Scott.Jenna.Eva.Everett

How We Watch Tangled

2011-05-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

When we were with my (Scott) family a few weeks ago, they all kept talking about how funny the movie Tangled was. Jenna and I saw it in the theaters pretty soon after it came out... and we liked it, but we didn't remember much about the movie. So, since we just signed up for Netflix (instead of cable) we decided that it would be one of the first movies that we got. Well, needless to say, it's Eva's FAVORITE movie. She is always asking to watch it, even after they've watched it about 20 time that day. In fact, today while I was at work, Jenna sent me a message saying that Eva was watching the movie and they started to dance in the movie. So, Eva jumped right up from her pillow and blanky and started to dance and sing, flinging her arms around just like they were in the movie. It's pretty cute. So, here are some pictures I took with my phone of how Eva watches the movie...

and, here is how Everett watches the movie...

So, if you haven't seen it yet, you might have to watch it... and if you have seen it already... it might be time to watch it again.

-Scott J.

oh baby!

2011-04-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

i can't believe my precious baby boy is already 7 weeks old. oy. i've been overwhelmed with emotion this last almost two months and really the few weeks before that, but i'm excited to share my feelings. this is a long one, consider yourself warned. i feel like i should start by quickly recapping eva's birth. it had a huge effect on what i wanted for this baby and his grand entrance into the world, so here goes. after dealing with a scary bout with preeclampsia, eva came to us 4 weeks early by emergency c-section. her birth was just awful for me in a lot of ways. i felt unprepared, stressed, scared, i was a bunch of nerves. plus i didn't get to hold my baby afterward. it just felt wrong, and i so badly wanted this pregnancy and delivery to be different.

so somewhere between then and now i set my heart on a VBAC and what i considered to be the storybook delivery. that sounds really cheesy i know, but you know. contractions, labor, all that jazz. i wanted the whole experience, and i was determined to have things go my way. so you can imagine my disappointment when the doctor stripped my membranes twice (OUCH) and still no progress. this baby just wouldn't cooperate. at my last appointment before he was born we had a decision to make. the bottom line was that this baby wasn't dropping. because of my prior c-section, i was not a candidate for induction/pitocin, and my doctor was worried that even if i did go into labor, i would end up needing a c-section anyway. we talked about having him strip the membranes a third time and waiting a week, but i just couldn't wait. i was in so much pain. mostly physical, but also emotional. one of the best parts about those last few weeks of pregnancy was knowing that i couldn't possibly stay pregnant forever, but it was so draining for me not knowing when our baby would come. so we scheduled the c-section for my due date two days later and i cried. i was devastated. i'd prayed hard for my perfect delivery, and i was upset that my prayers had not been answered the way i wanted them to be. my thought was that clearly our heavenly father would understand and allow a hormonal and very pregnant woman to get her way, right? wrong.

i still don't know exactly why i was meant to deliver the way i did, but looking back i can see more clearly all of the good things about my c-section. it was scheduled, so we knew exactly when he was coming. i had my bag packed and ready, scott didn't have to rush home from who knows where. we knew when this was going down. such a plus. also, i'd been through this once before, so i knew better what to expect. (which is partly why i dreaded it, but it also made a huge difference.) plus this c-section was much more relaxed and comfortable than my last one. my doctor was fabulous, and the OR nurses and aides just seemed more kind and supportive. i felt nervous all morning, but the encouragement of a certain aide in the OR calmed me right down. he talked to me the entire time, asking how i was doing, distracting me from all the craziness around me. it was wonderful. and last, because it was not an emergency delivery, i got to hold my baby! as in right after he arrived! spending recovery with him in my arms was the best feeling. and at that point, my sadness over the delivery was completely gone. i felt peace, and i'm so grateful for that.

i'm also very happy to say that my recovery from this c-section has been SO easy. i assume it's because this was my third time being cut open in that spot, but i like to think it's been my own little reward for enduring the c-section i was so determined to avoid :)

now there are some things i want remember about everett's birthday. the first is that when i checked into the hospital, got into my gown, and talked with our nurse about everything, she happened to ask what we planned to name our baby. we'd kinda been keeping his name to ourselves, but i decided it was probably safe to tell at this point. i told her everett, and it turned out her husband's name was everett! not only her husband, but also her son and her grandson. all named everett. craziness! no way that was a coincidence, i told her it must be a sign ;) i don't know a single everett (until now) and here she was closely related to three people all with this name. wow!

another quick thing i want to remember is how big everett looked right at birth. when they held him up for me to see and whisked him away real quick to get cleaned up, i went whoa baby! my doctor predicted that he would be on the small side, maybe 6 or 7 lbs according to the ultrasound. and i even asked the aide with me in the OR how big he looked when they pulled him out. the aide said he thought 6lbs or so. but nope. a whopping 8lbs 5.5oz! i can't believe that much baby was inside of me. and then i remember all those hard kicks, and i totally CAN believe it. :)

and the last thing i want to remember. back when we found out we were having a boy, i kinda freaked out, sorta had some denial. when i was pregnant with eva, we weren't sure she was a girl until three weeks before she was born. the doctors just couldn't make up their minds about what she was. then with this pregnancy, i wanted a girl. it's what i know and love, so given our past experience, i refused to believe they were 100% sure it was a boy. they were wrong last time right? i told myself they could totally be wrong again. i even convinced myself that if i didn't say we were having a boy, i could somehow prevent him from BEING a boy. hah. (apparently being pregnant messed with my ability to think rationally!) so anyway, when everett was born, i was so surprised at how instantly we bonded. i've heard that lots of moms worry about being able to love a second child, but i was worried about being able to love a boy. a dirty, stinky, little boy. well guess what? i love him. more than i ever knew i could or would.

time for some pictures. now i am not a fan of my pregnant body, but i do want my family to remember me at every stage of my life, no matter my shape or size. so here i am lookin large just a few hours before everett was born.

and just like that, he's here!

gettin so fresh and so clean clean.

these pictures are so dear to me. i am in love.

so so tender.

all dressed and ready to go home!

part of me is really glad it's all over, but already a part of me is honestly so excited to do it all over again someday :)

-Jenna

who dat on the blog?!

2011-03-31T15:21:00.000-07:00

...Who dat on the blog?! Me! that's who... so first, an intro...

A few weeks ago, Jenna and I were talking about how we would like to be better at posting on our blogs. We have this blog which contains our family awesome-ness, and then we have our photography business blog, Jameson Photos, where we post about photoshoots that we do together and the fun we have as a husband and wife photography team. Jenna has always been the family blogger and does an awesome job but she keeps pretty busy, especially lately with a newborn baby. So... when Jenna and I were talking a few weeks ago, I said something in a half-kidding kind of way like, "hey, I should post on the blog!" Surprisingly, Jenna responded affirmatively saying she was fine with that idea (perhaps after she reads this post... it will be removed quickly and I will be banned from our blogs. So, in summary, be prepared to be bored by my ramblings and "stuff."

