Merry Christmas 2011!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!  I can't believe it is Christmas time already.  We hope this post finds you all doing well. 

2011 has been an interesting year for our family.  It has been a year of big changes too!  We started off  this year with a move from Surprise (our home of five years) to Tucson.  Moving so far from family and "home" as not been easy for any of us.  We want each of you to know just how much you mean to us and that we miss you all.

So why the move to Tucson?  After years of trying, Joe was finally able to get back into the education field and started working as an Assistant Principal for a charter school in Tucson on December 1, 2010.  He loves that he was able to get back into education but he still misses being in the classroom with students.  He doesn't seem to mind much when he must jump in to cover a class for a missing teacher unless it is Math (his problem subject).   While he has too many responsibilities to list them all (and I know I would miss some), it is safe to say that he keeps very busy every day.  I will tell you that his main responsibility has been discipline.  In addition to his job, Joe served as Cub master for our church's cub scouts for a few months and is currently teaching Gospel Doctrine.  While doing all of this he continues to work on his second master's degree in History.  He hopes to be able to teach/oversee a college course or two in the near future.  One way or another he will do some teaching.

Rebecca (14) started high school this year and got involved with the school's cross country team.  She loves to run and complains because she has no one to run with so I thought this would be perfect for her.  She did well and improved against her own personal time each week.  Her best time was just over 27 minutes.  As for high school its self she has been a little overwhelmed with all of it.  She is still trying to figure out how to learn everything, get her homework done, and  still have a social life.  She has only attended a couple of church dances since turning 14 but seems to really enjoy them. 

Savannah (will be 13 on the 14th) is in seventh grade this year.  She was inducted into the NJHS at the end of last school year.  She does really well with all of her classes and enjoys school.  She played on one of the school's volleyball teams earlier this year.  She is still involved in the school's choir and hopes to join their drama program (with many of her friends) this next semester.  She is still quite the social butterfly.  I think she has taken this move better than the rest of us. 

Joseph (9) is in fourth grade this year.  For the first time ever we allowed his to join a soccer league.  He really loves to play the game and I was surprised to learn just how good he is at it.  After taking the AIMS test last year, we learned that he is a very smart boy.  He is doing well in school but doesn't appreciate the concept of homework.   This year he was tested for their gifted program but missed it by a few questions.  However, he has been able to participate in some extra reading program and is taking an advanced math class (he is doing 5th grade work).  I am proud to say that he has greatly improved in his behavior and accountability for his work this year.  Joe can be found either reading a book or playing the computer. 

Kiley is 4 and every bit the I want to go to school now kid.  She dislikes it very much that EVERYONE but her gets to go to school.  She can't identify the letters of the alphabet but she has learned how to write her own name and many other letters.  I try to work with her but she doesn't want me to do it with her.  There are days I wish I could afford to send her to preschool.  While she likes to watch tv she will not watch any of the educational programs or videos I have come across.  She has loved being in Primary at church this year and can't wait to get a new teaching in a couple of weeks.

Sarah is 2 now.  She is just like any other two year old- happy one minute and very moody the next.  She also loves to watch tv, but unlike Kiley she will watch anything.  I bought the "Your Baby Can Read" 4 disk set and she loves to watch those.  I do not play them as often as I should or as instructed so by the program (for my own sanity) but she can read all 16 words in the first book.  There are crazy big words like monkey, elephant, tiger, hippopotamus and gorilla.  She loves it though.  I think she is too cute for her own good most of the time and mine too.

As for me, I am still lucky enough to be an at home mom.  Outside of that job I don't do anything too exciting anymore.  Just after moving here I was called to serve in the Young Women as one of four beehive advisers (the current count for active girls is 15).  I was just released from that calling on Sunday and have not been given a new calling.  Since I have so much free time and nothing to do with it I decided to fill a need and was selected to be the PTSA Secretary for the Middle School where Savannah attends.  I have not spent too much time in this position yet and it has not required much time but I have been able to meet some wonder ladies and have a few laughs with them. 

Joe and I did take some long needed alone time this summer and went to visit my parents in Nauvoo while they are there serving a mission.  It was wonderful!  Everything was so beautiful and the history of it all is amazing!  (See some picture here on my blog.)  We hope to be able to make a family trip back there before my parents are finished in July but if not at least I can say I got to go. 

If you are ever in Tucson our door is ALWAYS open.  If you ever need a break we are in Tucson and our door is ALWAYS open.  We hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Love,
Joe and Emily McKnight and Family

Happy Anniversary!



Engagement Picture

 Today we are celebrating our 15th Wedding anniversary.  I thought it would be fun to take a short trip down photo lane.  Lucky you I am willing to share it with you.  Enjoy!  Hopefully we will have many more happy years together. 



