Hawley Family Update 2014

Hawley Family Update 2014

Merry Christmas!  Welcome to the Hawley Family Update!  In an attempt to save some paper, we tried a new format this year.  Glad you found us!  Amanda has used this Blog off and on for many years, mostly when the kids were little.  One of her new year resolutions for 2015 is to post more regularly, so come back and visit throughout the year!  

 2014 has been quite the exciting year for the Hawley Family with some big changes.

Alec began 2014 in 5th grade, enjoying his final months in elementary school.  During the Lenten Season he was trained to be an Alter Server and has been serving regular masses as well as some weddings and funerals.  Alec is very reverent on the alter and never once gives into his families attempts to make him smile.  Finishing out 5th grade strong, Alec had a great summer, and although nervous, started the new school year this fall up in the middle school wing as an official middle school student.  In middle school Alec joined the Student Technology Committee and earned Honor Roll and a Citizenship Award for the first trimester.  Alec continues to be interested in gaming, specifically Minecraft, Clash of Clans, and Disney Infinity.  He also loves rollerblading, biking, kayaking, and volleyball. 

Aaron finished 3rd grade with gusto this year with his favorite activity of the year being a buddy with a preschooler.  Aaron loved being a role model to his buddy and enjoyed taking on a leadership role.  On our trip to Lake Tahoe this summer Aaron's favorite activity was kayaking.  He was ready for his own kayak to go exploring!  Now as a 4th grader Aaron bridged to Weeblo's in cub scouts and has been working hard to earn all of his requirements.  4th grade has been a great growing period so far for Aaron.  He studies hard and has a very strong work ethic with his school work. Aaron's favorite activities are biking, building amazing Lego ships, and of course playing baseball.  Aaron even pitched in a game for the first time this last Fall season!

Ashley, our little princess, worked very hard finishing 1st grade this year.  She absolutely loves school and proclaims pretty much every day to be, "The best day EVER!"  Her positive attitude is contagious and she lights up the world around her.  Ashley bridged from Daisy Scouts to Brownies this year and loves doing various activities with her Troop.  As a big 2nd grader Ashley is working hard to strengthen her reading and math skills.  Outside of school Ash has been busy not only with scouts, but also dance and piano lessons.  Ash moved up to higher ballet and tap classes, and now takes lessons two hours a week.  She loves every moment of it and has recently been able to do the splits for the first time!  Jingle Bells and Silent Night have been heard quite a bit around our house lately as Ashley serenades us on the piano each night.  Such a lovely little girl! 

Adam has been a Sergeant for a few years now, but last year was promoted to work in the Detective Bureau as the crimes persons supervisor.  In addition to his hard work in the bureau, Adam is also a member of the Brea Police Association Board as the Vice President.  In order to continue to quench his thirst for knowledge and be prepared for future promotion, Adam is working on earning a certificate in Human Resources from Cal State Fullerton.  Adam continues to enjoy running, mountain bike riding, gaming with the boys, and family adventures. 

Amanda has certainly had a year full of hard work and blessings.  Starting the teaching credential program in Fall of 2013, Amanda spent the spring of this year student teaching 5th and then 2nd grade at Fern Drive Elementary School in Fullerton, while attending night classes at Azusa Pacific University.  Upon completion she earned her Multiple Subject Teaching Credential this past summer.  As the ultimate blessing, Amanda received a job as the Technology Teacher/Coordinator at St. Joseph School in Placentia...the same school the kids attend.  Amanda loves teaching and is still working on her masters degree at night.  Amanda will earn her masters degree in Digital Teaching and Learning in May of 2015.  Although she closed down her cake business for the time being, Amanda still enjoys baking in her spare time.  She even submitted a chocolate cream pie and sugar cookies into the Orange County Fair.  The pie was awarded 2nd place in the category, and the sugar cookies took home the blue ribbon, 1st place!! 

Between finishing home renovations, sports, activities, jobs, and all else, this year has gone by in a flash!  We were thankfully able to take a week during the summer and get away to Lake Tahoe as a family.  We enjoyed bike riding, swimming, kayaking, train rides, exploring, and our new favorite family activity, horseback riding!  We look forward to 2015 and can only hope and pray that it brings the same blessings that 2014 did.  The Hawley Family prays the same for you! 

May God Bless you and keep you safe throughout the Christmas Season and all the way through 2015! 

