Happy Birthday Jordy!

It is Jordan's 24th birthday today! I couldn't resist the opportunity to post about my wonderful husband. Jack and I love this MAN so much. I don't think anyone that knows Jordan really thinks ill of him because he is just that kind of person. I am amazed at his patience with me and with Jack. Jordan is hardly ever judgmental or critical and he makes me want to be a better person.
Jordan loves the outdoors. He is a lover of wakeboarding, snowboarding, lizard catching, hiking, fishing, hunting, plant identifying, snake catching, and a lover of his shit-zu (sp?) Daisy. Jordan always knows how to make life exciting. He always likes to be doing something and is constantly thinking of activities for Jack and I to do with him. Jordan always wants to give everyone the chance to come along. He is always inviting friends on our fishing trips, or on camp-outs, or on lake trips. He loves to be with people and has a knack for making friends wherever he goes.

Jordan is an amazing father! From the moment he walks in the door, he is playing with Jack. I really think that Jack gets bored sometimes when it is just he and I home because I don't entertain him like Jordan. There is no doubt in my mind that Jordan's number one priority is his family.

I love Jordan for his high-top converse shoes with shorts days, for his camo hat, for his shaking laugh, for his Financial Fascist ways, for his massive smile, for his sense of humor, for his determination and ambition, for his spontaneous fishing outings, for his jerky pistol, and for his testimony!

Jack Testing the Waters

What do you do on a Sunday when you are bored?

We recently bought Jack a lifejacket because we are planning on going to Lake Powell with Jordan's family over Memorial Day weekend. Jordan decided that tonight would be the perfect time to test out the product and see how Jack likes the water. He filled our bathtub up to almost overflowing and the pictures tell the rest (the last one is a video).

Gumption

A few days ago, I was walking out to my car on my way to work and I overheard this conversation between two of the neighbor kids. A little girl that is 7 years old and Jordan calls her Trouble, and then another 7 year old boy who I am afraid I don't know his name, so for the story's purpose we will call him Soccer Boy, were outside playing together. And I happened upon this conversation:

"Soccer boy, (she used his name but I can't remember it) I know who you have a crush on", Trouble teases.

Soccer boy looks up startled, "Whaaat? No you don't!"

Trouble continues, "Yes I do."

"No you don't!" Soccer Boy is now getting a little uncomfortable at this point.

And then Trouble slams him with it, "Yes I do! You have a crush on ME."

That is gumption if I have ever seen it.

Graduation, Teeth, and Dinosaurs

The problem with not blogging frequently is that I fall behind and then I feel like I have so much to catch up on. Last weekend we had Courtney and John's graduation. Unfortunately, we arrived too late to see her walk but we heard L. Tom Perry say a few words. It really turned into a fun weekend spent with family. My sister Ginnie flew in from Sacramento with her daughter Ciera and baby Parker for the weekend. My parents were up here as well so that meant that the grand kids were spoiled rotten. After the graduation, everyone played a round of bowling, followed up by lunch and ice cream. Then we proceeded to play a fast paced round of miniature golf and ended the day off with a party of cake and ice cream celebrating the graduates. If that wasn't enough the next day my parents treated all of the grand kids to a day at the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving point. We had planned on going to the Tulip Festival and the Barnyard Animals Celebration, but the weather was too cold to be outside so we enjoyed dinos instead. We had Sunday dinner up at Heather's and stopped by to visit Leah and Eryn in Farmington for a bit on Monday morning. And through it all Jack did amazingly well! The mind reels with how exciting the weekend was, but to top it off Jack has teeth. Not just a tooth but teeth. I had previously posted that he was teething, but when I took him to the Pediatrician a week later and mentioned that I thought he was teething, she looked in his mouth and said that she couldn't see any signs of teething so I just stopped paying attention. In the middle of all of our travels too and fro... somehow he had managed to get my finger into his mouth as a toy and started chewing down on it. I thought he had something in his mouth because it felt a little hard and to my surprise he had two teeth that had broken the surface. I don't know how long they had been there--maybe that is one of the blessings of not breastfeeding. Needless to say he is happily working on a third!
If you didn't want to read the large synopsis... here is the picture version!

Courtney and John

Parker and Jack with their cousin Ben. Ben is the sweetest little cousin. Often times when we are visiting Heather and Trent I will find Ben playing with Jack, giving him new toys, baby talking with him, and being so soft! It is the cutest thing.
Jack dipped his toes into the water sandbox
Just a picture for fun!

One of Jordan and Jack's favorite activities is window watching. I often will come home and find Jack starring at me from the window because he and Jordan are window watching!

The Real Girls Retreat

Here are the real Girls Retreat photos...not more of Jordan's fishing trips. I am already looking forward to the next one.

My two sandwich sisters (I am in the middle of these two) Heidi and Courtney.
This was our night out on the town, where we ate dinner at Maggiano's and then headed to the Treasure Island for our show (My sister-in-law Elice, Baby Jackson, and Heather)
This night I was fortunate enough to be baby-less- but some how Ginnie wasn't so fortunate and baby Parker enjoyed the sultry sounds of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and even a little Ella at Maggiano's.
The gracious hosts! Carl B and Marilyn looking stellar.

The little stowaways! These are the three babies that managed to make it to girls retreat. They are all within 2 months of each other, but somehow Jack (the youngest) is the heavy weight of the group. (Jack, Jackson, and Parker)