Embracing Missouri

Update: added a video toward the bottom of the post.

We love Missouri... we really do. Really what we love are the people here. We have found community here in a way that's hard to describe. It's pretty awesome. The thing that's really hard for us is the actual state of Missouri. It's been a big adjustment to be so far from the ocean and mountains of Northern California. It's hard not to compare our outdoor activities (or lack of outdoor activities) here to there.... but after 7 years we've decided it's time to embrace this state that is our home now. We kept reminding ourselves of that as we spent this past weekend at a resort along the Lake of the Ozarks in the middle of Missouri. We were there so Dan could attend a writing conference. Our time was amazing! Dan loved getting a chance to spend three days listening to top educators talking about writing instruction (here's a link to his notes) and Carter and I loved getting some quiet time and fun at the resort. I don't think I've ever been to another place where everyone we interacted with was so nice. It was really great! I don't think we realized how much we needed a little time away just the 3 of us.

I know... tons of bowling pics... but Carter was so excited and just looked so darn cute in his bowling shoes.

Bowling pregnant is not easy! I'd rather not put a picture of myself up actually bowling... so here's one for the memory. :)

Looking out at the lake during dinner one night...

The indoor water park at the resort was the big hit! Carter LOVED it! He spent 5 hours there and sat down only once for about 15 minutes when I forced him to eat a banana.

Heading up the stairs to the top of the huge slide...

It actually goes outside the building and then comes back in. Carter and Dan did it over and over!

Carter doesn't look happy... but he's just exhausted. This was his last ride before we left.

The view outside our room this morning...

You can take the boy out of California... but you can't take the California out of the boy. This what Dan was doing right outside our room when we were loading up the car. I love that Carter is already talking about finger holds! :)

Carter Showing Jack Gantos his Portfolio

From Dan's mytouch

Moon over Tan-Tar-A

From Dan's mytouch

Post-conference Bowling

From Dan's mytouch

Carter said the Bear was Eating People

From Dan's mytouch

At Tan-Tar-A in Osage Beach, MO

from Dan's mytouch

A current favorite...

We just happened to have one of our 2reeves cameras with us at lunch the other day... so glad we did! I love this picture!!

Don't want to forget this one...

I've been trying to walk 30 minutes a day... but it's kind of hard with the cold weather we've been having. I do make it to the mall a good bit to do my walking there. It's actually kind of fun because you get a quick look at all the sales as you walk through the department stores. Tonight I had Carter with me while I was doing my walk. He runs next to me half the time and rides in the stroller the rest. He had been riding in the stroller for a while when he decided he was ready to run. This is what he said... "Mommy, my heart is telling me it wants to run." I am telling you... this kid LOVES to run. I want to remember him saying that when we are watching him at the Olympics some day. :) Dan actually posted some old video of Carter practicing the long jump on his blog yesterday.

And... in keeping with my every 4 weeks pictures... here I am today at 28 weeks and 1 day. I got to do the wonderful glucose test at my appointment yesterday. So glad that's over!! Now that I've officially entered the 3rd trimester I'm starting to freak out less about the labor and delivery and more about the fact that we're adding a 2nd child to our family. The transition to one was not so hard for us... but I think we're realizing two is really going to be different. Not that we're not excited... just trying to mentally prepare for the change....

I know... white was not the best idea... but I wanted Dan to snap a quick picture as he was walking out the door.

My thoughts exactly...

Carter learned this poem at school today and the entire class recited it to the parents at the end of class. I love his school!! Both little videos are so cute that I couldn't choose just one...

From SF to STL...

My best friend, Lisa flew out from San Francisco on Friday to spend the long holiday weekend with us. We always talk about how great it is to be able to pick up where we left off. I think it's pretty amazing that we've been able to do that since she went away to college 11 1/2 years ago and I moved halfway across the country more than 7 years ago. We have so many great memories together! I was super bummed to say goodbye to her this morning (especially since I knew she was flying back to 68° weather :))... but thankful for our 4 days of hanging out. Here are some pics from our time...

She spent a lot of time doing this (it's crazy how time flies... I still remember this one of Lisa and Carter) with Carter...

It was so great having a girl in the house! We shopped, made jewelry, talked about our favorite blogs and even made a late night run to here...

I also couldn't leave these two pictures out. Lisa is amazingly talented. She made this for Carter...

and this for me...

She's going to start selling things soon. I'll post the link to her website as soon as it's up!

Thanks for a great weekend, Lisa! We miss you already!

Happy Feet

Anyone who remembers what I looked like (hopefully no one does) towards the end of my pregnancy with Carter will understand why this picture (at almost 28 weeks) makes me so happy...

I'm really hoping my feet stay this size for the rest of this pregnancy. So far so good... and I'm still able to wear my wedding ring!!

Brightening my day...

Every Valentine's Day my dad has had flowers delivered to me... it's a really special tradition that I look forward to every year... but this year was by far my favorite. I don't know if it's because it has been so cold here and there's just something about seeing flowers set against the snow... or the fact that my desk just looks so much more cool because of it. Thanks for my orchid, Dad... it's amazing!!

2reeves' photography

I spent part of the morning putting together my favorite pictures from each of our photography sessions in 2009. It was really neat to look back and see how we've grown and changed in the 9 1/2 months since we started this business. What's amazing to me is that a photography business was not even a thought in our minds this time last year. We're so thankful for this new creative area of our lives that we can work on together. So... be sure to click over to our photography site to check out our top 18 from 2009...

My least favorite pair of shoes that Dan owns... but I do have to say that they help make kids look at the camera!! :)

We knew I was pregnant at this session... but hadn't announced it yet. Kind of fun!

A Snap Shot of a Joe's Place Evening

Love

I love this picture of Dan helping Carter "sign" his name on his first ever set of Valentines for school tomorrow. There's just something about the way Carter has his head on Dan's arm and the fact that he helped Carter fill out 18 of them (with his right hand... even though he's left handed) sitting like that. I love my husband!

Ready for Spring...

The Winter months are usually my favorite of the year... but for the first time ever it seems that Spring cannot come soon enough! This year it has been so cold! We got a couple more inches of snow last night... but THANKFULLY it wasn't enough to close school. Carter feels differently... the boy cannot get enough of the snow. Even today with it feeling like 1 degree with the windchill... I had to beg him to come in. I do have to say he looks pretty darn cute in his snow gear...

The yearly melting icicle shot...

His favorite thing to do in the snow right now...

Enjoying the hot chocolate I offered in exchange for coming in out of the snow...

Hopefully these are the last of the snow shots you'll see for a long time!! :)

Pants on the ground...

I LOVE American Idol! It's kind of weird not to have Fred here this year to watch it with. Anyway, a couple weeks ago they showed a 62 year old man at the end of the show singing a song (the video is posted below) called "Pants on the Ground." It's basically a song promoting belts. So funny! It's amazing how many discussions we have in this house about pants (or maybe not so amazing). My common line when someone walks in the door (sagging... which is pretty much every day) is to explain that pants have to be belted at the waist when they are in this house and then I ask them if they understand where sagging originated from. They say yes... and then we continue to have the same discussion day after day. I could go on and on about sagging... but I'll stop. It drives me crazy! So... back to American Idol... that's a big reason I loved the "Pants on the Ground" song. Another reason I love the song is because one of the guys we have the most "sagging" issues with came home from school the other day singing that very song! I couldn't believe it. I'm really hoping the words start to sink in.