1st Day of...

Kindergarten, work, and new home!!!!

Let's start from the beginning.

A few days before the move, my whole family got sick. Sam was the worst. It was some nasty cold that just flew through everyone like wildfire! Everyone had a horrible sore throat, a cough, fever, chills, ect. Both my parents, my sister and brother, Sam, Mary, my nephew, and I all ended up sick. Me and my kids as well as my mother also got pink eye. To top it off, I ran out of formula for the baby, and Walgreens in Pocatello didn't have any. William's formula can only be purchased through a pharamacy. I had to give the baby a few bottles of regular formula. We ended up driving to the Idaho Falls hospital (45 mintes away) at midnight, to get William's specifice formula. The NICU there was the only place that had it. The baby only had a few bottles of regular formula, but it was bad. He was throwing up all over the place and he was screaming. It was so, so sad. He was miserable for a few days because of that.

Becaue of all of this, I was near a nervous breakdown the day before we moved. Major panic. We are all doing much better now, thank goodness.

We arrived in Utah Saturday afternoon, just 15 minutes before Ben arrived as well. It was great to see Ben again and to have our family back together. My sister Kelsey came with us to help us move in for the next two days. Having her here proved to be our saving grace. She was a god-send, and a HUGE blessing. We pulled in the driveway, and right away there were neighbors at the door. They were so nice and very down to earth. We hit it off immediately. A lot of guys from the Elders Quorum in our new ward showed up just 1/2 hour later and we had a ton of help unloading the truck. Everyone was so incredibly nice! We had dinner brought to us, we have had brownies, cookies and cupcakes delivered to the door, and so many cool people introducing themselves. Just on our little cul-del-sac there are three girls Mary's age and three boys Sam's age. The kids are very friendly and I see them out there playing all the time. Perfect.

We were completely exhausted that night, and we all just slept on a mattress on the floor. Ben and I also went to IKEA and bought some furniture that we needed for the house. We had to get it while we still had the moving truck to haul it with. We also had to get food at Walmart that night. I felt like the living dead, so did Ben. We were so very tired.

I had a hard time that night. I always have a break down during the moving in process. I do fine with the packing, driving, ect., but I always freak out when the house is full of boxes, we don't know where anything is, we don't know anyone, the kids are tired and cranky, the baby is upset, and I just feel so unorganized, lost and out of wack. I prayed really hard that night.

The next day (Sunday) we worked from sun up to sun down...literally. We didn't go to church because we all still had pink eye, but it didn't stop us from working. We were sweating the entire day. We worked and worked and worked. Kelsey totally saved us. The extra set of hands was very needed. One person had the kids while the other two unpacked and set things up. We got about 70% of our stuff unpacked and set up that day. We met more neighbors, learned more about the area and I began feeling more settled and excited.

On Monday, we worked really hard again and finished getting all moved in by that evening!!!! Kelsey worked up until it was time for her to leave. She headed back to Pocatello that night. It was so great to have her here. She has helped me so much this past month with everything. It has been fun to spend so much time with my sister. She came with us to Mary's school for her parent/teacher conference. It was so weird to see my kid sister (10 years younger than I) holding Mary's hand. My sister is graduating this year, and Mary is starting Kindergarten. It was just a crazy time warp moment. I remember the day Kelsey started Kindergarten, and here she was, helping my daughter during her first days of Kindergarten. It was special.

Ben's mom came last night, right before Kelsey left. She will be leaving tomorrow. It has been fun to have her here for a few days. And the help is wonderful.

We just have a few pictures to hang and a load to take to the dump, and that's all folks. The dreaded move in process is over! I cannot tell you how relieved I am. I have been dreading it for weeks and weeks...truly. I HATE moving in, but it is over, and the fun has started.

The more we get to know people and the area, the more amazing this place is. Our neighborhood is very nice, clean, and cute. We are out and away from Salt Lake City, and it feels like we have space, but we are right next to some awesome stores and great shopping. Everyone is very nice and very friendly. We were worried about people being kind of weird and fake (I know, that was rude), but so far, everyone seems to be very genuine and really cool. There are a ton of couples our age or just slightly older, kind of like our ward in Colorado. Our cul-de-sac is great! Everyone kept on telling us that this is their favorite place to hang out, and so far it seems like a fun street to live on. I feel very comfortable here already.

As far as the home...we really like it. It is so cute! It has been so fun to decorate it and brainstorm all sorts of ideas. I can't wait to start painting!!! The kids LOVE the big yard and the park that is literally over the fence. It is a great home for us, and we will make lots of memories here.

Mary was able to go to the school and meet her teacher, Mrs.Jensen yesterday, and Ben and I got to talk with her as well. The school is only 3 years old and it is NICE. It is a great school. The name of the school is Midas Creek Elementary.

Mary started kindergarten today!! We talked to her last night about being nice, and about obeying her teacher. We told her stories from when we were in kindergarten, and about how fun it is. Ben also gave her a school blessing.

This morning we got her all dressed up in her new school clothes, got some food in her tummy, put her glasses in her adorable pink glasses case (with silver stars and handles), got her backpack on, and headed out the door.

When we got to the school, she walked right over to the other kids on the playground and started playing with them. The teacher came out and got them all lined up and then they walked in to the classroom. Mary was so happy and excited. There were no tears and there was no looking back.

Walking in to class.






This is Mary's class all lined up and ready to go in to class. Her teacher, Mrs. Jensen, is the lady with the bangs standing to the right of the kids.

I thought I would be sad to let my little girl go, but she is just so ready for this, and I just feel like it is a great thing for her. I was not sad. I worry about her safety and about kids being mean, but overall, I am just so excited for her.
Her school is year round, and she is on a great track. I didn't like the idea at first, but now I love it! It is perfect for vacations and we don't have too long of a summer for her to get bored. It will be just right for us.

Ben also started work today. I am anxious to hear all about it when he gets home. He met his sales team a while ago during a training, and he was really impressed. His manager is awesome, and Ben said it is a great group to be working with.

And here we are. I can't believe it actually. So much has happened. I don't think I have had time to really sit down and let it all sink in.
I miss Colorado a lot, and I really miss my friends. It is hard to be the new kid on the block.

But at the same time, I can't believe how good and right it feels to be here. I have been so happy the past few days. My spirit just feels good. I am suprised by this, because I thought I would be so sad and homesick. I normally take a long time to emotionally adjust to a new place. This time, I felt at home from the first few minutes of being here. That is saying a lot, because this is a move that we did not want to do. I expected a long and hard next little while. Instead, I feel so peaceful and happy. It is hard to describe. Right when I drove in, I just felt so good in my heart. I felt peace. It is home and it is where the Lord wants us to be.

And so the next chapter in our lives begins.