Hoyer Happenings

pics, pics and more pics

2009-12-26T08:34:00.007-05:00

Just because

2009-09-24T15:58:00.004-04:00

new pics

2009-09-23T08:04:00.004-04:00

So two kids are more work than one and since poor ellie is the second kid I haven't had time to take as many pictures. These are my excuses for not posting any pictures of my kid with her eyes open, but here they are now. We think she's a keeper.

1 week

6 weeks

Introducing Eleanor Noble Hoyer

2009-08-14T09:41:00.005-04:00

Eleanor, "Ellie", was born Tuesday, August 11 at 9:32 am

7 lbs .5oz, 20 inches

Going home today!

2009-06-06T14:31:00.005-04:00

So the month of May has been a busy one for the Hoyer household. We had 3 trips (Ben to St. Louis, all of us to the mountains for a family vacation, and then to P-cola for a wedding and my brother Drew's high school graduation). It's good to be home but there is no rest for the wicked. We now have to seriously get ready for baby girl hoyer (who still does not have a name). The doctor scheduled the c-section so we will officially be a family of 4 on August 11.

Wes is talking, talking, and then doing some more talking. Most of all of what he says is in sentence form now (granted he does need his translator sometimes, but he talks pretty clearly for a 1 and half year old).He repeats a lot of what I say so I've started to pick up on the things I say on a regular basis.He's also really into animal sounds.So far we have the cow, kitty, puppy, lamb, bear, skunk, rooster, horse, duck, bird, and pig.He still doesn't really understand the whole baby thing. He just calls my stomach a big ball.

A fun spring weekend

2009-03-20T15:35:00.004-04:00

So last weekend we went down to West Palm Beach to spend some time with the Van Dorans. We relaxed, took in a Cardinals spring training game, played some Rock Band, and even took in some sailing (well, Ben and Orie took in some some sailing, I on the other hand lasted about 10 minutes and then had a nervous breakdown-before you judge me, it was very windy that day and not a very big boat). It was a very relaxing weekend and a big lesson was learned by all: if you actually want to watch the spring training game you bought tickets for, don't bring two very active toddlers.

Baby makes 4

2009-02-12T13:53:00.002-05:00

So we got some news just before Christmas and did a really good job of holding it in (unless your name is Alyson, Lacey, Orie, or Stephan). With Alyson, I just had to tell someone, and the other three, well Stephan was pressuring me to drink so I had no choice. Coming this August is baby Hoyer number 2. I'm through my first trimester and had an ultrasound Tuesday. Everything looks great and I'm looking forward to sweeter days known as trimester number 2. We'll keep you posted.

an update...finally

2009-01-11T17:13:00.003-05:00

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is indeed outside of Dolphin Stadium where Florida and Oklahoma played the 2009 BCS Championship game. The one FLORIDA WON. The one Ben and I, along with my dad, uncle, brothers Matt and Patrick, and sister Lindsey ATTENDED. That's right, this Christmas we all received the ultimate Christmas gift (and it came from a Georgia fan no less, my step-mom). Wouldn't you know that my camera ran out of batteries right as we entered the stadium. But I don't need pictures to tell you that a fun time was had by all. GO GATORS! However, my camera was working at the tailgate party outside the stadium. Which is good because I got pictures of Ben and Patrick sumo wrestling. Patrick won.

For those of you who don't care about the best present ever given (and you're crazy if you don't), here are some recent and not so recent pics of the family:

Fall Fun

2008-10-26T19:03:00.004-04:00

It was a great weekend at the Hoyer house, filled with fall activities. Saturday, G.B. and Poppy took us to the Zoo Boo bash (pictures to come at a later date), and today they took us to a pumpkin patch. Wesley picked out his pumpkin all by himself. We walked to the pumpkins which meant that Wes got to ride in his new radio flyer wagon. It was a beautiful 70 degree day in Florida and we enjoyed it.

