Merry Christmas!

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! We hope that this holiday season brings health and happiness to you all. We know that this year has had its challenges and changes for many of us but we want you to know that you have been in our thoughts and prayers. This year has been a good year for us. There are always the ups and downs of everyday life but we have been blessed to handle whatever has come our way. As the world changes around us and is often in turmoil what a blessing it is to have the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ.

Our family has been a little busier with sports this year. It has been tons of fun. At the end of the school year in May and into the summer the girls played softball and T-ball. This was a first for us and we really enjoyed it. I look forward to having them play next year. Kelsi and Shaylee took swim lessons again this summer and Courtney took them for the first time. They are all getting better with their swimming skills. In the fall Shaylee decided she wanted to play soccer and we were so proud of her putting herself out there and trying something new. For the past few weeks Kelsi has been playing intermural basketball. We have really enjoyed watching her play. We hope they all continue to enjoy playing sports through the next year.

Courtney is growing up so fast. She is now 4 and started preschool this year and loves it. She has learned to write her name and loves the challenge of writing new words that we spell for her. She got to participate in her first primary program and did a great job. She loves puzzles, seek and find books and playing with anyone that will play with her. She misses her sisters when they are at school and wishes preschool was every day.

Shaylee is now 8 years old. This was a big year for her. She was baptized in July. We are so proud of her and her choice to follow Jesus Christ. She is growing up more and more every day. This year she also started 3^rd grade, which meant going to a new school. This has been a bit of an adjustment for her but she is doing great. Over the past year her reading skills have increased tremendously. She is a regular old reader. She enjoys music and loves to play her daddy’s guitars.

Kelsi turned 10 this year and is getting so tall. In the next couple of years she will probably catch up to or outgrow her mother. She is now in 5^th grade and doing wonderfully with it. She still loves to read and has read several books this year. She has joined the 5^th grade choir and enjoys it very much. She also joined the ranks of those in our family needing glasses. She now enjoys being able to see more clearly.

Jeremy is still working as an accountant for FreePort McMoRan but has moved from the Technology Center to the Safford Mine. This has shortened his commute by about 10 minutes and has been a good move for him. Over the last year he has enjoyed implementing daddy daughter dates. The girls love it! They look forward to their turn and talk about it for days.

Cindy is still busy and enjoying doing the housewife and mother gig. On the side she also keeps busy with her church calling in the Primary working with children and helping with the PTO at school. She is trying to decide if she should go back to school to finish her degree when Courtney starts kindergarten next year. We will see what the new year brings.

We are grateful for this last year and all we have done and learned. We hope that it has been a good year for you and your families. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and the best New Year yet! Love you all!

Love,

The Hunt Family

Merry Christmas!

Halloween

   So, I am a little slow on posting but better late than never.  Here are some pictures from our Halloween fun.  We had an

Egyptian Princess (Shaylee)Black Cat (Courtney)

and a Fun Witch (Kelsi).

   We all had a fun evening.  We went to the Pima Schools Halloween carnival.  They had games for the kids to play, food and lots of other fun. After that we went to the ward Trunk or Treat.  I should have got a picture of the girls sitting on the floor with their candy spread all around them but didn't think about it at the time.  Luckily they had plenty of candy to feel excited about but grateful it wasn’t too much. Although they still have some left.

     

   The Monday before we carved a pumpkin.  That is always a fun event.  The girls had fun pulling out the guts.  They even got to take turns helping with the carving. 

   We decided to go more fun than scary.  We are not big fans of the dark scary side of Halloween.  We enjoy the lighthearted fun of the Holiday a whole lot more.

    Sadly our jolly fellow didn’t last very long.  Before the week was up he was growing eyebrows.

   Here are a few other side notes of fun things that have happened over the past few weeks. 

   Kelsi got to decorate a bottle rocket for science.  She had fun designing and decorating it.  She decided to add the streamers at the last minute.  She really enjoyed launching hers and was thrilled to come home and tell us all about it.  It flew the highest in her class. 

 

   Shaylee’s soccer team had their last game on the first Saturday in November.  They did a great job and won.  Shaylee really seemed to enjoy herself this season.  I am so proud of her for getting out there and trying something new. 

   That night we decided to go to the last EAC football game of the season.  It was a tough game for the Gila Monsters, but they pulled it out.  Lots of flags on penalties that could have been avoided.  Honestly they were lucky they pulled it out.

