The Steve and Jenny Hunter Family

We are still here, but things have changed.

2011-07-19T10:32:00.000-05:00

Well I know I have been a horrible blogger, but we are still here and things are going great.
We were in Manti for close to a year, but now we are moving to Provo.
Manti was fantastic! I loved our ward and Nathan loved the school, but Steve was spending over 14 hours a week in the car commuting to Utah County to teach and this next year would be even worse for commuting because..... (insert drum roll)....
Steve is going to teach at BYU!!! Yep, he got hired on there for a guy who is playing in the Utah Symphony. So, Steve is going to be teaching most of his time at BYU with UVU and Snow College on the side. In other news, he also got the job for the second trombone with the ballet. He is going to be a very busy man, but at least he has work. We are hoping something will turn into a contracted full-time position. There are also rumors that the Utah Symphony will be auditioning for a second trombone vacancy in February.... so who knows what the future will bring. At least we are in a good position and Steve is making great connections along the way.
So, stay tuned. There is definitely more to come!

Back in Utah!

2010-09-13T10:23:00.000-05:00

Well, there was so much that happened in a short time. I will have to get back on later and detail everything and add some pictures. I don't have much time to do it now, but I do want to assure anyone that might read this that we have not fallen off the face of the earth.

End of May-- We decide we are going to move. We don't know where to yet, but we think it is a good idea since Steve will be done with school soon. He has applied for jobs (all across the country) and we are waiting to hear back on them. We have decided to move our stuff to Utah and store it for the summer and spend time with family and then move it to wherever we are going. We help Justin and Allison move to Irving. They are not so close, but at least they are close enough we can still spend plenty of time with them.

June 6th-- Steve's parents show up at our door to surprise us. They took a long detour on their way to the Nelson Reunion in Nauvoo to come listen to Steve's lecture recital/dissertation. They leave after the recital to drive up to Nauvoo, only to drive back down to Texas again for Nathan's baptism and our move.

June 12th-- Steve's and my parents helped us load up the moving trailer along with McKenzie, Justin, Julie, and their kids (who surprised us and showed up for Nathan's baptism), Allison, Justin, and their kids. Our place was basically empty, except for the few things Steve would need until he moved out with us.

June 13th-- Nathan was baptized and later that evening Steve's parents loaded up their car with Nathan and Amy to drive back to Utah.

June 14th-- Steve's and my anniversary... how was it spent?? With me driving back to Utah with my parents and Lucy while Steve stayed behind to finish work for 21 days!! Let's hope our anniversary is not spent that way again.

July 3rd-- The 4th of July carnival in Nephi. The kids had a lot of fun, but they are missing their dad and their toys.

July 4th-- Steve plays with a symphony in Texas and then drives through the night to come meet me and the kids.

July 5th-- We head to Hyrum for a few weeks, hoping to hear back on a job... any job.

End of July-- Steve gets a job at UVU and Snow College. He is also called by SUU, but he is already under contract with the other schools. The contract is only for a year, so it will be interesting to see where we are next year... will we still be here or will we be in another state altogether?? Hopefully somewhere full time with a tenure track position and a salary...benefits would be nice also. :)

August 5-- We sign on for a place to live in Manti, but we can't move in yet because Steve is helping with a band camp for a friend.

Mid August-- We finally move into our own place!! Just a few days later we drove back to Denton with Steve's parents for his graduation and hooding. Then a few days later we had the Hunter Family Reunion in Goblin Valley-- where Nathan got lost (scary moment...story to come later)

August 23rd-- Orientation and work starts for Steve

August 24th-- Nathan starts 3rd grade.

September has been busy; Nathan is playing soccer, Steve is working like crazy, we spent a day at Lagoon on Saturday, and more is to come.

It has been great to be back close to family again. We love that we can finally be a part of all of the stories and adventures instead of hearing them second-hand.

Some Recent Happenings

2010-04-19T22:41:00.001-05:00

Well, on the 17th, our little Lucy turned two. It is hard to believe she is already that old. It seems like it was just a short time ago that we celebrated her first birthday. Today she had her two year old check up and she is in the 87%ile for height, the 50%ile for weight, and the 75%ile for head circumference. The doctor told me that she would probably be around 5 ft. 8 in. when she is fully grown. She is a tall girl, just like her mommy. For her birthday, we got her a few little presents (which Amy has seemed to claim as hers, that is until Lucy realizes they were really meant for her), and we had a lunch, cake, and ice cream with Alli, Justin, and their two kiddos. It was a lot of fun for Lucy. Earlier in the day, Nathan had a Groove Squad performance (yep it is already that time of year again). We packed everyone up and headed over to the school where there was some fair-type of thing going on. Nathan danced well and had a lot of fun. We didn't get any video of it because the battery on our camera was getting low and we were having trouble zooming in well enough because we were at the back of a crowd. We did try to get a few pictures. Next weekend he performs again, so hopefully we will be able to get a video to show everyone then. There was some fun stuff there for the kids, like some bounce houses. Well, Lucy spent the morning there with us and then we had her party, so by the time that was over she crashed for a long nap.

Amy even had fun in the bounce house. Luckily, there weren't too many big kids in there and she was able to have some fun.

They also gave out lots of candy and popcorn at the thing. The big hit was the ringpops. Steve was a good guy and gave Lucy one.

When we got back home, Lucy decided to play with the markers while we were distracted. Luckily they were the washable kind, so her white dress was not completely ruined.

