A week on Kiawah Island, South Carolina....

We spent the last week vacationing in South Carolina with Mom and Dad. Kiawah Island is approximately 40 minutes southeast of Charleston. We had a great time hanging out on the beach, biking, exploring Charleston and of course eating plenty of seafood.

Here are a few pictures.....

I'm not sure that I even need to add a caption to this one. Thanks, Elisa, for catching this one. I didn't see it coming!!!!!

Kayla's First Day of Dance School....

Last Saturday was Kayla's first day of Dance School. She was SSSSOOOOOO excited. I think we were just as excited for her. We spent two days shopping for the necessities. I had no idea we would have to find so many "Dance Apparel" stores to get all the items.

Kayla plays the balarina part very well. We will keep you posted on her progress. She will work all year on a group routine that they will showcase at an annual recital at the Lakeland Performing Arts Center.

What to do in Orlando when it is over 100 degrees in the summer.....

That's right..... Go to Disney!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Elisa, Kayla and I joined Ada, Stephanie and Lily in a trip to Magic Kingdom. The lines were extremely long, it was over 100 degrees and we had a great time. This was Kayla's second visit to Disney, but the first that she will remember. Ashlyn stayed home with Mamita Esperanza.

Here are a few pictures of our adventures.....

The next generation....

With six new additions to the family, we feel it necessary to give them special credit. There is one missing that we were so sad to have missed on this trip. We'll be sure to make a special trip to see you soon Matty!!! There is also a seventh on the way. We will call him Baby Simpson for now as mom and dad to be are being very tight lipped about the name. Remember to hold on until December 27th. That's a perfect day to be born.

The Hoefen Kids (Ashlyn, Kayla, and Evan)

Beautiful Abigail. Thanks for keeping your parents awake.

She's a mirror image of dad.

Landen, dressed in what's sure to be one of many Harley shirts.

I'm jealous of your new scooter.

Congratulations Bret & Shannon!!!!!!!!

We're very happy for you. First dance as Mr. and Mrs. Hoefen.

Welcome to the family officially Shannon.....

"White Gangsta!!!!!" Mom, look at Bret's finger!!!!

That isn't how you taught us to act in public.

The Hoefen family is growing by leaps and bounds.

I may be biased, but I thought the flower girl was a

beauty and did you see her dance????

Daddy's Girls!!!!!

I think this picture clearly captures one PROUD Daddy!!!!!!!!!!! There isn't much I have to say about my girls. What a sweet life..........

An awesome summer visit.....

We had a great summer visit from our Nieces Amanda and Linda. They came to spend a few weeks in Orlando with the family. They have been in California for the past year. It was great to catch up with them.

They were here for Ashlyn's birth and were a huge help.

We miss you girls!!!!!!!! We can't wait to see you again.........

Sunday at the beach...

Kayla and I spent Sunday afternoon at the beach with the cousins. We went to Clearwater Beach outside of Tampa. It was HOT!!!!! We are averaging temperatures around 95 to 98 degrees each afternoon. The only thing that cools us down is the afternoon thunderstorms every other day this time of year. Remeber that the humidity level is around 90% by 9:00 in the morning. But while the north is shoveling snow to find their car, I will be golfing in a mild 50 to 60 degree winter. I'll put up with a few months in the AC or pool for that!!!!!!!!!!

I feel like I have a "Kayla tan-line" on my back. She spent the entire time on my back because she wanted to be in the deep water with me. Kayla has no fear of the beach.

We are looking forward to the day Ashlyn will be able to play with Kayla at the beach. Kayla has been a great sister. She loves to spend time "talking" to the baby. It is clear that they will be great partners in life. We feel like such a complete family. We are blessed.

The long awaited glimps....

Here is the picture everybody has been waiting to see!!!!!!!!!! This is Ashlyn at 2 days old on July 5th, 2007. This was taken in the hospital, but she and mom came home later the same day.

Here's the rest of the exciting story.... After three days in the hospital, we couldn't wait to get home. To relax (nurse free) in our own living room. To sleep in our own bed. Well, we got home Thursday afternoon just to find out that lightening had knocked out our air conditioner. The house was a stifling 88 degrees inside. The garage was the coolest place to be (and that is brutally hot).

We ended up spending the night at Elisa's parents house and returning again today after the repairs were made.

Daddy's Angels................

And the good news...

Ashlyn Elizabeth Hoefen was born this morning, July 3, 2007, at 8:08am. She weighed in at 7lbs. 6oz. Both mom and baby are doing great.

Kayla came over shortly after the birth to see her baby sister. She is such a caring girl. She will take great care of her sister.

Sorry no pictures yet. We are taking plenty, but I am posting from a semi functional hospital terminal. We will be sure to get them up as soon as we get home.

I know this is horrible....

I know this is a horrible video, but it was probably the most entertaining hour and a half I have ever wasted.

This a poor attempt, but it is also a first attempt. It's a little off, but I figured after an hour and a half, what am I going to do with it in the end anyway????

Check out Brian and his moves. He entertains me......

I Think We Have It....

After months and months of searching, we have finally settled on a name for the baby (36 hours before the scheduled birth)......

Her name will be:



Ashlyn Elizabeth Hoefen



Ashlyn - is our changed version of Asha which means hope in Sanskrit. Ashlyn's maternal grandmother's name is Esperanza which means hope in Spanish.

Elizabeth - is a form of Betsy meaning "My God is a Vow." More importantly this is also Ashlyn's paternal grandmother's name.


