Yep, it's been awhile...

*Warning- This is kind of a long post... but you won't be disappointed if you make it all the way to the end... or you could just skip to the end if you wanted.*

So, I always say that I want to be better at keeping up with my blog- and I always find something else to do instead or I just forget. I'm not a very good blogger and though I've failed multiple times- I will keep my intentions to be better.

That being said, there is soooo much to update on. However, I will just start with this weekend, since that's what has happened most recently- hopefully, I'll be able to get the other updates soon....

So this week, I decided to get a haircut. Kristen had a coupon for 50% off that she gave me and I made an appointment for Saturday morning at 10. I was really excited about it, though a little nervous, because the last couple of times that I've had my hair cut were ultimate fails. However, I don't know if it's the stage of pregnancy that I am in or what, but when I went in there, I decided that I didn't really care all that much what she did with it. I have had this feeling of nonchalance lately... you know, not really caring too much about a lot of little things. I knew that if my hair didn't turn out okay, that it would eventually grow back. People asked what foods I wanted for my baby shower- well, I really didn't mind what there was. I was just grateful that someone (and several someones) threw me one (or more). I haven't cared about my grades in my classes, so long as I passed with B's- so that I could graduate. (Which I did by the way.... not graduate, but passed my classes at VCU with B's (and one A). I have cared about getting things packed up in the diaper bag and in my bag for the birthing center and getting my house in order and other more important things... but those little things- I just haven't cared about.

But... I digress.

Back to the hair cut. My hairstylist decided after looking at my hair, that I should do something different rather than just have it cut straight across- so she said that she thought that it would be good to give me some angling at the face to create "movement". I said sure, whatever you think will look good (though she did suggest layers before then and I was a little more apprehensive about that because I had layers once before and they didn't really turn out all that great.

So, she snipped and snipped away.... and we talked about babies, and pregnancy and labor and delivery (probably in the reverse order)... and she snipped some more. Finally, she was done, handed the me the mirror, turned me around so I could see the back of my hair. She asked me what I thought. I told her that so far so good... and we'll see what it looks like once it's dry. It's always so hard to tell when it's still wet. She thanked me, told me she'd see me in 6 to 8 weeks (yeah, we'll see... I'm not used to getting my hair cut that frequently and I will have just had a baby) and I paid.

I went home and got my hair wet since it had started to dry and was pretty frizzy... put my own product in it, what my hair was used to and Jeff and I got ready to head to good ole Buena Vista. The GPS took us a different way this time and we decided to head that way- it was nice not driving along the highway. We listened to some kid music and then I found an old CD from the end of my freshman year in college- The Songs of C3.... any old C3PO-ans remember that CD, so old, oh those songs. Mine was called "Catch".... it was perfect.

We finally made it to BV and decided to visit with Carolena and Jonathan. I hadn't seen them in forever! In fact, I had never even met her little girl who will be two in Sept. So it was a nice, albeit short visit. We then headed over the Pences. It's always good to see them. They were all making good use of their time together as a family. I love that about their family- that they all work together to get a job done.

Then, it was time to go meet Brinn to get our maternity pictures done- the whole reason we headed to BV in the first place. We got there and Brinn wasn't home yet... but we only had to wait a few minutes before she arrived. We just sat on the porch for a little while enjoying the breeze.