   The girls did really well with the game. They were cheering and waving their pom-poms.  Courtney fell asleep a little while after half time and we decided to come home toward the end of the third quarter but I thought it was a lot of fun.

  I guess I can also talk a little bit about my birthday.  We celebrated that first weekend also.  My sweet family took great care of me.  They took me out to breakfast on Saturday and spoiled me.  They each gave me such wonderful cards that fit them so well.  I love and am grateful for them.

  Courtney, knowing that my birthday was coming, informed me that when it was my birthday I was going to be old and have wrinkles but that was okay because I would still be her mom.  I must be looking older because Shaylee, while reading her reading assignment about a young women living in 1761, asked if I was born in 1761.  I should have said “Sure, I look really good for a 251 year old women don’t I.”  Kids are so fun.

Wrapping up the Summer and Bringing on the Fall!

   In August my baby started preschool and is loving it.  Almost every day she asks if she gets to go to preschool.  She is growing up so fast and loving being bigger like sisters.  I am excited that she gets to go to the same preschool that my older two went to.  A friend of mine runs the “Busy Bee” preschool out of her home.  She does a wonderful job.  She has programs and field trips, and they learn so much.  I have really enjoyed having them attend her preschool. I would recommend her to anyone.

   September just flew by.  School, work, homework and just everyday living filled our days. 

   September also brought soccer.  Shaylee decided she wanted to try playing soccer this year.  She is our first one to be interested in playing.  Pima has a pretty good league.  For $15 she gets a shirt and to play.  It has been a fun experience so far.  I am proud of her for getting out there and trying something new.  I really think she enjoys the experience of trying new things.

   October has been teasing us with cooler mornings and evenings.  We love this time of year in Arizona when you finally start to get some relief from the hot summer days.  It is so funny to me when you go outside in the morning and it is 65 or 70 and the girls complain of it being cold.  I am loving it! I open the windows and let the cooler breeze blow through the house. Yeah for fall!

  Just this last weekend we went to the Graham County Fair.  We all had Friday off from school and work so we made a day of it. (Well four hours of it.)  That was about all we could take.  It was lots of fun though.

  In the past we have let the girls ride maybe one ride and just walked around to see the exhibits and animals.  This year we decided to buy the $13 bracelets and let them ride all the rides they wanted.  They have a lack of experience in the ride department and a fear of heights so most rides were close to the ground.  We did ride the Ferris wheel though.  

   Here are a few other pictures of the various rides.  I was the lucky parent that got to ride on the rides that Courtney wasn’t big enough to ride on her own.  I usually try to avoid being in pictures but it was unavoidable this time.  Jeremy was behind the camera.  It is usually the other way around.  So I sacrificed being in some of the pictures for the sake of my children.

   It always amazes me when this time of year roles around again.  Life seems to go by so fast.  We are all excited for the joy and excitement the holiday season brings.  Hope you all enjoy this fun and exciting time of year!

Back to School

     It is crazy to think we are already back to school.  The kids started this last week on Wednesday, August 15th. The summer has flown by.  There was so much more I intended to do and didn’t.  I guess it will be saved fore a later date. 

   I am having a hard time believing that I have a 5th grader, a 3rd grader and a preschooler.  I can remember bits and pieces of being their ages and I feel that it couldn’t have been that long ago that I was in their shoes.  I guess I am getting old. 

   Without further ado  the first day of school pictures.  

Kelsi is sporting her new glasses.  This year is the first year that she has had glasses.  That now makes four out of the five of us with some kind of corrective lens.  Courtney may not have a chance.  

   Shaylee is my big third grader.  She started at a new school this year.  She was nervous about that but she has a great teacher and is handling it beautifully.  She also got new glasses but she wore glasses all last year so she is used to them. 

   I think the both look very smart in their glasses.  I am proud of the girls they are and grateful that they like school.  Homework is another story though.

We had to get Courtney in a picture but she didn’t want to come stand with her sisters so Kelsi helped out.  Courtney starts preschool this week so there will be pictures to come of that.  Can’t hardly believe that my baby is in preschool.  She is lucky enough that she gets to have the same preschool teacher that the older two did.  Susan Norton runs a wonderful preschool out of her home.  She is an wonderful teacher.

  Kelsi’s homeroom teacher this year is Mrs. Christenson.   She is a new teacher for the 5th grade and so far Kelsi seems to like her. 

   Shaylee got Mrs. Demuth.  She seems like a really nice teacher.  Small world fact about her is that she and my dad went to high school together.  Apparently they even went to a formal high school dance together.  She says she has a picture somewhere of them.  That would be fun to see.

