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catching up with an old friend

2010-10-03T22:18:00.006-06:00

When I was little, I had a friend whose name is also Allison. We used to play together a lot before I moved to Utah. We had some fun memories together, but we lost touch about 20 years ago. My mom and her mom were also friends, and they ended up getting in touch in July. It turned out Allison and her mom were going to be in Utah for a few hours so they stopped by my mom's house so we could all see each other. Allison has a little boy that I got to meet, and I introduced Emi to them as well. It was really fun to catch up after all these years.

Emi playing with her new friend Mason

moms of the Allisons

Mason, Allison, me and Emi

st. george

2010-10-03T21:21:00.013-06:00

My uncle Fred passed away in July. Emi and I were able to go to St. George to help prepare for the funeral and spend time with the family. Even though a sad event got us together, we were able to have a lot of fun together as well. We reminisced a lot and went through tons of old photos. Since our family is mostly women, we had lots of girl time. Emi got to play with a lot of kids too and she loved that. I forgot how H-O-T it gets in St. George in the summer. I think it has been more than a decade since I was there in the middle of the summer. It was unreal. We hit the pool a few times and got some giant Icees. We were sad to leave at the end of the week, but we were both excited to see Adam, who had to stay home for school and work.

having a blast in the pool...her favorite thing

my mom and aunt Nancy

kissing Maddie

grooving to Sonja's music

dancing with the bigger girls

having fun with her new friend Shelley

Emi and me with my cousin Kristi

my mom and her sisters- Janine, Nancy and Karen

me and Emi with my cousin Lumina

summer fun

2010-10-03T20:29:00.013-06:00

We had a crazy summer in our house. We tried to have a lot of fun but there was also a lot of school going on too. We were super busy but took lots of pictures of our adventures. We just didn't have any time to post them!

We went to Wyoming at the beginning of the summer to see Adam's grandparents who were in town from Houston. Emi and Kylee always have such a fun time playing together. Kylee drove Emi around in her truck and they also had a ton of fun playing with the hose outside. Emi LOVES water and kept sticking her head under the water even though it was freezing cold water. We love our trips to Wyoming!

going for a ride

this is how it started...

...drenched!

shadesofjade designs giveaway

2010-09-19T19:40:00.002-06:00

Announcing a shadesofjade designs giveaway! Starting Monday September 20 and ending Wednesday September 22. Go to the shadesofjade designs facebook page tomorrow for details on how to enter and what the prize is! Good luck!!

memorial day

2010-06-11T13:13:00.015-06:00

We went to Wyoming for Memorial Day, as has become tradition. It's always fun to have an extra day to stay and play. Kevin and Jackie came as well but for some reason I don't have any pictures with them! I took most of the pictures on Sunday night and Monday after they had already gone home. We had fun though and the girls had a blast playing together. Five little girls ages 4 and under...it was crazy!

Emi had a blast playing in the entertainment center

She also loved giving rides in the baby stroller to anyone who would take one

I think these two will be best friends in another year or two (they love each other now but the age difference is still pretty pronounced)

Kylee modeling the outfit I got her on my trip

Sunday night we went on the mountain and did fireworks. Look at the look on these two's faces...looking over their stash and deciding what to light first!

this one totally backfired and scared me to death!

me and Adam

Derek and Michelle

me and Mish watching the boys shoot fireworks at each other (seriously)

Aunt Michelle and the girls enjoying the sun on Monday before we left to come home

girls trip to virginia

2010-06-09T21:13:00.023-06:00

At the end of May, my mom, my sisters and I went on a girls trip for my mom's birthday to Virginia. My aunt and cousins live there so we thought it would be fun to go there, do some shopping and let the kids play together. It was a little bit of an ordeal getting there, but overall the girls did really well. Sophie had a harder time on the way there and then Emi struggled on the way home. They were both so good on the trip though and we had a blast. We mostly shopped and ate and it was so great!

Our first day there the kids swam in the back yard. They loved it.

Sophie did not love it at first...

...but she was happy out of the pool!

Emi and Reese loved playing in this little pool together

popsicles after swimming--it was so humid there

A couple days later we went to this outdoor mall that had a fountain. Emi loved running around but was pretty scared of the water spraying.

Jackson and Kate tried to convince her to go in...it didn't work very well

And then I made her mad by putting her hat on!

Cute little Reese enjoying the sun

cupcake...one of Emi's new words

Me and Beth...cousins and college roommates

Our girls are 10 days apart

One night Ashley, Alicia and I went to Old Town Alexandria for dinner and what else? Shopping!

One day we went to Eastern Market (flea market) and then took a scenic drive through DC on the way back. This is the National Cathedral. Beautiful.

We passed like all of the different embassies. It was neat to see all the building styles for all the different countries. I also loved a lot of the cool homes there in the city.

This is Maryland on our last day on the way to the airport.

10 things

2010-06-03T21:49:00.010-06:00

This used to be my blog. And I used to write random thoughts or things about me. I still do sometimes but not very often. It has become mostly about Emi, which is fine with me. She's more interesting than I am anyway! But I thought it would be fun to write 10 things you may or may not know about me.

I hate scented deodorant. I can't stand smelling it throughout the day. For some reason it just really grosses me out, it doesn't matter what scent it is. I HAVE to have unscented deodorant.
I am for the most part super clean and organized at work and the opposite at home. I mean, my house is not usually DIRTY, but it is usually cluttered. I hate it. Every time we clean the house I say to Adam, "I love this. Let's keep it like this FOR REALS this time!" But I never do. It always gets away from me. At work though, I keep things pretty clean and organized. I think it's because of my fear of something getting lost at the bottom of a pile, only to uncover it months later to find it was something URGENT that never got done.
I fell in love in Paris...but just with the city itself. That semester was one of the most pivotal times in my life. I was unsure and scared beyond belief at the beginning and then as I made amazing friends and fell in love with the city and culture and began to really figure out who I was and I what I could decide to do in my own life...things changed for me. I don't think I fully appreciated it all until it was over and I was suddenly home. But I will always look back on that time in my life as one of the very best for so many reasons. Thanks again to L5 for being a huge part of that! I love you girls!!!!
I wish I could sing. Like open my mouth and belt out something beautiful like Lea Michele. I have ALWAYS wished that. I remember when I was little and I would sometimes think about what I would wish for if I were ever granted 3 wishes. I'm pretty sure 2 of the wishes would change every time but one of them would always be that I would wish I could sing beautifully. I have always loved music for as long as I can remember and I just wish I could sound great while singing along to my favorite songs!
I used to always say I was going to date someone for at least a year before getting engaged. No matter what. Lots of people would tell me that I would change my mind once I met that person. I would get so mad...like, don't tell me what I will or won't do! If it's important to me then I will do it, and if the person really loves me then they won't mind! It must have been because I dated lots of jerks and I just didn't trust guys or believe that I could REALLY genuinely know someone well enough to marry them in a short amount of time. I also just thought it could be really good for the start of a marriage if we had known and dated each other for a while so that there would be fewer surprises and less to get used to. That was all before I met Adam. And I did have to eat my words. But before Adam I had never gone out with anyone who was so real right from the start. The pattern had always been meet, go out, have fun, date for a few months, find out what they're really like, say goodbye! But with Adam things were so refreshingly different. And I found I didn't need that extra time. I knew who he was right away. There were no games. In a matter of a few weeks I knew I loved him and in a matter of a few months I was ready to commit to marry him. So I was wrong about that but in a good way!
I want to start my own business someday. Well I have kind of started one, but it has sort of been on hold since having Emi since I am still working full time at my regular job. There hasn't been a lot of time for businesses on the side. But someday I will do it. I'm not sure what it will be yet but I am determined that it will happen.
I have the best in-laws EVER! I seriously used to be scared that I would end up marrying into a family that I just didn't fit into (probably because I dated several guys in a row whose mothers really disliked me...I know, right? I so did not think I was THAT girl). But my in-laws are so awesome. It took like no time at all for me to feel just like a part of the family and that I belonged with them. I love how they were so accepting and welcoming of me and all of my girly-ness and lack of brother experience. Marc and Doug were so kind as to quickly initiate me into the world of having brothers though (no additional details needed). They are all so great and I love having more parents, another sister and brothers I never had but always wanted!
I drank alcohol on my 21st birthday. But it was an accident...sort of. We were in Paris at my host family's house. They told me to invite some friends over for a birthday dinner. I invited L5 and I think Mark (the only guy in our group) was there too? My host parents had previously asked me what I wanted to drink for my special dinner. They had hosted several BYU students before and we had already been staying with them for 2 months so they knew that we didn't drink alcohol. They would usually have red wine every night with dinner and Rach and I would have water. So when they asked me what I wanted for the party and then suggested Coke and apple cider, I figured that would be good. And I LOVE apple cider, so naturally I thought it would be even better in France...what wouldn't right? So there we were at dinner and I filled my little glass up with French apple cider. But Kristyn took a drink before I did and noticed that something was WRONG with the apple cider. She said, "ummm..." but I don't think I quite picked up on it. I took a sip of mine and immediately realized what she meant. It tasted...off. Weird. I had never tasted alcohol before but it wasn't that hard to figure out that this apple cider was not the Martinelli's I drank every year on Thanksgiving at my grandma's. But I didn't know what to do. They had asked me if I wanted apple cider like a week before and I had said yes. They had bought this especially for my birthday celebration. I weighed the options in my head. I don't drink alcohol and I feel strongly about that. But I also am very much a people-pleaser by nature and take great care not to offend others or create awkward situations. My host mother only spoke French and I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to explain that even though there was only a small percentage of alcohol in the cider, that I didn't feel like I should drink it. So what did I do? I closed my eyes, chugged the cider and then filled my glass with Coke. I know it was wrong and I didn't enjoy it. It was really disgusting. And I did feel a little buzzed afterward. It was weird. I'm pretty sure I repented...I hope I did! But it sure made for an interesting 21st birthday story!
I never used to be shy. I really don't think I was shy at all in elementary or really even in junior high. I have tried for a long time to figure out when it started. Maybe sometime in high school? I'm not sure. I think it went along with when I started to lose some self-confidence. Lots of times I just think people would not care to meet me or be friends with me (sad, I know) so I just don't make efforts to get to know people. Fear of rejection I guess. I am afraid that lots of time it makes me look like a brat, but I'm really not! So, because of this I don't feel like I have lots of friends. I have probably missed out on a lot of good friendships because of this. So it's definitely something I need to work on. But what I really meant to write for this one is that I do feel like I have been blessed in my life with quite a few REALLY GOOD friends. And when I somehow get to that point with people, then the shyness goes away and I can really be me. And I really appreciate the people that I can be me with. When I am able to open up and be me and really connect with people then I feel like we are friends forever. I am a fiercely loyal person and try to keep my friends close, even though most of them live far away. And I think (I REALLY hope) that all of my friends know how much I really love them, because they mean a lot to me.
I have always wanted to be a mom. I haven't always known the exact number of kids I wanted to have or what I wanted to name them all, but I have ALWAYS wanted to have kids and have a family of my own. It's hard to imagine what it's going to be like to have a family when you're single and dating people that you can't really imagine yourself having a future with. But when you find that person that is your whole world and marry them for time and all eternity it starts to take shape. And then when you have your first child and you can't even remember what yesterday was like before she was part of your life...it's so crazy and amazing. And tonight while we had family prayer before putting Emi to bed I thought about how awesome it's going to be in a few more years when our family is complete and we just get to continue to get to know each other and grow together as a family. I really can't wait.

