puzzles

Just being the proud mom that I am I have to show off Jordan's puzzle skills once again.  She's made an advancement since last time.  This kid never ceases to amaze me.

We were playing with this for maybe 5 minutes today before she started putting pieces right where they need to go with little to no coaching.

Giveaway winner!

I am so sorry everyone!  I have no excuse as to why the winner wasn't announced yesterday except that I completely forgot.  Anyway, I used random.org to determine the winner and commenter #5 won!  Congratulations Ariana!  You will be getting an email from me with all the details.  Thanks for entering everyone!

Giveaway

For all you mommas out there or moms to be, this giveaway is for you!  Actually, it's really for anyone because as far as I'm concerned this would make a great gift for anyone expecting or planning to have kids in the near future.  The prize package is provided by BabyCenter through MyBlogSpark.  It is a fabulous prize pack including two new books from BabyCenter, a package of chlorine free diapers, a really cute bib, an exclusive code to try the all-new BabyCenter online class for free and a gift card from BabyCenter partner, Shutterfly!  (the gift card and code for the online class is not included in the picture below)

I'll be honest, I was asked back in October to do the giveaway and it has taken me this long to get it posted!  The reason for that is because I wanted to read through each of the books so I could give you all a beautiful description of them and my thoughts on each.  Unfortunately, reality hit that that really is not entirely possible in my life right now and I better get to crackin' on this giveaway before I reach the deadline and nobody wins due to my lack of...well, I don't know but lack of something.  Anyway, I did read through pretty much all of the pregnancy book which was much easier being as though I am actually in that part of life right now.  I thought it was filled with lots of wonderful information that is especially useful to first time expectant mothers.  Reading it as I am expecting my second is not quite the same as it would have been the first time around simply because I read SO much during my pregnancy with Jordan out of excitement that I really had read it all before.  But if I could have had my hands on this when I was pregnant with Jordan I would have been thrilled.  But I guess in saying that, if you are signed up for BabyCenters weekly emails that are filled with all sorts of fun information about your baby's development each week then this book is probably not necessary.  I felt as though I was reading some of the exact same information I was getting in my weekly emails.  I DO like reading out of a book better than I do off a computer screen but a quick weekly email doesn't take up a whole lot of time so my eyes can handle it.  There were two things that I read in the book that really caught my attention and quite honestly got me quite stirred up because its something I feel very strongly about.  But in the 'What's Safe to Eat' section it talked about why the things you eat may be bad for your baby which is where it talked about alcohol, caffeine, diet soda, artificial sweeteners, raw or undercooked meat, cheese and dairy products, fish, deli meats, shellfish, prepared salads, and herbal teas.  I think that part is great but the first thing that started getting me a little irritated was in the alcohol section where it mentioned that "Heavy drinking, particularly binge drinking (five or more units of alcohol at one time), during pregnancy can seriously affect your developing baby.  The risks of drinking much less, however, aren't clear cut.  Even so, all public health officials in the United States recommend that pregnant women, as well as women who are trying to conceive, play it safe by steering clear of alcohol entirely."  Now that got me upset because even though at the end the advise avoiding it altogether if someone who is that seriously interested in drinking that they are looking up this particular topic to see if they could have a drink here or there (as I did with coffee) they may get caught up on the details that as long as they are having less than five units of alcohol they should be fine because the book states that the affects of drinking less than that aren't clear cut.  I was almost able to let that go until I read just three sections later in the Artificial Sweeteners category that "Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (NutraSweet) and sucralose (Splenda) are considered safe, you may want to avoid saccharin, which was linked to birth defects in rats when consumed in very high amounts."  It was at this point I nearly put the book down without plans to ever pick it up again and I was only 50 pages in out of 320 pages!  To some this may seem like something one should not get so worked up about but if only you REALLY knew anything about aspartame and artificial sweeteners I'm pretty sure it would get you worked up too!  And today is your lucky day because I am linking to a wonderful blog post that gives great information on the subject.  I beg you to take the time to read it.  I'm sure you'll be amazed and shocked by what you read.  Anyway, I DID continue reading the book and was happy with the rest of the information I read and am pleased to be able to do this giveaway.  I'm sorry I am not able to give more information about the baby's first year book but I simply have not read it.  It is set up in a format of 0-6 weeks, 6 weeks to 6 months, 6 months to one year, plus a special baby healthcare section for the entire year.

The giveaway will be open until Tuesday, December 21st at midnight MST, winner will be announced on Wednesday.  All you have to do is leave a comment on this blog including your email or a link to your blog so I have some way to contact you if you win.  Don't be afraid to enter even if you aren't currently pregnant or in this stage of your child's first year.  As mentioned above, I really think this would make a great gift for someone you know who is expecting or just had a baby.

