Trick or Treaters!

Sarah, you and Klint look great. That was such a neat idea. You have every detail of Lucy and Desi down pat. Send us the picture of your whole party.

Thought I'd share a picture of the little Trick or Treaters who came to our door. I may be prejudice, but aren't they the cutest little bride and Bob the Builder with their little chicken you've ever seen? Bonnie

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!

Hello all---
Last night Klint & I went to a Halloween Costume party. Can you guess who we dressed up as??? We had alot of fun. We even had time to go Trick-or-Treating after the party. We felt like we were kids again!!! Lots of fun. Love to hear from some more people. The blog has been kind of dead lately.
Loveyaall
Sarah

Friday pizza party...

Hey all-
It's been a while since I posted something. Friday night, Bekah & Aaron had pizza at my dad & mom's. They invited us (isn't that weird--get invited by Bekah to my parent's home), Mark & Angie Reinhard & Tim & Christa. Of course Mom & Dad were there and Liz too. It was alot of fun. We had a chance to get to know Aaron and Tim a little more!
Looking forward to seeing you all at Bekah's shower this weekend! Rebekah, adorable picture of Darci!
Love ya all, Sarah

Darci

Hi there. I thought I'd post this picture of Darci that my sister Heidi took of her. I like the picture so I thought I'd share it with you...and I thought it was time to have something new on this blog!! We've got to get some life back into it!!

Tonight we had a pumpkin carving party and potluck at our house. WE co-hosted it with Andy and Marie. It was so much fun! Grandma's rolls and tea rings were the prizes for the winners!

WEll, I better hit the hay. love ya!

love,
Rebekah

Here's The Clan!!

Hello, ladies! Just thought I would post this cute pic from the weiner roast Sun! WOW, what a clan! What an awesome weekend we had and the weather was beautiful! I felt so bloated when i got home sun night...I was so exhausted, but I went out and walked-I ate WAY too much desserts! But they were worth it! ; ) mmmmmm. Well, have a good night, all, and we'll talk to you soon!

Love ya! Kristy

Sunday Weiner Roast

Good morning ladies,

Boy a lot has been going on. So sorry to hear about Jami's dad's scare. Thankful he got help right away and that he took an aspirin. Wow, we just never know.

Hope Josiah is back in his routine again. It is amazing how a drug that is suppose to help can affect some one so differently.

About Sunday-- There will be a baptism meal with a hot sandwich which we are all expected to eat . Because of that I am not going to fix barbeque. We will still have weiners etc and of course our desserts. Because everyone will be around you can come to the weiner roast any time after 3:00.

Praying for a blessed week-end. Bonnie

ah....he is perfect for you bekah!

Hey all -

Hope everyone is doing well - Oh, Kristy. . . I feel for you! I hate nights when kids are up and out of sorts! The boys (simon and jonah) are finally starting to do better. Megan told us at bible study that Simon slept until 6am and Jonah until 4am which is GREAT for them! Interestingly enough, Raegan woke up at 3:30am that same night!!! Isn't she too old for this?!? Actually she has been waking up around 2:00 or 3ish everynight for that past week. She is teething. . . but it is HARD to get up - especially when you expect a full night of sleep. I have learned that in parenting - you need to expect the UNexpected! As soon as the kid is in a routine . . . it changes again! That is life!!

And Bekah!! I am so thrilled for you. Aaron does sound like such a great guy!! It's awesome seeing you so excited and in love! God is good!!

Have you all heard about my dad?? Earlier in the week, he was exercising and about 5 minutes into it had to stop because of pain in his left arm. He immediately thought "heart" and took an aspirin. It stopped. The next day. . . same thing. Then the day after he decided not to exercise - went out to get the mail and on his way back he felt pain go up through his arm and to his chest. It stopped with aspirin but he decided to call in. The doc. told him to go immediately to the E.R. They did testing and found nothing until they did the angiogram (i think that's the name) in which they found that one of the main arteries to his heart was clogged 85-90%. They did the balloon method and cleaned him out. This process took 2 1/2 hours (on another patient - same process took 45 min.) because it was in a tricky spot. Actually while cleaning him out - they actually clogged up another side artery and he had a mild heart attack!! Fortunately - he is doing well. Came home on Sunday and should be completely normal soon! Doc. said that if dad had ignored those symptoms he probably would have had a heart attack! Strange thing is - Dad had only one of the common risk factors - High Cholestoral. You never know. . . God is GOOD! We were on our way up to Michigan for an adoption conference while all this was going on. I just can't believe it happened to my dad. It makes you realize even more how quick things can change! May each of you live today with peace, joy, and grace!

