The Coopers: St. George, UT Family Photographer

I love spring blossoms! And such a gorgeous orchard with a gorgeous family!

{scoot-scoot}: pros & cons

Now that spring has sprung here in St George, and I refuse to drive the bus, I am back to driving the scooter. Oh how I wish it was this cute scooter, but alas, it is not. It is a ridiculous racing scooter from Spain that looks much better on Jon than me.

Either way, scooter riding is really quite fun during the spring but it has it's pros and cons:

• Pro: It IS really nice outside.
• Con: If you think bugs on your windshield are annoying, bugs in your lip gloss is way, way worse.
• Pro: I get like 90 miles to the gallon.
• Con: Not that it matters too much with my hair, but I wear a helmet and continuously have helmet hair.
• Pro: As a chick walking out into the dark mall parking lot at night, no one wants to mess with you when they see that helmet-even if it is to ride a scooter.
• Con: rain.
• Pro: You get to smell, taste and see more of the environment around you. Golden Corral smells delicious in the morning (when they bake their rolls) and cemeteries are extra creepy because even during the warmest days, its cooler when you drive past them.
• Con: Instead of looking super cute, I wear a bulky helmet, pants under my skirt, random hoodies and usually a pair of dress shoes (that look ridiculous with the pant-skirt combination).
• Pro: I really am a better driver.
• Con: People try to run you over a lot.
• Pro: You gain heightened skills like swerving good.
• Con: When you do crash, you will get hurt. Even when I laid mine down going slow I still got really ripped up.
• Pro: There really is nothing like riding a scooter.

{thoughts}: little girls

What happens to litttle girls? It is so interesting to see the difference between the 10 and 11 year olds that still have confidence in themselves and the 13 and 14 year olds that are a mess. What happens to us? It's horrible! As a girl in Junior High you are either picking on other girls and bratty as can be or being picked on by bratty girls. I was picked on. It was awful. I don't want Paisley to go through it! Working at Bath & Body I have droves of girls come in and they are horrible! It is a rare day that I have a nice, decent, confident but not too confident 13 year old shop at my store...and it makes me sad. So what happens in those few short years? I look back and we get through it ok...for the most part. I'm still a bit scarred, but they're only scars...I'm ok now. I just don't want Paisley to go through it in the first place...

{nostalgia}: love story

On Friday, Jon and I will be married for 5 years, and I can't even believe it. Here is our story in pictures:

I was a lifeguard, working at Reinhart, tan and skinny as can be.

I also drove a scooter-which is particularly bizarre in Idaho.

Jon played guitar, and had a band. He's playing here with Curtis at Curtis' Wedding.

Jon cut weeds...which gave him some sweet are muscles. Oddly enough, he also drove a scooter in Idaho.
Jon and I met on May 17, 2004 in our Institute class. I like him right away. He had cool pants, I had cool shoes, and we both drove cool scooters...it was magic. The first time we hung out, outside of class was at a party where the above pic was taken. We had our first date on July 28th and our first kiss on August 7th...right before I was about to leave for school...
The first time Jon came to St. George to visit me we went to Sand Hollow. I had fallen for him, but run off to St George anyway, and he promised he would visit every 2 weeks.

He kept his promise and moved down in December of 2004. We went to California...and In-n-Out...
We got married March 12, 2005 in the Idaho Falls Temple. I wore chucks, and Jon's cool socks had orange and blue stripes-once again we are very fashionable...

Our reception was organized chaos...and quite the party.

We lived in "the stilts" and I am happy to say we are no longer there...

Thankfully during our time there our decorating got better and better but when we first moved we had a random assortment of armed chairs, a hideous loveseat (pictured above with the material covering it) and my grandparents old couch (they died, it was passed on to us and we still have and love it!)

Any excuse to go to California, and we go!

This was the first family pictures taken with Jon as part of the "Clark Family"

Vegas

You'll notice my hair color change a lot through the years...

Califonia

Rachel's Wedding, 2007

The Scion, also a souvenir from California!

Family Pictures, 2008

Mexico!

Pregnancy, 2009

Cinco De Mayo, 2009 and pregnant.

Washington County Fair-they wouldn't let me go on the rides because of "my condition." Just because I was 9 months pregnant!

