Jordan Family

The Park

2012-01-28T13:19:00.000-05:00

It has been crazy warm here considering it is almost February! I was feeling brave this past week so I loaded all 3 kids up and went to the park at church. I knew no other kids would be there so it would be easy to watch Cali and the twins. This was my first trip out on my own with all 3 kids that wasn't to a Dr. apt!

Cali the Bus Driver!

Hannah and Henry eating while Cali plays on the bridge.

The twins slept for a while then woke up for their afternoon feeding. They enjoyed their bottles outside. After the park we ran a quick errand and headed home for dinner.

Pretty successful for our first outing!

She was too quiet

2012-01-15T10:26:00.001-05:00

The twins were napping, Cali was eating snack so I was cleaning the kitchen and doing laundry. I was so happy that Cali was playing independently and allowing me to be productive. I should have known better.

Snack was crackers and peanut butter.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Two Month Update - Twins

2012-01-14T17:29:00.001-05:00

The twins are officially 2 months old today! We are starting to get in a rhythm around here with 3 kids under 3. We started a relaxed version of Baby Wise at week 6 and that seems to have helped. Basically we follow a schedule of eat, play sleep during the day and then eat and sleep at night.

Hannah and Henry

I started back to work part-time this past week. We are trying to get used to the new schedule with Nick and I trading off twin duty at lunch. Cali also is almost completely potty trained so that has helped a lot!

Henry

Hannah

MONTHLY UPDATE:

Food - 100% breast milk on a 2.5 to 3 hour schedule. Using bottles and nursing.

Sleep - They take around 6 hour to two hour naps a day. With the Baby Wise system we can get a 4 hour stretch at night a few nights a week!

Clothes - Hannah is still in Newborn size and some 0-3 month. Henry is in 0-3 month size.

Weight - Hannah around 8lb 13oz Henry around 9lb 15oz

Height - Hannah 21 inches Henry 22.5 inches

Diapers - Pampers size 1 - just moved up from newborn this week!

Health - Hannah is doing great on her meds for the Hemangioma. The red spot has gotten smaller and is starting to get lighter. The dermatologist is very happy with the progress and even increased the amount of meds to take.

Fun Facts - Henry loves tummy time and has great head control. Hannah is a very happy, laid back baby.

Nap time with Daddy

Christmas 2011

2012-01-07T15:23:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas from the Jordan's!

(Yes- I'm know I'm behind. But I have 3 kids so I'm allowed)

With the twins being so young and little we decided to stay at the house this Christmas and invite our immediate families over for Christmas festivities.

On Friday Dec. 23rd Nick's family came over for dinner and presents. It was so much fun to see the older girls opening presents and playing together.

Maw Maw and Hannah

Leigha

Uncle Andy and Cali

Saturday Dec. 24th we had my family less my mom, she was sick, over. The three big kids had a great time playing.

Michael, Kimmie, and Cali

Kimmie and Cali

Aunt Mary and Hannah

Kimmie enjoying Nick's present

Sunday Dec. 25th our family of five did Christmas. The twins slept through the gift opening. Cali loved opening her presents and the babies presents. This year it was clear that the opening of presents was very exciting for her!

Opening Cali's stocking

Presents!

Her favorite Dora and Boots!

How Hannah and Henry celebrated their first Christmas

Friday Dec. 30th my family came back for a second Christmas dinner this time with my mom! More fun, food and presents!
We also celebrated my sister's birthday.

Decorating Mary's birthday cupcakes

Michael, Henry, Cali, Hannah, Kimmie

Who do they look like?

2011-12-17T21:15:00.000-05:00

Who do you think the twins look like?

Henry 1 month

Nick 3.5 weeks

Hannah

Pam 2 months

Cali 1 month

Vote now!

One Month Old - Twins

2011-12-15T22:15:00.000-05:00

The twins were one month old on Wednesday! We survived! Henry and Hannah are doing great. They are eating, sleeping, peeing and pooping like champs.

Hannah and Henry in their Little Sister/Brother shirts

MONTHLY UPDATE:
Food - 100% breast milk on a 3 hour schedule. We will wake them up to feed during the day but let them sleep at night until they are hungry. We are nursing and giving them bottles. This is wonderful because Nick can play a big roll in the feedings and can give me a break at night.
Sleep - They sleep a lot! Maybe 16-20 hours a day. They do not always sleep at the same time which decreases my productivity. They are sleeping better at night. Nick and I are getting 4 to 6 hours a night.
Clothes - Newborn size onsies and pants. Henry is just now able to fit into some of his outfits, Hannah is still small so clothes just kind of hang on her.
Weight - Hannah 5lbs 12oz Henry we find out 12/19
Height - Hannah 19 inches Henry we find out 12/19
Diapers - Pampers Newborn size (If you are wondering what the twins want for Christmas the answer is diapers! We go through a pack every 2 days!)
Health - You may notice a red mark just above Hannah's lip. This is called a Hemangioma or benign blood tumor. We saw a pediatric dermatologist this week about it. Due to its location we are going to start a treatment plan. Hannah will take medicine two times a day for the first year of her life to make the Hemangioma go away and prevent longterm issues. We think she is beautiful!
Fun Facts - Henry sneezes in fours, Hannah is a very easy, laid back baby - hopefully this won't change :)

Henry

Hannah

Big sister wanted to get in on the photo shoot! Our THREE kids!

