Summer 2012

WARM Summer Greetings! Here are a few recent photos of our little monkeys! Patrick is a little over three and a half now, and Kolby is a little over one (14 months). Time has been flying!

I was laid off a few months ago, which I have taken in as a HUGE blessing, due mostly in part to my AMAZING husband. There are not enough words! We decided to keep Patrick in school (he is doing AWESOME at his preschool!) and that I would stay home with the baby while I was home job-searching. It was very, VERY hard for me at first. There were a lot of tears from both me and Kolby, thinking "what have we gotten ourselves into?" We got our little system figured out pretty quick, and we have been going full steam ahead ever since!

Here are some fun things that have been going on with us:

1. Patrick's vocabulary and conversational skills have grown to be phenomenal. He can hold a good conversation on any topic with ANYONE. The other day, he started a conversation with EA and I with "No offense guys, but I like cats." WHAT?! We had been talking about the Olympics, but I guess he was ready to move onto the topic of animals and those that he prefers, whether or not it deeply offends his mother and father. HAHA!

2. As you will see from the post I did just before this one...Kolby Joseph is WALKING! Everyone says "keep them crawling as long as you can, you'll regret it when they start walking..." NO WAY. I can't wait for this guy to get up and start running! Seriously. He is going to be chasing after and running over Patrick before we all know it, and EA and I cannot wait for those two to be able to take their playing to the next level!

3. We did a massive backyard overhaul this summer and it looks PHENOMENAL! Thanks so much to KK/Kathy for her help, motivation, and undying willingness to work her buns off! We re-vamped the whole thing - it looks like we were in an episode of Yard Crashers! What we thought was going to be a weekend project turned into a 10-ish day project, and we got it done in time for Kolby's first birthday party! WOOHOO! Now, if we can just get the weather to cool back off, we can go back to spending 90% of our time out there!

There is a lot more, and I know I have been absent from the blog for well over a year. I am going to try and get back to it, but no promises. Baby steps. I did forget how much I enjoy it, though, so we will see. Enjoy the photos for now, and I will be back soon!

XO - Ashley*

Look Who's Walking...

My baby is growing up! Before you know it, HE will be chasing the rest of us around the house! I am so thankful and blessed to be able to have been home with him these last few months. I have had a ton of fun moments with him, including this one earlier today:

More to come soon. Have an awesome afternoon. Love to All - Ashley*

Latest Photos

I found this post from many, MANY months ago and I had never published it. I think I was waiting to upload some photos and just never got around to it. I just re-read it today and I thought it would be fun to put out there. I will post again soon, with a much more "real-time" version (and some photos!) of what has been going on in the Hoppe Household this Summer of 2012. ENJOY!

Kolby is doing well! He's eating and sleeping a little better every day. I will definitely be getting up a couple of times a night with him still by the time I have to return to work, but we will manage! I did it with Patrick and somehow made it through...funny how you forget those long, dreadful nights! Kolby is a very content, happy, peaceful baby boy for the most part - just like his big brother! I am so thankful for my two healthy, sweet little angels!

Patrick is doing AWESOME! I am not just saying this because I'm his momma, but he is the most LOVING 2-year old I've ever met. Seriously. He's so caring, sweet, loving, and thoughtful. A true blessing. SO SWEET. Here are a few current "Patrick-isms:"

Pup-cakes = cupcakes. We have had a lot of sweets in this house over the last few weeks, thanks to some awesome guests! Many a dinner and tons of desserts have been provided by some great people! Patrick has a MAJOR sweet tooth, so this has been an extra special treat for him!!
Mocky-Moley = Guacamole. What can I say, we eat a lot of it here!!
"I wakin'!" = I'm awake! He says it every time he wakes up. Or if anyone is waking up, anytime. "Momma, Kolby's wakin"?"
Cut-cut = knife. This one cracks me up because I don't know where he picked it up. He offers to let EA and I use his "cut-cut" anytime he thinks we may have a piece of food on our plates that is too big. HAHA! He has a Mickey Mouse kid-friendly knife that he just LOVES. It must be used with the matching fork and spoon for ALL meals.
Teef = Iced Tea. We drink a lot of it. I take Patrick's sippy cup and add about 2 drops of "teef" into his water, but act like I pour a whole glass full and he thinks its the GREATEST!

