Turning ten

Every year I write Jordan a letter on his birthday. Last year I read his letter to him but this year I chose not to because I wanted to write it more for history's sake. Plus I've spent a lot of time lately telling him how great he is and how well he's doing in certain areas so I didn't feel like I was depriving him of that by not reading this one to him. :) So without further ado... his ten year letter.

Jordan,

Today you are TEN YEARS OLD. I have now known you for over five years and you are turning into the most incredible kid. This year you have grown by leaps and bounds in pretty much every way except physically. You are still a little shrimp at 51 pounds. :) Your small size makes you the favorite among your peers and you continue to be one of the popular ones wherever you go. You gravitate towards older, bigger kids and they love you because you’re small enough to cart around and easily wrestle with.

School was a challenge for you in 3^rd grade. You and your teacher didn’t mesh well and we didn’t feel like she was a good advocate for you. You struggled with a few situations regarding other kids that we felt weren’t handled the way they should be. You often came home from school frustrated about how the day had gone and telling me that Mrs. H was your least favorite teacher yet. Of course this was hard for Daddy and I to hear and we started to discuss homeschooling you in 5^th grade. One-on-one instruction is what you thrive on and I think it would be so helpful to be able to tailor lessons to your specific needs and interests. It’s something we are seriously talking about. (Plus, we’re hoping you will have a baby brother or sister around that time and that Mommy will be home anyway!)

Grandma has been having some more serious health problems this year and it led to finding different childcare for you during your before and after school hours. After hunting around and checking out our options we settled on a community after school program, where you go for about 30 minutes in the morning and about an hour in the afternoon. You LOVE it. There is a huge array of activities and you were able to spend lots of time playing outside. You made some new friends there and always had fun things to tell me about your day.

You have become more mature in choosing your friends this year and have a very nice group of them. Colyn was your best friend last year but this year he took to throwing you under the bus a few times. When Daddy asked if you wanted to invite him to your birthday party you told him, “He lied to three teachers to get me in trouble and he slapped me in the face. No.” Your best friend at school is Alex and your best friend at your after school program is Kylie. Dalton and Riley are among your best buds and although you don’t see them much, you also like spending time with Mason, Rhonen and Blu. You also love to play with your cousins and Mommy’s older boy cousins. 

This summer you went back to YMCA camp and it’s been a bit different than last year. You’re learning more about bullies and how to deal with them and have been doing an excellent job with that. There is one boy in particular that has been causing some problems and you even asked if we could set up a meeting with a counselor to talk about him. I’ve been very proud of the way you’ve used your words and not your hands. Andrew is your friend of choice at camp and you also spend a lot of time with Jonah.

Your eating habits still leave something to be desired, despite our efforts to encourage (and sometimes force) you to try new things. You have started to get tired of Happy Meals (HALLELUJAH!) and have moved on to Popcorn Chicken from KFC. I’m sure that’s not great for you either but at least it’s real chicken. :) Daddy and I still hope that your stubbornness about food will wear off and that you’ll branch out in what you like, especially with fruits and vegetables. This year your foods of choice were Top Ramen, Happy Meals, KFC chicken, fruit snacks, chips, cereal, popcorn, chocolate milk, juice, sweets, French toast and ice cream. Occasionally we can get you to eat some peanuts or pistachios. :)

You are learning to ride a unicycle this year and you are mere weeks away from mastering it! Nana got you started on it and at first you were less than excited about it but did it to please her. Now that you’re really getting the hang of it you have started to love it and can see your own progress. It’s exciting to watch you! You also learned to skateboard this year in PE and Daddy brought you home a skateboard from the lost and found at work, which you love.

You are a little fish and LOVE water. Swimming is your favorite activity and even though you complain about taking baths, once you get in the tub, you tend to enjoy them. You still take baths instead of showers but will sometimes use the shower to rinse your soapy hair when you’re done. You have finally started washing your own hair and getting yourself dried off, much to our delight. You have been known to stay in the tub for up to an hour, singing and playing and commentating. The cats usually feel the need to supervise your bath time and they have each fallen in a time or two, which is pretty much the most hilarious thing ever.

You love paper and can make all sorts of creative crafts out of it, your favorite being paper airplanes. If given a pen, the first thing you will draw is always, without fail, a skeleton. Your letterboxing signature stamp is also a skeleton.

You have been inquiring about dreams a lot lately and will ask almost every day, “So, didja have any bad dreams last night?” I don’t often have bad dreams but Daddy and I do have a lot of dreams in general so it’s been funny to talk about them.

