The Life and Times of the Hoy Family

Twenty Ten in Review - December

2011-03-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

December 2010

Trip to Disneyland to start the month off right!

Coloring after seeing Santa

It's a Small World

Nana and Ryan

Me and Jake

Ryan had all his "friends" set up to watch a movie on his DVD player for quite time :)

Next trip to Disneyland (we tend to go to Disneyland a lot in the winter time)

Me, Ben and Ryan

Joe and Cory

Nana, Papa and Jake

Ryan made a "Ginger Man" House

So my Mother-in-law wanted to get pictures taken of all the grandkids together... It was a good thought, but so awful to put together!!! The 3 older kids: Olivia(3), Ryan(3) and Eliza(22months) did great, but the 3 younger kids: Jake(9months), Zack(7months) and Tabitha(2months) did awful! They cried pretty much the whole time and when Jake cries his whole face gets super red and blochy!!! Not cute...

Ryan and blochy faced Jake

Zack

Eliza, Olivia and Tabitha

Ryan and Olivia

All the kids

Jake did not like Santa... Ryan LOVES Santa.

This is an awesome Santa! If you are ever in the San Marcos area around Christmas go see this house and Santa - they are across the street from the Richland Elementary School.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day - by this point we had already opened presents at our house - gone to Shane and Melinda's for the Hoy's Christmas and are now at my parents house... Plus we had gotten to bed super late the night before... I needed a nap!

Dinner at Benihana's - One of my favorite Christmas traditions!!!

Testing out my new camera!

Missionaries had been teaching this kid Fernando for a few months now and they went home/transfered shortly after this. Fernando is the kid in front with the black leather jacket on.

Playing

Our friends - The Callands - were sealed together as a family! Awesome experience!

Spent New Years Eve with our awesome friends! Wes, Ilse, Bryn, Toreva and Brenie!

Party that night at Shane and Melinda's

Brett... Q

Wes, Bryn and Bernie! Miss you guys!

This completes Twenty Ten! Great year and looking forward to Twenty Eleven!

Twenty Ten in Review - November

2011-02-25T20:11:00.001-08:00

November 2010

Silly Ryan put all the stickers on his face... I have no idea where that idea came from... :)

Thanksgiving was at our house again this year... These are pictures my dad took because I took ZERO... LAME!

My kids are kinda cute...

Our first (and probably last) trip to Lame-O-Land... I mean Legoland.

Waited in line for 30 minutes to go on a ride that went up and down... It was a fair quality ride...LAME!

But Ryan did like it...

Ben did not... He forgot his sweater and it was freezing so we had to buy this sweater to remind ourselves of this day!

Twenty Ten in Review - October - Boys Photo Shoot

2011-02-25T19:57:00.001-08:00

Jake is 6 months and Ryan is 3

Twenty Ten in Review - August Family Photo Shoot

2011-02-23T09:57:00.000-08:00

This was our family photo shoot - Ryan 3yrs old and Jake was 4 months. This was an interesting experience because of my poor planning - Jake had had shots that morning and was therefore pretty grumpy and tired for pictures! We are taking pictures again in 2 weeks and I'm SUPER excited!!!

Our photographer is excellent. JulieDawnPhotography.com - if you use her tell her we sent ya!

This is probably my favorite one of all of us - which is funny because you can't see Ben or my face! But this is the one we decided to put on our living room.

Love my Ry-Ry

So studly

Another one of my favs

HANDSOME

LOVES!

Oh my! SO cute!

Jake was not cooperating at this point - crying = red Jake face = no cute pictures of Jake

Luckily he fell asleep...

Twenty Ten In Review - October

2011-02-22T19:29:00.001-08:00

October 2010

Bates Nut Farm is always one of my most favorite things to do in the fall time! I love the pumpkins and all the fun stuff for the kiddos to do!

Thoughtful...

Super duper fun slide!

WEEEEEE!!!!

Hi. My name is Jake and I'm too cute for my own good.

Classic Ben... :)

Bryan, Kylie, Forest and Ryan

Pumpkins!

This was the best shot of the two of them... not impressive...

Fell asleep in his highchair - so funny!

Halloween 2010

I did the Mater Pumpkin, Ben did the Lighting McQueen one and Brett made the retarded looking one...

Me and my lil bee :) Yes - I am obsessed with bees!

Spiderman! I originally wanted Ryan to be Buzz Lightyear and Jake was going to be Rex (found the cutest costumes at the Disney store) but no - Ryan wanted to be Spiderman which is really weird because he hasn't even watched Spiderman!

His lil stinger :)

Twenty Ten in Review - September

2011-02-03T20:06:00.000-08:00

September 2010

Twenty Ten in Review - August

2011-01-31T21:00:00.001-08:00

August 2010

Twenty Ten in Review - July

2011-01-28T09:53:00.000-08:00

July 2010

Twenty Ten In Review - June

2011-01-25T10:54:00.001-08:00

June 2010

Twenty Ten in Review - May

2011-01-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

May 2010

Twenty Ten In Review - April

2011-01-22T10:43:00.001-08:00

April 2010

Twenty Ten in Review - March/Jake

2011-01-18T18:15:00.001-08:00

March 2010 - Introducing Jake

Jacob Thomas Hoy

"Jake"

Born: March 29 at 6:20pm

9lbs 9oz

21.5 inches long

15' head!

He was a BIG boy :)

(Here is the Big o'long story if you are interested... if you are not - that is ok :))

I had a C-Section with my first born, Ryan, and ever since that I wanted to have a VBAC (Vaginal Birth After Cesarean) with my next one. I wanted to do this for a few reasons - one: I really did enjoy the labor part with Ryan - even though it was LONG (41 hours total - 28 where "Hard" labor). So anyway - that was the plan with baby #2! However, my nurse mid-wife still wanted me to schedule a C-Section for my due date thinking that if Jake didn't come on his own by then - he wasn't going to or he would be too big to do so on his own and I would just end up having another c-section anyway. Well I had to meet with the doctor who would be doing the c-section. We'll call him Dr. Burt because he looked and talked exactly like Burt Reynolds - creepy though! He didn't really answer my questions and I didn't really feel comfortable asking him questions. He asked me over and over again if we were tying my tubes during the c-section... Ummm... HECK NO! This is only baby #2 - why on earth would I tie my tubes?!? I don't know how many kids I want and I'm definitely not going to make that decision when I'm 9 months pregnant and MISERABLE! Anyway - I didn't like the fact that he kept asking me that. At one appt me needed to examine me to see how things were progressing so I'm in the room waiting for him to come in and I'm wearing the "paper towel" they give you to "cover" up but it really doesn't cover ANYTHING... So Dr. Burt asks me some questions and then says that he isn't going to examine me because - and I quote - "It's too awkward" - WHAT? You are a doctor for Pete's Sake! Don't you do this kind of thing all day long?!? I had a c-section scheduled for March 25 (my due date) with Dr. Burt and I was scared to death! I was so afraid of having major surgery (even though the 1st time it was no big deal) and I was even more afraid of having Dr. Burt preform the surgery! So on March 24, when Ben got home from seminary we talked about it a little bit and Ben was cool with whatever decision that I made. I asked him to say a prayer because I was freaking out and I didn't know if I should have the c-section the next day or wait a little while longer and give Jake time to come on his own. Well as soon as Ben started to pray I INSTANTLY knew what Heavenly Father wanted me to do! It was not the most convenient decision but I felt so at peace as soon as I made the decision. We decided to wait. We were going to give the baby another week to come on his own. I can't even tell you how thankful I am for Ben - just a random side note there :) Ben ended up getting sick the next day and was sick all weekend long - there is no way he would have been allowed in the hospital with his cold so that was a huge blessing that we canceled the appt!

So it was a huge hassle canceling my c-section and my nurse/mid-wife gave me attitude about it because for some reason she really wanted me to have the c-section. But whatever - it was my decision and not hers!

So on Monday March 29th I had another doctors appointment because I had to meet wiht a new doctor because Dr. Burt was not going to be my doctor anymore! This time I met with Dr. Padia and I was really nervous. What if all doctors who preform c-sections were crazy?! What was I going to do then? I was really hoping that I would be dialated to a 5 and 100% effaced and that labor was just right around the corner. I had been having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions so I was feeling pretty confident that I would go into labor on my own! Anyway - I meet Dr. Padia and he is AWESOME! He answers all my questions and lays out all my options for me! NO ONE had done that for me up to this point and here I was overdue! He told me the pros and cons of each of the options and then continued to exam me. He didn't make it awkward either! I had had an appt 3 weeks previous to this and I was 1 cm dialated and 50% effaced (whoa... ) so I was really hoping to have progressed quite a bit at this point... Dr. Padia exams me and tells me that I am 1.5cm dialated and 50% effaced... That's right after 3 weeks and LOTS of LONG walks - I'm only dialated 1/2 cm more! That was kind of the last straw for me. Dr. Padia suggested that we schedule a C-Section and I actually felt really good about doing that. So he said that he would be able to schedule the surgery for Thrusday April 1st - well... I didn't want my son born on April Fool's Day - silly I know, but whatever... So Dr. Padia asks me when was the last time I had eaten or drinken anything that day... I told him about 8:30 am... So then he says: "Well would you like to come in tonight to have your baby?" And that seemed just grand to me!!! I really wanted to be done being pregnant! And of course I wanted to meet my little boy!

