The Wrenicks are the Best!

We would like to send out a huge thank you to the Wrenicks for having a baby shower for us! Also, thanks to everyone that came. We really enjoyed visiting with everyone and Larry couldn't get enough of practicing to be a dad.

(Dads hide in Thomas the Tank tents and scare children as they come close, right?)

We also really enjoyed the diaper cake. Although, they really should put a warning on those things. Dana found out the hard way that its a cake made of diapers, not a cake made to look like its made of diapers.

(They say pregnancy makes you crave some weird things)

With only 1 month until the due date we are getting really close to having everything ready. Everyone has gotten us really great gifts at the showers and Larry finished staining Dana's great-grandmothers old dresser.

The decorations are getting put up in the baby's room.

And Larry's co-workers have found a sonogram of what the little guy looks like.

Coolest Aunt and Uncle Ever

Well, as you probably noticed, we missed putting up a post last week as we were both busy (Dana) and lazy (Larry). Dana's excuse for being so busy is that she is having a little more trouble getting everything she likes to get done accomplished. Here she is having trouble figuring out what she forgot to do.

(Nobody tell Dana she forgot to put on one of her shoes, she can't see her feet these days)

Larry's excuse for being so lazy is:
1. He has always been lazy and he is getting too old to change his way now.
2. He is worn out after spending a long weekend partying with Emma and James (one of his favorite things to do!)

Here's a shot of Emma and Larry playing Dora the Explorer in the Devils Ice Box Cave.


To Larry's surprise, Emma kept telling Larry they should keep going, and even thought it was cool when they turned off their light when they were as far into the cave as they could go.

Not to be out done, James wanted to show off his adventurist side by having uncle Larry show him how to rock climb.

(Lookout Mt. Everest, here comes Sweet Baby James)

After a long hard day of spelunking and mountaineering it was time to hit the water park and show the niece and nephew how to stay out of trouble. First things first, plugging up the water jets.

Then....Boom!



Emma even showed uncle Larry a thing or two about her technique for plugging the water jet.



James preferred to stick to the water jets that were a little more his size.

Out of town

Well, as you probably noticed, there was no update to the Simonson life last week. That's because ever since Clarence (or gnome) was kidnapped and taken on vacation we decided it was time to get out of town. Thankfully the kidnapper and his accomplice returned Clarence after the ransom was paid.

(Clarence on vacation in Crested Butte)

Dana first headed to Paola for a baby shower before going onto Chicago for work. Before we left town the little Simonson's room looked like this:



When we got back and unloaded everything from the baby shower it filled the room so full we could not get in to take another picture. Thank you to everyone that attended. Time to get to work organizing and preparing for the big day.

Before returning from Chicago Dana stopped off in Lincoln, NE to visit her brother. He's been doing really well and is going strong with his recovery.

(Dana and Grant out catching some rays)

Hopefully by this time next year Grant will be able to join the Simonson's on a trip to Ragbrai, which is were Larry decided to spend his week since Dana was going to be Chicago. As always, Ragbrai was amazing but an entire week without Dana is tough on Larry. Luckily Larry's tent mate was there.

(Collin doesn't smell quite a nice as Dana but he's about the same size)

The entire gang had a great time but as always, what happens on Ragbrai stays on Ragbrai. So if you want the story's you'll just have to come by the homestead for a visit.

(Larry, Matt, Kyle, Eric, Collin)

Science be damned

A few weeks back Larry's father stopped off here at the homestead to visit and stay the night during one of his long hauls across the nation. During this particular stay Larry's father told us how back in the old-country people would put a rubber tree in their bedroom to prevent pregnancy. So we thought, we have a rubber plant - we don't keep it in our bedroom - but we have a rubber plant. Well, as we all know, this happened to Dana:

(Dana 30 weeks prego)

The day after Larry's dad told us this story we remembered that it was probably time to water that rubber plant. Well, it appears those old Germans might know a little something about birth control.

(Guess we should have watered it sooner)

Giving it another go

Due to popular demand and one threatening friend (be sure and take the time to email him with your opinion of his faculty picture), we are going to try and give this blog thing another try. Sorry we kind of let the updates fall behind but ever since Larry got a job with his dream company and Dana went and got herself pregnant things have been a bit on the busy side. That's not to say we haven't been having fun, just a little too much fun for much else.

Here is a picture of Dana at 20 weeks.

Currently she is 30 weeks pregnant and the Doctor says she's going to continue to get much bigger before she can be cured of the pregnancy. Apparently this little guy needs to grow a little more before he can come out.

Well, that's all for now. Be sure to check back at least weekly for the Simonson Life updates, good times, and noodle salad (if you can tell us were the "good times, noodle salad" line is from you'll win a high five).

Home at last

After spending weekend after weekend away from home the Simonsons finally got a nice relaxing weekend at home.


Dana spent the majority of her time at home working on some of her many projects. She was able to put a huge dent in all her sewing projects and really enjoyed the time she spent editing video and making DVD's. That's not to say she didn't spend any time relaxing.

(Dana loves to relax in what she claims to be the most calming room in the house, her walk-in closet)

Larry spent his time at home doing chores and making scones for Dana. He also spent some of his time running errands.




