It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

So, what's new with the Hunts? Good question! Let's see. . .

Rob has been working hard to help get the new church building up and running. He gave me a tour of it last Saturday evening, and it is a beautiful building. He is very proud of the work he does and was glad to have a chance to show me some of it. He is becoming a regular fix-everything guy. I am amazed at what he can do. Although there are occasionally some disappointing days on the job, for the most part, he loves his job. Of course, he works for the Lord so he has the best boss anyone could ask for. But his mortal boss and co-workers are pretty great too. He just got a new church calling. After serving as an assistant in the High Priest's Group for about a month, he was asked to serve on the Stake High Council. He will probably be pretty busy, but in a way that will be very good for him and our entire family.

I am still teaching Seminary. Like everyone else, I have my good days and my bad days, but I always love my calling. I am learning so much about the Savior this year. And my testimony has really been growing. I am so thankful to have this calling. Other than that, I try to keep up with the kids and their schooling efforts, the housework, and whatever else I can manage to squeeze into a busy day.

Jessica is coming home for the holidays, and we are so excited! She has been frantically trying to get all her work shifts covered and today finally made it official. We get her for a whole week. And this year, she is bringing Alan with her. The kids have not seen Alan for about 10 years and are very excited to meet him and get to know him a little better.

Tim has been working what seems like around the clock at Mallard Landing. He just sent in the paperwork to become an official RA (resident assistant). He has been taking classes, helping with parties, moving residents in and out, filling in for those who can't or won't come in, and working his own scheduled shifts. From what I hear, everyone loves him at Mallard Landing. The residents are charmed by him, his co-workers enjoy working with him, and the management appreciates him. Best of all, he is earning his mission money! He is also getting Rob to take him out driving as often as possible. Time is winding down before that mission, and he wants to have everything under his belt before he leaves. Even the driving. Of course, he has mentioned several times that driving is currently his favorite activity. He is always asking to drive us somewhere, move the car, or just get out there for some experience.

Nichole has decided to just get the schooling stuff done and out of the way! She is eager to graduate and get on with the rest of her life. First, she plans to become certified in cosmetology. She has quite a knack with hair and the like. I will get a picture of her latest work on here in the next couple of days. She cut and colored Rachelle's hair, and it turned out really amazing! If she can do that without schooling, imagine what she will be doing with the training. MAKING MONEY while doing something she enjoys. Like Tim, she plans to serve a mission, so she wants to be earning money as soon as possible without incurring a lot of debt. She does plan to go to college, but first things first. She loves doing hair. I say, do what you LOVE to do. Then getting up to go to work won't be a challenge. Nichole is also getting behind the wheel to drive. Probably not as often as she would like, since Dad has been so busy. But, we will get him on the ball.

Hmmm, what is Marissa up to? Well, plenty of school. She is a Junior, and only has a year and a half to "get 'er done". She is also working DILIGENTLY (that is a hint, dear!) on her Personal Progress. She is currently working on memorizing The Living Christ for one of her value projects. That is quite an undertaking--especially when she is also working pretty hard on her Scripture Mastery. Lots of memorization. I am glad it is her and not me! Oh! And she said her big news is that she just got an 8 gig MP3 player. Thanks everyone for the birthday money and babysitting jobs!

Rachelle has just increased her responsibility by getting a pet ferret. I might just have to get her to put her story on here. Let me just say, he is a cute little fuzz ball. And he came with a sister! Twice the fun I guess. Although both fuzzies came with names, new names were in order. I can't even remember the old names, much less pronounce them. Rachelle named her boy Jazz. I am not sure whether the name came from some movie, or the Utah basketball team, or if she actually likes the music. Regardless of where the name came from, she really loves her pet already. It is quite fun to watch her play with him. And she is really very responsible with him as well. She saved the money to purchase him. She is saving money for his veterinary costs. She keeps him clean. She keeps him loved. And his sister? Well, she is really a family pet, but supposedly mine. I named her Peek-a-boo. I got that name from one of my favorite comic strips, Rose is Rose. Cute name, huh? Unfortunately, I can't get up to play with her as much as I should, so the other kids step up and take care of that.

Jamie is really flying through her school work. She is doing a fabulous job, and I am so proud of her. She has also hit a growing spurt, and I now need to trade out her size 8 slim jeans for 10's. When did that happen? She is still doing ballet, and loves it. Now, if I could just get her to practice a little here at home. . . She is very excited for Christmas to get here. In fact, she is the one primarily responsible for decorating our little tree.

