a little girl what I wanted to be when I grew up I would always say "a Mommy!"...I never have wanted to do anything else in my life. I remember being a teenager and telling Brad that I couldn't wait until I was in my 20's so I could have babies. When I turned 21 I was so excited, not because I could drink, but because we were going to start trying to have a baby. We had been married for 3 years and we couldn't wait to start a family. I never thought trying to get pregnant would be the hardest thing in my life. I remember praying so hard for a baby...it really tested my faith in God...I didn't understand why out of all people I couldn't get pregnant. My heart ached for something I didn't know if I would ever have...
After 3 years of infertility and many tears and prayers God blessed me with the most amazing little boy and girl.
Braden...
He reminds me so much of myself, green eyes and all. What a gift God gives us when we can see ourselves in our children. I see my best and worst in him. He is my sweet, shy, anxious, smart, funny, homebody, picky eating, loveable little man. His heart is bigger then his little body. He is always making sure everyone is ok and that the little world he lives in is a happy one. He is a lover of trucks, trains, tv shows, chocolate milk and all the people in his life.
Bree…
She is my sweet, smart, shy, adorable, funny, talkative, adventurous, clinging, feisty, Daddy’s girl. She is a lover of babies, food, coloring, water, Elmo and Abby and shopping! Her attitude is a challenge some days and raising her will be one of the biggest mountains I will climb…but well worth it when we get to the top. With her little brown eyes and a smile that will melt your heart, it is not very hard to fall in love with her.

Being a Mom is something I have always dreamed of…now that the dream is a reality it is even better and harder then I could have ever imagined. Braden and Bree are almost 2 and 4 but it’s hard to believe I could ever love or be more proud of them. I look back now and can say every tear, shot, fertility appointment, disappointment, heart ache was so worth it! It was hard to see at the time but God was always in control of the plan he had for Brad and I. We have two of the most beautiful blessings.

~Jenn~