July 18, 2009

It is official...

We now officially have a new blog. Run, don't walk your mouse right over to check it out... JillJarvis.com.

This blog, the old one, will no longer be updated. Be sure to change your reader so you can stay connected to our family. You can subscribe to follow the new blog using the RSS button on the main page.

Leave me a comment once you find the new blog and let me know what you think!

July 7, 2009

Numbers!

How many of you realized that on Wednesday there is a cool number thing going on? Well i hadn't realized it either until i was catching up on blogs and found this post from a fellow scrapbooker (Dear Lizzy). Document what you're doing at this time (either the am or pm option). Write it down, take a picture, tweet it or whatever, just be sure to leave a reminder so in 20 years when someone asks you, you'll remember!

DIY Dad

Beware this is a bit of an all open post...remember i warned you. Here goes, rarely do i talk about my parents but for a moment i need to brag about my dear dad. He is by far the most unbelievable person that i know, yes he does have his faults but that makes us love him even more. He makes me want to be a better person and make him proud. And the best part of all is how much he loves God and wants to learn more about Him. His walk with the Lord is inspiring.

He is an artist, an awesome woodcrafter. A few years ago he was on a show on the DIY network. Just this week i realized that his episodes are now online! When they were first airing we would watch them just to hear him speak. It used to drive Deacon crazy because it was when we had just moved south. Deacon missed his papa. So whether you want to hear him speak or you want to learn some mad woodturning skills...click HERE.

Just last week he mailed me a handwritten letter in the mail to tell me how he was feeling about me. When i called to thank him, he said he knew that he just had to tell me. Jump back a few years, when i first went away to college my Debbie would mail me a card once a week so that i would have mail frequently. Well at the beginning she would just sign the cards for both of them. i asked why dad never signed for himself. So every since he has signed his name, himself. It means so much to me. i'm into the little things in life.

July 5, 2009

Our Independence Day...

We had an awesome Independence Day! It basically started on Wednesday evening when Kelley & her family arrived for a visit. This was the first time that her husband Scott and son, Austin had been to our house {also the first time that James & Scott had ever met!}. We had planned to spend time at the pool and a little time at the lake. Well there was a situation at the pool on Wednesday night which lead to the pool being closed the entire time the Anderson's were visiting {actually the pool isn't scheduled to open back up until Thursday :( }. On top of the pool issues, the Ratliff's boat a had a glitch which meant that we basically spent time at the beach and on the dock. So Thursday Jameson & i hung out at the dock with the Andersons and Ratliffs. After we swam and played for most of the day we headed home for dinner with James. Following dinner i headed out with the Andersons to take some family pictures. It is always fun to photograph friends, especially ones that are willing to experiment with me. i'll be posted some sneak peaks soon! Friday we basically repeated the above except that the Ratliff's boat was fixed and James was off work!! Double bonus! Early in the day James & Scott put sod out onto the side yard...can you believe James would make his guest work?! {That was what all of the neighbors were saying as they drove by, Scott says he enjoyed it! Either way, thanks for helping out Scott!} Friday evening we had crab boil with a few of the neighborhood families. i personally think it was even better then T-60 {less spice!}

Saturday morning Kelley & i got up at 4 am to hit the Jockey Lot. i think she may have planned her trip around being here for a Saturday morning?! Either way it was fun to get some one on one time to catch up with each other. Friday evening it actually had struck me that as much as i love seeing her entire family and having them around my whole family, it limited the amount of time we got to catch up with each other. Which is what most of our past visits have been, mainly all of the retreats where we roomed together! So Saturday morning it was nice to get a chance to talk, even though it meant getting up SO very early! Once we got back from our shopping their family headed onto their next stop...Jekyll Island.

The rest of our 4th was spent at the Ratliff dock. By the middle of the afternoon it was obvious that Jameson was going to need a nap but he didn't want to leave the excitement. So Carrie & i headed out on the boat to nap the boy! The best part is that it worked! After returning to the dock we flooded around in our life jacket diapers for a few more hours. When the sun started to set there were 3 boats that tied up together and we watched the fireworks. Seeing fireworks over a body of water is the absolute best. And this year it was even better because Jameson wanted to snuggle in my lap (which is why there are zero pictures of fireworks from this year!). This little boy is going through a major snuggling phase and i LOVE it!

