The Hobbs

FoTOs

2012-01-30T12:10:00.001-08:00

While Laci was visiting we went to Old Market and took a bunch of family photos for the collage on my great room wall. The photos turned out really cute! I love all the different color combos that we have going on.

After a day of shopping for a bunch of unique frames, I put Laci to work with putting the collage all together. It turned out beautiful and looking at it makes me so happy!

Tired

2012-01-28T20:19:00.001-08:00

Dear Madisyn,

2012-01-17T10:44:00.000-08:00

My, how time flies it is so weird to think that you're a teenager now. Madisyn I am so proud of what an amazing young woman that you are turning into. You are seriously so sweet I get asked quite often, "Does she ever not have a smile on her face?" and my response is, "Rarely!" You have some amazing qualities, you are so smart we were so proud of your 4.0 report card I know we tease you that it comes natural.. which some of it may, I also know you work very hard for your grades! You are very responsible always have been from such a young age, you are beautiful from the inside and out. You are a great example to everyone you come into contact with especially your sisters. You have a great eye for fashion, you're funny, sweet, hardworking, a great friend, lovable and amazing!
Happy 13th birthday Madisyn!

Mommy duck?

2012-01-17T03:32:00.000-08:00

Ashley asked Mike the other day if he felt like a Mommy duck? Where ever Mike is Mason is wobbling right behind. From the minute Mike walks in the door Mason is his little shadow. It is seriously the cutest thing ever, this little boy LOVES his Daddy!

New Years Eve

2012-01-16T21:47:00.001-08:00

The day before New Years Eve my sister flew in and was able to bring in the new year with us, we also had Dana over. ( he and his wife Bev were the ones that offered a room for Mike here in NE til we joined 2 months later) We celebrated in style! We played the wii, some boardgames, had some Buffalo Wild Wings, sushi, and pizza.

Christmas day

2012-01-16T20:58:00.001-08:00

The big hits of Christmas 2011!

Ashley clothes, accessories and shoes.

A phone.

An American girl doll.

Lalaloopsy tree house.

Lego's and cars.

Christmas Eve

2012-01-16T20:29:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve. We finished up some last minute shopping and had lunch with my brother who had traveled from MN to spend Christmas with us. We made sugar cookies, had our yummy traditional dinner of shrimp pasta, garlic bread, ceasar salad and sparkling cider, the girls did their gift exchange with each other, we had a special visit from Santa, read a Christmas book, the girls set out milk and cookies for Santa and then the hurried off to bed!

Christmas piano recital

2012-01-16T20:19:00.001-08:00

The girls had their piano recital a couple of days before for Christmas, it was so fun to listen to them play and to hear how well they're doing.

Hannah played a duet with her good friend Holly. Emily and Madisyn each played their songs and then they each played a duet with their teacher. Madisyn and Emily were really worried about doing their duets, but they both ending up doing a fabulous job.

Toothless

2011-12-28T13:12:00.000-08:00

Hannah lost her first tooth on Thursday night!
Two special visitors for Hannah last week the Toothfairy and Santa!

Breakfast?

2011-12-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

Mason's breakfast the morning after Gingerbread night.... little stinker!

Kindergarten Gingerbread Night

2011-12-28T13:01:00.000-08:00

Madisyn's Christmas Concert

2011-12-28T12:49:00.000-08:00

Christmas parties

2011-12-28T12:19:00.000-08:00

Hannah and Emily had their class parties and Mason and I got to join them. The girls got to wear their pajamas to school, play a lot of fun games, make some Christmas crafts and have some yummy goodies.

Caroling

2011-12-22T21:58:00.000-08:00

We've had the opportunity to go caroling twice this Christmas season. Once with our friends and the other time with our church group to a retirement home. Each time my heart was touched. After returning home from doing caroling with our friends, our good friend Richard received a message from one of the homes we visited, it read:

"Thank you guys for Caroling at our house. It brought tears to my eyes. Christmas is always tough for me since mine were very different than what my kids have now. I try to make the best of every Christmas and move forward...unfortunately the Christmas lights were not in the cards this year. Every time the fan runs in the garage freezer we blow a fuse & the outside lights go out. Any way thank you so much for making my night and the holidays. Much Love!Jill"

The retirement center was an amazing experience as well. It was so touching to see the faces of the elderly light up with each song and to hug and to hear the stories of some of the residents there. I was so thankful to share this experience with my girls.

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is singing loud for all to hear!"
‎

Christmas Baking

2011-12-22T21:48:00.001-08:00

We made some goodies this year with our good friends the Williams. We made sugar cookies, fudge, Babe Ruth bars, Ooey gooey bars, chocolate covered pretzels and peanut butter balls. I love Christmas treats!

Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow

2011-12-07T07:18:00.001-08:00

We got our first snowfall of the season and the kids could not wait to get outside to play in the snow!

10 minutes in the Life of Mason

2011-12-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

My little boy is sweet but boy is he into EVERYTHING! If we hear the kitchen chair sliding across the kitchen floor we come running and this is why.....

"Here Mom, let me help you with dinner."

" Hmmm, what wall haven't I colored on?"

" More cheese? Don't mind if I do!"

Christmas Program

2011-12-02T08:06:00.000-08:00

Hannah had her Kindergarten Music Program last night. Hannah did a great job singing her little heart out. They finished the program with the kids all doing a Christmas jig, sooo cute!

Hannah with Mrs. Mergens.

