30 years have gone by

That's right...I reached the big 3-0! Chad and I celebrated by taking a little mini vaca all the way to downtown Austin! Actually, it was a combination Birthday/Anniversary celebration...but mainly just birthday. Chad planned everything and it was just perfect. We checked into The Driskell on Sixth Street. It's the oldest hotel in Austin. It's an absolutely beautiful hotel!

After we checked in we walked through downtown to grab some lunch on our way to Lady Bird Lake to do some stand-up paddle boarding. It was so much fun and I totally recommend it to anyone visiting downtown Austin. After our adventure on the lake we went back to the hotel and got ready for dinner. Turns out that The Driskell has one of the best restaurants in downtown, so we just stayed there and ate a super fancy meal.


Here is a picture of our desserts. Chad's dessert is the one on the left. In "fancy words" the description was something like milkshake and candy bar...and this is what it really was. It took him one sip and one bite to finish it all up.

After dinner we went to Congress Bridge and watched the bats. There were thousands of them!

I was really excited!

We got back to our hotel room and Chad had ordered a turn down service.
This is what it looks like at The Driskell Hotel. So sweet!

The next day we slept in...ahhh. I think it was 10:00 when we finally got out of bed. It was glorious! We left shortly after and met up with my parents and the kids at Z-Tejas.


It was a perfect birthday!

The Fourth

These are the matching outfits that I bought for the kids last year before The Peanut was even born. I tried really hard to get a good picture of the two them, but this was the best I could do.

We went to Georgetown for their Fourth of July Festival. It was so ridiculously hot, but it was still great. Brooks' favorite part was the petting zoo.

This sheep just popped his head over the fence to eat some of our food. Gammy and Brooks thought it was pretty funny...just check out their faces!

This petting zoo was so cool because they had so many baby animals that they let you pick up. I loved this little goat!

It's really hard to get a good picture with our family. This is as good as it gets.

Brooks and Daddy leaving the festival. We finally had enough of the heat.

Just Because...

...those big blue eyes just melt my heart.

Beach Beauty

The Peanut had a great time at the beach...her first time in fact. I was so anxious to put her on the sand and see her reaction. I like to think that I know exactly what she was thinking of her first beach experience:
"This is so much fun, Mom!"


"What's this yummy stuff?!"

"Hey Daddy!"

"Hey...I like eating that!"

"See, Daddy...this sand is so yummy!"

"Eating sand was NOT a good idea!"

"Mom to the rescue!"

"Playing in the water with Birdie is so much fun!"

"1...2...3...JUMP!"

"Don't you just love my new flip-flops?!"

"Thanks for the fun day, Mom."


P.S. I just to assure everyone that we didn't just sit back and watch Laney eat all that sand but that we constantly tried to stop her - she just kept shoveling it in her mouth. I am also happy to report the nice "sparkly" diaper that followed.

Let the Party Begin!

After a fun day at the beach and a nice long nap...it was time for the real party to begin. Chad thought it would be fun to go eat at this pizza place he remembered from his childhood called "Pan-Joe's Pizza". Brooks got to watch the guys make the pizza and then he gobbled it all up in between Scoops and Daddy. Yummy!


Laneybug hung out with Birdie...maybe next year she can have a piece of pizza, too! But for now, the mushy carrots and sippy cup will have to do.

Remember when we were kids and our mom would buy the cake mold and actually make a birthday cake? I can remember all my birthdays based on the cakes that I had. This...is one of those cakes. Birdie found a car cake mold and spent hours (literally) decorating it to look like Lightning McQueen. She used the star tip to decorate the car with all that frosting. It was so amazing and Brooks just loved it! It was such a classic cake!


I think Brooks' favorite part was having us all sing him "Happy Birthday." Yeah, Brooks!

After we sang "Happy Birthday" we let our food settle and opened some presents. Mostly "Cars" stuff of course. He just loved it all!

And...it wouldn't be a birthday if you didn't get to eat the cake. Not only was it adorable, it was also delicious. Brooks wanted to eat the tire.
I'm 110% sure that he loved it!

Beach Birthday

Instead of having a big, over-the-top birthday party for Brooks, we decided to just take him to the beach (that way we can save money for Laney's first birthday party...hee, hee.) He had a GREAT time!
Brooks headed down to the water with Chad...he could hardly wait.

Birdie had a great time playing with the kids in the sand and in the water.

Team Hoff on the beach!

Chad buried Brooks and he thought it was hilarious.

Mom and Dad with the birthday boy.

My Boy

Dear Brooks,

Three years ago I was sitting in a hospital bed (after a long 4 week stay)and I fell completely in love with a sweet baby boy - you. Every since that day you've been my little buddy. We've traveled together, hiked together, laughed together, cried together, and so much more. This past year has been such a great year watching you grow up into a big boy and a big brother. There is so much that I love about you that I don't want to forget:

You always want a kiss good-night. You enjoy watching movies and like to quote things from the movies you love (Bambi, Nemo, Cars, Toy Story 3). You like to eat. When we make brownies or cake you like to lick the bowl just as much as I do. You love your sister and I know that you will always be there to protect her. You are a good swimmer. At night time, before bed, you run around like a crazy man (clothes are optional). I love your grumpy face. You never want to look at the camera when I take your picture. Your a nurturing little boy - you're always finding baby dolls or stuffed animals to take care of. You have a "pet" turtle that you named Raisin and a baby doll named Leisey. You like to play outside. You have a short attention span when it comes to organized activities. You are stubborn and strong-willed. Wrestling with Daddy is one of your favorite nightly activities. Kansas is your buddy. You can throw tantrums like no other (high-pitched screaming is usually involved). You like to sing. You prefer milk over water, unless you get to drink out of Mommy's water cup. You sleep like a champ with your two blankies and Roxy doggie by your side. You talk in bed before you fall asleep. You like to watch sports and route for The Rangers. You are a happy camper 95% of the time. You are a good traveler on a plane or in the car - I never even get out the DVD player. You love your family. You give random hugs that I just LOVE. You only have one volume when you speak, and its loud. When you introduce yourself to people you say, "Hi, nice to meet you. I'm Brooksy Hoffman." When you toot you almost always say "Excuse me". You run fast like Lightning McQueen (not really, but you try). You like to touch my face sweetly when I tuck you in to bed. You know how to get your "HORNS UP" like a true Longhorn fan. You pray sweetly every night and you always remember to pray for "Mommy, and Daddy, and Laney and Kansas."

You are such a sweet boy and you make me smile every day. I asked you the other night if you would stay my sweet little boy forever and you said yes. I'm not going to let you forget that. Brooks, I love you more than ice cream and pizza and baseball and swimming.

Love,
Mommy