Onto other news, i've been keeping busy editing pictures from various sessions from the past couple of weeks. Be on the lookout for some exciting specials that will be offered for Jill Jarvis Photography!

Explanation of the crazy one leg in the air photo...the lining in his swim trunks is solid (not mesh like most). Whenever he gets out of the water there is usually some remaining water in them. He will sometimes do a little wiggle to make some music (it is hilarious). And other times he raises his leg high in the air (like the picture) to release the water. He is so cute!

July 4, 2009

Alive!

"Are you feeling overwhelmed with problems, projects or decisions today? Are you feeling mentally drained, physically spent, or spiritually numb? Take a dip with me into the river of God, the river of healing, and be awakened to life in God. Let this living water flow over, into, and through you today – for wherever this water flows, everything will live!" Rachel Olson

Seriously the blog is taking a major backseat to other things summer and i'm resolving to not feel overwhelmed by it. Reading one of the Proverbs 31 devotions from this week reminded me that God wants me to stay focused on living life. So i appologize if this is the only post you see on here for quite some time...we're enjoying time away from the computer. Which i might add has been having ISSUES this week...the router was replaced while i was in Florida, each time i try to view a page i constantly have to refresh it and then to add fuel to the fire i left my laptop on the dining room table and Deacon ran into the cord. We found it crashed out on the floor. So with all of that and the visiting friends and full lake...the blog has and will be suffering.

Happy 4th to everyone! A huge thank you to all of the many men and women out there that are protecting our great nation...YOU and your families are appreciated!

June 22, 2009

Air!

As i'm preparing to head out of town to ADPi-land, i was moving pictures off of my camera. This picture pretty much sums up life for this little boy right now...look at the air he got!

While i was packing he was being so adorable. He would go into his room and come out with a treasure that he wanted me to take with me. He finally decided on his sheriff badge, a santa pez and a sheet of paper that HE wrote my name on. They are all safely tucked into random places so that i will constantly be reminded of him {as if i need a physical reminder :)}. He also told me that he was sure that many of the other adpi friend would want to see these things - i am sure little man!
i should head to bed soon because the alarm is set for 4:45 (yes that is in the morning!). James has been getting up at this crazy hour to walk each morning. Since Nana Susan and Joe-Joe are here, i can go with him tomorrow. i'm excited to start my day with this awesome guy. Good thing for all of us, i'll get to go back to sleep for a little bit before the day will continue for me!

Moments to remember...

There have been a few moments in the last few weeks that i need to write down before i forget them. And i thought you all would enjoy reading about them too!

  • While riding on the golf cart with Jameson & Cade we were discussing who was the biggest. They of course both said me. I then said who is the smallest. They looked at each other and thought for a minute. Cade, who will be 5 in August, said i'm 4 and a half so i'm bigger then Jameson. Then Jameson said well i'm 4 and a second so i'm smallest. The 4 and a second has stuck! He has started asking if so & so is 8 and a quarter, etc. So cute!
  • Last week Jameson & i were out shopping. We stopped in to the Maxx and as soon as we walked in Jameson spotted the jewelry/watch section. He said "Daddy needs a new watch lets get him one!" He didn't realize that Father's Day was coming soon so it was a perfect gift from the little boy for his daddy!
  • While tubing the boys likes to go fast but as soon as the driver starts to make lots of turns, he is done!
  • The singing that comes out of this little boy is so darling. He will make up words to things or ask to sing nursery rhymes (his favorite right now is 1-2 buckle my shoe).
  • He discovered masking tape and tied up both James & i around our ankles. It was so funny watching him have so much fun wrapping it around!
  • He loves to do cannonballs in the pool, just yesterday he finally grabbed hold of his legs and actually made a big splash. Before that he was basically jumping in with his legs swinging all over because he couldn't get his arm around them fast enough!
  • The amount of attention is pays to Deacon has increased. He loves to walk him around the house pulling on his collar. Deacon is usually pretty good about playing along but when he is done he just stopped walking and then Jameson cries for help. We try to explain to him that Deacon doesn't have the ability to 'say' he wants to stop so this is his way of communicating. Jameson doesn't like that so much.

