Family Letter 2012

We hope this letter finds your family happy and in good holiday cheer!  The Pearce Family has had a very exciting year from being employed, to moving, and enjoying some family vacations. 

Greg spent the beginning of the year taking care of Emmett as the stay at home dad and applying to jobs.  In May he was offered a full time position as a mechanical design engineer with AMET.  The company makes automated welding systems and Greg spends his time designing the machines and testing them in the shop.  He is our handyman around the house and will soon be the proud owner and musician of a 19^th century pipe organ.

I finished my last semester of graduate school and successfully defended my thesis in May.  Over the summer I finished up my final edits, published my thesis and (finally) graduated in September.  I was offered a part time position as a hydrogeologist for the Tucson branch of Golder Associates.  The company is an environmental consulting company and I do groundwater modeling for them.  It is the perfect job and I am enjoying being a stay at home mom and trying to be the perfect 50s house wife. 

Emmett is our happy, goofy guy.  He turned two in October.  He learns new things every day and keeps us all on our toes.  He loves going to the library for story/craft time and to see the fish tank.  He has fun at play groups with our friends and is learning how to share.  His favorite things to do at home are to color, paint, and anything with music. I believe we have a future musician in the family so we found a fun music class that he will start in January.  Emmett is also obsessed with Spongebob thanks to his Grandma Koontz and Aunt Gemma. 

Cyris is our fluffy, lovable pooch.  He just loves to be with us and finally understands that Emmett can be fun to play with.  He and Emmett play chase and tug of war and Cyris is so nice to let Emmett climb all over him. 

Greg’s job moved our family to Rexburg, Idaho in May.  We love the Idaho Falls area and being close to Yellowstone and the Tetons.  We have spent two Pearce Family weekends in Island Park and to Yellowstone already as well as a whirlwind fourteen hour day with our friends to Yellowstone, the Tetons and home through Jackson Hole.  We also enjoyed a ten day Koontz Family vacation to Pennsylvania and Washington DC.  In PA we had fun visiting the Koontz relatives, eating my Grandmas amazing food, and learning our family history.  DC was awesome!  Emmett loved riding the metro and watching them come and go at the station.  We were able to go to a few of the Smithsonian museums and see the sights of the Capital.  We need to plan a second vacation there as we barely scratched the surface of things to do in DC.  To top off our exciting year we found out we are adding a new little monster to the bunch at the end of July.  We could not be more excited!

We hope as we celebrate the holiday season we can remember our Savior and all he has done for each of us.  In return I hope we can all be a little kinder and selflessly serve those around us.  Happy holidays and merry end of the world.  If the world happens not to end may 2013 be a wonderful year for your family!

                                                                       

                                                                        The Pearce Family  

   

        

Who knows what is going on!!!

It started the middle of July.  The right side of my throat on the inside would randomly feel like there was a massive lump on that side.  It didn't hurt but was very uncomfortable and annoying.  By the middle of August it would hurt really bad when it happened.  This is because I was not getting tonsil stones.  Your tonsils have pits in them based on how badly they have been ravaged by viruses like strep.  Mucus collects in the pits creating little pockets of infection.  Kind of yucky, I know.  Unfortunately the pain of these started when we were on our big family trip to DC/PA so it was hard to enjoy the eating part of the vacation because my throat did not feel good.  When we got back from our vacation there were 4 big fires right around our home causing it to constantly be smoky.  My families allergies went wacky and we all had a hard time for a while.  This is when my ear decided to join my throat in making me feel terrible.  My right ear started out being plugged.  I could tell the fluid was not draining from my ear.  I constantly had the feeling like there was water in my ear like when you get out of the shower.  The pressure would built up in my ear and cause a lot of pain and a head ache.  The pain has now moved to my left ear and my ears feel like I am continually driving up a mountain and they will not pop.  Not only does this make my ears hurt and give me a head ache but it gives me vertigo and a disconnected feeling.  Sights and sounds are over stimulating, my ears are constantly ringing and I feel claustrophobic.  Everyday is just about getting through the day without going crazy.  I have been to the doctor 5 times now.  I have been on 2 antibiotics, had nose sprays, and 2 types of steroids.  The only thing so far that has made a little bit of difference is the ammoxicilan for strep I got Wednesday.  My throat feel slightly better and my ears drained a little.  Today at my appointment with the specilist we went over all the possible things that are wrong but nothing fits exactly and the question is is my throat causeing my ears to hurt, are my ears causing my throat to hurt or are they separate?  After getting afrin/lidicain sprayed up my nose so I could have a camera shoved up there and down my throat here is the list of what could be wrong:
1. Have a problem with my tonsils.  I have all the symptoms of needing my tonsils removed but on physical examination they look fine.
2.  I need tubs in my ears.  Once again I have the symptoms of needing them but on physical examination there is no fluid in my ears and there is no pressure diffrence on either side of my ear drum.
3.  I have acid reflux which can cause throat problems without the burning sensation
4.  My jaw pops really bad.  This may be because I clench it when I sleep putting pressure on my ears and causing my headaches and throat to hurt.