Fun Spring Afternoon

2010-04-14T18:08:00.001-05:00

Today was a beautiful day. It really seemed perfect. It wasn't too hot (about 81 degrees) and it is not too humid yet (by Texas standards). I have not mowed our backyard in about a week and today I looked back there to see it being overgrown with wildflowers. My girls love this. They like to go out and pick them or bend down to smell them. Nathan also likes to look at them, but more from a scientific viewpoint. He has been studying plants in science at school, so he spent the time back there pointing out which plants had simple leaves and compound leaves. He also tried to name the plants that he knew. Do we have a future botanist on our hands? Who knows... last week he said he was going to be a trombone player like his dad. Before that it was a fireman, then a police officer, then a custodian... He still has a while to decide, so I let him dream and explore.

Nathan showing me some of the leaves he was looking at and telling me about them.

My kids love dandelions when they are at this stage. They call them "wish flowers." Where they got that term from is beyond me, but I think it is cute. They make a wish and try to blow all of the seeds off. Amy has gotten to where she plucks these up wherever she can. She must have a lot of wishes to make.

Thinking of a wish...

Lucy has even gotten in on the action. She finally figured out how to blow the seeds off. The first time Nathan gave her one of the flowers, she stuck it in her mouth. She was not impressed and it was difficult to try to get all of the seeds off of her tongue. Ignore the hair. My girls have gotten to where they will not keep it done. I do brush their hair and make it cute (braids, pigtails, clips, etc.). Sometimes they keep it in, but usually it only lasts a couple of hours.

Nathan observing more of the wildflowers in our backyard. I really do need to mow. Maybe this weekend?

Amy got a scooter for her birthday and she loves to ride it all around our yard. Lucy usually runs after her hoping for a ride.

Nathan showing me some more leaves from a bush back there.

Some iris flowers (these were planted before we moved here). It has been nice each spring to see them bloom. The girls were admiring the flowers and smelling them.

Happenings in Denton

2010-04-14T17:15:00.001-05:00

Nathan had district science fair on April 10th. He went and talked with the judges and then the UNT physics team came in and did an awesome presentation for the kids. I was amazed by everything they did. Nathan didn't win, but he did get a pretty big ribbon for making it to district level.

We had a pretty good Easter weekend. On Saturday we dyed eggs. Then later the Easter Bunny came and hid them in our backyard along with some other goodies. Allison and Justin came over with their boys and everyone had fun searching the yard for eggs. Amy and Hyrum were so excited to see the eggs outside of the kids' bedroom window that they climbed out of the window and started grabbing the treats they saw.

Lucy was so excited about the eggs and candy she found. She would get so excited about one thing that she would forget to keep looking through the yard to find more.

Nathan did a great job finding things and letting the littler kids find the easy items. He was happy with his findings.

These were some of the eggs we dyed. Everyone was impressed with Amy's egg (the one in the middle). I am not sure how she made it look that way, but it was really awesome. It looked like a marble egg.

Everyone dying eggs.

During Spring Break, we were not able to go camping. The kids were a bit sad, so Steve set up the tent in their room and let them have a slumber party in there. They had the portable DVD player in there, along with popcorn, and games. I think they may have liked it better than when we actually go camping-- there were no complaints about being too cold.

Spiritually Uplifting

2010-03-21T17:22:00.000-05:00

I had to share this moment before I forget all about it. Today I had a very spiritually fulfilling day at church. I have a calling in the primary (which is great), but I don't get to sit in and have the great a-ha moments very often because I am in teaching the four year olds and before that it was nursery and before that I was the pianist for the primary and before that I was teaching nursery (not very much adult interaction going on, but I love the kids). Today there was a special stake meeting. Elder Oaks from the Quorum of the Twelve came to Denton to speak to us. There was also the mission president and his wife from the Dallas Fort Worth Mission that spoke, along with a member of the seventy, and the stake president. It was almost two hours of the spiritual enlightenment I was really needing. It was nice to listen to Elder Oaks speak and laugh. He is just a man and he is a character. He joked and then he spoke on serious matters, but he did it with so much love. I could tell he really meant it when he said he loved all of us. Between all of the speakers, there were quite a few funny stories and moments shared (if you want to hear any, you'll have to call and ask because I can't do it justice on a blog). It really was a special opportunity to have those general authorities so close and having special messages to share with us here in Denton, Texas. There has not been a member of the Quorum of the Twelve since 1981 and Elder Oaks said it was time. He had a special message for the youth of the church about having good friends and influences and staying away from those that will bring them down and try to talk them into doing things they know are not right. Another thing he emphasized was not letting those in this area (the evangelicals that protest us and give us a hard time) get to us. He said we know we are Christians and the best we can do to convince those that are against us is to show that we not only say we believe in Christ, but we actually live Christlike lives. He told us not to try to argue or anything like that because it will not get us anywhere. I have had my own personal experiences here in Texas with people that I thought were full of good intentions turning on me and telling me how I was not Christian and how I was dooming myself and my family. It is hard not to get defensive, but now I know I just need to smile and say that I know for myself what I am and I am not going to argue with someone who obviously knows little of my beliefs and change the subject or just walk away.
It has been interesting thinking about this after the meeting. I have to think about those types of encounters, but so do my children. My son, who is in elementary school already has his friends asking him about what church he goes to and what he believes. He has a friend that is atheist and his parents are really pushing him to talk to his friends about it, but my son has a pretty strong testimony for a little guy and he comes home some days and tells me about he told his friend about how Jesus loves all of us and that he knows that he is real and that God does exist. It makes me so proud of him. There are times that I am afraid that someone might say something to shake his testimony (like about how so many churches around here teach that members of our church are not Christian), but I have come to realize that he knows what he believes and he is not afraid to speak up to his friends. I hope he can always feel open to kindly discuss what he believes and why. I also hope that his friends can be a good influence on him. It is crazy to hear what seven and eight year olds discuss at recess. I think my son is ready to be baptized in just a few months.
It was a day that left me with the warm fuzzy feeling and I am hoping it will stay with me for a long time. It is good to know that our church leaders are aware of our situations in all parts of the world and that they do care about us all. They are so full of wisdom and love and today just made me so excited for General Conference coming up and the messages that will be shared with us then.