Our Family, 2009

I love this man! I don't remember my life without him, but it seems like we were just married yesterday! Five years has gone by so fast, and I am so grateful to have him with me through all of them. I love to look at Paisley and think of her as a product of our love...she is and she's the best thing we have to show for all these years :)

{spoiled}

I have been wanting to blog for so long because there is so much to write about, but it just hasn't happened. I'm feeling very spoiled and very ungrateful at the moment, and I'm really struggling with it. Spring is always hard on me-I always love it, St. Patricks Day, all the birthdays, and Easter, but the barometric pressure changes due to roaming thunderstorms kill my joints (yes, I'm an old lady who did too much ballet for her own good), and the allergies come in with full force. Which means for me a sore grump with a non stop sinus headache and post nasal drip. This is also typically when I suffer my burn out for the year, and unfortunately this year is no different. Christmas is never a relaxing time for us, particularly when I'm working in retail so instead of going into the new year well rested, or really rested at all it feels like we just got done running a marathon just to begin a new one. And poor Jon...oh I ache for him! School is going to end his life! He is desperately trying to survive these last 3 classes...he told me he doesn't want a birthday party this year-but he wants to save and have a HUGE and crazy Graduation party. I agreed wholeheartedly. So I am out working my 40 a week trying to hang out with Paisley as much as I can, he is in working his 20-40, school, and taking care of Paisley most of the time and we are barely surviving. I feel like I've been in survival mode since I went back to work. I just want to cook, clean, repair, hang out with my child and be a housewife! I shouldn't feel so picked on that I just have to work right now in order for us to survive, but leaving her lately has been so hard. And she keeps growing. She's going to crawl and I'm going to be at work, and she's going to walk and I'm going to be at work, and it makes me cry. a lot. And I know, how spoiled are we that Jon gets to be the one home with her, and I love my job. If I could choose anything that took me away from my baby, at least it's something I love as much as Bath & Body Works. But its just hard. I don't know if all you housewives out there know how blessed you are. We've tried to survive off of what Jon makes, and we just can't. Hopefully someday soon we can. I don't mind being poor, but I do mind living off the government, and currently that is what we would have to do. I hate being judged because I'm working and on top of it working Sundays, but at the same time I can't feel good about staying home and living off everyone else. All of this has been rattling around in the back of my mind, which doesn't help the sinus headache. Sorry I'm a downer. I need to get past this point and things will be better. I just can't wait til jons done with school...oh what a beautiful day that will be.

(Paisley): among other things...

I am excited to say I am writing this post from my phone...which is new. Also, Paisley has become mobile and if I can figure it out, a picture will soon follow...

{life}: lessons

After a while you learn the subtle difference
between holding a hand and chaining a soul

And you learn
that company doesn't mean security.

You begin to learn that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises,

And you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes open
With the grace of a woman,
not the grief of a child,

And you learn to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down
in mid-flight

After a while you learn
that even sunshine burns if you get too much.

So you plant your garden and decorate your own soul,
instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

And you learn that you really can endure,
that you really are strong
and you have such worth.

You learn and you learn...
With every good bye
you learn.

-Robert Burns

I stole this from my sisters blog. It's so hard to watch my younger sibling grow up. I remember all the pain, the comfort in running for miles, and every time my heart was broken. You really have to learn to sink or swim, and swimming is hard-but drowning is worse. I can't imagine what this will be like watching my own children go through it. I look at Paisley and think "You'll never do that," even though I know she probably will. that's terrifying.
Jon and I had the opportunity to go to a ward activity on Thursday. We had a marriage counselor come speak. He covered a lot of checkpoints that make up a good marriage and it was so nice to look at each other and know that we're on the right track. We're doing so well and we have so much fun together.
We spent valentines this year in our undies (except for when we went to chruch). This may be the last year we can continue that tradition, but it was a fun one to start anyway.
Because of our calling in the chucrh as Family History Consultants we looked deeper into the previous owner of my wedding ring. Such a sad story. I never knew who owned it previously, I just knew is was one of Jon's Grandmas or Great-Grandmas. It was actually his Grandma Davis. His mom gave it to him when we started talking about marriage and it was the exact ring I had described that I wanted (a band, with the diamonds set into it). Oddly enough, we didn't even need to get it sized, it was a perfect fit right away. The sad story is this: Jon's Grandpa Davis left his Grandmother to run off with his secretary and his Grandma held onto it her entire life hoping he would come back. He never did. Even more strange is that his mom had it, seeing as his parents have been divorced for years and years. Anyway, that whole line is missing and so we are going to start getting it all put together online! This is super exciting for me because on my side, almost everything is done-at least anything in the last 400 years or so, so it's difficult to pick up from there...
And in some fun news, Paisley and I are communicating. If you would like to witness this, it is hilarious. She likes to growl and yell "ohhhhh" and when I growl back, she growls and "ohhhh"s back at me and so on and so forth. Jon is terrified at what he has possibly created. We're actally talking right now in fact...i love her. and Jon too...

