Hofheins Family Pictures

All because these two people fell in love...

These 22 people got together to take pictures for:

The Hofheins Family Photo Shoot

here it is:

The whole family

Mom and Dad

Tena and Charlie

Chuck and Mindee and their kids

Teresa and Cannon

Nick and Lucy

Nick found a horse to ride on

Jake and I

Well that is all they turned out pretty cute but it was a little chaotic. Next time we won't have Aunt Sushi be our photographer. Just kidding what can you do when there are that many kids?!

Why are women just so amazing?

All of us girls making bracelets to help auntie dez raise money after she got diagnosed with cancer

Atkinson cousins girls annual retreat

My mother-in-law Teri

Lucy, Me, Tena, and Teresa

Mom and Dad singing karaoke to Celine Dion

Missy and Ruby

Audge Podge

So why all the pictures of these people...so i was doubting myself a little bit about my couselors for Relief Society because one will be out of town the first month we are in and another was gone the first week and one other was gone last week. I was doing a lot of it myself and starting to get a little discouraged. Then this week. We really just kicked butt. We are doing visits tomorrow to see the new girls. The girl who is on her month school thing has contacted me multiple times through email and text to find people to help on sundays or anything else. She also told me she was trying to memorize pictures and sisters names so she can jump in when she gets back! How great is that? I gave a lesson on Sunday about women and mothers and how we are unique and what makes us special. I think these examples show exactly what I was trying to portray. We love men but there is something about women where we go the extra mile and are just so charitable to others. Also this weekend we are doing our breast cancer walk in Salt Lake and it is so amazing to see all those women band together to really serve a great cause to celebrate with survivors and mourn with those who have lost loved ones but celebrate the lives they lived. So here is to those amazing women that we all know who have truly changed our lives. I know I don't tell them enough but here is my small attempt to give tribute to them.

My Mother: Colleen-She really knows how to make me cry and realize that it is okay. I have never met a woman who is more honest about her feelings and says what needs to be said when nobody else will say it. She has a way with people to make everyone involved. Even when I hate that she gets too involved in my life in certain ways I actually love it. Thanks mom for raising me and letting me go to start my own family!

My Mother: Teri-After this week with some things going on with my grandma my mom said to me, in tears, having grandma getting sicker and sicker was harder than losing her mom to cancer. I started balling because this is how I feel about Teri. I have only known Teri for 3 years but she has so graciously welcomed me into her life as her own daughter. She is one of the most faithful women I know.

My wonderful sisters: Tena, Teresa, Missy, Lucy, and Mindee

Tena-for letting me be the big sister sometimes. Even though there is 10 years difference sometimes I feel like there isn't any difference in her eyes and she treats me as equal. She is one of the greatest moms I know

Teresa-for being a woman of faith and knowing exactly what the Lord has in store for her and having such a great attitude about it

Missy-for being my little crafty friend who teaches me all her fun tricks. Also for being such a great influence of the joy of being a woman and mother

Lucy-for being my sidekick for most of those years. For not caring what other people say and for always treating me as your friend not just your little sister

Mindee-for making my brother a better man and for showing the power of womanhood

My aunt Nonie-for being my second mom and for spending all that time with us when we were younger. In my lesson on Sunday I used a talked called Are We Not All Mothers? by Sheri Dew and it reminded me of my aunt nonie. She has never had children of her own but she has adopted us in as her own.

My good friends Lis, Audrey, Jill, Stephanie, Sha, Jen

For showing me to look at life in a different way, realizing how amazing being a mother is, to trust yourself, to love yourself, and helping me realize how amazing I am

To all those other women who have touched my life in a small or huge way, thank you!

Why I love what I do

Yesterday I was super fed up with the kids and just having a bad day. Then all the sudden one of the cute little boys just sits down on my lap and just wanted me to read a book. There is a reason why I love working at a daycare. It wears me out having 5 kids under the age of 2 but moments like this where they just want to learn and are so interested in the lame songs that I sing. I seriously get paid to hold adorable babies and rock them to sleep, read books, eat snacks, sing and dance ridiculously because the kids love it. It can be very tiring but it is one of the most fulfilling jobs that there is (well to get paid for). I know it isn't much some days but today as the little one fell asleep on Mandy chest I couldn't help but think I have the best job ever. One of the greatest callings would have to be teacher, in any aspect. That is why I am proud to have the title of

...Teacher Net!

Finally checked my grade...

I passed Food Science! This sounds lame but I haven't checked my grades this week because I was fearful I wouldn't pass. I got a 67% on the final :( but I studied so hard for it. It was so hard for me and I think I studied more for that class than any other class I have taken. Well I got a C+ so that was better than I thought. He dropped our lowest quiz score because I took all the pop quizzes and it added my student evaluation. I was just praying so hard I would pass.

Next good news. They are going to let jake use his job for his internship/senior project. YAY! This pretty much officially means he will graduate next April with me as opposed to December! He is going to nearly die these next semesters but I am so happy for us and how it is going to help us. Yay for almost being done with college. The next adventure if Jake does his MBA or when is more like it. I am so glad that he is getting it done!

Also since school is out and I am working more but not a ton I have had time to clean, do laundry, projects, and my calling finally. It is so nice!

Well that is all!

My life is so hard

I was thinking in my meetings this morning (by the way I am the new RS President in our student married ward) that my life is too freakin busy and hard and poor pitiful me. Then of course Heavenly Father kicked me in the butt with helping me realize to not look and the past and be focused on the future and what I can learn from it. Also to listen to the spirit more and trust myself that I know what is best. He will tell me if I am wrong. I just really had an epiphany (?) today and realized that this is not what I want but this is what I need so I better like it. We were at Gage's house the other day for his graduation bash and this sign they had at his parents really struck me. I have heard this so many times but usually in reference to material things but this week it brought on a whole different meaning. Success is having what you want. Happiness is loving what you have. You know I really just want to be happy. Usually I am pretty optimistic but today gave me the extra kick in the pants to be better about being happy for the things that the Lord has in store for us. So here I go on my crazy adventure as a new Relief Society President and to all the crazy new adventures the Lord has for me. BRING IT ON!

FINALS!!!

Finals start tomorrow. I am so not excited but I am so excited for summer. We are going to California, possibly somewhere just for a bit for our anniversary, and lots of crafts with family and friends. I also have planned of going to work out everyday and getting a nice tan (at least less white). You have no idea how excited I am also summer time means more money with working more and less money spent on lame school stuff, jake is taking summer classes but they are online. I am just so excited there are no words to explain it. Okay well I better get back to studying. YAY!

What to do?

Life has been a little crazy lately, good but crazy. Wondering if we should move, stay here, save money, buy a new tv, when we are finishing school, how much we dare kill ourselves to finish school earlier, and much more stupid little stuff. We are just in a weird spot right now trying to be grown ups but not too much. I just want to be a kid again everything was much more simple. No I do love our life it is just a little crazy. So here is a tribute to those weird ruts in life when we just don't know what to do and we need a little inspiration from up above. Also I was really inspired by something my cousin Willie said today at Sara's baby blessing. Some of you may now, but my cousin Willie has Down Syndrome. He said in his testimony today of all the things he is grateful for. The last thing he said was he was "I am thankful for me." How simple but how strong. He was thankful that Heavenly Father let him choose what he was doing that day. This made me think of how grateful I am for my Heavenly Father for entrusting me with such great blessings and also for the trust that he has in me to make such important decisions especially in these crazy times. Thank you!