hockerfam

my 3 little valentines

2012-02-14T19:05:00.000-08:00

Corinne's first ballet class

2012-02-14T16:54:00.000-08:00

Ruby. . .continued

2012-02-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

Elijah: 6 1/2 years old

2012-01-30T16:05:00.000-08:00

Elijah @ Redmond Mat Club

2012-01-25T17:59:00.000-08:00

Corinne's 4th Birthday!!

2012-01-12T12:49:00.000-08:00

I really can't believe how time flies past us. Corinne is now 4 and what a little lady. She is talkative but shy. She speaks quiet but loves to laugh loud. She plays pretend well both independently and with others. She knows all her letters in the alphabet and is learning to figure out puzzles. She loves to dress up and play princess or ballerina which she calls "vallet". She is determined to stop sucking her thumb. She is content to hang out with her family and loves going to library for story and craft time and to pick out new movies and books.

Corinne Turns 4 and Has a Fairy Teaparty

2012-01-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

Corinne had a lovely fairy tea party with four four-year-olds who olds who got into the spirit by wearing their wings. It was so adorable when Jayden (Peter Pan) asked Corinne if she could sprinle him with some fairy dust. They had a spread of miniture PBJs, fruit tarlettes, veggies, quiche, and lavendar teacakes decorated with fairies. I think Corinne enjoyed the tea party even more than opening her presents.

Disneyland Highlights

2011-12-31T17:51:00.000-08:00

Cherish Christmas

2011-12-26T16:16:00.000-08:00

I certainly learn to cherish Christmas more each year. With time zooming past us as in a whirl whind, Christmas is a time where things that matter stand still all around us. Family draws near, giving to others is emphasized, laughter seems to ring louder and smiles carry us farther, and favorite old carols remind us of the spirit of Christmas and Jesus' birth. This year Mike and I went to a performance of Handel's Messiah at the Tower Theater. It was an intimate gathering as we watched up close and sang along to a few of the choruses. We learned a bit about the history of the Messiah and how it has been performed every year at Christmas time all over the world since 1751. I was awestruck when I read that Handel wrote Messiah in just 23 days and when he had finished writing the Hallelujah Chorus he went out of his room and into the street exclaiming that he had just seen the face of God!

" You are the light of the World." - Matthew

Corinne with her friend Brooklyn.

The Toddler class sang "Away in a Manger".

Elijah was the camel from the manger scene and he had a 4-line speaking part that he memorized:

"I am just a little camel,

but I can plainly see,

a king there in the manger,

a king of kings is he."

We decorated ginergread stables at our 4th annual Polar Express party.

We decorated cookies with the Lymans and DeBels.

Christmas Eve we had the Martin clan over to our house minus Grandma Martin and Auntie Teresa due to a stomach flu. We had all the traditional things like soup and bread, coffee bread and Swedish rice. The kids opened their presents and the adults decided on a gift card and white elephant exchange which was fun.

Elijah made us the most wonderful calender featuring his own artwork for each new month.

When Elijah and Corinne opened their Mickey and Minnie backpacks to find Disneyland tickets. Elijah read his ticket and said, "I'm going to Disney land!?!" Then Corinne followed with "And, I'm going to Monsters Inc. Land!" So darn funny!!!

Ruby's first Christmas was fun. The older kids helped her open her stocking which held some toys, cheerios and a banana (basically her breakfast).

After spending Christmas morning at home, we headed over the Grandpa and Grandma Hocker's for Christmas brunch. It was a refreshing time watching the kiddos play with all their toys without hardly and bickering. Corinne and Jayden both took naps in their new play tents (Corinne's was a princess castle and Jayden's was the very hungry caterpillar.) In the evening we had fondue and then enjoyed the hot tub after the kids went to bed.

Ruby's first ornament

Ruby. . . on the move

2011-11-16T16:18:00.000-08:00

snug as a bug. . .

2011-11-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

Elijah had this great idea that Ruby would love to take a nap in the hallway. He teamed up with Corinne to gather every stuffed animal they owned to make her comfortable. Ruby played the part wonderfully and didn't move a muscle. I think she liked it. . .but, it wasn't ideal for napping.

naked girls nite

2011-11-14T18:27:00.000-08:00

At 8 months Ruby is learning how to maneuver. She can army crawl in STRAIGHT line! Impressive. Here she is determined to chew on her own shoe.

Corinne and Ruby share a bathtime. Corinne is so proud to give Ruby her rubber duckie.

eleven, eleven, eleven!