That is all i can think of right now, but i'm sure there are lots that i'm missing. Hope you have a wonderful day!

June 21, 2009

Happy Father's Day!

We wanted to wish all of our many father's a wonderful day. We are so blessed to have each and everyone of you in our lives.

And to the father of my child, you amaze me every.single.day. Just last week while we were at the pool every child was playing with James. It was so sweet to see, tiring for him but awesome to see how much he enjoys being around kids! James we love you and don't tell you enough how much we respect and appreciate YOU!

June 19, 2009

Time!

Wow really where does the time go? I didn't intend to be away from the blog for quite this long. But guess what, this isn't even going to be a real detailed post either...ha. Too many other things keep pulling me away from here, mainly the pool & the lake. And guess what that really is more important to us right now (don't take it personally)! Yesterday Jameson & i actually didn't have very much time to spare but we were in the pool for 15 minutes and it felt great! The pictures to the right are from earlier this week. The Stacy triplets were down visiting from Ohio and we invited them and the Coulter boys to the pool. We lined them up in age/height order and then they jumped in - i was surprised to see that Jameson was the first to hit the water! The pictures from the boat were from last weekend. i was on the Leon's boat so i could capture Carrie's whole boat and tube in the shot - this is summer to us!!

Next week i'm heading off to Florida for the ADPi convention. i'm planning to keep the tweets coming with updates, especially with exciting pictures of the awesome desserts. There are usually some amazingly creative desserts at convention. And my personal goal is always to leave the last bite (that is my diet for the week - ha). You can also follow along through the blog that was created - here.

Have you checked out the Jill Jarvis Photography site lately? If not, click HERE now! There is a sample gallery posted (click play in the lower right corner). There are some of my favorite images and it also shows what the gallery looks like that is sent to a client following a session.

One more thing before i go, we wanted to congratulate Brandt on his high school graduation. We are so excited to see what God has intended for you!

Thought this quote by Steve Jobs (which i found on from Ali's blog) was inspiring:

Your time is limited, don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinion drowned out your own inner voice. Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

And after an hour of working on this post, a few interruptions, many upload issues and a bit of frustration...Jameson & i are heading out for a scavenger hunt. With the high projected for 100 we may end up back inside very quickly, either way we'll be together!

June 10, 2009

AU Coaches on the Today's show!

I'll be back soon with a recap of our trip but for now I wanted to share this...

Ashland University Vote for Nick & Leigh!Cross Country Coaches 'in the running' for Today Show wedding!

Cross country coaches Nick Cordes '03 and Leigh Daniel are among four couples competing for a nationally televised wedding through NBC's "The Today Show." Voting will take place each Wednesday for the next three weeks. Each Friday, the couple with the least amount of votes is eliminated from the competition. Help Nick and Leigh win their dream wedding!

CLICK HERE TO VOTE ONLINE TODAY ! Or you can text your vote to 46833 (this week send 4 in the text message).

June 3, 2009

Cuddly & Trendy!

Couple quick shares for today! The first is that Trendy Straps (the company that i previously won two contests!!). They are having some awesome giveaways over the next week. Check it out here!

The second is to let you all know about this really cool thing my friend Sarah Hayes is making. They are towels that help you while you're bathing babies. Not only is it a really cool concept but they are adorable too! Check it out on etsy here!