Things in our family have been crazy. Now that my parents are home, we are in full, working-hard-to-move-out mode. We have been working on the house like crazy every night. I also took a day off this week to get a whole lot done on the kitchen... and we did. We got all our appliances in and the granite was installed the same day so it looks amazing. Jenna has the "real" pictures that we took with our nice camera (that's worth more than my life), but until then, you all can see the picture that I took with my phone... (don't tell Jenna that I put raw, unedited pictures on our blog... )

here are the guys installing the granite

this is what it looked like when they were done

my dad (as sick as he was) came and helped me install the microwave. I missed those days when we used to work together.

I put in the outlet for the microwave... and it works... imagine that.

And... lastly... here is our finished product at the end of the day...

And... to scare you... here's what it used to look like (before painting, appliances, and counter tops)...

Jenna and I looked back at all we did that day and we just marveled at how good it looked. We loved it so much that we sat around talking in the kitchen for a while... we didn't want to leave. We are so excited to move in and have our own place that is our own... it's our own especially because of all we've done to it. When we are in and settled, we will have an open house for all to come and see.

-Scott J.

we suck at timing

2011-01-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

yep, by they i mean these two:

ok. so. to preface, on Sunday, Scott told someone at church that right now our life is like a big box that someone is continuously shaking. pretty accurate. things are insane. you see, we found out last week that instead of arriving home March 7th as planned, Scott's parents will be leaving Africa on February 1st. as in two weeks from TODAY. my reaction: holy crap. i think Scott had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Scott's dad has been called to be a mission president of somewhere (not sure where yet) and will report for that with his wife in late June. amazing. that likely had something to do with why their departure date was moved up a bit.

so. to recap, 1. we've been living in Scott's parents' ginormous home for the last (almost) 18 months, it's way too big for us to manage and therefore kind of a disaster. 2. we bought a house in June and have been fixing it up. that house, also a huge mess. will possibly be ready for move in by March 7th (you know, the date that now means nothing), definitely not ready for move in now. 3. i am 37 weeks pregnant, meaning huge, uncomfortable, exhausted, super emotional. not a great combo any day but i'd argue especially not good on days that bring crazyunexpectedlifechanging news.

so. for now the plan is to clean this place like crazy, pack up all our stuff, and move down into the basement for a short while. i'm trying to be flexible though (so not easy for me). plans have a funny way of changing on us. oh and yeah. we own two homes, and we'll be living with Scott's parents. can you say awesome. anyway, i should get back to running around like a (very pregnant) chicken with my head cut off. a few photos of the madness:

luckily we had lots of help Monday to get our clean up going.
i am SO grateful for the family and friends that came by to help.
i can't even begin to say how much i appreciate it.
we might just survive this adventure yet!

two oh one oh baby

2011-01-12T09:00:00.000-08:00

There've been quite a few things I've wanted to document on here these past few months, but lately it's taking everything I've got just to get my buns outta bed in the morning. That's ok though, time to start fresh again. So how about a little recap of 2010 to begin with? This is our...

Top 10 of Twenty Ten

1. First up in 2010 was Scott being hired at his first real job! So exciting. I'm beyond proud of his hard work to support our family.

Check out that set up, holy nerd alert! Scott's desk and the building he works at.

2. On a less happy note, Scott also had double hernia surgery last year. Talk about lame. Especially that part when I had to clean up his puke. Yuck.

3. Next we found that we're expecting again! I spent over half of 2010 being sick, getting larger, and feeling totally uncomfortable. So happy that the end is now in sight.

4. And last June I quit my desk job. Walking away turned out to be harder and more emotional than I'd anticipated, but I have NO regrets. Spending each day with Eva is the bomb. It's still hard work, but being her mom is a job that I love.

5. Also last year, we bought a house. We went from not even looking at houses to being homeowner's in less than a month. Insane. When it's right it's right I guess. Here's a picture of the new place. Not much to look at now, but someday it will be awesome.

6. Which leads me to our next great undertaking of 2010. Home Renovations...dun dun dunnnn. We bought the house knowing that there were quite a few things we wanted to change/update/fix up. It seemed perfect since we had a chunk of savings set aside for this, and we knew we wouldn't have to move in right away. Yeah, needless to say, I've had quite a few "holy crap, what were we thinking" moments about this house since we bought it. Like I said, someday it will be awesome, and I'll just keep telling myself that.

These pics are kind of old. Lots of before and after's to come.

7. This past year was a big one for miss Eva, I can't believe how much she's changed in just a year. She turned one, took her first steps, spoke her first words, the list goes on. Now she's running full speed and jabbering away all day long. She joined the nursery at church, (one of the best Sunday's all year in my opinion) and she also had a little operation this last year. We learned more about Eva's heart condition last year and she underwent her first surgery to correct it. I love her so much it's crazy.

SO full of personality.

8. Scott did some traveling in 2010, and for the sake of my sanity, lets hope it's the last of his traveling for a good while. He spent 10 days in Indiana and 11 days in Iowa, and I spent the entire time going crazy. Not really, but kind of. I make a pretty terrible single parent.

9. Last year was also a great one for Jameson Photos and all that's come with our little photography business: stress, insecurity, tears, and exhaustion, but also improvement, growth, accomplishment, and pride. I'm just so glad to be able to feel good at something I really love and to get to share that with others.

Please excuse my blindingly white legs.

A preview of things to come on the photoblog.

10. Lastly, the past year has been filled with lots of time spent together. Little trips to Sunrise, California, and Snowflake, the Muse concert, walks to the park, feeding the ducks, reading together, playing together, visiting the zoo, these are my favorite moments of 2010.

That's a wrap!

A Husband Free Guide to Survival

2010-10-04T17:29:00.000-07:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We miss Scott. The end of today marks the halfway point of his trip, which means we've made it without him for five whole days! Well besides the play dates, friendly visits, and family time, there've been a few other things gettin us through. Definitely things I recommend for any good husband free length of time. First up is good movies and television. It's been a period film marathon over here, and thanks to some friends, I've become slightly obsessed with Friday Night Lights. Soo good.

Next on my list are good books to read. I go through phases with reading. I grew up loving it, devouring every book in sight, and sometimes I still get in those moods where I can't get enough. Lately that's been just my mood, and with Scott gone, I've had more time to get lost in my books each night. These are a few of my recent reads, rereads, and future reads.

Of course this list also wouldn't be complete without good food. For me this includes not only good snacks, but also delicious dinners. I finally feel like I'm out of my early pregnancy nauseous/lazy phase (it's about time at 21 weeks along!), but now I've been in craving city. Bring on the sugar cereal! These have been my most recent go to munchies.

And some favorite dinners as of late.

Last but not least, as of today, we've enjoyed some pretty fabulous weather, and I'm hoping there's a lot more where that came from. This means playing outside, which is a big deal. We haven't played outside for more than two seconds since like March! And this cute girl loves to play outside.

So there you have it, my must have survival list for living Scott free :)
Here's to lasting the next five days without him!

Talkin Bout My Girl

2010-09-30T16:47:00.000-07:00

So Scott left today for a ten day business trip to Indiana. Let me tell you what, I'm not thrilled about it. We spent half our dating relationship doing the long distance thing, and I feel like I've paid my dues. The difference between then and now is that instead of lots of homework and five crazy roommates, I get to spend my days with the darn cutest girl I know. And that's why I'm grateful today. Eva's heart condition has been a pretty serious reminder to me of just how fragile and precious life is.

