Young'n & Rissa

I learned...

2011-02-09T23:32:00.002-05:00

I learned that a) it can be fun to take your self portraits and b) it's totally true that it takes some time to warm up during a shoot. The first pictures aren't nearly as creative as the ones at the end of a session!

These are from the end of my mini self portraits session. I turned on some music and had fun!

Going for a ride

2011-01-24T23:27:00.003-05:00

My little cutie out for her first ride in her little tricycle for the first time. She loved it!

And just to y'all can get a full view of this beauty :)

It's fun to eat cheese!

2011-01-22T23:13:00.001-05:00

I'm not even going to attempt to get caught up on my themed days, lets just count this week as a giant fail in that department :) So these were taken earlier in the week when we were still eating dairy products. I was trying to get some cute photos of her and all I was getting was the lovely blank stare and then all of a sudden a switch went off and she turned on her charm. I just loved this little series, she can be quite the little entertainer when she wants. And then it cracks me up, all of a sudden she's done and she makes sure to tell me too! All Done is the only sign language we have taught her and she sure knows how to use it well :)

Funky Friday

2011-01-14T16:03:00.002-05:00

Yeah it's Friday! So as y'all can see Friday is 'Funky Friday' in an attempt to humble myself each week I will post a picture that wasn't quite a success. I'm pretty sure every one of us have sessions where we just totally botch a picture, normally we'd just delete them and forget that it even happened. Instead I'm going to publicly show my faults as a way to encourage others out there that it's completely normal to have this happen and show that it's images like these that help us learn.

So first off, this picture was not from this week, but this last weekend but hopefully I'll be better with my camera next week :) This is SOOC, truthfully the lighting and colors look great for being SOOC but I'm fairly certain y'all can see my major mistake. Sorry Toni, I chopped your head off!!! Had I gotten off my lazy bum and taken a step back I would have gotten her entire head in the shot and then I could have used this to show off our momma's afternoon out. Oh well, lesson learned :)

By the way, Toni, you totally should have gotten those adorable flats!!

Thankful Thursday

2011-01-13T11:37:00.002-05:00

While I know I should take to the time each day to be thankful it's nice to have a day in the week specifically phocused on being thankful, so that is Thursday for me!

From the moment I was pregnant with Brooklyn I envisioned me and my child having story time and prayed that she too would share my love for reading. Before every nap, from the time she was 3 months old I would read to her. At first she would cry through the entire book because she new it meant it was naptime, but now, now she sits there patiently in my lap as I read 3 short books to her, sucking her thumb and twirling her hair. And just incase that alone doesn't make me thankful, I know this does, the site of my baby girl in her room prefering to sit surrounded by her books, reading to herself :) It just warms my heart when I hear her in there. She will open a book and then I hear, 'guh guh guh' her version of reading aloud :) And you know that she is content and happy when she takes a break to suck that thumb of hers and twirl the hair on the top of her head. So yes, I am so thankful that I have a child that loves her books...

Wordless Wednesday... So hard to do by the way! ;)

2011-01-12T16:03:00.003-05:00

2 for Tues

2011-01-11T16:31:00.003-05:00

Hello blog world! So I'm finally making a commitment to getting back to my responsibilities :) Actually I've been very busy with my toddler responsibility but thats no excuse! So today I'm going to start one of my photo themed days. I'm not quite sure I can commit to the 365 project so for now I've created 5 fun daily photo themes and will give that a go first.

Today is 2 for Tues, the idea being a picture of me and my little miss doing something together every tuesday. When making our Christmas cards I discovered just how few of pictures I'm actually in. While most of us photographers get behind the camera because we infact don't like being on the other side, I actaully love seeing photos of myself (so vain I know). What can I say, for me photos are so emotional and I like seeing that I was a piece of that moment.

I guess this photo is really a 3 for tues since the Dude snuck into the photo :) I'm having issues getting my tripod to work so I had to improvise, with my hands full :) Brooklyn is constantly wanting up and down and while it drives me crazy, seeing my content angel like that just melts my heart...

So it's a horrible photo technically but its a photo none the less :)

Happy Tuesday! It is tuesday right? ;)

Photography Blogsite is Up!

2010-11-24T09:11:00.002-05:00

Hey Y'all!

Just wanted to let everybody know that my photography blogsite is up and running! I'm so excited, I think it does a great job of showing who I am. Look for more photos once I get settled in Oregon, which by the way, I do not advize packing your entire house right before you spouse leaves for a 8+ month deployement.

So please head on over and let me know what you think!

www.marissalynnphotography.com/blog

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

It's Go Time

2010-11-13T17:02:00.002-05:00

So I'm probably going to be very M.I.A. in the blog posting world for the next few weeks. We're super smart kids and are trying to move out of our rental right before Jordan leaves for his 8 month deployment to Africa. So most of my spare time is going to be spent packing boxes(again!)and spending time as a family. I told Jordan last night that I'm not all emotional about it right now because in our first six months here in Gulfport he was gone for training a total of 3 months. So he's been gone so much that it just feels like another training is around the corner. But I think about week three I'm going to realize that this is MUCH longer than any training. I'm really proud of him though, they are doing a lot of humanitarian work over there which I think is going to be super rewarding for him.

So hang in there and when I'm back I hope to make this blogging thing a priority again :) And look for my photography blog to be up and running soon!!

Have a great weekend y'all!

What I learned

2010-11-07T11:38:00.005-05:00

During my visit to meet the Little Man I learned to embrace higher ISO levels. I'm so happy that I can shoot above 200 and not start to get noise! This one here is at ISO 500 1/50ss and f2.5 thankfully there wasn't too much movement because my shutter speed was still a little slower that I would have liked.

I also learned that I need to consider an additional lens. My 50mm isn't the best choice in a small room like that, group shots are pretty much impossible. Any suggestions?

This is Auntie Jen with the Little Man :)

The 4am Call That Changed Everything!

2010-11-04T16:33:00.003-04:00

It was early Friday morning when my phone startled me awake, it was Jen. What could she be wanting at this hour? I answer the phone groggy and the first words out of her mouth, "Oh my gosh Marissa, I just realized what time it is!" Not really what I was expecting to hear :) After I ask her what's up she informs me that our dear friends Toni and Travis were heading to the hospital to have their first baby, Will. I was in SHOCK! I had just talked to Toni Thursday night and she was completely fine and her doc appointment that day showed she still hadn't dilated. Well, things changed a few hours later!

So this was at 4am central time and an hour later Jordan rolls over and informs me that I need to either go back to sleep, or go in the living room, oops :) Needless to say I head to the living room and wait to get the confirmation call that Toni was admitted to the hospital. As you can assume, I got that call and I was instantly on travelocity.com searching for the next flight out to meet my Godson!

William Alexander Ramme was born on Friday, October 29th at 12:14 pm and 8 hours later, Auntie Rissa got to meet him :) Of course I burst into tears the second I saw Toni holding that little man. I am so thankful I was able to hop on that plane and spend the weekend with my extended family. It was just meant to be, Jordan already had a four day weekend, so Brooklyn stayed with Daddy.

So here are some photo's from the weekend, enjoy!

The beautiful momma and her little man :)

I just couldn't get over how much he looks like his momma!

I think we all look a little disheveled but here are the happy aunties with baby Will!

Monday afternoon we did a quick (20 min.) newborn session with Will. I must say I'm pretty proud of myself for my first shoot. I only have a couple finished so far, but I can't wait to get the others done!

Daddy and baby, just before the shower ;) It was hilarious, Will doesn't pee the entire time and then we get him into Trav's arms and he's spraying within the first minute. I about died, you would have thought Trav was being sprayed with poison. Don't worry I got a picture of his reaction, it's a little blurry but it's still priceless :)

I will definitely be getting props to get myself set up to do more newborn shoots, I loved it!!

Jaws

2010-10-27T12:09:00.003-04:00

As most of you know I got my D90 last night so I couldn't resist getting my hands on it this morning :) I love how I have so much more flexibility with the ISO, with my D3000 my shutter speed had to suffer because of the ISO. Anywho, I know I've already posted plenty of pictures of Brooklyn in her bumbo but this is the first time I've gotten a shot of all those teeth!!! Poor girl went from no teeth and then bam at 8 months she started to get attacked! A month and a half later and we have four and I can see the next two under the gums.

Happy Wednesday everybody!!!!

What I learned this week...

2010-10-22T12:50:00.003-04:00

Two things, 1) I miss my DSLR camera! and 2) your camera on your phone can come in very handy at times.