2011-11-11T07:31:00.000-08:00

Ruby can now sit by herself and she's lovin' her new found liberties. she rarely cries anymore when mommy leaves the room because she can see and reach things that interest and occupy her.

big sister is very helpful in choosing age-appropriate toys.

the saturday morning meal

a girl and her princesses. . .

2011-11-07T16:33:00.000-08:00

just about her most favorite things are her princesses. she loves to change their dresses and line them all up in a row. she makes them dance and they even have pool parties in the bathroom sink. Corinne's main goal in life at this age is to collect them all!

posted by hocker

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

Corn Maze

2011-10-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

fallin' leaves. . .

2011-10-20T12:49:00.000-07:00

Ruby @ 7 months

2011-10-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

Ruby loves her food. These mum-mums are a good way to stall her while I'm fixing dinner or to distract her after her food is all gone and she wants to know why she's not getting any more. She could eat, and eat and eat!

Ruby and her big brother

smilin' girl

blue-eyed baby

Eli Catches a Blue Belly

2011-10-14T15:48:00.000-07:00

Eli caught a Blue Belly Lizard while exploring the outdoors along our street. They may be fast, but no too fast for this boy.

story and craft time @ DCPL

2011-10-14T10:46:00.000-07:00

Corinne shows off her handi-work. She laced up the sides of the bag with yarn and put sticker-stamps on a real envelope. She feels ready for the job of postwoman.

so peaceful. . .

2011-10-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ruby at 6 months

2011-09-10T17:25:00.000-07:00

Elijah's First of 1st Grade

2011-09-08T08:41:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend 2011

2011-09-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

It was a great weekend to camp at the coast. The weather cooperated and there was no rain. Yay! We ventured to the Hatfield Marine Science Center, explored the tide pools and walked the trail to the beach from the campground several times. The real hit was the playground right next to our camp sites. The campground was great 'cause they had warm showers and they were FREE! We even were able to continue our tradition and had fresh crab, homemade fettucini alfreado and Auntie Camie's herb biscuits.

Eli Rides a Bike

2011-08-30T18:25:00.000-07:00

We took Elijah to the track at the middle school to teach him how to ride his bike. It took about 30 minutes and at least as many falls, but in the end he succeeded. Way to ride Elijah!

summer sunflower

2011-08-29T18:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know which one grew the most this summer!

Wallowa Lake-- August 2011

2011-08-27T15:54:00.000-07:00

We headed on our vacation straight from Portland around 5:30 PM after Auntie Florence's Funeral. The Columbia Gorge was absolutely beautiful and we got to see the colors change as the sun went down. We stayed overnight in a hotel in LaGrande arriving after 10 PM and leaving around 8 AM and heading straight to Wallowa Lake Park.

We crossed the west fork of the Wallowa River on our hike to Cheif Joseph Falls. It was a 2.5 mile round trip hike which we found quite refreshing after our 2 hour moring drive.

We took the tram to the top of Mt. Howard, a breathtaking 8100 ft. in elevation. We hikeda 2.5 mile loop to take in the panoramics that a picture just doesn't do justice. It was truly majestic up there. They call it the Alps of the Northwest.

We spent a couple nights at the Wallowa Lake Campground. Going on several short hikes and playing at the lake. There was lots to do in the area. Elijah spent one afternoon with Dad driving go-karts. Then we drove around the east side of the scenic byway through parts of Hells Canyon. The last night was spent at a campground near Baker City and boy was it hot! We set up camp in the afternoon in the high 90 degree heat and then had to jump in the lake. Eli went swimming with his life jacket on but, Corinne was not too much into lake swimming this year because she didn't like the rocky shores and didn't want to wear her crocs in the water.

It was Elijah's mission to catch butterflies and he really was good at it. There was an abundance of these white and black ones especially at the last campground.

A view of the Snake River

We visited the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Baler City. It's depictions of life on the trail, the hardships, deaths and calculated expenses and risks were very descriptive. The hope of fertile land and a better life for their family often seemed to outweigh the risks and unkowns they would face along the way.

This is the dredge they used to dig for gold. Each of those buckets on the left could hold 1 ton of soil and water. They dredge would dig up the soil and spin out the gold with the use of a high pressure water filtering sytem. They found a total of 9 tons of gold in the Sumpter Valley over a period of years.

Eli and his new Bill Peet book, The Caboose Who Got Loose.

This is a view of the Sumpter Valley. Pretty much all of this land was dredged up in their search of gold.