Two weeks in

2011-11-30T10:06:00.000-05:00

Our family of five has survived the first 2 weeks! It has been a fun ride so far. Sometimes it is hard, sometimes we get peed on, sometimes we cry, sometimes we laugh and sometimes we all nap!

Hannah and Henry napping in their crib. I love that Henry is smiling - what could he be dreaming about?

Cali has been amazing! She has been such a big helper and loves her babies! As she leaves for school in the morning she tells me to "Be careful with my babies, momma!" I love how she loves them and has accepted them. She is still the fastest to tell them apart.

Cali feeding Henry his "mommy milk"

Nick is back working full time at church so I have had helpers here at the house with me. It is super nice to have an extra set of hands with two babies and a toddler! Another huge blessing is our wonderful church family has been brining meals. This is something that really has a huge impact on me! Trying to plan dinner in the midst of making sure babies are feed, clean, the toddler is happy and the house isn't a disaster is just one thing that I don't have time for.

The twins are back to their birth weights and eating only breast milk. We are doing a mix of nursing and bottles. They eat every 3 hours during the day and every 3-4 hours at night (whenever they wake up). They sleep well but not always when we want them to. Henry had his nights and days off a few days this week. It is amazing that Nick and I can function on so little sleep.

Henry sporting a mohawk after a bath

Hannah relaxing in the bouncer

For Thanksgiving we stayed home and had a small meal with just the 5 of us. Nick's side came over Saturday for lunch.

Cali, Maw Maw, Leigha, and Henry

Hannah, Uncle Andy and Leigha

Friday we even managed to get our Christmas tree up. Cali did a great job of decorating the bottom half.

Today is my first full day home by myself with the kids. Luckily Cali is at play school this morning and Nick will be home to help for a little while at lunch. Off to get some laundry folded before the twins wake up! Wait - Henry's crying. I almost got something done!

The Twins are Here!

2011-11-19T10:09:00.000-05:00

The twins arrived safely on Monday November 14th via c-section. Henry Allen was born at 10:39am and Hannah Bailey at 10:40am. Both babies were 17 inches long. Henry was 5 lb 9 oz and Hannah was 4 lb 6 oz. Both babies are healthy and we had no complications. Even though the babies were so small we were able to keep them in the room with us. We were even able to take them home on my birthday, Thursday November 17th.

Hannah and Henry

Since home the babies have been eating well and sleeping like champs! Nick and I have been able to share the feeding responsibility (the twins take bottles great!) and keep the babies on breast milk. We are blessed with help from the Grandmas and friends bringing food. We are on a 3 hour feeding schedule so we are pretty tired but try to nap when we can.

Cali holding Hannah

Cali hugging Henry

Big sister Cali is overjoyed with the new arrivals and has been super helpful! She likes to help hold the babies, feed the babies and change the babies. It is amazing that she can tell the babies apart better than the rest of us.

Our family of FIVE!

36 Weeks

2011-11-09T19:58:00.000-05:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 Weeks

Size of baby: Boy is 5 lbs 12 ozs 27%, girl is 4 lbs 12 oz 3%

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes and Nick's clothes

Gender: One boy, one girl!

Movement: The babies move a lot. The little boy gets hiccups at least once a day.

Sleep: Sleeping is getting uncomfortable and I wake up a lot.

What I miss: Energy, being comfortable, and the ability not to waddle.

Cravings: Sweets and fried food

Symptoms: I'm big and I itch!
Best Moment this week: I got a pedicure and we finally got the nursery ready for the twins!

I had them paint my toys pink and blue! And yes that is a tattoo on my toe. It is the Ichthys or "Jesus Fish".

Little girl has gained a pound in the last 3 weeks but the doctors are not happy about her size. Her heart rate is good, her activity is good, and the flow in her umbilical cord is good - the problem is she is just small. We had a very long Dr. visit today with lots of scans and tests. Basically they don't think it would be good to wait 2 more weeks to have the babies. So we have our bags packed and the infant seats in the van ready to go whenever the Dr. decides its time.

Changes

2011-11-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

We have had a big change here in the Jordan family. Nick started a full time job in November and I went part-time. This meant a switch in roles for both of us. Nick has been home with Cali full time for the past 1.5 years and working at church part time. While I've been working full time. It was a big and difficult decision for us but we know that we are where we are supposed to be.

Last week's Dr. visit has moved up the arrival of the twins from 3 weeks to 1 or 2. So we have been scrambling to get all the final details taken care. The nursery is ready for twins and we only have a few more things to get.

Monday's are my full day to be home. So Cali and I made the most of what may be our last full day as just the two of us! After breakfast we headed to meet my sister for some baby shopping and lunch.