June 1, 2009

Unplugged recap...

i've been meaning to come and post about the day that i totally unplugged. But guess what...the challenge helped me so much that i haven't been online as much overall! In case you forgot what i'm referring to, Jodified mentioned something on her blog about unplugging from the computer, internet, phone & television for 24 hours. i decided to do it on Mother's Day so i could spend the day with my boys...totally and fully connected to THEM. And guess what it was AWESOME. Not that i was surprised by that part of it. What i have been surprised by is that over the last few weeks i've been finding myself connecting more on a face to face way. Which over the last few years has seemed to have become lost a bit. For me it hasn't been so much with my guys, more with others. We can stay connected through other avenues...facebook, email, cell phones, etc. Not that i'm going to completely unplug from those places entirely, just making an effort to stay fully IN life, not just wired to life.

One more thing, this weekend at RiverTree, Greg Nettle spoke about how our DNA has wired each of us to connect with God in a different way. Such as serving others, through nature, contemplation, etc. He had 5 other people speak about how they are wired to connect to Him. It was a cool message. One exciting things about the advancements in technology, it allows me (or you) to hear the rest of this series, even once we're back home and unable to attend RiverTree. Click here for audios of their messages.

As you've probably noticed i haven't been blogging or posting much lately. This week, Jameson & i are away visiting family and friends. Lots of fun times that i'll be sharing bits and pieces of but not now. For now i'll be making memories and if the stories float around and makes it from my brain to the computer, you'll be hearing about them at that point! So what pieces of technology have you taken to but may find you have to readjust a bit?

May 25, 2009

Photography!


I am so excited to share with you that I am officially opening a photography business...Jill Jarvis Photography! Soon you can check out the official JJP blog for info about this new adventure. For anyone that books a session within 2009, there will be a variety of extra specials bonuses. For starters anyone that books will receive a custom card/invitation - get a head start on preparing for Christmas cards! Be sure to mention the blog when you book!
Join the Jill Jarvis Photography fan page on Facebook! Check out some recent shots taken for friends/customers! For anyone in Ohio, if you're interested in booking a session between May 28 - June 6...let me know! (jill [at] jilljarvis.com)
Most importantly thank you to everyone for your support and encouragement in this newest venture!
“I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2

May 22, 2009

Where does the time go???

Have you been wondering where we've been lately??? We've been actively living life and i just haven't gotten to the blog to post any updates. All good things, just not enough time in the day to blog! Here are a few of the things we've been up to...Jameson's last days of school (Miss Frances loved the bird feeder he picked out for her!), graduation program at school, i attending the student ministry event to take pictures, James has had a few important client meetings, preparing for our trip to Ohio, 4 year check up for Jameson (included 4 shots - yuck), a birthday party for our friend Aubrey, a photo session to capture this sweet boy at 5, i snapped the picture of myself in the mirror of an old truck (the angle of the mirror worked to help hind some curves!), add in that my laptop was gone for some upgrades and you get...less blogging! Here are some pictures from some of the above mentioned activities! We hope you are doing well and enjoying life!













May 18, 2009

Revelations 3:8

One Door Closes...Another opens
"I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name." Revelations 3:8

When God leads you to the edge of the cliff, trust Him fully and let go, only 1 of 2 things will happen, either He will catch you when you fall, or He will teach you how to fly!

May 12, 2009

Our day...

Such an amazing, adorable video:





Today was a bit of a crazy day for us. We woke up, after sleeping in just a bit (till 8 - yippe the boy is getting it)! Then we decided to head to Anderson to get a few things, including a gift for Jameson's teacher. Well we got ourselves all set and ready to go, drove the 30 minutes it takes to get there. Then as we were pulling into Sams i reached for my purse to get the membership card out. My wallet wasn't in my purse. Then i remembered that i'd taken it out shortly before we left to pay a bill. So we went into Sams so i could submit a photo order. On the way there Jameson asked for a pretzel and luckily we had a few dollars in the truck so we shared a pretzel. The next step turned out okay because i had gift cards for Home Depot. So we decided to get his teacher's gift from there. (She is getting a nice bird feeder and some food, i think i'm also going to make something too.) From there we headed home since we only had about .95 cents left. We did head back out once we got home but we went the other direction to finish our errands. While we were in town Jeannie called to ask if we could get together so i could help her with some scrapbooking. It turned out good that we were still in town and James wasn't going to be home until late tonight. Jameson had a blast with their itty bitty puppy, Daisy. Overall as crazy as the day seemed it was pretty good!

