The Holiday Season

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

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

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!!

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...

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

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

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.