Wesley's birthday

2008-10-22T11:15:00.006-04:00

Let's just say that if you missed Wesley's birthday, you missed a good time. You also missed seeing the Kees, Van Dorans, and the Moores. We had good food, old friends, new friends, and....wait for it....a bounce house (thanks Kees) and washers. If you don't know what washers is, well, you should have been there.

the beautiful baseball cake we slaved over

just playing some bocce

i've decided that every parent should invest in a bounce house

checking out the cake...

then deciding that eating cake would be a traumatic experience

opening gifts

wes had a lot of helpers

peyton getting ready for the big game!

wesley's first haircut

2008-10-22T11:10:00.003-04:00

Before...

During...

After..

Lookin' good!

Just because he's so darn cute!

2008-09-25T12:56:00.000-04:00

2008-09-25T12:36:00.007-04:00

So this post is primarily for Aunt Sara. This past summer (when Owen was still in the oven), we thought it would be cute if we had nicknames for the two boys. Wes would be "big w" and Owen would be "little o". So after Owen was born, I made onesies for the two of them and sent Owen his. The following is my attempt to get a picture taken so I could send it to his new cousin. As you can see it took a while and by the end, I needed some help. As you can also see, the pics were also taken at just the right time because the onesie is getting a little small

2008-09-19T14:57:00.004-04:00

So here is the thing that I'm beginning to remember about Florida in the month of September...it's still hot and it's annoying! Especially when you're watching your morning news show and the anchors are wearing their cute fall sweaters and pea coats. It makes me sick. BUT I'll have the last laugh come February and March, you'll see. However, here is the great thing about Florida this time of year, you can still go to the beach, which is where we are this weekend.

It's hard to believe that Wes will be one in a few shorts weeks. I was talking to his Aunt Sara on the phone the other day about babies (you know she just had one herself). We were discussing the usual, you know, sleep, eating, etc. I was telling her that I really don't remember what we did for Wesley when he was a newborn. I do remember the tears (on my part) but not the stress behind it, which is why I guess people have more kids. Anyhow, I'm trying to decide on his birthday theme. Now I know that Wes won't know what's going on but I want to have a theme. Someone told me once that a kid's first birthday is really just an excuse for parents to drink beer, which may be true but at least we can have cute decorations to look at while we're at it. So originally I thought I would have a baseball theme since Ben likes baseball so much (you know so we can start as soon as possible brainwashing him into liking baseball as well). BUT now I'm thinking just a "ball" theme in general. Wes loves balls! So I thought that I would go and buy those cheap balls at Wal-Mart, all sizes, maybe some footballs and other shapes, and then some balloons (which he also loves). My grand vision is starting to come together. His B-DAY is Oct. 11, all are invited.

2008-08-27T12:43:00.000-04:00

So life continues on here in O-town. Wesley has been steady walking for about a month now. Lord knows how many miles that boy treks everyday. He also has taken up the sport of weight lifting. He found his GB's (Grandma Betty) 5 pound weight and loves to pick it up and walk around. I told GB that maybe it's time to move up in the weight department if your 10 month old grandson can pick it up. We've had lots of visitors as of late. Our good friends Zach and Allison Zehnder, along with their son Nathan, came down from St. Louis for a few days. Grandma (my mom) came a few weeks ago and Aunt Lindsey was here last week. It's nice to have adult conversation during the day. HOWEVER, the most exciting news of the week is that we have a new member of the Hoyer family. Ben's sister Sara and her husband John welcomed their new son, Owen Mueller Russell, last Wednesday. GB is up in Chicago this week helping the new parents settle in. We can't wait to meet the little guy!

Just some fun pics

2008-07-27T13:33:00.000-04:00

Not much to say. It's Florida in the summer...humid, hot, and buggy. Enjoy the pics.

2008-07-09T12:42:00.000-04:00

I know, I know...it's been awhile. No excuses for not blogging...I'm just lazy.

So, it's official. Ben is now a pastor. We had the installation/ordination at the beginning of June. It was a wonderful service . Our friend Justin from seminary came down from Michigan and gave the sermon and our pastor from college and good college friends were also able to participate. Needless to say, it was a great day that ended with a fabulous after party at the in-laws. It was great to catch up with old friends and if you missed, well let's just say a good time was had by all.