Right now I am starting with number 4 and will work on eliminating that this weekend.  I have noticed today that my jaw is really tight so I will be taking a lot of mortin, using a heating pad on my jaw 3 times a day and sleeping with a mouth guard.  I will stay on antibiotics for a couple of weeks to get rid of any virus in my throat.  I also need to take Prilosic OTC to see about the acid reflux thing.  If after the weekend my ears have not improved I will be getting tubs in my ears next week.  If after a month my throat has not improved I will be getting my tonsils removed.  Talk about a bunch of who knows what is going on!!  I hope to feel better soon.  Of the two problems I would like my ears to be better so I can enjoy my days more.  I am trying to stay positive and know that some people have it worse and I still have lots of things that are wonderful even if I do not feel good.

To end on a positive note here is my cute Emmy!!  I love this little boy so much!      

25 Things you maybe did not know about me

1.  I grew up in the Air Force.  I was born in Provo then moved to England, South Dakota, Wyoming, Panama, Germany, and South Dakota again where I graduated High School.
2.  I have a fear of driving.  This has held me back  from a lot of things.  I have driven to Mendon twice by myself since moving to Rexburg though! 
3.  I wanted to study meteorology but the program was at the University of Utah and I could not live in a big city due to my fear of driving.  With this I settled on the Geology program at Utah State University.
4.  I cannot sit on a toilet seat unless it has been cloroxed prior to me sitting on it or knowing I was the last to sit on it.  Ridiculous I know!  I am a professional at squatting and hovering.
5.  I don't like BYU or BYU-I.  Greg and I enjoy making fun of these schools and wonder why on earth anyone would go to them.  We plan on disowning our children if they choose to attend them.
6.  That being said I applied to BYU with the purpose of being accepted and rejecting them.  It was awesome!
7.  My favorite place is a quait little town in France called Saint Paul De Vence.
8.  If I went back to school I would become a dietitian.  Although I do not plan on going back, it is just one of those in retorspect thoughts.
9.  My first date with Greg was on October 19, 2006, we became official January 21, 2007, we were engaged on June 20, 2007 and married in the Logan temple on October 19, 2007.
10.  I cannot swallow pills.  
11.  Cyris is one my chlidren.  Yes I am one of those crazy dog people.
12.  Within the next year or two I plan on getting another goldendoodle, a girlfriend for Cyris.
13.  I have a bacholor degree in Geology and a masters degree in Applied Environmental Geoscience.
14.  I work as a hydrogeologist doing groundwater modeling for the Tucson office of Golder Associates, an environmental consulting agency.
15.  I think babies should be breastfeed.  I cringe when I see babies drinking formula.  I know I should not judge but I do. 
16.  My favorite ice cream is cinnamon ice cream tied with brown bread ice cream.
17.  Chocolate is a necessity.  Candy is no good if it does not contain chocolate.
18.  I love to read.  Prepare to be ignored when I pick up a book because I cannot put it down.
19.  I do Irish Step dancing.  I plan on receiving my teaching certification and opening a dance school.
20.  My favorite music is Celtic music.
21.  I want to go to Antartica someday.
22.  I plan on having the rest of my babies naturally and unless really medically necessary I will not be induced.  With Emmett's birth I feel like I missed out not going into labor on my own and although there is nothing wrong epidurals I want to be super mom!
23.  I do not watch or listen to horror stories.  I am too easily petrified.  In August Em and I were visiting my mom and my aunts came to visit.  Someone told a freaky story about the Devil and 3am.  That night Emmett woke up screaming and he would not stop.  It just so happened to be around 3am.  I was so petrified that Em and I slept with my mom in her bed.
24.  The best part of the year is Fall and Winter.  I love the cooler weather and beautiful colors of fall and I love the snow and holidays of winter. 
25.   I believe I grew up in the wrong time period.  I should have been born to high society during the early 1800s.