Wedding Oct. 11, 1996

First Official Family Photo (Dec 1997)

November 2010

Kindness Project Update

I have to admit this challenge as been harder than I thought it would be but I am proud to say I think I have completed three different kindness projects.

1) I wrote individual letters to each beehive in my class (six girls).  This is something I have wanted to do for some time but finding the motivation and time to do it were the real challenges.  I was also worried about what I would write to each one of the girls but as I began writing things came to me.  My hopes in doing this project is to help harvest a stronger bond between each girl and myself.

2) I watched a baby for a woman in our ward who was trying to pack up her house to move.  She clearly did not want help packing but was having a hard time getting it done with her son around so I watched him for a few hours each day while she packed.  I lost track of the days and hours I spent watching him but I knew his mother had concerns about other watching him.  (I had watched him before when she decided she needed to go back to work).  I offered help were I could and that is all that matters in this case.

3) I helped out at my husband's school with their School Block Party this past Friday night.  While he was the one of asked me to help I still count this because this was a service I offered others when I could have been spending time playing with my children at this event. 

I am sure there are other smaller acts of kindness/service that I do without even really thinking about it but these are the ones I have made a point to focus on.  What's next I am not sure at this point but I will keep looking.  I think I am going to try to be more mindful of what I say to my own children this week.  I will let you know how that goes later.

The Kindness Project

Let me start off by saying that I can not take credit for this idea. It was presented to me yesterday at church by our RS President. I do like the idea behind this project and that is why I share it with you. So many of us seem to be in the same slump that maybe as we work together to shift our focus to others and what we can do for them we might in turn be lifted from our slump.
Details of the project- Time frame- one month

Start by setting our own personal kindness goal. (Do one kind thing every day, do one kind thing every other day, help one family a week.) Make it whatever YOU feel you can offer.

Take your goal to the Lord, tell Him you want to help people and he will open our eyes and ears so you can see the needs around you. Think about ways you can help.

Then follow through with those thoughts and feelings. Great or small, put you ideas into action. As we all do little things, we can make one big difference.

Some suggestions of ideas to get you started-
Read stories to a child, meet your neighbors, weed a garden, do your home/visiting teaching, pay for the groceries (or lunch) of the person behind you, call a friend, make and share a meal, give a sincere compliment, do someone else's chores, share the Book of Mormon, write a thank you note, Smile and invite someone to sit by you

Our RS provided us with a little pocket sized Memo book and has encouraged us to write down our ideas, thoughts, feels, goals, plans, and outcomes. As we write down these things we will hopefully be able to see growth within ourselves and how WE CAN make a difference.

Anyone want to join me in the Project?

I already know what my first goal is going to be. It is something I have been wanting to do for some time.  The plan is to have it finished by the end of the week.  I will report when it is complete. 

Summer Break is OVER!

What a short but long summer break we had!  Savannah and Joe have been back to school for three full weeks already.  Which means Miss High School Freshman has been back for two full weeks.   I think all three kids are glad to be back in school and they seem to be doing well at this point.  I believe the first progress report of the year will be sent out at the end of next week so I will know soon how well or not they are doing.  Joe is currently being tested for the gifted program at his school.    Kiley is the only one not happy about the start of school because she is still too little to go.  (She longs for the day that she will be able to go to school.  She wants to learn but she does not want me to teach her.)  Sometimes I wish I had the money to put her in a little preschool just to give her something to do a few days a week.

I made a overnight trip to Las Vegas with Erin and Karena for Karri's baby shower. It was such a quick but good trip. Lori, Lisa and their families also came up that weekend so I was able to spend a few hours visiting with them as well. Although my family is not really close I do miss all of them. 
Rebecca and Savannah attended Girls' Camp with our ward and seemed to have a good time.  Joe was able to attend cub scouts most of the time so that gave him a little something to do but not much. Since we did not get to go on any family vacations (because dad only got one week off- the week school started) we might try and do a few local weekend camping trips this fall.  As far as I know all local campsites are still closed do to extremely high fire dangers.

With the one week Joe had off from work he and I decided to take a vacation and go visit my parents (and church history sites) in Nauvoo.  We were able to see everything there, attend a session at the temple (with my parents), visit the Carthage Jail and surrounding sites, and swing by Mount Rushmore on the way home.  This trip was simply amazing and has been something we have wanted to do for a long time.  It really is a beautiful city with so much history and meaning.  To know that early members of the church took a swamp and turned it into such a beautiful a place to live, work, and worship is amazing.   To be where Joseph and Hyrum spent the last days and minutes of their lives was completely overwhelming.  Feeling the spirit as I read some of their testimonies as we walked the street they walked as they said goodbye to the comforts of home and crossed the Mississippi River left me speechless.  Oh how excited I am to know that one day I will be able to meet them personally and thank them for their faith and sacrifices. 