{pictures}: paisley

{holidays}: the end of the year in pictures

So, these are backwards, this being the most recent with the last being the furthest away.

I love, love, love her little naked bum. I love it!
Ok, so I was at Old Navy and they have the exact same glasses for grown-ups...I may have to return and purchase them. Believe me, pictures will follow...
This is Paisley Ice Skating...she really liked it...kind of...when she wasn't frowning or sleeping.
This was our Gingerbread House this year. It kind of sums up the effort put into the holiday season outside of work...we were going for a modern, clean look...
Oh yes, that is Jon ice skating in ST GEORGE UTAH! Never has such a thing happened before, and we will see if it happens again-the ice was terrifying! It was all slushy and a bit melty and it cost $19!!!!
Paisley's first go with rice cereal. She loved it. It was so funny!
Paisley and I decided to go out and enjoy the nice weather and walk to Target to check out some of the after Christmas sales...we found some sweet stuff including the new mario wii game...awesome!
Christmas morning at the Davis household, 2009.
Our fancy Christmas Eve feast! I will someday post my turkey recipe on here-so good!
Jamie and I enjoying some Christmas Eve banter...
Our tree.
Christmas Eve morning. I had to go out for some reason and I returned to find these two all snuggled up together...
Our Christmas Goodies! I love making Christmas Candy and that was just not a tradition I was willing to give up this year. I may have made it all at 11:30 pm, and I may have started the kitchen on fire (toffee is very, very flammable) and I may have freaked out Jon and woke up the neighbors, but boy was the fudge good...
Paisley's first haircut. She has had 2 more since then. I don't know what to do with it-just the top and lower back keep getting long until she looks like a little ragamuffin...
Naked Baby!
Oh yes, it does exist. This mythical bus I speak of-it's real, and so is the snow on it-in St George! Come spring we are all going for a ride-its time!
My frozen garden. :(
This was our Thanksgiving. We were tired of being orphan children to everyone so we decided to go to Vegas this year. I didn't leave the store until 2 am Thanksgiving morning and with Black Friday following we decided to stay home instead. I had made absolutely no preparation for Thanksgiving at home so we were off to Wal-mart for some goodies and we sat around and slept and watched movies all day. It was a bit sad, but at least it was restful...

{blogs}: mr davis

Well, Jon finally decided to unleash his rants to the masses on the internet and officially started his own blog. Be forewarned: I have heard all these rants before and it is not for the weak of stomach. I am excited for him to have this new project, he loves it and built the entire thing himself which is even cooler. If you would like a look inside the mind of Jon, go here.

{holidays}: resolutions

I've always wanted to make and keep New Year's Resolutions. And for awhile, I made new resolutions every year and every year I had already quit mid-February. I am proud to say that sometime around the beginning of last year I decided to commit to getting to church on time and I can happily say that we have been successful with that. Which is even more amazing because we have a munchkin. This year I need to come up with a new lifestyle. I know that sounds weird, but I can't use the word diet. You see, I need to lose weight, but I must, MUST do it in such a way that I can maintain. I feel so cliche saying that is my resolution, but really, it's what I need to do. Pregnancy conviently provides your body with extra skin in which to fill with fat unless you do something about it and I'm thinking now is better than later. I'm struggling...if I count every calorie I put in my mouth I feel like I'm dieting and ultimately I feel deprived and I binge. Sadly the only time in my entire life I have successful lost weight is when I gave up food altogether. I can't do that right now because a. it's bad and b. i'm a cow. literally. And I was dancing 6 hours a day. I just don't have time for that at this point. This discourages me. A lot. Ever time I've commited to losing weight I have failed which has actually led to weight gain. I've worked out for months at a time on a strict diet and had absolutely nothing happen. I don't budge a pound. Needless to say, I am very afraid to make any commitments, but at the same time, I need to get it together. I don't know what to do. I'm frustrated...