Turkey Day 2012!!! Gobble gobble gobble!!!

This morning I took Banjo out for a run around Seward Park.  It was my first run in a LONG time and felt good (and bad - hack hack).  I think Banjo appreciated the exercise.

This year we hosted Thanksgiving lunch at our house.  I cooked the bird on the ol' smoker for 4 hours, and it turned out quite tasty.  I also think it will make for some tasty turkey jook as well (one my new favorite Thanksgiving traditions - you put all of the turkey bones in a big pot of water and rice and cook it for many hours, creating a turkey-rice porridge - super tasty).  

Our guests included my family and Emily's family, minus Ruth and Clave, but plus Melvin.  Everyone brought something really good to share - my personal favorites were my mom's stuffing (as always) and  Jenilyn's butternut squash soup (I love a good soup).

After dinner we had some apple and pumpkin pie, along with a pumpkin roll that Emily and Abe made for Mei Li's one-month birthday yesterday.  After dessert we played a rousing game of Poverty - a Hoff Thanksgiving tradition.

 Abe wanted to be on Grandpa David's team for Poverty.  He's wearing his headphones because all the adults were being too loud with their incessant talking...

 ..and probably because he was getting really tired.  After playing cards with us for a bit, he wanted to hold Mei Li.  Then the immediately fell asleep hold her in his arms.  Super cute.

George and Abe getting some rest after a long Thanksgiving day.

One month old

You know what that means...photo shoot with Banjo!  Abe did not want any pictures taken without him, but I managed to sneak a few.

My mom made this sweater, and it's sized at 6 month.  It fits quite well at one month.

Working with dogs

When we drive places Abe likes me to tell him about things.  The other day he wanted me to tell him about semi trucks.  After I rattled off all I knew about semis, he asked why I didn't know very much about them, and I told him that people who drive semis would know more.  So, then he asked if I would tell him about my work.  So, as interesting as it is, I told him about my work, and about the Veterans and about how you should never smoke.  Then he asked me to tell him about the dogs.  It took me a long time, but I finally realized that the kid thought I was a Veterinarian, since I work with Veterans.

Fun with Curious George (Abe's preschool assignment)

George was a good little monkey and always very curious.  One day he went to Abe's house...

George helped Abe make cookies for our cookie exchange party.

 He watched Abe go to swimming lesson with Auntie Hannah (he couldn't go in because he didn't want to get his fur wet)

 George had fun at decorating cookies at the cookie party.

George with to see Brave at the Crest with Abe and grandma and grandpa.

Growing girl

 Here are some more recent pictures of Mei Li.

Dance party!

 Daddy has her in training.

Cute brother and sis.

First of many - 10 days old

On Halloween Emily was able to get the first picture of Mei Li and Banjo together.  Today she is 10 days old.  The quilt they are on was made by Grammie Ruth.  We took these pictures with Abe and Banjo every month until he was around 2.  I really should dig those up sometime and put them together.

I can't believe Emily got the 'Dood to look straight at the camera!

Sheepy's first Halloween!!!

We managed to get a little Halloween fun in lately.  On Mei Li's due date, October 14th, we went to a corn maze and pumpkin farm with Sarah, Katie, and Frannie.

We let Abe lead us through the corn maze.  That is, until he kept getting us lost by having us walk in circles.  Then the adults took over

We didn't pick out a pumpkin because we grew our own.  But Frannie got some.

There were quite a lot of pumpkins out.  I guess that's what happens when you go in the middle of October as opposed to the end, like we've done in years past.

We did some pumpkin carving with Grandpa Gung Gung at our house on Friday.  We had to go to the internet to get some ideas to carve

On Sunday afternoon Abe carved some pumpkins with Grandpa David.  He got to use a power drill to poke holes on the outside of a starfish.  Here Grandpa David is scraping off part of the starfish.  Abe looks very focused.

 We still had Mei Li's pumpkin to carve on Sunday afternoon after we got home.  Abe liked using the drill at Grandpa David's and Grandma Diane's, so we just poked Mei Li's pumpkin full of them.

Drill baby, Drill!!!  It sure is tough to get pumpkin goop out of drills though.

Abe had school on Halloween.  He was very excited to dress up as a firefighter.  He always needs to watch Mei Li get dressed before he leaves for the day.  And today he wanted to hold her for a little bit before we left.  Such a good older brother!

Cousin Denise and a new Dress

My Cousin Denise came out to visit Seattle last week, so we were all able to get together for dinner at my parents house last Thursday.  She lives in Richmond, Virginia, and the last time I saw her in Seattle was back in 2000 (and things sure have changed since then).  It was so great to see her, and great that she got to meet her newest 4-day old cousin Mei Li, and Abe too of course.