When we got to the hopital, the nurses started hooking me up to all sorts of stuff and had me sign a few papers. One of the papers was informing us that due to the swine flu children under the age of 14 were not allowed in the hospital! I was heartbroken! I really wanted Ryan to be able to come to the hospital and meet his baby brother! I, of course, started crying. I was so bummed that I wasn't going to have my ideal "brothers meeting for the first time moment"!

This C-Section was so much easier than my first because I hadn't gone through hours and hours and days of labor. I went into the hospital, they gave me fluids for an hour and then wheeled me off the the operation room. I was so much happier at this point and more mobile. After they got my spinal tap entered in, Ben was able to come into the room and join me. We waited for about 15 minutes and then finally our baby was here. Dr. Padia told me earlier that day that the baby would probably be about 7lbs. I told him that it was going to be bigger than Ryan (who was 8lbs 7oz). So when Dr. Padia pulled Jake out the first thing he said was: "Whoa! This is a big baby! Probably a 9 pounder!" And of course, he was 9lbs 9oz - I was so thankful at this point that I had chosen the C-Section route :) After a few minutes of cleaning him off, I got to see my Jake and my first thought was - Whoa - He's going to be a football player - like a linebacker or something. :) So thankful for this experience and the blessing of my beautiful baby boy!

Twenty Ten in Review - March before Jake :)

2011-01-18T18:01:00.000-08:00

March 2010 - Pre Baby Jake

Twenty Ten In Review - January/February

2011-01-17T20:01:00.001-08:00

Better late than never, right?? Well 2010 was a wonderful year for us and I hardly blogged at all - especially after I had Jake... So as I was organizing my pictures tonight I thought I would blog about 2010. I'll post pictures from each month just so that I have some sort of record :)

January 2010

February 2010

More to come... But atlas - it's the boys bedtime!!! WHOO HOO :)

Remember me??

2010-11-13T20:26:00.000-08:00

Hi - My name is Erin and I have 2 boys, Ryan age 3 and Jake age 7 months. They make it nearly impossible to blog. Thusly the lack of posts... My bad! Even now as I post this Jake is trying to type along with me and Ryan is running around yelling like a crazy person. So here are some pictures taken about a month ago. ENJOY and I'm gonna get better at this again!

Eclipse!

2010-03-11T11:06:00.001-08:00

YEA YEA!!!

Ryan is getting way too big!

2010-03-09T11:13:00.000-08:00

Me and Ryan playing at Disneyland!
Ryan and Mickey Mouse - First time he actually went to Mickey by himself!

Ryan and his pal Jessie - he was so excited to see her!

Ryan and Kylie playing at Chuck E Cheese!

Ryan making his "Happy Face" and eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich... doesn't get much better than that!

Where will YOU be on 8-24-2010?

2010-02-21T21:49:00.001-08:00

I will be at the bookstore getting THIS...... and then reading the remainder of the day until the book is finished!

Camping... sorta

2010-02-14T16:49:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, Ben set up the tent in our backyard for a Father Son campout :) They never actually slept in the tent (because mean ol'mom said NO - this was in November and it was cold at night!) but Ryan did enjoy taking his toys out to the tent and playing :)

Wild Animal Park 2-2-2010

2010-02-06T16:53:00.000-08:00

My awesome friend Janae took me and Ryan to the Wild Animal Park this week! It was a ton of fun - we saw the lions, gorillas, giraffes and cheetahs, went on the tram ride, the petting zoo and the play area! I didn't have my camera with me and my stupid phone doesn't take pictures, but luckily Janae has a fancy iPhone (that yes... I almost stole from her) and we were able to get a few pictures of the kids :)

The Time Traverler's Wife

2010-02-05T10:15:00.000-08:00

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
So I really liked the idea of the story. I did not like however some of the content and language in the book. That's why I only gave it 3 stars. Someone as creative as Audrey Niffenegger who can come up with a story as creative as this can surely think of other words to use rather than the constant F-bomb. That was a disappointment because otherwise the book would have been fantastic!

View all my reviews >>

Thanksgiving... Finally!

2010-02-04T11:48:00.001-08:00

We had Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year! (well last year... you get the idea) We were so excited to have our own house that we thought it would be a good idea to do something crazy like having the Hoy and States families over for the big event! It was a lot of fun and dinner was really good - cook a turkery by myself (almost!) and it was yummy! Good pies and Ben made homemade cranberry sauce that was very yummy! Don't have too many pictures but trust me it was fun!

Something Good to Read

2010-02-03T16:43:00.000-08:00

A few months ago some friends started a book club and it has been such a treat! I really love it! My brain has felt mushy lately because I'm not working and spend my days with a 2 year old (whom I LOVE) but I never really have to THINK about anything. With that said, I love my book club! We have read some amazing books that I think EVERYONE should read.

Number 1: The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games and Catching Fire) If I tried to describe to you what the book was about you wouldn't want to read it... but it is seriously one of the BEST freaking books I have ever read! There are some slight similarities to the Twilight series, but Hunger Games in my opinion is about 100x better! Yea that's right... BETTER THAN TWILIGHT! I said it! There is a 3rd book to the series that is due to come out August 24, 2010 and I seriously cannot wait! Ben even read these books. Usually he is a SUPER SLOW reader but he couldn't put these books down and read them fairly quickly!

Number 2: The Help by Kathyrn StockettThis book is not at all what I thought it was going to be. It's a great story that makes you want to get off your bum and do something productive.

Number 3: The Summer Kitchen By Lisa WingateThis book is pretty much like The Help - completely different story but it makes you want to help others.

Another good read along the lines of The Help and The Summer Kitchen is A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick. All three books are written similarly and I couldn't put them down!

Right now I'm reading The Time Traveler's Wife and it is pretty good, but has some choice words that are necessary... which makes me bummed. Won't make me HAVE TO read list.

I'm seriously obsessed with reading right now so if you have any great book suggestions please let me know! Also a great site is goodreads.com

Disneyland in November...

2010-02-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

Yup... It's now February and I think it's about time to blog about last November :)

My mom's birthday was the Monday before Thanksgiving so we went and had a blast... We went on a few rides, saw Santa, Mrs Claus and Woody and Jessie... Ryan and I did an interview for Disneyland.com for their Santa's Reindeer Roundup - Never actually saw the video so I don't know if they used my clip or not :)

iPhone

2010-01-14T13:40:00.000-08:00

So the day after Thanksgiving, I finally got my iPhone! It was amazing! That's right... WAS... 2 weeks after I got my precious phone, I dropped it into the toilet! And apparently, water and iPhones do not play well together! I've been so sad and depressed ever since it happened! Ben found a place in Riverside that might be able to fix it, but I haven't had the time to go up there yet. Plus I'm afraid that they'll say there is nothing they can do to fix it and I will cry!

Luckily, Ben had an extra phone in the office (I couldn't use my old one because it was a Verizon phone and we just changed to AT&T). So now I'm using an old school Nokia phone - you can throw the thing as hard as you like and it won't break! However, it doesn't even have a camera on it and the texting sucks!!!! I MISS MY iPHONE!!!! :(

Whoops!

2010-01-11T13:52:00.000-08:00

So it's been a while since I've blogged but I have a really good excuse! I HAVE NO INTERNET!!! And I haven't for a while! I'm at my parents house using theirs and I really miss it :) So anyway - I will post what has been going on the past few months over the next few days and then hopefully I can keep up with it!!!! Today's blog will be on some SUPER cute pictures that this amazing photographer took of Ryan and his cousins Olivia and Eliza. The photographers name is Julie Stainbrook and she works in Utah and So. CAL! If you are in her areas I would definitely suggest her! Here is her site http://juliestainbrookphotography.blogspot.com/ and here are the pictures she put up of my cute son and nieces http://juliestainbrookphotography.blogspot.com/2009/11/chocolate.html

Here are some more :)

So much to blog about!

2009-11-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

Wow - So this might be a long one, but I really want to get caught up on my blog before it becomes out of control!