Since her little surgery, Eva and I have spent more time down on the floor playing, more time dancing in the kitchen together. I've felt myself trying to be a more patient, attentive, and loving mother to her, and these past few weeks, I've felt my love for Eva increase. Again, I am so grateful for this. Today though I'm missing Scott, I feel closer to Eva than ever, and I am so so glad for every day spent with her.

Last Week

2010-09-22T15:43:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd just let Eva tell about her adventure at the hospital last week, so here goes...

(via Scott's phone)

(via Scott's phone)

(via Scott's phone)

(via Scott's phone)

(via Scott's phone)

(via Scott's phone)

And that's pretty much that. We're back home now and doing great. You'd never guess Eva had surgery only last week, she's just as normal as can be. Now we'll just have to see what the doctor says at our follow up appointment.

Thanks again to all who thought of us and said a little prayer for Eva. Words cannot describe how grateful we are :)

Say a Little Prayer for Eva

2010-09-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

visits to the cardiologist
echocardiograms
ultrasounds
lots of worrying
preparing for surgery

These are a few other reasons we've been absent from the blog this summer. Eva has had a heart murmur since birth that we'd hoped would go away on its own. Instead, we found out a few months ago that the murmur is a fairly serious form of aortic valve stenosis. We now know that this valve in Eva's heart did not develop properly in gestation and just doesn't open as much as it should. This basically causes the valve to work extra hard and results in a much higher blood pressure within Eva's heart as compared to the blood pressure of the rest of her body. At least this is my interpretation of all the medical mumbo jumbo.

So Eva will be having surgery tomorrow to help open her aortic valve and reduce a lot of the pressure within her heart. I can't help but get a little choked up at the thought of my tiny girl in the hospital. Just look at this sweet face. Lets hope I can keep it together.

New on the Photoblog

2010-09-08T15:41:00.000-07:00

While you wait for me to be more responsible and such on this here blog, check out the recent loveliness on my photoblog over HERE.

Big News

2010-08-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

Man, have I been a bad blogger. Sometimes I dread posting on here after a long hiatus. I just have so much to catch up on. I've started realizing though that I miss documenting our lives on here. Everyone should have a place to record the important stuff. I know someday I'll be glad for this blog and the other journals we've kept. Anyway, I do have some pretty good excuses for being MIA over here all summer so I thought I'd start by documenting those.

Excuse number one, I'm pregnant!

The good:
We are stoked to welcome a new tiny babe to our family!
Miss Eva is sure to be the cutest big sister I know.
I'm already 16 weeks along, and we can't wait for February to get here!

The bad:
I've been WAY more sick and miserable than I was last time around.
The nearly constant nausea has yet to pass even now that I'm well into the second trimester.
Holy crap. Two kids? Not sure I'm ready for this!

The ugly:
My growing belly is pretty much all I've got for this one. Ha.
I already feel huge and have all but kissed my regular jeans goodbye. Hello elastic!

Despite the nonperks of being preggy, did I mention how excited we are about this?! SO excited. Like x19083458970. Here's to hoping this pregnancy goes a little more smoothly than my last. And now a few recent shots of the cute big sis to be!

Being a Mom is the Bomb

2010-05-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

"God could not be everywhere, and so he gave us mothers."

Lets just ignore the fact that this is a little late, ahem. I simply want to express how deeply honored I feel to be a mother. I am overwhelmed everyday by the divine nature of motherhood. I feel closer to God having been a mom, and there just aren't words for the love I feel toward my family. Pictures are better anyway.

It doesn't get better than this.

I'd like to point out that she finally has hair!

Loves of my life.

Three Years

2010-05-10T09:27:00.000-07:00

Whew we made it to three years! Not that it was TOO hard. Being married is a joy when your other half is a master diaper changer, expert bug killer, and foot massager extraordinaire. I will (sheepishly) admit that most of the time I'm probably the one who causes the problems/fights/arguments in this relationship. Good thing I've got a while to work on myself. (Eternity sucka.)

We two celebrated over the weekend with a quick but wonderful stay at The Buttes Resort. This place is AMAZING. Gorgeous, relaxing, and not ten miles from home. And though we may have been just around the corner, it sure felt like we were far away. To top it off, Scott surprised me with chocolate covered strawberries that he made himself! Knowing Scott's lack of gourmet skills, and consequently the amount of effort he had to've put into this, I was super impressed ;)

In summary:

A marvelous anniversary weekend has been had.
Looking forward to many more moons together.
In honor of this happy day, a few of our favorite wedding photos.
Taken by Mary McGrath and edited by your's truly.

Pretty Peectures

2010-04-28T08:55:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted a link to my photoblog on here in a while, but I'm still over HERE blogging away too. Here's one from my latest post. Grant is one coooool dude.

Check it out!

Lunch California Style

2010-04-22T10:27:00.000-07:00

The best part about Scott's and my California getaway was just getting to be together. It's so rare that we spend a whole day together just us, and those kinds of days are my favorite.

This is us.
(And another one of my attempts to be in more photos.)

After our morning in Newport Beach, we mosey'd over to Balboa Island for lunch. Scott read a review of this little local place online that said it was great partly because tourists don't know it. I guess that myth is busted. We totally tainted it with our tourist ways.

Look how hard he's studying that menu.
It's like he misses school or something.
Riiiight.

I enjoyed the scenery and snapped some photos while Scott...
played on his phone.
Naturally.

Sometimes that phone gets more attention than I do.
And that's when we start to have a problem, that phone and I.
I like to think I win.
Naturally.

Food glorious food!
Mmm I can still taste those onions.
I've never liked onions before in my life, but I'm currently obsessed.
me+onions=love.

Sometimes we play with our food (all the time).

The monumental first bite.

And the result.

The perfect lunch with the perfect boy.
So delish.

Still more to come.

A New Easter Tradish

2010-04-14T08:49:00.000-07:00

Well not that kind of tie dye. These eggs are literally dyed with silk neck ties. I saw this project on Martha and knew we'd have to try it. It just so happens that Scott has a ridiculously large tie collection. (I'm quite sure it would take him at least five years worth of Sunday's to wear them all once.) Luckily he has some pretty funky ones, and (after a little persuading) he was willing to part with them for a crafty cause. So we made a quick trip to D.I. for a glass pot ($1) and a pillow case (50 cents) and it was time to get our craft on. Here's the end result. Cool huh?

I'm definitely impressed with how they turned out. And the process is so simple. (We did use hard boiled eggs instead of raw like Martha.)

This might just become an Easter tradition in the Jameson fam.