We got rid of cable TV this year and were hoping that would naturally cut down on TV time. Many of the things you like to watch can be found on Netflix, however, so you’ve switched to that. Our Wii gets lots of use between Netflix and video games. You and Daddy love to play Super Mario Brothers together.

You are one of the most creative, imaginative kids I know and when I ask you to pack your library bag with activities, the things you choose are hilarious. One week at church you had a little wooden box, a phone cord, a dog leash, a funnel, a bouncy ball, a ring from a ring toss game and a Lego stick thing. You had the best time.

You still hate getting your hair cut and going to bed. Your favorite shoes this year are your hiking boots and 8 out of 10 pair of your pants have giant holes in the left knee. You don’t like to wear long sleeves but sweatshirts are ok. You LOVE to play in the sand and get dirty. We got a new car this year and your favorite seat is in the VERY back, facing backwards. You make up your own jokes and songs and make us laugh all the time.

This year you love Legos, Star Wars, Mario, Pokemon, superheroes, anything to do with science, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Goosebumps (or really anything scary), Transformers and history. You like to quiz Mommy on the presidents (which is good for me because I’m terrible with them). You’ve also taken a liking to board games and we love to play “I’m Thinking of an Animal” together. You’re awesome at that game.

This summer you’ve been spending a couple of hours with Caryn in the mornings and she has been tutoring you in reading and math. You’re really enjoying it and have grown in leaps and bounds in just a few short weeks. Daddy and I are so impressed at how far you’ve come and you can’t wait to wow your teachers when school starts. You missed out on learning your multiplication tables toward the end of 3^rd grade and Caryn has taught you 0 through 10 in just a few short weeks. Once you master them, your reward is a canoe trip with her and Colby! You can now read easy level books all on your own and you have blazed through all of the Dr. Seuss books at Nana and Grandpa’s house. I’ve noticed you reading signs and packages more often and that’s really exciting for me. I hope that reading becomes something you enjoy. When I ask your about your day, your favorite part is often your morning with Caryn.

It’s hard to believe that you’re ten years old already and Daddy and I are so excited for this coming year. You have some wonderful traits and skills and interests and it’s so fun to watch those unfold. I can’t wait to see where 10 takes you. :)

We love you with all our hearts,

Mommy and Daddy

Nine

Dear Jordan,

I keep telling you that I’m going to put a brick on your head to stop you from growing, and I just might do it! Though this morning when I said that you told me, “Well, it would just fall off because my head is round!” So you see, you’re a smart little cookie.

You’re nine years old today. NINE YEARS OLD! I didn’t even meet you until you were 4 and still I can’t believe where the time has gone.

You are turning into quite the kid. Last week I babysat our friends’ kids for a few hours in the evening and I sat you down beforehand and told you my expectations for the evening. I expected you to listen carefully and to be respectful to your friends and to me. I told you if you met these expectations then we would all take a trip to the park. And you did. And so we did.

Now you talk to me about your Expectation Self and I have to say, I love this idea. And you rise to the occasion and you are a good listener and a respectful kid. It makes me proud.

You are still the pickiest eater I have ever known in my life. No kind of bribery can get you to try a new food. One day I stuck a mango in your face and you discovered that you actually like the taste of mango, but even still you wouldn’t try a piece! You are also the most stubborn child I think I have ever known in my life! :)

But you are a charmer. And there isn’t much that melts my heart like when you walk into the room and say in your cute little voice, “Hey, Mommy?” and then fire off some questions. You’re very curious and I like that about you.

We have started going to the library each week and you love that, too. First you check out the new release section, then the DVD section (Reading Rainbow is a new enjoyment), then the Children’s section. We usually pick a row and pull 8 or 10 books from that row without branching out much. The next week we choose a different row. You are most interested in the books with the Halloween symbol on the side because these tend to be the spooky books. You are also really enjoying chapter books and having a chapter read to you before bed at night. Right now we are reading a spooky chapter book so it’s the best of both worlds!

Your sense of humor is, well, humorous. We are constantly laughing at your antics and the goofy things you say. You understand puns and are quite creative. Comebacks are called “talk-backs” and you have your fair share of those as well. You get extra silly around your friends and are usually the group clown.

You are also the popular one. Kids swarm to you and you can often be found acting as the ringleader. It makes me laugh how terrible you are with names and you tend to call kids, “Hey, Dude!” instead of by their name. This year your good buddies are Mason, Colyn, Kyali and Adrian.

