John's October Letter

October 8, 2012

Dear Children,

It almost seems like it has been a non-stop race since the start of the school year.  I always thought that going to college while working part-time would be more stressful than having a full-time job.  I’m not so sure anymore.  Regardless of how busy we’ve been, it has still been good.  Our worries over financial stability have been greatly decreased and we both enjoy our jobs.  That’s enough for now.

Aside from the daily things, there hasn’t been much exciting happen.  We’re still trying to see how we fit into our new community.  Some of the people are really nice and a few are kind of weird.  We mostly end up just keeping to ourselves.

We’re both excited about fall break coming up this week.  It will mean a much needed five day weekend.  As it is, we struggle to keep up with things during the week so that Saturday doesn’t fill up completely.  Sometimes we’re more successful than others.  We’re going to take one day of our break to go see the Utah Shakespeare’s production of Les Miserables.  We’ve heard really good things about it and are excited to see it ourselves.  I look forward to getting to take you to plays and sharing some of my interests with you.

After that, I guess we’re going to have to start thinking about Halloween.  I’m not sure, but I think there are probably a good number of people at both of our workplaces that will be dressing up for Halloween.  I haven’t even considered a costume yet.  I guess I still have a few weeks to figure it out.  We’ll have to figure out how we’re going to carve our pumpkin as well.  There’s two more things I’m looking forward to sharing with you.  I love you.

Love,
Dad

John's August Letter

August 22, 2012

Dear Children,

     The past few months have been a little crazy. July started out with a family reunion. Your Aunt Rachel wasn’t able to make it with her family, but the rest of us where there. We stayed in cabins at a campground and spent most of the time just hanging out with each other. It was nice to get to see all your aunts and uncles and your cousins. It was the first time that many of us had been together at the same time since your mother and I got married. It was also nice to get out of town and have a break from the stress of looking for a job. The hardest part was coming back home afterwards. Our apartment felt really empty after spending that much time with family.

     Once we got back we had to switch over to moving mode. Since I graduated from BYU, we couldn’t stay in on-campus housing any more. We found a nice condo that costs a little more than we were paying before, but it’s also quite a bit bigger. The landlord also allows us to have pets. That means that as soon as we had the essentials unpacked we headed to a shelter to pick out a kitty. We named his Reeses because he is orange. When he’s not playing us to death, he’s loving us to death. He really loves his people. I know you didn’t get to help pick him out, but I bet you’re still going to enjoy having him as part of the family.

     Then, a week into August, we had an adoption conference sponsored by Families Supporting Adoption that we attended. We had wanted to go last year, but it was too far away and we didn’t want to spend money on a hotel unless we had to. We ended up leaving the conference with some mixed feelings. Some of the presentations and classes were really good and gave us some ideas of how to talk about adoption more openly. On the other hand, it was hard hearing everyone else tell stories about quickly their adoption went or how easily they found their children, or how many children they have adopted. I know we will get to the point where we have stories like that to share about you, but it can be hard to see that from where we are at right now.

     I’d still been applying for jobs like crazy and getting interviewed at least three or four times each week. Unfortunately, I seemed to be everyone’s second choice. Principals wanted teachers with more experience that I currently have and everywhere else I applied didn’t want to hire someone who was likely to leave for a teaching position in the next few years. I finally got a call from one of the assistant principals I had interviewed with. She offered me a job for a position that had come up last minute and she thought would be a better fit for me than the position I had applied for. So now I’m working as a facilitator for high school distance learning classes. I get to sit in the classroom with the students and try to figure out how to operate the technology. As luck would have it, the entire system went down my first day and I ended up sitting in a room with three students and no way to connect to the instructor. I know they were bored, but there wasn’t much to do about it.

     I want to apologize for not writing a letter last month. Things were busy, but I still should have made the time. One thing I can promise you is that I will always make time for you. No matter how busy things get, my family will always be my first priority. I love you.

Love,

Dad

Cassy's August Letter

Dear Children,

Sorry there was a break in our letters. We got really busy with all that has happened within the last month, so I have lots to tell you.

First off, we moved! We are living in a condo right next to the train tracks in Provo. You will love the trains. They are super loud, but at the same time really fun to watch and hear. Luckily, you get used to them really fast. Your dad and I were really worried that they would be a problem, but now their a part of home. Our new home also has some new features that we are incredibly excited for. We have a dishwasher, a jet tub, and a washer and dryer. Doing laundry has never been so much fun!