Cookie Monster

Jordan is a little cookie thief!  She snuck three cookies off the counter this morning, I was so engrossed in making breakfast that I didn't notice, but she totally gave herself away by saying "Mmmm.  Mmmm.  MMMMMMM!!"  over and over again getting louder with each time.  Thank goodness she's not THAT sneaky yet otherwise I would have had one sugar loaded girl!

She's been LOVING that I've been in a cookie making mood lately.  She walks around the house saying "Cookie.  Cookie.  Cookie."  in her best Cookie Monster voice (which is actually quite good).  She loves Cookie Monster...he's her favorite next to Elmo.  We had been on the lookout for some slippers for her to wear around the house when we finally came across the above Elmo slippers.  She loves them.

7 month comparison

One smart cookie

Is anyone else completely amazed that she can do this entire puzzle on her own?  Did I mention that she is only 1 1/2 years old?  She may not be able to talk yet but she is clearly not lacking in other skills!

Baking bread

I've been trying really hard lately to involve Jordan in the kitchen.  Normally I am trying to find other activities to keep her entertained while I cook and bake but I decided it's time to include her in and she has been enjoying it immensely.  I was making homemade rolls the other day (which are awesome by the way!  I am now expected to bring rolls to Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner every year) and brought out the stool for Jordan to sit at.  I gave her a piece of dough and the roller and off she went, rolling and poking away!

She was "rolling in the dough" for quite some time before she finally realized "I can eat this!"  After that, there was no stopping her!

She kept eating, and eating and eating dough.  Luckily she was only taking teeny tiny bites!  She still had time between bites to squeeze in some goofy poses for the camera.

I'm glad that she shares a love of baking with me!  Even if its only because she gets to taste the nummy food during the process!  I love that this can be our special time together and she can be learning and I can be accomplishing an important job all at the same time.  I love showing her that every day tasks and chores can be fun.  I love when she discovers that I'm in the kitchen and runs off to grab the stool so she can be a part of what I'm doing.  I love this kid!  

Halloween 2010

Jordan was a little monkey for Halloween this year.  We dressed her up for about an hour and headed to church for the harvest party.  She's still a little young to be able to participate in the activities they had there but she didn't mind.  She stood in the same place for about 5-10 minutes in complete fascination at everyone's costumes then when she decided she'd seen them all she took off to the foosball table where she remained entertained for another 10 minutes or so.  After that she went in one of the activity rooms and colored for a bit then it was time to come home for bed.  It was just enough to show off the little cutie and give her a taste of what Halloween is all about.

Praying for Daddy

Every time Jordan and I see Daddy off on his scooter we always say a prayer for him.  I know he'll be ok but I still just get so nervous so this has become a ritual for the two of us.  Yesterday we were outside saying goodbye and while I was still caught up in waving as he headed down the street Jordan smacked her hands together and held them there just waiting for me to get to praying.  I thought that was so sweet.

Baby news!

Here is the most recent picture of our new little one!  We had the ultrasound this morning and found out we are having another girl!  It was really cute, for nearly the entire ultrasound she had her feet over her head.  Finally as the lady was about to wrap things up our little missy straightened out a bit which gave us a couple more minutes of getting to see her, which was wonderful!  I think we got a little more of a clear profile shot with Jordan but we will be having another ultrasound in 8 weeks so I'm hoping for some more pictures then too!  

This of course is a picture of little ol' pregnant me.  I was thinking at first that it is weird that my belly is smaller the second time around but then realized that the first time I had a slow desk job in which I could sit and eat to my hearts content but now I just don't think about food nearly as much as I did during my desk job days (I weighed more on a regular, non-pregnant basis when I worked there too) and I think that is pretty much what the difference is.  I could certainly be wrong.  

Dancing Baby

I LOVE feeling my baby move inside of me.  I know by the end of pregnancy I could be very tired of it if this one is anything like Jordan, who would really get to wiggling as soon as I'd lay down for bed at night and who would catch the hiccups what felt like at least twice a day but for the time being I am loving every second of it.  To be quite honest, after having a miscarriage in March (this may come as a big surprise to many of you as we only shared with very few close friends and relatives) I really faced major ups and downs.  I never realized the roller coaster ride that I would face after a miscarriage.  I'd always felt for women before who had lost a baby but never totally grasped the pain they were experiencing until I went through it myself and man was it a struggle.  Even after getting pregnant two months later, I still dealt with the pain and suffering.  I had a hard time getting excited over this baby, plus I wouldn't allow myself to get excited the times that I wanted to until I had reached the second trimester.  But even after being three months into pregnancy I still struggled with my emotions because I had told myself for so long NOT to get excited just in case we lost this one too that it was very difficult to reverse those feelings.  But it seemed as though all those feelings were wiped away once I felt my baby move.  It all finally felt real and I can finally get to know my baby by learning this little one's movements and actions.  I've been feeling the baby for about a month now and each week the movements get stronger and stronger as my little one grows and I'm loving this baby more and more with each movement.  I will never forget the baby that we lost and I will grieve as the due date comes and goes next month but God has His hand on everything that touches our lives and He has provided us with two wonderful blessings of children that we will celebrate our entire lives with.  This Wednesday we get to see our new little one during it's second photo session!  I am so excited to see the little one during our ultrasound.  I'll be sharing pictures hopefully Wednesday afternoon and if we can I'll also post the video of the ultrasound too.