LOVE YOU!!

Jami

Welcome Darcy Jean!!! =)

Congrats! Matt and Rebekah! We're thankful everything went well! Can't wait to meet the little one! Hey, Bekah! That's such a sweet story-Ahhhh, the days of new love! It's amazing what 8 years and 3 kids can do to you! So enjoy it!! =) So do we get to meet this guy next weekend??
Well, my son has been a little messed up lately! The other day he got a misquito bite on his eye and it swelled up so much when he woke up in the morning he couldn't even open his eye. So, we had gotten some Children's Benadryl Allergy, and gave him another dose before bed! Well...let's just say we'll never do that again!!! He was awake half the night! He came down to our room, (which is a first-he normally has a gate locked at the top of the stairs-but it wasn't latched) and laid in bed with us for a little, but that sure didn't last long. I took him back upstairs and tried to lay down with him, but he was just wired! So desperate for sleep I laid him down in front of a movie. Yet ANOTHER mistake. I had gone back to bed, due to extreme exhaustion, and awoke shortly to him yelling!! at the movie. (Not mad yelling...he was excited) We got him quieted down and a drink, and locked the gate to his room. When chad left for work he said he was sleeping on the floor. But when I went up in the morning to get Kels up, he was back in his bed?!? Then the following day with much perseverance, I tried to get him to sleep, but the little stinker wouldn't even take a nap?!? I think that stuff must have about a 48 hour after-effect! Then he was up again this morning before 6!!! So...I am requesting your prayers that he can get back into a normal sleep routine, and this 6:00 thing isn't becoming a new habit for him!! Well, I've rambled on WAY too much, so I'll get going and we'll see you all next weekend!!

Love, Kristy

From the love bird....

Thought you'd like a picture of Aaron and I. Engagement life has been exhausting but fabulous!
So I'm trying to think of a fun story to write....maybe.....well, Aaron was planning how we would meet on Saturday to head to Alto. We were going to meet in Lansing and drive over together. Once we got to Lowell we were going to meet his best friend from high school for lunch. Well, Aaron asked if I would mind stopping at the welcome center in Michigan to pick up a map. I guess it's this map that Frank (his friend) needed before he was heading up to some cabin. So sure, I didn't mind stopping. So I stopped at the welcome center and realized it's like this huge room full of maps! I was a little concerned about trying to find this infamous map. Well, as I was looking around I heard "Bekah I think they want this one" and turned around and Aaron was there! Hee hee, it was all a plan to get me to stop at the welcome center to suprise me! What a great guy. So he drove and hour and half out of his way to pick me up....more quality time in the car, it was great!
So there's my sweet romantic story for you all. Now everyone can smile at me and sigh, Aaron really is perfect for me....
Booxy

Hey all...

How is everyone? Like Jami, I love reading the updates. However, I don't have anything exciting to say. Glad to hear everyone is doing well. Kristy, great pictures. I especially liked the one with Aunt Brenda and Josiah! It looks proffesional. Rebekah, congratulations! I am so excited for you guys (and love the name!) I hope Josh can adjust well.
The most exciting thing here is our Bluffton Street Fair. Its pretty big-time. Klint and I have been there every night so far and plan on going tonite too. I pretty much go for food and fellowship. It seems that you can hardly take 2 steps with out running into someone you know. Its fun!
Well, just thought I would post something. Glad to hear everything is going well. Cant wait to see you all in a few weeks!!

Loveya Sarah<><

Long time no post!

Hey all - I realized it's been a long time since I've written in. I have been reading and enjoying though!

A BIG congrats to Matt, Rebekah, and Josh for their sweet new baby, Darcy!!! I love the name, Rebekah!! Isn't Darcy a girl in Pride and Prejudice or one of those movies?? How'd you pick it?? Bekah showed us a picture of the sweet girl last night in church. Can't wait to see more. I'm so excited for you, Rebek to FINALLY have delivered your girl after all those annoying contractions!