I always have my cell phone close by, ALWAYS. So it never fails that I'll catch Brooklyn doing something cute and my knee jerk reaction is to quick, grab my phone! Since getting my DSLR if I'm at home I tend to run for it first, but at the moment I'm without it. So thank goodness for cell phone cameras!

These are horrible quality but it was her first time eating spaghetti and she was just too cute not to capture the moment.

I think because she could smell the sauce on her face she kept doing this face and sniffing rather hard, it was hilarious!!!

And then of course the scrunchy face!! Side note, I just realized this week that my 'kiss' face must look like this, because whenever I ask her to give a kiss to her bear or me she crunches her face like this before she dives in for a big one! Oh how I love this little spit fire :)

Kelly Moore Bag

2010-10-21T09:21:00.002-04:00

Head on over to click it up a notch and enter to win a $50 discount on a Kelly Moore bag! I'd say good luck, but really I hope that I get lucky!!!! ha ha :)

Courtney sold me on it after she so easily described using it as a mommy and a photographer, SOLD!! Hope everybody has a great day!

Should be sleeping

2010-10-14T23:41:00.002-04:00

It's almost 11pm, when Jordan is home I rarely stay up this late. But it seems while he's away, the noises that I thought kept me awake are missing and in reality, it appears to be those noises that help me sleep. Sure I don't have to tell him to roll over because he's snoring, but there is that empty space on his side of the bed, no deep breathing right next to me, letting me know I'm not alone. Sure Bee is in the other room peacefully sleeping but there is still that missing piece. So, I stay up till at least 11pm until he returns!

You know, I used to be a planner, but over time my loving husband has taught me to go with the flow. He would say I worry, but really I'm just noisy and want to know every little detail. We joke, there are those couples out there that are just so in sink its crazy (T&T!) then there is us. While we get along great and have learned over time how to communicate well, we are in many ways, opposites. You can almost guarantee that we will have two very different approaches to things. Thankfully we at least agree(for the most part) on where we should end up; its just that we each would take two very different paths to get there. I will admit, I think I conform to his ways more often that not, but that's ok. So where was this all going?? Oh yes it all started with the fact that I'm a planner.

Most of you that follow my blog know it took several (as in 3) years for me to get pregnant. SO, that being said while pregnant with Brooklyn, we would talk about future kids, how many? how far apart? All those important things you know :) We both agreed that we would like at least three (Jordan says 5,ha ha!), and we would like them two years or less apart. Now being the planner that I was, you would think I would be going hysterical over the fact that we have a huge kink in that plan... Jordan's deployment. Eight months gone, from the time Brooklyn is 11 months to 19 months throws a giant curve ball into that two years apart plan.

But you know what, I've realized I am ok with that. Sure I won't get exactly what I wanted but the trade off isn't bad either. I'll get 8 solid months of pure Brooklyn and mommy time, something no other child of ours will EVER get. So rather than pouting about things not going as 'planned' I'm rolling with it and living the life God has given me. I'm so very thankful for my blessing that is peacefully sleeping on the other side of my wall. Now, if only I can fall asleep :) I'm hoping that purging my brain of this will help!

Random Saturday Post

2010-10-09T12:19:00.002-04:00

In Fridays post I mentioned the photo that I really love, but I chopped off her arm. This is that image, I just love those eyes and the tilt of her head. Yes I should have moved that chair but I still LOVE this one of my little lady.

This is another one from the day before, again those eyes! She is going to be t-r-o-u-b-l-e when she's older and knows just how to use them to her advantage.
With Jordan out in the field for awhile I decided that it was the perfect time to stock up on books to read. I'm an avid reader but my husband, not so much. So this morning we headed into Barnes and Noble to get a couple books for myself. As you can see, I ended up with one book for me and three for Brooklyn, figures! I've been debating on getting an ereader, anybody out there have one?

Now it's nap time for the girl so I think I'll get cozy on the couch and dive into that book! Happy Saturday everybody!

Picture Share Friday

2010-10-08T12:36:00.003-04:00

50mm ISO400 f3.5 ss1/125

Happy Friday y'all! So I've finally gotten on the ball and I'm going to participate in picture share Friday. I'll tell you, I have another picture that I fell in love with from our little photo shoot this morning but I chopped off a hand so I went with this one. We're teething right now so the ice soothie was our prop :) I'm working with the Nikon D3000 and unfortunately I have to focus my 50mm on my own. So on top of learning how to shoot in manual, I'm also having to work with focusing on my own, exhausting with a nine month old!

This is SOOC, I typically prefer to warm my photo's up when I edit but I'm being brave and giving it to you the way it was shot! Would love to hear what y'all would do differently :)

Photography Inspiration

2010-10-05T21:54:00.002-04:00

Hello everybody!

Since returning home from our visit to Oregon most of you know that I'm actively trying to pursue a photography business. I just had too much fun not to go for it!! So while I'm here, I'm spending 90% of my free time glued to the computer. There are so many amazing people out there that have a wealth of knowledge, and they so freely share it with others who also have a passion for photography. Right now I'm learning, but I can't wait to someday return the favor and pay it forward, helping others along this amazing journey.

So I thought I'd share my favorite places to hop around and learn from in case there are any of you out there wanting to learn as well!

First off, if you're starting to get your feet wet, you should definitely hop on over to click it up a notch. Courtney does a fantastic job teaching you how to understand, and use your camera past that auto setting!

Now if you want to learn editing techniques you'll want to head to ramblings and photos where Ashley has a lot of great PhotoShop Elements tutorials. She's always got her camera with her and posts a lot of pictures that are fantastic!

Both Courtney and Ashley are super helpful so don't be afraid to ask them anything. If they don't know the answer they will definitely search out the answer for you, they're amazing!!!!!

Forums are another great resource. Two places that I visit all the time are i heart faces and clickinmoms.

And lastly, if you have photographers you like, follow them! Most photographers has a blog along with their website. A majority of them will post tips or do Q&A's. Plus, looking at what others are doing is a great way to see what clients are looking for and their photos are a another source of inspiration.

I realize I'm doing this post about photography without a photo but it's getting late and there's a brownie calling my name :) Night y'all!!!

My whole world

2010-10-01T11:52:00.002-04:00

I can't believe my baby is going to be 9 months old on Sunday!!! It's so amazing how much she's learning and growing everyday. I wish she would just learn to crawl, but she just doesn't like it. SO, in the meantime I spend most of my days being yelled at by my bossy little girl to get up and help her walk around the house. Here are some photo's I've taken of the little squirt this past week. The weather has been amazing so we spend a little bit of every afternoon outside, I love it! All of these photo's were shot in manual, I must say, I'm quite proud of myself :)

We love you Brooklyn! Bee! Button! Jabberwalkie! The list goes on and on, what can we say, nicknames are our thing :)

Maternity

2010-09-27T14:33:00.002-04:00

I'm finally getting caught up with my life and all my edits! I have to say, so far my favorite session had been the maternity one. I think a woman is at her most beautiful when she has that pregnant glow :) It's such an amazing time in a families life and I just love being able to capture that moment in time. My dear friends Toni and Travis are expecting their first baby, William Alexander early November and I was thrilled I could take their pictures. See, William has an extra special place in our hearts, he is also our Godson! Jordan and I feel so blessed and look forward to stealing Will for mommy and daddy every now and then. Can't wait to meet you William!!

Shooting Manual and Focal Point

2010-09-25T16:54:00.004-04:00

While Brooklyn rolled around I decided to pull out my camera and practice shooting 100% manual and different focal points. This was at f2.8, 400ISO, ss1/40. Figured it would be best to do my first attempt on an object that isn't mobile :) I'm not happy with the amount of noise, should have had my ISO lower. But I guess that's how we learn!!

Busy, busy!

2010-09-22T16:30:00.003-04:00

So I've been very MIA lately and I'm attempting to get back into the swing of things. I spent roughly a month in Oregon while Jordan was busy with training. While I was there I had the wonderful opportunity to work on my photography. It felt amazing to get out of the house and do something for ME!! The past 3 years of my life have been all about Jordan and his career and most recently my baby girls life. While I love being a wife and mother it felt amazing to have something all my own that doesn't identify with those other two roles in my life.