Well this got longer than I meant for it to, but I had fun writing it. Thanks for reading it if you made it to the end!

By the way...are people fans of Jason Reeves? I just found his music and listened to it as I was writing this. It is so calming and beautiful. I really like him.

paris girls

2010-05-29T20:03:00.005-06:00

A couple weeks ago I got to have lunch with two of my friends, Summer and Kristyn from my semester in Paris. We celebrated Kristyn's birthday and it was fun to get to catch up. We don't have a chance to get together very often so we had to get a picture together.

me and Emi, Summer, Kristyn and Liam

race for the cure

2010-05-29T19:47:00.005-06:00

Penny, Michelle, Kylee, Aunt Jenni and I raced (walked) for the cure a few weeks ago. Emi was going to come, but she came down with croup and had to stay home and rest. We missed her but we had a lot of fun anyway.

getting ready to start

Aunt Jenni, Penny, me, Michelle

finish line!

water babies

2010-05-29T19:13:00.003-06:00

A couple of weeks ago Adam's mom and sister came in town for Race for the Cure. We went swimming at their hotel and the girls had a blast. Emi has always loved swimming, but I think this was her favorite time yet. The water was really warm and she loved splashing around with Daddy and Kylee. It was indoors and the lighting was kind of weird but we got some cute pictures of the girls.

happy mother's day to me...

2010-05-09T20:02:00.004-06:00

...because I'm happy to be a mother. It truly is such a great blessing. Emi has been sick this week and last night I went up to her room to check on her after she fell asleep. Her sweet little face was right by the crib bars facing out and I just sat down and stared at her for awhile and marveled about how much she has changed my life and how very much I love her.

I thought I knew what it would be like to be a mother. I mean, I thought I had realistic expectations--especially going into it at a little bit older age. But there is really no way to anticipate the great opening of your heart that happens when your eyes fall upon your first born baby. With Emi and me it was love at first sight...for me anyway. But there are also so many challenges that come with motherhood that I also couldn't anticipate until I experienced them for myself with my own child. Emi was not an easy baby for the first 5 months of her life. I know some babies are much harder, but she was definitely not easy. Some days (mostly nights) I was more patient than others, I'll be honest, but soothing her, calming her and loving her were so natural. Even though it was tiring and frustrating at times, just knowing that she depended on me for everything kept me going in the middle of the night.

I can already look back over the short time I've been a mother and see mistakes I've made. Nothing monumental really, but things I wish I had done differently, moments I wish I had cherished a little more, chances I wish I would have taken to play with her for a few more minutes...stuff like that. I feel bad for Emi sometimes that she has to be the oldest because I'm sure I'll make the most mistakes with her, but I think she was blessed with a strong spirit to be able to still be okay. I really think she was born first in our family for a reason. She is such a loving little person and just exudes love to everyone around her. I am sure that Heavenly Father knew exactly which little spirit would need to come first to open my heart and prepare me for the rest of the ones that will join our family.

So as I sat and watched my baby sleep, I thanked Him for blessing me with this incredible little girl I love so much, and for trusting me with the divine calling of being a mother. I know what an important responsibility it is and I prayed for strength to live up to the potential I know He has blessed me with. Luckily, He has also blessed me with incredible mothers all around me-- my own mother, my mother-in-law, my sister, my sister-in-law, my stepsisters, my grandmother and so many aunts, cousins and friends-- to set an example for me and to support me in my own journey. Thank you to all of you...I look up to each and every one of you and hope that you have a wonderful Mother's Day.

little miss

2010-05-02T21:40:00.004-06:00

Little miss Emi is so funny lately. She loves wearing funny things. I have been putting things on her just for fun and then she struts around with them on and gets mad when I take them off.

Here she is in a tutu and tiara

this is a bib on her head--she thought it was so funny

I put this monkey in her shirt and she walked all around the house with it in there

Grandma gave her this flower headband and she loves to wear it and put it on me

sunglasses are another one of her favorites

and here is a funny video of her with a bucket on her head...she loved wearing the bucket and the bib

emi goes to the park

2010-05-02T11:24:00.005-06:00

We took Emi to the park last weekend when the weather was nice. She had a blast running around all over the place. She loved seeing the ducks and chasing the seagulls around. We just loved being in the sun and under the blue sky.

She loves bubbles but hasn't quite figured out how they work

another thing she loves...Daddy!

little goofball-- she just loves things that are Mommy's or Daddy's

emi's easters

2010-04-15T21:40:00.024-06:00

We have been celebrating Easter for the last few weekends. A few weekends ago we went to Wyoming and had Easter there with Adam's family. The next weekend we had Easter with my family and then the next weekend we had another Easter egg hunt with the Barker family. Emi is getting really good at finding and picking up eggs and it's so cute to watch.

Here's cute Kylee sitting in her Easter basket

Kylee took Emi for a ride in her Harley--they had a blast! Kylee is a pretty good driver!

Emi put on Uncle Doug's shoes--she loves putting on people's shoes

Grandma Hammond got Emi and Kylee matching pajamas for Easter

Daddy helped Emi find her Easter basket--she loved it

the three of us before church

Emi and Kylee in their Easter dresses

Emi looking for her Easter eggs at my mom's house. It was so cute how she carried her basket around and picked up the eggs!

