For "Gamma"

Avery with her Bitty Baby and their matching hair.
She has changed the doll's name to "Lizzie" because
lizards are her favorite animal.

Hailey baking with packages of cookie dough.
She can do the entire process now, add some butter
and an egg and beat in the mixer!

Two thrilled girls to have their photo taken.
One tolerant girl who's becoming more and more
like a tweenager everyday.

Avery thrilled with the dress she ordered from
Gamma. Loves the owl fabric!

Karis equally as thrilled with her new
dress made by Grandma. Lovely picture face.

Our Familiversary!

Jessie at the art studio





The final Piece: L-R Our house, Boise, Haiti

So Saturday was our Familversary (the one year mark from the day Alex came home and our family was complete)!  We really wanted to do something different and special to celebrate the day. So I contacted Jessie the artist from our church who runs the VineArts Program, and art studio at the church. It's one of many really cool things our church does to reach out to people and draw them closer to God. Her ministry is teaching others how to worship God through art. She has spoke at Sunday School and it has really made an impact on Hailey. In fact Hailey told us that she learned that she can worship God by painting pictures that He puts in her mind. Love it. Also if you are a local they have open studio on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons where you can come and use their supplies and create. Children are welcome if they have a parent. You can paint, do stuff with clay, and other artsy things. Off on a tangent though......

So anyway I contacted Jessie and told her it was our 1 year day and asked if she could work with us to come up with some art to celebrate our family. (Side note....last year she heard our story and painted a picture of a little boy in Haiti waiting for his parents. She had never seen our pictures and when she did she was amazed at the likeness! She gave us the painting and it is very special to us.)

So we met her at the studio and she spent so long with us. First we all held hands and prayed that God would guide us and give us ideas. (Why haven't I ever though of that?!) Then everyone painted a couple pictures of whatever they wanted. Then we took 3 pieces and painted some sort of white that makes a good background. Then we stamped our hands in it so if you look closely our finger prints come through! Then we painted blue all over it. Then we did one page of Haiti, one of our house, and one of the mountains of Boise. She kept reminding us it was a really "loose" painting and more imagery than actual likeness. We had such a wonderful time and we plan on framing our paintings to always remember our special day!

A Quick Visit

Emmett and his parents came for a quick visit last weekend. Brent was on his way to Pocatello for an interview so he dropped off Hannah and Emmett. The kiddos found out about 2 weeks ago he was coming and got right to work preparing things for him. Well, I should say Hailey got right to work preparing her classroom for him....complete with "New Boy Emmett" written on the board as well as a name tag for his desk and a spot as the coveted Line Leader. I was a little worried she'd be disappointed as the little boy in our house is the hardest one to convince to play school. But my worries were unfounded as Emmett seemed to relish being the prize student. The kiddos all played so well .... it was amazing. In fact the girls doted over him like they'd never seen a little boy. Hmm....I guess a cousin is a little more fun than a brother.

Friday afternoon Hannah and I went downtown so I could show her some of the amazing Boise sites, such as where Starbucks is located and the chocolate shop downtown. We went in a few little boutiques but frankly being raised by our mother, the items just didn't appeal to us.....knowing that same item would soon be marked down at Macy's we didn't even consider making a full price purchase. And besides...I wonder what the return policy is at a boutique? ☺

When we got back we had a movie afternoon for the kiddos complete with popcorn and soda. It was so exciting for all of them, until we were about 5 minutes into Despicable Me and Hailey freaked out and then convinced Karis that she was also scared to death. So the three little kids watched the movie and the big girls would watch for a moment, run in a panic out of the room, stand in the hall and peak in, come back and sit down, and start all over. Hannah explained to me that when Emmett was just a wee one and got scared watching Jurassic Park she just taught him to power through it and now he can watch anything! If only I'd known about that trick....well at least I have two little ones to teach to power through. In fact at this moment I have them watching Law And Order while I blog. "It's just pretend kids....power through!"

Oh and Hailey is sporting her new dress made by Grandma. She was fascinated with the fact that Mom used to sew all our clothes, so she called Grandma and asked her to make her a dress. It turned out really cute and Hailey just was amazed that Grandma could make that! Now of course Karis and Avery have placed their orders as well.

Anyway we had a great visit and we PRAY that Brent's interview was successful!!!

More Crafting

So today we pulled out a craft that Alex had gotten for Christmas....Crayola Model Magic Presto Dots.....and they were....let's just say....Magic!! Wow...the stuff really does stick to each other. My only disappointment is you are supposed to create something and let it dry.....and then no more Model Magic to play with...guess you have to buy more!! So they created some "monsters" and then I had them save the rest to hopefully play with another day. It was really neat stuff and not at all messy but slightly frustrating for the little kids who wanted it to look exactly like the box. But all in all a fun winter indoor activity!!

