To tide you over...

Random shots from the last few weeks.

Has it really been this long?

So apparently we have failed in the blog department! I had no idea it had been so long since a post. Life has been busy! Will post Freeman family updates soon...

Mastering "Yes" and "No"

Block Party

Matt has been determined to bring all the neighbors on Tyrolean together and closer, so he decided to organize a block party. It was a fabulous event. About 15 people or so gathered on our lawn for the first annual Operation Brightside block party. Operation Brightside was this weekend, which is a sort of clean-up St. Louis event. Matt and another neighbor spent the morning beautifying our street, then we had a pot lock in our front yard. It was a great turnout and I'm sure we'll have more next year. Matt was very happy. It was a great chance to see some more of our neighbors. I didn't take many (codeword for "any") pictures, but Matt took a few of Charlotte playing with one of neighbor's little boy, Logan. He's 14 months old and loved to play with Charlotte. They fed each other carrots- so cute!

Don't you just love his mullet? Matt thinks he looks like Bono.

Nine Months Old!

Can you believe she's already nine months old? It does not seem that long ago that she was still kickin' it in my uterus (and by "it", I mean my bladder, lungs, and ribs). Her check-up with the doctor went well- only two shots and minimal crying/pouting afterward. She weighed in at 19 lbs 10 oz (60th percentile) and was a whopping 29 inches long (90th percentile)! She grew more than three inches in three months. I guess she got some of Grandpa Drury's tall genes. I knew they had to be there, even though they certainly aren't expressing themselves in my genetic make-up! Charlotte was very contemplative when we took her ninth month pictures, so there aren't a lot of smiles. No crying, but she must have spent her nine month birthday reflecting on her life.

Playing in her new turtle sandbox. It will be more fun with sand, I promise.

And she already feels the need to fake a smile in a picture.

This is the best you're going to get!

Thanks for the ride, Daddy!

I love this face.

So quiet and pensive.

But Daddy can always get a smile with tummy raspberries.

Peas, please!

As some of you know, we decided that I was going to make Charlotte's baby food. It is so simple and easy and I love knowing exactly what goes into that little tummy of hers. Plus it's a whole heck of a lot cheaper. And I love doing it! It's nice to cook for her, even if it is only steaming peas.

Steaming the peas

Into the food processor

Yum, pea puree

Using my handy dandy mini scooper to portion the peas into an ice cube tray.

Ready for the freezer

We like peas!

All gone!

Run, Mommy, Run

While I know this post isn't about Charlotte, this is a family blog and I am proud of my most recent accomplishment. I ran a 5K yesterday as part of the GO! St. Louis Family Fitness Weekend. Yay me! My official time was 39:45 (chip time, not gun time), which I am quite proud of. My goal was to run it in less than 45 minutes, so I definitely met that goal! Some of my training runs had me at a 14:00 mile, but during the race it was a 12:49. I am super happy with that. I'm no speed demon, but I ran every step and it was a hilly course.

Just after the starting line

Matt and Charlotte came to cheer me on. I'm so glad they were there! The only reason I started running was for Charlotte. I want her to have a happy and healthy mommy so she can have a positive female role model. One of my biggest fears about raising Charlotte is the body image issue that so many woman (including myself) have and if I can show her that all body types can be healthy, then I feel I have done my job as a mother. We'll see how I do. She's still young.

Rounding the corner for the last 100 yards

I think I can, I think I can

Crossing the finish line

Matt and Charlotte cheered me on at the start of the raise and the end, but missed me at the two mile marker. It was kind of a bummer; I turned the corner by the Jewel Box, hoping that I would see them and I did, but they were running away from me. I was so bummed! I really needed the cheering! Matt thought he had missed me; a woman next to him said something to another runner about how he/she was almost to the one mile. What she meant was that there was only a mile left to go, but Matt thought he was at the one mile marker. All, well. At least I saw their backs!

At the finish line

So proud of Mommy!

We ran into Laura and Ryan at the race as well. Laura finished a little ahead of me and Ryan (who hates running) finished almost 20 minutes ahead of us. He ran back to help Laura cross the finish line. What a guy.



Next up, a 5K in May, hopefully in KC with Meredith. If not, there are about a bazillion runs around here, so I'll sign up for another one. The long term goal is the Lewis and Clark half-marathon in September. For now, I'll just celebrate my first small victory across a finish line.