On Sunday my mom gave Mei Li a beautiful dress that she made.  When my parents were taking her picture with the dress, Abe got upset because he "didn't want her to get married".  Such a protective Big Brother.

More Mei Li!

Here are a few more pictures of Mei Li's arrival.

 Mei Li right after her arrival.  In Alaska they took Abe from Emily right away to do the weighing, measuring, APGAR, etc.  But this time they put Mei Li right on Emily's chest for a long time.  You can tell how she started beaming when she got to hold her.

 Hello little girl!

 The proud Papa with is little girl.

 Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

 The proud parents with their little one.

 I think this is the start of Mei Li's first bath.  She became super-red afterwards.  The pediatrician told us it had something to do with the bloodflow to her as she was being born.

 Hair time.

 Abe came by to visit his new sister with Grandpa David and Grandma Diane on Monday morning.  He ended up spending the day with us.

 It took Abe a little while to warm up to his new sister, but here is is looking at her on the bed.

 Nothing says 'Hello new baby' like a Dick's Deluxe.  Emily's parents picked up some burgers and milk shakes on their way to visit.

 With a pillow (and a little help from an adult) Abe held Mei Li.  He got real into it, and would ask to hold her every now and then.

 Abe likes holding his little sis.

 It had been a long few days for Abe (and Momma).  Here the little ones take a much needed nap.

 When Mei Li's pediatrician came by at night, Abe got to listen to her heartbeat.

 Uncle Scott came by for a visit on Tuesday morning before we were discharged.  Mei Li slept in his arms for a long time.

Mei Li in her Halloween outfit, getting ready to leave for home.

Sheepy's here!

Sheepy finally came at last, 7 days after her due date!  It was quite the event.  We went to a fundraiser dinner for Family Works, the food bank/family skills center that Hannah happens to be on the board of.  Emily and I both went.  After the dinner, which ended at 8:30, Emily started feeling some contractions.  By the time we dropped her Grandma off at home and went to get Abe at the Locke's they were less than a minute apart.  So we raced up I-5 (going 80+ in some stretches) to Northwest Hospital.  And at 10:57 PM we welcomed Mei Li Irene Hoff into the world.

Mei Li is Emily's Chinese name that her Ning-Ning (Grandma) gave her, which means "Beautiful flower".  And Irene is her Grandma's name.

 Abe likes to stand next to Sheepy's crib.

 He tries to make her feel better when she starts to cry.

 Guess I got this upside down.  Whoops.

 Abe, Emily, and Mei Li enjoying each other's company.

The beautiful family relaxing bed together.

Capitol Hill Coop

This was taken at Abe's school.  This year he's in the 3-5yr old AM class, which meets 3 times a week. So far the grandparents have been taking him and working in the class room on Fridays.  After Sheepy is born (whenever that may be) I'll get to start working in the classroom!

Abe's class also took a poll of what he should name his new sister.  Here are the suggestions:

Abe	Baa
Asha	Karen (her grandmother)
Dante	Mari
Donovan	Pudo Thomas
Ezra	Mommy
Graham	Pink
Harrison	Sammi
Hazel	Wheedle on the Needle
Isae	Aya (her sister)
Ishyn	Thomas
Jude	Samuel
Leilani	Jellyfish
Neel	Maya (his sister)
Samantha	Isabella (her sister)
Samuel	Me
Tilly	Hunny
York	York

Dancin' Alby

Back in July we were enjoying a nice sunny day at Jacob and Jenilyn's apartment on Lake Union.  We decided to play a dancing video game on Kinect.  Needless to say, one Abram Hoff had quite the good time.  And at the wedding we just went to in Oregon last weekend, he was such the dancing fool on the dane floor that some ladies came up to him the next morning at breakfast to complement his moves.  

Go 'Brammy!!!

A Fun Day at Remlinger Farms

Hog Heaven for the Thomas the Train Fan

Feeding the lambs (The cape is Abe's tie)

 

Look who's driving

Giddyup Coconut

Just as fun as the real pony

River Rafting

On Saturday we went to the Remlinger Farms County Fair Fun Park.  It was perfect for Abe.  The rides are for little kids.  You pay to enter and go on as many rides as you want.  Some of the rides you had to be under a certain height & weight, rather than the other way around.  I think this was better than going to something like the Puyallup fair for Abe.  Our group of a toddler and a pregnant mom was quite typical.