A Tribute

2010-04-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

torry steven dwight
1.18.86 - 3.26.10

we didn't keep in very close touch after high school, but i don't have many memories from 8-12th grade that don't involve torry. i went to his funeral on Tuesday and was so completely overwhelmed by the realization that he's gone. thoughts of all the fun times came flooding back. tears came flooding out. i kept it together for most of the service, took all i had. i bawled the entire way home. he played a lead role in some of my most memorable years, and if i had to choose a theme, it would be laughter. i think anyone who knew him would agree. not a day went by with torry without it.

this is from my jr. high journal on 5.1.01.
sums up our friendship well i think.

more pics i dug up.

and a list of my favorite times.

using a brown sharpie to give people and things "moles"
making bad mood signs
making bump on eye signs after Shepin's eye bump
calling each other nicknames (torr and jenn jenn)
drawing all sorts of sheepy's
making the good place for our trash on the bus in california
saying it's a good place all the time
saying it's a good place in chinese all the time
eating peach flavored gummies from lee lee's
making sock puppets for history class and making one into a sheepy puppet
prank calling people from school and telling them to go catch their refrigerators
writing ridiculously long messages in each other's yearbooks
the scream song (jump around by house of pain)
riding in a limo through the movie theater parking lot
making up fake screen names and trying to mess with people
pinkersblue
renaming mrs. wallace big w
stealing big w's staples every day until she locked them up
stealing big w's turkey stuffed animal and holding it for ransom when she locked up her staples
buying amanda's bday present of castor oil, modeling clay, pepperoni stick, etc at the dollar store
singing twinkle twinkle in chinese
ditching everyone at disneyland
honking the horn for no reason
choosing random numbers to be the answers on our chem homework for mr. mellyn
comparing crazy mom stories
chawls tawget/kmawt/walmawt and his rolling backpack
ditching orchestra for taco bell runs
making up crazy stories for the security guards to let us out of the parking lot
being aimrats
making abbreviations like ridic and hilare
saying "wanna play" with a crazy look in our eyes
playing tricks on people using three way calling
myspacebarisbroken
boba
making up a song about potatoes in chinese
studying for bio all day and only remembering that people diagnosed with down syndrome have thick tongues
the stick game
eating guacamole 24/7
renaming mr. worsnop "worsnopii"
yelling dragon at the kid with the chinese symbol for dragon on his shirt everyday
blasting chinese and japanese pop music
making up chinese names for ourselves (toe lee mah)
talking on the phone about nothing all night long
catching up with long and interesting chats on google while bored and stuck on bedrest
laughing until crying then laughing some more

so glad this life is not the end.

Favorite Things

2010-04-08T07:38:00.001-07:00

Gosh, I have so many things I want to share. The rest of our California trip, our easter egg dying experience, a funeral I attended this week. Plus some weddings, another preschool, and more families for the photoblog. Wish I wasn't stuck at work bored outta my gourd.

For now, a few of my favorite things this Easter.

*Clockwise from the top:
vintage glass via D.I. (our go to shopping spot, sad huh?),
pretty green grass (a nice change from dead and yellow),
the best candy ever (I wait all year for these),
and cheesy decor (Easter just wouldn't be the same without it).

Easter With the Jameson's

2010-04-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

I had a mahhvelous weekend watching our church's General Conference and commemorating the Atonement and Resurrection of our Savior. I don't talk much about them here, but my beliefs are so important to me, and it truly was a wonderful weekend. Still I'm hoping to watch Conf. again this week. One can only pay so much attention with a ~~naughty~~ cute little babe getting into everything.

Speaking of that girl, she got her first visit from this guy.

Complete with one of these.
(Thank you Target Dollar Shop.)

Being the cracker and book loving girl that she is, you'd think that miss Eva would be stoked to get a giant bag of animal crackers and a pack of four new books all to herself, plus some other cool stuff to boot.

Yeah no.

Next year I think we'll forgo all the stuff and stick with the basket of grass.

(Ok seriously. So in love with this grin.)

I guess she did also enjoy the eggs that Scott surprised us with around the house Sunday morning.

Love that boy.
And this girl.

Happy Easter!

California Here We Come

2010-03-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

This year I’ve vowed to more carefully document our family doings via photo. Taking pictures is my specialty after all. (Ironic then that I always seem to forget the camera at all the wrong times.) Here’s your proof that I’m trying my darndest.

Two weekends ago we made a quick trip to California sans baby. I was so bummed not to bring her, but I’m not kidding when I say the trip was quick. We made it to Costa Mesa late Friday night and kicked off our getaway with an obligatory stop here. Scott’s convinced that it tastes better in Cali.

Saturday morning we headed out to see the Newport Beach temple.

It was a gorgeous day and the grounds were just lovely. What a perfect time of year for a visit. We couldn’t believe how empty it seemed even on a Saturday though. Definitely a change from our Mesa scene.

Naturally Scott played on his phone while I snapped a few.

I don't think spring has ever looked so beautiful.

I just love new blooms.

I have WAY too many pictures of this face.

These 3 are SOOC images:

He’s (more than) slightly obsessed.

Next time I hope we’ll do a session and see if it's as stunning on the inside as it is on the outside.

Check out the main event of our trip HERE.
More to come of course!

My Favorite Animal is Poopies

2010-03-23T20:48:00.000-07:00

Are you sold yet? Too bad this pooch is not for sale. She's one of a few reasons why I love coming home each day. Her excitement at my return in the evening is the likes of which you've never seen. My daily greeting includes running, jumping, some serious tail-wagging, not to mention barking, jumping, and some more tail-wagging. It's probably a ridiculous sight, but it makes me feel like a million bucks. Last week we took Eva and Penny to my mom's since she was home for spring break. Scott picked them up on his way home, so when I'd beat him home it was the weirdest thing to find total peace and quiet instead of the furry little nutjob that I'm used to being mauled by. I'm glad she's back to building my celebrity status.

Happy St. Patty's

2010-03-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

Oy it's been a while. I get so behind on updating that I just don't post at all. Amazing logic I know right? Anyway, I have lots of pictures to share from our secret trip to Cali, but the latest news is that miss Eva is getting dangerously close to walking on her own. She still insists on having a little help (see video below), but I'm sure she'll be off in no time at all. Can't say that I'm particularly happy about this. They really do grow up far too quickly.

I Need These

2010-02-18T13:32:00.000-08:00

Currently lusting after these:

(Going along with my chick flick mood of course.)

Because you can never have too many copies of P&P (especially one as beautiful as this), and the perfect bag to carry it around in is just a necessity.

Happy Heart Day!

2010-02-15T08:38:00.001-08:00

In honor of the day of love, these, my friends, are the top ten best love movies of all time according to moi. I don’t usually consider myself a chick flick kinda girl, but I do love a good romance now and then, and ok so maybe everyday lately. Anyone who can name them all is amazing. At least in my book.
(Did I miss any??)

#1

#10

Honorable mentions go to:

Happy heart day!

A Little Pick Me Up

2010-02-08T07:29:00.000-08:00

kisses to these sweet cheeks=my drug of choice. so addicting.

Asleep on the Job

2010-02-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

Love this girl taking a snooze in her high chair. What a crazy baby. Must've been completely pooped because she stayed like this for at least an hour. She just looked too peaceful for me to bother with moving her. That sweet baby. We have her one year appointment with the doctor today. ONE YEAR. (Cue denial.) I'm pretty interested to see how much she weighs today, though I doubt she's much bigger than 15 pounds. Tiny little baby. Still trying (unsuccessfully) to get her on the charts for weight. The high chair catnaps aren't helping much, go figure. Notice the crackers that didn't quite make it to her mouth? Totally feel asleep on the job. My silly baby.