I fixed my hair (I did my makeup at the Pences) and we headed out to an old building by the railroad tracks. Brinn had us start by having Jeff stand behind me, me placing my hands on my belly and Jeff placing his hands on mine. And then it all started. We had a blast- I hope Brinn did, too. There was tons of laughter... Jeff and I aren't used to displaying affection publicly... especially me. I am just so uncomfortable with it- but I laugh often when I am uncomfortable, so it worked in my favor and of course, Jeff was just eating it up. He loved it. And, really, I definitely came out of my shell, too and it was fun. We told Brinn how we had met and started dating and it was just like being out with a good friend who happened to have a camera. She made it feel super comfortable. Though there were definitely some awkward moments- like she wanted some kissing shots... it really wasn't that bad. She and Jeff were able to put me at ease some and it felt more comfortable as time went on. We moved on to a couple more locations within that same area, took more shots, laughed tons and then headed back to her place to change and take more shots. She asked me if I wanted a bare belly shot. I had decided a long time ago that I did not want any pictures of my bare belly... but Jeff really wanted one and so did my sister, Ashley... so I decided that if it was just my belly, it would be okay. Plus, I probably definitely wouldn't want one during my second pregnancy, when I am sure my belly will display more of the "badge of motherhood".

Okay, so we got to her house, changed and headed outside. We started out by a tree in her front yard. Then we headed out to her backyard. She's got a field of tall grass out there and asked us to walk through it and we'd take some pictures out there... there was some concern that snakes would be out there and so Jeff said that as long as they don't feel threatened by us sneaking up on them, we should be fine... so what does Brinn do as she's walking through? She starts saying things like, "Hey snakes! We're coming!!" or "Snakes, we're not sneaking up on you"... then she starts making hissing sounds. That's when I got nervous. I reminded her that it was mating season and perhaps she shouldn't hiss. So, then she said a little prayer that we'd make through okay.

She had us lay down in the tall grass so that she could get some shots of us on the ground. She was surprised at how well we obliged and just did as she asked. We had ultimate trust in her. Afterall, she's the photographer and if she sees something, we'd accept. At least, that's how I felt. I guess I can't really speak for Jeff.

We took lots of pictures laying down in the grass, standing in the tall grass and walking in the tall grass. And then we made it out safely. We took a few more pictures and called it a day.

It was a long day for Jeff and me... but it was sooo fun! We really did have a blast hanging out together.

Okay, so I know this is a long post with no pictures, but please, before you go, check out the pictures on my friend, Brinn's blog (they were up when we got home last night- amazing)... and if you like them, you should let her know :) I personally think she did a great job!- and that's just the sneak peak!! I can't wait to see the others.

Again, I know I say this often, but I really will try to update more later (see... "later" is a good word... later could be anytime really.)

Let me know what you think! :)

P.S. Later in the day, I asked Jeff if he liked my haircut... he said he couldn't tell.

http://bmwphotographyblog.blogspot.com/2011/05/jeff-deanna-maternity-buena-vista-va.html

{BMW} Photography

Early Easter Linner

I know I still need to write about our fabulous trip to Las Vegas... and I will, but I think that will take longer so I'm gonna post about today first instead.

This morning Jeff got up at 6:30 so that he could get the car looked at... apparently it needed a brake flush or something. I got up at 7 to work on a paper (which though I've made some headway, is still not finished- this semester is killing me). I worked on the paper for a couple of hours and then it was time to get cooking. We were hosting an Easter lunch/dinner at our house. See, Easter is the first holiday that Jeff and I celebrated together as a married couple- it was the day after we got married. And we go to our families' homes for all of the other major holidays, so I thought it would be great if Easter could be our holiday. We decided to celebrate today and to do an early celebration due to a wedding reception we attended this evening (the same friends that we celebrated with in Las Vegas).

I prepared a ham. The ham was supposed to cook for two hours- instead it took about 4 hours. I also prepared some yummy, and I mean, yummy oven roasted red potatoes. I found a recipe online that looked really tasty and easy and decided to go for it. I then prepared fresh asparagus- baked with garlic, olive oil and spring onions. They were also delicious. Finally, I made a beautiful and colorful fruit salad (with the help of Jeff's mom- she helped me cut up some fruit- especially after I cut up my finger).