Christmas in a small town

2011-12-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

Our town hosted a little gathering to kick off Christmas, with Santa, hot chocolate and carolers. It was pretty cold but it was a nice kick off to Christmas!

O Christmas tree

2011-11-28T08:33:00.001-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. I have all my Christmas Decor up, lights up on the outside of the house,(first time ever!!) Christmas music playing and some of my Christmas shopping done! Love this time of the year, let all the fun traditions begin!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T08:11:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving our good friends the Williams' invited us up to their parents house in South Dakota. We all had a great time preparing Thanksgiving, relaxing, watching movies, shopping, eating, playing games and making good memories.
We are thankful for great friends!

Thankful

2011-11-24T15:35:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful for my five healthy and beautiful children! I am so blessed to able to be their Mom and to give them hugs and kisses on a daily basis.

Time out for women

2011-11-07T09:45:00.001-08:00

I was able to go to Kansas City for "Time out for Women" with my favorite women of Omaha. On Friday night we went to the Power and Light district for sushi. On Saturday we spent the day listening to inspirational stories that left me feeling very blessed for the wonderful life that I have. We also fit in some Smash Burgers and shopping... great weekend!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

A cop, a flapper, a 50's girl, a pirate, and batman.

Class Parties and the Parade

2011-11-01T16:46:00.000-07:00

It was nice to have the girls back in a school that actually celebrated "Halloween" ... not a "Fall Festival", but good old Halloween with costumes and all!
Emily and Hannah both had cute little class parties and a parade to finish it off.

Jack-0-lanters

2011-11-01T16:35:00.000-07:00

Our week with Grandma and Grandpa

2011-11-01T16:00:00.000-07:00

We fit a lot in while Grandma and Grandpa Hobbs were here, we went to the Zoo, Old market, Kanesville Tabernacle, Kansas City, Standing Bear lake, the girls Primary program, a lot of haircuts and hair coloring, the girls Halloween parties and parade, baking, yummy dinners and Trick-or-treating! We had a great visit and are thankful for all the visitors we receive.

Moves like Jagger....

2011-10-08T21:07:00.000-07:00

Or not....

Mason was showing us his best dancing moves and did a cute little spin and smacked his head right into the corner of my cedar chest leaving a big cut right above his eyebrow.
After a run to Urgent Care, Mason returned with a super glued cut, a sticker and a big story to tell.

My Fall Addiction

2011-10-07T08:05:00.000-07:00

My favorite thing to bake in the fall is pumpkin chocolate chips cookies, I received a yummy recipe from my friend Katy that we all love!

When Mason hears the mixer he runs over and points at the beaters saying, "Mom I want one." "Mom I want one" until he receives one. I guess they're a hit all the way around.

I only make them in the Fall and it's a good thing because they're so addictive!!

Piano

2011-10-06T18:03:00.000-07:00

Maddy and Emily both started piano lessons last month from my good friend Katy. Katy is extremely talented at playing the piano and I couldn't be more grateful to have such a wonderful teacher for my girls.
I am so excited to have Madisyn and Emily develop a talent that they can use for the rest of their lives!

VolleyBall

2011-10-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

Maddy started volleyball this year. The sports thing is new to our family, my girls have never had any interest in sports so when Maddy tried out for the school team I was a little surprised.

A month in and lets just say, WE are loving it.... by " WE", I mean, Maddy loves playing and I love watching!!

GO MADISYN!!

Braces

2011-09-29T07:31:00.000-07:00

Maddy got braces yesterday. The orthodontist only did the tops yesterday and then in a month he"ll put on the bottoms. Mason thought it was the weirdest thing, when Maddy smiled he keep looking right at Maddy's teeth and would say, " Maddy's teeth" and keep rubbing his tongue over his own teeth.

Maddy looks super cute and I can't wait to see her with her beautiful straight teeth!

Homecoming Week

2011-09-29T07:12:00.001-07:00

Ashley's school had spirit week the week of Homecoming and each day the kids dressed up in their best Nerd, P.J., Western and Super Hero gear. Ashley dressed up every day except super hero day!

Then on Saturday, Ashley went to the Homecoming dance. Being the well prepared Mom that I am.. I forgot to charge my camera so I was only able to get a couple of pictures of Ashley before my camera died...so no date pictures.

Powder Puff

2011-09-29T06:49:00.000-07:00

Ashley played a Powder Puff football game this year, during Homecoming week. It was Seniors girls vs Juniors girls and the Seniors blew the Juniors out of the water with a score of 35 to 7. It was fun to watch my girlie girl play a game of football!

Birthday Boy

2011-09-29T06:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Mason,

2011-09-17T08:07:00.001-07:00

I want you to know how much love you bring into your families lives. It is weird to think of our lives before you were in them. You are our entertainment, rather it's saying something unbelievably cute, making cute faces, keeping us on our toes with your busy little body or watching you screaming with delight whenever your daddy gets home....I have NEVER seen anybody love their daddy as much as you do...sooo cute. You are a happy little guy and as long as you're around the ones you love you are happy! It is so fun to watch you learn more things on a daily basis... you are getting too smart and too big way to fast. I love to sneak snuggles from you whenever I can get them and everyday I look forward to spending my days with my lil' buddy. Happy 2nd birthday Mason!!
Love, Mom.

Your favorite things right now are: your DADDY, play fighting, cars, Woody and Buzz, chocolate milk, action figures, animals and Sponge Bob.