Goals

2010-02-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

So I have a list of goals for the year, personal and professional. I used to be obsessed with goal setting, making lists, checking them twice, you know the drill. And the best feeling for me was crossing every last thing off that list. For some reason now though, this is an overwhelming project for me—making and keeping goals for myself that is. If I write them down, I might actually have to DO them. Like as in, make an effort. Aka work. And that’s where you’ve lost me. Hard work is scary, and well…hard. But this year I’m going to do it. I’m starting simple. Just a few short goals, things I want to improve on or accomplish. At the top of my list, I want to be happier being me.

I hate to play the pregnancy card, but I feel like I lost myself for a while when I was pregnant and even afterward for a time. I didn’t recognize myself physically or emotionally. I was constantly exhausted and grumpy, and I’ve never felt so insecure. Lately though, I feel like I’m finally starting to know who I am again, and it’s such a good feeling. So this year I hope to grow more confident, feel more comfortable in my own skin, and just love myself more—as a person, a mother, and a photographer.

(Another goal of mine is to spend more time in front of the camera, and not hate the result.)

Top 9 of 2009 Part Dos

2010-01-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

Because this was just wayy too much for one post, here you have it, the REST of the story.

Top 9 of 2009 (Part 2!)

Said Goodbye for Now to Mom and Dad Jameson
This year we saw Scott’s parents off to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kinshasa mission in Africa. Try saying that ten times fast! The call to Africa definitely came as a shock when they’d specifically requested a France mission, but from what we’ve seen, Africa has been just right for them. I think it was particularly tough for Scott to see them go, but thank goodness for modern technology, which lets us to visit with them through Skype once a week or so. Being the proud parents that we are, we also send them short videos of Eva all the time to show her off ;) We’ll be glad to have them back in 2011.

(My favorite photo of these two.)

Moved
After close to two years in our ever increasingly cramped condo, we (seriously) upgraded to Scott’s parents’ home for a bit in September. It seemed like a win win—Scott’s parents needed the comfort of knowing their home would be taken care of while missioning in Africa, and we could definitely use the space. Plus we’ve been able to rent our condo and save some cash money. Still, I had a really hard time with this decision since it meant leaving the ward I was finally starting to feel comfortable in. Thankfully being close by, we’ve continued to see and spend time with many friends from the good ‘ol Stewart ward. (And now that we’re settled in a big luxurious house, I’ll admit I’m crossing my fingers that we never have to go back to our condo!)

(Eva's little room back in the condo.)

(And the place we call home for now.)

Class of 2009
Scott’s graduation was a day we’ve looked forward to our entire time together. I can hardly believe it’s already come and gone, but it’s been SUCH a relief to have this behind us. What a monumental day in our history together. Our entire married life has revolved around school. Homework, studying, books, classes, papers, code, homework, projects, institute, homework, tests. Did I mention homework? There just aren’t words for how truly proud I am of Scott. For putting Eva and me first, for working so hard at all he does, for maintaining an awesome GPA through it all, and most of all, simply for finishing what he started.

(He did it!)

Said Goodbye to 80 lbs!
Did I really just blog that? Consider it a brave moment since I’m pretty embarrassed to admit that I had that much weight to lose! Especially when the pregnancy only accounts for about 50 of those pounds. The other day Scott and I were discussing this, and he said something like, “Yeah, you were pretty huge.” Oh husbands. I’ll spare you the before pictures, but take it from Scott, I was huge. Here’s to never being huge again!

(Mini me.)

Growth, Laughter, Love
Last, 2009 has been a year chock full of each of these. We’re definitely far from perfect, and our family has its share of hard times, but through our ups and downs, we carry on. We’ve stuck together, helped one another, and pushed each other to be better over the last year, and for this reason our love has grown. So there you have it, our top 9 of 2009. I'm hoping 2010 is a little less eventful, but I think we’re ready for what the new year has to bring!

(Jameson Family 2009.)

Top 9 of 2009 Part Uno

2010-01-19T12:15:00.000-08:00

This post has been on my mind for quite a while. It’s a long one, but 2009 has been epic for our family, and a recap of the year deserves some major blog real estate.

Top 9 of 2009 (Part 1)

Said Goodbye to Grandpa Bird
We started the year with a heartfelt farewell to our dear Grandpa Bird. I knew him a short two years, but I’m sure I’ll never forget him. I have such a special place in my heart for grandparents. I think I was closer to my grandparents than most, I can remember spending every weekend with my Grandma because I just loved being with her. When she passed, my Grandpa and I bonded completely. I miss them deeply even today. Grandpa Bird reminded me so much of my own beloved grandparents, and it was nice to have that empty seat filled in my life again, even for short time.

(G-pa Bird as I remember him.)

Said Hello to Miss Eva Dixie
Wow, this has been by far the most incredible, wonderful, life-changing event of the year. We welcomed a baby girl into our family last January, and nothing’s been the same since. It sounds cheesy and cliché, but I honestly had no idea how much I could love another human being before she was born. I’m convinced that she’s the most happy, fun, bubbly little thing in the world, and her sweet nature is just contagious. Her laugh is the cure for my worst day, her smile a bright ray of sunshine. I love every last thing about this girl, and I can’t believe she’s mine. I’m so looking forward to another year spent treasuring every moment with Miss Eva.

(Recent photos of my girl.)

Jameson Photos Officially Opened for Business
This is definitely another big event of 2009 for us. I’ve loved professional photography for a long time, but never in my wildest dreams did I think that I could be a photographer myself. Three years later I look back and wonder what I ever did without my camera. It was a scary moment for me when I made the decision to pursue photography professionally. I had no idea if I could make it in this field especially with so many great photographers around these days. I think I’ll always remember the first phone call I got for a paid session, and here’s to hoping the phone doesn’t stop ringing! I have learned SO MUCH about business, and more importantly, myself this year through photography, and it’s my hope that this is just the first of many years of growth for Jameson Photos.

(Lots of new things in store for the biz this year. Check out the new look HERE!)

New Job Opportunities
Besides my new photography business, it’s been a year of new work for Scott. He finally said goodbye to Desert Schools after several years with them, and began his first internship in the IT field. This was amazing for us since getting an internship took more time and effort than we expected. And for the first time, Scott really felt sure about software development. It’s been such a relief for me to see his confidence that this is not only something he can do for a living, but also something he just loves. After that first job, came a second, and now his third internship in this field. He’s in the market for something full time, and for the sake of my sanity I hope he’s hired soon. I’m still working full time at my day job, and going a little crazy trying to balance that with everything else. I’ve got high hopes that 2010 will be my year to quit!

****Edited to add, Scott got a job!!! More to come on this. SO happy!

(A recent shot of my cuties.)

Part 2 later this week!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-12T11:40:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a 2009 recap, resolutions for the year 2010, etc., but for now feast your eyes on this--our first family picture!

Courtesy of our new gorgeous craigslist chair (with matching couch not pictured) and tripod/self timer. Oh and the card is another one of my own designs :)

Happy Birthday Grammy!

2009-12-08T12:47:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to do something special for my mother-in-law's birthday, but the fact that she's far away in Africa has thrown a big wrench into most of my fabulous birthday gift ideas. Scott finally came up with this and we knew it would be just perfect.