Cali was super excited to hang out with Aunt Mary. They rarely get time to hang out together because there are always cousins and other family members around for distractions.

After nap time we played and hung around the house.

Cali was showing Jack her pluto dog and explaining to Jack that they were both dogs. You can tell Jack was super excited.

Our afternoon activity was a haircut! Cali's beautiful curls where getting out of control so we needed to get the hair trimmed. She doesn't love getting a haircut but she will sit still for it.

The shorter and more controlled curly Cali.

We ended our day together with dinner at home and a frosty run.

Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T20:23:00.000-04:00

Princess Cali did GREAT this year at Trick-or-treating! It is so fun now that she is starting to understand how these holidays work. She was excited for days about saying "trick-or-treat" and people giving her candy. She did lots of practicing!

In preparation for Halloween Daddy and Cali made a jack-o-lantern together. Cali did good scooping the insides out with a spoon but was not a fan of using her hands. She said it was "gooey".

This year for Halloween Cali was a Princess!

We went to a few homes in our neighborhood to show off the Princess. I find it strange that this is the one night out of the year where you actually stop and talk to your neighbors. Normally there is only waving.

After hitting a couple local homes we loaded the Princess in the car and went to a few homes of church friends. It was fun to see everyone dressed up!

Trying to get Minnie Mouse, a Princess and a Ninja to stand in one stop for a photo was ridiculously difficult! This is the best we could get.

Halloween was a success! Lots of goodies for Cali, Daddy and Mommy to enjoy!

33 Weeks

2011-10-20T20:31:00.000-04:00

We are in the home stretch now! With our c-section scheduled for Nov. 23rd we are only 5 weeks or less from meeting our "super babies" (that is what Cali calls them - thanks Dora!).

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 33 Weeks

Size of baby: Boy is 4 lbs 8 ozs 33%, girl is 3 lbs 13 ozs 7%

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes and Nick's clothes

Gender: One boy, one girl!

Movement: The babies move a lot. The little girl has managed to totally change positions again. Not sure how she finds the room!

Sleep: Sleeping is getting uncomfortable since I can only lay on my left side.

What I miss: Energy, being comfortable, and the ability not to waddle.

Cravings: Sweets and fried food

Symptoms: I'm big!

Best Moment this week: Our wonderful church family gave us a Double the Fun baby shower last weekend! It was so thoughtful of them to get us so many wonderful things for the twins.

You may notice that our little girl is pretty small, 7% (for none baby people - Doctors use a 100% scale to rate the size of babies with the average baby being 50% in size). She is gaining weight but is just not as big as the Doctors would like her to be. What they want us to do is come in twice a week to do a None Stress Test or NST. Basically they put monitors on the babies to watch their heartbeats. As long as the lines go up and down a lot we are fine. They are also monitoring the babies fluid and umbilical cord flow. At this point their isn't anything to worry about and if anything does come up we are going to the Dr. so much they will find it.

Big Girl

2011-10-13T21:37:00.001-04:00

It seems like over night Cali is becoming such a BIG GIRL! She is doing great with peeing in the potty. Her imagination is broadening for play time. She eats lots of different kinds of food. She talks in paragraphs. She can get in or on almost anything - she is our little monkey! She goes to playschool 4 mornings a week and loves it! She picks up on everything!

Here are some big girl pictures for you.

Ready for school with her big backpack!

She is fearless!

Playing dress up

The BIG piece of news is that tonight Cali is sleeping in a Big Girl bed for the first time! We are going to use her crib for the twins so Nick moved her crib out of her room and put together a toddler bed that our wonderful family gave us!

Getting in her big girl bed for the first time. I love the pure joy on her face! She is super excited!

Pretending to sleep.

One Year

2011-09-25T07:26:00.001-04:00

Today is one year since Dad left this earth to be with our Heavenly Father. One Year - wow. It doesn't seem that long. To say I miss him would be an understatement. There is just such a special bond between a girl and her daddy.

I long for our talks. He was always such a good listener and would not tell you what to do but help you work through to the solution. He always gave such wise counsel. He was also such an encourager. No one ever left a conversation with Dad where they didn't feel better about themselves.

I ache for the fact that Cali won't remember him and that the twins will never know a Grandpa. He was so good with Cali! From the beginning he took such joy in her and would get on the floor to play.

But I also rejoice that he is with Christ and feels no pain and is free from cancer. I take comfort in the fact that I will see him again. I find peace that he is with family and friends enjoying God's glory for eternity.

It has been a hard year for all of us - mom especially. But today we will have a gathering to celebrate Dad's life, share stories and find comfort in the fact that he is with the Lord.

Thank you all for your encouragement and love during this time. I hope that if you knew Dad you can have a smile on your face today as you remember him.

Life and Science Museum

2011-09-24T19:26:00.000-04:00

Nick had a youth event today so Cali and I headed to Durham for some fun!

We started at the Durham Farmer's Market. We picked up some fresh veggies, a Gluten free brownie for me and a cupcake for Cali.