Emi and her cousin Lincoln

Emi and her cousin Sophie

This was Easter morning at our house. Emi came out to see the footprints and carrots left by the Easter Bunny.

finding her Easter basket again

another Eater egg hunt at great grandma and grandpa Barker's

having fun with Aunt Ro

Grandma Hammond came to town and helped Emi find some more treats

Emi and her cousins Bryce and Lincoln

emi goes to texas

2010-03-22T20:37:00.023-06:00

Adam's grandma turned 75 on March 6th so we went to Texas for a big family party. It was so fun to all be together and to celebrate Grandma's birthday. Of course we made time to eat at our favorite places (numerous times) and do a little sight-seeing as well.

The first day we met up with one of Adam's friends from high school, Joe, for lunch.

After that we headed to Galveston. Adam has been wanting to take me there since the first time I went to Texas with him before we got married. We have never had time on any of our trips, but this time we were able to make it. It was not at all how Adam remembered it or how I pictured it. It was fun to go, but I just didn't realized that Hurricane Katrina hit so hard there as well. A great deal of the island has still not been built back up.

Adam and Emi at a cool souvenir shop in Galveston

me and Emi

this was underneath the souvenir shop- just thought it looked cool

we were trying to get some cute pictures of Emi standing in the sand but she didn't like it

some of the houses looked like the hurricane just happened

and then on the same street were ones like this- absolutely beautiful- I thought it was interesting

this was just another house I thought looked cute

we had lots of fun driving around exploring

and I LOVED seeing this out my window!

when we didn't find much to do in Galveston we headed to Kemah

they have rides and shops

just a cool lighthouse there

I love boats

a goofy picture of Emi with Popeye

she LOVES to sit on Daddy's shoulders

The second day we spent with family over at Grandma and Grandpa's. We had a lot of fun visiting and hanging out. Kylee and Emi loved playing together, as always.

Kylee and Emi on the swingset

Emi with Grandpa and Grandma

me and Emi

I thought I had taken a lot more pictures but I guess we were having too much fun!

first birthday party

2010-03-21T21:18:00.012-06:00

We threw a party for Emi's first birthday the day after she turned one. We had some friends and some family come for her special day. Emi was so cute and so happy that day- I think she knew everyone came to celebrate her. We had a cupcake theme and Emi's aunt Alicia made her an adorable giant cupcake. We also had little cupcakes for everyone else and a cupcake pinata. I was pretty sure Emi wouldn't have a problem getting messy or eating her cake and I was right. Once she realized what it was and that we were letting her dig into it she never looked back! It was so cute! I think Adam has been looking forward to her turning one since she was born so he could watch her eat cake and get it all over her face and she didn't let him down! He was very proud! Emi loved having everyone watch her open presents. She was hamming it up like crazy, laughing and clapping. She has such a cute and funny personality. Here are all the pictures from her special day.

Emi's giant cupcake

decorations and food

eating her cake

happy birthday girl

Emi and Grandpa

Emi and Sophie

happy birthday baby

2010-02-26T09:56:00.004-07:00

My sweet little Emi is one year old today. I can't believe it was a year ago she came into our lives. It was a long year and a hard year, but it was the best year of my life. It has been so wonderful getting to know her sweet little spirit and falling in love with her each and every day.

I am a very sentimental person and yesterday afternoon I was thinking about how my water broke and then later that night how I was in labor and just reliving the whole thing in my mind. When I took Emi to her room to put her to bed I just held her and started to cry as I thought about how much she has grown up already. I felt like I was putting my "baby" to bed for the last time and just realized that she really is turning into a little girl. I think she must have sensed that I just wasn't ready to let her go because she just laid her head on my shoulder and snuggled me. She is not a snugly baby at all and never lays down like that, but she did it last night and it meant so much to me. I rocked her in her room for a few minutes and let out my tears over my baby growing up and then put her to bed.

Emi has taught me so much in the last year and I am so grateful to have been blessed to have her in our family. She brings so much joy, laughter and light into our lives, it's hard to remember what it was like before she was around. I hope she knows how much I love her and I hope she feels special today!

This is a collage I made of her first year starting with her newborn picture and then a picture of her each month with her 1 year in the middle.
I can't believe how much she has grown! She is still so petite though. Her stats at 1 year are:
height: 27 inches...5 percentile
weight: 16 pounds 5 ounces...1 percentile
head: 43.9 centimeters...20 percentile

I love you Emi...happy birthday baby!

1 year photo shoot

2010-02-22T21:06:00.010-07:00

Adam played my lovely assistant on Saturday so I could do Emi's 1 year photo shoot. I forgot how hard 1 year olds can be to shoot. All she wanted to do was crawl everywhere and for the most part she wanted nothing to do with her hat or the picture frame I brought. I thought it was going to be a disaster but we ended up getting some pretty great shots. I can't get over how cute she is and the fact that she's turning 1 on Friday. Where has the time gone? She is turning into such a big girl but I love it. She is the most fun ever right now and she makes me happy every day!

cute little trouble maker

2010-02-19T16:10:00.003-07:00

This little monkey is into everything these days. The picture above is her favorite thing to do whenever we're up in my room. She races for the closet and pulls all of my shoes off the shelf. I guess she loves shoes already...what can I say?

This next one was just today. I was on the couch on my computer and she was on the other side of the coffee table "playing." I was thinking how great she was playing and entertaining herself. When I stood up, this is what I saw. I just had to laugh, she was so proud of herself and the little pile she had made. She gave me a big huge grin.

caught in the act

sunny st. george

2010-02-15T19:51:00.028-07:00

We had a fantastic President's Day weekend in sunny St. George. I don't think I saw a single cloud while we were there--the weather was perfect. We had a blast visiting with my cousins, swimming, hiking around the red rocks, shopping and eating. It always goes by way too fast and we are already looking forward to next year. Here are some pictures of our fun.

Emi sporting her funky orange sunglasses

The guys thought it would be fun to buy remote control cars and drive them off the cliffs. The kids loved it too. Here is Adam with his car.

To finally kill the cars when they were done they climbed all the way to the top and drove them off

cute Mia and her mom, my cousin Kristi

me and Emi at dinner at the Mongolian grill--she pigged out on rice--the girl loves to eat--and yes, we were those parents who took their kid out to dinner in her pajamas

we took her swimming and I was anxious to see if she would like it or not--she loved it last time but that was 6 months ago--but I was happy to see that she still loved it--and she looked so stinking cute in her swimming suit

even little Sophie took a quick dip--she wasn't sure about it at first but seemed to like it after a few minutes

little Soph flashing a peace sign

who knew you could look so cute drying off?!

the little chick on Valentine's Day

and here is me on Valentine's Day--I was so excited to get these beautiful flowers from my Valentine!

we went to the park and it drove her nuts she got bark stuck to her hands

getting ready to go down the slide with Daddy

sliding with Mommy

first time on the swings--she wasn't sure about it

2010-02-08T22:12:00.003-07:00

Just some new cute pictures of the little chick. She is getting so big. I can't believe she is almost a year old!

welcome

2010-02-08T20:40:00.005-07:00

Welcome to the family little one. I love you already!Thanks to a wonderful tax return I am now the proud owner of a new macbook pro. Now I can stop whining and complaining every time I want to do something on the computer. This little thing really is glorious!

sweet disposition

2010-02-03T14:26:00.003-07:00

Loving this right now. I desperately needed some new music and just got this album. This song was also on the [500] Days of Summer soundtrack. I love it. Enjoy.

feeling the sun

2010-01-13T15:14:00.003-07:00

Today I walked outside and I felt the sun...actually felt it! And I saw blue sky too. It was amazing. Then Emi and I got in the car and heard some great old 90s songs like Hey Jealousy by the Gin Blossoms and Zombie by The Cranberries. Emi loves music and it makes me so happy. She does these noises that sound like she's trying to sing when we're in the car. She has the cutest personality and has been so funny lately. We went to lunch for my dad's birthday today and she would do this fake laugh whenever we would all be laughing at something. She just wanted to join in. And then we would all laugh at her and you could just tell she knew she was being cute. I think we are due for another photo shoot pretty soon but now that she is so mobile it's hard to get her to sit still for a picture. She will be 1 in 6 weeks...I can't believe it. Anyway, we are having a good day and are happy to see the sun.