Many Happenings

2010-03-10T08:15:00.001-06:00

I have been such a slacker, but that doesn't mean our lives have been boring.

Steve passed his quals with good compliments from the board who reviewed it and gave him his oral examination. He worked so hard on his two week paper and the hard work paid off. Now he just has his dissertation to complete. He submitted a topic proposal for it and it was approved the first time (This is apparently rare. For everyone we've heard of, it usually takes at least two times). He is on schedule to complete it and present it along with a lecture recital and his defense of it all in early June. He will then be known as Dr. Hunter (as long as his review board likes what he does--which I am sure will not be a problem). In June, Steve has also agreed to do one more round of Collegium for Eugene Corporon and then we will be on our way to.... somewhere. That is the part of the equation we are not sure about yet. Steve has submitted job applications to a few universities that are looking for trombone/low brass professors. Hopefully at least one of them will like what Steve has to offer and invite him in for an interview and a job. :)

I know I shouldn't be getting my hopes up, but he has applied for a job at Dixie State. This is closer to home and family. It would be a wonderful job, so if you have a moment, pray for us and the people who will be reviewing candidates for the job. We are hoping to hear back on some of the jobs in the next couple of months, so I'll keep you posted of any news.

Onto another aspect: Nathan won second place in science fair this year. He was so excited. We are so proud of how hard he worked and how well he did. He will be able to compete in the district level science fair. I don't know exactly when that is, but when it happens, I'm sure Nathan will be excited to attend.

Amy turned four (can you believe it?!) on Feb. 16th. She had a fun day and received some nice things. She had the cake of her dreams (she told me about a month in advance what she wanted)-- funfetti with pink strawberry frosting. The cake did not disappoint her. Justin, Alli, and their two kiddos joined us for the evening to have Amy's birthday dinner. She chose steak (new york steak to be exact), and fresh broccoli (she loves broccoli). Last year she insisted on hotdogs; it looks like she is moving up in her food tastes; let's just hope next year is not too expensive. :)

I turned 29 a few days ago. It is my last year in the twenties and I am hoping to still feel young for a while. Steve had things to do that night, so we didn't do too much, but he did get me Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass (one of my childhood favorites) and a puzzle book. He also got a new game (which is lots of fun, so if any of you are ever around, ask to play it) Carcassone. It seems like a mix of Settlers and Tsuro (two fun games). We have spent too much time playing it together and with Allison and Justin. It's a hit! It won the same award that Ticket to Ride (another fun game) won, so it has to be a good game.

I haven't said much about Lucy, but she is getting so big. She is also a climber, as of late. She has been climbing up on the counters any time I leave her alone for a minute and she is instantly into the cupboards trying to find food to throw down to the dogs. So far I have lost a loaf of bread, hotdog buns, goldfish crackers, and some pringles to the cause. The dogs didn't know what to do with the can of stewed tomatoes or the box of mac and cheese she threw to them. I think they were just glad the can didn't hit them on their heads. I have been trying to convince Lucy that she doesn't need to climb so much by trying to wear her out during the day, but so far-- no luck. I am sure she will outgrow this phase because this is exactly what her brother did at this age. I never thought there could be another kid like he was, but she is following in his footsteps. I hope that means she will be as good of a kid as he is now when she is older (not that she is horrible--she really is a sweetheart). In the meantime, I can look past her mischievousness each time she looks up at me and says, "love you." This is what she told me right before I took the picture below. Except her actions this time were emptying the bottom two shelves on the bookshelf and making a mess on the floor, which she tried to hide by covering it up with a blanket and Nathan's backpack. I have to give her credit for her creativity.

On another note, a while ago, there was a freak snowstorm in Denton. There was record snowfall (and I'm not talking about a couple of inches. I think the weatherman said we got eight inches). Now for Utah, this would not be too big of a deal, but here it shut everything down. Nathan ended up having a five day weekend because of it and he was thrilled. Steve even had work and school off (because he works for UNT and a local high school). The good thing about this is that it gave him all the time he needed to finish his 15 page topic proposal for his dissertation and get it in. Maybe that is why it passed the first time through; he had plenty of time to think about every word.

This last set of pictures shows Amy in the new "princess dress" my mom sent to her. Lucy wanted to get in on the action. Then we had to take a picture of how nice Nathan looked dressed up for church. Ignore the girls' hair. It wasn't done yet. They were super cute when it was fixed, but of course I don't have any pictures of that. Maybe next time.

The Holiday Season

2010-01-08T12:09:00.000-06:00

I know I have not been the best blogger, but at least I am getting on now to update.