Martin Family Camp-out

2011-08-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

ruby's first food

2011-08-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

a day at the fair

2011-08-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed an afternoon at the Deschutes County Fair. First heading straight for the animals, we made sure to check out all the barns. Next the rides. Elijah went in this fun house which was a maze of windows and had a fun time. He walked straight into several window panes before figuring out which way was the the right way. He also rode a roller coaster for the first time. Corinne chose the swings and the boat ride. Then it was onto the burrito booth. Yum! Why else did we visit the fair at dinner time. We met up with Auntie Camie, Uncle Jeff and Jayden for some more rides and games. Ruby enjoyed the all the colorful flashing lights that came on in the evening.

dressin' up

2011-08-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

The Grundland Picnic

2011-07-23T17:56:00.000-07:00

The kids, Auntie Teresa and I headed to Portland to spend the afternoon at the Grundland Picnic. We enjoyed lots of food, a dose of sunshine, splahing in the fountains, playing at the playground, and catching up the the extended family. Grandma Martin braved the return trip with us and we made it as far as Government Camp before we had to take a break from the care and the crying baby. We hiked a little up the mountain trail and took some deep breaths of the mountain air. I gave Ruby a snack and tucked her into her carseat snuggly with Grandma Martin tapping on her binky and we continued our journey. Elijah and Corinne had a cliff bar in the car for dinner. We made it home safely by 9:30 pm and Ruby had finally went to sleep for the last hour.

Bath Time and Bed Time Stories

2011-07-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

Elijah, Corinne and Jayden reading bedtime stories.

blueberries. . .

2011-07-22T17:10:00.000-07:00

With the arrival of our new blueberry plants, we have a few berries. The kids enjoy looking for the ripe ones and snacking on them. Hopefully the harvest will increase as the plants mature.

Diamond Lake Camping Trip

2011-07-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

We were fortunate to find a time where we could go camping with a lot of our friends. The Tiltons, the Lymans, Uncle Jeff and Auntie Camie and Jayden, and Grandpa and Grandma Hocker all met at Diamond Lake along with the majority of the mosquito population. We had a relaxing time playing near the lake and in the dirt. The weather was warm and the mosquitoes seemed to thrive. We mainly avoided the bites with bug spray, but poor Eli almost got eaten alive. He learned quickly that he doesn't really care for those type of insects.

Independence Day

2011-07-04T21:56:00.000-07:00

These nice kids shared their chalk as we waited for the parade to start.

Ruby's first 4th!

Right after the parade we hit the downtown fountains in Redmond. The spray seems a little powerful for Elijah and Corinne, but it was still worth a try.

We headed to the Redmond fairgrounds in the evening for a BBQ and to watch the fireworks with Grandpa and Grandma Hocker and the Chenoweths as is tradition.

Mary Poppins, Step in Time

2011-06-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

Seeing Mary Poppins on Broadway was a truly magical experience. This was the kids' first broadway and they loved it. We did the trip to Portland and back in one day and I don't know if that part is recommended, but it worked. We had dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory down town. We enjoyed the culture and the company immensely.

Elijah's 6th Brthday

2011-06-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

Elijah, the 6-year-old. It sounds so grown up. Here he is at his swimming party held at the Blankenship's. All family along with his friends: Sabin, Crosley, Riley and Derrick were invited. It was a great turn out and we BBQ'd poolside. It was a warm high 70's day and the water was more the 80 degrees. Elijah chose a Tom and Jerry party theme with a cool cake topper. He got lots of great presents including lots of lego sets, and a brand new bike and helmet.

Ruby (3 months)

2011-06-24T16:49:00.000-07:00

Father's Day Cave Adventure

2011-06-19T15:50:00.000-07:00

On a sunny hot Father's Day Sunday we set out to explore some caves. We went to Boyd Cave off China Hat Rd. with flashlights in tow. Elijah was our fearless leader and Corinne navigated the rocks rather well with the help of her dad. Ruby was a good little baby in the front carrier and slept the whole time.

June Camping Trip

2011-06-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

School got out and we headed straight out to our favorite camping spot near the metolious. We enjoyed the company of our friends the Chenowths and Grandpa and Grandma Hocker came up for the day on Saturday. All the usual festivities took place: ladder ball, scout lake, the fish hatchery, ice cream at Camp Sherman Store, s'mores by the fire and even a game of Farkle when it rained the last night. The kids loved to play and explore. They found a fallen tree with roots shaped like a deer with many antlers and called it the "antler hill". It was Ruby's first camping experience and she did great.