After ordination, we took a big Hoyer vacation to Daytona Beach. It was a great relaxing week. Wes had a big time in the water. He wasn't even afraid of the waves. He also had LOTS of aunts and uncles and gbs and poppys to play with him(much to the delight of mom and dad).

After the beach, Ben took me to Disney for a few days and Wes stayed with gb and poppy. It was hot to say the least but the hotel was very nice and it was great to get away for a few days. After we got back from my grandmother's 80th b-day party in p-cola we were finally able to begin to settle in to our new house and Ben started at church.

So that's about it, our life this past month or so. I've got a kid attempting to climb up my leg so enjoy the pics! I'll post pics of the oridination when again, I don't have a kid climbing up my leg.

Home again

2008-06-04T14:33:00.000-04:00

On May 16, 2008 Ben completed his Master of Divinity degree at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. Now the Hoyers are officially Floridians again. We've moved into our new house and have even begun some new projects (a sanding and restaining job that was only suppose to take two days....we're on day 4). Wes is enjoying exploring his new house, crawling, and climbing on anything and everything. He's also getting a lot more baths these days...ah humidity. Next up, Ben's ordination and installation, a week at the beach, and then two days at Disney!

Howdy

2008-05-10T10:33:00.000-04:00

So it’s been awhile since the last blog (I really can’t wait until we get internet). There is much activity in the hobbit hole these days. We’re in the process of packing and Ben is trying to finish up school. We move to Lake Mary, Florida in about a week and a half and to be honest (even though I’m very excited and ready to get out of the hole) I’m having major motivation problems in the packing area. Perhaps it’s due to the fact that I’m packing and moving for the 4th time in 4 years?

In case you haven’t heard, we received the official word a few weeks ago that we’re going to be at Holy Cross. It will be really nice to be back in Florida and close to family again. We flew down to Orlando last weekend and found a house to rent in the town next to Lake Mary. It’s a 3 bedroom 2-bath house with a fenced in backyard and a screened in porch. It also has a HUGE Jacuzzi bathtub in the master bath (I’m mean it’s like you could put two people in it and be like they each have their own tub). It’s kind of comical going from no bathtub to Wesley’s own swimming pool. Anyhow, Ben graduates this coming Friday and then Wes and I will go to P-cola with my family on Sunday and Ben and his brother Jacob will move to Florida that Wednesday. We’re a little ready to say “bye-bye” to the hobbit hole, can you tell?

Wes is developing quite the personality. He’s all about talking, screaming, singing. Really whatever will get a laugh out of you, he’s all about. He is really close to crawling and we’re hoping he doesn’t figure it out until we move (that would make packing a little harder). He pushes up on all fours and rocks back and forth but he can’t quite take more than one “step” with his arms and legs. He just falls on his stomach and then does an army crawl to get whatever he wants. He’s had a bad cold this past week that somehow made it’s way to his eyes. So the doc gave us two different types of eye drops to give him twice a day. Let me tell how fun it is having to have Ben hold him down while I pry his each eye open four times a day. This is about the only time it would be nice if he were a little more docile.

So Ben’s installation/ordination is June 8th, 4 pm at Holy Cross. All are welcome. I’m sure we'll have something afterward as well so be sure to bring your party shoes!

Merry Easter to All!

2008-03-28T12:56:00.000-04:00

Make it two years in a row now that it has snowed Easter weekend. Last year we were living in Denver and this year we went to visit Ben’s sister Sara (“the parakeet” to some of you) and her husband John in Chicago. Don’t get me wrong, even though I grew up in Florida, nothing beats an afternoon watching the snowfall or the look of a tree lined street with fresh snow perfectly perched on its branches. However, when I place this image in my brain I imagine it to be around the months of December through February and NOT the middle of March let alone Easter weekend! To quote my ever-witty sister-in-law, “Oh snow, I could just punch you!” Well said Sara, well said.