I want to preface this by saying that if you know anything about me right now, you can attest that I'm completely SWAMPED. As in up to my eyeballs in editing, photoshoots, card design etc. etc. I'm definitely loving all the new business, but with working another full time job, being Eva's mom, and trying to get ready for Christmas all at once, there's just not enough time in the day! I guess that's why I feel this gift is meaningful--because though it may not seem like much, it's a big sacrifice for me to make the time to take professional photos of Eva at this busy time of year, let alone edit them and send them off to my dear mother-in-law. Good thing she's worth it!

So all of that being said, we want to wish you a happy birthday Grammy! Please enjoy these precious photos of Eva taken with love especially for you.

I love this one. Second favorite.

This one's my favorite. That face is just so her.

I wish these pictures had audio so that you could hear how she sang the whole time!

We love you Grammy! Hope your day was wonderful!!

(P.S. I'm going to try to zip these pictures and send them to you through email tonight so that you can print them for your wall!)

One Word

2009-11-20T11:11:00.000-08:00

YUM.

Who knew I was such a Jacob fan?

Then again, how can you not be after THAT.

Team Jacob here I come!

The Waiting Game

2009-11-17T20:32:00.000-08:00

(If all goes as planned) Scott will be sporting one of these bad boys exactly one month from today. Can't wait!

Photoblog Fabulousness

2009-11-09T11:02:00.000-08:00

Check out what's new and exciting over on the PHOTOBLOG!

You may have seen another photo of this beauty over there a while back. Watch for more really ridiculouly cute kids to pop up on the photoblog all week long!

Poodle to Poodle

2009-11-06T19:35:00.000-08:00

Eva the poodle made her debut on Halloween, and she's never looked more puppylicious! Our other poodle, Penny, was just delighted to have a new doggy friend (though I think she was a little jealous of Eva's killer fashion sense).

Eva couldn't have been more adorable if I do say so myself.

The poodles. Together at last!

We did jazz up the costume a little. Who can resist a good peony and tutu?

We're poodle people, what can I say!

Politics Shmolitics

2009-11-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

Well said. Put me down for one in pink.

White Babies CAN Jump

2009-10-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

Is there anything more adorable than a baby's giggle?

I think not.

bonjour

2009-10-09T11:59:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, we were here...

...with 10 of our favorite people in the world.

Paris is like a dear friend--beautiful, lively, interesting, inviting, the list goes on and on. Gosh I still can't believe we were really there! I got lost in the photos today and decided this one was too beautiful not to share.

Until we meet again old friend.

Math to Live By

2009-09-29T12:52:00.001-07:00

Me+Scott-Eva+babysitter+free tix+good friends=one super fun night of awesome tuneage.

Awesome might be a strong word actually. To tell you the truth, The Killers were pretty terrible live. The music was less than amazing, and the stage presence was equally lame--possibly the only band I've heard up close whose performance made me want to stick to the cd. At one point we even found ourselves asking if the song was supposed to sound like that. Yeah, not good.

As disappointing as it was, the box seats and this guy almost made the whole experience worth it. I can appreciate a man with not just longer but also bigger hair than me. That do had more volume than a sub woofer on full blast! Plus you can't have hair like that and not shake what ya got. Watching him head bang was the highlight of my night. And that's sayin something.

Moral of the story: Skip The Killers and save your pennies for a show worth seeing!

a la concert

2009-09-28T15:20:00.000-07:00

Off to see these guys tonight...

Elder, Wait Make That PRESIDENT and Sister Jameson

2009-09-14T13:36:00.001-07:00

Can't believe these two are already in Africa! We talked with them on Skype last night and it was like they were just around the corner instead of halfway around the globe. I wish I could've stowaway'd in one of their EIGHT suitcases. That's right I said eight. Apparently the food in the Kinshasa Mission is questionable, pots and pans are pretty much nonexistent, and missionaries are not allowed out of the house after 6pm. Thus the plethora of luggage for freeze dried deliciousness--that might be an oxymoron, cooking gear, and multiple laptops for entertainment/connecting to the outside world. (I'm also pretty sure my fancy-tie-loving-father-in-law stashed a bunch of ties in there too. Why else would you need (once again) EIGHT suitcases when they tell you to only bring three ties??)

Anyway, we're super happy/sad/excited to see them off serving in this place:

Can't wait to hear all about it!!

(See more pictures from our very quick shoot HERE.)

Free Museum Day!

2009-09-14T12:53:00.000-07:00

I heard about this at work today and thought I would share. I'm all about fun new things to do and nothing beats free! Here's the scoop:

Enjoy free general admission for you and a guest to hundreds of museums and cultural venues nationwide.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Download your pass for free admission here: http://microsite.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/index.html

These are the Arizona Museums participating:

Arizona Historical Society Arizona History Museum
Tucson
Arizona Historical Society Museum at Papago Park
Tempe
Arizona State Museum
Tucson
Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum
Bisbee
Casa Grande Valley Historical Society and Museum
Casa Grande
Cave Creek Museum
Cave Creek
Challenger Space Center
Peoria
Deer Valley Rock Art Center
Phoenix
Desert Botanical Garden
Phoenix
Desert Caballeros Western Museum
Wickenburg
Heard Museum
Phoenix
International Wildlife Museum
Tucson
Jewish History Museum
Tucson
Mesa Historical Museum
Mesa
Phippen Museum
Prescott
Pioneer Museum
Flagstaff
Pueblo Grande Museum and Archaeological Park
Phoenix
River of Time Museum
Fountain Hills
Sharlot Hall Museum
Prescott
Show Low Historical Society Museum
Show Low
The Bead Museum
Glendale
The Mini-Time Machine Museum of Miniatures
Tucson

The Birthday Week Saga Continues

2009-09-04T00:49:00.000-07:00

So yeah, my blogging skills have been seriously lacking lately. First I just have to give an update on the rest of my week long birthday-o-awesomeness. I can't believe I let this much time pass before getting on here to finish explaining more very important rules for having your own fab birthday week.

Did I mention presents? Whoever said it's better to give than to receive obviously had no idea what they were talking about. (I'm MOSTLY kidding.) I'm pretty much the best present getter there is. First gift was a handy dandy giftcard meant for the purchase of this baby:

Score! I just got my hands on a copy and will incidentally be in hibernation for the next 24-48 hours. If you haven't heard about this series yet, I suggest you get to reading. You'll be glad you did!

Also had to get me some glass! This pretty thing showed up at my door on the very best day of the year, and I was stoked to say the least.

To go with that beauty, my ridiculously good looking husb purchased a domain name for my currently-in-the-works photography website!! One of these days we'll git er' done and show off the finished product, woot!

Oh and another bare necessity to any birthday week bash would have to be super fun/exciting things to do. We hit up this movie, that's right, in the theater. I guess the movies aren't exciting to everyone, but we RARELY go and when we do go, it's usually to see some manly man action movie, aka not my first choice when in movie genres. Not only did I get to choose the movie, but the movie I picked was positively smashing! I leaned over to Scott maybe 30 minutes into it and whispered that I was already completely in love with the whole thing. The soundtrack is equally amazing, a must have most def!