Now, I just need to learn to update this blog a little more frequently. I am sure I forget most of our news about 5 minutes after it happens. Isn't that about the span of a gold fish's memory? .

Birthdays, Holidays, and Family

We have been quite a busy little family this past month. It seems whenever we have a birthday, we simply MUST have another one, and then another. And what is a birthday month without some sort of holiday? And if you are Rachelle, why not just combine the two for one really special day?

A week after Rachelle's birthday, I get to remember just how long ago I was born. Sometimes it would be nice to forget how many birthdays I have had and just celebrate it generically! But everyone remembers my age for me, so that is one of the very few things I get to remember.

We are now gearing up for Thanksgiving. Hopefully, we will be able to go to Grandma Hawkins' house. Family time at her house is always warm and lively.

And then it will be time to celebrate Marissa's 17th birthday! It is hard to believe that she is growing up so fast. And what an amazing young woman she is becoming. She has such a great heart and is always wanting to jump in to help.

November is such a busy month, but one filled with fun and family. Already, we can find radio stations playing Christmas music. It is just such a great time of year.

I am now going to be very random. Beware: the following might just hurt your funny bone! I just have to love these kids. . . they are so much fun!

Finally, some pictures!

Yes, I am finally making progress in the world of technology!!! First I had to figure out how to download pictures from my camera, then how to transfer those pictures to our little blog.

Halloween this year was a fun experience. First of all, it was Rachelle's birthday. That, in and of itself, made the day special. As the kids get older, Rachelle's birthday begins to outshine the Haloween festivities. But this birthday truly was special. She turned sweet sixteen. And she truly is so sweet. I have it on good authority that she might be one of the little elves responsible for Rob's lunch each day. That says much, since she generally gets up around 4:30 am to get ready for Seminary. And talk about snuggles. Rachelle is the best snuggler! Sweet definitely is one word that I would use to describe Rachelle this year. But, there is so much more to her than meets the eye. So much more that bursts forth for those that love her best. She is becoming such a beautiful young woman, inside and out. And now--ready to date. The girls are actually planning a very fun first date for her. A dating mall masquerade. Stay tuned for pictures and details.

So, for Rachelle's birthday, we all went to the Battle Ground High School football game, and had a pretty fun time. Battle Ground won something like 32-7. One play was a 90 yard touchdown, which was pretty exciting. Unfortunately, I forgot to charge up my camera (still getting all this technology stuff down, you know) so I don't have any pictures. But Jessica does. If she sends me any, I will post them later. After the game, we walked home and gathered around a yummy Heath candy bar cake and sang Happy Birthday to her. Silly Nichole made a grab for the cake as we sang and several people actually slipped up and sang to her instead of Rachelle. So, we tried again, while several of us restrained Nichole and we got it right the second time through. It was pretty funny. These girls have such fun together.

Although she is 12, Jamie still passed as young enough to go trick-or-treating with Jessica, and brought home enough candy to keep us happy through the game. Jamie has actually begun growing like the proverbial weed, so who knows how long she will be able to get away with trick-or-treating?

Where are the pictures?

Now that is a very good question. One of these days, I will attempt to download my pictures from my FULL camera so I can take some more pictures. :) Thankfully, Jessica is home to teach me the ways of modern technology. Isn't that what these totally brainy kids are for? It sure is wonderful to have our whole family together. We haven't really been doing all that much fun-wise. But I love being together. Hmmm, maybe it is time to pull out the good ole' Monopoly game. . .

Welcome to the World of Hunt

Hello Hunts! Jamie chose the name for this blog. This is my very first blog ever. It shows, huh? Right now, all the kids are home but not home. Jessica is home from Provo for a whole week! She is currently enjoying the "Scream at the Beach" with a couple of her good friends. Tim is at work. Nichole, Marissa, and Rachelle are at the West Stake's dance. It is a Halloween dance, so Marissa and Rachelle decided to dress up. Rachelle is a very sparkly princess, and Marissa is Mother Nature. Perhaps I will figure out how to download pictures and you can all see how beautiful they were. Nichole opted out and attended the dance as. . . HERSELF! Rob is currently on transportation duty (the dance actually ended about 6 minutes ago). That leaves Jamie and I here at home. Jamie has been working hard on her school work all week. So, she is now playing SIMS while I attempt to seem somewhat intellingent on the internet.