This summer you started day camp through the Y and you are loving it. Each Friday they ask if you’ll be back the following week and each time you answer them with an enthusiastic YES! You have made several friends at camp and the counselors love you. The other day when I came to pick you up they told me that the day before they were watching you as you wrote on a sticky note. You took this note in your hand and went to a counselor, patted her on the back and told her how nice she was. When another counselor “investigated” this he found a note on her back saying, “kig me.” So once again, you’re a ham!

You are an amazing artist and are constantly drawing animals and monsters and creatures. Recently my mom asked for a dragon drawing and you told her, “It’ll cost you a dollar.” At her surprise you replied, “What! I don’t work for free. I’m the best artist you could ever find!” And in the end, it really was a pretty awesome dragon.

You love family nights and all things to do with games. You’re very competitive and you love learning new things. You love to sing (especially in the bathtub or shower) and you know a good number of the words to many Michael Jackson songs. You love being outside and getting down and dirty. Your favorite shoes are your cowboy boots and you are not a fan of wearing shorts. You love your cats and you love corn chips and pistachios. We often call you our fish because you adore swimming and will wear yourself plumb out in the pool. Your laugh is contagious and you hate getting your hair cut. You have a special love for science and are thrilled when we do experiments. You ask lots of questions and listen carefully to the answers. You are very good at reading people and are a very intuitive guy.

And as for Daddy and I? Well, we think you are pretty much the coolest kid ever and we love you with all our hearts.

Hugs and kisses,

Mommy and Daddy

23

I always kind of wonder what the "best" way is to write your own birthday post. ;)

This year I decided it would be good to write 23 things that I am thankful for. I have a lot to be thankful for (far more than 23 things) but lately I have to remind myself of these things. The stress in my life is high but these things rise above that.

1. I am thankful for my amazing boyfriend. He is probably the second single reason (right behind God) that I have even been able to make it this far in my caregiving job. He is a rock beside me, a shoulder to lean on, an ear to listen, a hug to give. I am so thankful to call him my partner.

2. I am thankful for Jordan. That boy is sunshine in my life. Being a mom is not easy but it is so wonderful.

3. I am thankful for my jobs. Both of them. Caregiving is hard but I have learned so much from it. And my bosses at my other job are so incredibly understanding.

4. I am thankful for my parents.

5. I am thankful for nature. For the sun and the stars and the leaves and the rain and the flowers and the clouds and the breeze and the beauty.

6. I am thankful for kittens.

7. I am thankful for my car. Really, that is something I take for granted ALL the time. I love my car.

8. I am thankful for my cooking skills. I WISH I had the time and energy to cook a real meal every night but I just don't. One of the things at the top of my "when I'm back to one job" list includes menu planning and cooking meals every night for dinner.

9. I am thankful for my BlackBerry and my iTouch. 'Nuff said.

10. I am thankful for clean sheets.

11. I am thankful for laughter. And the hilarious things Jordan says.

12. I am thankful for books. Another thing I miss. But I still can't walk into a Borders without walking out with a book.

13. I am thankful for dancing.

14. I am thankful for my sister and the fact that she is one of my best friends.

15. I am thankful for my upcoming birthday trip this weekend! I am SO EXCITED to go see Cirque du Soliel and I told Steve to pack his umbrella because we're going to the Saturday Market in Portland, rain or shine. :)

16. I am thankful for my counselor.

17. I am thankful for a roof over my head, a fridge full of food, a closet full of clothes and a hot shower waiting for me.

18. I am thankful for the ability to choose my faith.

19. I am thankful for "my" dog.

20. I am thankful for the way my parents raised me, which is now determining the way we raise Jordan.

21. I am thankful for photos.

22. I am thankful that no matter how down and out I'm feeling, I still have a LONG list of things to be thankful for.

23. I am thankful for 23 wonderful years on this earth.

Wednesday - Dorothy's 66th birthday

I had intended for this to be a Wordless Wednesday post and a chance to finally share photos from Dorothy's birthday party. However, as I was posting the photos I realized that they really have a story behind them and since Dorothy is so dear to me, it's a story I want to share.

Dorothy is a watercolor artist and has become very good over the years. She still loves to paint and thankfully it is something that she is still able to do and still enjoys in short sessions. Since I have lived with her she has finished four pieces.

Heather and I had talked about what we could do for Dorothy's birthday that would be meaningful to her and came up with the idea to display her art and have a small artist's reception for her. We had originally wanted to display her artwork in the hallway of the hospital where she is very well known and respected, but that option didn't pan out for us. Instead, Heather and Dorothy's neighbor and dear friend Ellen contacted the owner of an art gallery here in town and he agreed to let us display Dorothy's art and hold a reception for her on the afternoon of her birthday.