The Kelly's came to Disneyland and we were able to meet up with them! I LOVE visiting with them and wish that we could have hung out longer! I really miss them, but was glad we were able to take a family picture with them :)So on October 19th, Ben and I went to the Chargers/Broncos game and unfortunately for us the Chargers lost... We can't afford to sit on the Chargers side of the stadium so we were surrounded by drunk happy Broncos fans, which I don't particuarly like. One big o' lady may or may not have pushed me and gotten in my face... Of course, I may or may not have shouldered her on my way up the stairs... Long story... I ran away... These pictures are before the game when we were filled with hope and excitement :)

Ryan has gotten really good at saying his prayers. It's just about the cutest thing EVER :)

Ryan and Daddy carved pumpkins for Halloween! Ryan was grossed out my the guts of the pumpkin and refused to touch them. Which of course was really funny :)

Halloween was fantastic! Ben dressed up as a ghost, I was a hippie (I had an awesome wig, but it was a piece of junk so I ended up taking it off before I took any pictures :)) and Ryan was Woody from Toy Story! We had a great night. Went to our friends, the Armstrong's Halloween party then took Ryan to our ward's Trunk or Treat which was great!

Ryan and Olivia - the cutest lil' Bee :)Ryan had fun with Bryan, Kylie and Forrest at the Trunk or Treat :)

Enjoy the pictures - I will post some of the new house soon!!!!

Results are in!

2009-11-06T18:25:00.001-08:00

- Myspace Layouts,Graphics, and Comments!

Toy Story 3

2009-11-03T21:42:00.000-08:00

I can't wait for this new movie...!!!

WARNING: The beginning of this preview makes me cry... I don't know if this is normal or if this is because I'm pregnant. At any rate - I thought I would pass on that warning! :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v_FfHA5whXc

Update

2009-10-28T11:03:00.000-07:00

Well we are all moved into our new place! Super excited to be done with that! I will post pictures soon. I don't have Internet up and running yet at the new place so when I get that taken care of I will post pictures.

I also have some new video and pictures of Ryan to post that are really cute stuff!

But for now - please take a minute to vote on my poll! We find out the sex of the baby on November 6th, but I want your opinion! :) You can also vote on Facebook :)

Hey - Remember Me?

2009-10-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Well I have seriously lacked on the blog lately and I apologize! This is my favorite time of year so I will try to do better!

So what on earth is going on with the Hoy Family? Well, I'm about 16 weeks pregnant and this pregnancy has been much more enjoyable than my first. We find out what we are having on November 5th so that is exciting! We have sold our condo and are going to be moving to a house in a week! We're staying in San Marcos - only moving about a mile away:) I'm super excited to have more space and a garage and a backyard! But packing SUCKS! I can't lift anything which makes the packing a whole lot slower than needed!

Anyway - here are some pictures from some stuff we've done in the last couple of months. Enjoy!

One day, Ryan decided that he wanted to wear ALL of his ties... I didn't know he had so many :)Ryan took his 1st trip to the San Diego Zoo! We went with our friends the McRoberts and had a great time!!! The McRoberts have 3 kids - Bryan (age 4) Kylie (age 2 - a couple of weeks younger than Ryan) and Forrest (age 1). Ryan loves to play with them! Especially Kylie - they are best buds! :)
We went to Disneyland for Bryan's 4th birthday! It was a blast - spent the whole day there, but I didn't take very many pictures. :(We also went to Bates Nut Farm! I love going there in the fall time! The kids got to ride the ponies and play in the petting zoo... not to mention play in the pumpkin patch!
Last weekend, we went to the Miramar Air Show. It was so much FUN! I loved watching the Blue Angels. Ryan would prefer to watch them from afar... They were too loud for him!

Oh Heck YES!

2009-09-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

So Toy Story is Ryan's new favorite movie - He watches it all the time. In fact, he is going to be Woody for Halloween.

Cooperstown: Day 1 & 2

2009-08-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

So I really should finish blogging about my rad trip to Cooperstown... I'm sorry that I am so lame when it comes to blogging...

Cooperstown is amazing! We drove about 4 hours from Niagara Falls to Cooperstown on Friday July 24. The drive was beautiful and we got stuck in a HUGE THUNDERSTORM! I couldn't see out my window which was a bit scary!

We finally got to Hartwick which is about 10 minutes away from Coopertown. This is where we were renting an upstairs apartment of a house. It was a GREAT place to stay! We really liked being in a small town. In fact, I want to move to a super small town!!! I loved it. The only thing I wouldn't like is the winter times... I don't really like to be cold.

Then we drove into Cooperstown, after we had unpacked and rested (well after Ryan took a "nap"). We explored the town a little bit. It is a CUTE town and I love it! We ate dinner at a REAL New York Pizzaria :) Food was good.

Saturday July 25, we went into town again and found the media center, where we were given a parking pass and tickets to the ceremony. I did an interview with Jane, who works for the Oakland Tribune. She did the video that I had posted earlier... Click HERE

She then introduced us to a guy she had meet that said he was Rickey Henderson's number 1 fan. My first reaction was that I would have to beat this guy up because that was my title :) His name was Steve and a super nice guy. Apparently he ran into Rickey's brother in Cooperstown and Rickey's brother started talking to them (Steve and his Dad were the only ones wearing A's hats - lots of Red Sox fans there) anyway - Steve told Tyrone (Rickey's bro) that he was Rickey's number one fan. Tyrone looked at him and said: No you're not :) Isn't that funny! We took the Media bus to the downtown area of Cooperstown. There were about a gazillion more people there on Saturday than the night before. It was totally crowded and of course we were trying to maneuver a stroller through the madness! We had a fun time though. That night they had a red carpet ceremony. We didn't stay for all of it because of the mass amounts of people and it was like a 3 hour event!
The Hall of Fame and the massive amounts of people. Most of which were Red Sox fans (which I prefer over Yankee fans... although one guy tried to get Ryan to say Yankees and I tried to joke with him and he was not amused...)If I ever need a cane... I want this one :)This guy recited the poem "Casey at the Bat" one of my all time favorites and he did a fantastic job!

COMING IN MARCH 2010

2009-08-17T13:34:00.000-07:00

Baby #2 is cooking in the oven :)

Palymra

2009-08-05T18:03:00.000-07:00

We drove from Niagara Falls to Cooperstown. It was about a 4 hour drive through BEAUTIFUL upstate New York countryside. Gorgeous! We decided to make a little detour to Palmyra - only like a 10 minute detour :) We went to the Sacred Grove. Ben and I have been there before and it's so freaking cool! I, of course, got bit by 2 mosquitoes - one on my elbow and yes, one on my forehead! For those of you who don't know, when I get bit by a mosquito I swell up HUGE! Way bigger than normal so the forehead one was a major bummer! Say: "Cheese" - We need to work on this still :)

Niagara Falls

2009-08-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

So our grand adventure started on Wednesday July 22. Ben, Ryan and I flew into Buffalo and stayed with Ben's amazing Aunt Lois! The woman just turned 80, but looks and acts like a youngin' - she is wonderful! We visited a lot and on Thursday, I had planned to spend the day at the Falls (Aunt Lois lives in Niagara Falls - about 10 minutes away from the Falls) but the weather had other plans for us. There were intense crazy thunderstorms on and off all day long. I was super surprised that Ryan was able to nap through one of them because it was so loud! And, of course, very COOL and SCARY at the same time! The weather finally cooperated with us that night and we were able to go to the Falls. The weather was WONDERFUL! When Ben and I went 3 years ago it was super hot and muggy and a little bit miserable (weather wise), but this year was PERFECT! Ryan had been asking all day to see the "wa-wa falls" and he LOVED IT! He loved the river and when we got to the Falls he could not stop saying "Wa-wa falls" so dang cute!

We went with Ben's cousin's Family - they are awesome as well! L-R: Me, Ben, Ryan, Dorothy, Val, Rickey, Dan

We went on the Cave of the Winds - it so cool! You take an elevator down like 17 stories and it's really scary! Then you get off and you are RIGHT ON THE FALLS! We walked on some stairs and got really close to the falls - It was awesome. Ben stuck his head in the Falls. :) VERY FUN!

Cooperstown: Part 1

2009-07-31T11:48:00.001-07:00

I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened this last weekend and while I do that here are a few pictures. More to come :)Rickey with Jeff Idelson - President of the Hall of Fame. This was during the actual induction ceremony.

Me, Rickey, Mom, Ry-Guy, Dad - This was right before Rickey did this cool Legends press conference. Lots of Random people wanted to take my picture. It was weird and flattering. This is me giving Jeff Idelson my very first Hi Rickey sign (20 years old!!!) Jeff offered to put my sign in the Hall of Fame with Rickey's display!!! HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?!?!?