I have been working non stop on school. I am excited for the new school year and can't wait to get started. On top of all the excitement comes a lot of fears. Its scary to know that my students all depend on me to teach them what they will need to know for the rest of their lives. Wish me luck as I embark on this new journey.

This last month we also added a new family member. He is a 2 month old little kitty. He is so cute. We named him Reeses. He is a little ball of energy. We love him to death.

Lastly, I wanted to tell you about the adoption conference we attended. It was fun and hard, at the same time, to hear all the stories that were told. It got us excited and motivated to get our profile back online and to continue searching for you. We learned some really valuable things about updating our profile and getting the word out that we are adopting.

We hope that we will get to meet you soon. Your dad and I love you very much and can't wait to share our lives with you.

Love,

Mom

John's June Letter

May 18, 2012

Dear Children,

     If April was busy and hectic, May was pretty empty and slow. There have been more applications filled out, and more interviews gone to, and more rejections. It hasn't all been bad though. Your mom was asked by her principal to teach a lesson for him to observe. The result was him offering her a part-time job as a teacher next fall. She's already started attending training classes with the other teachers. She's getting excited about the opportunity to be designing new curriculum for the sixth graders.

     I got an interview with Washington County School District for a drama teacher opening at Pineview High School. I drove down to St. George and back the same day. It made for a long day, but the interview went well. I was supposed to hear back from them the first part of this week. I haven't heard anything yet, so I'm not sure what to think. I also have an interview tomorrow at Taylorsville High School. I'm really excited about that one. The school is pretty big and the drama program is very well established.

     It's interesting to think how much the decisions we're facing right now will affect you growing up. Where we end up working and, consequently, where we end up living will likely be the place you come to think of as home. Of course, we may end up moving around a little bit before settling down somewhere. I feel like we're coming up on the point where we will know what we're going to be doing in the fall. I'm glad.

     Your mom and I went for a hike on Memorial Day. We looked up some information on-line and found out that there is a hot-spring just under an hour's drive from here. We decided to hike out to it. We found the trailhead just fine, but then we took the wrong trail and ended up hiking down the wrong canyon. It was still a fun hike, but it ended up being twice as long as we expected and we didn't get to see any hot-springs or waterfalls. We decided to go back down this week and see if we can find the right trail this time. We forgot a camera the first time anyways, so now we'll be able to take pictures.

     We love you and pray for you.

Love,

Dad

Cassy's May Letter

Dear Children,

This month has been very long, short, and everything in between. Your father and I have done many things this month, so it is hard to know where to begin, but I will try to make this letter as organized as I can.

To start off, this month has given us a lot to think about. We made a quick trip down to Mancos to do an interview in Blanding. We didn't get it, but we got to spend a lot of time with family and that was well worth the trip.

When we returned we found out something that was very hard to deal with. One of our friends in our ward was very ill after giving birth to a beautiful baby girl. We prayed for her and her family. The Lord took her home a little while after that. It has been such a blessing to be in this ward and to be around so many people who love us and who we love very much. The support that the family has received has been amazing to watch and a real testimony builder. The whole thing has strengthened my testimony of The Plan of Salvation. I know this young mother will get to raise her three beautiful children and that she is in a wonderful place.

Your father has an interview this week. We are praying and fasting that we find the jobs that will be the best for us and that the Lord will send us to the best place to raise our family. We are so excited for this interview and can't wait to find out what the result will be. I also had an observation last week for a fifth grade part time position at the school I am at now. It was exhilarating to teach a lesson. It reminded me of why I went into education and why I love it so much.

We went on a hike today. I am so sore! It was only supposed to be a 4.5 mile hike, but we missed the trail and ended up going on a 10 mile hike. We saw lots of wild flowers, lizards, snake, squirrels, and butterflies. It was a beautiful hike and it makes me very grateful for many things. I am grateful for the beauty that the Lord has placed here on the Earth. I am grateful for a body that can hike 10 miles and only be sore. I am grateful for the food and water that we took with us. I am grateful for the opportunity to go hiking with your father. I am grateful for everything that the Lord has given us.

Lastly, I am grateful for you. I know that you are not in our home yet, but I am grateful for the knowledge that someday you will be here. We look forward to all the things we will be able to do with you, like 10 mile oops hikes. We love you so very much.