We had wine and appetizers for everyone to enjoy:

My manager from work even came. :) He thinks very highly of Dorothy and it was fun to have him stop by.

The rainbow cake was (obviously) a SMASHING success. I actually got a bit tired of explaining how I had made it! Haha.

This is my favorite piece of Dorothy's and one she finished just recently for her mom's 96th birthday. It's one that I will eventually get a print of and hang in my own house. I believe she painted this from a photo that was taken in her neighbor's yard.

I am going to get a print of this photo and frame it, too. :)

Dorothy, Heather and I:

Dorothy, since living with you I have learned SO much and even though we have our hard days, this experience is not one that I would trade. You have helped me to become a better, more understanding, more patient person and have really enriched my life and the lives of people very close to me. Thank you for giving me this opportunity and for sharing your home and your family and friends with me. I love you very much!

Sneak preview

Oh, don't worry, I will certainly be posting the recipe for this cake! It's too cool not to share. I originally got it from MckMama, who got it from a friend of hers. I made it yesterday for Dorothy's birthday today. Go ahead. TELL me this isn't the most awesome cake you've seen in awhile!

(And PS! Though fairly time consuming, it's really a pretty easy cake to make!)

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5 for Friday - five things I am looking forward to!

October is an exciting month for me. At least this year. (Who am I kidding? My anniversary is in October, therefore it is one of my favorite months anyway.) This year it's extra good.

1. Not only is Monday my four year anniversary, it is also Dorothy's 66th birthday. Heather and Ellen (our neighbor) have been scheming and have put together an art show to honor Dorothy! For a couple of hours on Monday evening we will be having a small artist's reception at an art gallery downtown and will display several of Dorothy's watercolor paintings. (I will try to post one of her paintings on here soon.) I am very excited for it.

2. Next Wednesday is the Star Wars orchestra concert that Jordan has been WAITING for! I'm not totally sure what to expect but I know we will have a great time. I'm a little nervous because there wasn't an option to buy a child ticket but I'm hoping that's just because there was no price break. I'm thinking Jordan certainly will not be the only child there. I mean, it's Star Wars.

3. I have 2 1/2 days off work next week! One of those days I will be hanging out at home most of the day because I want a chance to meet with Dorothy's Hospice nurse and social worker (plus I want to sleep in!). But the next day Steve and I get to leave mid-morning for our anniversary at the coast! Which brings me to...

4. Our anniversary! I am so thrilled to be getting out of town, even for just one night. I'm hoping the weather is decent enough to go for a walk on the beach but if not, that's ok. I like rainy weather at the coast, too. :) I'm really excited to give Steve his gift, too. Yay!

5. And last, but certainly not least, my cousin is getting married towards the end of this month and I'm very excited about that! I barely know his wife-to-be (I've only met her once) but I'm hoping to get to know her around Christmas when I will hopefully see them at two different family gatherings.

Hooray for things to look forward to!

Eight

Dear Jordan,

Today you turned 8 and I just can't believe you're that old. When I met you you were just a little squirt, only 4. I can hardly believe you're the same kid. I remember just a couple of weeks after I met you, you and Daddy dropped me off and as I walked away he called me back to the car and there you were in the back seat, crying your eyes out because you didn't want me to go.

You are full of SO much imagination. And even with all your imagination, you are not one to get into too much mischief. We can leave you unattended in the house and not worry if it gets too quiet. Chances are you're building something, drawing something or conducting an experiment from your approved array of "potion ingredients" (spices and water).

You have so many friends. It seems like kids swarm to you and you are one of the most popular kids in school. You play that up but you are also a very compassionate friend. Kids will come up to us in the grocery store and say, "Hey, Jordan!" and you have conversations with them and when they walk away we ask who that was. You almost always answer, "Oh, I dunno their name." But they all know yours!

You are very adventurous. You are not the kind of kid who likes to sit around the house (unless we are cooking or baking something). You would rather be outside any day, playing frisbee or baseball or going swimming. (Speaking of swimming, you are a total fish!)

You really love family time, going to new parks, Doritos, playing with the big kids, saving your money, Happy Meals and the color red.

You really don't like brushing your teeth, being tricked, having to wait to get a brother or a sister, trying new foods, big dogs and being at home without Daddy.

You have a hilarious sense of humor. We are constantly laughing at the things you say and it seems as though it's equally split between you saying things and having no idea they're funny and you TRYING to make us laugh. =) You are very good at both.