Since this blog might be read by friends that don't FB here are link to pictures from our trip.  For those on FB, the first link includes the same pictures I have already posted in an album.  The second link is more of the historical sites of the city and they will not be posted on facebook.

https://picasaweb.google.com/116134648372053375744/Nauvoo2011?authkey=Gv1sRgCNjhr-O77o2VYA

https://picasaweb.google.com/116134648372053375744/FHENauvoo?authkey=Gv1sRgCJfrxLDy-KGargE

End of the year wrap-up

Savannah was inducted into NJHS for her school.  She received 4th quarter rewards for High Honor Roll, Pride award, Perfect Attendance, and Citizenship award.  

Rebecca was promoted from 8th grade.  She also received 4th quarter rewards for High Honor Roll, Pride award, and Perfect Attendance. 

What have we been up to?

In February, Mark, Angie and gang (Joe's Brother) came to town for the Renaissance Festival.  We met up with them and spent the day together and then they followed us home and stayed over night before heading back home.  

One Sunday Morning we woke up to snow on the ground.  Because it doesn't snow often we allowed the kids to go outside and play in it for a bit.  By the time we got out of church it was all but gone. 

The schools out here are on a modified year round schedule so the kids got two weeks off for Spring Break.  One of those weeks just happened to be the same week their cousins we off.  So Jarica (8 months older that Rebecca) came and spent a couple of day with us in Tucson and then Rebecca and Savannah went back to Phoenix to spend a couple of days with her at her house.  They love to take pictures whenever they are together.  

The school Joe works for required all of the staff to be at Prom so I dressed up and we went to Prom.  We only danced to one song, which Joe made me request, because the music played was not much to dance to.  It was fun to get dressed up and go out without and kids. 



Then there was Easter.  Finding nice, modest dresses for the older girls and myself was not easy.  We spent hours and went to way too many store before I think they just settled for what they got.  I would like to add that taken pictures of one kids is hard but holy cow taking pictures of four or five at a time proved to be impossible.  This is the best we could get. 

Joe has been called to be the Cubmaster for Scouts at church. He has also been asked to help with the Weblos. He keeps busy with work and school (he is working on a History Masters). 

I have been called as one of four Beehive Adviser for our ward.  I don't get out of the house much so there is nothing exciting to report.

Rebecca is excited and nervous because she will be promoted from middle school to high school in two weeks.  She submitted a speech for a contest to see who would be reading their speech at promotion.  I have not heard an word from her on how that turned out.  I do think it would be great and funny if she makes it because she has only been at this school for a semester and not three years.  When have been to the high school to see the campus and select the classes she is interested in taking. 

Savannah jumped right in an joined the school's choir and they have performed twice since we moved here.  She was also invited to join the NJHS program at her school and is looking forward to being in junior high next school year. 

Little Joe has been working hard to get caught up to his classmates.  He loves to read and play video games.  Since moving he has not spent much time working on Scouting stuff but with Joe's calling I am hoping that it will change.

Kiley and Sarah are each growing in their own identities.  Kiley longs for the day that she will be old enough to go to school and learn "real stuff".  I am constantly amazed at the things she is learning from watching the tv shows on PBS.  (Most are good things.)  Sarah is starting to talk and make more sense.  We bought the Your Baby Can Read DVDs and she LOVES them.  She will sit and watch it at least once a day.  Many days she wants it on again.  I figure it can't hurt her to keep watching it and she is not bored of the same two videos yet.  I can see some benefit to them but not as great as they say so.  But then again I am not sure I am using them in the best way.  I have not watched the parent DVD that came with them. Sarah also wants to be wherever I am.  She is now sitting in my while trying to help me type this.  She is too cute for everyone's good. 

And with that I am going to wrap it up and say if you are reading this I really miss you. 

My personal challenges for 2011

I am not a big fan of setting goals with the new year because I never seem to be able to accomplish the goals I set.  I often ask myself why, but I am never able to come up with a good answer other than I lack the motivation and drive to complete them.  I have tried setting very simple, short term goals but still have not been too successful.  So what makes this year any different?  I don't know that it will be but I have recently realized that I am lacking in some very basic areas of my live and what I claim to believe.  So here is what I have already been pondering on the few weeks of this new year.

1. Late in 2010 I learned that I could be working on the Church's new Young Women's Personal Progress Program right along side with my own girls and receive the new jewelry.  Now that both Rebecca and Savannah are in YW this would be a great opportunity for us to do some mother-daughter bonding.  We can all work together on a goal or help support each other while working on individual goals.  One of the requirements for the value of Virtue is to read the Book of Mormon.  I was able to fine a schedule online that if followed will allow me to finish the B of M in one year.  I am trying to read it everyday, like I know I should, but I am not always successful. 