One more thing...read this from Pioneer Woman Photography regarding getting yourself into the pictures!

May 9, 2009

Shine 09














Today was the annual Shine project for FCC. For 3 hours on a Saturday in May we serve the community. James & i were leaders for the group that was painting the park near our house. It is amazing what 3 hours of manual labor can do to a faded park. i am so grateful for the members of our team...the park looks great now! The photos above show the before and after. It looks so much better now. Even the little ones got involved. Jameson was so excited to help out. He was actually painting quite a bit. Look at the paint splatter all over his face & clothes. Luckily I got his new shoes off before they got paint all over them too. Never too young to serve!

May 8, 2009

Online reading...

i'm not sure if it is a good thing or not but i have been getting lots of reading done online lately. i don't seen to ever read from an actually book or magazine in my hand anymore. As the summer is approaching i'm sure this will change slightly but for now, i'm online charging my brain. One article i read was here. It is mainly about photography but there are so many other pieces to it that it applies to artist in general, actually anyone really. There were two main points that i gained from this piece.
  • Being creative and being inspired are two totally separate things. i know i've always thought that but this article really put the words behind the thoughts i'd had about it.
  • "Success is continuing to try in the midst of repeated failures because we believe that there is a solution to the problem we are working on and that it is only a matter of time until we find this solution. In this respect failures are nothing else but valid attempts that did not materialize into the outcome we expected."
Another piece that i read was all about the benefits of using gmail and other google gadgets. Read about it here.

In other news i found out this week that i won't be presenting a session at the ADPi convention this summer. This is a relief for me. Since i've switched positions the session i was going to lead was in the old area (alumnae). It will be good to be on the recruitment side of things instead of feeling like a cross-over. i'm sure there will be times that i'll be pulled in both directions but i at least won't have to be nervous about presenting (because as many of you know speaking in front of a group is not my true cup of tea).

Tomorrow a group of us from FCC are going to be working on an outdoor painting project for Shine '09. i'd like to ask that you pray for us that the rain will hold out long enough for us to work on dry equipment and that all of the other volunteers out there will be able to shower our county with these 3 hours of service.

May 7, 2009

Mother's Day gifts!

This year I challenged myself to make all of the gifts that we gave for Mother's Day. I did it! The cards I created were fun because I decided on a color and found coordinating papers in my stash (just went to the green folder - love having my PP organized by color!). I used the cricut to cut out the butterflies. The piece that I made was creating hybrid bracelets (8 total - yes we are blessed!). I used photos of the boy and digital bits from various Songbird Avenue kits. In addition to the bracelet the mothers each received a really fun fabric wrapped decorative photo thing (that is the true technical term for it). More pictures are on facebook if you want to see some up close shots as well as the second version I made for Nana Susan with pictures of Addy. Full credits for this piece can be found at TheDigiChick (hybrid pieces from Sugarplum Paperie & Ali Edwards).

Now we're off to help with Abby & Caroline's babies. They have something at school with the big kids so Jameson & I are going to watch the littles. I told Jameson about it and he said but mom I'm not a girl so I can't help babysit. Such a funny boy.

May 6, 2009

Unplugging!

Okay so i know most of you that know me realize that i can be a bit obsessive. Well the focus lately has been on twitter. On Tuesday i think i updated about 2 dozen times...too much for a normal day but there was a reason for that day. One it was Jameson's birthday and it was a quick easy way for me to update our activities. The other reason was that it was Jesus Loves You day and i was spreading the truth that He loves us. So now i'm going to go the other direction. i just read about this idea on Stacy Julian's blog & Jodified's blog about unplugging for an entire day. No internet. No TV. No Phone. No Computer...for 24 hours. i'm choosing this Sunday as my day. i will be at church in the morning and with my two guys the rest of the day (so no need for a phone to be contacted in case of emergency). i'm actually excited about it. Last summer every weekend i would walk away from the computer. i need to remember to do that throughout the year, not just when the weather pulls me away. How about you, do you realize you have an obsessive personality and do you know how to counteract it?