Love,

Alec, Aaron, Ashley, Adam, and Amanda

We stopped in Sacramento on our way to Tahoe for a couple days.  We enjoyed learning about our State Government.

Outside of the Governors office. 

Seeing the Senate

Boy was it HOT in Sacramento!  We were melting!

Heading up the mountain for a day of fun in Squaw Valley

What a view!

Our first family horseback riding adventure.

Adam made friends with the horses before we left

Hawley Family Riding Team.

Ash was in HEAVEN!!!

Happy riders!

Alec had great command of his horse.

Ash took the lead of our group.

Aaron had a blast as well.

SO much fun!

Mommy and Ashley sharing a kayak

Aaron and Adam were kayak buddies, but Aaron snatched Alec's single kayak anytime he could.

Mama and Ash.

Originally I started this blog as a way to update out of town family on our life and also to chronicle the happenings of my three young children.  As time wore on the posts became few and far between.  Not because my kids were any less interesting, but more because they were getting older and needed my attention in different ways.  It also did not help that my hubby started working nights and sleeps during the day in the office where the computer is...

Alec is now 9 and in the 4th grade, Aaron is 7 and in the 2nd grade and my baby girl, Ashley is 5 and in kindergarten. Let's just say that homework takes up a good amount of our time lately! The kids are involved in scouts, baseball, dance, etc. Combine all of that with a hubby that works weekend nights and my life is pretty darn busy!  To top that off, over the past few years my cake business, Ice Cream 'n Cake has grown and grown. I am usually making between 2 and 6 cakes every week.   I absolutely LOVE making my cakes and am always excited to raise up to the challenge of a customers design wishes.  My dream some day would be to open a shop where I can make them on a bigger scale.  Keeping my fingers crossed and my eyes open for wealthy independent investors to help get me started! ;) 

Anywho, now that my kids are older and now all in school (!!!!!!) I thought I would start blogging again.  Before I used to blog about the cute things my kids said and did all day.  Don't get me wrong, they are still cute and they still say adorable things, but at their ages it certainly loses a bit of its "awwwwww-ability."  Now that I have some kid free time during the day I thought that maybe I should start focusing on MY life a little bit.  Don't worry, my life still revolves around my kids so I am sure that they will be making appearances in here every once in a while.

I have been thinking about this for a while, but it finally took a delicious home cooked dinner (steak, WINE, roasted asparagus, WINE, sauteed mushrooms, WINE, and other delicious items...WINE) for me to finally sit down and change things up on here.   Between all of my cakes and volunteer commitments I usually have at least one or more projects in the works.  Sometimes they come out absolutely brilliantly and sometimes, um, not-so-much.  Either way I hope to chronicle them as to inspire you to do the same!

Pinterest.com is one of my favorite spots to gain inspiration so follow me on there if you like!  Also check out my Ice Cream 'n Cake facebook page as well as my website at IceCreamnCake.com. 

Thanks for taking the time to read!

Amanda 



      

Field Trip to the Discovery Science Museum

Alec's class had another Field trip in December, this time to the Discovery Science Museum in Santa Ana. I had three boys in my car again this time, Alec H., Alec C. and Lucas. They were all three very well behaved and a crack up to listen to in the back seat of the car! At one point Alec asked me to put on his Christmas music and they all serenaded me with 'Do you hear what I hear?' Very sweet. It was a enjoyable morning with lots of fun activities for the kids. The museum is a very hands on place where the kids can touch and play with everything. Since there was a bout of the stomach flu going around the school I ended up following Alec around and dousing him with hand sanitizer anytime I could. I know, obsessive, but I REALLY wanted to avoid that flu this year!! Here are some pics from the day!

Alec's class outside the museum. Alec is in the front row with the sad look on his face. I have no idea what that was about!

Alec's favorite thing to play with at the museum was the sand and water table. It was a long table where the water started at one end and ran down the length of the table. The sand in it made it like a river. The kids could move and manipulate the sand to change the direction of the water. It was very cool!

Alec loved the rock wall! He could have stayed on that all day! He has become such a climber lately...anything that he can climb on top of, he is on it!

They had a room at the museum that was dedicated to bats. This particular exhibit in the room let the kids hear closer to how a bat hears. Personally, I just liked how funny the kids looked with the ears on!