Two quick stories

-Jordan grunts just about every time she bends over to sit down or to pick something up...please tell me I don't do this!

-Tonight at bedtime I was sitting beside Jordan's bed reading her a book.  She "sneakily" puts her blanket over my head and then throws herself back to lay on her pillow and closes her eyes as if to say "I didn't do it!  I've been laying here sleeping the whole time!"  Once I started laughing (because, seriously, how could you NOT laugh at that?!) she busts up laughing super hard.  She has become SUCH a goofball lately and I LOVE it!

Craft time

I got this awesome "craft" idea from the Childhood 101 blog a couple weeks ago and stored it in the back of my mind.  Luckily for Jordan we had to make a trip to Joann's Fabric last Friday for something else and I remembered to pick up some pipe cleaners while we were there for this fun project.

This has become a great way to keep Jordan entertained while I am busy cooking dinner!  Which is always a major blessing!!  I showed her how to slip the beads onto the pipe cleaners, she discovered that she could also bend the ends sticking out and poke them through the holes on top of the container and Daddy loosened the lid and showed her that if she put beads inside and put the lid back on and shook it that it makes a fun noise!  There are so many things that she can do with this project and that means it keeps her entertained for that much longer and who can complain about that?!

Here she is proud of her work and pointing to make sure I see and take a picture.

Bed time story

The other day I was making dinner in the kitchen when Jordan managed to grab the Frosted Mini Wheats off the table.  She brought the box to the kitchen with me, sat down and started chowing.  Then a couple minutes later I realized she was no longer in the kitchen with me nor were the mini wheats.  I went searching for them both and this is where I found them, laying in Jordan's bed.  I laughed, took several pictures then told her she can't have food in her room and took it away.  Such a funny moment.

Speaking of Jordan's bed, we found an awesome deal on a toddler bed back at the beginning of spring.  At the time she was much too little to make the switch from crib to bed so we'd been storing it.  Well with another little one on the way we decided now is the time to make the switch as we want to give her plenty of time to adjust.  We wanted her old room to become the baby's room because it is closer to our bedroom so we packed up all my crafting supplies that was in the spare room and hauled it to another room (which is where it still rests in piles and piles) about a month and a half ago.  I got her things all moved over and her new room situated.  She loved the room to play in all throughout the day but when it came time to actually sleeping in there she wanted nothing to do with it!  Realizing that we still have plenty of time, I didn't force it.  I'd ask her before laying her down where she wanted to sleep and she'd always tease me and run to her new bed and hop in only to then jump up and run down the hall to her old room and want in her crib.  I was dreading the day we would actually have to dive in and make her sleep there, but I really should not have dreaded it at all!  Last week a friend of mine asked me to watch her two daughters, ages 2 and 5.  Jordan LOVES and admires big kids especially GIRLS!  So when all the kids laid down at nap time the youngest slept in Jordan's toddler bed and Jordan knew it.  So the rest of the day I kept reminding her at random that Savannah had slept in her big girl bed.  When nighttime rolled around that night I laid Jordan down in her big girl bed again reminding her that Savannah had slept there.  Jordan wanting to be just like those girls (which I have no problem with because they are wonderful examples for her) slept there ALL night long!  And she's been happy to sleep in it every nap and bedtime ever since!  Thanks girls for doing the dirty work for me!  Now I need you to come back over to teach Jordan how to go potty!  ;)

Tomato lover

(18 months) 

(11 months)

My girl LOVES tomatoes, probably more than any other food she has tasted.  Whenever she sees them anywhere, be it the grocery store, garden or kitchen counter, she immediately starts signing please and if I tell her she can't have one she has a minor meltdown.  I've learned that if I really do not want her having a tomato then I need to hide them completely out of her sight.  I had about seven tomato plants in the garden this year.  Every time we stepped foot in the back yard, straight to the garden she would go and start picking any tomato within her reach.  And if I tried to stop her because I didn't want tomato guts on her clothes she'd take off running!  I should be happy that it's something so good for her that she loves so much and I am I just wish tomatoes weren't so messy!  One day we had come in from picking an armful of tomatoes and I had set them on the counter.  I guess they were a little too close to the edge because I couldn't find Jordan so I set out to her "secret" hiding spot, the dark corner at the end of the hall in front of the bathroom and there she was tomato in hand as soon as she saw me she took off and we had a wild goose chase around the house until I finally caught her and put her in her chair at the table with a bib.  She cracks me up!