more of little miss sophie

2010-01-12T21:34:00.002-07:00

I took some pictures of little Sophie today. She was such an angel. Other than how long it took us to get her to sleep! I can't believe how small she still is. These pictures just don't really show how tiny she is but she is wearing a 0-3 month size hat and there is a huge chunk clipped in the back to make it look like it fits!! She is so sweet.

my new niece

2010-01-06T08:47:00.006-07:00

My little sister Alicia had her first baby yesterday. She was 2 weeks early and super tiny! Her name is Sophia Nicole Kitchen and she was 5 pounds 1 ounce and 18 inches. I just love her! I only got to see her for a few minutes but she is so perfect and sweet! I can't wait to see her and hold her again!

mommy and little Sophia

look at that little face

the proud aunt

Alicia did such a great job and she is already a great mom. I'm so happy for Alicia and JD. What a cute little family they have!

emi's first christmas

2010-01-04T21:14:00.017-07:00

We had such a fun Christmas with Emi. It is so much more fun with a little one around! We stuck around here for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning and then went to Wyoming to visit Adam's family.

our little family on Christmas Eve

Emi with her cousins Lincoln and Bryce--bonding over milk

Lincoln loving on Emi

me and Emi Christmas morning

Adam with his Christmas surprise

Emi under Grandma Hammond's Christmas tree

Dougie in a Snuggie!

Emi helping Uncle Doug play Wii

Emi and Daddy

Emi and cousin Kylee

big smiles but squinting from the flash

Emi on her new toy from cousin Kylee

cute Sunday outfit

eating a candy cane

paris girls party

2010-01-04T20:54:00.007-07:00

Some of my best friends from my semester in Paris were in town for the holidays and we got together for dinner at Summer's house. It was so much fun to see everyone, let our kids hang out together, and just reminisce about our time in France. We missed Elisa, who was at home in Seattle having knee surgery. I can't wait until we can get together again.

Summer, me, Rachel and Kristyn

all of us with our kids: Kristyn & Liam, Summer & Taylor, Me & Emi, Rachel & Reese & Paisley

Emi loved playing with the girls

cute little Liam (Emi's future husband)-- I was so excited to meet him!

what happens in vegas

2009-12-18T22:19:00.008-07:00

Well, we had a great time and we all survived. I was not worried about Emi surviving, but was a little worried about me. We did have a blast though and had forgotten what it was like to just be together without having to worry about naps, feedings, diapers and the like.

We stayed at Caesar's Palace and it was fun to stay right on the strip. I hadn't done that since I was a kid and Adam never had. Since we flew and didn't have a car we pretty much just bummed around on the strip the whole time. We took in all the free shows, rode the New York New York roller coaster and did and lot of shopping and even more eating. It rocked. We got free tickets to PURE, the nightclub at Caesar's Palace all the celebrities go to. Even though I hate nightclubs, I thought it would be fun to check it out if it was free. I mostly was dying to see what it looks like inside. They have a dress code though...no sneakers...and Mr. Skate Shoes didn't bring anything else so we didn't go. Maybe next time.

We had a fun-filled weekend and were more than ready to see our little chick when we got home!

outside Serendipity 3 at Caesar's Palace

Serendipity 3--yummy food!

gigantic Christmas tree at the Bellagio

of course I had to get a picture with the Eiffel Tower in the background

I love photo booths and I always have to go in whenever I see them

three

2009-12-09T08:52:00.009-07:00

THEN...

He got me
I thought he would be a good dad
We were madly in love

NOW...

He knows me better than I do a lot of times
I watch how amazing he is with my baby girl every day
We love each other with a strength and passion that comes from struggling together and coming out on top stronger and better people because we did it together

Today is our 3 year anniversary. I am so thankful to have Adam by my side. This last year has brought a lot of joy but has also been rough for both of us. Adam has been so wonderful and so supportive of me every single day. I only hope I have done half as much for him as he has done for me. I hope he knows how much I appreciate it and how very much I love him. We are celebrating our anniversary in Las Vegas this weekend minus the little chick. We are nervous but super excited!

cutest girls

2009-12-03T22:27:00.009-07:00

Aren't these just the cutest girls you've ever seen? I had fun shooting pictures of them last week. Poor Kylee...it was FREEZING the day we did hers. I shot her pictures in seriously 2 minutes. I did Emi's the next day and it was a lot warmer so we had a little more time to play around.

Oh, and an update on this little chick...she had her 9 month appointment on Tuesday and here are her stats:
*length...26 inches...7 percentile*
*weight...14 pounds 14.5 ounces...2 percentile*
*head...43.2 centimeters...26 percentile*

Still a little peanut but her head is growing (and even her hair a little bit too)! She is learning so much every day. She can stand by herself without holding on to anything for about 30 seconds and even starts to try and take steps. She is a ways away from walking though. She is getting better at crawling, but it is still more of a scoot/army crawl. She LOVES to eat, even though you can't tell by looking at her. She loves all food (except peas) and wants to eat anything anyone else has. She smiles at everyone and is lots of fun!

happy thanksgiving baby

2009-11-26T18:43:00.007-07:00

Dear Emi,

Today is your first Thanksgiving. I can think of so many things in my life to be thankful for, but this year and today you are number one. You are 9 months old today and cuter than ever. The 9 months I waited to meet you seemed like forever, and the 9 months I've known you have passed at full speed. You are my angel baby and I am so thankful to have you in my life. Even more, I am so thankful to be your mother. I don't know what I ever did to deserve the opportunity to take care of you, raise you, and teach you in this life, but it is an amazing blessing. You have taught me so much in 9 months about love, patience, selflessness and just about myself. You have helped me to realize that I can do hard things even when I don't have a clue what I'm doing. You have helped me realize that you truly come to love those you serve with a fierceness that can't be easily matched. You have opened my heart and showed me a different kind of love I never knew existed. Thank you for being patient with me as I fumble and learn my way around this new job of mine. I hope you know that I will do anything for you and I hope as you get bigger you will understand even a tiny bit how much I love you. Thank you for being my sweet baby girl. I love you so much!

Love,

Mom

baby doll

2009-11-16T21:01:00.004-07:00

I love having a little doll to dress up and take pictures of. I took these this afternoon and I was going to save them and call them her 9 month pictures on the 26th but I'm going to Wyoming for a week on Thursday so I'm sure I'll end up taking more. Plus, I just couldn't wait to post these. I think she looks so cute. I love my Emi.

family pictures for heather

2009-11-13T15:27:00.006-07:00

About a month ago I took some family pictures for my good friend Heather. She had been wanting to get some pictures taken and she has bailed me out a lot of times and watched Emi on days I have to go to work. So we swapped some babysitting for a photo session. I haven't done any family pictures since this time last year, so it was fun for me. I took them to this cool bridge I found up Ogden Canyon. They looked great and their little guy is such a cutie. I think their pictures turned out pretty well. Heather loved them, and I guess that's what counts!

confessions of a 90s ballad belter-outer

2009-11-11T22:29:00.004-07:00

Sometimes Emi and I stay late over at my mom's while Adam's at school. We get tired of sitting at home all day and need some interaction with other people. When we drive home in the dark, lots of times I turn the radio to either love songs after dark or Delilah. I know, I know...cheese, cheese, cheese. And I belt the songs out like its karaoke night...and I love it. The songs are so much better at night too. But really, there is something comforting about singing those songs at the top of my lungs. It takes me back to when I was in junior high and me and my mom and sisters used to decide not to clean the house on a Saturday but to go shopping in Salt Lake all day instead. And then on the way home at 9:00 we would decide we didn't want to go home yet. So we'd go to 7-11 and get Sprites and Cheetos and drive around some more past cute boys houses or just houses we thought were cool until finally we would be tired and go home. We had so much fun just us girls. And we would all belt out all the songs the whole time. I love those days. So yes, I am a huge nerd a few nights a week, but hey, Emi is usually asleep by then and no one really has to hear me!

emi's first halloween

2009-11-07T10:22:00.005-07:00

We had fun dressing up our little chick as a kangaroo for Halloween. She was getting over a cold on the actual day though, so she ended up wearing the costume for about 15 minutes. She looked cute while she had it on though!

fun with kylee

2009-10-29T21:58:00.006-06:00

We went to Wyoming this last weekend and Emi had so much fun with Kylee. It is so fun to have them spend time together and become friends. I'm so glad Emi has a cousin so close in age so they will always have each other to play with when we get together.

