August Birthdays!

It is birthday month here in the Hoffman house, and I realized today that I am about smack dab in the middle of both my boys’ birthdays, so a blog update was entirely necessary! :)

On August 4^th, we had a 6^th birthday party for our dear, sweet Austin. This year, the birthday boy wanted to have a Phineas and Ferb party, and I hope he got what he wanted! We played pin the tail on Perry, had a Mummy wrap, played “Where’s Perry?”, and even made our own “Balloonies”. If you have never seen the show, this probably makes absolutely no sense to you, but I promise that as a big fan of Phineas and Ferb, myself, it totally works! We had some of their catchier tunes playing in the background, ate some cake, and let the birthday boy open up the gifts from his very generous friends. (Then spent the rest of the day putting legos together!) All in all, it was a nice, laid back party!

Last Saturday (August 11^th), we celebrated Austin’s actual birthday. It is hard to believe that 6 years ago my oldest little boy came in to the world. He has brought so much joy in to our lives; joy we didn’t even know could exist until he joined our family. God had Austin perfectly planned for us in His perfect time, and for that, I am eternally grateful! He is such a sweet old soul (he acts like a 40 year old), and he cares so deeply for the people around him. He never wants anyone to be hurting, and works hard to be a good friend to all. Austin is a ham bone at heart, and will do anything for a good laugh or praise from the people around him. Don’t get me wrong, it isn’t all sunshine and flowers; there are days when I want to wring his neck, but praise the Lord for self-restraint and His gift of patience during those trying times! Anyways…we spent the day celebrating Austin and enjoying the blessing that he is in our lives!

This Saturday (the 18^th), my parents and Jason’s parents are coming down to do a very small celebration for Carter’s 1^st birthday. Yes, you heard me right; “the baby” is now going to be 1 on August 22^nd. I never understood how quickly time flew by until I became a mom, and now I get it. To think that Carter is already a year old is almost unimaginable, yet it also feels like he has always been a part of “us”. 

We actually let Carter choose his own party theme as well. I held up a bunch of different plates that I thought might appease him (Mickey, Elmo, monkeys, etc.), and Carter very definitively chose Mickey. Just like his big brother, Carter has a love for that darn mouse that is unparalleled, and his face lights up every time he sees him! So Carter will be having a small party with a few friends and family members, as our littlest one often times gets completely overwhelmed in places with lots of people paying attention to him! This is just one of the MANY differences between my two boys!

See, Carter is the exact opposite of Austin in almost every way, and yet, I can’t imagine it any other way! He is much more reserved than Austin has ever been (poor unsuspecting people at stores quite frequently get cried at when they talk to him), is more crabby and aggressive than Austin seemed to be, and refuses to pay attention to the word “no”. However, Carter has an amazing adventurous spirit, he is willing to try anything (food, toys, games, etc.), he has the most devilishly cute smile, and even when he isn’t trying, Carter makes the whole family laugh at his ridiculous antics. To say we have been blessed with two amazing, yet totally different little boys, feels like an understatement. We can never thank God enough for the two sons He entrusted with us!

So yeah, the month of August is birthday month for us. So much going on, and yet, so much to be grateful for! After Carter’s small shindig on Saturday, I will be sure to post pictures from both boys’ parties on Facebook, and will inevitably continue the Hoffman family “saga” whenever inspiration (ha!) strikes again! :)

Our Grammie

The past two months have been a whirlwind of travel for the Hoffman family. In May we spent 10 days in Hawaii, and June we went up to PA, went to the beach, and then went back up to PA. Unfortunately, the last visit was not just for fun, as we had to go up and say goodbye to our beloved Grammie (Jason’s grandmother). Today’s post is going to be a tribute to her and the legacy she left with our family.

I have to be honest and say that the first year of our marriage I saw Grammie as just another loving grandmother. Sure, she was fun to be around, but it wasn’t until I began to join my mother-in-law up on Grammie’s farm on a Friday, that I really began to appreciate the woman that she was.

Grammie was the epitome of a hard-working woman. I was always amazed at how hot it could be outside and how much she was able to accomplish. She would be taking care of her enormous garden, hanging up the wash (since she didn’t own a drier), and cooking a full meal for Jason’s cousins who work the farm, on days that were well in to the 90s without any sort of air conditioning. I always worried about her when the heat index rose, but she always reminded me that she was used to the heat since she had never had air conditioning. Grammie would spend a large portion of her summer making pickles (that she herself refused to eat), and mint tea from plants in her garden. She held her flowers in the highest regard (as she should have…they were beautiful), and it was only fitting that calla lilies from her garden were used at her memorial service.

Grammie’s hard work didn’t end with just physical labor. She was truly the matriarch of our family, and her strength kept her family going. Like all families, issues would arise. Grammie never held a grudge, and even when she let her opinions be known (which was rare since Grammie rarely said a bad word about anyone), it was always said with grace. Usually it included “I just feel sorry for him/her” at the end of it, and it was obvious that she really meant it. She showed Christ’s love for others when they were unlovable, and she was always an ear I knew I could share things with without being judged. (Although I definitely knew not to talk politics with her…even if we were on the same side, it probably wouldn’t have ended well!) When Grammie would come down to visit us, she often sat next to me in the passenger seat of the van. I always looked forward to those times when I could ask her about the farm, talk to her about my life, and get the latest on all of the family members. The one thing that none of us was ever able to give Grammie was a granddaughter. I have to say that one of the proudest moments in my life was when she introduced me, not as her grandson  Jason’s, wife, but as her granddaughter. To know that she thought that highly of me was humbling and an honor, and it is something that will stay with me forever.