We had a great holiday season:
Thanksgiving was spent at our home. We invited Allison, Justin, and their kiddos to join us and it was awesome. The food was good, the company was fantastic, and we had a great time visiting and playing games.
Christmas was fun this year. We left on the 18th to drive to Utah to spend it with family there. We had not been back to Utah in almost two years, and I have to admit I got teary when I saw sunlight hitting snow-covered mountains and pine forest around us. It was amazing! We live in such a beautiful world and I think one of the most beautiful areas is the mountain west. Utah is so amazing. I love being in the southern end and seeing the red rock all around, especially with snow. Then as you travel farther north, the mountains seem to grow and the air is so crisp and cool. One of my favorite moments was when we took a slight detour to go to the Grand Canyon; I have never been (can you believe I was so close and never went there?!). We went to the overlook and watched the sunrise over the canyon. So gorgeous!! Of course we all looked like stupid tourists from Texas wearing shorts, capris, T-shirts.... you know... warm weather clothes. The funny thing is that there was deep snow around (not what I was expecting for Arizona) and the wind was blowing like an arctic gale. You know canyons are synonymous with wind and the Grand Canyon has BIG canyon winds as the temperature changes with sunrise. There was a couple there from Toronto that liked giving us a hard time about our attire. We were freezing! The dogs (well I should say Trixie) loved it. I took her for a little jog up to the overlook and she was not phased at all by the cold wind. If she were a bit bigger, she would be the perfect sled dog.
Well, on with the trip. We stopped in Cedar City (Enoch to be precise) to stay a night with Melanie and Nate and their family (Steve's sister and brother in law). They bought a new house there and it is so nice. It was fun catching up and seeing the nephew we had not met yet. All of their kids are adorable and so well behaved. We went to church with them the next morning and then headed up to my hometown of Nephi. It pretty much looks the same except for a few more houses here and there. It was good to be home and spend some time with family. We had pictures taken while there and we seemed to all enjoy one another. The kids were spoiled, but appreciative of everything they received. It was sad to say goodbye, but we are hoping to see everyone again before long.
We headed up to Cache Valley the day after Christmas. We stopped and visited with my brother in law, Boyd and his family on the way up. It was amazing to watch the temperature on our compass/thermometer drop as we drove into the valley. It was about -5 F! I have not felt temperatures like that in a long time and I realized what a wuss I had become. Texas does not know the true meaning of cold. Coming back home to Texas was nice and I had a new appreciation for 40 degree weather. We had fun visiting everyone in Hyrum. The house there was crowded, but it was nice and fun. I think it helped warm everyone up. Nathan loved playing in the snow there. I think he spent about six hours a day dressed up in snow gear playing out in the yard with cousins. I was surprised he didn't get too cold and call defeat. He was a trooper and spent about every daylight hour in the snow sledding, skiing (thanks to Heidi's help), and tromping around in the snow doing who knows what. Our two littlest ones seemed to enjoy the first couple of days and then things went downhill. There was a sickness going around in the family. I don't think one cousin went unscathed. For most, it seemed to last a day: puking, fever, body aches, etc. For some, like Amy, it was a 3-4 day affair. Poor Amy didn't keep anything down for about four days. She was miserable. I felt bad that she didn't get to enjoy the Hunter Family Christmas Party. She spent the time asleep on the gym floor. Luckily, Lucy was only sick for about a day and then she was more back to her old self. Nathan was a lucky one who only seemed affected for about 3/4 of one day. Who knows... maybe being out in the cold so much helped him??
The drive home was sad and happy. Amy was sick, so that was a sad part and we had to make a few stops along the way to clean her up and whatnot. She was sad to be leaving grandma and grandpa's house and she wanted to go back and have fun. Nathan was sad to be leaving behind so many cousins around his age that were so much fun for him to hang around. Lucy was sad to be strapped back into her carseat for a long car ride home. The happy part was knowing that Steve is heading back to finish his last semester!! We are happy to get on with our lives and to move on to the next stage. I am hoping this semester goes well for him and that everything goes as planned. There is so much bureaucracy involved in the process and I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying hard that the panel he has will approve his topic for his dissertation and that they will go easy on him during the orals on his quals. Oh and the other happy part was for the dogs. They were excited to have room to roam once more and to not be in a cage all day long. Overall, we are very happy about the trip and we think it was so worth the time and the long drive to see everyone again. We are hoping it will not be as long before we are able to make it back to Utah again.
Sorry there are not any pictures of our trip. I was an idiot and forgot to pack the camera. I am hoping to get some pictures from family we were around. So, until my next blog attempt... adieu.

Family Visits and Recitals

2009-11-23T09:54:00.001-06:00

All of the pictures aren't posted in order and it may seem random, but they are from the last little while while we had company:

Vern Kagarice (Steve's trombone teacher), Steve, Jan Kagarice (coached Steve on a piece)

Lucy was so excited to be getting so much attention from everyone

We had quite a few people at our place, but it was fun!

Amy making Hyrum watch her dance. The poor kid has to put up with her antics quite often.

Well, we had quite a few days during Steve's recital. His dad, his brother Boyd, and his sister Melissa flew out to see it. Justin also had his masters recital the same night, so both had a good audience. Justin's parents also flew out to hear his recital and spend a few days with Alli and him.

It was amazing to hear how well Steve did. He is so good at what he does. He had people cheering from the crowd as he finished. His private teacher and other coaches were so excited about his performances. They think he has great potential and they are excited to see where he will be next. Steve's confidence in his playing has improved so much over the years and I think he could seriously take on any piece thrown at him and perform it well in front of an audience. I am so proud of him (can you tell?).

While Steve's family was visiting, we had some fun. We went to the Texas Motor Speedway where we had a tour guide give us a special treat. We were able to drive around the track. It is amazing to feel how big of an angle the turns are at. I thought we were going to tip over and our guide told us we could if we didn't keep up enough speed. It was nice of him to tell us to make sure we had our seatbelts fastened and snug. We had fun seeing all of the parts of the racetrack and some of the nice suites, as well as the ballroom.

After this, we headed to the original Babes restaurant for a nice family-style lunch before heading to Dallas to see Dealy Plaza and the temple. Then our trip wouldn't be complete without stopping at Outdoor World (Bass pro Shop) on the way home. The kids were able to ride on a merry-go-round with reindeer and see some bass and other fish swimming in a big tank they had in the middle of the store. I heard we barely missed seeing Santa Clause, but we may make a trip back to let the kiddos see him before we head out to Utah.

The nights were full of playing games and talking into the wee hours. We even watched a movie. The last day our company was here was spent looking at antique stores and eating Papa Murphy's pizza.... yummy.