Friday night they took a bath together and had a blast

Saturday they played together

that night they put on their Halloween costumes for Grandma

Sunday before we left we took picture of them in their Halloween outfits

8 of the best months ever

2009-10-26T13:53:00.011-06:00

My tiny little 5 pound baby is 8 months old today and 10 pounds heavier. That right...she's tipping the scales at 15 pounds (only 2 pounds heavier than her 2 month old cousin)! She's still a little shrimp but what she lacks in height and weight (and let's be honest...hair) she makes up for in personality. She is such a fun and funny little girl and we just love getting to know her. She makes us laugh every day. She now has 2 bottom teeth, sits up great, pulls herself up on some things, and is learning to balance standing up. She is just now getting interested in moving to her hands and knees from a sitting position and will probably be crawling before we know it. She loves music, bath time, sucking on everything and watching her daddy skateboard. She really is a sweetheart and having her around has been the best 8 months of our lives. Here are some pictures of our little Emi from this month.

little china girl

2009-10-26T13:39:00.004-06:00

My friend Kristyn got this dress for Emi when she was living in China last year. I didn't even know yet if I was having a girl or not but I asked her to get me a couple of them because they are so adorable. I just hoped I'd have a girl at some point that could wear them. This is the smaller of the two and it just now fits Emi. I think she looks so precious in it and I've been putting her in it every Sunday for the past few weeks because I want her to wear it as much as she can before it's too small. I'm glad I have another one that's bigger so it will fit her when she's walking around! Thanks again Kristyn...I love it!

click on this picture and you can see her cute little teeth!

love

2009-10-09T16:03:00.004-06:00

I love this show. Like, seriously LOVE it. Love the humor, love the characters, love the breaking out in song, love the cheesiness. And I'm not going to lie, I got chills when they did Don't Stop Believing. If you haven't experienced this show yet, you have to give it a chance. Go here and watch the pilot...you'll be hooked.

wiggle room

2009-10-09T15:27:00.004-06:00

just a picture I took up Ogden canyon last week--I love this bridge

Lately I've been working on exercising restraint. Or maybe it's just trying to be more aware...or maybe a little of both. Either way I've been trying to be more mindful of what I eat, what I spend, and what I do with my time. At first, like any diet, any budget, or any other restriction, I'll be honest it sucked. It made me want to eat things just because I couldn't. It made me want to buy things even more because I knew I shouldn't. And I hate feeling like I can't do the things I want to do. But after the first week it got easier and then this last week I spent some time reflecting on how I felt. It was interesting because I thought about all of the things I would have eaten without even thinking about it, just because I felt like it or just because they were there. I thought about the money I would have casually spent here and there on little things that would have added up quickly. And it really felt good to know that with some discipline, self control and awareness, I spared myself some extra calories and saved a little money. It also feels like a little more room in my jeans and a little more money in my wallet. And I like that.

train wreck

2009-10-03T09:15:00.004-06:00

Um...what? Is this movie for real? And more importantly, am I actually TIRED this morning from staying up watching it? Seriously Jennifer Garner....I am totally disappointed. And as one of your long time fans I have to ask...where did things go wrong? How do you go from Alias to Broadway to THIS? It's not like I was expecting it to be a fabulous movie, but it was a total bomb. I mean really...a flying bed? Wasn't that done in Bedknobs and Broomsticks like 30-something years ago? I hope I never have the misfortune of watching it again and you'd better bet I will be returning it before 9:00 so as not to pay more than $1 for this train wreck of a movie. Yikes.

great aunts

2009-09-30T22:49:00.003-06:00

Adam's aunt Deana came to town last week and we met up with his other aunt Jenni and uncle Brian at Outback for dinner. Deana had never met Emi before and Jenni and Brian hadn't seen Emi since her blessing in May. She mostly slept all the time back then so it was fun for them to see her sitting up and smiling.

Emi with Aunt Deana

Emi with Aunt Jenni

wonder who she gets that big mouth from...?

will work for clothes

2009-09-24T17:37:00.003-06:00

I am desperate for some new clothes...well okay I really really want some. Shirts mostly. But I am on a budget these days...yuck. So I have been checking out some craft blogs that have tutorials for clothing refashioning and as soon as I find time, this is my next project.

Cute huh?! If it turns out well then I'll post pictures!

2009-09-05T19:31:00.002-06:00

New pictures of my little chick...she is such a good little poser for me. Doesn't she look so big these days? I can't believe she's standing up in some of these.

2009-08-29T12:15:00.048-06:00

We took a much needed vacation last week to Seattle and had such a fun time. It was so fun to see Elisa and Doug and their girls. Adam also got to see his old roommate Ryan. We took tons of pictures but forgot to take one of me and Elisa and one of Adam and Ryan. We also got to visit my Aunt Janine and Uncle Fred as a last-minute side trip the first day. We ended up driving to Trout Lake, Washington because I have always wanted to take Adam there. I knew he would love it and he did. My aunt and uncle live in a really small town and have a beautiful house in the woods right by a rushing river. My aunt was a wonderful hostess as always and put us up in their Bed and Breakfast room. We slept with the windows open and woke up early in the morning to the sun coming up and the sound of the river. It was so wonderful and relaxing. I think at that point Adam could have stayed there for the rest of the vacation. He was in heaven. Aunt Janine had fun with Emi and Emi snuggled right up to her and fell asleep with her in the hammock. We spent the morning there enjoying Aunt Janine's homemade huckleberry pancakes and relaxing on the back deck.

Emi with Aunt Janine

Tell me this doesn't look relaxing

Look at the sweet view from their back porch

Then we left and headed toward Portland for the day. On the way to Portland we stopped at Multnomah Falls. I have seen it many times from the freeway and have always wanted to stop and take pictures so we did. It is so beautiful and amazing up close.

After that we headed to downtown Portland and shopped on 23rd Avenue, one of my favorite places to go when I'm there. We walked around and had lunch and then decided to head back to Seattle. We got back in time to visit with Elisa and Doug for a little while before bed.

Friday morning we headed out with Elisa and her girls to meet up with Adam's old roommate Ryan at Snoqualmie Falls, another beautiful waterfall. We walked around a little and went down to the base of the falls to take pictures.

cute Kayla and Lauren

That afternoon we headed into downtown Seattle for the first time. Elisa took us to Pike Place Market. I loved it. I LOVE stuff like that so I was in heaven. For some reason I just love busy places like that and looking at all the fresh produce and flowers and random things people sell. They sell huge bouquets of fresh flowers for $5. I had to buy some because it seemed like shame not to. I gave them to Elisa since I couldn't take them home anyway but I sure had fun carrying them around. I couldn't get enough of the market. I had a lot of fun snapping pictures and checking everything out.

this is the fish market where they throw the fish

Emi lounging in the stroller with her foot up...she likes to ride like this

when she wasn't in the stroller Daddy packed her around

me with the $5 bouquet of flowers

FIVE DOLLARS PEOPLE...just sayin

We also drove around the city and checked out the Space Needle, although we didn't go inside.

We finished the afternoon by going down to the wharf by the sound. Another thing I love is wharves (had to look that up...wasn't sure what the plural was...still seems weird...oh well). I just love seeing all the boats docked and the cool buildings by the water. We didn't spend a lot of time there but we checked out a few of the shops and walked around a little.

Saturday, our last day, Doug and Elisa took us to Whidbey Island. It was so beautiful and we ended up spending all day there. We went to a little beach first and hung out for awhile. Then we went to dinner at a delicious seafood restaurant. I am not a seafood fan but I tried Adam's fish and chips and actually liked them better than my chicken fingers (yes, I am one of those lame people that orders chicken at a seafood place thank you very much).

look at that amazing blue water

Emi seemed to like squishing the sand between her toes

Doug and Kayla

Elisa and Kayla

Then we headed over to historic Coupeville to go to the shops but they were closed. I just hurried and took a few pictures of the old buildings and then we left.