Though all of these things are a part of what made Grammie so wonderful, her best, and hardest, work she did was the work for God. Grammie was an active member of her church community. At 88, she still held the title of President of the Women’s Guild, and taught Sunday school every other Sunday (a job she had been doing for almost 69 years!). Now many people are active at their church, but don’t live it out at home. Not Grammie…every action she took showed Christ’s love in one way or another. The pickles and red beet eggs she made for her family (even though she didn’t eat or like them), the holiday picnics and meals she prepared for family and friends (even when she barely had enough to pay her bills), and the daily prayers that she said for her family and friends (even when we certainly didn’t “deserve” them). Grammie’s love for the Lord was obvious in all that she did, and I can say without any sort of doubt that I KNOW that right now, she is having an amazing time with our Father in His Kingdom.

I am very grateful that we were able to give her a break from all of that hard work three weeks ago when we went to Wrightsville Beach with her. Because of the farming lifestyle she led, Grammie had never seen the Atlantic Ocean, nor had she ever put her toes in. What a blessing it was for us to take her there…to hear her squeal like a small child when the water touched her toes, to have her play with Carter in the sand, and her watch Austin as he jumped the waves...it is honestly one of the most memorable trips I have ever been on, and it was all because of her!

I could go on and on about all of the wonderful memories we have of Grammie. Austin will miss her cookies she made him (in fact, when he found out about her death he asked if she was making cookies for God and Jesus!), Carter will miss out on getting to know her better (something I am sad to think about, but grateful that she met him and he, her), Jason will miss more things than I can write here, but the thing I think I will miss the most are the conversations we had, and the presence she brought wherever she went.

While we will all miss our Grammie, there is such a comfort in knowing that she is where she wants to be…with her husband and son, and with our Lord and Savior. Knowing that she will no longer sit on my front porch or my kitchen table will always bring me sorrow, but knowing that she can now be with her Creator for all of eternity sitting at His front porch and around His table, makes my heart so full of happiness for her.

Thank you, Grammie, for all of the love you gave us. We will forever be grateful.

My tendency...

I realize that I have a tendency to have these wonderful ideas...keep the house perfectly clean, become more like Martha Stewart (minus the ex-con stuff), write a regular blog...the problem is, I find that it is so hard for me to continue to follow through on these wonderful ideas. Life gets in the way of all of my good ambitions...

All you have to do is ask anyone that I have ever lived with about my cleaning tendencies and you will find that they have never been great. Part of me really wishes that I had a strong desire to have a house that resembled a Pottery Barn catalog. Everything would be clean and have a place, and if there was any sort of clutter, it would still have an organized look to it. My life, however, is nothing like a Pottery Barn catalog! As hard as I may try, some how the laundry always ends up back in a pile in my room, my kitchen counter is covered with Lord only knows what, and my floors could use a good vacuum, again!

I also have this strong desire to be more like Martha Stewart. I read the magazines, watch the show, and make my attempts, but I just can't seem to get it right! How I would KILL to be able to craft, cook, garden, and travel all day long! I find that I have such a peace when I am doing these activities, yet I am rarely able to really enjoy these diversions (minus the cooking, which is more like "what can I forage" vs. "ooo la la magnifique!"). I guess I could count the few flowers we plant each spring as gardening, but that darn dog digs everything up that I plant out back, so I am at a loss there too!

Oh and this blog! Wasn't this supposed to be a way for family and friends far away to keep up with our lives on a regular basis? I created this whole thing as a way for me to give others a look in to what we do here in North Carolina. It was an opportunity for my creative writing juices to flow (not really sure that I even have them, but you get the idea). Obviously, like the two aforementioned activities, this is yet another wonderful idea that has yet to come to fruition.

Right now, you are probably wondering what the point of all of this is. Well here goes...life here in NC has the same tendencies as life in PA. We get caught up in all that is going on around us (work, school, church, vacations, etc.) and all of the wonderful things that we hoped to do take a back burner. I cannot for one second complain though! My house may look like a bomb went off in it some days (ahh who am I kidding, most days!), my craft closet rarely sees the light of day, my meals aren't elegant, my garden needs lots of TLC, and obviously this blog (can I even call it that?) can barely stay afloat, but in all of that I am grateful.

I am grateful that God doesn't care how my house looks; He cares about what my heart looks like. I am grateful that I don't have to be another Martha Stewart (even though I will ALWAYS strive for it); God has given me the talents I need to further His kingdom. Finally, I am grateful for any and all that take the time to actually read this blog; God specifically placed you in our lives, and your interest in our family is such a blessing!

Thanks for reading my random rant on life...no idea where it came from, but hopefully me writing about my ridiculous tendency will help me with some follow through... :)