Love,
Mom

John's May Letter

May 18, 2012

Dear Children,

     This past month has been pretty busy, but in a good way. I finished up my student teaching. That was exciting and hectic at the same time. I got to go with the students to the state drama competition at Taylorsville High School. Incidentally, Taylorsville is looking for a new drama teacher and I applied for that position. Anyways, the students did really well for the most part. Our school took third place overall and a few people medaled in their events. The greatest thing for me was getting to see the look on the students faces when it was announced they had won. Two of the students sang a song from Parade and managed to take first place in musical theatre. Watching their faces I got to see a mixture of surprise, excitement, and wonder all at once. It was a great experience. I hope I can have that experience again but as a parent watching you achieve great things.

     We also finished up the last play of the season at the high school. The kids did a great job with it. It was a great experience for them and anyone who came to see it.

With that over with, I finally graduated. It was a relief to be done, but a little scary at the same time. Since then, your mom and I have been filling out job applications like crazy. It's time to start making plans for where we're going to be living and working for the next year at least. We can't stay in student housing anymore and we need to find a way to start building experience teaching.

     We've both been called up for a few interviews, but there haven't been any job offers yet. I'm hoping to get hired as a drama teacher at a high school, but I'd be okay working with younger students or even doing math. We've been praying that the Lord would guide us to find the opportunity that will be best for us. We're both hoping it doesn't take too long, but knowing that we have to be patient all the same.

     We're looking forward to finding somewhere to live where we can start building our family. Right now it's just the two of us, but we know you will be coming to join us when the time is right. We love you and pray for you.

Love,

Dad

A dear friend of ours died tragically this week. She left behind her dear husband and three very small children. Now they are in need of prayers and any help that anyone can offer. Here is a link to follow to help them in there time of need. Thank you.

Cassy's April Letter

April 12, 2012

Dear Children,


Your father had a very good idea and now I am going to do the same. Sometimes the things he comes up with amazes me. I would never have thought of writing a letter to you on a blog. So here goes my letter to you for this month.


I first off wanted to tell you how much I love you. I may not know you yet, but I know how much I love each and everyone of you. I have also been thinking a lot about how much I love your father. He is so smart and loving. I've been thinking about my favorite times of the day and all of them revolve around our little family. I love when your father kisses me and tells me how much he loves me when he gets up in the morning. I love that he calls me when he is on his way home. I love how he kisses me when he gets home in the evening and tells me good morning. Yes, good morning. Lastly, I love how he cuddles with me when we go to bed at night. He is a wonderful man and you are so lucky to have him as your father.


We have had a nice week of just hanging out, because of spring break. We have played a lot of Settlers of Catan and watched a lot of Avatar, the Last Airbender this week. Yes, we are geeks, but we have fun. Sadly, he was also gone on Thursday and Saturday for the State Drama Competition with his high school kids. He loves the drama stuff and his students. I have enjoyed the time I have had to myself as well. I wrote this letter and did the grocery shopping.


We also enjoyed this last Sunday. We dyed Easter eggs on Saturday and ate lots of candy. On Sunday we went to church and learned of the wonderful sacrifice our Savior has made for us. I want to close this letter by telling you, my children, that I believe that the Atonement is one of the most important things to me. Christ's Atonement shows me how much he loves me and how much he understands me. He understands the trials that we face, making it so we are never alone. The Atonement lets us atone for our sins, but I think for me it is more about having someone who has suffered all that I have suffered and having someone who understands perfectly. I love my savior and the sacrifice he has made for me.


We love you so much and we pray for you everyday. You are constantly in our prayers. I love you very much and I hope you have a wonderful month.


Love,


Mom

John's April Letter

April 3, 2012

Dear Children,

I've had the idea for quite some time to write you each a letter on a regular basis. Your Grandpa Whitehead has been working on writing a personal history and it has been very interesting to read. I'm not very good at keeping a regular journal, but I figured this would be a good way to preserve some sort of record I could give you someday.

I should start by saying that you are all getting the same letter this time, and probably for the next several letters at least. This is because we have not yet met each other. I don't yet know you or your names. Your Mother and I eagerly await the chance to welcome you into our family and get to know you.

At present I am just finishing up my student teaching at Pleasant Grove High School and will be graduating in just a few weeks. I actually only have three more days before I am finished. It is the end of four and half years of study. At times it seems like I have been in school forever, but at other times it seems that I just barely started and I can't believe that I am almost done. It is a little stressful at the moment because we don't yet have anything lined up for after graduation. I am hoping to find a teaching position at a high school. Unfortunately, there aren't many openings for theatre teachers. Many people are scared by the downturn the economy has taken recently and are staying longer at their teaching positions instead of retiring. There are also fewer schools looking at expanding their theatre programs. Hopefully something comes up. There should be some postings going up soon.

