Old Tyme Photos at Seaside (Christmas 2009)

I have often walked by this Old Tyme photo studio but this time I actually asked the Hoffers if we could do this. Patti decided when we went in to ask questions that it would be wise to assign the kids their "identity" before they went. And you can see how they ended up. Bryce was allowed to wear a very elaborate head-dress. (It itched.) Brent was allowed to have a weapon (he got two). Sarah got to pick her bonnet (it tended to hide her face) and Miranda was the Indian maiden (she giggled...I guess it struck her as funny).

Patti and Alan, December 22, 2009, Seaside Oregon

November familiy photo

Just one of a bunch of photos we took of the Hoffers for their Christmas card. This wasn't the one chosen, but I still liked it.

October Birthdays

Sarah had to help Patti and me get out of the Corn Maze. I don't know why I ever enter these things because it always takes me forever to find my way out again.

Ah.....everyone made it out of the maze.

Visited the Pumpkin Patch in Rickreall and then ate cake. The visit was too short but was fun while it lasted. Patti whipped up the cake mix with confetti...looked like some unnatural food item was mixed into the cake but it was surprisingly good. Bryce is 10, Sarah 12, and Miranda will turn 14 at the end of this week.

Chinese birthdays October 2009

Bev told us to make funny faces, but I noticed when I finally saw this photo that she and Don were looking the nicest and sweetest. No hamming around!

I SWAM A MILE!!!...Patti

Ok, I don't have a picture of me doing it, but I did! I swam 2-500 yard sets on Wednesday. I told my coach, Nicole, that I wanted to swim the swim-a-thon next March with the kids. That's 5000 yards. I didn't think I could do it, but maybe I could swim the whole two hours without stopping. I told Brent I'd pay him $10 if he did the 5000 yards (2.8 miles) 30 minutes faster than me.


So, Nicole said, "Let's see you do THREE 500 yard sets tonight." I did them and then realized I was only 5 laps from swimming a mile, so I did the five and now I can say I DID IT! I'm really happy for several reasons...I swam a mile in college, but only passed the class because the teacher said, "Oh, give it to her" disgustedly (I took 5 minutes over the time limit). I was also happy because I did 750 yards farther than Wednesday in the same amount of time. Also, I did half of my mile in crawl stroke (Wed. I only swam backstroke). Crawl is my worst stroke right now....well, actually, I only have two strokes and neither are really great. Finally, the MOST EXCITING thing was that I did a 50 yard (down and back) lap without stopping...I've never done that. When I did my crawl stroke laps for my 3-500's, I swam a length, stopped and panted for a while, then swam a length, then stopped and panted.

I was so happy when I got done, that I got out of the pool and hugged Nicole. She asked me how I felt and I just started to cry. I DID IT!!!!! :-)

Camping on Orcas Island

A trip to Orcas Island with the "Chinese families" apparently always involves fishing. "Uncle" Steve took the kids fishing and out on the lake. Fish were even actually caught!!

Alan's special 50th Birthday present

I am not sure what it is about Alan, but he's definitely got pyromaniac tendencies. He loves to burn things in the fireplace, in the firepit outside, and to barbeque. His 50th present that we all contributed money to is a big, serious barbeque. Patti and Bryce put it together and were a great team. Patti could read the instructions while Bryce studied the drawings.

Family at Point-No-Point Lighthouse

While up in Kingston to celebrate Alan's 50th birthday, we went out one evening to the Point-No-Point Lighthouse. It was early evening and the sun was shining in our eyes, but we got photos anyway. It's a rare photo when we get Mom and us 3 girls together at the same time.

Alan in Pendleton

The Coaches

Lauren (who is a gold swimmer and bronze coach), Ashley (who taught Bryce and Sarah in bronze) and Tom (who is gold coach now, but taught all the three oldest in Silver).

Sarah helps the coaches?

Sarah pointing west. Coach Lauren looking north. Coach Ashley documenting results. Who knows WHAT is going on??

Pouslbo Piranhas

Ok, this is only 8 of the 24 swimmers....getting the boys to pose was like herding cats. It never happened. The girls, however, formed this pose in less than 10 seconds. Amazing.