The School Teacher

So....little Miss Hailey has become the school teacher here at home. She has named her class "Prees-Kinder" since it is a combo class of Preschoolers and Kindergartners. In fact she has set the study up into her own personal school room where she lovingly teaches her siblings and gets them to play school with her, using various behavior modification methods. Like the day I could hear Avery crying in the classroom saying, "I don't want to play school but I don't want to lose my super stars." Apparently Miss Hailey told her if she quit playing all her super stars would be taken away. There are many, many times she has to convince Alex to play and she does this by offering special crafts, treats, or the coveted position of Line Leader.

The kiddos do seem to really enjoy playing most of the time and she is so patient with them and has actually taught them many things! Along with coming up with really creative crafts and learning activities. She came out one day and said to me, "Umm...Principal Hoefer....I just want you to know that all of the kids are literally on their best behavior!" She also has had the children bring notes home to Scott and me inviting us to such things as parent's night (where we got to come and watch a performance by the children and learn what they are learning at school) and parent teacher conferences (where we saw a report card from each child and discussed how they were doing). And at Christmas she presented us with a 3 ring binder full of projects the kids had been working on.

Yes...she is only 7 years old and so very organized! And excellent leadership skills considering she can get those three little kids to listen to her and do school work for often more than an hour.....mmmm...hmmm....that's better than their Mama can do!! On a side note she told me tonight, "I can not wait until I am older so I can get this pantry organized!" Is this really my child??!! Oh yes....I think my siblings will find something all too familiar with this school playing post!

Our Twins

Look at these little cuties. I love our four year olds so much. And so far age four is proving to be a bit easier than age 3 with these two! Avery told me, "My teasher thinks me and Awex weally are twins! She calls us the twins." Translation: Her teacher things she and Alex really are twins. Love it. They are the perfect little pair. We are noticing more and more that Avery is a lot like Hailey and Alex a lot like Karis. What a perfect combo!

Random Daily Life Events

OK so part of the reason for this post is to try out my upgrade on blogger which I didn't realize existed. I am hoping I can truly move photos around and caption them. I am so thrilled with this new feature than I'm sure is about a year old and  most of you discovered then. I however did not and couldn't figure out how to move photos or even see the order of photos!! It was all a mumble jumble of letters/numbers. Anyway.......


Behavior Modification
This is our new behavior system. I have tried multiple systems such as tally marks for good behavior and earning prizes and such. The kiddos all responded really well to tally marks but I decided I wanted a way to take them away. Yes...that's how mean I am. So now each child has a small jar with his/her initial. I like how this turned out actually using some of my scrapbook storage supplies. It's nice and small and not too tacky. At least I hope. Anyway since different children have different issues I didn't want to make it too complicated for the parents...so everyone is working on the same goals. Some earn their tokens much easier than others. If you stay in bed all night you get a token. If you get up and dressed and eat breakfast you get two tokens. See...It's not that bad. If you do a chore you get a token or two depending on the length of the chore. If you randomly do a chore you get two tokens for showing initiative. But only if you do it without asking for a token. If you leave your shoes, clothes, or socks out and a parent picks them up...you lose a token. If you don't clear your plate...you lose a token. If you scream and pitch a fit...you lose all your tokens. Just kidding. So there you have it.....behavior modification Hoefer Style!



Puzzles. Up until November I hated doing puzzles. Now I love them and am obsessed with them. I find it quite fulfilling! We have completed at least 6 puzzles as a family since then. And we leave them on think posterboard so we can move them....sometimes it's on the table but lots of times on the high counter. Genius aren't we?!

My friend Angie has introduced me to the world of looming. In one week I have made 7 hats and now a scarf. I am so inspired that I've decided I really want to learn to knit the hard way. So I am taking lessons at the knitting store. I am hoping the teacher is really patient and doesn't quit after our first lesson. They are private lessons....I would be far too disruptive with a group and demand all the teacher's attention. Angie had to go over and over with me how to loom....I just am not that smart when it comes to yarn crafting.

I am still spending lots of time scrapbooking! I am caught up to September of 2010 which feels really good.

And last but not least I am cooking and baking my way through the Pioneer Woman cookbook. I love her recipes and have learned so much. In fact I can now make a delicious roast that Scott says is as good as his moms!! They used to always be so dry and now they are moist and fall apart. It's been requested that I blog after each recipe but so far haven't gotten to that. Let's just say everything so far has turned out magnificent, its easy, and I love it. These biscuits are the best I've ever had. Besides McDonalds ones....I love those!!

Lost!!!

AHH!! While trying to update blogger I somehow deleted all of my blog links that I normally love to check. I am going to try and find all the addresses again and reinsert them but if you could do me a favor that would be awesome. If you are a reader of my blog and you have a blog will you please give me the address in my comments? I don't think I can find them all by googling. And if your blog has never been on my blog list I would love it to be so go ahead and leave the address! Thanks!!