Here's our family newsletter. It's originally in PDF/word format and all colorful and festive...but I'm just copy and pasting it to the blog here. I hope it all gets on here okay. Enjoy! Happy Holidays to all our family and friends!
Just a brief update on the Hunter family; my husband Theodore (TJ) and I celebrated our third year of marriage this past August. We have two children now; Adison Hunter is 26 months old and Timothy Hunter is almost 7 months old. They are both such happy, sweet kids and we love being parents.
TJ and I have both graduated from BYU-Idaho; myself (Hailee), back in July of 2009 in the studio arts and piano
teaching programs; and TJ this past July with his bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering.
We are currently awaiting job opportunities and continued interviews for TJ as he fills out job applications.
It’s a stressful time but we have faith that the Lord has a place for us to serve and that He will help us find where it is that He needs us.
OUR NEW VAN!
This past March we made our first big investment. We purchased a van! It’s a wonderful 2010 Kia, Sedona. It was previously used, but still in great condition. I have named our van Hope following our previous van, a 1998 Plymouth Voyager with way too many miles on it. That one was called Faith because it ran on faith. Our hopes with Hope are that she runs for a very, very long time.
With the purchase of our new van we learned to listen to the Sprit and that the Lord puts things “in our way” for a reason. In our search for vehicles we kept coming back to this particular van over and over and we finally realized it to be the spirit that was prompting us. We are grateful to have a working vehicle to get us where we need to go and that fits our growing family.
TIMOTHY LEE HUNTER
Timothy Lee Hunter (a.k.a. Mamma’s Little Stinker) was born on May 27, 2011. He’s so special that he gets to share his birthday with Papa Drew! He was 7lb 9oz at birth and by the way he’s grown since you never would have guessed he could ever have been so small.
At three months he weighed in at 17 pounds, just six pounds shy of his big sister. He’s a handsome red head and looks so much like is daddy!
Timmy likes to try new foods! Meal time is his favorite time of the day with the exception of bath time with sister!
He seems to be quite advanced for his age and we’ve enjoyed his new found strength and independence. He loves to play with his big sister who is so good at making him laugh and he is the happiest baby I’ve ever seen!
He is such a wonderful addition to our little family and I thank the Lord every day for my sweet children!
YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE/ YOU ARE MY SHINING STAR
To Adison: My Sunshine Girl
You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine. You make me happy, when skies are gray. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my Sunshine away.
To Timmy: My Shining Star
I am like a star shining brightly, shining for the whole world to see.
I can do and say, happy things each day, for I know Heavenly Father loves me.
ADISON IRENE HUNTER
Our little Adison is such a joy! She is such a beautiful girl who loves to help out and be silly too. She takes after mommy in her artistic skills. She loves to draw and color (even on walls and doors). Her favorite color is purple. She also loves to dance and sing songs in church. She’s at that mimicking stage and she copies everything so we are always careful to monitor her
surroundings. She turned 2 on October 9th. Her favorite movies are Despicable Me and Tangled and her favorite character is Mickey Mouse! Adison is so tender- hearted and loving. She is such a wonderful big sister and loves to share with and teach things to her baby brother. I know she can’t wait for him to be able to play more with her but she’s patient.
THEODORE J. HUNTER
TJ has had a trying but fulfilling year. He is such a wonderful husband and a hardworking, loving father. I’m grateful to have a husband who cares so much for his family. This past spring semester at BYU-Idaho was TJ’s last semester in accomplishing his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. It was a stressful and time-consuming semester, even more so than previous ones. During this semester he worked as a teacher’s assistant in the Religion Department, attended full-time classes and worked tirelessly on a huge group project, his senior capstone project.
The project to be accomplished in three months was a working prototype of a pesticide spreader for golf courses. There were many specifications to work with. Ultimately, it was to be a vehicle, electrically powered, weighing less than 1500lbs, with a zero degree turning radius, lightweight for the golf green, and built on a budget.
In his group of five, TJ took on the roles of leadership and accounting, as well as being a hard-working team member in building a machine as described above. I’m not sure I can talk about this project enough to do it justice. This was a great experience for TJ to be a part of and I know he learned so much about his love for engineering through this project. The man hours that he put into this had him sacrificing time, family and sleep but it was a small price to get him through. He had my support and patience but I often wished I could have done more to help.