My first outing was to photograph our dear friends Toni and Travis. They are having our Godson early November (yes I suppose Will is more importantly their first child, but I'm beyond excited that he is our Godson!!!) These two worked with me as I got more and more comfortable behind the camera, and I'm pretty sure they had a good time as well :) Here is my favorite shot from their session:

Next up I asked the Drapers to let me capture their family as well. I was introduced to the world of photographing a toddler and an infant, both in one dose! Definitely wasn't as easy as two adults but I was able to capture a few candid moments of Andrew (the toddler) that were adorable. Here is Daddy and his baby girl :)

And lastly I was able to squeeze in one more family session with the Tofflemoyers. Such an adorable little family, I can't wait to shoot Carly's two year old photo's later this spring!

Now that I'm back in Mississippi I'm trying to learn as much as I can about photography and editing before I return to Oregon for the deployment. Everything about being a photographer just felt right so I'm really going to pursue this! Thank you to everybody that has been super supportive, its the motivation I need. I'll be sure to keep everybody updated on my progress!

Where have I been???

2010-08-19T19:35:00.002-04:00

So I was so proud of my nice whiteboard calendar, listing my days I'd blog and I was actually keeping up with it... for about two weeks?! What happened you might ask? Life!!

Our dear friends came out to visit us which consumed all our time and then our life got turned upside down. I bravely sent my baby with them across the country as I loaded up our SUV and made the long drive from Mississippi to Oregon. My mom and I made it in record time, just over three days!!! Yes I was one motivated momma :)

This trip was in preparation for deployment. I had to figure out how to get my vehicle to Oregon before December and with Toni and Travis being able to take Brooklyn it just seemed like the best time. So now Brooklyn, Maverick and I are enjoying play dates and family time while daddy is back in Mississippi keeping extra busy with training.

I'll fill y'all in with more details and photo's later, but for now I just had to let y'all know I didn't totally disappear (if there even is a y'all :)) btw, I think I confuse people out here with my y'all, and yes ma'am...

Housemom, not a housewife

2010-08-03T15:53:00.003-04:00

So I constantly have to remind my dear husband what I am and what I am NOT. You see, he was raised by a mother who did everything, cooked all the meals, cleaned up after these said meals, kept the house super duper clean, and read to them every night. She should have known not to set up her son with expectations that one day, when he was grown, he would find a loving woman who would do those said things.

While he found the loving woman, he most definitely did not find himself a houswife. I believe some men think that staying home with your child means you have all the time in the world to keep the house immaculate, prepare gourmet meals, and clean up after them. HA HA! A girl still needs her time to blog :) Overtime, my husband is starting to learn:

- I will keep our house clean, not tidy. Yes you will find piles of clutter around the house, I'll get to them eventually, usually with his help.
- I DO NOT clean up after his clutter, he made the mess and he can put it away.
-I am not his maid, he knows to put his own laundry in the hamper, rinse his dishes, etc.

These are just a few of the many adjustments my husband has had to make by marrying me, poor guy :) Thankfully we've found a happy balance. He knows now to pester me, and I'm not afraid to remind him to clean up after himself. And if asked, he will always chip in and help.

But to be fair, I've also had to step my game up a bit. I've established a schedule to stay on top of everything and I'm doing pretty good so far. I've even developed a monthly schedule for deep cleaning! Though I think that has more to do with the baby who is becoming more and more mobile.

What I am though, is a housemom. My life is 100% devoted to our sweet baby Bee. I strive to provide for her needs and help her to learn and have fun in the process. I was destined to be a mother and I am dedicated to doing my best. Now, by no way does this mean I"m an amazing mother, I make plenty of mistakes. But so far... I think we're surviving :)

Side note: I just cooked up some peas and sweet potatoes for Bee to try! I think it's about time to transition from the baby pureed food, to the big girl finger foods :) I'll keep y'all posted!

Family Visits

2010-07-29T17:17:00.004-04:00

So I'm way behind, but in June Courtney came out to visit us after she graduated from college, way to go girl!! Unfortunately, the day after Courtney bought her tickets, Jordan found out he would be gone her entire visit with what else... training. Nobody tells you about all the time they are away for training while in battalion, but I'll save that rant for another post :)

So us girls spent most of our time hanging out at the house, Courtney and I reading books during naptime. It was actually quite nice to just relax.

Courtney adored Brooklyn and was very helpful. I was able to go to the grocery store by myself and even mowed the lawn (first time in my 25 years!)

Auntie Courtney snuggling with the sleepy girl, about to go down for her nap.

My mom and sister were also able to visit at the beginning of July. The issue of mommy separation had just taken into affect before Courtney left so unfortunately they didn't get near the one on one time with Brooklyn that Courtney had. But none the less, they seemed to soak up what the could.

Looks like Brooklyn wasn't hating their attention too much ;) She loved kisses from Grandma Sherri.

And Auntie Shan was so much fun! I believe she may have even attempted a diaper change :)

We ended their trip with dinner out on my momma's birthday. It was so nice having visitors!

Next up, Toni and Travis in a week!!

Daycare and Crocodile Tears...

2010-07-27T16:31:00.005-04:00

This morning, I had a doctors appointment so I had no choice but to load up the girl and take her to the Child Development Center (daycare) on base. I won't lie, I was nervous about the whole thing. I think I've mentioned it already but we've been dealing with mommy separation issues for about a month now.

Drop off went well, atleast while I was still in the room :) I handed her off to the trusty Miss Shannon, filled out her morning stats, gave her a kiss and was off. About an hour later I was done with my appointment. I contemplated running to the grocery store and then grabbing her, but I won't lie, that thought only lasted maybe a second.

I'm not sure exactly what I expected to see as I entered the room, optimistically I envisioned her sitting on the floor playing with other children. As I approached the door I could hear babies fussing, but whether one of them was my sweet girl I couldn't be sure. Once inside the door I could see, just past Miss Shannon, were those precious little toes I love and adore. All circled around Miss Shannon and her assistant were babies in all different bouncy's. I said hello and my eyes went from those cute little toes to my baby's face. She was vigorously sucking her thumb and as I looked into those baby blues I saw the remnants of crocodile tears :( My sweet baby girl missed her momma, so I did what any mother would do and I went up to her and wiped those tears and gave her lots of lovin. For the first couple minutes I think she was trying to process the fact that I did indeed return for her and that it was actually me.

Once we got home we ate some yummy fruit and laughed and played way past naptime, but I think we were both soaking up our time together :)

I know there will be more times when we have to resort to the daycare and hopefully eventually it will be something she enjoys. Truthfully I knew it wasn't going to be the most exciting experience for her because, well, I'm going to say it... I'm a pretty awesome mommy and I keep my girl entertained :)

Preparing for Deployment

2010-07-25T15:02:00.003-04:00

As many of you know, Jordan will be deploying this December and will be gone for 8 months. While it may seem like we still have months until then, with all his training leading up to the deployment we really only have about 10 weeks left together. When we first moved here our good friends the Matvays were just finishing up a deployment and they also had a little one. It was nice to see how Elisha and Emma functioned without Dave at home and the little things they've done to help keep daddy fresh in Emma's mind. Dave was gone from the time Emma was 6 months old to I believe 14 months. We think it will be a little easier for Brooklyn to remember who daddy is with him leaving when she is 11 months. But regardless, we want to find ways to keep him a part of her day as much as possible.

We've began to make a list of things we will do to make the time go by quickly and how we will keep daddy in our day-to-day:

- We are going to tape 8 separate videos of daddy reading stories to Brooklyn and saying a little something special to here. We will watch each video for one month and then rotate onto another one. Dave did this for Emma but was only able to record one, I think the same video for 8 months may drive mommy crazy! Elisha had a great routine that I will be stealing as well :) Daddy's story time will happen each night before bed while she's drinking her bottle. It will be her special daddy time :)

-If Jordan stays with the main body we should be able to skype somewhat often so that will also be another way to talk to daddy.

-Keep lots of pictures of daddy around the house for both Brooklyn and myself!

-Hopefully Brooklyn will take up an interest in making things for daddy, or helping me put together care packages for him.

- I plan on keeping Brooklyn and myself busy with as many activities for the girl as possible, swimming, kindermusic, playdates. Anything that will fill our time.

- We plan on going home to Oregon for this deployment. There is nothing in Mississippi keeping us here so it really just makes more sense to be near friends and family.

- I hope to focus on my photography, building my own business should keep me busy!

Don't really know who all reads this, but if any of you out there have any suggestions for me to add to my list I'd love to hear them! Your husband/wife may not deploy, but maybe they work away from home a lot and you may have a secret list up your sleeve to share as well.

We sure are going to miss daddy, but this is something we signed up for, so rather than feeling bad for myself I'm going to pick myself up and make the best of it. I know it's only a short time in our life together and it will be another story to tell when we're old and grey :)

Crib Par-tay!