Like I tell you all the time, you are my favorite boy. Daddy and I are SO proud of you and everything you are learning and doing. We can't wait to see how you will grow up (even though some days we wish you would just stay small) and how you will change.

We love you VERY, very much.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Summer is here

Ahhh, Saturday...

It's been fairly hot the last couple of days so last night I slept with the window wide open. This meant that I woke up much earlier than I usually do on a Saturday but that also meant that Dorothy and I were ready for the day at about 10:30 (instead of the usual - almost noon).

We sat out on the deck for awhile and I ate my delicious breakfast pastry out there. Pat (the new Saturday caregiver) arrived about 11 and I was officially "off duty". I've been playing around on my blog for the last hour or so, adding things here, deleting things there.

Steve gets off work early today and we have plans to go to my cousins COLLEGE GRADUATION party (holy cow!) and spend the afternoon together. There are plans in the making for a hike. I am feeling the need to escape civilization for awhile. =)

Steve's birthday is next weekend and I can't wait to surprise him! I have a weekend getaway planned for him and Jordan and I and he doesn't know where we're going. I also got him a fantastic gift - something he's been wanting for years. I will try to take lots of pictures that weekend. =)

And now I'm off to enjoy some sunshine!

Holidays, birthdays and camping!

I have been so behind in photo posting that I figured I'd better get up to date before I got MORE behind with the upcoming fair, church campout and Idaho!

So here we are on the 4th of July. Steve, Jordan and I had a picnic at a park with a couple of his friends and an assortment of spouses and kids. My old roommate Brooke came and brought her little sister and her dog.

Here's Kellee! She's also the one we went camping with this weekend.

Roasting marshmallows!

Jordan doesn't eat the marshmallows, he just burns them. Which actually works out pretty well because you know how you always end up with 1/3 of a bag of marshmallows at the end of the BBQ? I just hang on to them and let him burn them at the next one because by then they're stale anyway!

The next day was our annual reunion on my dad's side of the family. These are 7 of the 10 grandkids on that side (3 live in California).

Us girls. (There was a better picture of our faces but it turns out that Jon is a lousy photographer and these two were the only pictures that weren't blurry! Nice guy though - I'll forgive him.)

I don't know who had my camera at this point but they snuck in this picture! Unfortunately out of all the pictures I took of Steve and Jordan that day, none of them turned out. =(

Here we are at the infamous Chuck E. Cheese! Jordan was in SUCH a good mood that day. He's been asking for a party at CEC for about two years so this was the year.

He LOVED it.

He got some pretty awesome presents, including a new Batman backpack (from Penny) and some books (from Daddy and I). His friend who attended has never been to his house and doesn't know much about what he likes to play with but SCORED when he got him a Batman Lego set. I think that got the most oohs and ahhs out of Jordan. =)

One of Jordan's cousin drew him an I Spy in his birthday card which was super cute. =)

I had originally said I would make his cake but first he wanted a Hulk cake, then a Power Rangers cake and I didn't have the energy to attempt either one so we settled for a (actually pretty cool) Spiderman cake with a removable Spidey who you can then stick to the wall with his suction cup hands.

Cole and Noah, being the hams that they are!

Steve and his brother David.

Camping! This is Jordan the first morning, sooooound asleep. I wish that I had taken more pictures on this trip but alas, I did not.

We were in the campsite with the water pump so people were constantly coming to get water, which was actually quite humorous to us. It was the people with the collapsible water jugs that made us laugh the most. Sorry, it takes two people to fill those. =)

I am an expert at making pancakes in a cast iron skillet on a one burner propane stove, yes I am.

Anybody else reminded of Huck Finn?

Jordan told me Saturday morning that he was going to tell me a scary ghost story that night before bed. We were laying down talking and he pounces up and says, "Your ghost story!" It was a great ghost story, to be sure.

Little bit was pretty darn ready to go home at the end of the trip. We decided that camping isn't really for us. Steve and I got frustrated with each other several times but I think not having a shower tends to do that to us on a normal day. Overall it was fun but we were SO ready to be home yesterday.

Oh, and Kellee's rat dog that she brought along. lol I hated that stupid thing - it barked at every single person who came to get water.

Tomorrow I'm having dinner with an old coworker, Wednesday I'm getting my oil changed, Thursday I'm babysitting, Friday is David's band at the fair, Saturday is the fair and the Luau (YAY!!!), Sunday is church at Bell Ranch, Monday is work (ugh) and Tuesday we leave for Idaho! Yikes, when am I gonna do laundry...?