If all goes as planned, hopefully we won't end up with a son named Ashlyn. If it's a boy, I think we have put all of our eggs in one basket. We don't have a boy name picked out. We will have to think quick on our feet. Knowing that it took nine months to come up with a girl name, we'll see what happens. Who knows, Ashton doesn't sound too bad????

My first video post

It's not quite the right time of year for this, but here is the first semi-video that I am posting.




This is a collection of pictures from Christmas 2006.

Here's hoping that I can figure out how to even attach a video to the blog.....

You Tube currently says it will take up to 6 hours for the video to be playable. As this is the first, I guess they know better. We'll see in the morning..........

Good night...........

Blog Techno Update...

Good news. You no longer have to have a Google account to post comments on our blog.

Click on comments to add comments and you have the option of adding comments using an account, or just your name, or even anonymously.

That should make this page a bit more accessible.

Suggestions are always encouraged.....

Hot summer days....

Kayla spent a 95 degree typical summer afternoon in the fountains of Celebration.

Next time we'll be in Celebration will be on the Fourth of July for the best fireworks outside of Disney (which costs $60 per person to get into). Kayla will have a one day old sister that day.

Kayla went clothes shopping Sunday morning. I think I'm just starting to get the feeling that having a daughter (OMG, almost two of them) is going to be torture in the future. She is getting a little more choosey with her clothing choices. We're up to Old Navy now. I'm not looking forward to Abercrombie or American Eagle.....

I didn't know they marketed perfume to 3 and a half year olds??????

Surprise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Elisa came home to a surprise today. Her family planned a baby shower for her. They let me in on the plan so I could get her out of the house. We came back to our house, full of decorations, food and plenty of baby apparel. It couldn't have been better.

Thank you to everybody for a great day!!!!

We are still on for July 3rd at this point. It is planned for 7:30am (meaning we have to be there by 5:30am). That actually works out well. Elisa can't eat or drink past midnight the day before. If the procedure was much after 8am, she would be dying of hunger.

The other peice of good news is that we FINALLY got a computer. It has been difficult staying on top of this blog, but we should be back on track from here forward.

Check back often. We have plenty to keep you informed on. The new baby, Kayla, the family, all of the house work. You get the picture.

Birth date of the new baby!!!!

As many of you already know, the new baby will be a C-Section delivery. Well, today we found out the likely date of the delivery.....

July 3, 2007

That's right... If all goes as planned, the baby will be born on the morning of the "Lake of Fire."

We will be sure to post lots of pictures of the new addition to the family.

Day 2 of Hurricane Season 2007....

What a start.... On the first day of 2007, we have our first tropical storm of the year. It was also the first day of rain we have had in a few months. Sure looks like an active year to me. Hotels have to be the worst place to work during hurricanes. First problem is, during a storm you want to be home to ensure your property makes it through OK. Well, the owners of the hotel also want to make sure their property makes it through. In other words, it's all hand on deck during the storm. We work 24 hour shifts from the day before the storm until the day after cleanup is completed. Now try being a hotel family where you and your spouse both work in different hotels. This makes it a bit more complicated. Both parties have to work 24 hour shifts in different locations. Who takes care of the house and dog? Who takes care of the kids?

Can you tell how thrilled I am to be back in Florida for the first time since we got hit with four major hurricanes in one season??? Well, for the good news... Mosquitos can't fly very well in hurricane force winds. In fact, a light breeze can save quite a bit of pain.

What's up with the squirrels????

So I'm going to start with.... I don't think about it all the time, but it seems to cross my mind frequently.... What's up with the super squirrels of the north. In the south, they eat all year and they always look like they just crossed the Sahara with no food or water. In Rochester, Super Squirrel is the size of a small bear. Can Festival Guy be nurturing these intriguing creatures during his down time? It must have something to do with the waste water run-off they drink after festivities on Park Ave.... Every tree in the South is a 1,000 year old live oak. Each could sustain an army with their endless acorns. Why don't they grow???

I don't get it.... Oh well..... I'll ponder again later....

Here we go again......

Sorry for the complete lack of postings in the last six months. Wow.... I can't believe it has been that long. Here's my list of excuses, well actually, it boils down to being cheap....

Our computer fried as all computers do at some point. We still haven't splurged and gotten a new one. As you see, there is no picture attached to this entry as I am quickly updating our site from the comfort of my office. Yes, I know I should be working, but we will just call this break the "getting even with smokers" break.

So, here's the update..... A month or so ago, we moved back to Orlando for work. We sold our house in Alpharetta in great time. We had a contract four days after we listed it. We then bought a house in Orlando in record time. We closed on the new house four days after closing on the old house.

Since moving into the house, we have spent every minute painting and unpacking. This will be the first house that does not have ANY white walls. Unfortunately, like Ryan, we did not take any before pictures. Hopefully, before I start on the exterior (painting and landscaping) we will take a few photos.

Here's an update on us....

Kayla couldn't be happier. She is surrounded by family. She plays with her cousins all week. There are also quite a few girls her age in the neighborhood. The last place she wants to be is home with her mom and dad.

For those of you who are not aware.... We are expecting another baby girl toward the end of June. Elisa is doing very well. She is one tough cookie. Nothing slows her down.

Here is where YOU come in. We are looking for names. Ryan, Rex is not an option. Imagine the satisfaction of knowing that our daughter is walking around using the name of YOUR choice.

Give us your thoughts. Soon we will start posting pictures again. We are currently working on finishing up our home office. This is the first house that we will have a dedicated home office in. At that point, we will probably have to splurge and pick up a new computer. Then we will have to think about paying for internet. That's a stretch considering we don't even have cable.