Greetings from Pocatello

On August 3rd, we moved to Pocatello, Idaho. It was also coincidentally our 6th anniversary. So we have been here for 1 week and so far it's been pretty good. Rich started his job on the 6th. He is clerking for the new judge in Pocatello and is really enjoying it. Marlyce has officially become a stay at home mom and Kinley is still crazy, getting into everything and keeping everybody busy. We moved into a 2 bedroom townhouse and we are really enjoying it and the neighborhood. It is a lot more quiet than our previous apartment in Lincoln and we have plenty of room. Kinley has a giant room and it is stuffed with toys which helps occupy some of our time.

Marlyce is now trying to figure out what on earth she is supposed to do to fill her time all day. Obviously, take care of Kinley and chase her around, but for sanity's sake, we're in search of some new activities. On Monday we are going to hit the local library and find some books to read and some other things to entertain ourselves with.

We also recently went to Kiddie Kandids to get our first family picture and some pictures of Kinley on her first birthday. They are posted below for your viewing pleasure.

Happy 1st Birthday Kinley!

So it is official, we are the parents of a one year old. I can't believe how fast the year went by and how many changes we have seen. Kinley definitely keeps us busy and keeps us on our toes, but we are loving every minute of it. She is just filled with personality and plenty of smiles and giggles. I'm hoping that she will soon be filled with hugs and kisses too.

We had some birthday cake and ice cream on Sunday with the aunts and uncles and cousins that were down for the weekend. Kinley did not like her cake, instead, she threw the frosting around and tried to throw the cake off of the high chair. Then her cousins and aunts and uncles spoiled her with gifts and she had a great time. Her actual birthday was on Tuesday, so we started the day by having waffles and opening more presents. What more could you ask you for? Kinley got so many fun gifts she can hardly decide what to play with. We bought her a tent from IKEA and it seems to be a big hit along with all of the others. I catch her sitting in there with a collection of her other gifts just throwing them around. Here are some pictures of her first birthday.

It is finally over!

Rich left for Boise on Sunday to take the Idaho bar. And in approximately 7 hours, this whole thing will finally be over. For anybody who hasn't endured this horrible process, let me tell you it has not been a fun experience for anybody in the family. Kinley and I are so proud of Rich and the way he has handled not only studying for the bar, but law school, and fatherhood. We are very lucky to have him and very excited to have him back full time and hopefully do some fun stuff as a family.

Fire in Nephi Canyon

We have been staying with my parents this summer and they are about 20 miles or so from Nephi. To get to Nephi you have to go through Nephi Canyon, which is where the latest wild fire is burning. So far we have been unaffected by the fire, just lots of smoke and we lost power for awhile yesterday. Yesterday afternoon I went in the backyard and took some pictures of the giant smoke clouds. And last night we were able to see the fiery hot glow of the flames. I am amazed by the force that the fire moves with, it is very strange to be so close to something like this. Here are the pictures from yesterday.

Trip to Pocatello

Within the last week I have made 2 trips to Pocatello. My mom and Kinley were kind enough to join me. I was searching for a place for us to live, and I was very apprehensive about taking an almost one year old on such a long trip. It was Kinley's first time at a hotel and she had an absolute blast. Each time we arrived at the hotel way past her bedtime, but as soon as we walked in the room, she perked right up and was ready to play. She bounced around on the bed for a very long time and loved looking at herself in the mirrors. I was certain she wouldn't be able to sleep well in the playpen, and combine that with Grandma's snoring and the usual hotel noise, I thought for sure it was going to be a long night. Well Kinley and Grandma slept just as sound as could be. I of course spent the night as usual worrying that the nasty hotel blanket might some how touch me. But it was a great trip, lots of fun, lots of driving, and of course, successful as we now have a place to live.

Here are some pictures of Kinley "jumping" on the bed.

So what kind of mommy are you...

While sitting at my nephew's coach pitch baseball game and wrestling with Kinley, an adorable little four year old girl saddled up next to me to play with Kinley. She was very talkative and asking several questions, such as can the baby walk, talk, etc. Then she said, so are you her mommy? I said yes I'm her mommy. Then she asked, so what kind of a mommy are you? I was a little stunned by the question and not sure how to answer. I certainly did not want this four year to critique my parenting style. The girl noticing I was speechless asked if I was the kind of mommy that liked to play or the kind that had other stuff to do.

Well, what an interesting thought. And I said with a big grin, as of July 27th, I am the kind of mommy that has nothing better to do than play (and housework of course). That is right, my so called career is coming to an end. July 27th will be my last day in the work force and hopefully it will stay that way for awhile.

We have found a cute townhouse in Pocatello and are hoping to move the first week of August. So with Kinley's birthday just around the corner, I am heading into full time mommy mode with full force!

Well, we have finally found out where we are moving to - Pocatello, Idaho. Rich starts his job on August 5th. He will be a law clerk for a newly appointed judge. It is a great opportunity for Rich and we are both extremely excited. It was Kinley's first 4th of July. She got to do sparklers & fireworks with mom & dad and watch the huge firework show in Moroni. The fireworks didn't scare her. Instead she seemed unimpressed but was excited because she got to stay up past her bedtime.

We recently had a family reunion in Provo where Kinley got to go swimming for the first time. She was very brave and crawled into the pool until the water was above her mouth and she got tired of swallowing it.