Every time she sees I have the camera she immediately starts following me around the house because she wants to see all the pictures I've taken of her (she loves looking at herself!) so it can be a challenge sometimes to get pictures of her in her natural habitat.  This day she trapped me against the wall and I was running out of floor to back up so I could continue snapping pictures so I leaned against the window sill in the dining room and was taking pictures from that angle.  It must have looked fun because Jordan comes to stand in front of the window, turns around so her back is to it and then starts backing up until her little tush hit the wall and she was standing just like I was.

And this picture here I just think is goofy.  She had finished her tomato and had juice all over her face and was trying so hard to get to the camera so she could see the pictures I had been taking the whole time she'd been chowing down.

drawing with Nana

Sometimes to keep Jordan occupied for a little while I give her a huge pad of paper and one crayon, but I kept finding that it never actually would entertain her for long.  I usually like to write her name and date at the top and finally realized that there were always more scribbles around that than anywhere else on the paper.  That really got the wheels turning so I got down and drew several pictures on her pad of paper and that seemed to make her happy.  She colored every picture I drew (duh!  I really should have thought of this sooner!)!

Later the same afternoon that I made this discovery, Nana came over.  Jordan showed her the coloring she had done and wanted Nana to color with her.  Nana is a wonderful artist and drew an entire scene for her!  She loved and still loves it!  She will pull out the pad and just look at that picture signing everything she sees.

I just love the way she is laying while they draw and color together!  Jordan has found this new position and lays like this all the time nowadays.  One day I looked over and she had somehow figured out how to get the graham crackers off the table (ha!  I know exactly how!  This kid is such a climber these days.) and was laying on the floor like this with her snack, watching a movie.

That reminds me, we have recently begun letting her watch movies (Sesame Street) and while we have major restrictions as far as how much she can watch, it has become a major life saver!  Jordan is quite a quality time girl and wants my constant attention all day long.  I have tried many other approaches but so far nothing has been too successful.  But this movie watching thing has really come in handy!  I can actually step over the gate to do laundry without her having a meltdown on the other side!  I am now able to make dinner without a little girl pulling and crying at my ankles!  Sometimes I can even sit on the couch and get a tiny refresher of a nap or even some reading done in a book!  It's amazing!

Blueberry girl

My friend Amanda made an AWESOME blueberry pie for our Bible study one night a couple months ago.  Normally I do not like pie, much less fruit pie but this was amazing.  Actually I quite LOVE pecan pie, but other than that I'm not a pie lover.  I got the recipe which turns out to be Pioneer Woman's blueberry pie recipe in case any of you out there in bloggie world are interested.  The best thing about this pie is she allows the blueberries to do all the work.  There is no more than two tablespoons of sugar in it and barely any other ingredients to get in the way so it ends up being this really healthy pie and that easily gives me the excuse to eat it for breakfast!  In fact all three of us here in the house have eaten it for breakfast!  Jordan thought it was wonderful and ate nearly two pieces!

She obviously made quite the mess and even got some in her hair, but it is hard NOT to when they're hanging in your eyes so much!  We are growing her bangs out but it is quite the process, let me tell you!   On a completely different note, Jordan just saw this picture as I'm writing and is now wiping her face with her hand to show that she had a messy face and is laughing as she does it.

One more story.  Jordan was sick for about a month with mostly diarrhea but there was some nausea as well.  By the end of it she weighed less than she did 3 1/2 months prior at her 15 month check up.  It was awful for both of us but I cannot imagine what she was going through.  Especially seeing her now that she is all better, her goofy little personality has come back and she seems to be laughing and giggling all the time nowadays.  It makes me feel even worse for her being sick after seeing this major change in her personality.

Picture overload!