I am so proud of all he accomplished with this project and with all of his schooling these past years. I’m constantly amazed at all the smarts that engineering requires. I’m just a lowly artist and TJ talking his engineering talk hurts my head. I admire his study habits and determination and honesty when it comes to his schooling.
TJ currently serves as 1st counselor in the Sunday school presidency in our Blackfoot 10th ward. He works at Premier Technologies Inc., currently on his second internship there. His internship will end in March 2012 and he is tirelessly filling our job applications. Not long ago he had the opportunity to fly out to an interview in St. Louis, Missouri and I know that was an exciting experience for him. We’ve learned that we can’t get too hopeful or excited about jobs right now because it’s all unknown. We’ll go where the Lord needs us when a job might present itself.
This year, TJ also had the wonderful experience to fly out to Washington D.C. to attend his brother’s (Michael) wedding to Lisa. I know he had a wonderful time touring with his dad and traveling and I hope that someday we can all go out east to visit.
We’re grateful for the constant prayers of our wonderful family and friends, especially in matters of our job-searching. I know the Lord listens to prayers and that we are blessed by the actions of others also.
HAILEE HUNTER
Life has been full of joys and very fulfilling this year. I’ve stood by my husband’s side through his last semesters of schooling (for now) and he stood by my side as we brought our beautiful new son into this world. I feel so blessed and privileged this year to be entrusted by the Lord with another of His wonderful children, to love and teach. My children are my life and I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to be a mother. I pray that each day I can learn the dedication and perseverance and patience that it takes to continually become a better mother and teacher to my wonderful, beautiful children.
My daughter brightens my mood any day because it’s so hard to not smile at her. My baby boy keeps me going and knowing that I have children who need me gives more purpose to life. I have a wonderful husband who has worked so hard and is such a wonderful example to me and whom I learn from by example, every day. He secretly prompts me to be a better wife, mother and person.
I have had opportunity for spiritual growth this year by serving in church callings. I was Relief Society Activities Leader for a long while in one of our Rexburg wards and upon moving to Blackfoot, Idaho; I am now 2nd counselor in the Young Women’s Presidency. I’m being reminded of what it’s like to be a teenager and I’m learning how to be an example and leader to these wonderful Young Women. It’s definitely a calling to stretch me as a person.
I find it quite intimidating and incredibly wonderful at the same time. I’m constantly trying to better myself so that I might be an example of righteousness to them. I never knew that a calling could change me so much…or change my perspective. I have found a newfound pride in womanhood that I want to share with each struggling young woman, to help them want to be women, virtuous women.
While I’m enjoying my calling, I’m glad my teenage years are behind me. I wonder, but can’t imagine what my daughter might be like as a teenager but I hope I can be patient and wise enough to see her through those years when they come.
This year I’ve learned a bit about patience. It’s not just patience in enduring a pregnancy either. We have had our trials with purchasing a new vehicle on a student budget, finishing TJ’s schooling while having two babies at home, moving to a new city, fulfilling new callings and especially in waiting. We’re always waiting to hear back about jobs. It’s the hardest test of faith and patience yet. I realize most everyone has to go through what we are now going through with finding jobs after graduation but as stressful as it’s all been to endure, it’s strengthened our marriage and relationship and testimonies. We know that something will come when and where the Lord is ready for us to serve.
We’ve been blessed so much in our marriage. There are new trials all the time and we never know how to overcome them but we have such wonderful family and friends that are so willing to share a hug or some advice or even more so that we can keep going. I know that our experiences with trials and overcoming them have strengthened my testimony in the Lord. He does know who we are and when we do what is right, He will bless us. That’s been the basis of our marriage. We know our marriage is right in the Lord eyes and we depend on Him to help us to keep going after we do our part.HUGE NEWS!!
Huge News!!! In the past couple days since I’ve been finishing up this newsletter…TJ got a job!!!! We are so excited! We’re moving to St. Louis, Missouri it looks like! We don’t yet have the details of when the job starts but he’ll be working for Boeing. We are very excited…but it’s also not sinking in quite yet. Looks like our new year 2012 will bring some fun changes after all. Thank you all for your prayers! We love you all! Check our blog for updates!