A pile of soaked clothing after Elijah fell in the creek.

green thumb

2011-06-02T12:48:00.001-07:00

Elijah's sunflower plant from Kindergarten. We placed it in the dining room window to give it maximum sun. He waters it everyday and plans to watch it grow.

12 weeks old. . .and mommy's back to work :(

2011-06-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

This is what I'm going to miss while I'm at work all those long 12 hour shifts. Well, at least I have a great picture of my beautiful babe.

a weekend in Portland

2011-05-22T14:44:00.000-07:00

We went to visit our good friends JJ,Kara, and their girls Olivia and Ellior in Vancouver and do some fun family activities.

We had a wonderful picnic at the rose gardens in Portland. The weather was warm and sunny so we rested under an old tree and took turns climbing up in it too.

We watched a parade downton Vancouver and the kids learned how to chase down the candies. After the parade we headed down to the Saturday market and had a picnic while the kids played at the park.

Mike and I took the kids to the Children's Museum where we explored the Curious George exhibit and learned how to build plumbing lines inside a house (Eli;s favorite). The kids liked to be able to be hands on with everything in site. Corinne got to get her face painted (an all time fav of hers). They both put on a musical show on the stage. And we ended the day molding clay and Corinne tried her hand at the potters wheel. She didn't mind getting her hands wet and sticky.

I love you, Mom!

2011-05-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

2 months old

2011-05-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

riding bikes

2011-05-09T16:51:00.000-07:00

The kids were playing this game of chase around and around in a cirlce in the garage. They are great at making up games and playing along together. There are always lots of laughs to be had by those two.

treat time

2011-05-07T18:11:00.000-07:00

a girl and her dad

2011-05-07T10:10:00.000-07:00

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

Elijah's Spring Soccer

2011-04-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

Elijah had a blast playing spring soccer. He can run fast, and kick hard and he has the best smile on his face the whole time. We even got lucky and had a few sunny days.

Elijah and Branden

Ruby's Smile

2011-04-21T13:12:00.000-07:00

a carnival downtown

2011-04-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

We went downtown Redmond for a day of games, prizes, music and hotdogs. We met Sondra, Derrick and Brooklyn there and had a blast. Mike stood in line for almost an hour, it seems, for the cotton candy, but it was well worth it!

Ruby's first month (She's growin' like a weed)

2011-04-05T13:10:00.000-07:00

Meet Ruby June

2011-03-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

saying goodbye to "Teacher" at the library

2011-03-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

Game Night with Grandma

2011-03-12T18:05:00.000-08:00

My Superheroes

2011-03-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

my little valentines

2011-02-14T13:56:00.000-08:00

the kids and their swimming lessons

2011-02-08T16:02:00.001-08:00

my boy. . . now 5 1/2

2011-02-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

Corinne's first tript o the dentist

2011-01-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

Corinne turns 3. . .

2011-01-11T14:45:00.001-08:00

Corinne's Party!!!

2011-01-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

Corinne's party was a 5 pm tea party (in which most of the guests drank coffee) where there were fancy appetizers, drinks, and a flower cake (made by her Mom). Local family gathered together along with the Tiltons, and The Andersons with Brooklyn too. Corinne was so excited to be dressed in her new party dress and fabulous accessories. Corinne was all about greeting her guests at the door and eyeing the presents as they piled up. She mostly ate the chocolate frosting off the top of her cake and then she asked to turn it over (I think she was guessing she would find more frosting on the bottom too). Some of her favorite presents were: her new dollies (a baby doll with hair, strawberry shortcake and tinkerbell), a new purse with real money and lip gloss to go in it, and the Very Hungry Caterpillar Game.

their new room. . .

2011-01-04T13:54:00.001-08:00

This is the new "boy" and "girl" room. They moved in together after the first week of December. They were excited to share a room and go to sleep at the same time. The routine is still about the same: potty time, brush teeth, pick out a story and then into bed. Blowing kisses to Mom and Dad, they then fall asleep with the door open which is new for Corinne, but now it has become a necessity for her (I know it's a fire hazard).
Here is Corinne reading her new favorite book, "Whinne the Pooh" by A.A. Milne. She loves the original illustrations and tells her own stories as she "reads" along. She has spent hours looking at this book from front to back and then back to front.

Happy New Year!!

2010-12-31T06:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas Festivities

2010-12-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Jayden!

2010-12-22T11:28:00.000-08:00

Eagle Crest Light Show

2010-12-19T19:13:00.000-08:00