Places in Idaho (and what brings people here)

Had the chance to go to both Garden Valley and Council Idaho for work. It was fun to get out of the city and see parts of the state that I don’t get to that often. Working and living in a quasi-metropolitan area can make you forget how peaceful and relaxing more rural areas can be. My grandparents moved from Payette to McCall in 1978 (before it was the prime vacation destination that it is now) and it was slow and relaxed the same way. This is one of the many reasons that I like my job. I look forward to those opportunities because no matter how much Boise and the surrounding area think that the state revolves around them, most people do not come to Idaho to visit the city, it is the rugged openness that brings them here. Another reason that I love Idaho.

Almost one month old...

Almost one month old and Reece is doing great. Mom has almost recovered 100% (she had a bought with mastitis, but is doing well). The whole family is adjusting to the new family member. The two older kids have the hardest time since they can no longer get into mom and dad’s bed when they wake up scared during the night. There is not enough room for five people. Last night we spent from 4:30 a.m. until 4:50 a.m. getting them to go back to their bed. It took both of us to get them to stay, but then they stayed until almost eight o’clock. Reece is a cute baby and so far he has much in common with his older brother, Gabriel. When Gabe was a baby I could put him on my shoulder and get him to fall asleep pretty easily and with Reece so far it is about the same. It is nice to be able to have this type of connection with a child. With Selah she would not sleep that way and I missed that she never cuddled with me. It is almost like it is my opportunity to bond in a similar way to how my wife does when she nurses the kids, they are clutching on to me for safety and security.

Being a Dad is great! I love playing with my kids!

The new edition has arrived.

July 25, 2005 at 8:00 a.m. Reece Christopher Peterson was born! After nine months of waiting the day had finally arrived. My wife and I arrived at the Family Birthing Center at St. Luke’s at 6:00 a.m. and after getting prepped she was ready for surgery. By 9:15 a.m. Reece was in his mother’s arms. Both mother and baby are doing great. They came home on July 27^th to a great reception from their family. Here are some pics.

Hot, Caliente, Ouch!!!!!

Almost a month since my last entry… Well in the past few weeks many things have happened:

1) Installed the sprinklers. Over the long Fourth of July weekend we installed the sprinklers in our back and side yards. It went pretty well, use the pipe puller (Ditch Witch) for a couple of hours then spent the next two days installing the “funny pipe” and connecting sprinkler heads. In the process of installing the main pipes we cut our phone line. We had been told by “Digline” that the average depth would be between 18 inches and 3 feet; not so. After calling the phone company (Qwest) they informed us that it could be as shallow as 4 inches. I could not believe that, who buries a line only four inches deep??? Anyway, Qwest came out and fixed it then buried it the next week. There are a couple that do not have as much pressure as they need to, but it will not be too hard to resolve. We also got some grass seed (for free) that will more than cover the area that we need. We got it from a seed company and so it should be very good.

2) Baby time! Last Sunday we spent an hour in the maternity ward after about 2 hours of consistent contractions at home. Once we got to the hospital…nothing. The c-section is scheduled for July 25^th, so the wait will be over. The other two kids are getting excited for their new little brother to arrive.

3) Our friends from Sacramento have been in town since last week. It has been fun getting caught up with them. My wife and I knew them when we were first married. We used to play games until all hours of the morning. They have been in California for almost a year now. We are going to a roast tonight for the father of this friend who is retiring after thirty-five years of teaching.

4) We have been swimming at my brother’s house. He rents and has access to a pool. It takes about an hour for the kids to warm up to swimming, but then they are like fish. My brother’s wife is pregnant also, due in September so the swimming is very relaxing to both her and my wife.

Even though I had not updated life has continued on as it always does.