   Courtney has had fun being home with me.  She has been lucky to have her little friend Sophia to play with her every day since the girls started school.  At this rate she is going to expect a friend to play with every day.  She loves having someone to play with.  I think she is going to love preschool. 

The Summer is Flying By

   Here we are almost to August.  In just over three weeks the kids will be back to school.  I just keep thinking that there is so much more I intended to do with the kids this summer.  I better get busy or time will be gone. 
   Well,  with that being said here are a few things we have done this summer.
   In June we celebrated Shaylee’s birthday.  She turned the big 8!  We are so proud of her and the choices she is making.  All our daughters are growing up so fast.  We love them so much.  (Fun little fact, the Happy Birthday sign in the back on the wall is one I made for Jeremy on the first birthday he had after we were married.  We have put it up for almost every birthday we have had in our family since.)
   Shaylee has taken an interest in science and in doing experiments.  One of the gifts she got was a science kit and book.  She has enjoyed it very much.
   On the 4th of July we participated in our town parade at 6:00 in the morning again.  I didn’t get pictures this year, but it was lots of fun.  The older girls and I rode our bikes and Courtney rode in the bike trailer again.  The program was wonderful, as usual.  Unfortunately Jeremy had to work again this year.   He did make it home to enjoy a dinner of ribs and corn on the cob cooked on the grill and a dessert of homemade chocolate ice cream.  That night I took Shaylee and Courtney to see the fireworks.  Kelsi was too tired so Jeremy stayed home with her.  It was fun to watch their excitement while watching the fireworks light up the sky.  What a great country we live in and what a wonderful way to celebrate it.
   On July 7th we got to enjoy Shaylee’s baptism.  What a wonderful day!  We had many family members there and those that weren’t, we know they were there with us in spirit.  It is awesome to watch as my little girls grow up and learn to recognize the spirit teaching and testifying to them of Jesus Christ and helping them know how to live their lives so we can one day return to live with Him and our Heavenly Father as an eternal family.
   What a wonderful blessing the priesthood of God is.  What a wonderful treasure it is that my husband holds that priesthood allowing him to baptize our children and bless our lives in so many other ways. 
 
  I am very grateful for the love and support that both mine and Jeremy’s parents have always shown to our family.  They all do so much for us in so many ways.  What a blessing it is to have the  family we do.  A big thanks to all of our family!  Here are some before and after shots of Shaylee and Jeremy.  I don’t have an after picture of Jeremy but here is one of Shaylee.
  
   What a wonderful day!  Thanks Shaylee for being a wonderful daughter and your choice to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized.  Love You!
   The next weekend we headed to Alpine for the Edington family reunion.  We had lots of fun.  Sadly, once again, Jeremy wasn’t able to be there because of work.  The girls and I tried to make the most of it though.  I didn’t get as many pictures as I probably should have.  I just got a little too busy living and enjoying the time with family.  I did get some of the grandkids decorating a bag to take on the nature walk as well as the nature walk and some other activities of that one day.
   For the nature walk we walked around following Grandma and Grandpa while they told us about various plants and trees in the area.  At the end there was a special treat.  They found a rare candy tree.  It had fun treats hanging all over it for the kids to enjoy.  The creative mom I have, had names for each of the candies.  For example, the Skittles were rainbow ladybugs and Hershey Kisses where unicorn droppings. There were a few other types of candies but I can’t remember their fun names.
      
  One of the favorite attractions of all the kids, young and old, was Grandpa’s Ranger.  When the kids weren’t being given rides on it they where playing in it.  It brought hours of entertainment.  I even got to drive it.  Lots of fun! 
  One of the other fun adventures of the trip was fishing.  The girls didn’t catch any fish but Kelsi caught her first crawdad.  The girls tended to just want to cast the line and real it back in.  Makes it a little hard for the fish to find the worm.  
   One night we even got to watch the movie “Dolphin Tail” under the stars.  Grandpa had a big screen set up outside and a projector attached to a Blu-ray player.  Grandma popped popcorn for everyone to add to the fun.
   Other highlights of the trip were: the beautiful weather, the many crafts with grandma, hours of playtime with cousins, baseball in the meadow, roasting marshmallows, picking wildflowers, going on a bear hunt and finding gummy bears, and being dirty from head to toe within 10 minutes of getting there. Gotta love the mountains!   
        

Happy Summer to you all!