Then we rode the ferry back to the mainland. I had never been on a ferry before that you drive your car on. I have been on the kind you just walk on and ride around and come back but that's it, so I was fascinated. Adam laughed at what a nerd I was and how in awe I was of how all the cars were fitting on the boat.

the boys with their baby girls, Emi and Lauren on the ferry

We got home pretty late and had to get up super early Sunday morning to catch our flight. The ride home was a little rough with Emi but it turns out she was getting a cold so that's probably why. She was an angel on the way there though, so I can't complain. I guess we'll bring her along again next time! Thanks again Elisa and Doug for putting us up and showing us a good time. We had a blast!

6 months

2009-08-26T15:02:00.006-06:00

The little chick is 6 months old today. I really can't believe it. She has gotten so big and has the most adorable personality. She now sits up, rolls over, eats baby food and babbles and laughs a lot. She also smiles almost all the time. I am loving the stage she is in right now and can't get enough of her or those chubby cheeks.

friday funny

2009-08-14T09:15:00.002-06:00

It has been forever since I posted anything but I just haven't taken a whole lot of pictures lately. We've been super busy working and getting though finals for Adam. We are going on vacation to Seattle next week to visit our friends Elisa and Doug so we will have lots of pictures of that. Until then though, here is a funny picture for Friday. I stole this from my sister Alicia's blog because the picture was taken on her camera. My cousins from Canada have been visiting and they found these glasses over at my mom's. Everyone was trying them on and Emi felt left out so I put them on her.

such a fun weekend

2009-07-21T22:30:00.013-06:00

We had such a fun weekend with our little family. Friday night we went to Lagoon. We got in free just to walk around. We took Emi on the train and then watched one of the shows. It was hot out but she loved it. Saturday we took her swimming and she loved it. It was really really hot and she loved being in the water. That night we went to the Jack's Mannequin and the Fray concert. We mostly wanted to see Jack's Mannequin so we left after that since it was almost Emi's bedtime. She loved being outside at the concert and was such an angel. Sunday we went to a barbeque at Ashley and Chase's house and Emi got to meet my friend Carrie for the first time. Emi smiled and laughed so much this weekend and it was just so fun to hang out with her. We are still so in love with her!

We went in the photo booth at Lagoon

Emi hanging out with Daddy Saturday morning (in the pile of clean clothes)

chilling at the pool

worn out from all the fun

hanging out before the concert

Emi with her aunts

finally meeting Carrie

baby contest

2009-07-15T16:56:00.008-06:00

We entered Emi in our town's baby contest a couple weeks ago. It was fun to go and see all the babies around her age. Adam and I had fun showing off our little cutie.

She wasn't crowned queen, but here's what she won

We can't say we're surprised! It will be fun to show her the award when she gets older!

And they were doing photo shoots of all the babies that entered, so we got this cute picture of her too.

our 4th of July weekend

2009-07-13T22:02:00.017-06:00

We had such a fun holiday weekend! Thursday night we went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner with Ashley and Jeremy. Friday my friend Kristyn came over for breakfast. I made these delicious brie stuffed french toast and Adam made sausage and hash browns. Then we sat around and talked and then went to the mall. Later that afternoon we put Emi in her new swimming pool. The water was warm, so it was more like a bath to her, but it was fun to see her splash around a little in her swimsuit. That night we had a campfire in my mom's backyard and roasted hot dogs, starburst and s'mores. Saturday we went to the Kaysville breakfast and parade and then to my aunt Sally's house for more food! That night we watched fireworks in my mom's front yard because Emi was already in bed. Sunday we celebrated Rod's birthday and had dinner and cake and ice cream. The boys set up a slip-n-slide in the yard since it was too cold the days before. Emi got in her pool again too. Emi grew up a lot this weekend and her personality is showing more every day.

Emi sporting her Mardi Gras beads at the parade

swinging with Aunt Ashley

all ready to hit the pool

chillin in the pool

check out those thunder thighs!

Emi in her bug eye glasses

red mango is the new snowie

2009-07-10T14:19:00.004-06:00

I know I just posted like 2 weeks ago about how much I love snowcones, but I just had my first experience hereSeriously...why have I never had one of these before? I remember my friend Megan talking about it when we were in Vegas last year but we didn't make it there on the trip and then I just never bothered to try it. Something made me think of it today and I tried it for the first time. I think we're going to have a problem because I have a feeling I'm going to want one every day now. I got a "blender" and I picked original yogurt, strawberries, chocolate chips and coconut. It was heaven...better than a snowcone for sure. Yes, I think we're in trouble for sure...

squeals

2009-07-08T13:12:00.005-06:00

Emi has been so happy lately and it has been a blast! She squealed and laughed all weekend. Here is a little bit we caught on camera.

just a cute picture

2009-07-06T23:18:00.001-06:00

Just a cute picture of Emi at the Arts Festival last weekend. Stay tuned for more pictures of Emi from the 4th of July and a cuter than cute video...

4 months

2009-06-30T10:32:00.002-06:00

Baby girl is 4 months old. We went to the doctor yesterday and she is growing like crazy. Here are her latest stats:

length: 23.5 inches (25th percentile)
weight: 11 pounds 10 ounces (10th percentile)
head: 39.5 centimeters (12th percentile)

She has hit most of the expected milestones, but still hasn't rolled over. Poor girl doesn't get many chances to try since her reflux is so bad. She doesn't spend a lot of time laying down other than when she's sleeping. The reflux seems to be getting better though, so hopefully soon she'll be rolling all over. She gets more and more fun every day and is smiling and laughing all the time. We love getting to see her personality come out as she gets bigger.

snowcones=summer

2009-06-26T13:50:00.003-06:00

It is officially summer. Not because of the solstice or the temperature or because Emi has been wearing tank tops and shorts but because I got my first snowcone of the year today. Rejoice! I love snowcones. My favorite--tiger's blood and raspberry. The more syrup they put in the better. I love the taste of drinking straight sugar mixed with the feeling of the cold ice going down my throat. One night last year I made Adam drive around town looking for a snowcone shack and we finally found one. This year it returned and Emi and I stopped by today. She cried the whole time while I was getting it. I think she was jealous!

photo shoot

2009-06-20T19:26:00.007-06:00

I did a little photo shoot of Emi yesterday and it was so fun. I have always loved doing baby shoots but I really haven't done one of Emi since she was 5 days old. I've taken lots of pictures of her here and there but haven't really done what I would consider a shoot. It's hard when it's your own kid for some reason. Anyway, here are my very favorites. I was going to give them to Adam for Father's Day tomorrow but when I went to pick up the prints I just couldn't wait any more so I already showed him. I suck at surprises. But he LOVED them and that's all that matters. Hope you enjoy them too! Which one is your favorite? Just curious. I can't decide.

weekend stuff

2009-06-01T22:52:00.003-06:00

We had a fun weekend. Friday we just hung out and relaxed and enjoyed the nice weather.

Saturday Emi got her ears pierced. She is now blingin and even more adorable.

Sunday we celebrated my mom's birthday and Emi hung out with Lincoln...for a minute!

3 months

2009-05-27T21:51:00.005-06:00

This little angel turned 3 months old yesterday. She is smiling more every day and I think she is getting close to laughing. She is getting so chunky and adorable. Check out her fat little legs below. She started sleeping through the night just in time for me to go back to work which made me really happy! Tell me she doesn't melt your heart!

emi's first hike

2009-05-27T17:34:00.010-06:00

We went to Wyoming for the long weekend and Emi went on her first hike. It was a very mini hike, but we'll still call it one. She loves to be outside and she had a blast (don't let her serious face in the pictures mislead you). We took her up to the waterfall (and don't let the lack of water in the pictures mislead you either--it's a big waterfall for Wyoming). We went up on the mountain while we were there too and she loved the ride-- the bumpier the better! Here are some pictures of our fun.

Hanging out in her Snugli

with Grandma Hammond

With Alicia and JD

smile...

2009-05-19T21:51:00.005-06:00

...or at least the tail end of one. Emi has been smiling so big lately but it is so hard to catch on camera. I was trying to get a good one to hang up in my office since I have to go back to work on Thursday but this is the best I could get so far. Still super cute but doesn't show her face lighting up as much as it usually does. Isn't she getting big though?! We love her chubby cheeks!

free chocolate friday

2009-05-15T10:21:00.003-06:00

I can't eat chocolate anymore...nursing. I found out it gives Emi tummy aches. My life has been much better since she has been feeling better, but anyone who knows me knows how much I LOVE chocolate. So it sucks too. So I thought I would share this with the rest of you who CAN eat chocolate! Mars is giving away 250,000 coupons for free chocolate bars today. Just go to http://www.realchocolate.com/ and sign up! Hurry before they run out!!

twins

2009-05-14T21:00:00.001-06:00

I love these two!

to the best...