2. We just recently had ward conference and the theme was "Be thou an example" taken from 1 Timothy 4: 12.  Since that meeting I have really been thinking about this- Am I being the example that I need to or should be?   When you look at the scripture it reads, ". . . be thou an example of the believer, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity."  Am I really a good example in all of those areas?  I don't think I can answer yes.  So I am going to be a better example in all of these areas.  I am also going to make more of an effort to pay attention to and meditate on the things that I read in the scriptures and church magazines and what I hear from my leaders and the leaders of the church.   

3.  This past Sunday we had four talks on the YM/YW theme for 2011 of "We Believe".  Joseph Smith was so inspired by our Heavenly Father to make a declaration of just what it is the we (Latter Day Saints) believe.  This declaration has been recorded as the Articles of Faith.  The specifics of this theme come directly from #13.  After pondering this and reading the January 2011 New Era, I have decided that I need to work on following the admonition of Paul better.  This year I am going to look harder to find things that are virtuous, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy.

So these are my current personal challenges for 2011.  It is my hope that as I strive to return to the basic teachings of the gospel my life and the lives of those around me will be blessed.  I want and NEED to be a better person for myself and all of those around me.  I have been so blessed in my life that is it time to outwardly show my gratitude for all of my blessings.

What's new so far in 2011?

The changes for the new year began a few weeks early for our family.  Tuesday, November 30th was Joe's last day teaching History at Ira H. Hayes (a charter high school located on the Gila River Indian Reservation).  While this job did not last more then a semester it was a true blessing.  It was the opening in the education door that he needed and he was truly happy to be back in the education field.  While teaching at this school, he was able to start working on the necessary internship hours to complete his master's degree in Education Administration.  He experienced many new things and learned things while teaching and interning at this school that we feel he would not have been able to learn anywhere else.  There were two major concerns with this job: 1- the location required an hour and fifteen minuet commute each way and 2- the stability of the school and the likely hood that he would soon be losing he job due to the lack of funding.  It was these two concerns that cause him to continue to look for other job possibilities while teaching at this school.

Towards the end of November, a new job opportunity presented itself which he accepted.  So Wednesday, December 1, 2010 Joe became an Assistant Principal of Skyview High (a charter school  located in Tucson Arizona).  This new job would require either a commute of about 2 1/2 hours each way or a move of the whole family.  The only reasonable solution was to leave our home of just over 5 1/2 years in Surprise Arizona and move to Tucson.  We decided that we would allow our children to finish out the semester at school and move over their Christmas break.  So on Monday, December 27th, we packed up our home in Surprise and moved to Tucson. 

So here we are today January 21, 2011 (about 4 weeks later) with a new job, a new home (in a totally unfamiliar place), a new school for the kids, and a new ward at church.  Surprisingly enough with all of these changes we are doing well.  Dad loves his new job!  It is so nice to have him back at a job that he enjoys.  He was able to transfer his interning hours to the new school and complete the necessary time so he is ready to sit for his Administrative Certification whenever.  (Since he is working at a charter school the License is not a must but would be an added bonus to have.  I am hopeful that he will get that done soon.  What an accomplishment.  Way to go sweetheart!)

The home is nice and is in what seems to be a nice neighborhood.  Our neighbors have been very friendly so far.  The ward at church has been very friendly as well.  Everyone has been warmly welcomed and the kids are quickly making friends there.  Kiley is in primary this year and ,after only being there twice, LOVES her teacher.  She loves being a big kid.  As of right now we don't have calling but I know that will not last of very long. 
   
As for school, the three older kids seem to be adjusting well to moving to a new school mid year.  They are each making new friends and their teachers say they are a great addition to their classes.  For the first time they are not all at the same school.  Rebecca and Savannah are together at a middle school (in 6th and 8th grades) while Joe attends the elementary school in 3rd grade.  The girls are riding to school each morning with a neighbor and walking home together after school.  Little Joe is riding the bus to and from school everyday.  Lucky for him it picks him up and drops him off pretty much right outside our door.

So that is what's new so far in 2011!

Woulda, coulda, shoulda !!!!

This was taken from an e-mail my dad sent to me.

READ THIS VERY SLOWLY... IT'S PRETTY PROFOUND.


Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.

I got to thinking one day about all those people on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't, I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained.

We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi'?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

To those our you reading this... I cherish our friendship and appreciate all you do. We have some history together.

'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance!'

This is going to be my philosophy for 2011!