I write one of these at the end of every year. A recap of our year and a kind of where we're at right now in life. I believe my first one was in 2008, so that is 12 years of Christmas Letter's to look back on. This year has been an interesting year for sure, and we've been challenged and have been learning important lessons, but on the whole has actually been a pretty good year for us. I hate saying that because I know so many people have really struggled and suffered this year. I have definitely felt the collective heaviness of the World at times and my heart goes out to all. Covid has been a rollercoaster ride for sure. Something so new to all of us and we have done our best to navigate it without fear or judgement. We are all doing the best we can and we are trying to be true to us, but also be a good community member who puts the good of all at the forefront. I have hope that this year will bring more light, and life will slowly take a new form, hopefully without Covid, but one where we as a human race are more connected and empathetic.
At the beginning of 2020 all I wanted was to sell our house. We are so blessed that it happened during covid and we were able to sell and find a house that is in the perfect location, and is perfect for our needs right now. It was really hard to say goodbye to our big beautiful home that we put our heart and soul in to, but it was the right move for us at this time in our lives. We are getting settled and I am having fun decorating a new place and making it our own. I think the biggest highlight for us this year was our Malacko house boat vacation. We went at the beginning of September and it was one of the best vacations we've ever had. So fun with so many memories we will talk about and cherish forever. So glad we were able to do it with my Dad and Penny, and most of my family.
Hayley is 9 and in grade 4. We kept her at the same elementary school in our previous community because she is already doing so well there and was to have the same teacher as last year. It is a smaller school with smaller classroom sizes so the transition to all the covid restrictions was a bit easier. She is doing well in school and received the leadership award in her classroom last month. She is so kind and tries to be a friend to all. There is a bit of girl drama in her class but she works really hard to stay out of it. She got her dream bed this year and it has made her whole life. It is a loft bed with stairs and a desk and I have to admit, its pretty darn awesome. She love's keeping her room clean and organized. She still love's calico critters and has a nice little collection going. She is still dancing ballet and jazz this year but dropped tap. She wants to focus more on ballet and is even doing a solo this year. She comes home and practices non stop. She loves hanging out with her big sis and they have such a special relationship. She is so appreciative and so full of gratitude and gives the best Hayley hugs.
McKenna will be 13 in a couple of months and is in grade 7. She is at the same middle school she was at last year but its now in our new community which has been awesome. She can take the bus to school which has been so nice for me. School is definitely very different for my social butterfly but she has a really good group of friends who she keeps in touch with anyway she can. Usually over facetime and video chats when they can't actually be together. She is so laid back and adjusts to most changes really well. She definitely misses doing dance at school the most. She is also doing ballet and jazz, but dropped tap this year as well to focus more on ballet. She was able to skip a level this year and has worked really hard to be able to do that. She added a lyrical solo which is just so so good and gives me all the feels. She still loves to work hard at acro at home and is still the queen of handstands. She is starting to care more about fashion and make-up and will be an official teenager so soon. She is hands down the best big sister and is so helpful and kind. Her favourite tv show that she binge watched this year was Modern Family.
Ty will be 14 this month and is in grade 8. Its been a bit of a tough year for him. He started at the middle school in our new community that McKenna goes to. Its tough starting grade 8 at a new school but even tougher with covid thrown in there. He is with the same group of kids all the time for everything and there are no options or sports or other ways for him to get involved and meet lots of new people. He hasn't been loving it and is wanting to go back to his old school. I hope when they go back things will start to go back to normal so he can have a proper middle school experience there. He is also really missing his friends right now. He is super active and loves to be outside. He found a new love for mountain biking this year. He is anxious to get back on a snowboard and has lots of plans for all the snowboarding he is going to do this year. He is counting down the days until he can get his learners and wants to get a job this year too. He is so funny and fun to be around and always has us laughing. He's the only one who loves coming in the hot tub with Ryan and I and we always have the best conversations with him. He hasn't quite hit his growth spurt yet and is pretty anxious to get a bit more height and at least get taller then his Mother. He loves pop and nutella and lasagna. We are enjoying watching The Arrow together.
Nate just turned 16 and is in grade 10. Like for real. I have a 16 year old. He has towered over me for a long time and is inching to the 6 feet mark. He wants to hit that mark so bad. He also stayed at his same school in our previous community. He is doing well there and we decided there is no point in changing a good thing when we can make it work. He is really missing basketball this year. It is life to him. This has pushed him to play the guitar more often and he is getting really good. He's also been teaching himself to play the piano. He loves music and always has to have it playing. He loves wearing hoodie's and got a magic hoodie this year that has made him a girl magnet. Ha ha. It is a running joke in our family but he is definitely more into girls this year and has one in particular that he talks to on the phone and plays online games with. He is really independent and sometimes I'm just not really sure what to do with him because he's still my little boy but is so close to becoming a man at the same time. Just very new territory for me. He likes playing games with us and just got his learners. Guess we will be teaching him to drive this year.
Ryan works for a general contracting company as a construction coordinator. He also does a lot of estimating on jobs they are bidding for and does a little bit of project managing. He likes his job and the company he works for. He finished our basement a couple of months ago and built shelves in our garage. He is so handy and can pretty much build or fix anything. He got a new bike this year and is also enjoying mountain biking. He is looking forward to snowboarding this winter too. He loves ending his evenings in the hot tub and loves relaxing when he is actually able to. He has had lots of time off for the holidays and we have enjoyed having him at home. He's been working on a puzzle and we've been binge watching Friends together.
I am working as an EA sub in Hayley's elementary school and love it. It works perfect for me to set my own schedule and to have the option of saying no when I just can't work that day. I also love spending my days at home doing laundry and keeping the house in order. I have the best morning routine down and its so nice to have that time in the mornings when I'm not working for exercising, meditating, writing in my journal, and just having some quiet time before I start my day. I think one of my busiest jobs right now is taxi driver. I am looking forward to the day when Nate can drive and take some of the load off. I turn the big 4-0 this year and was supposed to make the last year of my 30's epic. Covid kind of put a damper on that so I have big plans to make up for it this year. Although I did start the year off with a girls trip to Vegas right before our first covid shut down. I had so much fun and am so grateful I was able to fit that in. Having a gratitude practice has been one of the most important tools I have gained this year and really helps me have a positive outlook on life. I find so much joy in being a Mom and watching my kids grow, but also find so much joy in watching myself grow and giving myself the time and space to be me and do what I love.
We have had a nice quiet Christmas this year. I think it was the perfect way to end 2020. We are looking forward to being able to see our families again and have a proper celebration together when we can. I hope you made the best out of your year and that there were amazing moments and lesson's learned that will make your life better in the long run.
Merry Christmas and much love,
The Olsen's,
Ryan, Kelli, Nate, Ty, McKenna, and Hayley
Our top nine from instagram. Its a program that calculates your top liked photo's of the year and and puts them into one picture. These are for our public family account, the girls dance account, and my private account.
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