Your least favorite things are: nursery, eating, swings and when daddy does to work.

All Gone!!

2011-09-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

Mason loves to throw things away! Today he came downstairs with his dirty shirt all crumpled up in his little hands, walks right past me and goes straight to the kitchen, I then hear our cabinet door close followed by Mason walking out of the kitchen brushing his cute little hands together and no shirt.... I then told Maddy, "I think that little stinker just threw away his shirt remind me to get it later." Well... later when I actually remembered I dug through the garbage and not only found Mason's shirt but also one of my new hand towels. On other days I've found sippy cups and toys.... so needless to say I've gave up searching for some recent "missing" items..... maybe, just maybe they're laying in the landfill!

Bubbles

2011-08-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

Ooooh, how I love this little boy!

BaCk tO sCHoOL

2011-08-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

Top reasons why I didn't want school to start this year:

The summer was waaaay to short!

My baby girl Hannah started ALL day Kindergarten!

Emily started 4th grade.. which I hear is a bear in this school district!

Madisyn started 7th grade.. which in our district 7th thru 12th grade is in the same grade! 7th graders mixed with high school kids....scary!!

Ashley started 12th grade.....AHHH I have a Senior!

I hated to see Summer end and face reality, but in the end the only tears that were shed on the first day were mine and the girls all had a good day!

Emily was so good with Hannah she helped me walk Hannah to her class and then Emily and I gave Hannah a big kiss and told her good-bye. Hannah then told Emily, " I love you Emily..I'll really miss you today."

With all the picture taking Mason kept saying "Cheese" I guess he wanted his picture taking too!

I guess it's just Me and Buddy at home.

Got routine??

2011-08-12T15:13:00.000-07:00

During Summer break our routine goes out the window. We stay up waaay too late and sleep in waaay too long and with our busy days Mason's naps are hit and miss... which leads to a very tired little boy! So as much as I think BOO for the new school year to start in 5 days.... I say YAY for our routines to start back up!!

Dear Emily,

2011-08-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go? The last 9 years have flown by. Emily you bring such laughter to our family you are so witty and come up with the funniest things to say, although you're our little spitfire you have a heart of gold.... I think you may take after me just a little bit. You are such a sweet funny girl. You're a daddy's girl and he loves the hugs that await him everyday from you when he gets home. I am so proud of you, you have such a positive attitude and make the best out of situations. You're easy to love because you're so lovable. You are a beautiful, smart, funny, strong headed girl and I am sure it will get you far in life! Thanks for being my funny little Em! Happy 9th birthday Emily.
Love, Mom.

Utah

2011-08-04T12:29:00.001-07:00

We spent two weeks of July in Utah. I was horrible this trip and pretty much got NO pictures but we did however do a lot of fun things while we were there.
We had Mike's parents 40 anniversary party, went to the aquarium, Seven peaks water park, Mrs. Fields cookie factory tour, Air force museum, Wheeler farm, swimming, the movies, sushi nights, family BB Q's, Gateway, hiking, Draper days and my favorite lots of Shopping!
We are so thankful for our trips to Utah and are so thankful for our families that literally drop everything they are doing to spend time with us....we don't expect it but are very thankful for it!

ThE CarNiVaL

2011-08-04T12:05:00.000-07:00

Every year the kids put on a carnival at Grandma Armour house. The older ones are in charge of the setup and running of the carnival. The carnival consist of tIcKEts, GaMEs, pRIzES, SNoWcONes, pOpcOrn, and SmILes.

Draper Days

2011-08-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

FirEwORks!

2011-07-06T08:17:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July on our cute little street was, AMAZING, LOUD and MESSY. The fireworks were something you would go to a stadium for and with our neighbors spending somewhere around $3000 dollars on fireworks they gave us all quite the show! It was a two day spectacular...and lets just say we can't wait for next year!

JUNE

2011-07-03T15:12:00.000-07:00

Well June...went by too fast!! We did spent the month discovering Nebraska. We went to Winter Quarters, Slash Station, The Zoo, Old market, and walking along the FLOODED Missouri River.
We also spent time at home relaxing in our fenced(YAY) backyard, watching movies on the projector down stairs and enjoying some good books!

SPlasH sTaTiON

2011-06-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

My favorite kind of day....sitting at the pool with a good book!

Dear Hannah,

2011-06-01T05:25:00.000-07:00

I want you to know how special you are to me, you bring so much joy to our family! I love your sweet personality, the beautiful songs you sing and your cute little signature dance move. I love how you tell everybody that is special to you just how much you love them. It has been so fun to watch you grow into this bubbly little girl, you're no longer our terribly shy toddler. I am so excited for you that you get to start kindergarten in a couple of months, I know that you will love it and will do just fine but I am sure going to miss you at home. So on this special day I want to wish you a Happy 5th Birthday! Thank you for being our sweet little Hannah!

Love, Mom.

ScHoOls oUt FoR thE SuMmEr

2011-05-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

Summer has officially started at the Hobbs house, bring on the BBQ's, flip flops, sun kissed skin, gardening, yard work, a visit from grandma, our trip to Utah, outdoor workouts, days at the pool, swimming lessons, library reading groups, late nights, a trip to an amusement park, bonfires,snow cones, and the best of all Quality time with my kids!!!

I LOVE SUMMER!!

Glorious, Indeed!

2011-05-23T20:53:00.000-07:00

Today was a day that I felt was worthy of a post, nothing glorious to the outside world happened but one that I want to remember none-the-less.