It was great getting to see Dad Hunter, Boyd, and Missy. I had not seen Boyd and Missy in nearly 2 years, so getting to see them was extra special and I realized how much I really do miss seeing all of Steve's family. They are a wonderful bunch that really respect each other and show sincere love and compassion for everyone. They are always so supportive of us. I am always so excited to spend some time around them and for my kids to spend some time with them as well. I just hope my kids can be as close as Steve and his siblings are when they are grown.

Thanksgiving is this week and we are going to spend it with Allison and Justin and their kids. We are going to have so much food, I don't know what we are going to do with it all, but we will have a good time. I am going shopping today to pick out a turkey and to get all of the finishing touches I need to make everything. There is nothing like a good meal with good company followed by good conversation and games.

On another note, I am so excited to be getting so close to heading to Utah to visit my family and Steve's family, as well as some of our friends that are still out there. AND we get to see mountains again!!! AND snow!!! I think we are going to have some fun. Although, Steve will be working on his two-week paper for his quals during that time, I bet he will have fun as well. Come January, Steve will present his paper and do his defense of it as well as his oral examinations. Then all he has to finish is his dissertation/lecture recital. I am hoping that he will have it completed by June, if not before. He is almost done!! Yay!!! It has been such a long journey, but I am so proud of him for sticking with it through everything. He really is a hard worker and he has done so well in school. Now we just need to find a job that is hopefully a little closer to home.

A Night with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra

2009-11-06T19:36:00.000-06:00

Well, Steve was a big romantic. He bought tickets to hear the DSO perform Rachmaninoff''s Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini and Bruckner's 9th symphony. Rachmaninoff is one of my favorite all-time composers and the piece they did last night is one of my favorites. I also really enjoyed listening to the Bruckner piece. Steve bought the tickets a few months ago when he found out about what the DSO would be performing and surprised me with them a couple of days ago. It was nice to be able to go out on a real date with him. We don't get to do it very often, especially since Steve has been going crazy with school and work. Allison and Justin were extremely nice to watch our kids and put them to bed while we were gone and I feel like we owe them big time because I had such an enjoyable night. For those of you who have never been to a live symphony concert (of a decent symphony), I would suggest doing it sometime. The president of the symphony came on stage and talked about how an artist paints on a canvas and a musician "paints" on silence. What they do is really a work of art and I felt so many emotions listening to the music and feeling it course its way through my body. I was really amazed with the pianist they brought in to play the Rhapsody. It always amazes me to see someone with so much talent and the ease at which they play something so complex and so beautiful. Anyone reading this should google Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini and listen to the full piece (not just the one variation, but all of them). The whole piece is so catchy and you'll find yourself humming bits and pieces of it. I am so glad that I get to be so exposed to a world of the finest music and musicians. I can't imagine a life without music; maybe that's what led me to marry a musician.

He Did It!!

2009-11-06T19:32:00.000-06:00

For those of you following Steve's schooling:
He passed the written portion of his qualifying exams! This is great news. Now he just needs to do his two week paper, defend it, and do his oral exams before his panel. Then there is nothing standing in his way of his dissertation/lecture recital. It is nice to have him get this one big step out of the way. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a bit brighter.

My Kids Remind Me of...

2009-11-02T09:19:00.000-06:00

I was thinking today as I had to pull Lucy down before she climbed on top of the washer yet again, how she reminds me of a monkey. Then there was Amy smothering the dogs with her love and attention and she reminded me of Elmyra (you know the girl from the cartoon Tiny Toons?). Then there is Nathan who reminds me of my dad. I have pictures to prove this... I am not making this up. My kids are wonderful in their own unique ways.

Lucy is our Curious George. She even speaks a language that sounds similar to his. We have so many picture of her getting into mischief and trying to figure out what so many things are.

Amy is quite a bit like Elmyra. She loves fuzzy small animals. Our poor dogs have been very good with her, even when she is a bit too loving. This is one of a few pictures we have of her doing this to the dogs. She loves hugs and is very willing to give them to almost anyone.

And of course... here is Nathan with my dad. He is a smart boy that is curious about the world and why everything is the way it is. He loves discovering new things and he is very tender hearted and giving. There are so many days when I look at him and see my dad in miniature.

Halloween Fun With the Hunters

2009-11-02T08:43:00.000-06:00

We had a fun Halloween this year. The kids really enjoyed themselves and all they were able to do. On the 30th, our ward had its annual trunk or treat. This is no ordinary trunk or treat; it is practically a big Halloween Festival/Carnival. Last year there was a barbecue, bounce house, miniature golf course, hay ride, games for the kids to play, cotton candy machine, homemade rootbeer and donuts, lots of candy, lots of kids to play with, etc. This year it was basically the same (minus bounce house and add in cake walk) with one exception: the ward split so there were less kids and that meant way more candy and shorter lines for all of the kiddos. I think every kid at the trunk or treat went home with a nice sugar high, only to crash and wake up excited for the antics of going door to door getting even more candy. I don't know how many of you have heard the Seinfeld skit about Halloween, but I can't help but think of it every time my kids have bags full of candy, trying to eat as much as they can before I put it in some secret spot that is out of their reach. It is true that most kids love candy and they are willing to do almost anything to get it. And Lucy, who hated being in her costume was totally content to leave it on as soon as she saw someone put a tootsie roll in her bag. Ah... the joys of Halloween.

On Halloween morning, Nathan went with me to the church to help clean for Sunday. He was reluctant to help me clean the bathrooms (especially the girls bathroom) until I mentioned that he could mop and that if he would be a good sport, he would be able to go out trick-or-treating for longer than we had planned. He was all in after that. He was very helpful. That afternoon, Alli, Justin, Hyrum, and baby Matthew came over to join in some festivities which included making personal size pizzas shaped like pumpkins that the kids were able to make faces on with the toppings. Later we watched a movie with the kids and then went out to scour a friendly neighborhood for houses that were greeting kids with sugary bliss. The kids were so tuckered out from two days of fun that when we got home, they were all bed and asleep within about ten minutes. Here are some pictures of our fun times.

