Nauvoo and an Update- Plus two pictures. Lucky.

 The past few months have been crazy. We had that insane week in August when everyone was here and then right as things were calming down, school started and then we made a quick trip out to MO for my grandpa's funeral :( It was great to get to see so much family and I am so grateful that Jake finally got to meet more of my mom's family but I wish it could've been under better circumstances. Amazingly enough, my whole family managed to get out to the funeral which is quite the feat- our family is getting so big and it just keeps on growing. We are now at 6 kids, 5 in-laws, 4 nieces/granddaughters/daughters and 2 almost 3 nephews/grandsons/sons. It's pretty fun, but at the same time extremely tiring. Hopefully we are going to be able to have a family reunion next summer and who knows how many people there will be then! Things change fast in this family.  After the funeral Jake, Mikey, Shelly, and I went to Nauvoo! It was so fun! I love that place- it's like my Disneyland. I love all the history and senior couple missionaries and the temple and the buildings and the church and everything! This time, for at least the first time in my memory, we got to do a tour of the Community of Christ properties- the Homestead, the Mansion House and the Red Brick Store.

Our little family in front of the Red Brick Store

I have way more pictures from Nauvoo but I can't pick which ones to put up so I am going for a minimalist approach. Besides the tour, we went to the Temple (just outside, we didn't have time to go in or have someone to watch Mikey), the Blacksmith shop, the Visitor's Center, the Family Living Center where we made a rope- Jake thought it was pretty awesome, took a carriage ride (and the senior missionaries driving were from Cardston- that was pretty fun, they knew Grandpa Reed and Uncle Mark), the Post Office, Rendevouz in Old Nauvoo, Brickyard and the Bakery. It was a very full day and poor Mikey was pooped by the end but he played it like a champ.

And here is my little update on each of us
Jake: is looking for a job and getting lots of interviews from going to the job fair, we are still just waiting for some more offers, working hard to finish school- only two classes! Wahoo! He is still working at his campus job as a web developer for Learning Suite and thankfully he enjoys the work. Imagine getting all the way through a program and realizing you hate the work? Wouldn't that just be awful, I know it happens to some people but I am so grateful that its not the case with Jake. He finished my photography website: www.nitelitephotography.com which I am extremely excited about. And he is just so excited to have a second son and likes to play with my belly (which drives me nuts but how can I say no when he says 'I am playing with my son'?)

Me: school and Mikey and being pregnant. That's my life. I hate school this semester because I am completely overwhelmed. I am taking 9 credits on campus and 6 independent study classes and the IS classes are so stupid. I cannot discipline myself to work on it because there are so many other things I would rather be doing. A while ago I started to make weekly menus but I sucked at following it so about 2 weeks I sat down and made a 4 week menu and have been fairly successful at sticking to it. Some times I switch days but I do pretty good and to make things better Wednesday is Jake's day so I get a break! The pregnancy is hard- still sick and have lost a grand total of 12 pounds. I am almost 29 weeks and so incredibly uncomfortable all the time. I can't sleep through the night and am typically awake for at least an hour around 2:30. Awesome. I have done one photoshoot recently and it was wonderful but I have learned that its harder when pregnant because all the crouching and adjusting and such pulls weird on my stomach but I still just love taking pictures.

Mikey: He is running all over the place- and yes I mean running. He walked for about a day and then decided that wasn't good enough. He is constantly covered in bruises but he handles it well. Cries for a minute, gets a hug from me and Jake and then he is good to go and discover a new body part to bruise. He likes to chase Jake around the apartment and is currently working on mastering the fake out- its hilarious, I need to film it and put it up. He has big personality and gets so excited when Jake gets home. We normally pick him up from school and when we pull up to the spot, every day Mikey goes Dada? And gets confused if anyone besides Jake walks by. He says mom and dada and nods yes and no which makes life so much easier, as well as his pointing- thanks to his cousin Scarlett for teaching him that! He is 29.5 inches and just over 21 pounds as of a week ago. He loves music and dances to just about anything he hears, and is the king of car dancing (a skill we mastered on our long road trip out to MO) and he also loves bathtime and by the time he is done we are typically as wet as he is and he is just as proud as can be.

 

 

Baby #2: growing well and kicks like a soccer player on steroids. (I think that my placenta is in a different place from last time because sometimes it hurts a lot more) He has a really strong heartbeat but is causing some health problems for me but that is just the nature of being pregnant I suppose. According to his ultrasound from a few weeks ago he is just as healthy as can be and we just cannot wait to be a little family of 4! Just over 11 more weeks to go! Merry Christmas to us!

Look at this little man. He is looking like a little boy now, not a baby and its so fun! Especially since I have another little boy on the way so I don't even have to miss newborns!