Summer with the Pearces

July
Over the 4th of July we spent a few days at our Sister-in-law Heather's cabin in Island Park.  I am not sure why we do not have any picture.  The most amazing thing that happened there was that we managed to get Cyris in the water and he liked it (after a while)!!  He even played fetch in the water like a real dog!!

Our friends Mike, Whitney and Macaroni Hardin visited in the middle of July and we had fun weekend.  We went on a whirl wind day driving through Yellowstone and home through the Tetons and Jackson Hole, went to Jefferson Lake, and reminisced about our collage days (haha that makes us sound old).  Emmett was in his car seat for the better part of 14 hours when we went to Yellowstone and he only lost it right before we stoped in Jackson for dinner.  Basically Em is awesome!

 Whitney helped toughen up Em's outfit even more

Em the sous chef baking a cake for the Hardin's arrival

August

 There is an awesome carousel in Rexburg.

  Maybe Emmett with agree that it is awesome next year.

We went on a 10 day Koontz family vacation to Bedford PA and Washington DC.  It was so fun to hang out with my famliy and go on a little adventure.  

 

 Emmett and Pappy enjoying some swing time

 Our traditional corn husking party.  Even Em got in the action.

 We ate, and ate, and ate all my grandma's wonderful food

 We helped bake rolls and sugar cookies

 Thanks for the fun time grandma!!

 In DC we went to the National Archives and had a tour before the archives opened.  It was awesome to be in the gallery with the Constitution and the Deceleration of Independence with no one in the way!

 We went to the Air and Space Museum

 The Natural History Museum

 Walked along the Mall

 And one of the days ate at Fado's, the most wonderful pub in existence!

After our fun vacation it was back to our daily routine, but with a toddler it is certainly never boring!

 Thankfully carrots can be rinsed off

 This little boy LOVES bacon!

 Best Buds!

 Mom's sous chef

 Emmett thought Cyris was board so he brought him all of his toys

 Em's sunglasses finally came in the mail and he loves them so much he has to wear them around the house.  Em and daddy are expert block builders,

 as well as best buds

 oh have I mentioned that these two are also best buds :)

September

The most exciting news, I am officially graduated!  I finished up the last edit and turned my thesis in to be bound!

Emmett's big accomplishment, potty training!!  We have moved on to wearing underwear!  He loves it!  His motivation to sitting on the potty is his potty watch which plays a little song when it is time, and M&Ms.  He gets some when he sits on the potty.  Today was our best day yet!  He would start to pee and just make his undies slightly damp then stop and run to get me.  He would then sit on the potty and finish peeing!!  There was only 1 accident I had to clean up off the floor in the 4 hours he was in undies!  He even kept 1 pair of undies dry for 1.5 hours.  His record for most undies was 3 pairs in under 30 minutes.  Today when it was time to put a diaper back on for naptime he was very angry and still wanted to wear his undies!  We are excited about getting out of diaper and into undies!

 Well there you have it.  Our summer in one post!

A day in the life of Heidi and ways to not feel overwhelmed by house work

I love schedules and lists.  My life just runs smoother that way!  Now that I am FINALLY done with school (well almost) I can have a normal routine.  Here is a day in the life of Heidi:

6:00 am wake up, treadmill, shower
7:00 am get Emmett and have breakfast before Greg leaves for work
8:00 am clean up breakfast and doing 5 minute rule and daily chore, balancing check book and paying bills
9:30 am Get me and Em ready for the day
10:00 am walk or play outside
11:00 am errands or just chill
12:00 pm Greg comes home for lunch
12:45 pm Emmett nap, clean up lunch
1:00 pm Work
4:00 pm Get Em and snack time.  Start dinner or play outside
5:00 pm Greg gets home and dinner prep
6:00 pm Dinner, clean up dinner, play, and evening walk
7:15 pm Bath and bedtime routine
7:40 pm Em goes to bed
8:00 pm Hang out with Greg
10:30 pm Bed

Everyone loves a clean house and few people I know enjoy cleaning.  Well I found a great cleaning schedule for me that makes it so my house is always clean and that the cleaning is not overwhelming!  Above I mentioned 5 minute rule and daily chore, they are explained below.