At the trunk or treatAmy as a "cute little witch"

Lucy realizing how great wearing a costume can be. Our little happy bumblebee

Lucy and Amy waiting to go to the trunk or treat. This was right before Lucy threw a fit trying to rip her costume off.

Our Jack-o-lanterns

Amy showing off her costume

All of the kids together (Amy -witch, Lucy-bumblebee, Nathan-police officer)

Nathan all ready to go out to fill his pumpkin

the pizza making

Bad Blogger

2009-10-06T19:29:00.000-05:00

I know I have not been the best blogger. Over the summer we did so much and had a lot of fun, but I didn't post anything. Steve was going to school full time over the summer and he went to Cincinnati on tour with the UNT Wind Symphony where he also played with Jack Stamp's Orchestra (for you music enthusiasts, yes the real Jack Stamps who composes some awesome stuff). I guess Jack Stamp was at a recording session where Steve was playing and was really impressed with him and asked him to play with his group when he went to Cincinnati. So Steve was gone for a while and I hardly saw him for quite a bit of the summer, but fortunately I have Allison close to keep me entertained.

On the 4th of July Allison and Hyrum came over to play with us. Alli had hats made for the kids and I supplied water color paints, markers, and crayons for them to be decorated. Then we did some fun 4th of July activities that culminated with a parade around our house with the kids playing recorders and banging on drums (aka buckets with sticks). It was fun to watch Amy and Nathan have so much fun with Hyrum.

Well... let's move on with the summer. Steve's mom came out to be here while Alli had her baby. Allison had her baby in August (he was a whopper over 9 pounds!) and he is such a cutie. They named him Matthew; Amy and Lucy can't get enough of him. Lucy, especially loves little babies and she will just sit next to him and stare at him. She doesn't dare touch him too much but she will not leave his side. It was nice having Steve's mom visit for a few days and the kids loved it. She really is an amazing woman and I hope I can be a fraction of what she is someday.

The end of August rolled around and Nathan started second grade. It is hard to believe he is old enough to be in second grade. I feel like I blinked and he grew up overnight. His teacher Ms. Dahnalool-Rubio is from Trinidad and Tobago. She just had her last day of teaching on Friday because she is expecting a baby. She will be gone for 12 weeks. So Nathan's class will have a long-term substitute teacher until January. Nathan is excited for the sub they have because he knows him from subbing his class last year.

September came and went quickly, but it was a busy month. Our ward split and we are now part of a Denton ward. With the split came new callings. I am no longer the primary pianist, but now I am the nursery leader and the cubscout leader for our ward. The bishopric counselor said I was the first one to accept those callings; everyone else said no. I am still the only one to say yes. They are still in the process of trying to find some people to help me out with both callings. Cubscouts is new to me. I am still learning how to run everything, but it is not quite as bad as I thought it might be. We had our first pack meeting last week and it seemed to go well. I was a nursery leader for two years while we were in New York and I am now one again. I think I have been to Relief Society only five times in the past four years. I miss it, but maybe someday I will be able to attend again. Don't get me wrong, I love being with the kids, but I also like to get to know the other ladies in the ward.

With October here, Steve's schedule has gotten hectic. He is working quite a bit with the music annex at UNT and also teaching private lessons on the side for Celina school district. He also will be taking his qualifying exams (think equivalent to a law student taking the bar) next week. He is cramming like crazy (he is actually with a study group as I type this and won't be home until after 11 pm and then he has to do his homework for his class tomorrow). After his quals are done, he has to defend them and then he has his final regular recital in November. Sometime he also has to present his topic proposal to the graduate board for approval so he can do his dissertation and lecture recital next semester (long process and lots of work). He is very busy, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I feel like school has been such a big part of our lives since we met (well, I guess it has... one of us has always been going to school since we've been together- going on 9 years). I am so proud of Steve and his hard work. I understand why people who have a doctorate insist on being called Doctor [insert last name here]. It is a long, and in Steve's case, expensive road and it is not easy by any means. I can't help but tear up a little thinking of all of the hard work, sacrifice, and time that have gone into all of this journey. It is definitely an accomplishment to be proud of. The thing Steve is most excited about in October is Lucy turning 18 months and entering nursery. That means I will be watching her and Steve will be kid free for Sunday School and Elder's Quorum. I can't believe my little Lulu is already that old: how time flies...

In November Steve's dad, his brother Boyd, and his sister Melissa will be flying out to see him perform his recital. It is a big deal and if anyone reading this wants to come listen to it, you are more than welcome to. It is on the 12th of November here at UNT. Contact me if you want anymore details. Steve is so talented and I love to hear him play and see how much passion he has toward the music he is working on. He practices so hard and it is nice to see how much support he gets from friends and family.

In December the semester will end and a big load will be off of Steve's shoulders....well he still has his dissertation and lecture recital, but no more coursework! Yay!! We are still debating going to Utah for Christmas, but we hope to be able to go out for a week or so to visit family. I miss Utah so much right now. I haven't been there since March of 2008. I want to see those mountains covered with snow and I want to see all of the family I haven't seen in nearly two years. Hopefully our finances will be where we can take a small trip. Allison and Justin are moving in December and it is a sad thing. They have been fun to have around and I have had so much fun hanging out with Alli and her two boys. It won't be the same without them around. Steve and I will be bored and lonely.... who will play games with us on game night and laugh with us while we watch the Office? Who will eat all of my cooking inventions and walk with me around Denton? Hopefully, it won't be too long before we are close to some family that we can spend time with again. I guess I just need to become better friends with some people close by and see if they are gamers and Office Watchers. (smiley face here)

I know this is a looooong post, and if you made it this far, good job. I hope you are not bored out of your mind and wondering how I can type so much about so little. If you made it, I will throw in a picture or two or three for good measure.