2010-07-22T12:15:00.004-04:00

Sometimes you've just got to laugh at babies. For some odd reason every couple weeks Brooklyn will decide to throw a little party in her crib... AT 4 A.M.!!

She'll usually only do it for two mornings in a row, and then she'll take a little break to focus on her sleep again :)

This week was party week and on both Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, Jordan and I would listen in on our little girl having a good ole time in her crib. Laughing and talking away, sometimes for 15 minutes, sometimes 45. I don't think Jordan and I are fans of the 45 minutes since we don't sleep 12 hours a night, that 45 minutes is a big deal! And how can you just tune out the adorable high pitched voice of our baby girl (maybe I should ask Jordan how he does it?)

Thankfully I am blessed with a child who since about 8 weeks old has slept through the night and I can only count on one hand the number of times she's actually woken up upset during the night. So I welcome these 4 a.m. parties, hey, maybe I'll join her sometime :)

6 Months Already???

2010-07-02T20:29:00.002-04:00

I can't believe my lil baby will be six months old tomorrow, where has the time gone? It's amazing just how much they change in their first six months. Gone is my baby that would need, or even want to be rocked and cradled to sleep. She has been replaced by my independant little sleeper, who just wants to be in her own space, and do everything just the way she wants.

While she once needed me to get her to and from, now she can roll herself to that toy she so desperately wants. My big girl eats from a spoon and wiggles her toes to the music (her version of dancing) all in her favorite chair, the bumbo.

Those beautiful baby blues used to look up at me in wonder, taking in this magical world. Now they glow, paired with that big grin, because she knows she's being cute :)

But don't let her fool you, she still needs her momma, for only momma can do things just the way Miss Brooklyn likes :)

Big girl now!

2010-06-12T16:13:00.003-04:00

Brooklyn hated her infant car seat, she would get sweaty so easily and I don't think she was a fan of being cradled like a baby. That all together resulted in a VERY VERY fussy child whenever we went anywhere, which only made her even more sweaty as her fits are a full body experience. So we loaded up the car and drove to Mobile Alabama to find her a convertible car seat with the hope that she would be a more pleasant car rider. As you can see, she is much more comfortable and will now fall asleep without any crying fits! Thankfully we went and got this before our trip to the beach, it made such a difference.

Now getting rid of the infant car seat meant that we no longer had it to take her into restaurants. She's had to upgrade to the highchair! Not too bad, we just have to do some stuffing around her with a blanket :)

She loves that thumb :)

Such a big girl now!!

Pictures from our family vacation to Orange Beach Alabama!

2010-06-10T17:12:00.003-04:00

Here a just a few of the pictures from our trip to the beach:

Having fun playing on the beach :)

Brooklyn and Daddy had lots of fun playing in the pool :) I've got a ton of pictures of the two of them still to post!

My lil baby experiencing the ocean for the first time, what great memories...

Of all the things...

2010-05-19T11:27:00.004-04:00

It started out so innocent, chewing on fingers and shoving her entire fist into her mouth,

then I caught her like this in her daddies arms.
And now we are a full on thumb sucker!

I swore up and down I would not let her be a thumb sucker and look how good I did with that! You see, I was one as a kid and it was so hard to get me to stop because, the binky fairy can't just come and take your thumb away :) But once she started it was just too cute and it made her happy. Nap times are SO much easier now, because she'll just suck her thumb for a bit and fall asleep, no blood curdling crying for 10-20 minutes. Thankfully she only sucks on it when she gets sleepy and fussy. It's just funny how much I was against her doing so and what do you know, of course she would! I guess she's a little like mommy after all :)

Buzz like a Bee!

2010-05-12T11:28:00.003-04:00

So yesterday I was trying to entertain Brooklyn with her teddy bear that is dressed like a Bee. I was flying him in the air and making buzz noises. Brooklyn started to give it a try and it was adorable! Of course I had to run and get the camera to try and capture the moment :) She started to get a little fussy but I think you'll notice when she makes her attempt. Babies are so smart!! Enjoy :)

Pictures from Grandpa's visit

2010-05-09T09:54:00.003-04:00

Here are some photo's Grandpa took while visiting :)

Grandpa entertained Brooklyn so mommy could eat her meal when it was still hot,

we then went to New Orleans for Grandpa to see the French Quarter.

There was lots of play time to observe, as you can see Maverick likes to be as close as he can get :)

You can tell Brooklyn was eating up all of Grandpa's attention!

And she LOVES the toy Grandpa bought her, especially these Panda's :)

All in all the trip went perfect, it was low key and relaxed. Grandpa got to spend lots of time with Brooklyn and ate some of the local cuisine. Jordan and I enjoyed having him out here as well!

We love you Dad/Grandpa!! :)

Grandpa's visit to Mississippi

2010-05-07T22:05:00.002-04:00

My dad came out to visit us and this is a little video from our dinner the other night. Mommy acting like a big goober was quite entertaining :)

We still have one more day with Grandpa and Brooklyn is just eating it up!

Birthday Celebration

2010-04-22T13:02:00.002-04:00

I just realized I forgot to share with the world my amazing Birthday cupcakes from a place called Frostings. Who knew cupcakes could be so amazing ;) Thanks to Ross, Alyssa, and Elisha for throwing me a Birthday dinner!

Can't get any sweeter than this...

2010-04-21T22:00:00.005-04:00

You know, I always thought I'd be a good mother and love being one but when the time was near I often wondered if I'd live up to my expectations. I'm so thankful that I can say I LOVE BEING A MOMMY! Sure I miss being able to sleep in as late as I want and doing things just for me, but they don't come close to fulfilling my life like this sweet angel does.
My best friend just today pointed out how I look different in pictures now, not in a bad way, but that I look content and happy with my life. She hit the nail on the head with that one, I am so happy with life right now. Life seems normal with Brooklyn in it, I can't imagine it any other way. I'm so thankful that Jordan and I were able to slip into parenthood so seamlessly. And it's true, seeing Jordan holding Brooklyn or coming over just to give her a kiss just because melts my heart. It's in those moments that I fall even more in love with my family and realize just how blessed I am. As most of you know, I wanted a baby for a while before I actually was pregnant, but I wouldn't trade my journey for anything. I appreciate what I have so much more because of it and I don't take a single moment for granted. God gives each of us a different path for different reasons and I am so thankful for that, it would be too boring if everybody went through life the same.

Jordan is finishing up work in North Carolina and I've almost got our house put together down here. It's been nice to have time with Brooklyn just to myself but I am looking forward to her daddy being back :) I can tell life is only going to start getting better and better as Brooklyn grows. Her little personality is blossoming and she is exploring her world a little more each day. I look forward to taking advantage of the next 8 months with daddy here before we are on our own for 8. Hopefully we'll get to take her to the zoo and aquarium and all the fun things that you can do with little kids :)

Here are a couple more pictures of my little angel :)

I think I'm going to have a little stinker soon :) She's already started to get this little sassy, bossy squeal. She only busts it out on occasion but boy is it sassy!

Ah I just love my baby girl more than words can describe. I'm SO SO VERY BLESSED!

Pictures

2010-04-14T21:29:00.003-04:00

Here are some photo's to catch everybody up on the last month or so. Now that I'm closer to being unpacked I should be able to keep up with this much better.

Maverick likes to make sure we know that he's there too, every time we give Brooklyn attention.

See, I told you :)

Trying to keep Lil Miss happy while I worked on unpacking.

Now isn't that just too precious :)

Near Miss...

2010-04-14T10:33:00.002-04:00

So we've made it to Long Beach Mississippi! We live literally two minutes from the back gate which is fantastic for grocery shopping :)

Jordan still has three more weeks in North Carolina so Brooklyn and I here trying to get the house all put together. I'm trying to be super motivated to get it all done, but I'm usually really focused for one day and then kind of slack the next :)

We've recently busted out the 3-6 month old clothes for Brooklyn, kind of sad to be putting away a whole bunch of clothes she barely wore! Brooklyn is getting more and more interactive which is so much fun, she laughs, talks, and smiles all the time. Still trying to get a naptime routine established, from what I hear naps can be difficult for most mothers.

Now getting to the subject matter of this post, our near miss: My Birthday was Monday and my dear friend and current neighbor, Elisha, brought over a little cake for me while I was feeding Brooklyn. So I answer the door to a cake lit with candles and my friend singing Happy Birthday, well, caught up in the moment I forget that Maverick would also get excited and he sneaks out the front door. I frantically try to call him back into the house because he isn't wearing his collar. He comes back pretty easily but then he hears little Miss Emma squeal and tries to go back outside. Stupid me, I try to stop him with my legs and while I did manage to keep him inside, I also went tumbling to the ground with my child in my arms!! Thank GOD she didn't hit the ground or even get upset, but my bum and knee are both covered in bruises. It really was quite funny if you really think about it, except for the fact that I had Brooklyn in my arms.