Then we went to the Durham Life and Science Museum. Super fun! We were able to see a ton of animals, walk around, climb things, get in things and even play with butterflies. Cali had a blast and when we got home she said, "I'm sad. I miss my butterflies." I told her we would go back to see them!

Cali reviewed the map and decided we needed to go to the butterfly garden

The butterflies were her favorite! Cali was a little concerned when one decided to land on her shirt though. After taking a few pics I gently encouraged it to play with another child.

Next came the bear exhibit. There were 2 black bears for us to watch. Cali got a kick out of watching them swim in their pond.

Cali "The Bear" Jordan - The sound effect for this face is priceless!

Cali even played on the "bumpy" dinosaur.

The museum was a hit! I highly recommend it and plan to take Cali back. We spend almost 3 hours there and didn't get to see everything.

28 Weeks

2011-09-16T21:34:00.000-04:00

We have hit the third trimester! The scary part is we are 10 weeks or less away from going from a family of 3 to a family of 5!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 28 Weeks

Size of baby: The twins are 14.5 inches long and just over two pounds each

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes and Nick's clothes

Gender: One boy, one girl!

Movement: The babies move all the time! It is crazy that you can see them moving from the outside!

Sleep: Sleeping is getting uncomfortable. Some nights are better than others. I also try to take a nap everyday but sometimes I just lay down for a while.

What I miss: Seeing my feet, flexibility, energy and sleep.

Cravings: Chocolate, carbs and sweet potato fries

Symptoms: My belly is getting big!

Best Moment this week: Celebrating Nick's birthday. I couldn't imagine this adventure with anyone else!

Indiana Trip

2011-09-06T21:18:00.000-04:00

Cali, Mom and I took a long weekend trip to Indiana to see family. My great-aunt passed away at 96 years old. The funeral gave us a good opportunity to make the trip and see lots of family. We decided to fly up instead of take a 11 hour drive each way. Cali did amazing!

Eating her sucker during takeoff

Great Aunt Janice, Cali and Great Uncle Clyde

Cali and Great Grandpa Pete

The dog she is holding Grandpa "bought" her with his bingo winning tickets. He was very excited that he could get her something.

Dave, Beth, Wade, Aunt Louanne, Me, Cali and Nana

Louanne is mom's sister and these are three of her five kids.

Victor, Beth, Cali and Me

It was good to be in Indiana, see lots of family, introduce Cali to everyone and spend time with mom.
Since I won't be traveling for a while this was my last big trip for a while.

Cali's fort

2011-08-29T20:48:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend we got a freezer to store up food for when the twins come and most Gluten Free food like bread comes frozen so we needed more space.

Using Disney's Agent Oso's steps we created a fort!

Step 1 - Lay the box on its side

Step 2 - Draw the windows and have Daddy cut them out

Step 3 - Decorate the box

Step 4 - Play time

Cali is 2.5 years old!

2011-08-23T21:37:00.000-04:00

Ta-da I'm 2.5!

Where has the time gone? How is our little girl 2.5 years old? She is such a joy and a blessing!

Fun Cali Facts:
If she is awake she is talking - non-stop (unless Dora is on TV). She is getting braver about eating new foods and doing new things. She is afraid of bugs because she got stung a few months ago. She talks in her sleep just like her Daddy. She is very polite and says "please" and "thank you". We are working on potty training but her interest goes in and out. She still takes an afternoon nap (Praise the Lord!). She is becoming an "I can do it myself" monster. And she makes our lives better everyday!

We love you Cali Maple!

24 Weeks

2011-08-19T20:46:00.000-04:00

Cali wanted to be in the pictures this week!

Cali is excited about her brother and sister

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 24 Weeks

Size of baby: The twins are 12 inches long and just over a pound each

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes and Nick's clothes

Gender: One boy, one girl!

Movement: The babies move all the time, day or night!

Sleep: Sleeping is getting uncomfortable but I'm still able to get sleep. I also take an hour nap everyday per Dr. orders.

What I miss: Seeing my feet, flexibility, and sleeping on my back

Cravings: Chips, popcorn, pizza, chocolate and sweet potato fries!

Symptoms: My belly is big and I have twins moving around like crazy in there.

Best Moment this week: Having Cali talk to her brother and sister

It is crazy to think we are only 3 months away from having babies! Life is about to get crazy!

Tenn. Mountain Trip

2011-08-18T06:27:00.000-04:00

We were lucky enough to spend a week in the Tennessee mountains with Nick's mom and his brother's family. We stayed in a beautiful log cabin in Pigeon Forge. The girls had a great time playing together and with Maw Maw.

We even went on a few adventures! A big highlight for Cali was a horseback ride with daddy and Maw Maw. They spent an hour on a trail ride in the mountains. Cali loved it! She even fell asleep at one point! She got off and couldn't stop talking about riding the big horse and that it was "bumpy". After the horse ride we feed some goats at the petting zoo.

Another day we played in a pool. Everyone had fun playing and splashing around.

She had a great time shopping, eating and hanging out at the cabin! It was a fun week!

Nap time

2011-07-26T20:42:00.000-04:00

As a parent you learn very early on that there is nothing more important than nap time.

