Summary of Christmas 2010

This year was great for so many reasons! Conner was home for Christmas Eve and day, so everyone was together; I was able to surprise Aaron with his gift; all the kids seemed truly grateful for what santa brought them; and we got to spend a lot of time with family.

As kids get older, it is funny to see their gifts get smaller and fewer while the bills get higher and higher!! Con and Bay didn't have as much to open this year as Mikel and Nik did, but they were very patient and realized what was happening. Bay's "big" gift was tiny, so it was fun to watch her open slippers and books while everyone else got fun stuff, and then when she hit her stocking, BINGO! There was her new iPod. Mikel was expecting her DS so that was not a big reaction, but when she opened her Ivie and Bean books, WHOA! It was so funny...

I never get to surprise Aaron, but this year I got a gift card from work and was able to be sneaky and get him the PS3 he has been talking about for a year. And Aaron got me great jewelry this year - a garnet and quartz necklace with matching earrings and an AMAZING watch. He is so awesome :-) My boss also got me a gift this year which was so great - he bought me a Wii! I have been wanting one for a long time, but since I didn't know how often I would get to play it, didn't get it for myself...

Main gifts from Santa:

Conner - Electric guitar with amp & case

Baylee - iPod and docking station

Mikel - DS, Barbie Jet, EZ Bake Oven

Nik - TONS of Star Wars and action figures (Santa went a bit overboard) and a Mobigo

OH! Can't forget the dogs...Tyson Bear and Lucky Blue had a great Christmas too... :-)

Pre-Christmas 2010

Surrounding Christmas this year, as every year, there is a myriad of events leading up to the big day. Starting early in December, we have the Hooley-Fest which is the giant friend and family Christmas party that Aaron's parents have thrown for the past few years. It is a great excuse to get all dolled up and have some Christmas cheer!! Then there is the Nutcracker, which all the girls in the family get dressed up to see. It has been a tradition for the past 4-5 years, and we all look forward to it (though this year, I didn't take my camera to get the picture by the giant nutcracker!) Then there is the Santa Breakfast at the country Club, which was layed out in my last post.

This year, Torri started a new tradition of having friends and family over to bake cookies just before Christmas - which was a BLAST! So many people were there and we were all in the kitchen, but everything moved so smoothly and tasted so great. I hope that one continues as well... :-)

Then we had Christmas Eve at Jess' house, with a great dinner & conversation, and kids getting to open their Christmas jammies and sing Chrsitmas carols. They actually went out caroling to the neighbors this year and had a great time!! Unfortuantly, Sierra and Brinley weren't with us that night, but they got to rejoin the family the next morning...

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Santa

On Sunday, we went to the annual Chirstmas Brunch with Santa at the country club. The kids look forward to it every year!! Santa and Mrs. Clause arrive in a helicopter to save the strength of the reindeer for Christmas Eve. Mikel is convinced that this is the REAL Santa, since he flies in, looks so great, and brings Mrs. Clause. All others are elves who are just helping out.

Conner and Baylee refused to sit on his lap this year (last year was a HUGE struggle), but they posed nicely for the picture. It is hard to see the kids getting older, but at least they play along nice for the little ones. As long as they remember that Santa represents the SPIRIT of Christmas, and that never goes away, then I am ok with them not thinking he comes down the chimney... :-)

ANOTHER addition....

So, we have been talking for months about getting a little friend for Tyson to play with; someone to get his energy out with and to keep him company when we are at work. We went back and forth about the cost, the mess, the time...but it kept coming back to what was best for Tyson.

Well, Aaron made up his mind when he saw an adorable picture of a half black lab/half Australian sheppard puppy. We took Tyson Bear over to meet him, and though we thought initially a different pup was right, Lucky Blue made his way into our hearts when we saw how great he interacted with Tyson.

Santa gave him to Mikel technically, but Aaron and Lucky bonded so quickly that they are pretty much inseperable! But don't tell that to Mikel - she is proud to have her first pet, and Tyson is having a great time with his new baby brother!

Lucky Blue was born Oct. 20, 2010 ad is 8 weeks old. Welcome to the Hooley Fam!

Halloween

This year, we had a Run-Away bride, a Pink Lady, and Obi Wan Kanobi. The kids had a great time dressing up and getting their loot, and we all had a ton of fun at Aunt To-To's big Halloween party, even though Aaron was out of town. :-(

One question, though: Without touching the subject of having to celebrate a holiday on a Saturday when it falls on a Sunday (so stupid!), why does it seem like kids are all done trick or treating by the time Halloween rolls around? Their candy buckets were all full from school, dance, daycare, office, family and friends, and we had to make room for more. I was so glad that the weather was bad this year, because honestly, staying out longer would have been pointless...there is a point when you have to say when!!

School Blues...

