Photos, Christmas, and new beginings

Well first thing is first. So remember how I was STRESSING so much about this wedding I had to photograph the other weekend ago. Well, it came and went and I havent even blogged about it. I have to say first off, the wedding was AWESOME!! My good friend Jenni and her lovely new husband "E" (his name is a little hard to pronounce so he goes by E) were as gorgeous and darling as ever as they tied the knot. Everyone was dapper and sparkling and there were lots of lit Christmas trees, awesome African inspired food, dancing, AMAZING African wedding garb and the most adorable little kids around. We had a lot of fun. However, my fears did come true. I was SO nervous that the lighting was going to be horrible and the pictures would therefore suffer immensely and it happened. I could salvage them a little and get some good shots but the quality of the actual image is not the best and for this it makes my heart break. I am so nervous that she is going to be upset with them and forever remember her big day as grainy and low quality when she looks at these pictures. But unless I rented studio lighting and all this fancy equipment to help out with the lighting, I think this was as good as it would have gotten. Honestly, there wasnt anything else I could have done. But I still kick myself for it. But here is a little view of the "better" ones that were taken .

First the wonderful cake made my by old roommate Brittany, she is the Martha Stewart of Utah

The first moment together as they venture on their new lives. I loved the look on E's face

A little moment of the bride getting ready

A shot outside, it was FREEZING and windy

This one is my fave. The look on Jenni's face is priceless!


The grooms sister and niece, aren't they GORGEOUS!

As for my next item of business. Christmas! We had a great Christmas season. It came and went faster than ever this year I swear. We went to the Kings and enjoyed the great traditions and family time that we had. My in-laws, I cant remember who actually, got the Wii game Wipeout, SO FUN!! We love this t.v. show and the game is hilarious, if you have a Wii we recommend it. Also Just Dance 2 was a blast as well. We all got matching pj's and this years theme was Moose. I will have to get Catherine to send me some pics of us, especially Lucy, she was adorable and her pj's were so funny! She got a mini Kitchen thing from G&G King and she LOVES it, that was a major hit. Oh AND I finally got a pair of boots!!! Here is a picture of them, in brown. They are even cuter in real life.
http://www.dsw.com/shoe/bare+traps+trystine+boot?prodId=207536&cm_mmc=GPS-_-all-_-BareTraps-_-207536&mr:trackingCode=9968A0FD-A99C-DF11-904F-002219319097&mr:referralID=NA

So all in all we had a great holiday and I CANNOT believe the New Year is basically here. I complain about the time moving so fast that Tyler always tells me "your going to be fifty and not even enjoy the years you have had because your so worried that the time is going to fast". Which is true, BUT IT IS!! I cant handle it. My baby is almost 1 whole year old!! This just simply will not do! I am bracing myself for that day so i dont have a total meltdown.

Which reminds me, so Tyler and I have found ourselves on a path this year that has lead us down so many twists and turns, forks and T's and in and out of the woods and traffic more than our whole lives combined. We have now come to the conclusion that more school is in the cards for us. Everything we have come up with, every career option, life goals, you name it, all seems to be pointing toward more schooling. As much as Tyler is so nervous for doing this, we have decided to apply to Grad school for next fall. We are a little gun shy as the last debacle over this didnt quite pan out the way we had imagined and were denied to ALL 5 grad schools all in the most stressful and difficult week of ours lives. But we feel really good about this direction and the "current" path we are on. He has decided that the sports world is where we need to be and that is what he loves most. So Sports Communication is what he will get his Master's in. We are so far applying to Weber, SUU, Utah, U of Denver, and ASU so keep your fingers crossed for us, we need it desperately!

Lucy Lu

Well its been a bit since I have put any pictures in here of Lucy, well good ones anyway. On Sunday Ty and I decided that it is hi-time we get some good pictures of Lucy before she is in college. So we headed over to the Riverwoods before church and snapped a few photos of our cutie-pie. Here is a bunch of our fav's.
So this coming Saturday I have a wedding to shoot. I am pretty nervous. Well, really really nervous actually. I am doing the whole she-bang, the ceremony, after ceremony pics, dancing, cake cutting, everything. I am so nervous. If I mess up, they will never get this moment back. My pictures are all they have to remember this blissful event. Oh boy. I think I will need a few prayers.

I need help AGAIN!!