You plan your day around it. You arrive late to parties. You leave parties early. You eat in the car. You drive around with no where to go because someone is asleep in the back seat. You plan trips around it. You avoid shopping during it.

Nap time is important for child and parent. It simply gives everyone a much needed break. It gives parents time to cook, do laundry, clean, or just sit and relax.

I have never had anything rule my life and schedule like nap time! But as a mom I will do whatever it takes to make nap time happen! And that is what it means to be a parent, to put your child's needs first.

Even if that means standing guard in the dessert with your spouse and creating shade for your sleeping child.

Of all the pictures Nick took in Africa this is the one that struck me the most. Even elephants get it. It's not about you. And everything stops for nap time.

Blueberries

2011-07-18T21:32:00.001-04:00

Saturday Cali and I started the day with hair cuts. Cali went first and sat quietly watching Dora while I got my hair cut.

Then we went to a local farm to pick blueberries and peaches. Cali had so much fun running up and down the rows picking berries and putting them in her bucket. I didn't even have to tell her which berries to pick and which ones not to. She did great!

After nap time Cali helped me wash the berries and we made muffins!

If you want to keep up with Nick's Africa mission trip go here. I'm trying to update it daily.

18 Weeks

2011-07-08T20:18:00.000-04:00

We are halfway there! With twins the average delivery is at 35 weeks (instead of 40) so we are at the halfway mark. It seems crazy how fast it has gone. The second trimester has been much more enjoyable. My energy level is higher, I feel better and I don't have to eat all the time.

18 weeks

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 18 Weeks

Size of baby: The twins are 5.5 inches long

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 14 lbs

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants, t-shirts and maternity tops.

Gender: It's a BOY and a GIRL!! We are having one of each!

Movement: The babies move a few times a day. Bending over gets them really excited.

Sleep: I get up to pee once a night and I'm still having crazy dreams

What I miss: Fitting into my non-maternity clothes

Cravings: Pizza, sweet potato fries, onion rings and chips! I do eat a lot of fruits and veggies but I don't crave those :)

Symptoms: My belly is big!

Best Moment this week: We had two ultrasounds this week. One at our regular Dr apt and one at our anatomy scan ultrasound. Praise the Lord everyone is healthy and active!

We also joined the minivan club this week with the purchase of a Honda van. There was just no way we could fit 3 kids in our current car.

Catching Up

2011-06-27T22:11:00.000-04:00

We have been busy busy lately!

Nick took a group of 15 students and adults on a mission trip to Mexico last week! They had a great time playing with orphans and pouring concrete in 106 degree heat. It was a wonderful week and there were a lot of "God Moments".

Working in Mexico. Nick is in the blue shirt on the right.

Cali's souvenir - a sombrero!

With Nick gone it meant Cali and I were on our own. Cali came to work with me a couple mornings before school and had a blast. She even got to "mow" grass. I put her on one of the machines and she played with all the buttons. A few afternoons she played with a new babysitter until Nana came on Wednesday. Nana and Cali had a lot of fun playing for 3 days. By the time I got home from work they were both worn out from all the playing :)

Enjoying ice cream at a local snow cone / ice cream place. Cali dropped her's shortly after this photo!

Saturday Nick helped our good friends move and we headed off to Michael's 3rd Birthday party! Man these kids grow up fast! He got a lot of good, loud boy toys like trucks and cars. It is always so much fun to see all the cousins get together and play. Cali mostly just goes through all their toys and ignores the other kids. Cake time brought them all back together!

The birthday boy opening presents

Cake time!

Weekend Recap

2011-06-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

We had another fun filled weekend with family and friends.

Saturday we celebrated Leigha's 7th Birthday. It was held at a family sports center in Nick's hometown. Cali got to play putt-putt and bowl for the first time! The kids had a great time playing and of course eating cake!

Uncle Andy showing Cali how to hit the ball

Daddy, Cali and Leigha playing putt-putt

All the birthday party kids. See Cali's small head on the right side!

Cali bowling. She pushed the ball and hit 6 pins! The ramp and bumpers helped.

After the party we went over to Maw Maw's house to play and nap.

Then we headed back to town to celebrate Cindy Bailey! After 26 years at our church as the Children's minister she is retiring. If it were not for her there would be no Nick and Pam. She and Eric introduced us, 11 months later we were married! We will miss her so much.

CB and Cali

14 Weeks

2011-06-10T20:58:00.000-04:00

We are 14 weeks today! WOOHOO!! Goodbye 1st trimester!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 14 Weeks

Size of baby: The twins are 3.5 inches long, about the size of lemons

Total Weight Gain/Loss: Gained 8 lbs (as I get bigger I may stop filling this one out)

Maternity Clothes: Maternity pants and mostly t-shirts. I did empty out my closet of the all the clothes I won't be able to wear for the next year and put in 2 tubs of maternity clothes.

Gender: We find out officially July 8th, but we have a good idea now!

Movement: The babies move when I pick up Cali, bend over or twist

Sleep: I get up to pee once a night and I'm having crazy dreams

What I miss: Energy! I am super worn out! When Cali goes to bed I sit in the recliner till bed.