Five Minute Rule: Go though each room in the house and do a quick spiff putting things away, etc.   The kitchen is the longest because it involves unloading the dishwasher, wiping the counters, and doing the dishes.  Bathroom is wiping the mirror, sink and counters, and cleaning the toilet.  Bedrooms involves making the bed, changing the sheets (once a week) and doing any laundry.  Living room/dining room is a quick pick up. 

Daily Chore:
Monday-Sweeping
Tuesday-Vacuuming
Wednesday-Deep clean
     1st Wed, Kitchen-wiping cupboards, trash can, microwave, oven/stove top, fridge, dust, windows
     2nd Wed, Bathroom-cleaning tub and tile, washing bath mats, dust windows
     3rd Wed, Main living areas- vacuuming under furniture and cleaning furniture, dust, windows
     4th Wed, Bedrooms/Office-dust and windows
Thursday-Sweeping and mopping
Friday-Vacuuming
Saturday-Yard
Sunday-Break!

With doing the dishes I clean up right after a meal, put the dishes in the dishwasher and wash the ones that need to be hand washed.  This way the kitchen never feels overwhelming and it is always clean!

I do two week grocery shopping in Idaho Falls.  This means I plan out our menu for two weeks.  This makes it easy when it comes to meal time because I already know what I am going to make and I have all the ingredients for it!  Nothing is worse then trying to figure out what to have for dinner when you should have already started making it.

I love that I get to be a stay at home mom.  I take great pride in my family and the way my house looks and now I have the time to do those things!  Em and I have been having fun going to the library.  We went to story time yesterday and Em had fun.  Tomorrow we are going to go to music time.  We all like to read so the library is our new favorite place!

 These two are so silly together!

This past weekend we had a Pearce family vacation in Island Park and Yellowstone.  It was fun to hang out with everyone!!

A tour of the house

I will give you a little tour of our new house.  I love old houses they have so much character!

The front of the house

 

  

 When you walk in to the right is the play room

And to the left is the living room

 

The dinning room

The Kitchen

Mine and Greg's Bathroom

Then you go upstairs

This is the master bedroom which also serves as the laundry room andCyris room

Emmett's Bathroom

Emmett's Bedroom

 

 

 

We are now the Idaho Pearces!  Greg got a job with AMET as a mechanical design engineer.  The company makes automated welding systems.  We are SO grateful for the wonderful job Greg has with great pay and benefits!  Heavenly Father always has a plan for us it just takes some faith and patience that he knows us and our needs.  We have a always like the Idaho Falls area and have now ended up here!  Rexburg is certainly an interesting town with it mostly existing because of BYU Idaho.  I have seen quite a few Aggie shirts though so maybe Rexburg won't be so bad after all ;).  With some more help from Heavenly Father we found a place that lets us have Cyris.  Greg and I spent 2 whole days looking online for places to rent.  There were two places that would let us have pets, a 700 square foot apartment and a 2000 square foot house.  I don't even know how I found the link to the house because I could not find it again later but we ended up getting it!  It is a cute house with 4 bedrooms and a huge fenced yard.  With the extra bedrooms we have a guest room and an office.  The yard has the potential for greatness if only Cyris would go out there by himself without crying, sheesh!  The only thing we don't like about the house is that is has all wood floors that are very old making them hard to clean.  My OCD has been on overdrive about no body being able to walk around without socks or shoes on.  We did find a great price on some carpets so the main living areas have carpet now and I finally found a hardwood floor moping solution that seems to be picking up some dirt!  Once I find the camera I will take pictures of the house.  I am loving being at home with Emmett and Cyris.  I already have a nice little routine down.  Another amazing blessing from Heavenly Father is that I have a part time job!  At the beginning of May I had an interview with Golder in Tucson.  It would have been a wonderful job and I thought Tucson and the desert were amazing but Greg and I wanted him to work and me to stay at home.  I was offered the position and we accepted that maybe for now Heavenly Father needed us to keep our reversed roles.  2 days later Greg was offered the position here is Rexburg (YAY!!!) and when I called to turn down the position they offered for me to work part time from home doing groundwater modeling!!  I start on the 18th and with the amazing pay they are giving we plan to save it all and buy a house next year!  Picture to come of our new lives in the next post.