Now that it's fall, all the leaves have changed colors and both Dana and Larry agree that with all the trees and hills Columbia has to offer this is one of the prettiest falls they have ever experienced. There are so many colors. There are reds, oranges, yellow's, and green's and when the sun sets on the hills it looks like they are glowing. Dana saw this change in seasons as a great...

...and decided to get a few shots of what our backyard looks like in the fall.

(View: North East looking South West)


(View: Looking straight West from the patio)


(View: South East looking North West)

Unfortunately many of those pretty leaves are no longer on the trees and have instead decided to blanket the lawn. This can only mean one thing, it's time to pull out the dreaded rake. To avoid having to do any leaf raking Larry decided to celebrate the beautiful fall weather in the way he celebrates everything, with a bike ride. Here are a few pics showcasing the beauty of fall in Columbia from the handle bars of Larry's bike.

(Notice, you can't see the road because of all the leaves)

(It's hard to see from the picture but this gravel hill is around 12%, aka steep)


(This is one of Larry's favorite roads to ride)

Unfortunately, as the seasons continue to change, it's going to start to be too cold for Larry to stop at his favorite mid-ride rest stop.

(Typical Missouri yard art)

Hopefully they'll spring for a heated seat.

.

The little Apple

Initially Dana and Larry were traveling back to Manhattan to visit their friends that still live there. Luckily it turned out that Larry's roommates, from the start of his college experience, wanted to get together for a small reunion as well.

(Derek, Larry, and Fletcher enjoying a plate of smoked ribs at the KSU tailgate)

It was really nice to catch up with them and hear how everyone is doing now that they live so far apart.

It also turned out that even though Dana and Larry didn't have tickets they got the best seats in the stadium for watching KSU beat Texas A&M. Larry's best friend Kyle, owner of Arnold Sound and Video, records video and sound of the KSU marching band at every home game. As it so happened, the world renowned group "The Boston Brass" was going to be giving a special performance during the half time show along with the marching band. Because this was a special event Kyle was asked to do a special recording and to set up a PA system that would showcase The Boston Brass's sound. This turned out to be the most stressful job Kyle had ever undertaken. Normally an entire set up for an event like this usually takes him between 30-60 minutes but because of the time constraints it needed to be done in 2 minutes. To help accomplish this feat Kyle employed Dana and Larry's help. Before the game started Larry and Dana got to walk around the field and see the VIP box seats first hand. As the game got started Dana got to do some filming from the press box while Larry got to high-five the team as they ran onto the field.

(Start of game from Dana's press box perspective)


Once the game got started, and before they needed to get to their posts for their half time duties, Dana and Larry were then allowed to hangout on the field and walk around while watching the game. It was an awesome experience to get to view the game from the sidelines. To quote Dana, " Next to our wedding day, this is the most special day of my life!"

During half time Dana went back to filming while Larry ran cables onto the field before getting to stand and film on the 50 yard line, 10 feet from The Boston Brass. As it was, the entire show went on without a hitch and Dana and Larry got to continue watch the rest of the game from anywhere on the sidelines they want to be. Dana and Larry have heard they were even on T.V. when they were leaning against the goal post during one of the KSU touchdowns.

Here are a few pictures:

(Watching warm up before the start of the game)


(Good thing the referee didn't make any bad calls or Dana could have easily told him what she thought)


(Dana living the dream)


(It felt like we were part of the team as we listened in on the huddle)


(We were so close we could hear the offense and defense bad mouthing each other)


(Thank you Kyle for such a wonderful experience)

oktoberfest

This weekend Dana and Larry once again partook in the annual Oktoberfest in Hermann MO. They were joined by none other than the famously fun, not to mention Hermann regulars and case club members, community of Block Kansas.

(The fun lovers of Block Kansas at Adam Puchta's)

It was so much fun that Chrissy peed her pants. Twice!

(She claims that it was just spilt wine)

In the morning we spent our time enjoying the wine at Bommarito's almond tree winery. Here we are enjoying the scenery and staying warm next to a cozy fire that Nick, the owner, was kind enough to start for us with diesel fuel.



Later on it was off to the Hermannhof festhalle for polka music and where Paul and Kathy kept the dancing tradition alive.

(Paul and Kathy Haley, a.k.a Dana's parents)

Where Larry was the life of the party.



And where Dana got very protective of her jug of wine.


To finish the day we strolled over to the beer garden where we learned who has two thumbs and loves dancing to cheesy hair band rock music...

...This girl!

But of course she was only taking after her mother.

(Kathy getting down)

Kathy was having so much fun that she wouldn't even stop long enough so a picture could be taken of her that wasn't blurry.

That is of course until she got stuck in the fence and needed help out.

(Kathy stuck in the fence)

Recent happenings

Dana and Larry are pleased to announce their 1,461 day anniversary. It was a wonderful day and they celebrated with a delicious and traditional German meal of rouladen, hot German potato salad, and braised red cabbage. They also celebrated like any old married couple would, by dressing up in matching outfits.




The next weekend they had a visit from the Snyders. There was a lot of fun and enjoyment had by all. The girls enjoyed eating cinnamon rolls for breakfast:



Riding their bikes to the park:



And the older girls enjoyed riding their bikes to Coopers Landing in order to quench their thirsts: