Hornibrook Stories: 2013

Happy New Year!

This year has been so great! So many amazing things have happened to us! To start off, at the beginning of the year, I did a post with several of my frustrations ... one of which was my lack of friends. This is something that Eric and I both felt weighing on us and we decided to do something about it. We decided to start having people from work our same age and stage of life over for dinner. We learned very quickly that I love cooking for other people and we both love hosting parties! I have made so many new friends this way and it has been incredible. Our home is perfect for party hosting and we take advantage of it as often as we can!

We purchased a new car this year, were gifted a van, and we purchased our home! I can't believe how well everything lined up for us! We truly are blessed. We were able to furnish our home with a few little extras (like the projector and screen in the bedroom) and we live comfortably! Eric is an amazing budgeter and everything we were able to do this year is thanks to his budgeting and the generosity of his parents in helping us purchase our home.

Audrey was born and I can't even begin to describe how "right" that felt. It truly feels like we are one step closer to having our family be complete and it is a feeling that I am loving! She is such a joy and wonder!

Eric was transferred to the Marketing department at work and then to the IT department. Both were wonderful opportunities and he is loving where he is at.

I started choreographing for the dance festival and it has been a great joy.

What a wonderful year - I can't wait to see what 2014 brings!

We got to have a looooong vacation in Utah for Christmas! We are so blessed!

As always, we drove through the night to get there. Aaron was very helpful in packing the car :)

They were all troopers - even Eric! Somehow the drive is never too bad. The kids get bored once or twice but they always manage to get through it. Perhaps I simply have on rose-colored glasses or perhaps I simply have amazing kids ... either way, the drive was great!

Aaron was so happy to see Papa when we arrived! It was a fun reunion.

And now, in no particular order are the rest of the photos from the trip.

As always, a ton of photos because ... why not? :)

This was Eric's version of working out over the break.

One of the highlights of the trip was building a snowman!

It was quite the involved process and we got distracted easily...

We may or may not have played fruit ninja and then gotten attacked by Aaron...

Matthew and I bonded throughout the course of the trip - and Aaron was a big helper!

We got to assemble and decorate both fake trees while we were there!

The kids became great friends!

On Christmas Eve, Santa came... Through the front door?

Aaron wasn't too sure about this...

Aaron eventually warmed up to Santa and told him all sorts of stories...

Santa stayed just long enough to read the traditional Santa Mouse and the Rat Deer. Then he had to leave.

Aaron was checking the door for the rest of the evening and all day on Christmas looking for Santa!

Christmas morning was great! None of us slept too well though so we weren't our most photogenic selves... But I assure you we had fun and enjoyed all of our gifts!