There are many more, I will keep you posted on the good ones. Have a WONDERFUL day! XOXO - Ash*

Kolby Joseph Hoppe

Hello There!! We have been very busy here at the Hoppe House, adding another precious little baby boy to our family! Kolby Joseph Hoppe came into this world at 12:19 PM on Tuesday, June 28th, 2011.

I went into labor at about 5:30 AM on Tuesday morning, and he was born by 12:19! He would have been born sooner, but we did a lot of waiting around on the doctor! They actually told me to NOT push and hold it together, in an effort to WAIT until the doctor got back into the room! HAHA! My contractions started at 10 minutes apart and things progressed very quickly from there. I barely made it to the hospital in time for an epidural! WHEW! By the time we got to the hospital, I was already 7.5 centimeters dilated! :) EA was the most amazing coach and he kept me laughing and going strong throughout the entire hospital stay! I can honestly say I enjoyed the whole experience - and we got a neat "take home prize" to treasure forever as a reminder!

Over the last week, Kolby has been a very laid back baby! The second time around for me has been a little bit easier. That whole "sleep when the baby sleeps" quote finally clicked! (I never figured it out with Patrick!) He eats well, sleeps well, and is very content! :) EA, Patrick, and I are enjoying him very, VERY much! We are glad he finally decided to come out and join us! (FULL TERM BABY...woohoo! Turns out, all of the hormones they pumped me up with AND the bedrest WORKED! Mission accomplished!)

Here are a few photos from the last few days. A huge THANK YOU, with lots and lots of hugs and kisses, to all of our friends and family that came to visit us at the hospital while we were there. We are truly blessed and we are so happy to introduce our new little man! I will try to stay on top of blogging and let you know of any fun stuff going on here with me and my three handsome guys! XOXO - Ashley*

Immediately after he was born:


I was a little uncomfortable with all of the SKIN I'm showing off in these photos, but what the heck!


"That's MY Baby Brudder!"

One more of the "brudders"...

Me and my BABIES!! This was taken a few minutes after EA, Kolby, and I got home from the hospital on Thursday!

And a few random shots of Kolby, Sweet little KJ, from the last week:

Happy Father's Day!!

Hi! Happy Father's Day to all of you Dad's out there!! Especially my own! :) I look forward to seeing you very soon, Dad, and introducing you to your new little grandson!

I also wish a Happy Father's Day to the father of my children! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY EA!

"Their journey led them to love...
Which led to marriage...
which led to parenthood...
which led her to wonder if one lifetime was long enough
to share with the man she loved to love..."

I'm so grateful for the Dad you've become, EA! Thank you so much for taking such wonderful care of me and our boys.

Crash and Burn!

Woops! Patrick fell down a set of three concrete steps here at home on Saturday evening. Poor little monkey! :) He took it like a champ. EA and I were scared he broke his poor little nose, but he is perfectly fine! He fell and caught himself...with his nose! Ouchie! He looks like he got into a street fight. HAHA!

36 Weeks!

HALLELUJAH! We made it to the 36 week mark in the pregnancy! As a lot of you know, this pregnancy has had a few little bumps in the road. Since Week 16, I've been getting weekly hormone injections. We had a little scare at Week 26, causing me to go on modified, and then eventually, permanent bed rest. At Week 33, we got a double dose of steroids with the fear that the baby would be born before the 34 week mark, based off some measurements that continued to get worse and worse. All of those things, combined with weekly sonograms (not the fun ones on the OUTSIDE of your belly with the cutesy pictures...the OTHER kind...ya, think about it!), measurements, 3 trips to the hospital, and close monitoring by my ob-gyn and nurse have gotten us this far! YAHOO!