Oh and to top it off that night Miss Brooklyn also decided to poop in her bath!! I tell you, life is never dull once you have children in it :)

I'll get pictures posted soon, but for now I must try and be productive while the little one naps (yes she just went down like a good girl!)

Random Photos of Brooklyn

2010-03-21T21:14:00.001-04:00

Tummy Time!

We had beautiful weather this weekend so we were trying on her sun bonnets :)

Happy girl on a Sunday morning.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-21T21:08:00.003-04:00

At the beer garden for St. Patricks day on Emerald Isle. The weather was perfect and Brooklyn was a good little trooper :)

Terri had Jalin wear these last year and Will broke them this year (his head was too big ) We pieced it together for Brooklyn :)

What we do on a Saturday Morning...

2010-03-13T10:49:00.002-05:00

Mommy takes pictures!!!

Fascinated with her monkey.

This one is my favorite! So cute you just want to eat her :)

What's up momma?

We've been a very happy baby this morning, I believe that is a result of a very good night of sleep! She went to bed at 7pm and didn't get up until 7:45am!!! The weather is nice today so we are going to try and make it the the annual St. Patricks day celebration in Emerald Isle. If all goes as planned, pictures will be coming soon!

Brooklyn's first trip to Oregon

2010-03-09T20:37:00.003-05:00

So while I was still on maternity leave we decided to take a trip to Oregon so Brooklyn could see all the family members that weren't able to come out to North Carolina. We were blessed to be able to get her Baptized that first weekend up at Ralf's new church in Lakewood WA. While we were there we stayed with the Drapers, making it a perfect start to our trip.

Our baby girl getting baptized! I had no idea how emotional it would make me, but I was fighting back tears. I suppose I can no longer make fun of my mother for getting emotional over silly things :)

It was so nice to see Ralf! Jordan and I are so thankful he was willing and able to baptize her.

Being Brooklyn's Godparents, Toni and Travis were also her sponsor's.

We spent the rest of our trip in Oregon house hopping so everybody got to see her. This is Brooklyn's first time being held by Auntie Courtney, she was so focused on Courtney's dark hair!

Then we ended our vacation with one last night in Portland. To celebrate we left Brooklyn with Grandma McGee and got all dressed up for a night out. We had a blast and wished we could have stayed longer.

Since returning home I have went back to work :( I can already tell you that I wish I was at home with Brooklyn and that I just want to be a stay at home mommy. It's so hard to do it all, work consumes so many hours out of my week that I feel like I hardly have a chance to breath! Hopefully I adjust soon because I may lose my mind if not. Thankfully Brooklyn is being watched by a very nice girl and that makes things so much easier. I get picture messages from her all the time. I'll have to post some because she is with a little one year old named Ella and she just loves to play with Brooklyn :)

Brooklyn had her 2 month checkup. Here are her stats:

Weight - 11lbs 14oz! Chunk a monk :)

Length - 22 inches

Head - 15 1/3 inches

She was pretty much average for everything but her weight, she's in the 70th percentile for that one :) Her daddy was a chunky baby so I think she's taking after him. We're just so happy to have a healthy baby.

Ok so that is my quick update on the past month! Hopefully Jordan will start to give up the computer some so I can keep y'all updated!

My 1 Month Old Baby Girl!

2010-02-07T11:11:00.001-05:00

The biggest changes.

2010-02-04T15:04:00.003-05:00

So I have now been a mother for just over a month and already I've learned so much. Here are some of the things I've learned:

1. I know longer have the time to put myself first, Brooklyn fills 99% of that time.

2. Fast food is not as convenient as it used to be.

3. You can't just 'run' into the convenience store anymore. Instead you must pack your life up, strap in your child, load her into the car, then out, carry her into the store with you, just to get a soda and turn around and do the same process in reverse.

4. Speaking of soda, even with a great night sleeper, caffeine is a must.

5. I just want to buy a cute outfit for her every time I go into a store that sells baby clothes but most practice restraint for now.

6. Life no longer revolves around a 24 hour clock, instead it is a 2.5-4 hour interval between feedings.

7. Sometimes you just really can't make your baby happy.

8. Breast feeding truly is the best way to lose the baby weight and have a temporary boob job:)

9. Be prepared for random older women to ask you about your baby and give their opinions, even if you don't ask.

and just so we make a complete list, certainly one of the most important lessons so far:

10. Being a mother is truly a 24/7 job and I don't know how single mothers do it on their own, I thank God every day that I have such a supportive, loving husband at home to help me when I'm having a rough day.

Routine???

2010-01-29T15:23:00.002-05:00

Ugh, so this week there has been absolutely no consistency in Brooklyn's day to day. One day she won't nap until 4:30, then we'll have a normal day of eating, awake time, and then nap time (just as baby wise recommends), and then she'll throw a curve ball and stay awake between two feedings and then nap the entire time between the next two! That's just a small example.

I would really like to get her on some sort of routine but I really don't think that's going to happen just yet, I need to just be patient right??

I must remember to be thankful for the fact that since the beginning she has pretty much been a great night sleeper, only waking me up once at night. Right now she seems to want to actually start her nighttime routine around 10:30pm. I would love for that to become and 8 or 9pm start but I'm not sure how to get her there. Maybe I need to make her stay awake at her early morning feeding, instead of letting her go back to sleep.

Any suggestions out there???

Trying to multi-task

2010-01-26T15:16:00.003-05:00

Best way to get things done with a needy child!

As of yesterday Brooklyn decided she didn't want to nap nearly as much and wants to be held by somebody. So in order to get things done I had to strap her on my belly :) Yesterday I did not strap her on and it was very difficult to get anything done. I learned that I'm not that bad at typing with one hand though :)

Hopefully she will begin to be entertained by things soon but in the mean time looks like she's in the cuddle stage.

The first 3 weeks

2010-01-25T09:15:00.002-05:00

I want to share a few photos from the last three weeks at home with Brooklyn :)

Snuggle time with mommy after a feeding, one of her favorite things to do!

Should have rotated this adorable picture! I didn't realize how much she'd like laying in the boppy pillow, but she will sit there just looking around at everything her little eyes can see. The other day I read her a story while sitting in it and she just took in the book and the story!

And we also quickly fall asleep laying in the boppy :)

Our family after a night out with the boys. We took Brooklyn to our local Pub, yes I said Pub :) It's very family oriented and she was just a perfect angel while we were there!

Brooklyn's umbilical cord fell off on Saturday morning so we were able to give her a real bath! Surprisingly she loved bathed time, not drying off and getting lathered with lotion though :)

You guys should see Jordan with her, he is amazing! He'll try and be so goofy for her when she's screaming at us, and for the most part it does the job :) We've been blessed with a good little sleeper, I only have to get up around 1:30am and then again round 5:30am! She's such a good baby :) I can't believe it's already been 3 weeks, time really does fly and before I know it she's going to be crawling around, or at least up all day rather than napping :)

Brooklyn Arrived January 3rd, 2010!

2010-01-20T13:12:00.004-05:00

Miss Brooklyn Amanda Young arrived January 3rd, 2010 at 7:36 a.m.

She weighed 7lbs. 10oz. and was 20.5 inches long!

Mom and Dad were both shocked at her being as big as she was, but I guess that's what happens when you cook for an extra week :) As you can see from above she was born with a head full of hair just like mommy and daddy.

I had the whole birth story on here but blogger lost it somehow. Any way, you all will just have to be happy with these photos for now because my baby is calling for me and Jordan is back at work so it's all me :)

3D of Baby Brooklyn, 28 weeks, 4 days!

2009-10-08T18:49:00.000-04:00

Week 27

2009-09-25T16:49:00.003-04:00

Thought I'd share my most recent photo of the belly :) I started the 3rd trimester this week, count down time!

I'm still feeling really well, can't complain. Hope everybody is doing well back home!!