It was a beautiful warm sunny day, I got lots and lots of laundry done, helped clean a friends empty house, did a kick butt workout, picked the kids up from school, made dinner, took the kids to the library and then after the library we went to the park and played.

What made this day glorious to me was watching my kids running, swinging, sliding and laughing. It makes me so happy seeing them so happy and I thought to myself, I have a BEAUTIFUL family, I am so blessed to be the mother of these 5 kids, they are what feed my soul, they are what make me truly happy!

Class of 2017

2011-05-20T10:45:00.001-07:00

Madisyn graduated from 6th grade yesterday, she will now be moving on to junior high school(again).
Madisyn enjoyed going back to elementary school when we moved to Omaha, it helped her make friends really fast because instead of 7 different classes every day she was able to be in the same class with the same group of kids all day long, however, she is ready to tackle her new school in 3 short months!

They also did Awards Day on the same day, and with the girls only being in their school for 3 months they didn't get quite the recognition that I'm sure they wanted but they both were able to get a couple of awards and make their mom pretty proud!

Daddy Daughter Dance

2011-05-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

The girls had a Daddy Daughter Dance at their school. Maddy and Emily were excited to get all dressed up and go on a date with their dad. Besides Maddy's little mishap of tripping on the schools "Red Carpet" and banging up her knee really good, everyone had a great time busting some moves!

Madisyn in the middle

2011-05-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Madisyn brought home a paper requiring my permission to do testing to see if she would qualify for the HAL(high ability learner) program. Today she got her test results back and she scored above the 95th percentile which qualifies her to be in the gifted program next year this primarily means having the opportunity to be involved in extra activities such as quiz bowls and math competitions, and may also become eligible for Duke University's TIP(Talent Identification) program which will provide the opportunity to take the ACT test while in junior high school!

We are so proud of Madisyn she LOVES to learn, she is often found with her nose in a book and takes all of her school testing very seriously.

We often say that Maddy is our " Malcolm in the middle"

What Buttons?

2011-05-15T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hannah came home from her friend Holly's house and said, " Holly said I was pushing her buttons?" and then in a confused voice Hannah said, " But mom I wasn't pushing any buttons, there wasn't any buttons?"

Mike, Ashley, and I had a good laugh and then I explained to Hannah what Holly meant.

The Zoo

2011-04-29T20:17:00.000-07:00

Before we even moved to Omaha we heard about how fabulous the Omaha Zoo was, so after going through the zoo we all thought it was good but thought they were missing quite a bit of animals but after talking to our neighbors we realized we missed seeing about a 3rd of the zoo...good thing we bought a season pass!

Hammer Time

2011-04-29T18:48:00.000-07:00

Laci came to visit and while she was here, there was a lot of hammers, levels, nails, and measuring. Laci is really good at decorating and I had boxes of decorations that were waiting for their perfect spot on the wall. We also fit in shopping, a craft project, eating out, movie and game nights and the zoo!

Now my home is a lot less plain, thanks Laci!

Prom

2011-04-29T17:59:00.000-07:00

The Hostess with the Mostess

2011-04-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

Ashley got her first job working for "Buffalo Wild Wings" as a hostess, she has met some crazy people and has had first hand experiences with customers that have some serious anger problems, but is really enjoying her job. She has met some fun new friends and is enjoying having money to splurge on herself and to set up a savings account!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

The kids had Thursday thru Monday off for spring break, we had a great time going to dinner, shopping, going to the movie "Hop", coloring Easter eggs, having a yummy Easter dinner with our friends and taking today to do a little R&R.

Dear Ashley,

2011-04-15T08:08:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that you turned 17 today my baby, my first born. We couldn't be more proud of the young woman that you've become.

You have such beautiful true qualities about you, I often hear comments about you as such: "She is so mature for her age", "She is so sweet", "She is beautiful", "She is so classy, "She has such a positive attitude"and I couldn't agree more with all of their comments.

I love how you ask employees at stores or restaurants, "How are you doing" and "How is your day going", I love how you always have a beautiful smile on your face, I love your goals that you have set for yourself and your sweet testimony, you really are such a huge example to me, I love the compassion you show to people, I love how you are so open and honest. I am so thankful for the relationship that we have, and I dread the day when you'll move out and go to college.

I hope you had a great birthday, thanks for being your sweet self.

Love, Mom.

Omaha

2011-03-02T08:52:00.000-08:00

Well two weeks ago today we arrived in Omaha to start our new chapter in our lives, and I couldn't be more happier!

New Friends

Omaha has opened its arms wide and have taking us all in, the girls are loving their new schools and have all made a lot of new friends! Maddy, Emily, and Hannah all have girls their age that live right next door, the first thing that Hannah says when she wakes up and the last thing before she goes to sleep at night is, "Can I play with Holly. " Ashley has had plans on the weekends....so no tears have been shed since we arrived in Omaha and I couldn't be more thankful! We moved across the street from some amazing people, they are members of our church which is sooo nice because we instantly had that immediate connection, they have opened up their home and hearts to us and have had us over for dinner, a lunch date, shown me the area, and introduced us to a lot of fun people.

New Home.
I am loving the area we bought in and I am loving our new home home. I have had a lot fun painting the stark white walls some fun new bold colors, I love the color palette that my sister picked out for me, a little gold, teal, tan, red, orange, and green some of the colors are a little out of my comfort zone but I am loving them together, I think they accent each other very well. I can't wait until the last picture is hung and to see the end results to making this home our home!