Kristy - I looked at the picture of Abbie and thought she looked so cute and big... didn't put the 2 and 2 together that she is now sitting up until I read further. That's great!!

Have a great day all!
Jami

The Northerner's are back!

Hey, all! Not sure if you even knew or not, but we went to Northern Wisconsin last weekend with M&D Kaeb and Clark! The weather was BEAUTIFUL!! Fishing was very slow, much to the guys' dismay, but Dad had a 35 incher! So that was exciting. Anyway, I just thought I would post a couple of pic's from the weekend. Hope everyone's doing well, and glad to hear the foreign traveler's are back safely! =) Well, I should be going to pick Kels up from school! See you all in a couple weeks!!! YEAH! PS-Abbi's sitting up now!! Just thought I'd show you!

Love ya loads!
Kristy

if you're up at 7:00 AM you can pray for me...

Hi girls,
it's me again. I was just wanting to write and let you know that I went to the doctor today and I am 4 cm dialated and 70% effaced. So they are going to induce me in the morning! YAY! I am so ready to finally get to see and hold this little baby. so if you think about it you can pray for us. I just want the baby to be healthy and that I will be healthy and nice to Matt during labor :)

well, josh is sleeping in his big bed again tonight...completely oblivious to the change that is about to take place in his life tomorrow. I hope that he adjusts smoothly to the new sibling. I guess that is another prayer request.

well, i better go now.

Love,
Rebekah

We're Back!

Good Morning Hoffmann Gals,

Yes, we are back and in the swing of life again. We had a wonderful time and saw amazing sights. And met amazing people. Our Hoffmann cousins were very very friendly, loving people. They would love to meet you all when you travel to France. They treated us like we were celebrities. They even had the newspaper come and interview us and take our picture. It was very overwelming. Maybe Uncle Denny can figure out how I can post some pictures.

Wasn't it nice for our little granddaughter to wait for us to return before arriving. But now that we are home we hope she comes soon. We all are getting really anxious.

Did you all get your message about the Hoffmann-Walder weiner roast after Clark's baptism. Actually it is at 4:00 at the church house.

Love you all and I pray for each one of you, Aunt Bonnie

nothing exciting....

HI girls,
I just thought the blog needed a new post so I thought I'd just quick put something on. I'm still around...pregnant! I feel like everytime I set foot in public everyone's asking, "You still around?". I went to my doctor appointment today and I'm still at 3 cm and 60% effaced. So, at least I'm progressing in the right direction.

Tonight Matt is at his night class. He'll be back around 9:20. So, it's just Josh and me. He's wanting me to read "The Cat in the Hat" so I'm going to have to quit here pretty soon. Last night he slept in his big bed! Yay!!! So, maybe this will become a habit! I think he felt pretty grown up when he got up this morning and could just climb out of bed and come to our room. That's the only draw back...he gets up earlier now.

Well, Mom and Dad sound like their having a great time. They e-mail about every other day. It'll be good to have them home again.

I better go now and pay Josh some attention.

Love you guys,
rebekah

Wedding Plans

Wow....so much to do, so much to do! No actually things have been going well. As I'm sure you've all heard we've set the date: January 15th 2006. I've found my dress already, well ordered atleast. Now the bridesmaid's dresses are another story. Yeah...let's just say I know what I want and definately what I don't want...but can't seem to find the right dress. Everything these days is so immodest! Everything is strapless or worse! Ahh....patience, I'll just keep looking, and if all else fails we'll find someone to make them.
The European travelers are having fun. Minor times of stress as they travel Europe without knowing the language, but they say it's worth it. They're currently in Switzerland and that it's gorgeous. Ahhh...don't we all wish we were there!
Anywho, love you all tons!
Booxy

word from the crazy cats

hey hey...i just got this email from my dad, thought i'd pass it on!...some of the stuff might not make sense to you, since it was sent to a big group of people...but hope you enjoy...

Hello all,

We have spent a day and a half in Paris, and it has been more than we ever dreamed. It"s just like the movies, kind of a magical place. Perfect weather has contributed to our wonderful experience.Today we hoofed it to Notre Dame, the Louve, the Opera, the Concorde, the Arc de Triumph and finished with the Eifell Tower.