Home

2009-08-26T17:38:00.003-04:00

We made it home from Oregon much smoother than heading out there thank goodness! We came home to a porch full of goodies which was exciting but between our luggage and all the boxes our house is a bit chaotic right now :)

The two big pieces, being the crib (thanks Don & Elaine!) and the changing table (thanks Jen, & Ramme's!) were there by Monday evening so last night we set up the crib! It went fairly well, Mav of course wanted to be right in the middle of the process but ended up passing out under the crib while we finished. My original placement of the crib is not quite looking right to me so I think after this weekend we are going to move it to the other wall, which means moving the bed too. For those of you who don't know we are making the spare bedroom into the nursery as well. Jordan has too big of a desk in the office to try and make it work for two spaces. Hopefully it will work alright. When we move in the winter/spring we may have to do some office downsizing or get a four bedroom house which just seems crazy!

We were reading in the pregnancy book and I can't believe that this week she's supposed to way 1 lb and be 8 inches long! No wonder my belly popped :) I've been very bad about taking photos of my belly but I'll try to get one soon.

The plan for this weekend is to get all our travel stuff put away and the spare bedroom/nursery cleaned up and put together. It's gonna keep us real busy but at least it will be fun!

It's a........

2009-08-07T16:34:00.001-04:00

GIRL!!!!

Her name will be...

*Brooklyn Young*

She was a bit modest but the ultrasound tech was willing to put her name on it that we will be having a little princess :)

We're both so very excited and can''t wait to see everybody soon!!!

First Ultrasound, 14 weeks

2009-07-01T17:21:00.003-04:00

This is our little ones profile!

Waving hi!!

Look at that cute little face :)

The ultrasound went really well. Everybody had told me to drink lots of water and to go in with a full bladder. So when the technician started all you saw was my bladder, she was like, "girl you need to go to the bathroom!" It was funny but I was so relieved cause I really had to pee! I think because of this the little one was wiggling around like crazy. It made me feel good to see it so mobile though. So my next appointment is at the end of the month, it will be around 18 weeks, they didn't schedule another ultrasound though so I'm not sure when we'll get to find out the sex hopefully soon!

Has it really been that long???

2009-06-15T17:57:00.003-04:00

So after Lindsey gave me a hard time about not updating this thing my jaw just about dropped when I saw that it has been since OCTOBER!!! Holy cow I'm lazy!! I think I'll have more to blog about now that I'm PREGNANT!!!!!!

That's all for now, dinner is almost done and I'm starving :) I'll work on the update soon!

Daily Word Count & 7 Random things about ME!

2008-10-15T18:24:00.005-04:00

1348

Here is my running total for today. As you can see it is about half of what I did the previous two days, but its better than nothing! So it bring my running total to:

8343

I'm starting to get a bit distracted so I'm going to take a break and watch some Project Runway :) Maybe I'll come back to it later.

1. I hate the thought of biting down on a dry toothbrush. It makes me cringe like nails on a chalkboard does for others.

2. I would love to do competitive ballroom dancing. I'm hoping that when we move to our next duty station that there is a good program near by.

3. I love the smell of coffee, but I do not love the taste. I'm trying to acquire the taste but it's definitely not at the love stage yet.

4. I really want to live in Europe, preferably Ireland. Just for a little bit :)

5. I really wish I could have a do-over with college. I wouldn't rush through it and I would probably be an English major.

6. My dream job would be a published writer, or an editor in the world of publishing.

7. I worry too much. I play the what-if game all the time and it really annoys Jordan :)

So it looks like I have a lot of things I WANT to do, don't know if that classifies as facts or not. I really had to think about this and I think I need to add some more unique things to my life, it's kind of a boring list. But hey, that's me! I encourage everybody to do this (Toni & Trav!). Have fun!!

Write Away!!

2008-10-13T16:32:00.002-04:00

So just wanted to put my good news out there. I have spent the past two days writing, yes actually writing. But the good news is that my word count is.... drum roll please...

6,995!

I think I will post my running total each day. I know it won't be anything too exciting for most of you, but it makes it to were I feel a little more accountable to others. Yes I am patting myself on the back!

Hope everybody is having a great Monday!

I need my own space!

2008-10-12T15:28:00.004-04:00

While Jordan has his own lovely office I've been left too find my own "special" place to work. For a while I was using our dining room table but today I got so frustrated! I mean come on, the dining room table? That's where we are supposed to eat, not where I'm supposed to get inspired and spend my time writing away! So today I've opted for the floor in the living room. I actually like working on the floor best, but as you can see it's kinda tacky and Maverick thinks he needs to help and ends up trying to lay on my laptop because it's in my lap and that's exactly where he thinks he should be. Ugh! I just want my own space so I can focus on nothing but writing!!

Now wouldn't this be nice!

Ok so maybe I'm dreaming a little bit here but honestly I need something or I might just never finish a story! This is really what I need, just something for me to work at.

Ok I'll be done complaining... for now.

You have to see this!

2008-10-10T11:30:00.002-04:00

Ok so while I should be updating y'all on my amazing trip home I have to put that on hold for now. As most of you know I am obsessed with the Twilight Saga (thanks Jenny!) and when I heard that they were making a movie I could hardly wait. Well they have just recently released a NEW trailer for the movie and its amazing. I encourage all Twilight fans to check it out!!

http://www.myspace.com/trailerpark

See y'all soon!

2008-09-26T15:49:00.002-04:00

Can't wait to see everybody!!!

Hey maybe I'll even see this stranger :)

I'll be there in one week!! Can't wait to see Jamie get married and spend time with the rest of my girls :) It's been WAY to long!

Something to Ponder

2008-09-17T15:54:00.002-04:00

So this is day 3 of being unemployed and don't worry, I'm quickly getting myself into a routine, wake up and have a cup of coffee (can you believe I'm actually drinking the stuff now!), do some internet browsing while watching the national news, shower for the day, and then I clean house, read, write, grocery shop at some point during the week, and maybe some more internet browsing.

I am quite happy about my reading and writing being back on my schedule, but seriously, I waste SO much time on the internet! I'm addicted what can I say. It was really nice when everybody was visiting because I actually stayed away from my computer. Come to think of it, I think I need to make a rule for myself. Lets see... um.... ok so maybe I need your help, how do you get rid of your obsessive bad habits people! I know if I turned my computer off it would make it much less appealing but then I can't do my writing. I don't know, maybe somebody will have a better idea.

Today I went to the Commissary (the grocery store on base) I had to go yesterday but it was the first day open after payday so that was a definite no no. So I thought today would be a little better, boy was I wrong! I had no idea the case lot sale was going on. There were SO many people there, many with at least two carts full of groceries! What normally takes me 45 minutes, took me 1.5 hours because the checkout line wrapped around the entire store!! Then I went back into town with my friend Alyssa, the two of us went to lunch and gossiped about the boys :) So while I didn't clean the kitchen I did get the groceries... good thing I have tomorrow.

Alright, I need to stop wasting time and get to my writing, I will not get on the internet again until Jordan gets home (wink, wink). Don't forget to give me suggestions!!!

I cut my hair!

2008-09-16T14:55:00.005-04:00

So yes there has been lots going on lately and sure I could fill you in on all that, but I'm just too excited.... I chopped off my long hair! It was down to the middle of my back but I have wanted to cut it for months. I told my mom I wouldn't until after she visited. Well two weeks later, here it is.

We've had a very busy summer, time has flown by way too fast. The first week of September was when all our guests from Oregon came to visit and I went to my first Nascar race. It was so hot but definitely a neat experience. I recently quit my job as a nanny and I'm waiting to get a job on base. It will be a much better position for me in the long run, so keep your fingers crossed! So in the meantime I'm spending my time at home with Maverick and plan on doing lots of reading and writing :)

Here are some pictures from our amazing summer in North Carolina!

We planted flower beds and boy was that a lot of hard work! We had to dig up all the grass which totally sucked. I told Jordan that I would not be helping him outside, EVER again! But it turned out pretty.

We of course spent a lot of time being silly and going to the bars with the gang.

This is me with the little man I was a nanny for. His name is Carson and he is going to be a big boy, he's not even 2 yet and weighs 40lbs! I miss him lots already but hopefully I will keep in touch like I have with the triplets.

My mom was here for 4 days and we had a nice time together, though I was sad when she had to leave :( But the following weekend we went to the Richmond International Speedway.

So there is the very quick catchup on our lives. I promise to try harder at updating this thing :)

Portland, I mean Asheville NC

2008-07-07T21:06:00.003-04:00

So yes I know, I'm not doing such a great job at posting more frequently. The result tends to be a long message so maybe one of these days I will get the hang of it. Jordan and I chose to spend our 2nd Anniversary in Asheville NC. This is in western NC and let me tell you, we felt like we were back home! It was really nice, it was our first trip that wasn't Military related. Getting away from life for the first time in quite a while was fun. We stayed at a very rustic cabin where Maverick could stay and went hiking Chimney Rock, and a day at the amazing Biltmore Mansion. Blogger isn't liking my photos at the moment so I will try again tomorrow.