Cravings: Pizza! And considering Gluten Free pizza just isn't the same this crazing is getting depressing.

Symptoms: Hungry and tired! I eat 3 meals a day and around 9 snacks.

Best Moment this week: Our 13 week Dr. appt. We got to see two wiggly, healthy babies!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-02T20:54:00.000-04:00

We had a busy 3 day weekend. It included 3 birthday parties, 2 moon bounces, and 1 swimming pool.

Saturday morning we had a birthday party for one of the little boys in our small group. He and his friends had a great time on the moon bounce and trampoline. His little sister, Anna, and Cali mostly played inside away from the loud boys.

After lunch and a nap we were off to my sister's house for party #2. Kimmie turned 7! The cousins had a great time playing and chasing each other around the house.

Sunday evening while Nick was at youth Cali and I went to Landon's 4th birthday party! The girls played in a toddler size moon bounce and after dinner stripped down to play in the sprinkler system. The teenagers even joined in on the fun.

Monday we spent at Nick's moms house. Cali had a great time playing with Maw Maw. Cousin Leigha came over to play in Cali's frog pool. The girls had fun pouring water on each other.

It was a busy weekend full of family and friends. We are so lucky to have wonderful people in our life who invest in us!

And yes, I know it is Thursday but this is as soon as I could get to blogging about our busy weekend.

Beach Trip

2011-05-26T21:09:00.000-04:00

We were lucky enough to join our friends the Dickey's for a week long vacation in the OBX last week. It was great to get away and relax. We have a 2 and 3 year old and 4 teenagers running around so it wasn't quiet, but super fun!

The house was right on the beach and had great views and a big pool! The girls loved the pool! I think they got in it everyday.

Cali tried out some arm floaties!

Lighthouse

Sand is so much fun!

We spent most of our time at the house enjoying the sand, the pool and hanging out. The girls got along pretty well and we only had a few meltdowns - we all know how hard it is to share!

Got to love the beach with good friends!

Cali has an announcement

2011-05-16T20:40:00.000-04:00

Cali is excited to announce that she is going to be a BIG SISTER to TWINS! We are due with twins in early December.

We have had two ultrasounds showing very strong, growing, moving babies! Nick and I are super excited about growing our family of three to a family of five!

More news to come as we progress!

Thanks for your support and encouragement!

Strawberries and a Wedding

2011-05-01T20:45:00.000-04:00

We had another fun filled weekend! Saturday I had a Gluten Free expo in the morning - super fun!
Saturday afternoon Nick and I went to a wedding for one of the couples from our small group. It was a beautiful wedding and everyone seemed to have a great time! We were able to enjoy some kid-free time with our small group.

Three of the four couples

Sunday after church Cali and I went to my mom's house, Nana's, to play. After lunch and a nap we headed off to a strawberry patch. This was Cali's first time picking strawberries and she LOVED it! Nana showed her how to find the good red ones and how to pull them off. She did a great job carrying the bucket until it got too heavy.

Ready to fill her bucket

Nana showing Cali how to pick the strawberries

Found One!

Looking...

Ice Cream!

We finished our adventure off with some homemade strawberry ice cream. Cali wanted to "do it" so a lot of ice cream ended up on the ground. Strawberry picking is such a fun spring adventure! Now off to wash strawberries.

Easter Weekend

2011-04-24T20:42:00.001-04:00

He is Risen - He is Risen indeed!

We had a great and busy Easter weekend. It was filled with 3 egg hunts and lots of time with family.

Friday Nana came over to play with us and spend the night. Saturday morning we went to our city park for an egg hunt. It was super adorable to see all the kids running around looking for eggs and baskets. Cali did great! She passed up on the plastic eggs and went for the candy.

Nana and Cali walking to the park

Candy!

After the egg hunt she and I rode the carousel. Then Cali wanted to ride in the helicopter ride. She was super brave!

Saturday afternoon we had a memorial service for Nick's cousin who passed away. It was really touching and hard since he was only 33 and has a wonderful wife and two young kids.

Sunday we went to the early service and headed over to Nick's mom's house. After lunch and a nap the girls were ready for an egg hunt.

The first time the dad's hid the eggs and the girls looked. The second time Leigha hid the eggs and drove Cali around the yard looking for eggs. Too cute!

Happy Easter!

Basketball

2011-04-12T21:17:00.000-04:00

From an early age Nick has been trying to get Cali to love basketball.

At just a few weeks old she watched her first final four!

He got a ball in her hands when she was 3 months old.

This week she got her own basketball hoop!

She shoots...

She scores!

We are so proud of our little basketball player! Hopefully she will take after her 6.2 daddy and be tall.

Play Date

2011-03-31T21:50:00.000-04:00

Nick and Cali had a play date this week with Michael and Landon. The four of them went to the Greensboro Children's museum. The girls had a great time playing with all the different areas. They loved the kitchen area and the mail room.

Cali loves to sit in chairs so this was perfect to her!

