Hodges Family Blog: May 2017

How it all began

Ralph and I have been together since the summer of 2008 but it all began in 1992. Ralph's sister, Colleen and I have been best friends since 6th grade and we grew up at each other's houses throughout the years. Ralph was always around but being the younger brother was forbidden to be around us (not that he wanted to make up dances with us). We said hi during high school and when I needed a jersey to wear to school on Fridays, Ralph was nice enough to let me wear his. He visited Kent State while I was there once to look at the football team and campus but decided against attending. He joined the Marine Corps and we spoke through emails every now and then just to see how the other was doing. Life went on and our paths finally crossed again in 2008 when Colleen invited me to their families yearly 4th of July party. Ralph was home on leave from Iraq and I just moved back to Cincinnati. This time when we saw each other things seemed a little different and the rest is history. In December 2011 we were engaged, July 2012 we were married, April 2013 we bought our first house and March 2014 we had our first child, Braxten! Each year has been more blessed than the last and we are so excited to see where our future takes us!

Sunday, May 28, 2017

November 15, 2016

Heaven gained an angel today. There are no words to describe the love that I have for this man or how much he will be missed. My Papa has always had a special place in my heart and it is filled with amazing memories from building doll houses for me, to stained glass gifts, to sitting on his lap as a baby and an adult, the bear hugs he would give surrounding you with love, the kisses he planted on my face as he held my cheeks as if to not let me go, the way he called me Jenn-y-fer, the trips he planned to the minute to be sure we saw it all and the way he would hold your hand and you knew he would be there for you forever. I miss you Papa - that is one huge understatement!

And then the trip home - a plane getting delayed until the next day after 9 hours waiting for them to make a decision, a stay in a hotel to get up at the break of dawn, back to the airport for the same broken plane to be there and getting delayed, to a taxi to JFK in morning rush hour to finally making it home. It was all worth it to see the faces waiting for us in the driveway! Thank goodness for family and amazing friends to help with the kids for all those extra hours.!

Family Pictures 2016

Once again Sara Timmer captured out family's love for one another perfectly in these pictures. She has the patience of a saint and waits to get the perfect shot - which can take a while with these monsters. It was a really fun morning! A memory to laugh at later - Kane hated Mommy during these pictures and literally screamed as if she was being taken away from her Daddy by a complete stranger. People in the park must have thought we were crazy and as we offered her candy to sit with Mommy we solidified their thoughts. Luckily she loved her Daddy and was ok with family shots. She was crying in any picture one on one with Mommy. Thanks to Debbie Hodges for the amazing "My Daddy's life Matters" shirt, they made some of these pictures even more priceless! Pictures speak a thousand words and we are blessed to have these to look at now and in the future!