Ok thank you all for your thoughts on my dilemma on skinny jeans and boots. Well I have a new dilemma. This doesnt have to do with fashion though. So my family drew names for Christmas just like always except this year we changed it up a little. Instead of each person (spouses included) drawing out a name we did it as families this time. Great idea, because instead of spending $90+ on presents for two adults and one kid, we only spend $50 on the whole family. So here is my problem. I drew my eldest, or I shall say most wise sister and her family. Love my sis, love the fam, but what on this earth do I get them?!! She is just recently married and now they have a mixed family. The kids range from 10-23 and none of them really like the same things and there are a total of 7 people that I have to think about. I NEED IDEAS!!! PA-LEASE

In other news, Lucy is dangerously close to crawling, dangerously! Im nervous because now she will be into everything! But excited because a new stage is always exciting. Also my dreams have finally come true and we can now do Lucy's room! I cannot WAIT!! I have been waiting for this since before I was pregnant. Anytime I can decorate or dream about decorating is like a big breath of fresh air in a floral shop, but outside, maybe in the mountains on a beautiful spring day, just after it rains. Literally. I just refinished her changing table, found it on KSL for $25. And I we are currently looking at paint samples and deciding on a style. Dont your worry yourselves, pictures will come!

Problem solved

So I did it. I took the plunge and bought my first pair of skinny jeans. And you know what? I LOVE THEM! I am definitely going to by more. I think the key is you have to try and try and try them on, a bunch of kinds, you cant just settle on trying on one pair. I know my tush doesnt just fit into any pair of jeans its the hardest part of shopping in my opinion I have to try on a bunch of brands and cuts so I took that philosophy to TJ Maxx because they have loads of different brands and I had a dress to return and after 8 different pairs and a tired husband he hates shopping and a fussy baby, I walked out totally satisfied. They are black didnt think I would get black and not SUPER skinny like jeggings but just skinny enough to tuck into those perfect pair of boots that I am destined to find AND here's the best part, the bottoms wont drag on the ground and get wet in the winter which I do believe is my BIGGEST pet peeve, I HATE IT!!! So, awesome all around!

Another awesome thing, my mother-in-law is taking all the girls to So You Think You Can Dance concert on Thursday. Even though this past season wasnt my fav, I am still super stoked about going. I love dancing and I love concerts so its a two in one bonus.

This past weekend we went to G-town to visit my sis and her family and celebrate her son Zach's baptism. Lucy had all the attention she could ever hope for and Tyler finally got a two day weekend that was well past due. We love going to my sis's house. Congrats Zach! This is Zach with a little war paint on his cheeks, gotta love him!

Dilemma

I have a fashion dilemma people. Im not sure what to do. Winter is slowly or rather quickly in my opinion creeping up on us and I have found myself for the 4th year in a row yearning for the perfect pair of boots. Preferably, ones that dont cost an arm or a leg or my feet in this case hehe. The thing is, I find ones I like but they always have at least a 3 inch heel on them. Dont get me wrong, I am definitely not one to oppose a rocking pair of stilettos, but while walking on snow/ice carrying a baby and heaven only knows how many more items in my arms, 4inch stilettos aren't going to cut it or maybe they will by me falling on my head and cutting my head open! I dont want to look like I just got off a horse, motorcycle, llama, pole, or the premier of Robin Hood 2. Not sure what to do...

Also with my fabulous boots that I am destined to find, cant very well hide under a pair of baggy jeans. So what do you do, pair them with skinny jeans right?! There is my problem. I think people look either awesomeor flat out ridiculous in skinny jeans and I do not want to look the latter. I am afraid my tight perky bum/flat non poochy baby belly days are gone and I dont want to emphasize that matter. Not only that but I have a phobia of buying things that are super-faddish, that I look back and think WHAT WAS I THINKING!!! Are skinny jeans going to be around for a LONG time, Im not sure yet. Am I going to have Stacy and Clinton in the back of my mind saying "That is definitely What Not To Wear sweetheart!"? Or am I just being hesitant on the latest and greatest? Do you have to be super skinny to wear them? People I need some feedback!!!

Finders Keepers!!!

So my friend Steffi and I were going for a walk around the temple block just like we normally do, on a very normal day, Thursday. As we were walking she said "oh there is money on the ground!" I couldn't see it and she pointed out a folded bill on the grass. We hesitated for a minute and decided to walk around the block and if see if i was still there and its rightful owner didnt come to pick it up. So around the block we go and the bill was still there. As i was looking at it from a far I noticed it didnt quite look like a dollar bill so I went to pick it up and sure enough it wasnt a dollar bill it was a:





Thats right it just happened to be a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL!!!!! We couldnt believe our eyes!! We actually found a real life, no joke Benjamin sitting right on the grass! There had been multiple people walking up and down the hill and no one had seen it but us. So being the good little girls that we are we decided to write a note to the car it was by and gave them my number to call if the ( undisclosed amount) money was theirs. Well 24 hours passed and no call. I decided to call the Provo Temple to see what we should do and we brought it in and since it was on the outside of the temple grounds, they have nothing to do with it and they said "its your lucky day, make sure you pay tithing on it!" I COULD NOT believe my ears, it was OURS, WHAT?! So now we are each $50 richer and miles more excited. It is not everyday you find $100 just laying around, especially when you are as poor as we are!!

Goblins, ghouls and ghosts OH MY

I cannot WAIT for Halloween! I love it. I love the crisp air, the fallen leaves, pumpkins and sweaters. Not to mention all the awesomeness of All Hallows Eve. I was so excited that I took Lucy out in her costume and took some pictures.


So last year Ty and I went a little crazy for Halloween; awesome ideas, yes, a little over the top, maybe. We realized the over zealous costumes as I went into work and nobody recognized me. Thats right, no one! But I do have to say I have been the runner up two years in a row for having the sweetest costume. And not to mention when we went to the awesome party at the Butterfields, we were expecting equally as awesome costumes from the rest of the crew but alas I guess the extent of some transformations were a black shirt with a tiny printed off lightning strike on it saying "Lightning Bug". Yes Kade, I am talking about YOU. To say the least, we were a little embarrassed!

(sorry picture quality is not great, this is a picture of a picture, my scanner wasnt working)

So as you can see, we are lawn ornaments. I as a garden gnome and Ty as a pink flamingo. We laughed at least. Anyway, here is a sneak peak at what the King family's costumes are like this year. Obviously from the pictures above Lucy is a black cat, tail and all.

Ty is going to be Chuck, from the tv show Chuck (go figure). Big stretch I know...
And I am going to be a child eating, potion brewing, broom riding WITCH!

Ty and I have been trying new things for dinner, things we have never had, broading our paletted adventures, spicing up our pots and pans if you will. Last nights creation was called
Everything Jambalaya courtesy of Rachel Ray. We have never had jambalaya before but we like all the ingredients and we like to try different cultured things, so we thought we would give it a try. It was DE-LISH!!! It was so good, and it may be even better the next day (that was lunch for today also). I highly suggest it. I think trying new things is usually always a great experience, and this was no exception.

So the funniest thing, well sort of. Lucy is starting to throw fits, i guess your never to young to start. But she just started making this deep throat straining/growling thing and kind of holds her breath and her face gets red when she gets mad. I have got to get it on camera one of these days. P.s. she is starting to LOVE her rice cereal and other foods. Oh ya, and she is obsessed with sticking out her tongue and screaming. Oh how I love my Lucy bear!

In other news. I have finally went to part time at work. Like really part time (10-13 hours) and I cant tell you how I love it. I dont mean to rub it in to you mommies who work full time, honestly i pray for you mothers who wish to stay home but cant. I really do, often actually cause I know how you feel when you have to leave your little ones to do something you dont want to do but have to. Anyway, so I started to stay home more and it really got me thinking. since probably high school i have always wanted be a stay at home mom, but "work" from home. I say "work" because what i REALLY mean is "create". I love doing crafty/artistic things. Anything with my hands I love to do, if its creative. So it has always been at the back of my mind, until lately, now it is very much at the front of my mind! The only problem is, I dont know how. Meaning I dont know what to make, how to sell it, how to market, pretty much I dont know anything. I want to do something that not everyone else and their dog, cousin, cousin's next door neighbor, and their great aunt does. You know, I want to do something unique, or sort of unique. I love Etsy, but EVERYONE sells on Etsy, how on earth can I stand out. You search necklace's on that website and 3,496 pages show up! Also it kind of scares me, because I dont want a hobby that I love turn in to "work". Meaning that I am a slave to it, and i get so bogged down that i dont have time to spend with my family, which is why I dont want to work. Anyway, its just been on my mind. I guess if it is supposed to happen, it will. Something will come up.

So the other day Lucy had her 6 month check up. YIKES i cannot believe that she is already six months, soon she will be walking, and then she will be leaving me for kindergarten! But the Dr said she is doing great and right on track. AND her body is catching up to her head! All around she is in the 50%, so thats great! Here's the stats
Length: 25.5 inches
Weight: 13.13
Head Circ: 42.5
So she is getting big! Also they gave us a Rx for her eczema, so we are glad for that, as she gets really bad flare-ups. We are practicing sitting-up, rolling over and laughing. She is so funny, I cant get enough, i just want to gobble her up!!

In other news. We went to SLC the other day, the day with the GIGANTIC rainstorm. We had to get Ty's sales license. For lunch we had to stop at this little dive of a restaraunt. Let me back up a little... So Ty and I are crazy about the Food Network Channel and we especially love the show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and there have been a few places in Salt Lake featured on there. We have made it a goal to go to each of these places and check them out.
Its called Pat's Barbecue, and this is what it looks like on the outside:

It really is a dive! You roll up to it and its down this little random side street, and it looks like a place you would be a little nervous to go in to, but let me tell you, AWESOME!!! We LOVED it. LOVED loved it!!! You walk in and it has this awesome bluesy rocker vibe and its super colorful and chill. Then you walk in, grab a menu and sit where ever on a picnic table and did I mentionthere is a little stage with live music! All of this awesomeness and we havent even eaten yet! Then we order and get our food in less than 5 minutes. And the food... oh the food. SO GOOD!! Ty was even so bold as to say, that it was the best barbecue he has ever had, and thats big for Ty to say! So next time you go to salt lake you HAVE to stop in and partake of the awesome wonder that is Pat's Barbecue.

Changes

So i have been meaning to post for the last couple of days but I have just now finally got around to it. Last week Tyler officially graduated from BYU on friday. Also that night we had a surprise party for him (even though he kinda new what was going on). Sunday was his birthday AND he starts his new job TOMORROW!!!! Wow, all i can say is the last 6 months have been insane, and now, everything is coming together. It was so nice to celebrate my wonderful husband. Also I have just figured out that my eyes are not as sharp as they used to be, ALL my pics that I have taken with my Nikon D40 are OUT OF FOCUS!!!! BOO
This one is Lucy in her new high chair I just put together. Also she doesnt like solid food. She hates rice cereal and she doesnt like any of the few flavors of baby food that we have tried either. Is this normal? Oh well, she also doesnt laugh either. She will squeal but thats about it. It makes me sad because I cant WAIT for that adorable belly laugh and she just wont do it. Her next check up is thursday, so I am excited to see her stats and make sure she is growing, and also hopefully get a cure for her eczema.

So I mentioned that Ty is starting a new job tomorrow. Here is where he is working:
(well this says Sandy, but he is in Provo)
Yes, he is selling cars! SSOOO if you happen to know anyone or you yourself could use a new or used Ford, Lincoln, or Mercury. Go on over and see Ty, he will hook you up with something sweet! And the best part, he wont push you around OR wheel and deal you. Well I must go, the chubs is getting hungry and its her bed time. Adios!

This just in...

Some awesome things I would like to share with the class:

1) I am sure you have ALL heard because I cant stop blabbing about it that Ty and I have been working on running a 5K this summer. WE DID IT!!! We in the King home are NOT runners well maybe we are sort of trying to be runners these days. In fact I would have died if I knew I had to run more than 1 block, and even then... But we have been training and we did it. I actually accomplished something. This is such a big deal to ME because I actually set a goal and I actually accomplished it. I always make goals, but I pretty much never accomplish any of them. Sad I know. But Ty and I and Lucy in her little stroller did this together!! Neither of us have ever ran that much or that long before. Here is what I have to say, PEOPLE YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS!!!We can do hard things. Even I, Jody King, can do hard things. So we did the Lavender 5K and let me just say that Young Living Farms is BEAUTIFUL!!! I fell in love with the place. I never knew it was so beautiful because you cant see most of the farm from the freeway only the awesome lavender fields. If you ever get a chance to go SEE IT!!!

2) Lucy just laughed for the FIRST time today!!! I have been waiting for this moment since she was born. I am super excited at this!! Not many things are more adorable than a baby laughing. I will catch this on camera one day and post it, just you wait. Another thing she did today is roll over from her tummy to her back! Here is a little video...

Ok... So i cant get the video uploaded. And... i ended up getting the drive stuck in the computer. Like REALLY stuck. Like an inch deep inside stuck. OOPS

3) I have been craving tootsie rolls lately and so I made homemade ones. Not so good. I was really bummed. They definitely aren't as good as the original.

4) I LOVE my Lucy-bear and my Ty-bum. I am so lucky

5) And this one I am grateful for but still trying not get get uptight about. Heres why. I am not down to my pre-preg size yet. Bummer :( Thats why I get a little frustrated. BUT the good news is I am down 7 lbs since starting the running thing. WAHOO!!! I just have to keep telling myself that I can do and I AM doing it. Just slowly, kind of like my running.... Who knew the few extra would be so stingy!!!

Summer lovin

Well all I cant believe it myself, but we have actually kept a real life human alive for a whopping 4 months!!! This may not be an achievement to most, but to us, its kind of a big deal. I mean your talking about a girl who cant keep a plant a live and killed it by putting christmas decorations on the tiny little leaves and who fed her brothers fish some candy for its dinner. And my lovely husband whos fish Sparky died after a day. ok, maybe we just arent fish people. But it is true that little Lucy has hit the 4 month mark back on June 18th. We are proud of our little butterball, maybe the kind of butter made with 1% milk because she is still pretty little, but a butterball none-the-less she is growing like a little weed. It turns out she is in the 50th %ile for height and weight, and yes an astounding 90th %ile for her head!!! She is just really smart i guess. Do keep in mind though, that these stats are for her adjusted age 2 & 1/2 months not for a typical 4 month old. So all in all she is growing, growing, growing! I was really worried that she wasnt even going to be on the charts but she is right on track! GOOD JOB LUCE!!!

Another two thumbs up would be to Ty and I because believe it or not, we have actually, for reals, not even joking, have worked our way up to jogging 2 3/4 miles nonstop!!! I know, i honestly cant believe it either. I never in my life have been able to do this, never. I was even pretty darn fit in high school and this would have kicked my trash in a second. I think it has to do with a LOT of prayer and telling myself that I can do hard things. I always tell myself "Jody, you have given birth and it was a heck of a lot harder and longer than this is going to be, and you are still alive, you can do this!!" We are scheduled to run our very first 5K on July 10 at the Lavender Fields. We are excited. Nervous, but excited well I am a least.

In other news, still no job yet for Tyler. Granted he does have a job right now, but thats only because he is taking a completely waste of our time and money class that he has already taken for a stinkin $600+books so he can not even make that much money in his total salary this summer notice how I am not at all pleased with this situation, just so he can keep a job until August. I feel like we are being taken, I dont think we are, but thats how I feel. Its just like sending your kid to daycare just so you can work and make money, but all your money goes to the daycare, so there really isnt a point in going to work and sending your kid to daycare. Does that make sense. Total catch 22!!! I cant handle it. There must be a better way. But there isnt!!! At least not to our earthly knowledge. Ty has had his resume out to at least 35 places since April and he has had a total of 2 job interviews, TWO!!!! Its not that he isnt qualified. Its not that he is applying for jobs that he isnt trained for, or shooting for the absolute perfect job. He isnt. He is just trying to find a job that makes more than minimum wage for crying out loud!!!! Gees he couldnt even get a job throwing peanuts at the Owls baseball stadium!!! I just dont get it. But we are trying to keep our spirits up mine are warring, im not the most patient. Its just really scary to know that he HAS to have a job by August or we will have to resort to selling our kidneys on the black market you think i am kidding?. Plus I dont think our insurance will cover that. Anyway, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let us know of any job openings!!!!!!!!!!!!! You will be our hero.

I wish i had pics of Lucy to post. They are all on my phone and I have NO CLUE of how to get them transferred, our phones dont have sd cards in them. But maybe I will think of something. Until til then, have a wonderful week all!!

PICTURE OVERLOAD

Well here is a butt load of pictures that i have been waiting to post. most all of the pics are from when Lucy got her newborn's done (even though she was 2 months old at the time). Now we need to get her 3 month pics done! but i am pretty sure these are some of the CUTEST pics i have ever seen. our photographer is Alisha Siddoway in Logan and she is AMAZING!!! Her prices are incredible and she knows how to handle a camera. Lucy was kind of a pill through most of them and as you can see she still got amazing pics!!! I cant say enough about her!! Andthis is completely random but i just have to say, right now lucy has this swing she sits in and there are little birds that go in circles above her head and also has a mirror to look at. well for weeks she loves the little birds and watches them as the bobble and sway above her head, but today, today folks is a new day!! she has discovered the mirror!!! she has been staring at herself completely bamboozled for the past 10 minutes!!! oh i love it!!! i can just see those brain wheels a churnin. She is so stinkin cute, i cant handle it!!! Oh ya, and another way random thing, lucy is losing her hair:( there are little hairs all over her stuff and when i put lotion in her hair it gets all over me and her!! But she is still bea-utiful!!!

these first pics are from lucy's blessing on mothers day

these are the ones alisha did