Don’t fret! We did not let the weather hamper our Easter fun. It was too cold and windy to spend too much time outside (let me tell you, they don’t call it the “windy city” for nothing-actually it’s called the “windy city” for another reason that has nothing to do with the weather but that is another blog-it was windy nevertheless). We went to the Field Museum, ate some deep dish, and even got to see one of our favorite people, Mr. Stephan Monteserin. A fun time was had by all.

Now we’re home and counting the days until Ben’s graduation. The cold weather seems to have passed but the rainy season is here. Sigh. I know one day soon Wes will get to see the outside of the “hobbit hole” on a daily basis.

Here are some pics from the trip and some other fun ones. Of course Wesley is in all of them. He’s growing up so fast. He even got his first tooth a couple of weeks ago.

The Amazing Wesley!

2008-02-04T19:40:00.000-05:00

He smiles, he giggles, he can use his hands. He is the great Wesley Paul Hoyer!

A Miracle!

2008-01-30T11:13:00.000-05:00

This just in...the "hobbit hole" made contact with the outside world today. We picked up an internet signal!

Update, Update, Update

2008-01-26T14:00:00.000-05:00

SO…here is an update (finally). We made it back from our Christmas trip to Florida safe and sound. Wes did great! We only had to stop to feed him and he basically slept the whole way (way to go). We had a great Christmas and Wesley was the hit no matter where we went (which is no surprise). It was an electronic Christmas for the Hoyer family. When we were in Colorado last year, my mom, Ben’s parents, and my dad and step-mom, all came to visit (at different times of course). Well, we must have talked none stop about my brother Patrick’s Bose ipod speaker (which we had at the time) because we got three ipod speakers. We returned one Bose speaker (we got two of those) in exchange for a new TV (yea!) and then kept the other Bose speaker as well as a Phillips sound system that we figured Ben could take to his office next year.

We also were able to catch up with some good friends over the holidays as well. We were able to drive to Gainesville for New Year’s Eve to surprise Patrick Kee for his 30th birthday. We were able to catch up with Kee clan, the Kuykendalls, and Miss Tiffany Smiley. Then we drove back to Pensacola New Year’s Day (good thing Wes travels well). Then on the way back to St. Louis, we stopped in Chattanooga to see our friends Mark and Sarah Huffines. We got to stay in their new house, go to their church, and see where Sarah works. We even helped them try out a new Mexican restaurant (with great pleasure). It was great to see them, catch up, get a tour of Chattanooga (which I would never describe as “blue collar”), and drive up Look-Out Mountain.

We’ve also had some visitors since we’ve come back. Ben’s dad visited us for a day while he was here for a meeting at the seminary. Pastor Langewisch (Ben’s supervising pastor from Colorado) stayed with us while he was here doing interviews, and Ben’s grandparents stopped over for lunch this week on their way down to Florida. Wes has enjoyed having people come see him.

Now we’re back and starting to settle in on a routine again. We started interviews as soon as we got back and have had 3 up to this point. All of them so far are great options so we’re praying that God gives us some clarity as to where He would have us go. We also just attended a “Church Planter Assessment” seminar where they basically tell you whether you would be a good candidate to start a church somewhere. They said we would do very well in that situation so we’re excited about the possibility of getting to do that sometime in the future. It doesn’t have to be our first call but I definitely see us doing that sometime in the future.

So here are some pictures from our Christmas as well as some others to enjoy!

2008-01-26T13:43:00.001-05:00

Family Pics

2007-12-28T12:49:00.000-05:00

We recently had some family pics taken by a friend of Ben's from the sem. Here are some of my faves!