Oakland Tribune Video

2009-07-28T09:07:00.000-07:00

When I saw the A's banjo playing guy at the induction ceremony I totally started laughing! I remember him from my days back in the Oakland Colosum! Very cool - Also, we have been friends with Fred Adkins for a while and it was great to see him as well!

COOPERSTOWN!

2009-07-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

So we're in Cooperstown right now and I thought I would give y'all a quick update! Cooperstown is awesome - so beautiful. If you don't have any idea what I'm talking about click on the following links. :) EN-HOY :)

http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_12887351?IADID=Search-www.insidebayarea.com-www.insidebayarea.com

This one is a little bit embarrassing! :)

http://www.bay-area-sports-blog.com/2009/07/22/rickeys-weepy-superfan-is-all-grows-up/

This one is in the local Cooperstown Newspaper

http://thefreemansjournal.com/2009/07/henderson-rice-heroes-in-eyes-of.html

Anyway - Enjoy the articles. I will post pictures soon :)

So You Think You Can Dance Top 14

2009-07-02T11:26:00.001-07:00

Here are my favs from last night's show... I can't stand Cat Deeley...

This one is weird, but I really liked it for some reason :)

They are dabomb.com at Hip Hop - Love Tabitha and Napolean's chorography!!!

I can't stand Kupono... But this was awesome! And more Twilight music PLEASE :) This might have been my favorite of the night.

I love Brandon and Jeanette!!! They are probably my fav couple. (just watch the dancing... the commantary is long... and Cat Deeley BUGS THE CRAP OUT OF ME!!!)

Girls Camp 2009

2009-07-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

I went to Girl's Camp for 1 day this year to spend some time with my Beehives. THEY ARE AMAZING! And I love them! Here are some pictures. :)Katie!Niya!Nora!Amy!

Maria!Maria did the ropes course - she was a total pro at it!

Amy and Niya climbed up Jacob's Ladder - that was tough! But they made it all the way to the top!!!!

Coach Purses :)

2009-06-26T21:34:00.001-07:00

Hey Friends -

I'm starting a new little side business and I would L.O.V.E. your help! Take a look at my site and tell me what you think. I'm selling real Coach purses at a discounted price. :) Trying not to keep too many for myself :) Let me know what you think and pass the word along! THANKS SO MUCH!!!!

http://coachpursesnew.blogspot.com/

I LOVE SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

2009-06-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

My Little Brother Graduated from HIGH SCHOOL!

2009-06-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

So Brettley Simper is my adopted little brother. He has all the qualities that I always assumed a little brother would have... ie: annoying, follows me around, etc. Just kidding! Brettley is dabomb.com and I was SOOOO GLAD that he saved tickets to his graduation for Ben and I. We love you Brettley!!!!

I also love all my inside jokes with Brettley... I want to remember them so I'm writing them down on my blog. I'm sorry for those of you who do not know what I'm talking about

Be proud of your dawg

I'm a pr prrro professional pho phhhhh phhoo

Rad

Brettley Simper-Fi

dabomb.com/diggity

Lame.org

DP (or DP.com/Ben hahaha)

The Band DP.com

Read your notes

Throw something at Ben

Hot Dog song
(P.O.T.A.T.O.E.S)

etc...

Lately

2009-06-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

We went to Disneyland last week for Brettley's birthday - it was fun! Ryan loved the water. Ryan also likes to talk on the phone. He is getting so big and I keep telling him to stop growing up so fast but he doesn't listen...

NEW MOON BABY!!!

2009-06-01T11:35:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Edward, but Holy COW... Jacob was cast well!!! OMW - My 13 year old girlishness is coming out in full force!

YES!!!!!!!

2009-05-27T10:39:00.000-07:00

Order Cable TV today!!! Will cancel said TV when this show is over :)

You are Great... YOU are Amazing!

2009-05-26T15:36:00.000-07:00

My dad emailed me this video. It's about 15 minutes long, but it's SOOOOO GOOD! So take a minute and relax and watch this video - I promise it will make you smile :)

VEGAS BABY!

2009-05-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

Had quite the exciting weekend. Thursday ended up being my last day of work and it was bittersweet for me. I'm glad that I'm not working anymore, but I'll miss it too.

So Ben and I didn't really get a chance to celebrate my birthday because of work and church stuff so this last weekend was my birthday extravaganza! We were going to go to Harrah's Rincon and just stay one night and go swimming, but apparently Memorial Day weekend hotel prices are ridiculous! They wanted $450 for ONE night! That was just stupid. So we decided to go to Vegas! It was so much fun!!! We left Friday after work (We left Ryan with Nana and that was hard for me! Ben and I missed our little boy!!) we got into Vegas about 11:30p. We stayed in the Hilton - which was nice, but nothing exciting. I think I expected a little more out of it. But it was still cool!On Saturday we played :) We had brunch at the Excalibur buffet (it was gross!) Then we walked around the strip. I have decided that the Belliago, Ceasars and the Venetian are the COOLEST hotels on the strip and I want to stay in each of them at least once! We loved the Belliago because of it's cool/rad/spectacular water fountian show.

I loved the Venetian for a few reasons - The Grand Cannal Shops (I love to shop - even thought I didn't get to go into any of the stores), the Gondola rides

Our Gondola driver... he was well... I may be in like with him! He was such a cool guy - from Italy and sang amazingly - obviously :)

We saw Streetmosphere - which is a little preformace inside the Grand Cannal Shops. It was pretty cool. We didn't do a whole lot around Ceasars - The bathroom was nice :) But I loved the huge mall-like thing they had. :)

This would be so cool in a HUGE nursery :)

I had a great time - And can't wait to go back in the NEAR future!!!

Just Kidding

2009-05-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

So I found out yesterday that my last day of work is actually THIS Friday! I'm excited, scared, nervous, happy, sad, etc :)

So next week I will be doing this...

And sometime in the near future I plan on reading this...

Remember Me?

2009-05-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

So sorry for my complete lack of posts lately. I have been overwhelmed with "stuff" - mostly work. But I have good news! May 29th will be my last day of work! Sorta... I will still go in once a week to do billing, but for the most part I will be a full time stay at home mom and I cannot wait!
Haven't taken any pictures lately - sorry! But for now there is one thing you should know... I have found the world's best mascara! I've been trying a few out lately and I really liked this Body Shop Volumizing mascara, but then last night I bought Cover Girl Lash Blast because the brushes looked the same, but Lash Blast was about $7.00 cheaper (only $6.50 at Walmart) and luckily it is dabomb.com of mascaras! I LOVE IT! Try it - It's worth it!

Ryan is doing good - getting so big. But we've got a problem. Ryan loved Nursery in the beginning, but the past couple of weeks - he has refused to go to nursery and when I leave him in there one of the leaders always comes to get me because Ry is inconsolable! I don't know what to do - Any suggestions from you moms with kids in nursery???

Well I will try to blog more in the future and comment more too!

Easter

2009-04-24T10:49:00.001-07:00

So Easter was 2 weeks ago and I finally have a moment to sit down and write a post! I have been crazy busy lately and my blog has seriously suffered because of said business :)

Easter was great - went to church... Ryan had a hard time at church because he was so tired (we have 1p church so ALL the kids are tired) He wouldn't go to nursery and fell asleep with me in Young Women's. Poor lil'guy!After church we headed over to Shane and Melinda's for an Easter egg hunt! Ryan and Olivia had a great time search for eggs :)

Silly little faces - they are so darn cute!!!After that great egg hunt we went to my parents house for dinner and it was fantastic! Our friends Gary and Bliss joined us and we were really glad that they could come! I made the BEST dessert EVER! It was called Fruit pizza dessert and it was AMAZING! :)

I got goosebumps!

2009-04-13T15:20:00.001-07:00

Susan Boyle Sings on Britain's Got Talent 2009 Episode 1 @ Yahoo! Video

Service Project

2009-04-06T19:00:00.001-07:00

A week or so ago we had a service project. Ryan was a big helper. He would pull the weeds and put them into the bucket!
I don't know who that nasty girl in the hat is next to Ryan...