2009-05-12T14:59:00.004-06:00

I know Mother's Day was 2 days ago, but I get behind on things with Emi around! I just wanted to say that Adam and I have the best moms in the world. They are so great and have been such a help to me since Emi was born. I have already learned so much from both of them about how to be a good mother. I am grateful for all their tips and tricks, but mostly for their examples. They are both so loving and selfless and I know they would do anything for any of their kids (or grandkids). I can tell how much they both love Emi already and I am so grateful that she has the best grandmas a girl could ask for.

Thank you both for all you have done for me. Thank you Mom for being a wonderful mother and friend and for teaching me all my life the things I would need in order to be a loving mother. And thank you Penny for accepting me into your family as a daughter and for raising the man who became my husband-- the most wonderful guy and more than I could have ever hoped for. I see so much of you in him and I am so grateful for that!

You both are the best and I'm so glad I could spend Mother's Day with both of you!

emi's mother's day present to me

2009-05-11T21:44:00.004-06:00

Emi woke up cooing to herself in her crib yesterday morning. It was so adorable! We just watched her for a few minutes and then we couldn't stand it anymore and had to get her out so we could talk to her and see her better. She smiled and talked a lot. It was the best Mother's Day present!

emi's blessing day

2009-05-04T21:43:00.010-06:00

Emi was blessed yesterday. She was an angel..and she looked like one too. She slept all through sacrament meeting and the party afterward. Didn't even wake up to eat. It was a great day. We had so many family members and friends who came to see Emi and share the day with us. We were so happy to see everyone and want to thank everybody for coming.

our little angel...this was right before church, before she fell asleep

This is how she looked the rest of the day

another one before church

before church with her cousin Kylee

4 generations of Hammonds

with Great-Grandpa Hammond

This is the beautiful dress my mom made for her

2 months

2009-04-29T15:11:00.003-06:00

My little baby turned 2 months old on Sunday. I can't believe she's that old, but it also seems like more than 2 months since she came into our lives. She has been so much fun to have around, but definitely a challenge too. I took her for her 2 month appointment on Monday. She had to get her shots, which she hated, but she was such a good girl. She measured...

length: 21.5 inches (22 percentile)
weight 8 lbs 11 oz (3 percentile)
head 36.5 cm (4 percentile)

She's just a little shrimp but she's getting bigger. This month she moved out of preemie diapers and clothes and into newborn so that's a big step! It's crazy how much you can love someone so little!

second cousins

2009-04-29T12:58:00.003-06:00

My cousin Beth who was my roommate for 2 years at BYU came to town with her family this past weekend. She had a little girl named Reese on February 16, so Reese and Emi are second cousins and 10 days apart. It was so fun to see Beth and for us to introduce our girls to each other. Reese is a tall little girl and it was funny to see my little squirt next to her! We also got to take pictures of Beth and I and our girls with their great-grandma Dorothy who turns 93 tomorrow. What a special opportunity.

These two just snuggled right up to each other! How sweet!

Look what a shrimp Emi is! She is so much shorter than Reese!

Beth and me with our girls

The girls with their moms and great-grandma Dot

mondays...

2009-04-20T12:09:00.003-06:00

...rough for all of us (notice the shirt) even babies!

*note: no babies were harmed in the taking of this picture-- it was merely a diaper change-- she just doesn't like them! That's why we bought her this shirt!

sweet dreams

2009-04-15T12:44:00.009-06:00

I put Emi in this little chair for a few minutes a couple times each day in front of the window so she can look outside. She loves it and just stares out the window and looks around. I like to look at her cute profile while she's sitting there and today I grabbed my camera so I could take a picture of it. When I went back over there she had fallen asleep so I decided to take a couple close up pictures of her face. Right when I took the first picture she started smiling. I guess she was having a good dream! What could she be dreaming about? Milk maybe?!

I just had to add these last two because they are so cute too. I took these after she stopped smiling. She looks so peaceful and I LOVE those lips!

easter weekend

2009-04-13T17:23:00.015-06:00

We went to Wyoming for Easter weekend and had so much fun. It was Emi's first trip to Grandma and Grandpa Hammond's house and I think she had fun too. She got to spend lots of time with Grandma and cousin Kylee. Kylee loved holding Emi and didn't want to give her back...check it out...

We also went up on the mountain on dirtbikes and 4 wheelers. I rode Derek's bike in the street and felt cool until I stalled it 5 times in a row and then it started to tip over!

Adam took Michelle and I on the neighbor's 4 wheeler.
One of the few pictures of Emi and me other than at the hospital...doesn't she look thrilled?!

Emi relaxing in Grandpa's chair

Me and Emi before church

Emi and Daddy

happy easter

2009-04-11T13:46:00.003-06:00

Love, Emi

bath time

2009-04-07T21:28:00.009-06:00

Emi pretty much hates bath time. She is starting to tolerate it a little more, but she usually screams almost the whole time. Here are a few pictures from one bath that had a few screams and a few peaceful moments...

emi meets kristyn

2009-04-07T21:16:00.003-06:00

My good friend Kristyn was in town last week and Emi and I met her at Cafe Rio for lunch. I was so excited for them to meet each other and Emi even woke up for part of the visit! Kristyn brought her some bibs and a super cute little outfit. We can't wait to see her again in June!

emi's announcements

2009-04-06T16:27:00.003-06:00

I took these pictures of Emi when she was 6 days old and my sister Ashley made these announcments for me. I love how they turned out.

one month old and other happenings

2009-03-29T14:01:00.004-06:00

My little baby is already one month old! I can't believe it, but at the same time it feels like we've had her forever. She is such a sweetheart and getting cuter every day.

Random picture, but check out my two mouth-breathers!

We took her to church for the first time today and this is what she wore. It was a little big (especially the tights) but she looked so cute! Too bad it was snowing and she had to wear a jacket and be wrapped in blankets the whole time!

goodbye Megan and Brady

2009-03-29T00:39:00.004-06:00

Our friends that live across the street are moving to Chicago and Adam and I are heartbroken. We have had a lot of fun with them since we moved in and I was really looking forward to Emi having play dates with their baby who arrives in August. It sounds like an awesome opportunity for them though, so we are happy for them too, but wish they could stay and have more Wii parties and camping trips with us. It gives us an excuse to take a trip to Chicago though. I have always wanted to go there. We threw a party for them on Friday night with our other neighbors and it was really fun.

Haley and Katie

Brady

Annalyn and Mike

Chyann and Sam

Macie hanging out with Haley and little Liberty in her belly

2009-03-14T17:57:00.002-06:00

I took these pictures when my mother-in-law was here last week. She helped me and we had quite a time trying to get Emi to hold still for this. Every time we thought she was asleep we'd put her in the basket and she would wake up and get mad. She just loves to be held. We finally got a couple cute ones. I love her feet sticking out. She is so much fun to have around.

Grandma Hammond comes to visit

2009-03-10T11:00:00.003-06:00

Grandma Hammond came for a few days last week to help me and to spend time with Emi. We had a lot of fun with her and she was a lot of help to me too. Emi loved hanging out with her...especially in the middle of the night!! Thanks again Grandma! We love you and miss you!

Emi stretching out sunbathing and trying to get rid of her jaundice

Lovin Grandma

baby burrito

she finally had her eyes open

emi loves to pose

2009-03-04T21:15:00.002-07:00

Miss Emi is so funny. She makes all sorts of faces while she sleeps and loves to have her hands by or on her face. Most of the pictures we have right now are of her sleeping because that's pretty much all she does! We can't complain though, she is still so fun to have around and already such a sweetheart.

introducing...

2009-02-27T11:58:00.010-07:00

Emi Michelle Hammond

born 2/26/09

6:46 AM

5 lbs. 10 oz.