Now we are back to work, yes we. I got the full time Nanny position working for a very nice family. I watch their 20 month old son about 45hrs a week and will occasionally watch him over the weekend. He's sweet, and pretty well behaved. Well I'll keep it short and leave more goodies for you tomorrow :)

Sleepy...

2008-06-15T10:32:00.002-04:00

Lately I have been so very sleepy! I don't know why, I mean its not like I do much during the week, but I would rather be sleepy all the time than restless.

This weekend started Thursday night with a girls night! We all met up at Kathryn's Martini Bar & Bistro for dinner and then went to see Sex and The City. It was a lot of fun and we hope to start having girls nights more often. Friday night all of us (12 people) met up at Icehouse and had a fabulous dinner on their deck. The restaurant is right on the water so it was perfect! After dinner we went to a local bar were 2 guys they worked with were playing acoustic. We all had a great time socializing and listening to great music. Saturday was a relaxing day all to ourselves. Jordan worked on homework, then we had a late lunch, early dinner, stopped at the bookstore, and then enjoy nachos and a movie :) We watched The Terminal, it was a cute movie. Now it is Sunday and Jordan has been very productive with school work and I was lazy sleeping in :)

I interviewed for an awesome full time nanny position on Thursday and I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I get the job! I've only met the mother, but she was so nice and I really think I would fit in with them very well. They are the modern day Brady Bunch :) They have 8 kids!!! I would only be watching their 20 month old son though. They love to travel and who can complain about that! This is exactly the type of job I want if I'm going to go back to working full time. As most of you know, I love being around kids! We've been playing phone tag trying to set up a second interview where I can meet her husband and son. I'll keep everybody posted!

Now it's time for me to get into gear! I have a messy house and laundry to do :)

Happy Fathers Day to all those Fathers out there!!!

Daily Post

2008-06-10T15:40:00.003-04:00

So I decided that I really need to increase my postings on this page, I mean I like to write yet I never make the time to put my words down for the rest of the world to read!

Speaking of writing, people are increasingly becoming aware that I spend my afternoons writing (when I'm not wasting time on the internet) which then leads to many questions about what I'm writing. When I hear that question my heart instantly begins to race and I begin to stumble over my words. I have heard others say that this would be how I would react to such a question but I didn't realize how true that was! The truth of the matter is, I don't really know how to answer, only because I don't yet have an answer. It's too soon to classify my work, so to all of you supporters I promise to give you more information when I have the answer. But for now, I am working on a story and we will see how it goes! I've written over 5,000 words already but it is all planning work.

Jordan's school work has 100% taken over his life, therefore mine as well. He gets home from work, eats dinner, and then takes over the dining room table until bedtime. So I am then restricted to reading or internet browsing as the TV is too distracting. I'm trying to be a good little wife and not complain, but let me tell ya... it's gonna be a long 7 more weeks! It's gotten so bad that we now have no weekend. Since he has so much vacation time stocked up he is going to take the next 7 Fridays off and spend all day doing his school work. Hopefully that will at least free up his weekends so we can go back to having some fun.

I'll leave you with a photo from my play date with Dee and the boys!

Our Weekend...

2008-06-02T11:38:00.002-04:00

With all the fun we've been having the last couple weekends Jordan had to buckle down and get caught up on his Masters classes. He spent practically the entire weekend at our dining room table, books and papers spread out, plugging numbers. Since he chose the dining room I was left to spend my weekend without television. So I took up my handy work station (there is no room for me at Jordan's actual desk so I have taken over our over sized chair). I did a little reading, writing, and internet browsing. What an exciting weekend huh?

I guess its been a while since I last posted. Our BBQ was a success, everybody showed up and we all ate and played games until about 9:30. The next weekend, Memorial weekend, was a Wetting Down party, held at a beach house in Emerald Isle. At first the weather threatened to ruin all the plans, but by 1pm on Saturday the sun prevailed! We had a great time playing beach volleyball, bocce, frizbee, and just having a good time :)

So you can see how Jordan got behind with his school work.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Dance, dance, dance!

2008-05-09T14:58:00.004-04:00

Hello Ballroom dancing...

See ya later square dancing!

So what is this all about you might ask? Well you see, I've always loved dancing. Since I was little I was hooked :) My grandfather was a square dance caller so naturally I wanted to learn. In elementary school I was out there on the dance floor with the best of them, and I loved it! Life got busy in High School and I no longer wanted to spend my free time with the grandparents, rude I know. Anyhow... So I stopped dancing and boy do I miss it. But now I'm addicted to ballroom dancing, I want to learn SOOOOO bad! So I put Jordan and I on a waiting list for classes this summer, I've been working out to Fitness with the pros, a ballroom workout DVD, and I recently bought a dance lesson DVD for Jordan and I to learn at home! Poor Jordan, he has to suffer at my expense, but I love him even more for it! I'm hoping our next Base is in a bit larger of a metropolitan area so I can take real lessons :) I told Jordan I would love to be able to compete at least once in my life, so I am going to work real hard! Go ahead and laugh, but I love dancing so I don't really care. Of course, Jordan is not into it like me so I don't think he will be wanting to compete but I'm sure I will find a dance partner ;) So call me the obsessed ballroom lunatic!!!

Now let me bring myself back to reality... Ok I'm here. This weekend Andy will be staying with us and I'm excited for him to come to Camp Lejeune! He's a lot of fun and Jordan and I look forward to hanging out with him :) We miss his CECOS crew so having Andy here will help. We are having a BBQ tomorrow with the other J.O.'s, it should be lots of fun, don't worry I will take pictures :) I'm back to writing again, my new years resolution was to finish a book so I better get going or else I might fail! I'm not finishing the other one I had started, its too much about me, so this time I'm digging deep and bringing my creative mind back from the dead and hope to get more excited about this one. I will let you all know more about it soon!

Happy Mother's Day to all those moms out there!! Moms are the best and everybody better take a little time out of their day to let them know it :) To my momma...

I love you so much! You have the kindest heart I've ever seen, sometimes too kind but that's what makes you you! I think life has yet to give you just what you deserve and I believe with my whole heart that when you get it you will see just how amazing life can be. I recently read this in the Bible: Pain with a purpose. God makes it clear that this pain is not arbitrary and purposeless. Like childbirth, it will lead to something happy and good. "as a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you" (Isiah 66:13). Just remember that when you are feeling low, life will turn around for the better, you just have to have faith.

and to my mother-in-law...

Just like my mother I love you so much! You have embraced me as one of your own, with a love that is so deep in faith. People say that we have the same mannerisms... I've never met a woman so strong in herself, faith, and family. There's always this sense of peace around you that calms me. Whenever I would come over to your house I always felt slightly more relaxed, like once I was inside your doors I was safe.

I'm so thankful to have both my mother's in my life, each one balances each other perfectly. I look to you both as role models as women, and mothers. So Happy Mother's Day!!

The count down begins

2008-04-21T18:22:00.002-04:00

Hola!! That's me speaking Spanish :) I've decided to give the second language thing a try again, hopefully I will do a better job at it this time around. So Jordan is going to be home in.... 6 DAYS!!!! I can hardly stand it. Last week I saw a truck just like his and I got all giddy, of course I then scolded myself for being so silly! I think every couple should have time apart like this, well ok maybe not three months. This time apart always makes me appreciate him even more and anticipating the arrival is fun as well. I keep romanticizing his arrival... he pulls up in his truck and I run out the door to give him a big hug and Groodinees (that's Maverick pronounced Grew-d-knees) is just as excited. I'll stop there at my fantasy but needless to say I can't wait.

Upon his arrival we have decided to make some life style changes compared to before he left. (1) We plan on seeing as much of NC as we possibly can, therefore we will be spending little time being bums on our couch. (2) we have decided on our new hobbies, Jordan will be taking up Kite Surfing & working on his Master Degree, and I will be learning Spanish & Ballroom Dancing (which he has to partake in as well). (3) We both have established workout routines and will stay on track with those. (4) We are trying to go GREEN so grocery shopping will become more about fresh food than the icky yet sometimes yummy and often easier processed foods! And get ready for this one (5) we will be eliminating weekday TV watching!!! Don't worry we will be DVRing our favorites and watching them when we have a chance, allowing for a few hours on the weekends. In general we just want to make the most of our time here on earth and these all seem to be steps in the right direction :)

So I basically have 6 days left to watch TV all day long, eat lots of junk food and just be a bum on the couch :)

Oh and by the way... don't be alarmed when you start to see my hair curly in pictures, this humidity makes it impossible to wear straight!

