I'm really loving the word "expecting" right about now but it's not quite right. The sun beginning to peek out of the tree shows the feeling but I'm at a loss for the right word. I need one that brings together hopeful, tender, fearful, awkward, clumsy, nervous, happy, impatient, insecure, tired, occasionally bloated, aware and introspective all into one perfect word. Is there one?

In one moment I feel healthy, vibrant and tuned in and an hour later I feel bloated, tired and insecure. I wish I could pinpoint something in particular happening to change the mood but, usually, it seems to happen without cause. I find myself feeling tightly wound and nervous. I'll be full of fear and anxiety and then, just a short while later, I'll feel excited and hopeful. I know what you're thinking, poor Steven. No, don't fret about him. In my typical fashion, I keep a lot of this to myself day to day, which may not be a good thing either but it's me and it's the way I am processing it. I know the sometime craziness of it all is okay too (well, most of the time I know that). I get that I have hormonal stuff happening and that having a baby is always a big deal, even if it's #3.

It's not just me. We're all sort of coming to terms with it. The boys are making their way through it too, asking questions and adjusting to it. They are each doing it in their own way too. Sayer is more fearful and concerned but he's coming around. Most days I am thankful that the whole process takes 9 months. It gives everyone a chance to adjust to the idea, including me.

There is a farmer's market 6 days a week. It might be in Santa Barbara or down the street in Montecito or up north in Goleta but it's never far and the food is always amazing.

It makes me wish I were a better cook. I wish I knew all the possibilities for heirloom tomatoes! And what in the world do you do with squash blossoms?

I can say, with complete confidence, that the strawberries here are completely different than the ones in Houston. There's no comparison and Harry's Berries top the list here. They're like candy.

The real highlights from the market and the things we all love and remember when we're not here...the honey sticks and comb honey from San Marcos Farms, Blackberries, blueberries, golden raspberries, gaviota strawberries from Harry's Berries, fresh baguettes, artisan cheeses, yum!

The ocean is different every day. It's one of my favorite things about this place and about the coast in general. You never know if it's going to be foggy or clear, cold or warm, rough or smooth. The colors change from day to day. The sand changes too. Every sunset seems a little bit unique. The moon, of course, adds to the excitement.

I have an 180 degree view of the ocean from our backyard and everyday it greets me fresh with a new combination of variables. I can see it out of the window from my bed and it's the first thing I look at when I open my eyes. The second is my 8 year old, who has snuck in somewhere around 4 am and is cuddled up next to me. The 8 year old is a magnificent view too and, between the two, it is the very best way to start my day.

I am working on a collection of Instagram photos of the ocean. I am trying to take one every day. These are a few of my favorites so far. If you are following me on Facebook and Instagram then you may have seen these already. If not, I hope that you will! If you are an iPhone person and love photography, you definitely need to download the free Instagram app. It's awesome! By the way, instagram, if you're listening, you need to bundle together your image effects and sell a CD of action presets for photoshop. I'll be first in line to buy them!

He was saying to Finn, "you know, I could just do this all day" to which Finn replied with peaked interest, "what are you doing?!".

I love that he could do that all day. He was picking tiny creatures out of the kelp. He showed us a leaf with eggs on it, tiny crabs, krill and a baby nudibranch! We'd seen a nudibranch on the Discovery channel but not in real life and not under a microscope.

It's days like this that reaffirm in my mind why we take this trip. Where else would we see a baby nudibranch?! I love that the boys get to see someone so passionate about picking things off of leaves of kelp. I love that they get to join in. You never know where or when that spark of interest will be lit. I've heard scientists and artists interviewed and recounting when they first found their passion and often it's in tiny moments like this.

(taken at the Ty Warner Sea Center in Santa Barbara)

After Marfa and White Sands, we stopped in Tucson and Sedona. Sedona was really beautiful! We took an extra day off from the drive and hung out at the resort. I think we all needed a day off from driving. The resort had a little mountainside trail with all sorts of cactus and native plants and it ended in a pretty waterfall. We found a little friend at the base of the waterfall too.

The desert is the place to study animals and their camouflage. It was pretty cool to see all the different lizards and how they blend in with the trees and rocks. This little frog blended perfectly with the rocks by the fall. We also saw wild pigs!

After Sedona we headed to Vegas. Steven and I were both reminded that we don't really like Las Vegas. I know lots of people love it but I guess we're not those folks. The kids loved the Bellagio fountain, the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, seeing the lights (pyramids, castles, Eiffel tower, etc.) and eating gelato downstairs at Bellagio. Even with all that, I could tell it was not their favorite stop either. They had way more fun hunting lizards!

All of these were shot with the G12. It's really proving to be a great point and shoot.  It does NOT handle noise well at high ISO's but other than that, it's great! I played with slow shutter speeds a little while waiting for the water show at the Bellagio.

The kids have been falling into bed most nights and Vegas was no exception. They were literally begging us to get back to the hotel and into bed. The first days here have been much the same. They're having tons of fun and are worn out by the end of the day (dogs included!).