Alec H., Alec C. and Lucas. Being my normal smart alec self (no pun intended) I had fun that day with both Alecs. Whenever I was behind them I would call out, "Hey Alec!" and wait for them both to turn around. I would then point and them and say, "Ha ha!! Gottcha!!" I know, I am a dork.

Since it is July...

...so I should post, right?

Gosh it is hard to even believe how fast this school year went. Especially from Easter break till the end of the school year. I blinked and it was over. Alec is going to be in the 1st grade. How weird does that sound? Hard to imagine that just one year ago we were racking our brains trying to figure out if we should even send him to Kindergarten and here he is, finished with his first year of school having done AMAZING work!

Kindergarten graduation was on June 15th. I have to say, I was a bit of a mess. I don't like change. I don't like saying goodbye. I don't like good things ending. I did not like that Alec was finishing kindergarten. I pretty much cried the entire ceremony.

Remembering back to Christmas and how Alec banned us from attending the Christmas show that he was performing in, we were quite worried about how the graduation was going to go over. I had talked to Mrs. Knapp and she was worried a bit as well. We considered going and hiding in the back of church so that he would not see us but then we thought that we would just attend as normal and make the best out of what he did. Believe it or not, there was not a moment's hesitation on his part. He walked up the isle, he stood on the steps with the other students, he sang his songs, he said his lines in the poem. I was amazed! What growth! What PRIDE I felt!! Mrs Knapp introduced each of the kids individually and told what they said they wanted to be when they grew up. The first child that they are introducing is Alec's buddy Jacob.

The entire ceremony was just so cute. They also did a slide show of pictures throughout the year. This of course made me cry more. I feel so blessed not only to have Alec in a wonderful school but also to have a husband who works SO hard so that I can stay home from work and help out in Alec's classroom. I loved watching the slide show and remembering being there for most all of the occasions from which the pictures came from. I really have the best job in the world.

After the graduation we went out to the lunch tables and had a small celebration with all the kids and their families. When that was over we headed back to the kindergarten classroom to pick up Alec's book that the teachers made him as well as his report card. I am SO pleased to report that he scored ALL O's!! WOW! SO proud!!!

Alec the morning of graduation. When did he get so tall???

Mrs. Rivers, Alec and Mrs. Knapp after Graduation. We love them so!

The Hawley Family

Blogging? What's that?

Ok, so obviously I have been on a blogging strike lately. I have had a ton of cute stories and lots of great pictures, but have I posted? NO! I blame facebook 100%. I am addicted. I need to stop, seriously. Ok, well at least cut down on it. :)

I will catch up on the last month (or two) soon but I had to get this story down before I forget.

I went into Alec's classroom on Wednesday to pick up Alec from school. Mrs. Knapp pulled me aside and said, "I have to tell you a story about Alec today!" She proceeded to tell me that Alec's good friend Jacob had a a ice cream purchased for him by his 8th grade buddy at lunch (Wednesday is ice cream day.) Jacob took one bite of his ice cream and hated it. He tried to return it to the ice cream lady to get something different but they would not let him. Apparently Jacob was quite upset by this and was starting to cry. Alec, who gave up ice cream for lent, not wanting to see his friend upset, went over to the ice cream lady and used his ice cream pass to buy a new ice cream for Jacob in the correct flavor. How sweet is that?? Gosh I LOVE that kid!!! He has SUCH a good heart!

25 Random Things About Me...

I did this on Facebook and thought I would post it here as well...


1. I am a terrible house keeper. I could be a good one if I wanted to, but I hate doing it. Even when I became a stay at home mom and major budget cuts came into our household, worked Gloria (our house cleaner) into the budget.

2. When my kids get older I would like to get into a nursing program and become a labor and delivery nurse.

3. I am a tap dancer…although I hesitate saying that since I have not attended a class since I was pregnant with Aaron. I really want to get back into it but I have not found the right studio yet.

4. My favorite time of year is the fall thru Christmas. I don’t like New Years…mostly because it brings on a sense of change and I don’t like change.

5. The only kind of change I am really in favor of is in regards to decorating. I could redecorate my house every couple of years if given the financial opportunity.

6. Adam and I would like to build our own house one day. We want a lot of land with a beautiful custom craftsman style house with enough room for not only an office and workshop for Adam, but a craft/sewing room for me AND lots of rooms for grandkids to come and stay.