We saw Dr. Roberts today and I am 2 centimeters dilated. We monitored the baby's heartbeat and movements and he was a ROCK STAR! It was at this EXACT point in my pregnancy with Patrick that I delivered. By this time (8:19PM), I was in the hospital, the epidural was working wonders, and I was minutes away from giving birth. I don't THINK I will deliver Baby Hoppe Number Two this evening, but I am thanking my lucky stars that we made it this far!! Things are moving along!! I didn't even have to get my hormone shot today...yippee!

I don't know how or when it will happen, but I am just going to sit back and enjoy the rest of the pregnancy at this point! I feel more relaxed than I have in weeks. Also very uncomfortable, go figure. HAHA! The baby is positioned and ready to go, which is making for a LOVELY lower backache. Again, not complaining...just glad he's still in there!

I just thought I'd give a quick baby update! I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful weekend. Stay cool in this hot, hot weather. We hit 102 today in North Texas, with the heat index at 106. ICK! Stay indoors and drink lots of margaritas for me...I mean...water! :) XOXO!

Beautiful Townhouse/Condo For Sale!

Our beloved townhome is for sale!! We put it on the market over the weekend and we even already had a showing yesterday...WOOHOO! Take a look at it HERE. If you or anyone you know is looking for an awesome place to live in the North Dallas/DFW area, let them know about this little gem! It's a great "starter" home, in a really fun area!

EA and I have a TON of fun memories in this house. We bought it right after we got engaged and really made it into a "home" over the last 5 years. Now that Baby Hoppe Number Two is on the way, we had to find a place with a little more room, but we honestly tried to make it work at the townhouse because we loved it so much! HAHA! We absolutely LOVE our new home - and it's just down the road from this townhouse...that's how much we LOVE the area!

We look forward to making new memories here with everyone at the new house. Until then, if you know anyone in the market for a cute little townhouse in Richardson, let them know about our place! PS - we have an amazing realtor if you need one of those as well.

Have a wonderful day! HAPPY MONDAY!

HANDSOME!

I just found this photo of EA and I from a few months ago. I can't get over how handsome EA looks in this photo. Every time I comb Patrick's hair, he says "Handsome Like Daddy?!" Lucky for him, he is the SPITTIN' IMAGE of his father, and it looks like Baby Hoppe Number Two is on the same path. I am one lucky lady!

The Bambino

Baby Hoppe Number Two is on the way! Hopefully, these types of photos don't freak you out too much, but it's all I have to offer at this point. Coming soon to a hospital near you:

We got to "see" him yesterday, and he is doing GREAT! We saw him breathing, yawning, stretching, and we also saw what looks like may be a full head of hair. If he DOES come out with a full head of hair, those old wives tales are TRUE about the heartburn. I have had heartburn radiating out of my TOES - every inch of my body - for the last month.

I am on bedrest, all pumped up full of hormones and steroids, in an effort to keep him in as long as possible. It is all working so far..we made it to the 35 week mark! I am now convinced that he is going to be a GIANT baby. :)

Stay tuned for more photos of our new little man...once he arrives!

Welcome Back

To the new and improved One Big Hoppe Family Blog!

Here are a few "little" things that have been going on in our lives over the course of the last few months:

*Patrick turned 2 in January!! He is truly the sunshine of our lives.
*EA and I bought a new house! We still live in and love Richardson, we just have a new home with more space and an amazing backyard for our boys.
*Yes, that's right - I said boyS. Plural. As in, there is about to be more than one little boy running circles around me. Between the two of them and their wild and crazy daddy - I am about to be very outnumbered. I am pregnant - VERY PREGNANT. I am currently on bedrest and growing a ginormous baby boy.
*There is a lot more, but I am trying to ease back into this whole blogging thing...bear with me!