I have not posted on here in such a long time (besides the giveaway).  I'm sure you didn't need me saying that for any of you to have noticed!  I am planning a picture overload since it has been such a long time so be prepared!  I haven't for surely decided yet whether it will be a series of posts with all related pictures together or if I trust myself enough to go that route; I'm afraid if I do that I won't get much farther than two posts!  Regardless of how they come I'm sure you'll all be happy with SOME type of post from me!  I do not have any belly pictures yet; for some reason I have not gotten around to taking any with this one but one of these days I will do a side by side comparison with my belly now and my belly when I was pregnant with Jordan.  AND in two weeks from today we have our ultrasound!  Hopefully we will be able to find out what we are having!  If not, I'm not quite as concerned as I was with Jordan.  With her I felt like I just NEEDED to know and prayed and prayed that it would be clear.  This one, I just don't feel the urgency to know.  It's so strange how very similar the pregnancies are but how different my mindset is!  

My grandma gave this adorable hat to Jordan for Christmas last year but she hasn't really gotten a lot of use out of it until now....for a couple of reasons.  One, her hair was too short and it just looked kind of silly, but now that her hair is getting longer it looks absolutely adorable on her!  Her hair has some natural wave to it that just flows perfectly out of the hat.  I love it!  And two, she was terrible about pulling out all the ribbons and I couldn't get her to stop!  Now she is old enough to explain why she should not do so and if she does that there will be consequences.  It's great!

The winner!!

It's time to announce the winner of the Macaroni Grill prize package!  I selected the winner using a random number generator at random.org and the number selected is......commenter number seven!  Amanda, that's you!  I have sent you an email letting you know as well.

Thank you everyone for playing!

Time for a giveaway!

Who loves Macaroni Grill?!?!  Well I hope you all do because MyBlogSpark has contacted me once again to host a giveaway and this time Macaroni Grill is providing the prize package!  

The winner will receive a Macaroni Grill frozen entree, serving platter and tongs!

The frozen entree we received, as will the winner, was Basil Parmesan Chicken which contains white meat chicken, broccoli, tomatoes, pasta tossed in a creamy basil parmesan sauce.  To be quite honest I was a little nervous when making it for dinner for a couple of reasons.  One, I do love basil but have experienced too strong of basil in recipes too many times that I'm always nervous to try something basil anymore.  Secondly, Brandon has a thing against vegetables so when he took one look at it, he immediately commented on the broccoli.  But once the meal was all cooked up, which was extremely easy by the way (literally toss into a skillet, pour in a little milk and let it cook away for about 15 minutes, stirring here and there), we really enjoyed it, broccoli, basil and all.  Brandon even said that it was pretty good even with the broccoli.  I could not taste strong basil at all; it was just perfect!  I do have a funny thing about meat so I picked all the chicken out but Brandon thought that it was good.  We really enjoyed it and you can't beat having dinner on the table in 15 minutes!  It says that it serves two but for our family it actually served the three of us (Jordan doesn't eat much) plus Brandon had some leftovers the next day in his lunch.  It could probably be stretched even farther if served with french bread and a salad.  Now, onto the serving platter, holy moly this is a heavy duty dish!  I was quite surprised to lift it out of the package and feel the weight of it.  I was quite impressed.  I have used it multiple times since the initial use with our Macaroni Grill frozen entree.  Same goes for the tongs, which have also gotten a lot of use!  And the tongs start at 10 inches but can be extended to 14!  

Anyway, onto how to enter the giveaway!  

The Macaroni Grill frozen entrees are available in four flavors:  Basil Parmesan Chicken, Grilled Chicken Florentine, Roasted Garlic Shrimp Scampi and Spicy Italian Sausage Pomodoro.  

To enter, please share in the comments which frozen entree you would most like to try or if none of them strike your fancy, share which Italian meal you would like to see added to the lineup. Please also leave your email address so I may contact you if you are the winner.  

The contest endsl Tuesday, Sept 7th at midnight MST.  No comments after that time will be accepted.  The winner will be announced Wednesday, Sept 8th.

Good luck!!

Gettin' wordy

Jordan said her first sentence this week!  She's not really much of a talker using real words so much yet but we that are here with her all the time can easily pick up on words she is saying that others may think is just jibber jabber.  Anyway, sorry I know you all are dying to hear what she said!  Jordan's first sentence is:  "I love you"  it makes me smile every time she says it.  She also learned to say flower...in Jordan speak.  Everything to her is "Bah!"  so we've been teaching her sign language for all those things so that we can know what she's really talking about; for example many times she excitedly comes to me after looking out the window saying "bah! bah!" over and over again and I had no idea what she was talking about.  Later when we were looking out the window together and saw birds and squirrels I showed her the sign for each and now whenever she excitedly comes to me shouting bah! bah! after looking out the window she's combining it with the sign so I know what she saw out there and can then talk to her about it.  It's very nice!  But where I was really going with that is that like previously mentioned she says bah for everything.  She likes flowers a lot and I forgot the sign for flower but I've been trying to teach her "ffffff-llll-ow-er" so she'll say that instead of bah whenever she sees them.  The other day she was sitting at the table eating and saw a picture of herself sitting next to some flowers and I hear her say "ffff-bah!" repeatedly.  I love watching her learn how to communicate...especially when she says she loves me!  :)  Another thing we think is cute and hilarious that I want to share before I sign out is Jordan says "dibble, dibble, doyle"  It's so funny.  If we say dibble, dibble Jordan goes off on this long string of dibble, dibble jibber jabber where she somehow rolls her tongue or something while she's talking because some of sounds that come out of her mouth are the oddest sounding noises but she acts as though she is rattling off some major important conversation.  It makes us laugh every time.

