My new job at BYU-Idaho is going pretty well.  The first semester was overwhelming at times, adjusting to a new type of students, and teaching three courses that I had either never taught or at the least not taught for over 7 years.  So writing new exams, preparing lectures and discussions, and all the new stuff was a lot of work.  I am hoping that the next semester will be a little bit less intense since I’ll be teaching the same courses.  Each university has its own peculiar culture which takes some getting used to, BYU-I included.  The first year is always the toughest.  The one thing that is the same is that I enjoy teaching and am lucky to have a job that I enjoy rather than one in which I keep watching the clock for the end of the day.

Rachel, as usual, is already involved in local community politics.  She arranged for the first town meeting ever held in our little Hibbard community.  She has organized groups and kept people informed of the issues of zoning, new building, etc. as they have come up.  She also works in the church with the Young Women, teaches gymnastics once a week, teaches art at the local elementary school (for Asia and Eden’s classes), and is “room mom” for Eden’s class.  It’s difficult to keep up with her sometimes

Asia (8 years old) is a really wonderful girl.  She enjoys learning and reads like a whiz.  She consumes 200+ page books (i.e. Nancy Drew mysteries, Roald Dahl, the Moffats, etc.) in a single afternoon and stays hungry for more.  Asia is also a really sweet person to have around and is a great person to hang around with, whatever you might be doing.  She is in second grade this year.  Sample spelling words from a recent list: abandon, turquoise, and government.  Asia is also a great inventor of crafts.  She makes secret language codes, coloring books for her sisters, and treasures and art for all of us.  She can take just about any random set of household items and create something amazing out of it.  Even out of just paper she makes pop-up books and even once a pop-up city and pop-up house.

Eden (6 years old) is a real delight.  She is also big into reading and learning.  She has been reading Roald Dahl and The Magic Tree House books and enjoying the ability to read everything around her.  Eden also loves to play and laugh.  She enjoys running around in the snow, which is still a novelty to all the girls.  She is in first grade and well loved by her teacher and classmates. She has excellent handwriting and can write letters and stories.  She often makes pictures for me to put in my office.  Just today I got a letter from her that had a picture of a castle complete with knights.  Eden also likes to cook with her Dad, one day making bread completely on her own--without a touch from me.

India (3 years old) is a one-girl riot.  She is such a cheerful and fun little person.  She has a best friend next door who is her same age and looks almost just like her from behind—same size and blond hair.  She has just left (whew!) a phase where she was a puppy about 75% of the day.  She wouldn’t respond to India, instead saying “India is at school, only puppy is here now.”  She always referred to herself in third person when she was a puppy.  Things like: “Puppy love daddy.”  She really is a loving and fun-loving girl.  She is just learning to read and can read “Hop on Pop” to me, at least most of the words.  Every time she sees letters, she tries to sound them out to figure out what the word is.  She is truly a delightful daughter

Samara (1 year old) is growing up quickly.  She understands just about everything now and can ask for most of what she needs in her own little one- and two-word sentences.  She is very cheerful most of the time and is in many ways an easy child to raise.  She demands to be treated like her older sisters and refuses to sit in a high chair or even booster seat at the table—instead choosing to kneel down on the normal chairs to eat.  She loves to laugh and is able to self-entertain for long periods of time, just like she has always done. 

P.S. Since Samara was born in this very tub, this is her one-year old birthday, in her birthplace, in her birthday suit, with some birthday cake.