Did you notice the lowercase i's throughout this post? Yesterday the Proverbs 31 devotional was written by Marybeth Whalen. The verse was "He must become greater; i must become less." John 3:30 Notice the lowercase i..."we don't need to be capitalized. We need to be small, insignificant".

May 5, 2009

Happy birthday Jameson!!

It is simply amazing to think that God has blessed our family with this little boy that is FOUR today! We are blessed to have this happy little boy is in our lives. I thought I would post some photos to document Jameson's birthdays since 2005. Enjoy...

May 4, 2009

Hybrid!


Check this out...DST Insider May edition! I have a project featured! I honestly meant to post this over the weekend as it was {inter}National Scrapbook Day. However with our schedule it didn't happen. For anyone interested in any digital items there were lots of freebies out there. I know that The Hybrid Chick still has some challenges going on throughout this next week. Be sure to check it out!

May 3, 2009

Fun-filled weekend!

Wow have we had a fun-filled weekend! It basically started Friday, with Western Day at school! They had a horse drawn wagon, a goat named Ding-Dong, hamburgers on an open flame, stick horse races, horseshoes and best of all...cowboy hats for everyone. Look at how cute this little guys looks! Then later that afternoon James' mom (aka MC/Nana Susan) and Joe-Joe arrived. James even came home a bit early from work! We had a nice relaxing evening here at the house.









Then on Saturday we had Jameson's birthday party...at Home Depot. Oh boy was he excited! So our plan for the day was for Susan & me to get dropped off at Home Depot while the guys went to do something else. Well Jameson wanted to help set up for his party, and he actually did help! His party was all about what he is into these days...The Home Depot and Chick-fil-A. Add in a mix of friends and family and you've got his utopia. The entertainment was that the kids each got to made a wooden wheelbarrow planters. Jameson got done with his before most of his friends arrived so he was entertaining himself with a tape measure. He thought it was the best when it would fly off the end of the boards...simple joys! After everyone was done with the project we enjoyed chicken and cake. The cake was adorable and not only did it look great, it tasted even better! Jameson even wanted to cut it himself, luckily the cutting tool was just a putty knife! Overall the party was a great success and Jameson is starting to look forward to being 4. He keeps asking if he is already 4 or if he has to wait until his official birthday (Tuesday). So funny the different ways he always looks at things. And now I'll answer the question that you're probably thinking, yes we had his party at Home Depot. No they don't typically do parties there but I asked and the manager said yes. We did find out that they aren't really supposed to do it but since they had told us already they went ahead with ours. So if you have a little boy that is also obsessed with HD, you most likely won't be able to have a party there.

After the party we headed up to Split Creek Farm to check out the baby goats. Caroline & Lily were also going so Jameson had someone else his same size (a common question when we're going somewhere). Jameson thought it was hilarious that the goats would try to eat his clothes. He and Nana Susan each had little nibbles from the little goats! This photo of Jameson & Lily was right before Jameson gave Lily a kiss. They are so funny together!
The next activity for the weekend came today. The Fanello girls were all receiving their First Communion. It was nice to get to spend this special time with them and lots of extended family from Ohio. After mass we all headed back to their house to spend some time together. During mass the Priest mentioned something that I thought was very interesting. He said that in Eastern cultures women with small children will bring them to the altar for communion; and it is given to both mother and child. However in Western culture they must wait until the age of reason. The part that has stuck with me throughout the day was that this church has given the age of reason a specific age. Is it possible to set a specific age on when a child is old enough to reason? In my mind, welcoming Jesus into your heart to choose to follow him on a daily basis varies person to person.
More updates will be coming in the next few days. Jameson has his birthday celebration at school tomorrow and then we had the official birthday on Tuesday. For anyone that are on twitter, Tuesday is going to be Jesus Loves You day...join in on the challenge!