We will be having our first house guest in less than a month so I'm getting all excited and will be putting the spare bedroom together. Right now it looks like we are a pair of college kids that just threw things together to make another room.. wait that is what it is! So I have decided to get it all dolled up and lookin good for Winkler, I'll be sure to take before and after pics of it!

Buenas Noches!!

Happy Birthday... TO ME!

2008-04-11T13:30:00.004-04:00

So in less than 24 hours I will be 23! It's crazy how fast this last year has went by, here are some of my highlights:

- Jordan Graduated from OSU

- Our first anniversary was celebrated w/a trip to the airport as Jordan left for OCS, and that very same day our best friends, Toni and Travis got married

- Packed my bags and drove to Pensacola with Courtney to spend the last month w/Jordan at OCS, little did I know we would be making that drive 3 more times in the next 6 months!

- Missed 2 of my closest friends weddings because I was in Florida :( Congrats Jenny & Kyle Tegner, and Courtney & Mike Jasckson!!!!!!!

- Found out we were going to Camp Lejuene, North Carolina

- Bought our first house!!!

- For the first time ever we spent Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Years away from friends and family

- Jordan headed out west for CECOS, leaving me with the dog for 3 months

-Went out to California for Jordan's birthday and the Seabee Ball

And ta-da we are now at the end of a year full of many memories. I think this might have been one of my most life changing years so far!

Thank you all for the nice cards and messages, I appreciate it a lot! Hopefully this will be my first and last birthday spent alone, but I plan on adding it to my memory wall :) Hugs and Kisses to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wake Up!!!

2008-04-03T18:36:00.002-04:00

Hello again :)

I got back to North Carolina yesterday and I'm stuck on California time, staying up until 2am and waking up at 12:30!! This doesn't help my motivation to be productive during the day. So I've decided to take a sleeping aide tonight to go to bed at a decent time and try and get back into a decent schedule. My hopes are that I get a lot more done in my days. We shall see.

Jordan has gotten himself back into a strict fitness regime, I'm hoping at least a fraction of that has rubbed off on me during my stay. He's lookin good, I can no longer say he is caring our child :) No he didn't really have that big of a belly but when he sticks it out it sure looks like he is 6 months prego, ha ha. He is really into Crossfit and wants me to join him, but after looking at the women who participate I don't really want to. These woman have HUGE muscles!!! I told him I'm lookin to tone my body not look like I could beat him up! Anywho, I'm jumping back onto the fitness bandwagon and hopefully I stick to it this time.

Jordan only has another 2.5 weeks left of class and then he will begin his voyage home. He is stopping in Eugene first to get the Camaro so if you wanna see him he should be there for about 4 days, arriving on April 19th. He hopes to get here on the 28th, I'm really hoping that works out. Then a couple weeks later we will be having our first ever house guest! Winkler, a guy from Jordan's OCS and CECOS class will be joining us in Camp Lejeune and he plans on staying with us for a few weeks until he gets to know the rest of the guys.

While I'm excited to have a house guest, I wish is was someone from back home!!! I miss you all and I am very sad that I won't get to see you all when Jordan is there :(

Seabee Ball

2008-03-24T17:50:00.005-04:00

Hey! So here are a few pictures from some of my time out here in California so far. I got here on Wednesday and we have been busy socializing the entire time. The Seabee ball was on Saturday, it was held at the Reagan Library and it was amazing. The library was awesome and the ball was very good, it was a great time.

This first picture is of a real Air Force One Plane inside the library, the entire plane is there and you can walk through it! We never quite made it up there but Lora and I really wanted to :(

Don't we look great! Ha ha, no really though we had a blast and I LOVED my dress :)

The next day, Easter Sunday, we went hiking and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach, it was in the eighties and as you can see the sky was as clear as can be. What a beautiful view huh?!
I'll be sure and post some more pictures when I get back home :) Loves Rissa

Spring Fever

2008-03-11T13:38:00.004-04:00

So it's been a while since I've left some love on here for y'all so let me catch everyone up! My trip to visit Jordan was great I enjoyed seeing him and hanging out with Seth & Lora. It was over just like that and I was back in North Carolina.

We threw a going away/cocktail party so the day I got back Elisha and I were cooking Queens! The party was a huge success, almost everyone was in attendance :) I'll throw in a couple pics for ya:

These are all the J.O's that helped Elisha and I with the party (minus Jordan)

The Hostess with the Mostess and Me!

So that was a blast and since then I haven't really been up to much. We all are getting together this weekend though so that should be fun. I'm also going out for one more trip to see Jordan! I will be there 2 weeks :) I wasn't planning on being there that long but the difference in ticket prices was huge! So I will get to see him and since it happens to be Spring Break week in Oregon Shan's coming down to see us!! So I get to see my lil sis!

I'm lucky that Dee & Bruce were totally cool about me going and seeing him, so it all works out. Okie dokie that's it for now, Love Y'all!!!

Triplet Duty!

2008-02-13T19:42:00.005-05:00

Hey y'all!! Hello from North Carolina again :) I took my camera with me when I went to watch the boys today, boy is it difficult to get all three to look at the camera at the same time and stay in one spot! Trying to get them all to smile was just a bit too much but I did my best. I plan on bringing the camera with me most of the time to capture some good moments.

This is Brendon, Brett, and Bradley!

(from left to right)

These two are the identical ones, if they only looked this different from each other all the time I might actually be able to tell who is who :) Bradley, (red pants) is the daddies boy and tends to throw a small fit when his parents leave, and Brenden likes to grunt lately, Dee and Bruce say he sounds like a baby dinosaur!

And this is Brett, he's the chunky one of the bunch, but he loves to sit on my lap. He was the leader of the pack the first day I was there, making all the first moves and then his brothers would follow.

I love watching them, they keep me busy and they truly aren't that wild. I've just been watching them about 12 hours a week but hopefully that will increase a bit now that Dee got a job here and Bruce starts on base soon.

On a personal note, I plan on visiting Jordan February 22 - 27 so I will get to see him for his birthday!

I took Maverick to the vet and again he was horrible, something about this vet he gets SO excited when he sees others dogs there. He barks and bucks like a horse, he is relentless and won't stop until the dogs leave. And forget trying to leave the place, it was a tug-a-war and in the process the leash broke my skin on my hand and I started bleeding, so I had to pick him up to get him into the Envoy. I swore to Jordan that was the last time I take him there by myself and then I get a message from Elaine informing me that he needs shots next month! Ugh!!! That dog sometimes, I swear!

I've begun a workout routine... again. I'm not letting myself quit this time! I'm running with Maverick 3 days a weeks and on the other days I'm walking him and doing strength training at home. I'm only 2 days in and I'm SORE!! :)

That's it for now, stay tuned :)

Our Home

2008-02-05T19:06:00.000-05:00

Come on In :)

Ok so here are the photos of our lovely home :) I didn't have any pictures of the spare room, but have since put it all together. So besides that room you will get the picture. We painted the entire house except the kitchen (we ran out of paint). When Jordan gets home we plan on updating the kitchen, we want to tile a backsplash. Our walls are a little bare but we go for a more simple approach. While I'm sure I will be adding to the decor, at the moment we are both very pleased.

My First Post!

2008-02-01T21:06:00.000-05:00

Ok so here is my first ever blog post! This is mainly for the older generations of my family that want to stay connected with Jordan and I while we are away. Its kinda funny when I say I just got home from VISITING Oregon. That was home for 22 years and its strange for it to now be a place I visit. We had a blast, we felt very busy and time wasn't ours at all. Before we knew it, it was time for Jordan to head to California and me to head back to North Carolina.

Since being home I've spent a lot of time cuddling with Maverick which he loves :) I had my first day watching the triplets, it actually went better than I expected. They are really adorable, but they definitely keep me busy while I'm there. Their parents are great, I think I will be forming a really good relationship with them. So that's what my life will be the next 3 months, Maverick, Brett, Brenden, and Bradley (lots of men in my life!)

Jordan is busy in school, it's only his first week so they are making things fairly tight to start out. He is anxious for his field week where he will get to play super Seabee man for 4 days in the wilderness.

I don't have the photos of the house on this computer so I will have to figure out how I will post those for y'all to see soon, but for now I leave you with a few photos of me and Mav :)