On a completely different note, these pictures are a couple of my favorites from all three of ours first trip to Glacier.

Happy Anniversary!

Yesterday Brandon & I celebrated our six year wedding anniversary...SIX YEARS!  It's hard to believe that it has been that long already!  The time has sure flown by!  It doesn't seem like it was really all that long ago but I look at our wedding pictures and we both look so young and I suppose we were!  I had barely turned 18 but just eight days before the wedding and Brandon is two years older than me, so barely 20 himself on our wedding day.  What a wonderful day!  Some funny memories (now they're funny, not so much at the time!) from the wedding:  during our vows I started stumbling over my words during the "for richer, for poorer, for better, for worse..." part and our pastor chimes in to try and lighten things up and ease my nerves and says something along the lines of "but hopefully for richer!"  Then later as we were trying to light our unity candles someone beforehand had cut the wick so low that as we tried lighting it the wax from our candles kept drowning the wick so we could not get the unity candle lit!  I was so embarrassed and silly me thinking "I hope people aren't thinking this is a symbol of how our marriage is going to be!" but once again our pastor jumped in making me feel a lot better and said "like a good marriage it takes a little work."  Later when we were doing the cake, when Brandon gave me my bite a small piece fell down my dress and on first reaction Brandon started to reach for it but then realizing it had gone down the dress already wasn't sure what to do and of course everyone is watching during this part of the reception so he was quite embarrassed.  I went in the other room to try to fetch this lost piece of cake and Brandon starts to follow but my dad teasingly yells "you better not!" only to embarrass us even more!  What a day!  We went to Disney World for our honeymoon and it was so cool to experience so many firsts with my brand new husband!  Until that trip I had never ridden on a plane, never been so far away from home, never seen palm trees and never seen the ocean, never gotten a tattoo and never driven in such crazy traffic!  Somehow we discovered a place that let people as young as us rent a car (I think most places you had to be at least 25) so we were able to save some money by not having to pay for a cab everywhere we went and it allowed us more freedom of where to go.  One day while there we took a day drive to Clearwater on the coast and hung out at the beach.  One week was certainly not enough but it gives us reason to go back again someday...and this time with our children!

July 24, 2004

Big hairy deal!

Jordan's hair has been getting so long and I LOVE it!  I am able to do so much more with it than a goofy single ponytail off the very top of her head.  I have even managed to French braid her hair too!  I really wish I had a picture of it because I was so proud that she sat still long enough for me to do it and it turned out really good and managed to stay in all day long!

In other news...I had an early birthday present of getting to see our next baby!  Everything is looking good and the baby is measuring perfectly with the estimated due date, which is February 22nd...two days after Jordan's second birthday.  I was a little upset about that at first but since there is nothing we can do about it, I think it is quite funny.  I love how you can see the baby's legs in the picture!  At one point during the ultrasound she got a side view and I could see a little arm too, it was so precious!

Garden pals

A few weekends ago my generous dad came over to rototill my very sad garden and helped me get it started by planting some things.  Jordan had a great time helping him!  (just kidding, he was all done and just pushing it back to his truck but she really did enjoy herself...she was quite proud).

I don't know what I would do with my dad each year because I am a terrible weed-picker so by the time the season comes around to plant each year my garden has become so over taken by weeds its not even funny.  He hauls his tiller over every single year to do this for me then always sticks around to help get my plants and seeds into the ground.

This year we are growing about 8 tomato plants so I can can and freeze some not to mention make loads of spaghetti sauce and salsa and the like to keep us well supplied even after summer has passed.  We also got an ancho pepper plant, parsley and basil then I planted some zucchini, summer squash, winter squash, water melon, two kinds of pumpkin, onions, peas, green beans and I think that's all.  And I've got my strawberries growing strong still!  This is their third year with us.  The three plants I bought three years ago have spread so much they take up quite the chunk of my garden and the actual berries are bigger this year than they have ever been!  I have plans to move them out of the garden to a special area of their own so they can grow and spread as they please but I have to be honest, I am quite nervous about the transplant because I just don't want to lose any!  A friend of ours gave us a huge container of raspberry starters this year that seem to be growing quite well also.  Maybe next year they will begin bearing fruit (certainly not holding my breath on that for the first couple years)!