Scott and I also visited the place where it all began. Cheesy I know, but the first night Scott and I "hung out" just me and him, we went for a stroll around my parents' neighborhood and ended up at the elephant park for a long while. It's become one of our sappy spots, and lets face it, I like sappy. Nothing beats a romantic computer nerd!

Finally, the single most important factor to a crazy rad birthday week event of total beawesomeness would have to be one of these:

The week of partying would have been nothing without this guy, and I'm so glad that he's stuck with me for eternity. Just think of all the birthday weeks! ;)

Day 1

2009-08-17T20:50:00.001-07:00

Day one of my BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA, that is! Aka the best week of the year. That's right I said week. We celebrate my birthday all week because we can. I highly recommend it actually.

Rule #1 to having the perfect week-long-birthday-celebration-of-awesomeness: presents are ALWAYS ~~required~~ welcomed. Especially ones like this ultrafab diaper bag that I've had a serious eye on. I knew there was a reason Scott and I waited to make the plunge into the world of cute diaperbag-ness. This one was on sale! So we pretty much went from having the single most ghettofied diaper bag ever (seriously it was that bad) to having the very cutest one ever! Many thanks to my great family for this sweet gift!

And now the second rule to this very important week of fun: deliciousness is a MUST. These hi hat cupcakes happen to be in the running for my all time favorite dessert, and believe me (or my waistline), I know desserts. If you haven't tried them, get out of here and get to baking! I have six of these beauties in my freezer this very moment, just waiting for me to pop in and say hello. The best part? They're dairy free! My saintly mother went to great lengths (ok so maybe just Sprouts) for some much needed dairy free ingredients, and in the end we enjoyed a very tasty treat! This has been my first taste of chocolate in three weeks and no wonder I was so grumpy. At last, the mystery is solved!

Don't they look positively delish?!

So there you have it. Highlights of day one, and some extremely important guidelines to having your very own week long palooza of birthday funness. More to come for shizzle.

By the way, the end of this rockin GIVEAWAY is mere hours away, so get busy and enter!

Why not?!

2009-08-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Check here for details on a super rad

photoshoot giveaway!

And a new photo just for kicks:

Until the Cows Come Home?

2009-08-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

First a few recent photos to remind everyone (me included) of just how precious miss Eva is. Cutest sleeper ever.

It's a good thing she's adorable, since it's because of her that I've had to say goodbye to all of this:

These past few months have been filled with blood, sweat, and tears--literally. Several blood tests and a sweat chloride test for Eva, and a fair amount of tears on both mine and her part. (What can I say, I'm a worrier.) Not to mention various doctor's appointments, stool samples, medicines, weight checks, etc. Somehow we're going to get this girl to gain weight! I wish I had her problem ;) Basically, she just isn't growing at (or even close to) the rate our doctors would like to see. We just had her six month appointment and she was in the tenth percentile for height (mind boggling to her short parents) at 24.5 inches, but still not even on the charts for weight at just 11 pounds.

A recent visit to the GI pede's office has led us to think Eva quite possibly has a milk allergy--hence my recent change in diet. Though breastmilk is fine, the protein in cow's milk is what (we think) Eva is having trouble digesting properly. Apparently this is pretty common in babies, but it was news to me! I'm just so glad to finally have an answer that makes sense and, most importantly, a way to fix the problem. The only downside? Milk is in EVERYTHING. Not only am I cutting out several of my daily staples (yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese), but I'm also constantly checking labels for ingredients. Anybody out there who knows of any good milk-free food choices, share the love! And until further notice there will be no cow's (milk) coming (to our) home ;)

Lover

2009-07-28T22:24:00.000-07:00

So I'm really digging this picture. (He IS the sexiest man alive after all.) I just can't decide which edit I like better....any thoughts?

RIP crazy awesome Michael Westen aviator shades :(

Must Love Dogs

2009-07-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

Another house sitting job done and done! Today was our last day, and though it was good to get away for a bit, I must say it feels SO nice to be home. We'll just miss our doggy friends, Smokey and Bootsy! See a few more cool pix HERE.

Deliciousness

2009-07-20T11:38:00.000-07:00

Our FAVORITE Salsa Recipe

1 #10 can (or I like to use 3 28oz cans) diced tomatoes

1 lg white onion chopped

1 bunch green onions chopped

1 bunch cilantro (leaves only)

1 can El Pato sauce (found in the Mexican food aisle)

2 fresh green chiles chopped without seeds (or 1 sm can diced green chiles)

1-2 fresh jalapenos chopped without seeds (or 1 sm can diced jalapenos)

1 T. each of salt, onion powder, and garlic powder

1/2 T. cumin

Mix it all together and viola! Just remember, this will make a large batch, so be prepared to share! Oh and feel free to skip the jalapenos for a milder taste. I like it HOT so I've been known to throw an extra jalapeno or two in for kicks. Also, I like to lightly blend about half of the tomatoes (I get the petite diced) with all of the chopped onion in the blender. Scott and I like our salsa chunky, but not too chunky, so this helps us get the texture we love best.

Enjoy!

My Latest Guilty Pleasure

2009-07-17T09:22:00.000-07:00

So Scott and I are housesitting right now for the third summer running. To preface, our first year, I'd just finished up at BYU where we didn't have a tv in our apartment, and Scott and I had been married for about five minutes, so we didn't own anything yet, much less a tv. Anyway, this couple that we're housesitting for has this big, fancy, flat screen, high def tv. I guess they're not as amazing now, but a few years ago and with our lack of tv experience, we were pretty impressed. The crazy part? No cable! We were totally stoked about this way nice tv and then so disappointed to find NOTHING to watch. So this year we were pleasantly surprised to find brand spankin new DIRECTV and DVR! Score! As you can imagine, we've just been living the life of luxury, and my latest tv guilty pleasure? Yep, the Real Housewives of New Jersey. I literally watched the whole season in like one weekend. Completely ridiculous, but soo addicting and entertaining at the same time. Even Scott was hooked. If you haven't seen it, you probably shouldn't. It WILL suck you in.

Check it Out

2009-07-13T15:19:00.001-07:00

New post on the photoblog! See more of this super cute couple here.

Feeling Wicked?

2009-07-09T14:48:00.000-07:00

So last night Scott and I went with my fam to see this play at Gammage. (I'm not even going to make excuses for why I've been sucking so hard at blogging!) Neither of us had seen it before or even knew much about it, but right away I was totally in love. We had AMAZING seats. Like 5th row amazing. (Though the creepy guy next to us still felt the urge to use binoculars??) Anyway, I was wide eyed the whole time and completely dazzled by the music/costumes/story. Anyone out there just dying to buy me another ticket, please by all means feel free!

By the way, our blog needed some serious TLC. How do you like the result??!

Jameson Photos

2009-05-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

Man alive, I have a million and one things to post about. I can't believe the whole month of April went by without a single update from me! Time is flying as usual. It used to be that I had tons of time and just nothing exciting to put on here, but now I've got all kinds of interesting things to talk about and no time for talkin.