MIA

2009-03-31T19:55:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be missing in action lately - life has been a bit more crazy than usual. About 2 weeks ago, we (meaning Shane) had to fire one of the women who worked in our office (she was high...) So I have been working WAY too many hours now and it sucks - I'm sure that the paycheck will be good, but I hate being away from Ryan so much. Today was the first day that I didn't cry on my way into work... I really want to be a stay at home mom, but just can't right now. But I am really excited for the day that I will be able to do that!!! :)

On a better note - I cooked dinner for my family tonight! For most of you this is probably not a huge deal, but for me it's GIGANTIC! I never cook dinner - Ben is usually the one who cooks if we have a home cooked meal, but this week is the end of me being a HORRIBLE wife/mother. So on Sunday, I planned out what I wanted to make this week and yesterday bought the fixings and tonight I cooked Parmasian Chicken! It was a fun receipe and Ben really liked it :)

Other than that, everyone is doing good. Ryan is getting so huge that it's crazy! He's talking a lot more everyday and it makes me a little sad to see how fast he is growing up.

Ben... Drunk?

2009-03-21T12:10:00.000-07:00

So last night we hung out with some friends in Oceanside and we were driving home about 9:30pm with Ryan in the back seat mind you :) Ben thought it would be a good idea to pick at a callus on his hand while driving. In order to do this, he had to drive with his knee. He is apparently not good at driving with knees and was driving by braille :) Anyway - long story short, Ben got pulled over because the cop thought he was drunk :) haha!!! I think having Ryan in the car help the cop believe us - that and Ben had to do an eye test - which looked really funny and I was having a hard time not laughing! The cop was cool and told Ben to pay attention to the road! Ben really knows how to show his family a good time!

Australia

2009-03-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

Ben and I rented and watched Australia last night. It was actually a really good movie. I liked it a lot so I definitely recommend it, however, it's really LONG! We started it just before 10pm and it ended at 1:10am!!! But I couldn't turn it off :)

Childhood Memories

2009-03-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

Check this out! This blog made me so happy!!! Click here

Acapulco FUN!

2009-03-12T11:10:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday night we went to dinner at one of our favorite places - Acapulco! The food is always delish and Ryan had a really good time :)
First he ate the ketchup with his finger...Then he ate his quesadilla with a giant spoon...And then he was really cute!!!

By The Way

2009-03-12T11:09:00.000-07:00

The Mac Book Wheel blog was a joke... it's NOT a real computer. Some of you (and I won't name names... we'll just call him Brettley) thought it was real. Again - if you watch the whole video (and I suggest that you do) you will see that it is a huge joke! :)

Can't Find my Camera

2009-03-06T11:04:00.000-08:00

I'm so bummed!!! I haven't the slightest idea where my camera is and there are some really cute pictures on there!!!

Here is one from my lame-o phone. Ryan all snuggled up to watch his new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse :)

Eliza Joris Hoy

2009-02-26T18:18:00.000-08:00

Shane and Melinda welcomed baby girl #2 on Tuesday February 17th! She is super dang cute!!! Enjoy the pictures.

Ryan and Olivia had a fun time playing at the hospital :)

Create

2009-02-22T11:09:00.001-08:00

This video, of course, made me teary-eyed! LOVE IT!!! I'm off to go make something!

Macbook Wheel - See it to Believe it!

2009-02-19T14:55:00.000-08:00

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

"I will buy anything if it's shinny and made by Apple"

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE CALEE!!!

2009-02-16T15:35:00.000-08:00

Calee had this post and well I like STUFF! Here's the dealio

I was one of the first 5 people to comment on a new post she made this afternoon, so she gets to give me some sort of self-made-creation! YEA! HAPPY DANCE! And I REALLY LIKE PRESENTS!!!!

The catch is this (in Calee's own words because they are better than mine): I must now volunteer to make 5 of you special creations of my own imagination! These lovely items may be baked goods (mmm delicious), perhaps a delightful scarf (high-five to me for preparing early to be a bomb granny), a song or story written especially for you...the sky is the limit!

If you want one of my special goodies, however, you must do the following:
1. Be one of the first five people to respond to this post
2. Re-post this on YOUR page for five of your friends!

It's like a chain letter, only without the threats -AND- not annoying because you GET a present (and get to MAKE presents to give to others) in the end. And let's face it, presents cancel out annoyance 99.9% of the time. :)

I'm really excited for my Calee-made creation because let's face it - SHE'S AMAZING!!! I will have to think of something really cool to make you first 5 commenters!!!!

Thanksgiving in February!

2009-02-08T20:42:00.000-08:00

Thank you Katie for the tag! I really appreciate it and it was really good for me to sit down today and think about everything that I am grateful for! So here's the deal with tag... Write down 6 things you are thankful for... in detail and tag one person and tell why you choose that person.

I've been thinking about this one for a while and finally today at church I sat down and wrote the things that I am thankful for. Here are my top 6.

1. BEN HOY - Shocker right? I mean who would have thought that the number one thing I'm thankful for is my husband. I can't even begin to describe how grateful I am for him! He is such an amazing man and he continues to amaze me. He is a very hard worker! He is a good business owner, student, father, etc. He is dedicated. He is a faithful servant to our Heavenly Father and I respect him so much! He is one of the funniest people I know and has a great laugh. I love that he is kind to animals. I am also thankful that he is attractive! :) I"m so thankful that I'm sealed to Ben FOR-EV-ER! Every now and again I catch a small glimpse of eternity when I look at Ben - I know that that sounds so incredibly CHEESY and GOOFY, but it's true! I would be so sad if my connection to Ben ended at death... But I get to keep him forever and sometimes that is a good thing! :) jk ALL the time it's a good thing.

2. RYAN! My Ry-Guy is dabombdigity.com! My son is so cool that I can't even begin to explain it! He loves to climb stuff and throw balls. He is such a helper and he likes to snuggle when he's tired. He is saying more words everyday even though most of them just sound like "dat do" or "gat do", but it's still cool when he learns a new word. I'm so thankful for my son because I never knew a mother's love - nor did I know how "empty" my life was before Ry was born!

3. My Testimony - I gave a lesson last week to the Young Women about gaining their own testimonies and it made me think about the gospel and how thankful I am for it. I literally have no idea where I would be today if I did not have the church in my life. I'm thankful for my Heavenly Father and his son Jesus. I'm thankful for our prophets and the temple. I'm thankful for the atonement and missionary work. I'm thankful for the Book of Mormon and I"m thankful that I KNOW that each of these things are TRUE!

4. My Calling - I'm the second counselor in the Young Women's presidency and it's literally the best calling I've ever had! I love the girls so much and I"m so thankful for them!!! Each one of my Beehives has a special place in my heart and they will forever! In fact, all the Young Women in my ward have a special place in my heart! I'm so blessed to be associated with such great youth - that includes the Young Men as well. Our ward has great youth and they are going to make great missionaries!!!

5. MY HOUSE - Lately I have really hated my house. It's small and there is no closet space. There are a lot of things wrong with it and I don't have a garage. However, I have a house to live in and I'm so thankful for that! I'm thankful that I don't have to live in a hut or with my parents or in-laws (no offense :)) I'm thankful that my house is nice looking and that the toilets and showers work!

6. My Health - I'm SOOOO grateful for my health and my body! I have a healthy body and works and functions correctly and that is a huge blessing! I'm so thankful that I do not have any serious health problems and I'm thankful for all my moving limbs. The human body is an amazing creation and I think it's just wonderful!!!

Like I said - I made a list... I would like to share with you all my list... without explanations :)

I am THANKFUL FOR:
My family
My friends
Technology - computers, Internet, iPods, Cell phones, TV, etc
Google
My car
Ben's Business/job
Shoes
Good books, music and movies
Animals
Sun, Moon, Stars and clouds
that I graduated from High School
that I have my Associates Degree
God's creations and the beauty of the Earth
Tax Returns
Cream Puffs
Acapulco Mexican Restaurant
Cameras/Pictures
Memories
Bananas
Bread
Soft Kleenex
Maps
Disposable Diapers
Washing Machines and Dryers
Dishwashers
Refrigerators
Missionaries
Clearance Sales
Hair Straighteners
My Wedding Ring
My Finger Nails - thank you Shelly the nail bitter for reminding me that I LOVE my nails...
Baby Wipes
My love for public Speaking
Eye Contacts
Airplanes
Disneyland
Diet Pepsi
Sunsets (I would include sunrises, but I never see those :))
The Beach
The Mountains
Lakes
Love
Forgiveness
Service
Babies
FREE stuff
Nieces and Nephews
Long Drives
Cheap Gas
Trips/Vacations
Having enough money every month to pay ALL the bills
Tithing
Prayer
Scriptures
A/C and Heaters
Blankets
Long Shorts
pants that fit perfectly
Make-up
Face Wash
Loafs
CHARGERS
My Childhood
Hawaii
Chapstick
Modern Medicine
Cereal
The Holy Ghost
Plans
Craigslist
Wii
The Ben served a faithful Mission
razors and shaving cream
Free full episodes of TV online

and the list goes on and on and on...

