Archive for the family Category
The Search for a Christmas Tree 2009
December 15, 2009 | Filed Under family, kids, Personal | Leave a Comment
An early snowfall arrived here in Maryland on the same day my family planned on finding and cutting down our Christmas tree. The annual trip to a tree farm has been a Hoffmann family tradition for 13 years now.

Grammy pulls Henry away just as he attempts to step through a puddle.

Keely is armed with the mighty saw



Henry wanders the field

Keely keeps her eye on her tree of choice

A Long Weekend at the Beach
August 24, 2009 | Filed Under family, kids, Personal, vacation | Leave a Comment
I took my wife and two youngest kids for a long weekend at Bethany Beach in Delaware. Of course I couldn’t leave my camera home.













Sun Splash
July 24, 2009 | Filed Under family, Personal, vacation | Leave a Comment

My family and I just returned from Florida to have a mini-vacation and attend my sister’s wedding. Being a photographer, I also did double-duty as the wedding photographer.
On our last full day, we packed a lunch and headed off to Sun Splash, a local waterpark, located in Cape Coral, Florida. As luck would have it, thunderstorms rolled in 30 minutes after the park opened. The park decided to close until 2:00p. Luckily for us, the park is only 5 minutes from my parent’s home, so it wasn’t too much of a hassle.
Because we were flying out the next day, we decided to use the rain checks they gave us to go back at 2:00p. The upside to this was the park was nearly empty. We had a troop of about 15 people, and that probably was about a quarter of all patrons in the park for the rest of the day. No lines, no waiting, no problems.
Kids Will Be Kids
May 31, 2009 | Filed Under family, headshots, kids | 1 Comment

Today my 7-year old daughter Keely, tried her hand at doing face painting … on my 2-year old son, Henry.
I happened to be setting up for headshots I’m doing on Tuesday, and my daughter decided now that she has mastered the art of painting on faces, to try her hand at doing photography. She gave Henry explicit directions on how to pose (which of course went on deaf ears), and then manned the camera (with my careful eyes on her making sure she wouldn’t break anyting) and snapped off a few shots. I was able to salvage a few somewhat usable images. I think it’s time for me to spend some time now educating Keely on the art of photography. I think she is showing a liking to it.
Headphone Discovery
April 25, 2009 | Filed Under family, kids | Leave a Comment


You’ve got to listen to WonderPets without outside noise distractions.
That Summertime Feeling
June 21, 2008 | Filed Under family, kids, People, Personal | 1 Comment

Ah, summer. You remember those days as a kid don’t you? Being out of school and running out of the house in the morning, feeling the warmth of the sun on your face, wondering what that day of fun would bring.
Unfortunately, I’m not a kid anymore and those days of three months of vacation are only a memory. However, I can relive those moments watching my kids experience it as I once did.
No matter what type of camera you own, keep it handy, and take photographs of your family. You, your family, and future family members will appreciate it in the future.
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Kindergarten Graduate
June 7, 2008 | Filed Under family, Personal | Leave a Comment
Last night my youngest daughter Keely, graduated from Kindergarten. When I was growing up in Illinois, there was never such a ceremony. Boy, let me tell you, what an emotional experience — for the parents. I’ve been to high school and college graduations in the past, but I have never seen so many mom’s reaching for the tissues as I saw last night. Even I got a little choked up, myself.
The ceremony started with a slideshow showing pictures throughout the year, of course to music that really moved you, as the kids walked in and up on to the stage. That was just the teaser to get the tear machine warmed up, for a bit later, up came another slideshow with music titled, “Let Them Be Little”, and showed pictures of each individual graduate, then a baby picture, followed with pictures of child and mom, plus child and dad. During this time, each child, one-by-one, met mom at the center of the the room, presenting her with a yellow rose. Boy, this was when the waterworks really was flowing.
Keely did a bit of a Michael Jordan impersonation, by sticking out her tongue when receiving her diploma. Making sure to shake with the right hand and accept the diploma with your left takes a lot of concentration, especially for a 6-year old.
Following the ceremony, refreshments were given and good-byes were spoken.
Keely made many good friends this past school year. With her best friend Kayla going onto her new school for first grade and Keely starting homeschool next year, they unfortunately will see much less of each other in the future.
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