I can barely begin to sum up this past month:
- packed entire household for the second time in four months, said good-bye to friends we loved, and drove away from what was our home for the past 6 years
- traveled across the country in the middle of winter (great roads though!) with our three kids, Nate's mom and I in the van, and Nate and my dad in the car - got to stay with two of my dad's siblings along the way as well as spend a night in a hotel with a pool. I think the kids actually liked the whole trip because they got lots of candy from grandma, played with new toys at our stops, watched multiple movies a day, and got to eat and play at McDonalds a lot
- spent a few days relaxing at Nate's parents house, then left our kids with them while Nate and I headed down to Rexburg to see our new house for the first time and unpack (we had over 20 members of our new ward show up to help unload the moving van so that part took about 45 min., then Nate and I spent the next few days unpacking basically everything inside the house
- back to MT for Christmas, spending a lot of great time with both families - games (mostly Blokus), cutting down a Christmas tree, swimming in the Wing's indoor pool, hardly parenting with all the grandparents and siblings around, singing, arm and leg wrestling
- then back to Rexburg again with the whole family - the kids loved seeing some of their stuff was out for the first time in several months
- Nate starting teaching at BYU-I as well as working on data for his research
- me trying to get adjusted and organized after all the craziness
- overnight visits from my brother Bryce and sister Ally on their way to BYU Provo
- another overnight visit from MC and Tiff on their way back to Utah
- Mom, Dad, and Wade visit overnight on their way to Ogden to visit grandpa Nielsen who had a heart attack, which I ended up taking the kids and going with for the week, then Nate drove up for the weekend so he could visit his grandma in Provo while I spent a wonderful day at the temple doing family names for the first time
- And oh yes, Snow, Snow, Snow........
The kids have loved playing in the snow almost daily, followed by hot chocolate. There has been enough that they have started body sledding down the piles on the sides of our driveway. Preston's favorite word since he could barely talk has been "ball" but now he often says "no ball" because he likes snow balls
Nate in his new office before classes started - moving his stuff in, preparing lectures, and working on research data.
My mom, dad, aunt Kathy and Dennis, and Grandma and Grandpa Nielsen and I at the Ogden temple. It is the first time I think any of us had ever done work for our own family. It was a very special day. Some of the names we did baptisms, confirmations, and initiatory work for included Granpa Nielsen's mom, Dennis's dad and sister, and several others on the Nielsen side of the family. I helped Grandma put a lot of the information she has on paper into the computer, much of it written in other languages which she had had translated. It was a very special day and week with them.
Being in a new place always takes some getting used to. For example, Walmart (and basically the entire town of Rexburg) closes at 10pm on weekdays and 11 pm on weekends. What! Our ward is the biggest in Rexburg and looks like stake conference each Sunday. It is a bit overwhelming. Nate and I just got called to work in the Primary in one of the four nurseries!
We like our new home and neighborhood. We have a lot of work to do to finish the basement, but that's ok because I like working with my hands.
Preston is getting three new teeth all at once, two of them molars, and the girls had a bit of a cold, so this week involved some not as happy kids stuck in the house a lot. I have discovered our public library has these wonderful file bins arranged by topic that are filled with books, folder games, stories and activities for young children. They are great. I try to have "school time" each morning with the kids. Baylee can write letters surprisingly well.
Overall, I would say we are adjusting well and there are some definite perks to being here. One, we get to listen to devotionals every Tuesday either on campus or on the radio. This week, Elder Nelson will be speaking and then Elder Ballard (and I think Elder Ballard is presiding at our stake conference too) next week. There is even a special fireside with sister Nelson that all the women faculty or women spouses are invited to attend this week. The temple is beautiful and only 4 min. away.
The members here help clean it nightly and I was able to help do that last week. Funny thing is that they said they give you clothes to change into so in deciding what to wear, Nate convinced me that I really should wear a skirt, because it was the temple and everyone would be dressed up. So I did. Then I get there and everyone is in jeans and the clothes they give you to change into are long sleeved, white coverall pants. I had on this long skirt that I had to bunch up my skirt under my overalls! Nice...
There are lots of fun events and concerts going on at the college that we can attend either for free or for $5. Our whole family has access to the Hart gym which includes the pool, racquetball, exercise equipment and free exercise classes. All our neighbors on every side are members.....it is a good place. I just need to remind myself of these things when I get lonely during the days and am missing many of my Bloomington friends and wanting some adult conversation.