Now I tag Ashley(s)... I'm cheating a bit by tagging 3 people in one :) Ashley Braun, Ashley Veater and Ashley Smith - I'm tagging them for pretty much all the same reasons - They are all pregnant! Pregnant women are more in tune to what they are thankful for (totally just made that up!) I really do enjoy each of their blogs and I'm excited to hear what they are thankful for!!! Especially Ashley Braun because she has been my best friend since I was 12 and she is the kindest person I know. Actually all these Ashleys are incredibly kind. I hope you 3 enjoy the tag :)

If I had $1300 in my pocket

2009-02-05T10:04:00.001-08:00

I would so buy Ryan this Bed and Dresser!!! We saw this at Costco and Ryan LOVED it! He got mad when we told him it was time to get out of the Lightning McQueen Bed!

The dresser looks like a tool chest! I LOVE IT!!!!Isn't the little gas pump on the side so RAD!!! The side pulls out into a trundle bed or drawer!The big picture! I'm seriously in love with this about as much as Ry is! I wish I had a HOUSE and an extra $1300 just laying around :)

Southwest Airline Tickets

2009-01-29T13:29:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends!

So through our business we get Rapid Rewards tickets and I've got too many (cool right :)) So I'm selling some of mine. 1 Round Trip ticket to anywhere in the Continental USA is $300. I've got enough tickets for a large family to travel :) Let me know if you want any or if you know someone that may. You can email me directly at erin.hoy@sbcglobal.net - THANKS!

The Host

2009-01-24T20:44:00.001-08:00

I finished reading the Host today and it was pretty interesting. I found it to be a little bit predictable, but still good. But now I have a dilemma that I face every time I finish a good book... I do not have any idea what to read next!!! PLEASE HELP!!! I like romance, mystery, WWII, Nancy Drew (read a lot of those in my younger years) and just darn good books! Suggestions PLEASE!!!!

My Laundry Helper

2009-01-23T11:10:00.001-08:00

Ryan is such a big "helper"! His new task that he likes to help with is Laundry. And he does a pretty darn good job :)

My Rock Star

2009-01-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

So we have Rock Band... I love playing Rock Band... except that I am constantly having to share with my 18month old - who is better at it than I am... :)

More Rickey Pictures

2009-01-13T09:58:00.000-08:00

As promised her are some random pictures of me and Rickey Henderson over the years... They are in no particular order... I'm feeling very nostalgic lately so please bear with me :) This was the cover of the Padres magazine... This was opening weekend about 1996... I think. I introduced Rickey to the crowd during the lineup! Rickey was handed one of his jerseys on the way out and gave it to me! He was very surprised to see me there!!!

This was Kid's Opening Day in Oakland 1994ish... I threw the ceremonially opening pitch - Rickey was, of course, the catcher and the ball bounce several times before reaching him and I was several feet in front of the pitching mound :) hahaRickey just happened to be doing an interview with some Japanese news people and after he was done came over and took some pictures with us... I want to say this is early 90's - before 1993.This was September 2001 - I was 17years old and really able to see how cool these experiences were! I again got to introduce Rickey to the crowd before his first at bat. It was awesome!This is the FIRST ever Hi Rickey sign. I was 5 years old - I think that the Hall of Fame should consider putting this baby in the display :)Rickey had a small stint with this league playing for the San Diego Surf Dawgs. He was the only big name and they only one who could play ball. I was out of high school by this time so it was like 2004ish.Opening Day at Petco Park! My Dad surprised all of us with tickets to the game and somehow we found out that Rickey was there and someone took us down to see him. It was great to catch up with him! He told us that the was coaching Little League - Can you imagine having RICKEY HENDERSON as your kids Little League Coach???So I lied in my last post - This was actually the Bronze BASE that I presented Rickey (Man, How many bronze bases are the Padres going to give Rickey???) The thing weighed a TON and Rickey lifted it like it was NOTHING!

Hope you have enjoyed these pictures. Please remember to read my last post if you have NO idea what I'm talking about. Haha - Comments please :)

HALL OF FAME BABY!!!

2009-01-12T13:20:00.000-08:00

Today at 11am, Rickey Henderson was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame! I plan to be there this July for the induction ceremony! I'm so excited!

For those of you who don't know the story... it's a LONG one, but suffice to say that I've been his NUMBER 1 fan since I was 5 years old. Click HERE for a really good article that explains a lot! It's worth reading :) It was an article printed in the September 13, 1993 Sports Illustrated! This is actually a pretty emotionally good day for me! I'm so proud of my friend!!!I'm going to ask my Dad for some pictures of me and Rickey from back in the day so I will post those soon.

I presented that Bronze Base to Rickey in 1996... Over the phone we thought that the Padres were presenting him with a Bronze Vase and didn't get the significance, but a BASE makes much more sense! :)

Disneyland!

2009-01-09T15:08:00.000-08:00

The Saturday after Christmas we went to Disneyland and renewed Ben's annual pass! Then we went again on New Year's Eve and New Years Day... Lot of Disneyland in a short amount of time. Here are some pictures of the fun!

By the way - quick story. Always remember where you park your car in the massive parking structure at Disneyland because if you happen to forget or not even look in the first place you may spend an hour looking for your car like we did...

CHARGERS BABY!!!

2009-01-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

This blog is going to be a little bit long and I apologize for that, but I promise you it's worth reading! Especially if:

A. You are a CHARGERS fan

B. You have watched the first couple of seasons of 24

C. You watch the TV show The Unit (and if you don't... YOU REALLY SHOULD START!)

So this little adventure all started on Tuesday at the office at about 3:05pm. Melissa asked me if I had bought my Chargers tickets yet... wait I need to back up even more! Ben was REALLY excited that the Chargers by pure luck made it into the playoffs. We had plans to go to our friend Tim's house to watch the game (we canceled our cable and we HAD to watch it!!!) Ben was really excited about going to Tim's and talked about it literally NON-STOP all week long. Ok... So back to Tuesday... Melissa asked me if I had bought my tickets and I didn't have a clue what she was talking about so she informed me that the playoff tickets went on sale at 3pm. We both thought that they were probably sold out at this point, but I was curious. So I went to Chargers.com and check it out. Their site directed me to Ticketmaster where I searched for tickets... I was sure that they were sold out, but low and behold there were tickets available on the FIELD LEVEL!!! I was soooo stoked, but I didn't know if I should buy them... They were kind of expensive and we don't have a lot of money. But then I thought - This is a freaking PLAYOFF game that is here at home on a SATURDAY! We have to go! So I bought the tickets!

Now I need to explain to you how it was growing up in my family. I grew up in a house that LOVED surprises! When I was about 10 my Dad took my mom to San Fransisco for the weekend for their anniversary... When my mom thought they were driving home, they drove to their airport instead and he flew her to Reno for a huge anniversary party! I still remember the surprised look on my mom's face. This was a common occurrence in my family to do surprises for each other. I have not been so good at surprises for Ben. I get so excited that I just end up telling him :) But I was determined this time that that was NOT going to happen!!!

I had it all planned out. Only 4 people knew that I bought the tickets - Melissa (because she was there at the time of purchase), My mom and dad (because I had to tell someone!) and Tim (because I needed help with my plan). We were supposed to leave for Tim's party at 3:45, but I knew that we needed to leave earlier to get down to the stadium. So I had Tim call Ben and tell him that he (Tim) was going to have a Tailgate party at 3pm. Ben was really excited about this - Ben doesn't get excited about much, but he was REALLY excited about Tim's party! So now we were going to leave at 2pm - PERFECT TIME! So yesterday at 2pm we dropped Ryan off at my parents house and Ben just happened to be talking to Brettley - which also just worked out perfectly. So after Ben was done talking to him I asked to talk on the phone (to pretend I was distracted :)) We needed to get on the 15 North to go to Tim's and the 15 South to go to the Stadium... So I was talking on the phone to Brettley and got on the 15 South... Ben didn't say anything... So I said - "Oh dang it! Where am I going???" I made it sound like I was so dumb dumb :) Then I asked Ben - "Hey can you open the glove box and get the..." I trailed off and Ben opened the glove box and found this... Apparently the first thing he saw was the Cheetos and then he saw the tickets and was kind of confused for a second. He took out the tickets and asked What is this? I said CHARGERS BABY! He was shocked - He told me later that for a split second he was bummed that we were going to Tim's but then it sunk in that we were going to the game and he was SOOOO EXCITED!!! It was great! Best surprise I've EVER done!!!

