hello.

oh hello. where to start?

Well, we live in Iowa now.

We love our new house. We'll probably still have things in boxes this time next year at the rate we're going now... but who cares. (well I do actually but i'm trying to let it go)

We've met all of our neighbors and they're wonderful. You know the part in the Moving Day berenestein bears book when they move into their new house and all the animals come over immediately on the moving day in packs to say hello {oh wait of course you don't know that part because you don't have to read that book six hundred times a day like I do ha} anyway... thats what we felt like on our moving day! Everyone came over and said hello and offered to help and was just so sweet.

Mark is already crazy busy with work but is really liking the program so far. I picture him as the cool "experienced" intern that all the other interns look up and watch because he knows what he's doing since he did this last year :) of course Dr. Mason would never admit to that being the case. I'm just very proud. We had dinner with all the interns last week and loved meeting them all. I already feel so much more connected to the program and to the people at the hospital here than I ever did in Columbia (or at tech).

So far Iowa sure doesn't seem much different than any other place we've lived! It's still a billion degrees, thats for sure. Our water bill will probably be a thousand dollars this month because we are desperately trying to keep our new grass alive in this heat. Just like everyone else, we're praying for rain! oh one thing thats different is that almost every time I say 'y'all' someone comments that I'm obviously not from around here. I proudly say 'you're right.' ha. oh another thing is that I have absolutely no idea what other cities there are in Iowa. I feel ridiculous when people tell me where they're from and I've a) never heard of the town and b) couldn't repeat the name of it because its got to be in another language.

I'm now 12 weeks preggo. I've been feeling quite awful actually. I think I probably just overdid it with packing and now unpacking and chasing a two year old and it being 103 degrees. I'm praying I turn a corner soon and start to get energy back and can stop eating bananas and peach (only peach) yogurt and frosted mini wheats every hour - to keep from getting nauseous. I have had the most hilarious aversions and food things this time around. Its like one second something sounds good and the next second I want to throw up if I smell it or even think about it. Poor Dr. Mason has had to eat the weirdest dinners lately ha!

The little Reeser bug is just as cute as ever. She sure misses her little friends Sam and Addy and talks about them ALLLLLL the time but we've been having fun in our new house too! Oh and she is now sleeping in her big girl bed :) yippee! She's doing great in it too!! I do have to lay with her for a while until she falls asleep but she's been so exhausted most days that doesn't take long. She really seems to love our new house. The first time she saw it (when she and I came for the walk through) she just walked on in by herself and sat on the carpet and started playing :) cutest thing ever. She has 'her spot' in her closet that she LOVES to play in! She's become even more obsessed with giving her animals a check-up and does this all day long. (have you heard of the show doc mcstuffins? she's obsessed and she truly thinks she is a doctor too. I even heard her say 'toys go stuffed' the other day when i walked in hahaha!! - thats what the little girl says to her toys when they're alive and playing and stuff and then another grown up comes in and they have to go back to being stuffed animals again.) oh man. that girl is hilarious.

Des Moines is a HUGE city. It's pretty overwhelming to me because I don't know how to get anywhere  or know where all the fun stuff is to do... I know it's out there though because people keep telling me things. I do know that we have 5 targets and one is about 2.5 minutes from my house. so thats awesome. can't figure out which grocery store i like best though. (probably because at this point all grocery store gross me out!!)

ok thats all for now... summer update in pictures coming soon. I can't believe I haven't even shared the fun we had at Joels wedding and then at the beach!!!! maybe tomorrow I can get around to doing that.

xoxo