I offer no explanation for my long absence. I only offer you this adorable photo, and hope you will forget that I have been gone for almost a year. I also offer a promise to TRY and blog more regularly, especially with all of the fun and exciting things going on here at the NEW Hoppe Household these days. MUCH LOVE - Ashley*

Sweet Angel Baby

This photo was taken on the airplane ride home from our family beach trip. He fell asleep WHILE we were taking off. He is sitting on my lap, facing outwards, but with both of my arms wrapped around him like a seatbelt. Apparently, he was worn out. He proceeded to sleep - HARD - throughout the entire flight. I figured all of the loud noises and chatter on the plane would wake him up at some point, but I was wrong. THEN, I figured that, as soon as we landed he would wake up. Wrong again. Not until we pulled into our destination gate and the plane engines turned OFF and people started to exit the aircraft did Patrick wake up! He's always been a rockstar sleeper, but this day took the cake!

Family Beach Trip

We went on our Annual Smith Family Beach Trip a few weekends ago. It was AWESOME!!! We had the best time, the weather was perfect, and Patrick loved the beach!

Check out my two loves on the beach:

Is she not the most beautiful little girl you have ever seen in your ENTIRE life?! Breathtaking!

Before our trip, EA found a guy who does sandcastle lessons. It was, hands down, the coolest thing we have EVER done on the beach. The whole family chipped in and built this beauty! EA did a Wizard's Castle, Dad did a Bell Tower, Kim and Tatum did a Princess Castle, and Taylor and I did Knight's towers. Thanks so much for putting this together for us EA! I think it's going to become a new annual tradition!Sweet Cousins...

Ladies, can I interest anyone in a glass of milk? Wink! How YOU doin'?Check out the belly. What a cutie pie! Patrick LOVED the beach! I didn't know what he would think of the whole thing, but he enjoyed every second! He had never been to the beach before (unless you count the time he was there IN UTERO!), so EA and I were just hoping for the best. He did GREAT!

My beautiful sister did an awesome job of taking photos all weekend. Check out this sunset shot she got one night! Thanks for taking all of these amazing photos, Kim!
We had a fantastic time on our beach trip! We look forward to it every year! It was so nice to get away - the timing was perfect. Thank you, Mimi and BG, for everything. LOVE TO ALL!

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Hi!

Hi! I know it's been forever since I blogged. I have been terrible about taking photos. We had a super fun weekend in New Braunfels with the family. We had a big family dinner, we spent some time on the ranch, and then had a big 4th of July Blowout at Landa Park! Woohoo! :) Thank you to all of our family members who came out to see us. EA, Patrick, and I really enjoyed our 5 day weekend! (We decided THAT is the way to travel from here on out! HAHA!)

I do have ONE photo from my phone. I actually think my sister took this one (from her nifty new iPhone!) and texted it to me. Here's the little monkey, kickin' back on his Uncle Taylor! What a cool dude! Everyone always gets such a kick of how he keeps those sunglasses on!

I will coordinate with my Mom and Sister to get more photos from the weekend to post. I will also try and take some photos this weekend. Patrick is a WALKING MACHINE! It's the most adorable thing ever. He is truly like a "new man!" His confidence has skyrocketed and it is so neat to watch. He is constantly smiling and giggling. My FAVORITE thing right now is that he is constantly wanting to KISS everyone. He even makes a kissing noise with his lips! When you tell him it's time to go "bye-bye," he starts waving and making the kissing noise. Then he leans in and plants one on ya! I know THAT won't last long, so I'm trying to get in as many as I can!

Woot, woot, I got a promotion at work!! That is a big part of the reason I haven't been able to blog lately. I have been working longer hours, and even having to work a couple of hours every night from home. I also went in on a couple of Saturday's! I am in an area that is in need of some "catch-up," and also trying to transition from my old position. I LOVE MY NEW JOB! I am in the same area and I am having a lot of fun! :) Bear with me while I get things settled and I will be back to blogging regularly!

Much Love - Ashley*

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Whoop!!

Check out my new signature!!