Anyway, first of all, thank you all SO MUCH for the ridiculously kind words and much needed encouragement regarding my recent return to work. It's still oh so lame to have to work right now, but I'm feeling much more adjusted/stable/ok about it. Turns out, I can understand why some moms actually like to work. Working all day is a whole lot easier (at least for me) than being home with Eva! As demanding as it is though, I'd rather be home with her any day.

All of that being said, before I get into the latest haps around our house, it's high time I put a plug in for myself. Without further ado, please head on over to my lovely, new, exciting, and FINISHED (at least for now) photoblog/photography website!

I've been dabbling in photography for quite a while, but recently I've finally gotten ready to really jump in with both feet and go pro. I cannot wait to take your pictures! Please please please contact me to schedule a shoot. Oh and don't forget to add this photography blog to your subscriptions/google reader lists/etc. These are just the beginning of some beautiful photos that you won't want to miss :)

Thursday aka Doomsday

2009-03-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

So I guess I knew it would be somewhat difficult going back to work after having a baby, but I never anticipated it would be this awful! I've been dreading this coming Thursday for quite some time. Not only is it the day I get fully forced back into a job I less than love, but it's also the first time I leave our tiny babe for longer than, I dunno, 3 hours? Ugh. I don't know what it is about leaving her that just kills me, I mean, I completely trust the individuals who will be taking care of her. We are very lucky to have so many friends and family members nearby to help us out with her, but when I think about leaving her, my chest just tightens up and the waterworks begin! How can I possibly leave her at this so important time in her life?! I feel like I'm going to miss out on so many firsts! Her first smile, laugh, words, crawl, steps, etc. Oy, I just don't know how I'm going to survive this! I think this picture pretty much sums up how I feel about going back to work:

(Seriously, how can you resist that face?!) So here I sit, savoring every second of time spent with my sweet baby, and dreaming of the day when Scott is coding/database managing at a fabulous company while I stay at home with our cuties :)

Today

2009-03-13T20:25:00.000-07:00

THINGS NOT ACCOMPLISHED:
Laundry
Dishes
Ironing
Decorating
Changing out of pajamas
Self Beautification
Communication with the outside world

THINGS ACCOMPLISHED:
Kissing
Nurturing
Cherishing
Laughing
Playing
Dancing
Caring for

THIS GIRL

First Things First!

2009-03-12T15:15:00.000-07:00

Eva Dixie Jameson

Born January 27, 2009
5 lbs. 1 oz., 18 inches

Getting this sweet baby girl here was definitely eventful, but totally worth it. Since our ectopic pregnancy ordeal last year, Scott and I (mostly I) decided that the next time we got pregnant, we'd be waiting a while before spreading the news. So when the test said positive last May, we agreed to keep it our little secret. After 12 long weeks of nausea, cravings, and exhaustion, we couldn't keep it under wraps any longer!

Fast forward to about 20 weeks along, at which point we're soo excited/anxious to find out whether this alien would be a boy or girl. After being rescheduled twice (psh), we finally get our ultrasound and are told with a surety that this baby is a GIRL! I was elated. I don't think Scott had a preference, but I SO wanted it to be a girl. I spent the week dreaming about ridiculously cute and very PINK baby clothes, etc. until my next doctor's appointment where the first thing they say to me is "So you're having a boy?!" I was like "HUH?" Apparently the ultrasound tech told us it was a girl, but the radiologist who reviewed the ultrasound pics wrote boy on his report, which is what was sent to my doctor. So I bust out the ultrasound pics for my OB/GYN to see for himself, and he tells me it looks like a boy to him. Oy! I'm sure it was mostly hormones (though I hate admitting it) but I was completely heartbroken. I was so set on a girl and I just felt deceived and devoid of the excitement I had before. I just couldn't believe it, I mean it's not like there were tons of choices, and let me tell ya, they got a very clear shot of the baby's "area". Anyway, we decided that we couldn't trust anybody's opinion and would just have to wait for another ultrasound. Little did I know that my next ultrasound would be in the hospital where I'd been admitted!

Fast forward again to 32 weeks, right during the holidays. First Grandpa Bird went into the hospital just before New Year's. While he was there, our BIL, Klint was admitted to the hospital. A few days later, my MIL went into the hospital. Basically we thought we'd endured quite enough hospital time by proxy. Later that week, I went in for my regular appointment very swollen, but thinking everything was fine and dandy until my doctor sent me straight to the hospital because of high blood pressure (an early sign of preeclampsia). Of course I had high blood pressure, our whole family was doing hospital time! Needless to say, on January 9th, I was admitted. My only consolation was that I had an ultrasound that day and was assured that I was indeed going to have a baby girl!!

From Jan. 9th up until the 27th when miss Eva was born, I was in and out of the hospital on pretty strict bed rest. I missed Grandpa Bird's funeral, my cousin Mallory's wedding, (less importantly) the Suns game we had tickets to, etc. On the bright side though, I had visitors, well wishes, and prayers to boot! Finally I was admitted to the hospital for the THIRD time (the nurses and I got to know each other well) on Jan. 26th with my highest blood pressures yet. On the 27th (at 35 1/2 weeks along) my doctor decided it was high time we get this baby here.

I was totally excited, finally I'd get to experience contractions, labor, etc. It might sound crazy, but I really wanted to know what all that stuff is like. Of course, that never happened! (As if anything could go my way in this pregnancy!) My doctor went to check the baby's head and found that it was no longer down, which meant c-section for me :( I was terrified through it all, but glad that it was quick. We found out at about 6:00 pm that we'd be having our baby soon, and by 8:30, she was here!

Thank goodness being a whole month early, our little one was and is just as healthy as can be. She spent a few hours in the NICU that first night, but that's it. She's been such a trooper with, no signs of jaundice and no trouble eating or keeping a normal temperature. Good thing too, because we've definitely had enough of the hospital to last a LONG time. So there you have it, in a very large nutshell, little Eva's exciting journey here! Welcome to the world sweet baby girl!

It's Official...

2009-03-11T18:09:00.000-07:00

...we're terrible bloggers! It has really been way too long, but we are SO about to make a comeback. Stay tuned :)

Our New Baby!

2008-06-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

So this last week, we (meaning Jenna) decided it was high time we buckled down and purchased our first DSLR camera. Though we bought a fancy new point and shoot in December, it just hasn't been making the cut lately. Jenna's been practicing her photography skillz like crazy, and is building a portfolio with hopes of going professional soon (Jenna would LOVE to do your pictures, so just give us a holla if you're interested). So we did our research, decided on the best model for our needs, and here it is! The Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi. Here are some pictures of our new baby jazzed up with a little photoshop of course!

Drumroll Please!

2008-06-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

We have some VERY EXCITING news!!!! We've just found out that......Scott has been accepted into the Computer Information Systems program at ASU! He'll be starting in the Business School this Fall.

This is a HUGE relief to us. We pretty much put all of our eggs in the CIS basket, and we were starting to worry this past week since we still hadn't heard anything. Then last night, Scott randomly logged on to his myASU and much to our surprise it had already been updated to show that he's a CIS major! Way to go Scotty! Check out the sweet pics of his reaction:

At Last...

2008-06-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

We have arrived in the blogging world!! That's right, the party can start now :) We hope ya'll have fun reading about the craziness up in this piece because ready or not, here we come!

testing

2008-06-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

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