So we took the Trolley into the game and watched warm-ups which is always exciting.
Then we decided to go to our seats! They were great seats! About 2 sections over from the goal posts - we were right at the end zone. As our usher was showing us our seats he pointed out a man to me. I STARTED FREAKING OUT! I couldn't speak - I just started hitting Ben and whispered LOOK! LOOK! LOOOK!!! One of Ben and my FAVORITE show is The Unit on CBS. The main character on that show Dennis Haysbert plays a guy named Jonas Blaine. And it just so happened that he was standing 2 feet away from us! I was so star-struck. He was talking to someone, but could tell that 2 people were totally staring at him so he turned around and looked at us. Ben shook his hand and said "Hi, I know you came to watch a football game, but we're huge fans and we don't want to harass you." Jonas "Snake-Doctor" Blaine then told Ben "Bless you!" He has a really rich voice in real life that was mesmerizing. I shook his hand next and said something really stupid... "I'm usually not this star-struck, but we are huge fans!" What a dumb thing to say to someone! He was a very nice man though with huge hands and a very friendly firm handshake! Did I mention how attractive he is? Very :) We didn't want to be annoying to him so we didn't ask to take a picture with him, but I did get one of the back of his head :)Notice how his jacket says "The Unit" on it! SO cool! And one of him in his seat! He seemed to be a super cool guy and that was one of the best parts of the night!

The place was PACKED! There was even a line to get into the Men's bathroom - that is virtually unheard of!To make a long story short - the game was GREAT! LT made a touchdown RIGHT in front of us and that was super exciting. Since it was so pack the crowd was going crazy! It was great! We definitely messed with the Colts offense a few time because we were so loud! Scifres our punter did such an amazing job! He would kick the ball perfectly EVERY SINGLE TIME! Amazing! We were behind by 3 in the 4th quarter and Nate Kaeding had to make a field goal. This usually doesn't make me nervous, but Nate has a record of chocking in the post season! But luckily he made it and we tied the game pushing us into Over Time! I was a nervous wreak! I had to force myself to watch! It was a GREAT OT! The Chargers seemed to be doing everything right! When Sproles got the touchdown to win the game the stadium erupted! It was AMAZING and something I will never forget! Ben almost passed out from cheering so much and my throat is super sore today, but it was totally worth it!

Here we are after the incredible win!

Me with some fans after the game :) The cool thing about football games is that all the fans are cool - Everyone was high fiving each other after we won! It was great - the only annoying fans there were these 2 dumb drunk girls who sat right in front of us... I don't want to talk about it...

After the game we went and found Dennis Haysbert's seat... Pathetic I know, but he is sooooo freaking RAD!Yes, Ben is holding Snake-Docs leftovers :)

CHARGERS BABY!!! ROUND ONE IS OVER AND WE WON!!! Let's get ready for ROUND 2!!! WHOOOOO HOOOOO!!!!

Ringing In 2009!

2009-01-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to Disneyland to celebrate New Years Eve! We did this last year and discovered a really fun band named Suburban Legends. They are great :) They came back to Disneyland again this year and did not disappoint us!!! We meet up with my cousin Lesley and her husband Cory (who looks like Jacob Black), but we didn't hang out with them long (we're going back today to hang with them :) Can't get too much of Disneyland!) So instead we hung out with our friends Wes and Ilse, Bernie and Toreva, and Ilse's friends Todd and Ashley (THAT'S RIGHT I SAID TODD AND ASHLEY! WHAT ARE THE CHANCES!!!) Ben got there a little bit later than I did (He had to work) so I hung out with our friends and it was really fun! We got free New Year's Eve hats and stood in really long lines to get hot chocolate. Then Ben got there and we went on some rides. We went on Indiana Jones twice (cut in line both times... Ilse is really good at that :)), Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear. Ben and I also went to see our Band and the group meet up with us later.

L-R: Bernie, Toreva, Ashley, Todd, Ilse, Wes, Me, Ben and Ryan

Now I need to explain something about the band. Last year, they seemed to REALLY like Ben and not so much like me at all! They would throw these Marti-gras beads and like 3 of the band mates gave some to Ben - I was really jealous! So this year I was determined to get me some beads! So we found this little spot to watch the band that we right next to the side of the stage and away from all the annoying groupies! And the lead singer came over and gave us all beads!!!! I was so happy! Then we made friends with a lady who worked on the stage and she gave us MORE beads! Ben of course still had way more than me because the Band kept throwing them to him... I don't know why they like him so much!!!

Valkyrie

2008-12-30T21:44:00.000-08:00

Tonight Ben and I saw Valkyrie. We both really like World War II movies and this one was great! We really enjoyed it! It, of course, is a bit sad, but it was well done. I would highly suggest this movie to anyone. Ben gave it an A- and I gave it 4 our of 5 stars :)

Last week we saw Yes Man - This movie was awful - Skip it! You really don't need to see it...

Jazz Hands!

2008-12-30T11:08:00.000-08:00

So I finally got my Jazz dance class grade! I loved this class - I only missed 1 class (thanks to Shelly the nail bitter) and I really liked my teacher and classmates. I learned a lot, but unfortunately did horrible on my final! I was trying to be too funny and ended up forgetting everything I had planned about 8 counts into the dance :) Whoops! But today I got my grade and I feel good - Oh I feel so good! UH!

Go Chargers!

San Diego SUPER CHARGERS!

2008-12-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

So I have to admit that I did not think the Charger could pull this off!!! Ben was really excited about last night's game all week and I kept telling him not to get his hopes up! They had a HORRIBLE season (except for the game against the Jets - AWESOME and I was totally there!) Anyway- I did not think they could pull if off but low and behold last nigh they KILLED the BRONCOS (52 to 21)! I really hate Jay Cuttler (the Broncos QB) He is such a baby! Anyway - the Chargers seem to be peaking at the right time and I really hope they can WIN the Superbowl!!!

San Diego SUPER CHARGERS!!!!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T10:51:00.000-08:00

Ryan had a great Christmas! We started the morning by opening presents at our house - Ryan was so funny - everything was really exciting to him! We got really funny video but no pictures so when I upload the video from my video recorder then I will post them. I also didn't get any pictures from opening presents with the Hoy's at Shane and Melinda's house - again lots of video. Then we went to my parents' house and my Dad took pictures :) Ryan got some fun toys :)

Ryan loved this toy - it shoots balls up in the air and it's really funny to watch his reaction! He actually got one from both sets of grandparents (spoiled rotten kid!)It's kind of a new tradition but every year for the past 3 or so years we go to dinner at Benihana's Christmas night. I love doing this because the food is so freaking good!!!

Merry Christmas Eve!

2008-12-24T11:11:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday we went to see Santa! We went to this house across the street from Richland Elementary School - if you haven't seen this house or Santa - drop all your plans tonight because he will be there from 6-8p and he is the BEST SANTA EVER! Probably because he is the REAL Santa. Anyway - Here are the pictures. Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

Funny Pictures of Ryan

2008-12-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

I forgot to post these pictures... But I'm doing that today, even though I've got about a million and one things to do!

Ryan got a Lightning McQueen suitcase for Christmas. We took it to Oregon with us and he was a big helper helping me pack...

He also likes to take all of his toys out of this ottoman thing and get inside of it. Very silly!

Nursery

2008-12-21T16:45:00.000-08:00

That's right, Ryan is now in nursery! His first Sunday was 2 weeks ago and he loved it! I, however, cried. I'm glad that he likes nursery and that he wants to go, but I'm so sad that he is getting so big! I miss my little baby that would sleep all day long! Oh well. Today when I took him into Nursery, Seth Guerrero (who is turning 3 next month and is super cute) ran over to Ryan and gave him a big o'hug! It was so darn cute! I didn't cry today but had to take a moment to remember to breath :) haha - I'm such a dork that it's really not even funny!

Let It Snow!

2008-12-19T19:22:00.000-08:00

I don't like to be cold, however, when in Rome... Or in my case, Oregon :)

We had so much fun in Oregon! It's nice to be able to get away and visit with good friends!

Pump It UP!

2008-12-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

After the Pittock Mansion, we drove to Pump It Up. If you do not know what this is - please go to their website http://www.pumpitupparty.com/ - I found out that there is one in San Marcos and I'm so excited about that!!! Anyway - it's this place with a bunch of inflatable things for kids (smaller kids - which I thought was really cool seeing as I have a young one myself) and they can slide, jump, and play!

When we first got there, Ryan wasn't too sure about the place... He had been sleeping in the car and he doesn't like to be woken up... But after a sippy cup break, he found a very cool car to drive around in!He loved this car and wouldn't get out! Thank you Craigslist for helping me find one for $15 for CHRISTMAS!!!

Finally Daddy convinced Ryan to try some of the fun inflatable stuff and Ryan really started to enjoy himself!Ryan didn't know what to think about life size Winnie the Pooh...Mason is such a CUTE kid!!! He had a super fun time too!Ryan really did enjoy himself!Ryan really liked the SLIDE!!!