2007-12-28T12:42:00.000-05:00

Update

2007-12-08T12:01:00.001-05:00

As you can see from the pictures below, Wes is the new star of the show. Things are starting to slow down now that all the family has left and life is starting to somewhat settle into more of a routine. Wesley is doing really well and we're having so much fun with him. He is such an easy kid and very expressive. He is making so many noises now and really lets you know when he is not happy. Ben and I started our first rounds of interviews for job placements. We have one more before Christmas with just the seminary and then when we get back in January, we interview with potential churches. We are both so excited and anxious to see what God has in store for us. We're both just ready to settle in somewhere and plug into a community. That's about it from the STL, it's just babies and jobs. The countdown to life outside of school begins!

2007-12-08T11:51:00.001-05:00

Baptism and such

2007-11-02T13:11:00.000-04:00

So last Sunday Wes was baptized by his grandpa at St. Johns Lutheran Church. He slept through the whole thing! Here are some pictures of the event and some other fun ones. He is a sleepy baby, he already goes about 4 hours each night (which I think is pretty good for being 3 weeks old, but he is my first). However, the last couple of nights, after giving his mom and dad 4 hours of sleep, he likes to be up for an hour or so after he eats. Oh well, at least I got that 4 hours in.

2007-11-02T13:09:00.001-04:00

2007-11-02T13:07:00.001-04:00

Wesley Paul Hoyer

2007-10-20T14:50:00.000-04:00

Finally here is the debut of Wesley! The hobbit hole in which we reside is not internet savy so thank you for your patience. He is a whopping 8lbs 10 oz and 22 inches long. What was God thinking! Most of you have heard the story but the short of it is after 30 plus hours of pain and labor and 3 and a half hours of pushing, Wesley still hadn't dropped because of his position inside. SO we went in at midnight on Tuesday/Wednesday and Thursday, the 11th, at 10:45 am Wesley Paul was born through c-section! Here are some adorable pics. More to come!

2007-10-20T14:48:00.001-04:00

2007-10-20T14:46:00.000-04:00

New pics

2007-09-27T19:49:00.000-04:00

So here are some updated pics of Wesley's room and really flattering pictures of my current state. Only 6 more days until baby-day (hopefully)! It cooled off again in St. Louis, thank the LORD! Hopefully Wesley comes soon because I'm beginning to think that I'm going to pregnant FOREVER! I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow and then one again on Tuesday, so I'll keep you posted!

2007-09-27T19:46:00.001-04:00

The Waiting Game

2007-09-20T10:42:00.000-04:00

So, Megan's life is filled with excitement right now. Not really. Even though I only have about two weeks until baby day, it fills like an eternity. The so called " nesting" phase of pregnancy hasn't really kicked in yet. Maybe all the HGTV is putting a glitch in the instinct. I guess we are as prepared as we're ever going to be at this point. Wesley's room is set up, clothes washed. We finished our birthing class (trying to practice breathing exercises with my husband is not an easy matter by the way, he somehow turned all of them into silly little games). Now all we need to do is install the car seat, pack our bags for the hospital, and have a baby. No problem.

2007-08-15T12:38:00.001-04:00

It Finally Begins

2007-08-15T12:10:00.000-04:00

So about 6 months ago I created this blog site at the suggestion of our dear friend Mark Huffines. As you can see by the current date, not much was accomplished during the previous months. However, the important thing is that I finally am beginning to use it. I figured with our new arrival due in 7 weeks, I better start it now. Just a short update (I really don't have much to say today): We just arrived back in St. Louis on Friday after a year long stay in Denver, CO. It's really hard to believe that we're back already. It was such a great year and we met wonderful, amazing people. It didn't really hit either of us that we were leaving until Tuesday morning when we were getting in the car. Up until then, it really just felt like we were going on vacation. We were so busy setting up doctors, packing, and getting the apartment situation set up that we didn't have time to really let it set in. So pulling out of our driveway for the last time Tuesday morning was pretty sad. However, we are both so ready for Ben to get his last year of seminary done. It is such a tease having the year of vicarage that we are both ready just to get settled somewhere and start working for a church. ANYWAYS, we made it to St. Louis safely and the apartment is almost set up (thanks to Sara and John coming in from Chicago last weekend). Now it is just a countdown to baby day. Here are just a few pics from this year.