Steve turns 30!!

2009-06-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

I know I have done a lot of posts all of a sudden, but I guess that is what you get when you go through a blogging drought.

Well, Steve turned 30! He was really busy with the conductor's collegium he is doing this summer, so we didn't get a lot of time to do something really special for him. However, we did have a yummy dinner and some cake and ice cream. Justin and Alli came over to celebrate with us. Later, Steve had a concert he had to conduct in. I was able to go watch him conduct, thanks to Alli watching the kids. He did a great job and I think it was a good present to himself to finally have that out of the way.
I am really proud of how good of a person Steve is. He really is such a great man. He works really hard to be a good husband, father, son, brother, student... you get the idea. He has been working so hard to finish school the last few years and it is awesome to think he will be done with all of his coursework before his next birthday and he will be known as Dr. Hunter. He really has done some amazing things over his 30 years. He is humble about it, so you will have to ask him what those things are if you want to know everything. He is really a good all-around guy!
Happy Birthday Steve! We love you so much!

Eight Years

2009-06-21T09:55:00.000-05:00

Steve and I just celebrated our 8th anniversary on the 14th. Steve got me some roses and pretty necklace with my birthstone. I got him a golf shirt and a new movie.

It is amazing how quickly the time goes. It has been a wonderful 8 years and I hope it continues to be a wonderful journey with my best friend. I don't think we could be happier than we are now. I am glad I chose Steve as an eternal companion.

Nathan turns 7

2009-06-21T09:46:00.000-05:00

You read that right. My little man turned seven on the 4th. I can not believe he is already that old. It is crazy to think that next year he will be getting baptized. He is such a good kid and we love having him around. He is so full of energy and love. He is so compassionate and caring to everyone. He is a wonderful big brother and son. We love him so much and are glad that he is in our lives! Happy birthday Nathan, we hope being seven is loads of fun!

For his birthday he wanted to go bowling, so we invited Allison, Justin, and Hyrum to join us at the bowling alley. It was so much fun. Then we had his favorite dinner: hamburgers and baked beans. Then he had his favorite kind of cake and ice cream. He got quite a few fun presents and was really pleased to have so much attention.

Nathan blowing out his candles
Thinking of his wish

His teacher at school helped him make a birthday visor to bring home

Nathan wanted a picture of his cake. It was nothing fancy, but he was very pleased with it.

His happy smile

Visting Family in Oklahoma

2009-06-21T09:34:00.000-05:00

We went to Oklahoma for Memorial Day to visit some family. We first went to see my uncle Mike and aunt Kelly. It was nice having a little visit with them. The next day we were able to go see my Grandpa Knight and Betty. The kids loved seeing them. Nathan was very excited to spend some time with his great grandpa. The kids also loved seeing Mike's birds, especially Louie. They have been talking about that bird almost everyday since. They thought it was amazing to hear a bird talk and to see it dance and open its own cage. I think this was a trip they will not forget for a while, even though it was so short. We will have to find a time when we can spend more than a few hours with everyone.

Amy and Grandpa Knight

Nathan and Grandpa Knight
Grandpa Knight and Lucy (he was walking around the backyard showing her everything)

Grandpa had the kids jumping on the trampoline and having a good time

My Grandpa Knight

Lucy was a little unsure about the trampoline

Another Groove Squad Performance

2009-06-21T09:13:00.000-05:00

Nathan had another Groove Squad performance at a PTA meeting during the last week of school. I know I am late posting this, since the last day of school was June 4th, however, I thought it was fun watching him dance and wanted to share it with everyone. Sorry for the shaky picture; Amy was trying to climb me to get me to hold her while I was trying to record Nathan.

The Newton Rayzor Elementary 1st Grade Texas Rodeo

2009-05-13T15:59:00.000-05:00

Nathan's elementary school does a 1st grade rodeo every year. I think they said this is the 23rd annual rodeo, so they know exactly what they are doing and it is fun to attend.
Nathan had so much fun preparing for this. He has been constantly talking about this for about a month. All of the kids were supposed to make their own stick horses out of stuff they could find around their house. Nathan's was made from one of our brooms and some rope. We attached a couple of paper eyes and voila-- perfect rodeo horse for a boy.
He was chosen along with a few other 1st graders to do the flag ceremony. So we have a video of him trotting in with a Texas flag. He practiced trotting around our house for a few days. I think he perfected it!

After they trotted and did the flag ceremony (Nathan trotted in with his friend Marley), they had a parade of 1st graders to show off their horses. Then they did a little dance to a song that was fun to watch (video included--he's on the other side of the circle from where we were sitting during his dance).

After the dance they had events that the kids got to participate in. Nathan was in the three-legged race with his friend Isabella (video included). There were other events as well that other kids did: barrel (bucket) racing, hay bale hurdling, booty-scootin' on a bouncy ball thing, hula-hoop races, potato sack races, catching a pig's tail (one kid had a bandanna on his back that had a pig mask on and another kid had to try to pull it off), etc. It was fun to watch and gave us some ideas for when we are in charge of a family reunion again.

Videos from the festival

2009-04-25T19:10:00.000-05:00

Lucy loved this balloon that someone handed out to the kids. I thought it was so funny to see her laughing at it and had to get it on video.

Nathan did a great job dancing with the other kids. We are proud of him for being such a good kid at school and getting the opportunity to do things like this.