So did Ben... Oh dear...

Pittock Mansion

2008-12-15T21:54:00.000-08:00

We were able to visit my BFF Ashley and her family this weekend in Oregon! We had a great time. Our first day there Ash took us to the Pittock Mansion. It was so pretty! They had it all decked out for Christmas. Apparently, this was the finish line for the Amazing Race. I don't watch that show, but it would have been a really cool finish line :)

There were a lot of scary mannequins like this one all over the place... they were all sleeping... and all of them terrified me!The thing I liked most about this place was the gorgeous windows that had view of Portland. Someday when I get a house I want lots of windows all over the place (I also figure that by the time I have a house with lots of windows I will be able to afford a window washer) Anyway - I really enjoyed the Pittock Mansion :)

PS - Ashley - Please send me the picture of Kianoa (sp) and the Poinsettia... No one will think it's funny, but I will still laugh my head off!!!

Merry Christmas from Pro Pacific Pest Control

2008-12-10T19:14:00.000-08:00

We took photos today for our Company Christmas Card and I think they turned out really freaking cute!

So Merry Christmas from your friends at Pro Pacific Pest Control (or Bee Removal)

(L-R: Ben, Ryan, Erin, Melinda, Olivia and Shane Hoy)

Merry Mix It

2008-12-10T14:32:00.000-08:00

Just go to this website and stop asking questions! :)

http://gap.com/merrymixit.com

P.S. - My favorites are Jon Header and Rainn Wilson...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Gotta love coupons!

2008-12-09T15:24:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to be more trifty lately - that includes coupons and looking through ads that I usually just throw out. Today made it all worth it! We bought a pizza last week from Papa John's - it was yummy, but on the box was a coupon for $3 The Dark Knight DVD. I cut out the coupon of course and a few days later found an ad for CVS Pharmacy. If you buy a $15 iTunes gift card they will sell you The Dark Knight for $9.99 (with CVS card) So I was able to get this fantastic DVD for $6.99 and it has made my whole day :) I am so happy that I did this!!!!

Thanksgiving... Finally!

2008-12-08T20:37:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was a great day! The States family and Hoy family enjoyed dinner together. It was yummy and fun! Enjoy the pictures :)

Our friend Matt Olsen joined us this year for the feast! He was a big help :) Ben and Matt made a pie. Ben and Matt deep fried a Turkey! It was sooooo yummy!!! Here they are preparing the fryer. Here is Matt getting ready to put the Turkey in the pot. Like the flannel shirt/apron?Matt became drunk with the power... Wow - crazy!Beautiful sunset right before dinner :)Here is Matt taking the Turkey out. It cooked REALLY quick! And so yummy to the tummy!Getting Ryan dressed in his Thanksgiving best!I don't even know what to say...Ryan was fussy as soon as it was time to eat!Jon Hoy... 'nough said.YUM! YUM! YUM! YUM! YUM! YUM! YUM! YUM!Ryan was really stuffed!Picking names for Christmas presents!Ryan and Olivia are so dang cute!!! They had a good time playing with each other :)

Airbands BABY!

2008-12-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

So for mutual in March 2009, Ben is planning a huge airband competition between some of the youth in a few wards. Should be awesome... I'm thinking I'll break out my Beyonce "Single Ladies" - Yeah you know I can R-O-C-K it! :) Riiiiiiight. Anyway - here is some of Ben's inspiration and quite frankly - I love Turk...

Canceled Cable

2008-12-08T16:45:00.000-08:00

Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Ben and I canceled our cable. We are trying to cut back costs and we also wanted to spend more time with our son instead of ignoring him while we sit and watch TV all night long. I've got to say that I really didn't want to cancel it but I'm really happy that we did! There are only 2 shows that I REALLY miss - besides Chargers football of course :) But I watched The Office online for FREE and bought Grey's Anatomy off iTunes (it was a weak moment) But all in all, I'm happy with no cable in our home :) But I won't lie to you either and say that I'm never going to have cable again... Because one of these days I will break down and want to watch TV all day again, but for now I'm enjoying it!

Twilight... the 2nd time

2008-12-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

So after I saw Twilight I was surprise with how much I didn't remember from the book so I started reading it again that night. I wanted to go slow and enjoy the book, but I ended up reading still sorta quick :) Can't put that darn thing down! Anyway - So I saw the movie again today and I liked it sooo much more this time around - the cheesy parts seemed a bit less cheesy... only a bit though. There was so much missing from the movie, but I can still enjoy it for what it is! The only real problem I now have with the movie is some of "Edwards" intense moments of acting... Hopefully he gets some acting lessons before the next movie!

Since I'm finished with Twilight, I'm moving onto New Moon. I hated New Moon the first time around and vowed not to put the book down until Edward returned - that was a very LONG day! So this time around I'm thinking about either skipping the whole Jacob part all together or reading every other chapter. Whatcha think about that? Sorry if I offend any Jacob fans out there, but he is just not my cup of tea (although the actor who plays Jacob is a cutie... and kinda looks like my cousin Lesley's hubby)

Taylor Lautner/ Jacob Black

Cory

Christmas Presents

2008-12-02T21:33:00.000-08:00

So I wanted to feel Christmasy since I haven't put up my decorations yet... I decided to wrap Ben and my Christmas gift - Yes we're getting a Wii!!!!!!!!!!!! After I wrapped the present I got up to put away the scissors and tape so that Ryan wouldn't get them... I then heard an strange sound and turned around to see this...

This should be an interesting Christmas... :)

He did it AGAIN!

2008-12-01T11:26:00.000-08:00

My kid must be a really restless sleeper... Just like both his parents. Ben has to move his feet all night long and I am constantly rolling over and over to get comfortable! Ryan must have a little of both! Haha

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2008-11-27T10:49:00.001-08:00

I hope that you all have a great and happy Thanksgiving today! Eat lots of food and get ready for the mad dash shopping tomorrow!

Here is Ryan from last year - it's so funny how small he was!

Washing Dishes with Daddy

2008-11-26T16:49:00.001-08:00

Ryan's new favorite thing to do (and I got to say that it's one of my favorite things to watch) is help Daddy with the dishes! He loves to do it and begs Daddy to wash them as soon as Daddy gets home from work!

Ryan Loves to Brush His Teeth!

2008-11-26T16:40:00.000-08:00

The other day, Ryan managed to move the cat sand container so that he could reach Ben's toothbrush on the counter... This is how the following happened :)

I guess I should be thankful that Ryan likes to brush his teeth :)

The Toy Ryan Wishes He Had :)

2008-11-25T18:41:00.001-08:00

Last week, we took a family trip to one of our favorite places... COSTCO! Where else can you get a cheap meal and entertainment afterwards for FREE? Really if you have any suggestions let me know! Anyway - while browsing the store/warehouse, Ryan found the perfect toy... A POWER WHEELS! He couldn't reach the pedals, but he loved "steering".

Christmas TAG :)

2008-11-24T14:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper

2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial - I like to put up my tree the day after Thanksgiving... sometimes after Thanksgiving dinner :) and leave it up until New Years day! Plus I don't want my cats peeing on a real one :)

3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the day after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? after new years

5. Do you like eggnog? Surprisingly yes... But only the homemade stuff - Love Ben's grandmother's recipe!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? tough question! I always had AWESOME christmases as a child! But the one year I can think of right now is when I got this "real" baby doll - I named her Mary :)

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Brother-in-law Shane

8. Easiest person to buy for? Ben and Ryan

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yup! I got an awseome Willow Tree (complete set!!!) one for my birthday this year!!!!

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail

11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? The first year I was dating Ben I recieved NOTHING! That was the worst gift ever! :)

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? CHRISTMAS STORY!!!! I also like Elf

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? This year we will be attempting to shop on BLACK FRIDAY - wish me luck!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? hehehe

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Mint M&M's

16. Lights on the tree? Colored :)

17. Favorite Christmas song? He Sent His Son, ... SO MANY ACTUALLY!

18.Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home, but I would LOVE to travel!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donnor, Blitzen, Rudolph - I really could even though Christene already listed them! I can sing the Rudolph song :)

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One on Christmas Eve (usually pajamas), but I've ususally been able to convince my parents to let me open another one :)- the remaining in the morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? NOT ENOUGH MONEY!!! Debt :)

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Snowmen and Snowflakes!

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Ham

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A House or a Wii, but I will settle for finding something cool for my son to climb on :)

Merry Christmas!!!

I Tag: Ashley(s) - ALL OF YOU!, Christy, Nora, Katie and Melody!