The meal was fabulous!! Everyone seemed to really enjoy everything that I made and I enjoyed it myself- usually I am pretty critical of my own cooking- I do love to cook though, and bake- I just don't have time to do it very much. Hopefully, one day, I'll have more time. Jeff's parents brought crescent rolls and cheesecake, my grandparents brought dinner rolls and eggs (their own eggs- not for dinner but for our refrigerator) and my mom brought pineapple upside down cake and green bean casserole. Unfortunately, not all of my siblings were able to come because they were either not feeling great, had to work or had other things going on... so Sarah was the only sibling there. Though I wished the others were able to come, it was still an enjoyable time with excellent food and wonderful company. I love, love, love being around my family.

Now on to make your mouth water:

The ham was cooked to perfection.

These are the yummy potatoes. They really were very good. They are roasted with butter, lemon juice, salt, fresh minced garlic and shredded parmesan cheese.

Asparagus- I knew nothing about how to make asparagus. In fact, I never really enjoyed it before. But, I found a recipe for it that sounded good and I thought I'd try it out. I think it turned out nicely. I enjoyed it.

Delicious fruit salad. I love how pretty it looks with all of the different colors.

Here's the spread on the table together... most of it anyway.

Tomorrow, we will celebrate Easter by going to church and then enjoying lunch/dinner with more family and friends. I am looking forward to it. Happy Easter!

P.S. It's a tradition to listen/read/watch this talk every year on Easter. If you have time, it is definitely worth it. Enjoy! (Click the above link "this talk"... just in case)

The nursery

Recently, I made this for dinner:

Doesn't it look sooo yummy? It was. If I had all of the ingredients, I'd make it tonight. Ah well. Oh and I was so proud of Jeff- he at least ate some of the peppers in his fajita.

That was random, I know- anyway- now for the non-edible good stuff.

So, Jeff and I have done some more work on our nursery since last I've written. It is so fun to see it coming all together! I can't wait for the wee one to join our little family. I am so excited that I get to be a mom. Sometimes, like yesterday, I think about how in just a few more short months (11 weeks) my life will be forever changed. I will be someone's mom. It's kind of an overwhelming and humbling thought. Jeff and I are being entrusted with one of Heavenly Father's children. :)

Okay, so here are some pictures of the nursery. Tell me what you think! And if there are any suggestions, I am open.

Here's our baby's name. Kristen came over one night and helped me make these letters for his name. We modpodged scrapbook paper to the letters- I know the "B" kinda stands out a lot.

Here's the name from the front. :) (In case you can't tell it's polka dots and stripes).

Here is the bedding we ended up going with. I really love the little animals.

We added a tree (it's a wall decal). There are some white sheer curtains that have leaves on it to match that I really want to get, too, for the room. But I will wait until closer to when he's due.

Here is the little bookshelf/ cube organizer thingy. Do you think those cubbies look okay? Should I get another one for the top center- or do you think that's fine?

And the bookshelf and tree together. It was Jeff's idea to put the tree in the corner like that. I love it!

I also covered some small canvases with scrapbook paper as wall decorations. I kind of messed up the bottom one a little- but it doesn't look too bad on the wall. What do you think?

And here's the baby's dresser. We will get a changing bad to go on top of the dresser for a changing table.

(In His Constant Care- Simon Dewey)

I also love this painting so we ordered a print. Once we get it framed, I think we'll hang it above the changing table/dresser maybe? There is also nothing on the wall where the tree is (besides part of the tree) so we could put it there. But Jeff also really likes this painting- which we haven't ordered yet:

(Take My Hand- Greg Olsen)

And, as our beloved prophet suggested last weekend at General Conference, we want to get a picture of the temple to put in there- we'll probably just get a print to put on the bookshelf.

There are a lot of other things I want to update on, but time hasn't allowed for it lately. I've been really busy with school and work these past couple of days. I'm finding it more and more challenging to keep my head above water. However, this shall pass soon! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I just have to make it through mid-May when school is over. In the meantime, I keep plugging along. Spring break is next week and we're headed to Las Vegas! I'm soo excited- and before I know it, May will be here.

Happy Sabbath!