Landon and Cali walking hand in hand through the museum. Adorable!

It was 80 degrees today

2011-03-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

So Nick and Cali played outside with the sprinkler.

Nana's Birthday

2011-03-19T20:43:00.000-04:00

Today we celebrated my mom's birthday at my sister's house. It was loads of fun! Cali had a great time playing with her cousins.

The kids enjoying lunch. Notice Cali stealing a chip off my plate!

The girls playing while Nana opens her presents.

Cousins Dave and Cher joined in the party fun!

Nana and Cali - it was nap time. Can you tell?

After presents, cake and a nap we headed outside to play. Mary's house has a great play set for the kids.

Kimmie and Cali swinging together.

Cali and Michael coloring.

Off for a walk!

It was a great time to catch up and play together. Birthdays are so much fun and are a good excuse to get together.

Trip to Atlanta

2011-03-13T22:17:00.000-04:00

Nick had a conference in Atlanta so we all packed up and headed down for the weekend. We went down Friday and returned Sunday. Cali did great on the 7 hour road trip both ways.

She survived by playing with the iPad and watching movies.

Saturday while Nick was in meetings Cali and I headed downtown to visit the Georgia Aquarium.

Cali loved to look at the fish!

Cali also loved to watch the penguins! She sat and watched them for a long time.

Cali loved to look up at the fish in the tunnel.

We meet up with Nick and spent the afternoon playing at the hotel. Sunday I was able to attend North Point Community Church - AMAZING! Then we packed up and headed home so Nick would make youth.

It was a fast trip but lots of good family time.

Cousins

2011-03-08T21:16:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend we celebrated Nick's brothers birthday. This meant fun COUSIN TIME!!

Cali wanted to sit with Leigha and Uncle Andy while we waited for our food. They wanted to do everything the other was doing.

*Fun Story*
We ate at a steakhouse that has the waitresses dance to certain songs. Uncle Andy took the girls to see the dancers. Cali did not just want to watch she wanted to dance too! She ran right up to our waitress (who she just met) and wanted to be picked up. Our waitress danced to the whole song with Cali in her arms. It was precious!

Then at Target they had to share a buggy! It was adorable! Leigha read Cali Sesame Street books while we shopped.

Cali's First Two Years

2011-03-03T18:00:00.001-05:00

Here is a video of photos showing Cali each month! It is so much fun to see how much she has grown and changed. Some months there were big changes others only small ones.

You've come a long way baby!

Cali's Cookin'

2011-03-01T21:23:00.000-05:00

For Cali's 2nd Birthday we got her a kitchen. It didn't come in until Monday, so last night was the big unveiling. She LOVED it! As soon as she saw it she ran to it and started opening and closing the doors.

Chief Cali

We even asked some of the guests for her birthday party to get her kitchen accessory items.

She keeps saying "cook". She likes to make the meal, set her table and wash the dishes. It is so funny how she picks up on everything.

Planning a Toddler Elmo Birthday Party

2011-02-28T06:34:00.001-05:00

Cali loves and I do mean loves Elmo! There isn't a day that goes by where she isn't begging to watch Elmo. So when her 2nd birthday came around it was clear what the theme was going to be.

Invitations
I knew I wanted a personalized photo invitation with Elmo on it. I checked Wal-Mart, Snapfish, etc and couldn't find one I liked. So I turned to Etsy - score! I found these adorable Elmo and Abby invitations.

Adorable!

Dress
Last year I wanted to spend money on a cute first birthday dress but decided against it. I found a much cheaper option but in the end regretted not getting what I originally wanted. This time I found a dress I wanted and got it even though it was more than I normally spend on clothes. We got her this adorable Elmo dress from Etsy. She loves it so much she actually hugged it when I took it out of the bag.

Decorations
While Disney is much better at marketing its products - a Mickie Mouse party or Princess theme would be super easy to decorate for. But you can find Sesame Street items, it just isn't as easy. I found cute items at the Dollar Tree, Hobby Lobby, Michael's and Wal-Mart. I also picked up some balloons from the drug store the day of. I made a slide show of pictures of Cali over the past 2 years that ran throughout the party using iMovie. Since Cali's birthday is after Valentine's day I racked up on 50-75% off Valentine's Day items. I got good table clothes for $.75 and a pack of 5 treat bags for $.25!

Food
Cupcakes are the way to go with toddlers. The size is just right and they love having their "own" cake. I found Elmo cupcake wrappers at Hobby Lobby. I decided to go with the wrappers instead of cake toppers - less work.
Since the party involved adults and kids I had a variety of foods available. Chips and dip, veggies and dip, cheese ball with crackers, gold fish, cake balls and cupcakes.

Time
You have to consider nap time when planning a party. You don't want your little birthday girl/boy cranky at their own party because they should be napping! Morning or lunch time are pretty safe times. Also consider the guest list - do you have people that will be driving a good distance to attend your party? If so first thing in the morning doesn't work. We decided on 9am-11am. This way we could party around snack time and everyone could do what they needed for lunch and get home in time for nap.

