Family Pictures August 2011

Back in the middle of August we had some family pictures taken. With the move and everything I got too busy to post them. Well I'm finally getting around to it, but I must warn you...I'm posting lots of pictures! Narrowing things down was never my forte. So lots and lots of pictures for your viewing pleasure:) These  pictures were taken by my friend Bethany Cook, back in Twin Falls. Her business is called Set in Time Photography. I've always been very happy with her work. She does a great job!

Getting Settled

We've been here in Peoria for just over two weeks and so far we are liking it. It took forever for us to finally get someone out here to set up our internet so that's why it's taken me so long to get around to an update. We like the home we are renting a lot and we are slowly but surely getting it organized the way we like it. At least it's functional for the most part at this point. It has a nice big family room in the basement which we have used a lot for storing stuff as we've been settling in and for Landon to have a lot of room to crawl around and explore. It's going to be our exercise/craft/play/TV room. We already bought a table and set up my sewing machine on it last night. Now no more excuses for me! The basement also has a decent sized laundry room with a fair amount of shelving (which I'm using to store most of our food since the kitchen is quite small). There's also a basement bathroom and a room that could potentially be a small storage room. It is a very creepy room that we are worried about flooding so everything is going to have to be in plastic bins since there is no shelving. Anyway, the main floor has three same-sized bedrooms and a bathroom, a living room area that leads right into the dining area, and then a pretty small kitchen. It's all hard wood flooring upstairs except in the kitchen and bathroom, which are tile. Landon's had some pretty good head bonks as he's gotten used to the floors. There is also a detached two car garage. One of the garage doors opens manually and it likes to come off its tracks. The day after we moved in it came down and was like an inch from smashing into the back window of the Corolla. We'll keep our fingers crossed for upgraded garage doors soon. 

We've met our neighbors on both sides of our home and they are very nice and friendly. One of the couples is newlyweds and I think they are close to our age so we'll probably be good friends with them. We've already been to a couple of get togethers with the ward and everyone has been very friendly and helpful. It seems like a very organized ward and I feel like it will be pretty easy for us to get involved. It's so nice to have people take you under their wing when you move to a new place and we really feel like that is how it is here. 

The move went fairly well, thanks to my parents coming to help us out for a few days. As any parent knows, trying to pack with a busy one year old is not very efficient. So with the time crunch we were under, my parents were life savers. My mom pretty much cleaned the whole house by herself while I was packing odds and ends and it looked great by the time we left. So we can thank my mom for us getting our deposit back! And my dad had the yard looking better than ever by the time we left. Plus they both helped with the packing, taking care of Landon, getting food on the table, etc. So thanks Mom and Dad! Couldn't have done this without your help.

And then my sister-in-law Megan was a sweetheart and drove out here with us since Brad was driving the U-haul, towing the car, and I was driving the van. She took care of Landon during the drive and even drove for a few hours. It made the drive go so smoothly considering that we had a one year old. Then once we got here she tended Landon a lot so we could get our house put together. She's a natural born nurturer and knew right when to pitch in. Plus she was great company. She might just be the sweetest person I've ever met. I'm glad we got to spend some time together because she leaves on her mission this week. She will do great work in Canada. Thank you, thank you, Megan! I couldn't have asked for a better person to come out here with us!

I really couldn't have made it without some assistance because it seemed like one thing after another kept happening. First I had a sinus and ear infection, so I got on some antibiotics because I knew I needed a quick recovery for the move. Then I noticed I had developed a painful cyst on my knee (I had my dad check this out, but it will have to be surgically removed if I ever want to take up kneeling again:)). Then I acquired a case of hot tub folliculitis from my in-law's new hot tub which I understand is not uncommon with new hot tubs. This showed up the day before we left Twin Falls. This bacteria seemed to be resistant to the antibiotic I was already on because I still got a pretty decent rash. And the bacteria decided to take up residency in my heel (random, I know). Any pressure on my heel was quite painful so I couldn't put much weight on my heel for a couple of days. I got started on another antibiotic for this (fortunate to have a podiatrist for a dad!) and it improved pretty rapidly. But little did I know that I am highly sensitive to Bactrim, a sulfa-based antibiotic. So after a week of taking it I started feeling sick to my stomach and was having severe cramps and muscle aches and basically felt like I had the flu. Then the next day I broke out with a rash which kept spreading and ended up with me being red from my ears to the bottoms of my feet. Once I noticed the rash I headed into an urgent care center here and sure enough I was having a pretty intense reaction to the antibiotic. I had every side effect on the list, including no appetite (which rarely happens to me), nausea, neck pain, aching joints and muscles, hot flashes, chills, rash from head to toe, upset stomach. So I started taking regular doses of Benadryl for a few days (which meant that I had to wean Landon abruptly...just a morning and evening feeding to cut out, but kind of sad for me) and had a prescription strength cream for the rash. I basically just had to rest for a few days while I waited for my body to flush it out. As much as you can rest when you have a one year old in a house that's not yet baby-proofed. It was too bad that I got sick just as Megan was leaving. There were a few rough days, but with Brad's help it didn't get too crazy around here. It's times like that that make me appreciate the days when I feel pretty good and have enough energy to take on projects. So now I know...no more sulfa drugs for me! Oh, and dare I mention that my debit card got scammed and I lost my cell phone off the top of the van the week before we left? Hey at least we got cool new phones out of it:)

We are getting into a good routine. Brad asked me to come up with a workout program for him since he sits at a desk 8+ hours a day. I love seeing him workout! Plus he's my first client so it's good practice for me:). Brad works second shift so I'm contemplating finding work as a personal trainer during the day when he can be home with Landon. I have a second interview this week with a cool small gym that focuses mainly on strength training. I feel like it could be a very good thing for us so here's hoping something comes from this second meeting. If not, I'll apply at some of the bigger gyms. I don't want a lot of hours. I'm thinking like 10-12 hours a week would be doable. We'll see how it works out. Brad supports me in it and I feel like the timing is right if I want to do something with this personal training certification I worked so hard to get.  

Well now, this has turned into one loooong post. Sorry to bore you. Lots to catch up on. I'm excited to go to the Nauvoo Temple tomorrow. I've never been to a session there so I'm really looking forward to it. Okay I'm done. This post is coming to a close, I promise. 

 One last visit with family at Aunt Brenda's before the move. Isn't my sister just gorgeous?! She obviously got all the olive skin genes:) LOVE her!

 Aunt Megan tending Landon in the basement. She spent many hours down here with him. What a trooper she is! He was obsessed with putting this green wheel thing from a cereal box in his mouth. Silly boy! 

Good luck to Megan with her final mission preparations!