New Ward.
One thing I have discovered moving out of state is that our ward families have saved us.
The void that we felt from being so far away from family, was filled by our great ward family I really couldn't imagine living out of state without them, we left behind a lot of great people but I am excited for the opportunity and growth that we'll have in our new ward and we have already met some great people! We are excited to be in a large ward again, I think the Primary President said that there are 80 children in the Primary and 20 in the Nursery...Yay it feels like our Utah ward!!

I think what we all love about Omaha is that it feels so familiar, not sure if it's because it feels a lot like Utah( a lot of shopping, rolling hills, larger numbers at church, a little warmer climate, and a lot of sunny days) but whatever it is we love it here!!

Feeling the Love

2011-02-14T03:25:00.000-08:00

I have definitely felt a lot of Love in the last couple of days!

From a friend, that brought over a warm homemade loaf of bread that has made a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

From my brother and his wife, who have sacrificed another one of their Saturdays, to help us pack up and clean our house.

From five guys, who also sacrificed their Saturday and helped load our truck,

From a good friends, who helped me clean and load.

From an amazing Sacrament meeting, that we almost didn't attend but are so glad we did, we were able to hear two AMAZING talks that we definitely needed to hear and I also got to hear my husband bear his testimony, Bishop called him up at the last minute and totally caught him off guard but was one of the sweetest testimonies I've ever heard him bear, man I LOVE that man!

From all the sweet ward families, that wished us luck and gave us some tear jerking goodbyes, I LOVE our ward family!!

From our neighbors, who have sent over beautiful cards and going away presents for my girls!

From my husband, who told me he bought me the best present of all this Valentines Day, a beautiful new house!

And most of all the Lord, who has blessed my life more than I ever could have imagined!!

Goodbye Minnesota

2011-02-11T07:17:00.001-08:00

I can't believe this day has finally arrived, we are closing on our home in Omaha today and I couldn't be more relieved! As I am finishing packing the finally boxes I can't help but get a little teary eyed! Minnesota has been good for our family we will carry with us a lot of good memories! We have had great friends here, some that have moved before us and some that we're leaving behind. We have grown so much as a family here in every possible way.

We have had great examples here. Great primary, young women and seminary teachers that have helped teach my girls the gospel. Great friends in the church that have helped our testimonies grow.

We have not only grown in size here in Minnesota, but also grown so much closer as a family.

We'll miss my brother and his family, but also look forward to seeing them as often as we can.

We'll miss the beautiful summer days at the lake, minutes from our house.

As exciting as I am to get to Omaha, I am as equally sad for my girls that they have to leave all their good friends behind!

Ashley's friends gave her this capsule to open on graduation day, since she won't be there with them, it is filled with letters and some other fun things.

*Reminder to self*
I hope that Omaha is our last move,(at least until all the kids are grown) it was hard to pack up our house by myself, but it was even harder being away from Mike for 2 1/2 months it is something that I don't want to do again!!

2011-01-25T11:08:00.000-08:00

Dear Maddy,

I can't believe that you are 12 years old, really where does the time go? Turning 12 is a big milestone, you're leaving Primary and entering Young Women's, you get to start wearing a little bit of make-up, and you get to start sitting in the front seat..AAAAH!!
I really have enjoyed watching you blossom into the wonderful young woman you've become, you're beautiful on the inside and out, you've always been a easy child, never giving us any grief and I know you will continue that into your teenage years. I love your eagerness to learn new things, the sweet smile that is always on your face, your willingness to help out, your sweet spirit and your ability to make everyone around you feel loved. You are one of my greatest examples and I can't wait to see the great woman that you will be!

Love,
Mom
Happy Birthday Madisyn!!

New Years Resolution

2011-01-02T17:09:00.000-08:00

While attending my brother's ward sacrament meeting one Sunday, I heard a fabulous talk. In this talk a woman spoke about a time where she considered herself a "mean girl" how she would always try to point out all the faults of people that she didn't like or people that she barely knew. One day she and her friend were sitting at church when another young woman walked past them and her friend leaned over to her and said, "Wow look how short her skirt is!" and instead of focusing on the hundreds of good things about this young woman they focused on the one "bad" thing they could find, and for some reasons it struck this woman that she really was just a "mean girl" instead of looking for the good in people she was always looking for the bad in people, and decided from that day on that instead of looking for the bad she was going to look for the good.

Now I wouldn't consider myself a "Negative Nelly", but I know that at times with certain people in my life instead of finding all the wonderfully good things in them I definitely have focused on the negative things about them, as to almost warrant how I was feeling about them, but in the end left me feeling like a "mean girl" at times.

So instead of the "cliche" New Years resolutions like losing x amount of pounds, exercising daily, or getting organized. This years New Years resolution is to focus on finding the good in mankind, and by doing so, I'll be a happier ME!!

A Christmas Story

2011-01-01T19:00:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas holiday, we spent Christmas Eve with my brother's family, and spent Christmas day lounging around, and later in the day had our friends Melissa and Justin join us for Christmas dinner and games.

A few of their favorite things:

Clothes, hair clips, movies and shoes!

Maddy's iTouch

Emily's iTouch

Hannah's baby alive, moon dough, ds games!

Mason's Handy Mandy tool box, sports balls, and Toy Story books!