Steve, tell Karen we've got three days of walking in one day today.All four meals we've eaten have been in sidewalk cafe's. No sense of anti Americanism, but then again, we're spending our Euros here.

Sarah and Liz, you would love to see the way the women dress. Out of thousands of women, we have only seen four pair of shorts and they were probably Americans. Many wear skirts. Many are peasnt type skirts with skanky blouses.Food is great, language is an experience. We were told things would be dirty, but we have not found it so. However our foreign travels to date have been Mexico.

Seth, we trust things are well for you; K and S, we hope the Smokies are enjoyable and Liz, we hope you are studying HARD.


Deb, you will probably receive a copy of this email from Steve. You have our deepest sympathy, yet we truly rejoice with you as your mom has received her reward. We'll be prayerful as your family moves forward without her.

Tomorrow we leave this wonderful city and travel westward toward Barb's third cousin, Daniel, and then on to the Fatherland, Swithzerland. Can't wait.Not sure when we'll next have internet access.

Love to all.
Mark and Barb
Liz, if you care to forward this to any of the Hoffmann's and/or the Hoffmnn Blah, have at it.

Lonely in Bluffton...

Hey all!
How is everyone? Bekah, what a great picture of you and Aaron. Very cute couple. And I hear the wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses are already picked out...you make me sick (o:
Kristy, adorable pic of your little brave kindergartner!! I can't believe she is that age already. So glad to hear she is adjusting well.
Rebekah, I will be praying for you as you are in this final count down. We are excited to hear the news.
Well, Mom and Dad (as you know from Bonnie's post) are on there way to Paris right now. I hope I don't go completely out of my mind these next 2 1/2 weeks. Klint & I just stopped over here tonight and discovered that mom finally got up the nerve to put our cat, Feliz down. I didn't get to say goodbye to him so I am kind of distressed. Blah. Seth is doing really well in Mexico. Last night, he had to have the Wed. night service/Bible Study in front of everyone in spanish!!! He said it went well, but it was really short and he doesn't know if it made sense (o: Can you imagine????
Tomorrow Klint and I are leaving for the Smokies with three other couples for the weekend. We are staying in a 4 bedroom cabin. So I will be roughing it out on Chimney Tops sometime this weekend(o: I am sure it will be a great trip, I am a little apprehensive--I just need to settle down and not get so bent out of shape. Is it selfish to ask for prayers? I am kinda going through a crazy time right now. A MAJOR season of changes. And you ALL know that Sarah and Changes don't go hand-in-hand.(o:
Sorry to go on and on. I am really enjoying this blog. Its so encouraging and fun to keep up with you all. Hope you all have a great labor day wkend!!

Love you all--Sarah

Here she is!

Well, Here's my little school girl!
We changed internet provider's, because we were having so many problems, and this downloaded in seconds! I tried posting pictures before, and left, and came back a half an hour later, and it was still downloading!! I'd say we had a major problem! We had dial up, and would get disconnected constantly...so now we have dsl, and already loving it! Bonnie, hope you have a safe trip!! We will be praying for you both! Have a wonderful day, all! Kristy

We're Off!

Hello everyone!

Well what a crazy life. Uncle Dennis and I leave in 2 1/2 hours for 16 days in Europe. Rebekah could have her baby at any time [we thought the baby wouldn't come until we were back for 2 weeks]. It looks like we will not be here when that precious baby is born. I hope that sweet little baby will forgive us for not being first to the hospital to see her. We will be praying and praying that all goes well for all 4 of them.

Also, I have had 4 days to make phone calls and start lineing things up for Bekah and Aarons wedding. The date has been set for Jan. 15, so mark your calendars.

Uncle Denny's back has been really bothering him lately, so pray that the flight and trip go well for him. So with all these things on my mind, pray that I can relax and enjoy this trip. God is good and inspite of my stress there is a wonderful inner peace. How wonderful to leave an Almighty God incharge of all these concerns.

So happy Kelsey is doing so well at school. I'm glad Leah's time at Purdue has gotten off to a good start. Thankful that Seth is doing well in Mexico. I'm anxious to hear how Wed night went for him.

I pray for all of you and hope to read the blog in Europe.

Love you bunches and bunches, Aunt Bonnie