Monday, June 21, 2010

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

Happy Father's Day Dad! Or should I say, BG?! And a Happy Father's Day also to Hoppe, Pop-Pop, and Papa Don! LOVE YOU!

EA celebrated his SECOND EVER Father's Day this year! We enjoyed a nice family meal at Rudy's BBQ. (Thanks Uncle Keaton!) Patrick decided to let Daddy take a break, and he chose to wear the tie for the day. Not to mention a hat - we like to be SUPER professional around our household.

But no, seriously.

Happy Father's Day to you EA. Thank you so much for taking such wonderful care of our little family. You are an amazing father to Patrick, and an amazing husband to me. We look forward to all of life's little adventures together with you. Hold on tight and enjoy the ride! XOXO!

Monday, June 7, 2010

A few random photos...

Can you tell that my favorite blogging subject is my 16 month old son?! He's just so adorable, I can't help myself! In other Hoppe news...well, there is NO OTHER Hoppe news, so I am forced to leave you with this:

This is Patrick's favorite snacking spot: (Either ON or in Daddy's arms. He eats best there; it's the strangest thing.) In this shot, the little monkey has just woken up from a nap. What better way to get going again, than with a string cheese and some milk? YA!

YA, it's been hot. Patrick's definitely been rocking the shirtless look a couple of times already this summer. LOVE IT!

Speaking of summer...POOL TIME! (And YES, Patrick DID get a haircut! His Dad did a fantastic job, didn't he?!)

Gotta love a towel with a shark hoody! (Insert Jaws theme music here!)


Have a great week! XOXO - Ashley*

ALMOST Walking!

Ch-ch-check out this video of our little man behind his awesome lion walker! Note that he has to make sure the music is playing with the lion's nose flashing every time before he will actually "walk." Patrick has been "almost" walking for about a month now. He will take a couple of steps here and there, but he hasn't had the confidence yet to just get up and run off! He stands up and does stuff free-standing all the time, but when he needs to move, he goes right into crawl mode. We have tried this lion walker on several occasions, but we've never had luck with it at home. We tried it out last week and he thought it was the coolest thing EVER! Enjoy! Lots of Love - Ashley*

PS - I am so sorry this is sideways. I forgot when I used my camera that blogger doesn't have the capability to flip the orientation...bummer! Just tilt your head to the left and ENJOY! :)

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Ladies Man!

HOW YOU DOIN'?

I know all you single ladies out there CAN'T RESIST a sweet peanut butter moustache!

JUST KIDDING!

BUT, can you resist my too-cool aviators?

Kisses (With extra peanut buttery lips, if that's your thing baby!) - Patrick

Dallas Zoo

Patrick got a FAMILY pass to the Dallas Zoo for his birthday! We were finally able to use it this past weekend. They have a new exhibit open that was VERY, VERY cool! We had a blast! (THANKS MIMI AND BG - LOVE YOU!)

Patrick's "thing" right now is to gasp and then say "What's that?" Seriously. He can't say much else, but he is constantly asking "What's that?" It's adorable. Especially when he gasps. So full of wonder and joy!

Here are the elephants - they were in part of the new exhibit which, as I mentioned, was AWESOME!

My boys...

It was so, so HOT on Sunday when we were there. We kept Patrick shaded and well hydrated all day - it was in the high 90's! We were even there right at 9AM, but it was still SUPER HOT! Here he is with his nifty hat on:

THIS got a BIG gasp out of my boy (Grandma Sarah, DON'T LOOK AT THIS ONE!) HAHA! He LOVED it!

Here are a few shots of just SOME of the MANY animals we saw that day: These guys were HUGE!

RIBBIT!

SPOOK-tacular albino alligator. CREEPY, but very cool. Even it's eyes were white!

This was at the petting zoo - the zoo had a whole "children's" section, which was very interactive and cool!

OINK!

Momma, is that you?! HAHA!

Needless to say, we had an absolutely wonderful time at the Dallas Zoo, and we look forward to going back very soon! Lots of Love - Ashley*

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