ChRiStMas FuN

2010-12-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

Even with record breaking snow totals we were still able to fit in some of our favorite Christmas activities! Christmas cookies, craft projects, Christmas movies, shopping in a winter wonderland, siblings gift exchange,ward Christmas party and a Christmas dance recital.

12 days till Christmas

2010-12-13T06:24:00.000-08:00

I was reminded today that there are only 12 days till Christmas, which means I have a lot of fun traditions that I still need to squeeze in, I need to go out and get the 12 day of Christmas countdown presents, lots of Christmas baking to be done, gingerbread houses to decorate, secret Santa shopping to do, some fun Christmas crafts and maybe just maybe getting some of my Christmas bought would be a good idea too!

I just don't know where the time is going I feel so behind this year, but it was a good reminder this morning that I need to get my butt in to gear!

Kind people

2010-12-12T11:28:00.000-08:00

This week has been one that if I could erase I totally would. With the week long flu visiting every member of my family, an extra crabby little boy, feeling the stress of being a single parent and more snow than I could handle on my own. It was not only a physically draining but mentally as well.

On the upside though I realize that we are surrounded by kind people in our lives. I am one that would probably rather cut off my own arm than ask people for help, but have realized that sometimes as much as I hate to do it, it may be necessary for me in the next couple of months.

So today I am grateful for kind people in my life that have pulled me out of my "poor me"mode. I am grateful for a couple that have adopted my husband and have treated him like a son, invited him to go to activities, dinner, the movies and have made him feel at home in their home. A friend that called to offer any help that she could even though she has three small children all under the age of four, ward members that offered to help clear the foot of snow in my driveway(I may be exaggerating I've never been good at measurements), a good friend that showed up with a gallon of milk today after going one whole day without it,(lesson learned, I need to start watching the weather a little more!) and a neighbor who in all actuality is a complete stranger, snow plowed my driveway today.

Mase Lightyear

2010-12-09T10:21:00.000-08:00

Hannah's favorite movie right now is "Toy Story" and whenever she request to watch it Mason is right there with her watching it.
He now walks around pointing his laser beam arm at everyone pushing his imaginary button on his arm making shooting noises. Of course his favorite toys to play with right now are Buzz and Woody which of course are Hannah favorites' right now too!

I must say he makes a pretty cute Buzz Lightyear!

Maddy's Goal

2010-12-02T07:13:00.000-08:00

Madisyn finished her Faith in God a couple months back, she completed all the required activities plus some, memorized all the articles of faith, and had her interview with the Bishop, she is officially ready to enter Young Women's... now she just has to wait till she turns 12 next month.

Good job Madisyn!!

Wacky Hair

2010-11-29T18:22:00.001-08:00

Hannah had wacky hair day at preschool and was so excited to wear her wacky hair to school! Hannah has had a lot of fun with all the fun activities that she is doing in preschool and is super excited to do all of the fun Christmas projects ahead of her.

Thanksgiving

2010-11-26T20:54:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We had a great Thanksgiving my mom, brother and his family joined us this year. As we sat gathered around the table we all listed off things that we were thankful for, it was nice to hear what everyone was thankful for:
Family, health, the world, everything, homes, cell phones, our many blessings, jobs, salvation, and Ruby. I am very thankful for family near and far and I am thankful for the time I get to spend with each of them!

I Am Thankful For

2010-11-14T12:52:00.000-08:00

Good people in the world:

We have been looking for a place for Mike to stay in Omaha, while we stay in Minnesota to sell our home. We were praying for a older couple to take Mike in from one of the wards in the Omaha area, knowing that there was NO way we could afford to pay rent for a place out there. Our prayers were answered and my heart was deeply touched by a couple willing to offer up their basement to a complete stranger and the only thing they asked in return was helping clear the snow from the driveway when it snowed, people are GOOD!!

Family:

My kids have been more than supportive in this new crazy venture that we're putting them through. A brother that has helped us with a number of house projects and is sacrificing part of his Thanksgiving weekend to help us with more. Family that have offered help that has put my mind at ease.

Good Friends:

A friend that will take time out of his BUSY days to call a list of bishops to find a place for your husband to live. A friend that has put my mind at ease about Omaha, been a listening ear and contacted friends of hers for a place for Mike to stay. Friends that have offered to make our move to Omaha as less stressful as possible.

My Husband:

Our life is as good as it is because of Him. It's the risks and moves that he has made that have made it possible for him to provide for a family of seven and for me to be a stay at home mom.

My Heavenly Father:

He has showered blessings on me that I'm not sure I deserve. He has picked me up on days where I felt like giving up, he answered prayers even though I had no faith they would be answered, He continues to love me in spite all my imperfections.

Home Remedies:

Clove oil = instant relief from dry sockets!! I LOVE CLOVE OIL!!

Here we go again

2010-11-05T09:21:00.000-07:00

If you would have told me 6 years ago that I would be living in Minnesota, I would have told you that you were insane! I never had any desire to leave Utah, I never wondered what it would be like to live in another state, like so many of my other friends did. Mike and I loved living in Utah, loved Sunday dinners at his parents, we loved having my sister over at least every other night just to hang out, enjoyed seeing our parents a couple times a week, loved having our girls take dance class with their cousins and loved having my oldest brother's house just minutes from ours. But, life happened and we ended up having to move our family to Minnesota, the easiest move, not hardly it was honestly the hardest thing that Mike and I have ever had to do. It took me a year, but I adjusted to living so far away from our family, we were blessed to have Mike's oldest sister and her family join us just 6 months later and my oldest brother and his family join us a year later in Minnesota. We were always blessed with a great ward family!!