One of these days hopefully I'll get around to taking a picture of my garden to share with you all, but don't expect it, you know how terrible I have been about blogging lately (for which I apologize).  I am hoping to pick back up on the blogging every monday like I used to do but we'll see if that ends up happening.  I have so many things I want to blog about it's quite overwhelming.  BUT as you wait for me to get in my blogging rut again go check out Healthy by Choices who is hosting a giveaway for a favorite book of mine, in fact I've mentioned it on here before, The Unhealthy Truth by Robyn Obrien.  Get over there quickly because the giveaway ends tomorrow (sorry, I knew about it a couple days ago but am finally getting on here today)!

An epic tale of Jordan and Mommy:

Nature Walk

Our loot after a walk home from a friend's house

Normally when we go for walks Jordan rides in the stroller.  She really enjoys it...she really enjoys anything that has to do with the outdoors.  Every once in a great while we will take a little walk either to a friend's house just a block away or sometimes just a little stroll around the block in which Jordan actually gets to walk too.  As I'm sure you can imagine, these walks though short in distance can take nearly as much time as a walk where Jordan rides in the stroller.  Sometimes it is fun to have that change and I can always use this as a reminder to slow down and really appreciate Jordan and life and to discover details of the beauty God has created all around us.

Two days ago Jordan and I were hanging out in the front yard tossing things into the puddle at the curb when we saw a city bus coming down the street.  Jordan LOVES the buses that pass in front of our house (in fact every time we are inside and she hears one she always makes sure to tell me that a bus just drove by) so when she saw it coming she stopped what she was doing and began pointing excitedly at the bus.   To our surprise it stopped right in front of us and the bus driver opened his window and waved to us and said hello.  It was sure an exciting start to our day.  Jordan was thrilled!

Jordan and I planted flowers on Wednesday in the long planter area we've got in the front of our house.  I'm never sure what will and won't come up so I just planted every single seed from every single flower pack I had in the hopes that something will come up!  Jordan was quite the little "helper" digging in the dirt as I planted.  She was digging in the same spot nearly the whole time so I thought I was safe to just go around her until the very end...well...she decided to switch spots after a while...then switched again later.  I might have three bare spots in the planter but I may end up with flowers on the ground right in front of those bare spots!  We've not even had to water our flowers since they've been planted because it has been raining, raining and raining some more.  We are thankful for the rain watering our little seeds!

Jordan in our backyard a couple weeks ago

On another note, I'm beginning to dislike June.  It seems that June is the month that takes all my friends away from me!  Last June my very best friend and her husband and son (who is just a 6 weeks older than Jordan) moved back to Minnesota to be closer to her family.  This June, the military is moving my other very dear friend and her husband and son (who was born on the exact same day as Jordan) to Texas.  I'm very grateful for phones and blogs and Facebook to keep us connected.  My Minnesota friend and I still talk very frequently and follow each other's blogs to keep up with each other but sometimes it really stinks when you just need a friend to call up for any reason such as:  going for a walk together or to swap babysitting so you each have a chance to just sit on your couch and do nothing for a while or to have someone to dog sit when you go out of town or to hug when you are really feeling down and words just aren't enough.  You can't do any of that over the phone.  Ok, I'm sorry to be such a downer and I really need to stop because I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes and wallowing in self pity.  Most of all I am thankful for these friendships and that they are still so strong even with so many miles between us.  I'm so thankful that God has brought these ladies, not just ladies, their families too, into my life!

Reading

I don't have any pictures in this post because I didn't intend on writing but as I've been sitting here doing a few tasks that have needed to be done on the computer Jordan was doing something so sweet I couldn't resist not popping on and sharing the story.

I'm sure I've mentioned on here before that Jordan is quite the bookworm.  I am so thankful she likes books so much!  This morning our roles are reversed; as I sit here on the computer she's been reading ME a story.  I hear her "sniffing" so I look down and she's pointing to the bunny in her book smelling a flower.  I excitedly acknowledge she is correct then go back to my computer tasks only to then hear her "blowing" so I look down and she's pointing to the bunny blowing the dandelion seeds through the air.  "Great job!  That's exactly what the bunny is doing!!" then back to my computer work.  Next I hear her trying to get my attention and when I look down this time she has her hand on the side of her head which is cocked to the side and her other hand points to the bunny who is laying down to sleep.  

I love my little girl!  I have so many more stories about her that I intend to share on here one of these days.  Thanks for listening to my story today!