We had the chance this last weekend to listen to the general conference. As always, it was a highlight to get to listen to the words of the prophet and the apostles. Something your Grandma Whitehead pointed out to me several years ago is the fact that whenever one of the apostles talks at conference, regardless of the topic, he will always share his testimony of Jesus Christ during the talk. It is great to get the opportunity to hear these men share their testimonies.

Your Mother and I don't know you yet. Even so, we pray for you every night. Know that we love you.

Love,

Dad

Thoughts from Student Teaching

I'm sure this post will sound different than the previous ones.  In fact, it's the first one that I have written instead of Cassy.  I'm not exactly sure where to start or what to write about.  I guess thats one of the benefits of writing on a blog, you don't have any rules about what you have to say.  Well, here goes.

I think that teaching in any form is a mixture of positive and negative emotions, sometimes experienced simultaneously.  I have been able to experience this first-hand as a student teacher.  There is the stress of a parent demanding a grade change for their child and the elation of seeing a student achieve more than you thought they could.  There is disappointment  when students refuse to do their work, and the joy of seeing a student finally make the connection they have been missing.  There is the stress of working with teachers who are in a bad mood and the joy of making friendships with colleagues.  There is the pain of seeing students make mistakes and the joy of being able to share in their successes.

One of the hardest things I have had to deal with is hearing about students who have made some mistakes and gotten pregnant.  All too often, the choices that follow center around abortion or raising the baby themselves.  Adoption is rarely considered.  While I do not know the exact situations for individuals, I can't help but feel this would be an option that should at least be considered.  It's hard to see a child being born into a single parent home when the parent is barely old enough to have a driver's license.  I know there are couples that struggle with having their own children and would willingly open their family to a new child.  We are one of them.

At the same time, I have the great joy of being able to share in the accomplishments of my students.  We returned last night from a regional drama competition.  It was great to see the students succeed at what they have been working on for months.  Even though I am not a member of their family, I still get to share in their success.  I helped them get where they are and can be proud of their achievements.  I get to have a sneak peek at what it will be like to see our own children succeed.

John

Crafty

One in progress

Lots of puzzles

Scarf

We have been doing a lot of crafts these last two months and I thought it would be cool to show them off. John and I are obsessed with puzzles. We have done nine in the last two months. Most of the puzzles came from a ten pack that we bought from Walmart. We will be excited to have a home that we can hang up all our puzzles. I have also been very crafty myself. I have been working on learning how to knit different things on the round looms that we have. We usually just knit hats on the looms, but I learned to knit scarves. I finished a green scarf for John and am now working on a blue one for me. I also finished scrapbooking our Yellowstone pictures. It only took me two years, but I finally got there. Next will be the California pics from last summer. Lastly, I made a beautiful flower hair clip. I hope to use it when I have a little girl who will love it.

Yellowstone Album

Flower clip

Our year

I've been contemplating what to write on this blog for awhile. I have finally decided to kind of make a list of all the things that have happened in the past couple of months.

Grandma's cute Christmas gift

1. John finished his last classes and finals. Yeah!
2. We went home for Christmas.
3. Went to a baby blessing for Jaina Elizabeth Whitehead. She was super cute!
4. Hung out with family for over a week. It was so nice to be home.
5. Played with and potty trained Grandmas new puppy. We cried when we had to give him to her.
6. Consoled the other pets in the house because they were upset with having a puppy in their house. We didn't see the cats the whole week we were there because they hated the puppy.
7. Made donuts with Grandma Audrey. They were delicious!
8. Ate out way more than we should have. Luckily we didn't pay for most of it.
9. Got a new car for Christmas. It has been my sanity in the last month.
10. Came home to find out I had lost my job. In the end its been a good thing.
11. John started his student teaching. He loves it!
12. I applied for jobs left and right and finally settled on substitute teaching. I am hoping it won't be too bad and that I can do it.
13. Got a lot of housework done.
14. Went to the temple a lot!
15. Reflected on what could happen within the next few months.

John and Lily watching TV together

A lot happened to us these past few months. Most things good and some not so good. We are very grateful for the blessings Heavenly Father gives and for the trials. We are still very excited to grow our family through adoption and can't wait to hold a little one in our arms. We pray everyday for our family to blossom. We are so grateful for the many prayers that are offered in our behalf and for our many friends and family that support us. We ask that everyone continues to support us through the good and the bad times.