But life has happened again, Mike has been seeing the writing on the wall for a while in his department, his department is slowly shipping the work overseas and hiring a lot of part time people to do the same job he is doing. So with some urging from other guys in his department and Mike's own common sense he started looking for another job. After many failed attempts of the job posting in Minnesota, the perfect job posting came up, only problem was that it was in Omaha Nebraska, after talking about rather he should put in for it or not we decided that he probably should.

Mike and I knew after his first interview that he was going to get the job, we both just had that "feeling" and two weeks later he was offered the job. Then reality set in for me, how are we going to sell our house in this horrible market, how are we going to afford Mike living in Nebraska, while I stay here with our kids till the house sells, how are we going to live without Mike for who knows how long, how am I going to yank my girls from their lives they've been living for the past 5 1/2 years??

I know that we have been handed a HUGE blessing, I honestly know that Mike's job that he is in right now probably isn't going to be there very shortly, and with that I know that I need to have a lot of faith right now, I know that Mike was lead by the spirit and though we may not have the easiest road ahead of us, I know that our Heavenly Father has a plan for us.

Graciously accepting any prayers sent our way. :)

A Hobbit Halloween

2010-11-01T20:34:00.000-07:00

We had a great Halloween, a yummy dinner of chili and broccoli soup. The kids did trunk or treating and then went around our friends neighborhood, they came home with way too much candy; so thank goodness this day comes only once a year!!

The Joker
The Nerd

The Hobo

The Geisha girl

Cinderella

A Manly Bug

The perfect execution

2010-11-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

takes a whole lot of planning for the perfect face......

A whole lot of cutting.......

and a WHOLE lot of gutting......

5 perfect pumpkins

2010-10-24T18:37:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out 5 perfect pumpkins, the kids had a blast playing in the corn pit, climbing the hay bale tower and finding their perfect pumpkins!

Hannah was so proud of herself when she got to the very top of the hay bale tower.

Shoo mom don't bother me

2010-10-24T18:28:00.001-07:00

Today I found Mason kicking back on his old bouncy seat sucking on one of the girls' suckers he snatched out of their bags. He was one happy little man!

Fall Festival

2010-10-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Fall Festival at church. Lots of fun games, yummy food, great costumes, plenty of candy, and trunk or treating!

Go Saints!!

2010-10-18T07:36:00.001-07:00

It was the Homecoming game on Friday, the girls got to show their school spirit by wearing the school colors and painting their faces for school!! Later that night Maddy went to the game with her friends family and Ashley went with a big group of girls! It was a close game, it went in to overtime but we ended up losing by one point.

Fall Favorites

2010-10-14T20:17:00.000-07:00

I love fall!! Some of my favorite things are, the beautiful deep rich colors, the smell of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies baking in my oven, sounds of crunching leaves below my feet, cozy warm sweaters, beautiful fall pictures, pumpkin patches, apple orchards, and the cool crisp chill in the air. We've had a beautiful Fall so far, we are enjoying every last minute of this beautiful weather!!

A simple kind of day.

2010-10-04T21:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a "simple day" but a "good day"!

A morning spent teaching preschool to a great group of kids!

Coming home to a some what clean house and a sleeping baby!

Lunch with my cute little Hannah!

A beautiful sunny day!

An afternoon nap with my Honey!

Warm chocolate chip cookies; baked by my Honey!

Chatting with the girls about their day!

Watching Mason dance to music!

A good family dinner!

Reading time with Emily!

Days like this come often, and after watching conference it reminded me to be "THANKFUL" for my "simple days"!

I love being a stay at home mom, I love my family, I love the beautiful state that we live in, I am very thankful to have a beautiful home to live in, with people that love me!

Exploring Minnesota

2010-09-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

We live in such a beautiful state! I love to show our visitors some of our most favorite places to go! If we could skip the freezing winters; Minnesota would be perfect.

Still Water

2010-09-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Still Water is my all time favorite place to visit in Minnesota, I love all the little shops, eating at the restaurants along the St. Croix river, the beautiful scenery, and walking along the St. Croix river. It was a perfect autumn night to visit Still Water, the kids of course visited their favorite shop there, the candy shop and the adults had fun looking at the antique shops.

Mall of America

2010-09-20T13:52:00.000-07:00

You can't visit Minnesota without visiting the Mall of America, this is one place that we make sure all of our house guest visit! We did a little bit of ride riding, shopping, eating and cheese sampling. It was a fun day! Mike, Michael, Pauline and Danny all went on the skateboard, it made me sick just watching the ride. The ride did a whole lot of spinning and going up real high!

Fabulous Fall Fun

2010-09-20T12:21:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to an apple orchard in Still Water the scenery is Amazing and so is all the food they have there, later that night we had a "APPLE" theme dinner: apple brats, honey crisp apples and dip, and apple cider. Fabulous!!

A Special Day

2010-09-20T12:01:00.000-07:00

Emily was baptized on Saturday, we are so pleased with Emily's decision to be baptized and for choosing the right! We were blessed to have a lot of family and friends there that came to support Emily on her Special Day!

One!

2010-09-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby boy is one year old! We celebrated his birthday with Grandma and Grandpa Hobbs and aunt Pauline and uncle Danny at the Mall of America.