Starting in the back from left to right: Katherine, Alessi, Alice, Miranda.
Front row left to right: Sarah, Kailey, Emily, Ellie

Patti in Louis Lamour heaven

Miranda and I went for a walk Friday evening and I met this great cowboy. He kindly stopped to pose. He was in the middle of herding cattle and had a small dog to help.

The kids above Yakima Valley

Yakima Valley

After much upheaval and disappointments, we didn't make the Moses Lake swim meet. However, we DID make the Pendleton meet. I don't know yet, but I suspect it will replace the Moses Lake meet for several reasons. First, it wasn't that much farther. We got in easily. It was a bigger pool. There is more to do in Pendleton, than in Moses Lake. Finally, when the coaches brought out the ribbons, it took three of them with huge fistfuls to hold them all. The kids were screaming hysterically with excitement. Apparently, historically we do not get many ribbons at Moses Lake...perhaps it's the way they set it up. At Pendleton, you were divided into two groups based on your previous times. So, you were competing with kids with similar talent. Made it a little easier for the kids to shine. It was really a great time for all.

July 6th....getting ready to leave

I was getting ready to leave and head back to Oregon but had to get a photo of all 4 of the kids together. We arranged them by height for a few pictures and then by age. Someday I want to make a scrapbook of images of the kids all together over the years.

4th of July in Kingston

Patti made a great 4th of July cake.



On the way to see the fireworks. It's always a hassle having to park blocks away but the view from the marina is great. Miranda had her cell phone with her and met some of her friends.







Brent had a front row seat at the fireworks.

A man and his Barbeque

Alan's 50th Birthday present this year was money for a barbeque....a BIG barbeque grill. Here he is grilling hamburgers and hotdogs. Photos by Bryce.

Lucy, settling into the heart of the family

Lucy visiting at Hammond.... found a spot between Grandma's slippers ...

and leaning up against Uncle Don's foot and Sarah's foot ....

a little ear rub from Miranda.....

looking cool with a pose from Sarah....

and a little eye contact with Patti----- and she is clearly saying....

I love my new family! :)

The kiss

The morning I left from Kingston, Alan called and asked if he could meet Patti and me for lunch in Poulsbo. We met outside this great fish place and Patti greeted the host.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge...every Sunday

Every Sunday, after church, the Hoffers head back to Kingston by "driving around" which means driving south to Tacoma and then around Puget Sound. It saves them a bunch of money and it's a pretty drive. Here we are driving onto the Tacoma Narrows Bridge.

Patti and Sarah March 29, 2009

Patti, a little tearful, after Sarah's baptism.

Family Photo

Family photo taken in Hoffer front yard.

Library after church

It's sort of a Sunday event that after church, the Hoffers make a pit stop at the Seattle Public Library where Miranda picks up her 34 (!!) holds. And the rest of the family picks up their more modest number of holds. Patti picked up several non-fiction books on politics.

Sarah and Bryce win at the Grand Prix

It was a fun night...the first year we did the grand prix, we didn't make it out of the first heats. We didn't know to add weights to the cars to make them faster. We didn't sand them very much and painted them with paint brushes. We've graduated to using a sander (hand and motorized), spray paint and laquer and lots of weights. So much that they had to drill holes in the bottom of Sarah's car to lighten it (it was 0.1 ounce over regulation of 5 ounces!!) Brent had the most unique design, but we think it had a flaw in the front which slowed it down. But it was a smooth looking hunk of cheese!!

Grandma and the Kids

January 4th, 2009 Grandma and Grandchildren

Family Photo January 4th, 2009

What is a family get-together without a family photo???!
And what is a family photo opportunity without at least one photo that is less than serious?
It was so nice to be able to squeeze this family tradition into the visit early this month!

New Quilt

Alan got out of the shower and just stopped at the bedroom door. "Now, isn't that nice," he said with a satisfied voice.

We had a lovely Christmas at mom's this year (courtesy of the snow cancelling Heathergate), but it didn't dim the pleasure in receiving such a nice addition to the house!