Sorry I have been absent from the blogging world for a while (even when it comes to commenting on all of your all's blogs).  I've been trying to limit my computer time lately as it can so easily become a time absorber for me and because I've also been reading a lot of books, educating myself on many things but most importantly the effects of food on our body...not just food but the type of food here in the US that has been genetically modified, preservatives and colors added, artificial sweeteners and the like.  I HIGHLY recommend everyone read the book The Unhealthy Truth by Robyn O'Brien...actually I am BEGGING you to read this book, especially all you mommies out there.  I really don't even know where to begin in telling you about this book so I'll just pray you read it to learn all that I have learned.  She writes in a way that is very easy to understand which is very nice since the information provided is so critical for us to know about.

On a completely different note I thought I'd share some pictures from a few weeks ago when we had some terrific weather...then we got some cold and snow for a couple of weeks and finally as of this weekend things have started to warm up again (we've even fired up the central air!) and I'm really hoping this time it is here to stay.  Last time we were so spoiled going to the park nearly every day and when not at the park we were in the backyard so much that when that snow and cold came back we had no idea what to do with ourselves!  I noticed a difference in all our attitudes when we were cooped up in the house after that week of freedom and warmth not to mention that the gloominess can sure make a difference in mood as well.  So we had to figure out how to keep busy and distracted from the aweful weather.  We did so by going to the library's story hour, attending a Bible study at church, reading educating books, playing chase around the house, having another once a month cooking day and many other things.  But we are SO glad the sun is shining again so we can slap on the sunscreen and play outside all day long!  Speaking of sunscreen, if you plan to be outside a lot this summer you'll want to check out Healthy by Choices that tells you all you need to know about sunscreens that are safe to put on your and your kiddo's body and why most are NOT safe, you may be surprised!

She loves wearing her sunglasses!  I consider them our instant ticket to a huge smile.  Sometimes after a while of wearing them the correct way though she decides to switch it up and wear them on the back of her head for something different.

Favorite outfit...already?????

I didn't know that kids developed an opinion on clothes this early but Jordan has definitely decided that she has a favorite "outfit" already!  

We have been VERY blessed by a friend of the family who has been loaning us her daughter's clothes (her daughter was born one year and one month before Jordan so the sizes are perfect for each season!) since Jordan was first born.  Such a huge blessing as we have not had to buy ANY clothes or shoes for Jordan (except for a couple of completely irresistible outfits here and there).  Anyway, we just did a swap this past Friday (me giving her back the clothes Jordan has outgrown and she giving me clothes that her daughter has outgrown).  I know I'm getting into too many details here but those of you who know me well enough know that's exactly what I do...I tend to repeat myself and get into way too many details that are probably completely unnecessary for a story but somehow in my mind seem necessary.

But, anyway, this bright pink fuzzy vest was in the new supply along with these cute brown fuzzy boots and Jordan has sure taken a liking to them!  She wore them three days straight and she even insisted on wearing the boots with her red Pooh skirt...it was quite the combination...big boots with a little skirt; she was quite the site running around the back yard!  She still wants to wear them all the time.  I find them both laying around the house all the time!  In fact I found the vest in the bathroom today and her boots in her new cardboard box fort that she's been loving too!

I included the picture above because she just cracks me up in this picture!  I can't look at it and not laugh!  And it has her box in the background, her new "fort."  The dog bed came in it and she's been loving it up ever since, putting all her stuffed dog toys in it and crawling in herself.  It's very cute how entertained she is by it!  And YES I did say dog bed.  Jordan has an obsession with dogs.  Whenever she sees or hears a dog, be it real or stuffed or a simply a picture, she will start panting like a dog and gets super excited.  We took her to McDonalds for the first time yesterday and in the play place there was a picture of a dog and ever time she went past it to go down the slide she had to touch it and when other kids were there she had to tell them about it.  We printed off a couple pictures and hung them on the wall in her room right by her crib; she loves reminding us they are there whenever we go in to get her after a nap.  It's a pretty cute obsession and we made the decision to get her a dog.  We thought a lot about it, slept on it and thought some more and we decided to go with a harlequin Great Dane.  The mommy dog won't be impregnated until June so we've got a little bit of waiting to do before our doggie actually arrives and we are trying to wait patiently but it's so hard!  The dog is in Washington so we get to take a little trip at the end of the summer to go pick it up so that'll be a ton of fun!  If you want to see the mommy and daddy of our to-be puppy check it out here.

By the way, I just want to add that I've been working on this post for almost two weeks now (started it on April 21st) and I was having major problems adding pictures...well it turns out it was my own fault, I was trying to upload pictures in the wrong format.  It was definitely a learning experience but I apologize to all you readers out there having to wait and wait simply because of my own silly error.