Ok, so this week I had a huge decision to make: Do I keep going on my current school schedule and graduate in April, or do I switch to a new program and add 4 months of work on my plate? I enrolled in a program to get my BA in Business Management, but I have been realizing that what I love and am passionate about is event planning & coordinating, facilitation, and maybe even starting my own business. Are management courses really going to move me toward that goal, or should I move to a focus on marketing? Do I get a BA quickly just to say I have one, or do I take more time and get the most out of it? Four months is a big deal when you are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel...

Well, I finally made the decision and papers are signed. AUGUST 2011, here we come!! :-)

Catch up!

Wow!! Almost a year since my last post. Things have been crazy busy, so I will catch up with some of the family highlights and then try to start fresh:

Conner turned 14 in May and started high school (9th grade) this week. He still lives in Elko with his dad and started guitar lessons. His big goal is that when he graduates high school, he would like to move back to Salt Lake and go to school to become a graphic design artist - he spends most of his time on the computer designing animation...I have to admit, I am not 100% sure of what it all is, but he enjoys it. And since it is inspiring a career path and college, I think it is great! He gets his braces off is a few months and he is very much looking forward to that.

Baylee turned 13 in June and started 8th grade this week. She goes to Butler Middle, her best friend is a girl named Chile (very sweet girl) and we are hoping her grades pick up this year. Very smart but has issues with focusing and keeping on track, so she started medication for ADD and it seems to be helping, so our fingers are crossed. She is not really boy crazy yet, which I LOVE!She started theater and is very excited because she loves acting and being in front of big groups of people. She has grown up a lot, but gets very emotional at times (teenagers!) and hates doing any kind of chores. Her room is a pig-sty most of the times and a huge challenge is just making sure everything is sanitary with no food, wet towels, etc all over the floor. She is also very clumsey, which makes it twice as great that she has found theater. :-)

Mikel is 6 and just started first grade at Bella Vista. She still goes to La Petite before and after school but her full-days at elementary. She takes cold lunch on most days, but loves picking a hot lunch day off the menu. She has a crush on Aiden Dixon still (boy in her class), which has been going on for about 2 1/2 years now (she gets mad at him once in a while for being a "dumb boy", but it never lasts long). She is a little snobby and whiney sometimes, but also very intelligent, compationate and sincere. She is trying desperately not to suck her thumb anymore, but it has been hard for her to stop. She got accepted into a competition dance team (YEAH!) but because of scheduling problems, she is still in the regular classes (sorry!). However, they did move her up with the big kids, which she loves. She is very talented and very motivated but she HAS to be the best at whatever she tries or she gets frustrated. She loves fashion, purses, shoes etc., but still cannot tie her shoes because she gets mad that she has to work at it (see what I mean!); we are working on that. Her best friends are Sagel and Riley from La Petite - she had her first "Big Girl" sleepover just before school started.

Nik is 4 and is in the Pre-K class at La Petite. He is smart as a whip and remembers everything he hears and sees. Very stubborn boy, but also very loving and snuggly. He loves toys, movies, riding his bike, and imaginative play. Star Wars has been his long time favorite (old and new) - sometimes a new fad comes in for a little bit (Transformers, Iron Man, etc.), but he always goes back to Star Wars. He loves pretending that Tyson is a Syth Lord and that he is a Jedi comign to destroy him...you can see where that goes! :-) He makes friends instantly, loves sports and wants to play football, soccer and basketball. He just finished a training program for soccer and can't wait to get on a field. Nik is very competative, like Mikel, but he is not as crushed as she is if he is not the best - hoping that he will just try harder instead. He is the picky eater in the family - he loves spicy food (salsa!) and most fruit, but he does not like most meat or veggies. Pizza, chocolate milk, and PB&Js are the all time favorites and will do about anything for a piece of candy!
Ok, now on to me and Aaron...where to start! We remodeled our great room this year which was a nightmare! So many things that you don't expect pop up at the most inopportune times. But it is now almost done and the house is feeling more like a home. We still have a lot to do, especially with the backyard, but it will all come along in time. We try to have date nights as often as we can, and it helps that Bay is old enough to watch the little ones. Football season is starting again which means going to Ute games - GO UTES - and watching the Steelers.

Aaron is traveling a TON for work, which is very hard, but also very satisfying. He is doing a great job and is becoming very successful at his company. My current challenge is trying to balance work, school (will get my BA in April!), and kids, and now doing it alone half the time. But it won't be forever - even finishing school in a few months will be a huge help for scheduling everything. The bigger challenge, I have realized, is that he is my best friend and we have been lucky enough to be able to spend so much time together over the lst 7 years that sharing him now with something he is so passionate about (his career) makes me a little jealous...

Ok, I think that is enough for now...hopefully I will have more to post before next year! :-)