We took Mason into a toy store and he picked out a couple of his favorite toys.

Mason is getting way too big! He started walking a couple weeks before his birthday and is getting more teeth everyday. He loves his family very much; almost as much as we all LOVE him. He brings so much laughter into our house!!

Happy Birthday Buddy!!

Back to Reality

2010-09-20T11:13:00.000-07:00

We have NO routine in the summer, we all stay up waaay too late and sleep in waaay too late! So as hard as it is to say goodbye to the summer months it's always nice to get back to a routine and be doing the things we all should be doing. So here we go for another school year! Ashley is a junior this year and is actually counting down the months that she'll leave for college.

Madisyn started middle school this year, she is in 6th grade and is liking school so far.

Emily started 3rd grade and LOVE, LOVE, LOVES her teacher this year!

Hannah started preschool, she goes one day a week to the school districts preschool and two days a week to a little joy school that my friend and I are doing. She Loves them both!

Dear Summer

2010-09-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Why did you have to go? You never visit long enough! I will miss all the things you bring along with you, lake days, bbq's with friends, flip flops, sunshine, late nights and sleeping in late, sun glasses, swim suits, green grass, pretty flowers, my garden, sand castles, bonfires, picnics, and visiting Utah!

We will miss you and are eagerly waiting for your next visit!

Love,
The Hobbs'

Boys will be Boys

2010-08-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

It's crazy from such a young age how different boys and girls are. Mason is infatuated with anything that has wheels, tools, and electronics. He is always on the go and looking for the next thing he can get into; much, much different from my girls!! He loves Daddy and already wants to be doing whatever it is Daddy is doing. Mason is Daddy's little helper.

Hannah

2010-08-18T21:36:00.001-07:00

Some of Hannah's favorite things to do are: put on play makeup, get her nails painted, and have her hair done pretty. Dress herself (on those days we try to stay at home).

Play with her new kitty Ruby.

Give her little brother lots of hugs!

Hannah's other favorites right now are her cousin Sydney, Sponge Bob, talking; all though people would never know, she's a chatter box around people she's comfortable with, playing with her older sisters, play dough, painting and drawing. She is SUPER excited to start preschool in a month. Hannah tells me on an hourly basis, "thanks mom you're the best" love that kid!!

Emily's Salon

2010-08-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

Emily's theme for her birthday party this year was a home salon, the girls all wore their robes, had smoothies, and rotated at each station: manicure, pedicure, facial, and hair styles. I think the girls all had a great time and enjoyed getting pampered.

Happy Birthday Em

2010-08-07T18:58:00.000-07:00

Emily is the big 8 today! This is going to be a very big year for her, she gets to get baptized, go to activity days, and start 3rd grade! Em loves to hangout with her best friend Lilly, ride her bike; something she just learned to do a few months ago, play with her new kitten, play with her squinkies, watch T.V., and play on the computer.

Em is our little cuddle bug; she loves to cuddle and gives her dad and I lots of hugs. Em always tells me "thank you" for anything I do for her. Em is very smart, funny, beautiful, friendly, and is a great daughter and sister. Love You Em, Happy Birthday!!

Madisyn

2010-08-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

Madisyn is starting middle school, it's a very scary thought for me! Madisyn is great in school; she made the honor roll all three trimesters. Not only is she starting middle school, she is always going to be in Young Women's, she is finishing up the last few things on her Faith in God for Primary.
Maddy loves to hang out with her friends, dance, listen to music, read, check her Gmail, and ride her bike. She also had her first babysitting job today; something that Maddy will do very well at, she is after all my little mother hen!

Ashley

2010-08-05T08:30:00.000-07:00

I decided that I should probably do an update on all of my kids every once in a while not just on Mason who changes monthly. Ashley is growing up before my eyes!! Ashley got her driving licenses a couple months back and is a very good driver. Ashley enjoys doing what most teenager girls do at this age, hanging out with her friends, dating, sleeping, shopping, texting, tanning, movies, and hanging out with her family.
After a little bit of an arm twisting from one of my good friends; Ashley went to girls camp. To her surprise she had a pretty good time, it was drama free and she survived the "camping" part of it!

Ashley will be a junior this year, it is so fun to watch Ashley blossom into the beautiful young woman she is becoming, Ashley received her Patriarchal Blessing a few months back and continues to talk about what a great tool it has been her daily life. She is working on her personal progress and is finishing a lot of fun projects for that. Ashley also put in a some applications to some restaurants for a part time job. Her dad and I try to tell her to slow down and enjoy not working, that she'll have the rest of her life to work...but what do we know?

Fattening up?

2010-08-05T08:01:00.000-07:00

Little Mason has slowly been dropping on the weight chart, not something new for any of my children, but something that I have been greatly concerned about! After gaining a measly 6 ounces, in a month in a half at his 9 month checkup; the doctor suggested we put Mase on a high calorie diet. So after a month of doing so, I'm happy to report that Mason has gained 1 1/2 pounds!!

So Big

2010-07-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Mason is getting so big! He started to army crawl and pull himself up to things when he was 9 months old. He now is doing a full on crawl and walking around all of our furniture, keeping us all on our toes! He also waves bye-bye, claps his hands, and talks a bunch of jibberish. He loves his trucks, sisters, and mommy and daddy. Mason is such a good baby, he brings lots of smiles to our family. and has the most beautiful big blue eyes!

Family

2010-07-11T21:14:00.001-07:00

Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family. ~ Anthony Brandt