7. I wish that I would have lived somewhere else before I got married. Don’t get me wrong, my parents were wonderful to live with, they are seriously the best parents in the world, but I wish I would have experienced a bit more of the country before being tied down to a mortgage, job, kids, etc. I think that New York City would have been a great place to live for a few years.

8. My best friend Carrie moved down to San Diego when she got married 8 years ago and I miss her incredibly!! We don’t get to see each other or talk as much as we like, but the connection of our friendship will never be broken! I secretly wish that she and Brian and Kasey would move back up here. Ok, maybe it is not such a secret…

9. I am a serious volunteer addict. I have a physical problem that as soon as someone asks for a favor or says that they need help doing something, my hand sticks right up in the air. It is almost an uncontrollable action, although I have been better about controlling it lately.

10. I have the absolute BEST family in the entire world. My Dad is a superstrong man who can make anything and will always be there with big open arms when his girls come crying to him (and we do still). My Mom is a SUPERWOMAN who will do anything for you and then when she is done she will apologize for not being able to doing more. My older sister Amy is seriously the smartest person I have ever met in my life. She is the girl I call on when I need to talk thru something and need a fresh perspective. She tells me what I need to hear, not just what I want to hear, but in a very loving way. My little sister Allison has the biggest heart of anyone I know. She would give you the shirt off her back, even though it is a designer original that she got for a rock bottom price. When I cry, I call these people. When I have wonderful news, I call these people. When I need a laugh, I call these people. I could not live life without these people.

11. I think that my kids are the smartest, most beautiful, talented, funny kids in the entire world…but then again, what Mom does not think that about their kids?

12. I am constantly amazed at my husband. He goes to work and kicks ass all day long. He will work day and night in order to provide for his family and allow me to stay home and us to send our kids to Catholic school. He has the strongest work ethic of anyone I have ever met. When he is done with work he comes home and has tireless energy with the kids. I feel so blessed that I have found him in life. He challenges me to be a better person thru his words and example. I love him with all of my heart.

13. I am not a photogenic person. Out of 20 photographs taken of me, usually 1 will come out ok. I would rather make a funny face in a photo to make it look bad from the beginning then to try and take a good one.

14. I suppose this one goes along with #13 but I am very critical of myself. I pick myself apart in pictures as well as the mirror and I also lay in bed almost every night and run thru conversations I had with people in my head and freak out about what I said and if it offended or hurt someone or made me sound stupid.

15. One of my favorite things to do is to bake. If I could bake something every day then I would.

16. I love sweets and baked goods. If I did bake every day then I would eat every day and I would be 300 pounds.

17. I hate, with a passion, cream cheese. I hate it on bagels. I hate it in dips. I hate it in desserts. I hate it in cheesecake. This has saved me MANY calories over the years.

18. I thought for years that I was allergic to cats. Adam has a cat and when we first got married my eyes itched for 6 months to the point where I rubbed them raw. I dealt with the cat but always kept my distance because of my “allergies” Last year I got tested for allergies. Guess what? Yeah, not allergic to cats.

19. I feel like rearranging the furniture in my office right now. I might just do that when I am done.

20. Don’t tell me I can’t do something. That will make me do it.

21. I have belonged to an online mom’s board for the past 6 years. The ladies on it are amazing and I consider them close friends although I have never met most of them. I was lucky enough to meet about 10 of them last year and it was both surreal and wonderful!

22. I am freakishly good at sports, even when I first play something. I am not great, but I can usually hold my own.

23. My Catholic faith is one of the most important things to me in my life. It guides me, provides comfort and promise, and makes my life complete. I wish that I was better at evangelization to share my passion of my faith to others. It is something that I pray about every day.

24. I hate to scrapbook!! I tried and have completed a few, but this last summer finally came to the realization that I just don’t like to do it. In an attempt to keep some memories down for the future I have an online blog. I don’t always update it as often as I would like, but I try. If you would like access to it then let me know and I will send you an invite, as the blog is set as private. The address is www.hawleyfamilyca.blogspot.com

25. I am a serious procrastinator. That is why it took me this long to make this list even though so many of you tagged me ages ago.

I am running around trying to get the house cleaned up before Adam comes home this afternoon and I see Ashley walking around holding a grocery bag. I look inside of it and she has a pair of shoes and her bottle. She is carrying it around just like a purse...too funny!! I guess I need to get her a little purse to put her stuff in!! hahaha! Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE having a girl??