Brent with his mom and brother

Waiting patiently :) for a group Hoffer family photo ....

Brent at Seaside, December 22, 2009

Visiting with the Hoffers

Brent is diligent about studying his Kumon homework. This night he was reading about Dante Alegeri and the Divine Comedy. Patti and I were both a little surprised at the subject matter but it's great that the reading assignments are not some simple, made up exercise but actually talk about cultural and literary subjects.

And Brent's love is the computer and computer games. And reading the Warrior books, a series of books about clans of cats.

Brent Fly-fishing at Trophy Lakes

Thanks to the generosity of his grandma and his aunts, Brent got to spend a glorious day fishing at a trout lake down by Port Orchard. Six hours of classes on how to choose a fly, how to cast, and how to catch and release. Here is his first and only catch...caught on the first cast! But what a great feeling!

I guess you wear the sunglasses to protect your eyes from a stray hook and to see the fish better.

I knew this day was coming.......

Well, I knew that this day was coming.......I just didn't think it would be this soon.

It seems like just yesterday that Brent was brought home from the hospital as a newborn, a little bit yellow, needing bili-lights. And now he is 12 years old.

First Day of Public School

I'm not sure if he's fully awake yet, but here's Brent heading out to his first day of Public School.

Scout Mission

I had a group of scary commando-type individuals scouting my property recently. They were heavily armed and were in "serious" mode. There was a lot of communications such as, "I've scouted the perimeter, commander, and the enemy is advancing," and "Keep your weapons ready, men, we need to stay alert!"

Bryce, Sarah, Savanah Cooper, Nathanial Cooper, Brent and Colin Borek

Waiting for Dinner!

We ate like kings and queens camping. The food was so good that the suggestion was made to repeat all the meals next year.

It was a little chilly this year, though the kids were on and IN the lake every day. I think we're looking at Eastern Washington next year and some warmer weather!

Brent at Mt. Lake

We drove a handful of miles to Mt. Lake, then hiked up to Twin Lakes carrying all the fishing gear with us. Here is Brent before we set out. The fishing didn't turn out so great, but the hike was wonderful and the views just beautiful.

Uncle Don and Brent with a fishing knot!

It takes a lot of patience to untangle fishing line! Here at Salisbury Park, Uncle Don is lending a hand!

The kids enjoyed fishing from the roadside. I worried that they were too close to each other and likely to hook another child rather than a fish!

On one day, we drove to Mountain Lake and then hiked to Twin lakes with fishing gear....hoping for some fresh trout. No such luck!

Brent with fishing pole and visions of catching a fish

Civil War Re-enactment at Port Gamble 7.09

Brent with his dad

Brent, warming up before race

Brent at Pendleton swim meet

Brent, on deck, for his next race. He is focused, he is concentrating, he's in the zone, he's visualizing his race, he's thinking about the snacks back at the team rest area!!

Brent's meet results: 13th in 100 Free (down...drumroll...22 seconds!!!!), 15th in 50 Back (down...drumroll...7.5 seconds!!), 9th in 200 IM, DQ'd in 50 Breast (this is HIS race...his best and he forgot to touch with two hands at the end!!), 10th in 50 Free (down 5.5 sec), 2nd in 100 Breast (down 24 seconds!!!!), 13th in 50 Fly, 12th in 100 back (down 4 seconds).

Birthday Brent

May 24, 2009

Brent got a game that loads on his "DS

and brother Bryce is watching the game here.

Brent's 12th Birthday (May 23-25, 2009)

The entire family (from the Olympic Peninsula down to Hammond and down to Dallas, Oregon) all gathered together in Hammond to celebrate Brent's and Jan's birthdays. Here are some photos of Brent from this past weekend.

Brent in a rare quiet moment

Brent is always running around, on the computer, in the refrigerator, or upstairs reading his "Warrior" books (which seem to be about cats...I don't quite get it.) But I caught him one evening sitting on the sofa and asked him to hold for a shot.

Going to church can be exhausting

Going to church can be absolutely exhausting! Getting up early, meeting with friends, praying, Sunday School, going out to lunch, playing with friends, running around the parking lot, then driving around Puget Sound to get back home. Poor Brent. It's been an exhausting day.

Brothers

These kids are a hoot. They laugh at almost anything. And they sometimes laugh just by looking at each other!

Early morning in Brent's bedroom

I snuck into Brent's room early on March 30th and saw this cute sight. Brent curled up tightly like a cocoon in Aunt Bev's quilt. And sleeping very comfortably on his hard, plastic toy gun. Somehow in his sleep, the sheet gets completely pulled off the corners.

Brent got his braces this past week. He chose royal blue for his first color. Only on the top at this point. Total cost of orthodontist care? $5350!!! Insurance pays $1500. He better brush REALLY well with that new sonic toothbrush. I asked Alan how they could afford to just give Brent such an expensive toothbrush and he just stared at me like I'd lost my mind!! Look at all the stuff he got...dental brushes, wax, special floss, floss threaders, antimicrobial mouth wash, check your brushing tablets....Man, it's a new world!

Brent at Awana Grand Prix

I did not get a trophy but I did get this ribbon for participating. I think that the part in front of the car that I pointed upwards, near the 96, probably stopped the car from going to fast. Oh, well. It was fun.

Lucy helps Brent with math

I found Brent this morning doing his math on the couch, with Lucy's help. Notice that Lucy has the textbook under her paws?? She's NOT supposed to be on the couch...which is why all the couches are covered??? Actually, this is the first time I've seen her up on one for longer than it takes me to say, "Lucy, GET DOWN!!"

Brent makes the HONOR ROLL!!!!

So, his hair may be messy, but he is VERY proud to have earned placement on the honor roll at Kumon. This means he is working 100 pages ahead of grade level.

His mama cried.

Capturing the Essence of Brent in a Family Photo

The nice thing about digital photos is that you can immediately check how the photo came out and if you need to take another one. Except that Aunt Bev was more focused in on seeing if EVERYONE's head and feet was in the photo----and if everyone was smiling or at least looking at the camera. Who knew to check for minor details like what might be going on with hands, fingers, etc.

Sigh.

Well, I certainly captured the ESSENCE of Brent. ( I feel like Emeril in the kitchen cooking! :)

Aunt Bev

Reading Warriors

Brent has been captured by the series "Warriors" about clans of cats and their many adventures of battles and keeping of territories.

This is a late night read....