Denton Arts and Jazz Festival

2009-04-25T18:51:00.001-05:00

Today was the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival. Nathan is in a group from his school called the Groove Squad. They are the kids that have been good all year and that have gotten good grades. They learn dances to fun songs and perform them at a few things toward the end of the school year. Today was their first performance. Nathan did it last year and loved it, so we let him do it again this year. He did well and looked like he had lots of fun.
We also had fun going around the festival and hearing music, looking at art, eating some expensive festival food, watching the kids enjoy themselves, and being outdoors in nice weather.
Here are a few pictures from our day:

This is where Lucy spent the majority of the time. She seems to not mind being in the stroller too much.
This face was so classic. Amy decided to taste the lemon they had in her lemonade and it really made her pucker and then almost cry.

Here is Nathan on stage with the other first grader Groove Squad team. He is on the far left by the teacher in the purple shirt. The kid in front of him is his best friend at school, O'Maurie.

Steve thought it would be fun to take a picture of me holding Amy up so she could see Nathan dancing over the crowd.

Nathan climbing on a thing they have at the park. I wish I had his energy.

All of the heat and humidity got to Amy's hair by the time we had walked around the park.

They had this weird ride where you are sitting in bathtubs spinning around. Amy loved it.

Lucy's little scrunched up nose face. She has so much personality.

I love this picture. Nathan was making faces at Lucy trying to get her to laugh and she was looking at him like he was the strangest kid in the world.

Things that have been going on...

2009-04-22T16:59:00.000-05:00

Steve and Allison playing at his recital. Willem was his accompanist and was amazing!

Steve playing at his recital. He did a wonderful job!

Well, I had a posting drought, so I better tell a little about what has been going on.

Steve had a recital that was excellent. His sister Allison played with him on one of the pieces. Nathan came along to listen and he did very well sitting and listening to his daddy play. It gives me a little more courage and hope to think that it won't be long before we can take him to hear a symphony concert.

During Spring Break we went camping up at Ray Roberts Lake. It was perfect weather, but it was too early when we went and the trees didn't have their leaves out yet, so no shade. The dogs did wonderful; for some reason they love camping and they don't bark. They are soooo good. My parents would be surprised to see them so calm and relaxed because they are yappers. For those who don't know, the dogs were my parents before we got them and my parents were a little annoyed by them. Unfortunately I forgot my camera, so no pictures of our fun time.

I have been running like a maniac trying to get into shape. I am hoping to do a 10k at the end of summer. I have talked Steve into doing a 5k with me this winter, but we'll have to see. I may have to keep reminding him that he agreed. I am now able to run 6 miles without falling over, but I want to get to the point that I don't feel like I am running in slow motion.
My sister just finished running a 1/2 marathon and she did amazing! She is truly an inspiration to me. I think it would be amazing to run one with her someday in the future, but I have a ways to go to get to the performance level she is at. I guess it takes baby steps to get to that point, so I will start slow and hopefully not get discouraged.

Not too much more has been happening, so hopefully I will do a little better at keeping the blog updated.

My Baby Turns One

2009-04-22T16:48:00.001-05:00

Finally figuring out how to unwrap a present after Nathan showed her how to unwrap a couple.

Cake, hotdogs, peas, and carrots... what more could a one year old want?

Her scrunched up nose face. This is the face she usually gives to people she doesn't know very well when they are talking to her.

Thinking she is funny when mommy freaks out about her standing in her high chair

Yep... Lucy is now one. I can hardly believe it. She seems too little to be one already. It amazes me how much faster time has gone with her compared to Nathan and Amy.

We had a little party for her. She seemed a little confused about the cake and the presents, but she was happy.

Amy was nice enough to blow the candle out for her and Nathan was nice enough to help her open her presents. Aren't siblings the greatest?!

The Science Fair

2009-02-24T18:50:00.001-06:00

Nathan recently had his science fair at school. He worked very hard on his project: Will Temperature Change How Well A Magnet Works?
He was so proud of his board he brought to school and he was very confident when the judges came around to ask him questions about his project. He won third place and was happy as can be... except for the part of not getting a trophy or medal like the first and second place winners got. We had to explain to him what it means to be a good sport and to be happy that he even placed because many kids didn't even do that. To celebrate Steve took him to McDonalds to get a happy meal. Nathan thought that was even better than a trophy.

Amy Turns Three

2009-02-24T18:28:00.001-06:00

coming home from the hospital and sitting in the sun to help with jaundice

Big brother gets to meet new little sister

happy as can be

being just like her brother

on her birthday, right after waking up

I know I didn't get right to my blogging like I said I would. I have been busy with the kiddos and doing the things that a mom does everyday.

The most recent big happening in our family is that Amy turned three. She is such a fun little girl and our lives would not be complete without her.

Some of my favorite things about her are:

She is such a girly girl--she loves pink and purple, loves to dress up, play with dolls, get into my makeup, etc.

She insists on being called "Amy Princess" about 75% of the time. She will answer to nothing but that and gets angry if you just try to call her "Amy."

She loves to play with her brother and sister. She will usually not play long by herself. She is constantly trying to recruit someone to play with her.

She loves cookies. She would eat them for every meal if she could. She is our little cookie monster. She has her dad wrapped around her finger and many nights when he gets home, you will see him in the kitchen with her making a small batch of cookies just because she smiles her I-can-get-daddy-to-do-anything-I-want smile with her "can you help me make cookies, daddy, please."

She loves to cuddle. I love it when she climbs up into my lap and she wants to read a book or just snuggle with a blanket while we watch a show.

She loves to dance. She does her own moves and doesn't care what anyone thinks.

She is very loving.

She loves to be around people. She is not shy, for the most part.

So I will say, Happy Birthday Amy! I can't believe my little princess is already three.

Joining the Blogging World

2008-10-17T15:49:00.000-05:00

I have decided to join the blogging community since it seems like so many people we know are doing it (yep...we have jumped on the bandwagon) and it is a great way to share what is going in our lives with our family and friends that are far away.
I just need to keep on top of things and hopefully keep the blog updated.

Tomorrow I will have to add some pictures and update everyone on what we have been up to.