19 inches

Emi and Daddy bonding

after she got cleaned up and a bow in her hair

So far life is great! Emi is so precious and perfect and we are in love with her. We get to come home from the hospital tomorrow and Emi would love to make some friends!

look who's one

2009-02-07T21:40:00.002-07:00

I took Kylee's one year pictures today and a famliy picture for Michelle and Derek. Kylee has gotten too smart and too quick for my poses though so I had to get creative. They turned out cute though-- she is such a little ham!

kylee's first birthday bash

2009-02-07T21:24:00.004-07:00

We just got back from Idaho celebrating Kylee's first birthday. It was fun to see Michelle and Derek's new place and to have a party for Kylee. We were hoping she'd make a bigger mess with the cake but she didn't like being messy. She loved her presents though and Adam and I brought her some balloons that entertained her for most of the day. Happy birthday Kylee we love you!

bird mobile

2009-01-28T09:35:00.004-07:00

Check out this super cute mobile I am going to make for the baby's room. I'll be using the same fabrics I picked out for her crib bedding and wall hangings. I'll post pictures of her room when everything is done. My mom is helping me make the bedding, and by helping, I mean she is pretty much doing it. But these birds aren't too hard, so I guess they will be my contribution to the overall effect!

32 weeks

2009-01-21T17:01:00.003-07:00

Okay people here it is...another picture. I'm happy to say the cankles have been absent for a few days, so that's good...I was able to swap the flip flops for some normal shoes in time for work on Monday. I went to the doctor today and everything is looking good. We are getting more excited every day but still have lots to do to get ready!

I have them...

2009-01-12T19:30:00.003-07:00

...okay so these are not actually my feet but they might as well be...that's right people...I have cankles. I'm pretty sure they're here to stay for the next 9 weeks. At first I tried to blame standing in line for a long time at the movies on Christmas. Then I tried to blame 5 hours in the car going to St. George. I even tried to blame too much shopping...but they aren't going away. So I think they are all mine until my baby comes to take them away. But I promise I won't try to squish my feet into anything strappy like the poor lady in this picture. It's a good thing it's winter so no one has to see them!

26 weeks

2008-12-13T10:08:00.002-07:00

Here is a picture of the bump for those of you who have been wanting to see it. This is me at 26 weeks. I think it looks bigger in real life than in this picture but here you go...

2 years...and less than 100 days

2008-12-09T22:47:00.007-07:00

Today is our 2 year anniversary. Kind of crazy in a way but in a way it feels like we've been together so much longer. I'll save the mushy stuff for Adam but I have to say that I am one lucky girl. Here's some pictures from our big day.

Oh yeah, and we are officially into the double digits as far as the baby countdown goes...less than 100 days to go!

weekend project

2008-12-07T20:47:00.004-07:00

We have been looking for a dresser for the baby's room for a couple of months. We wanted to get something we could paint and make it look the way we wanted. Well Friday we got a dresser for free from a lady at my work. This is what it looked like when we picked it up Friday night.

And this is what it looks like now. It looks so cute in the room but we still have lots to do in there.

We got these cute drawer pulls at Anthropologie and I think they put the pefect touch on it.

every girl's unique boutique

2008-11-13T18:08:00.004-07:00

shades of jade designs will be at Every Girl's Unique Boutique a week from Saturday. Come check out the unique picture frames and baby clothes and accessories (plus lots of other items from other vendors)! The boutique is Saturday November 22 at the Davis Conference Center in Layton from 9-6. For more details click here.

Hope to see you there!

wyoming weekend

2008-11-03T21:42:00.008-07:00

We went to Wyoming late Friday night and hung out Saturday and part of Sunday. We just relaxed and goofed off and Saturday we went to shoot guns on the mountain...something I don't think I've done since one time at girls camp. It was pretty fun actually! Doug brought a whole bunch of pumpkins so we set them up for target practice.

Adam wearing Doug's Halloween costume

The sexier version of Adam

Michelle and big girl Kylee

Mish shooting the big gun

Me shooting a hand gun (look closely and you might see the baby bump)

pumpkins and crepes

2008-10-29T22:33:00.002-06:00

Tonight we had some of our neighbors over to carve pumpkins and eat crepes (with nutella and bananas...yum). It was fun even though almost everyone came without a pumpkin! We ended up carving only 3 pumpkins and eating lots of crepes. We have such fun neighbors and have had so much fun getting to know them better. We missed you Courtney and Haley!

Here is Adam's pumpkin (with a little help from Jake and Megan)

Jake and Katie
Sam and Shyanne

Brady and Megan

Adam and Jake

mr. a-z

2008-10-29T21:47:00.004-06:00

I got free tickets to the Jason Mraz concert last night so Adam and I went. I have been wanting to see him live since like, 2004, no lie. And it was so good. Like...so good. He is so talented and just so fun to watch. It was definitely worth the wait to see him.

and it's a......

2008-10-14T22:39:00.005-06:00

....girl! I got another ultrasound today and we will definitely be shopping for pink! We are so excited! I have had a feeling all along that it was a girl, but it was sort of weird to have it confirmed. We went to Target and Babies R Us tonight to register for some things and it was so fun picking out girl things. It definitely makes it feel more real to finally know what it is. Oh, and I'm pretty sure I've been feeling the baby move the past couple of days, so that makes it feel more real too! So exciting!

something to do on a rainy day

2008-10-04T21:38:00.005-06:00

We needed something to do between conference sessions and it was raining. Good thing Kylee humors me every time I get an itch to do something like this...

our modest little mystery baby

2008-10-02T22:13:00.003-06:00

Today we went to get an early ultrasound to see if we could find out if the baby is a boy or a girl. A lady at my work will do them for free so we thought we'd see if we could tell. Well we could see that it has two arms and two legs and a healthy heart, but beyond that remains a mystery. Our baby was doing all kinds of acrobatics until we tried to focus on the important area. Then it curled up indian style and covered itself with its foot! I guess it wants to keep us guessing for a few more weeks. It sure was cute for a fetus though. It was looking right at us with its hands by its face and moving its mouth like it was saying hi. It was so fun to see and just to know that it appears healthy so far was enough. Hopefully we'll have news one way or the other in the next couple weeks...I'm dying to start shopping!

3-18-09...

2008-09-14T23:14:00.003-06:00

...the day our lives will turn upside down in the best way possible...that's right...we're having a baby!

street fair

2008-09-08T19:49:00.005-06:00

Saturday was the street fair and it was really fun. Adam, my mom and Alicia helped me get set up in the morning and then Adam's mom and sister and my dad came to help me and just hang out. Ashley and Chase came later and stayed to help me clean up afterward. It was so nice of everyone to come support me and it was fun having people to hang out with all day too. The fair was fun and there were a lot of cool booths. I did pretty well and gave out a lot of business cards and I also got invited to do 2 similar fairs coming up in October, so that was exciting!

me and Ash in the booth

Adam and Kylee hanging out

official launch of shades of jade designs

2008-09-04T17:46:00.011-06:00

I am so excited to announce the official launch of shades of jade designs! Saturday I’ll be at the Avenues Street Fair in Salt Lake on 3rd Avenue somewhere around M or N street from 9-6.

Come by and see all the stuff I’ve been working on. It has been a crazy last couple of months getting ready for this fair, but it’s finally here and I can’t wait to see how it goes. My website http://www.shadesofjadedesigns.com will launch tomorrow night if you want to take a look at some of my items. For now, here is a little sneak peek of what you can find if you come to the fair:

And if you can’t make it to the fair but see something you like, go to my website and you can click on “buy item” under the picture of any item I have in stock, or you can email me at custom@shadesofjadedesigns.com if you see anything you like that doesn’t have the link to buy. On my website you can also sign up to be on my mailing list that will let you know about special offers, great new items, events, and giveaways.

So come to the street fair…I would love to see you there, plus there will be tons of other cool booths to check out too!

what i did on my summer vacation...

2008-08-01T16:21:00.006-06:00

We went on our summer vacation almost a month ago. We went to New York and Pennsylvania with Adam's family. We stayed at Aunt Tammy and Uncle Norman's house near Buffalo. We also went to the family cabin in Pennsylvania, went to Niagara falls, and went boating on Lake Erie. Adam hyper extended his knee at the cabin on the second day of the trip, so rocked Niagara Falls in a wheelchair and had to watch the rest of us tube behind the boat at the lake, do the zip line at Uncle Norman's, and pretty much just spent his vacation in a chair. I felt so bad for him, but I think he still managed to have fun.

I did a few things for the first time at the cabin-- like caught a firefly, hung out with a rooster, drank water straight from a spring, and chopped wood.

There are so many pictures from our trip so I think I'm going to post them in sections.