Location
If you have at least one toddler you need a safe place for them to investigate and destroy. We held our party at our church office which is a big, open store front. This allows the kids to run around and not damage too much.

Activities
At this young age doing organized games doesn't work. I set up different areas to entertain the kids. I had a TV playing Sesame street, I had a craft area with foam stickers and crayons, and I had a toy area. This allowed the kids to float between the areas as they pleased.

The play area had toys and Sesame Street playing on a TV

The craft area had coloring books, stickers, and crayons.

Goody Bags
We had kids ages 2 to 6 at the party. I found sticker books and coloring books on sale. The sticker books were specific to the kids. Examples: Cars for the boys, Princesses for the young girls, and Barbie for the older girls. Except for the 2 older girls (they got spelling activity books) everyone else got an Elmo Birthday Party coloring book. I also grabbed some 50% off Valentine's Day chocolate for the bags. All total I had $1.50 in each child's goody bag!

Random Tips

Have someone (not mom or dad) assigned to take pictures. This will allow you the freedom to mingle with your guests without worrying about taking a picture of something cute the kids are doing.
Assign someone to write down who gave what gifts (again not mom or dad). Thank you notes may be tedious but they are appreciated.
Be prepared for tears. They are toddlers - someone will get hurt or throw a fit. It happens.
Most important - RELAX! If you make it too complicated you will be stressed and not be able to enjoy the day.

Cali 2nd Birthday Party

2011-02-27T14:23:00.000-05:00

Saturday was Cali's 2nd Birthday Party! It was an Elmo themed party. We had 25 family and friends join us to celebrate Cali. It was a wonderful party! Cali is so lucky to have so many people who love her and invest in her life!

The party invitation

The birthday girl was all over the place! She loved having her cousins and friends there to play with.

Love her personalized Elmo dress!

We had different areas set up for the kids. We had a play area with some of Cali's toys and a TV playing Elmo and we had a craft area with stickers, coloring books and crayons. The kids had so much fun running around. Having the different areas helped keep the kids engaged.

Cousins!

Time to color with Zander

We let the kids play for a while, then we had snacks, then more play time, present time, cupcake time and finally more play time!

Cali did great opening her presents. She was throwing tissue paper everywhere to get to her goodies! We are super excited to play with her new toys!

Cupcake Time!

The kids enjoying the cupcakes.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the day so special! We love you very much!

2 Years Old

2011-02-23T21:31:00.000-05:00

Cali Maple is 2 years old today! WOW! Our little baby is so grown up these days. Looking back on the past 2 years there are so many wonderful memories with our little Princess. She continually makes us laugh and we love her more each day.

She is a true blessing from God and we are so privileged to be her parents. Our prayer is that one day she will have a relationship with Christ and seek after Him with her whole heart!

To read her birth story read this post.

Just a few hours old

One year old Cali

Two year old Cali

Two Year Old Stats:

Wears size 4/5 diapers, 6 shoe and 24/2T clothes
Sleeps from 8pm to 7am with one nap a day
Loves to play with dolls, read books, color and watch Elmo
Loves to play outside and go for walks
Can count to 10!
Knows her shapes, some colors and we are working on the alphabet
Goes to playschool 2 days a week
Loves to eat fruit, rice, chicken, pasta, crackers, cookies, peas and drink lots of milk!
She talks none stop and most of it is understandable
We are working on potty training

Cali enjoying her Birthday cupcake. She ate the icing first!

We would like to thank all of you for being a part of Cali's life and helping her to grow up in a loving environment! Without our family and friends we would not have made it this far!

Haircut

2011-02-21T21:52:00.001-05:00

Nick took Cali to get her third haircut today. He said with the help of some M&Ms Cali did great. The stylistic trimmed her bangs and did a little cleaning up on the sides. She even put "product" in her hair to keep the curls.

I think the haircut makes Cali look like such a big girl! Can't believe she will be 2 in 2 days!

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Beautiful Day

2011-02-19T20:40:00.001-05:00

Today was a beautiful day! It was in the high 60's with a breeze. I can't believe it is this nice during February! We took full advantage of the weather with 2 trips to parks!

This morning Cali and I headed out to find a Gluten Free bakery. After gathering a few goodies we went to a park nearby. It was so funny because with the swing, slide, and other play area attractions Cali wanted to play on the benches. She was running bench to bench to sit on them! Our girl likes to sit on things!

After lunch and nap, Nick joined us for a walk to our local park. It was so nice to be able to let Cali run around outside and get some toddler energy out. It was been a couple months since we have been able to play at the park and it is amazing how Cali is able to maneuver now. She better understands how the playground elements work and how to manipulate them. She was adorable as she ran from one area to the next.

Just another beautiful North Carolina day!

Off to the Circus!

2011-02-13T15:21:00.000-05:00

Saturday we joined some church friends to see the circus! They have two young kids so it was fun to see all the kids reactions.

Cali loved it! She was dancing and clapping. It was a little long, so two hours in she was done. But she was a trooper and only had one meltdown. Afterwards we went to Jason's Deli for dinner.

Cali and Nick watching the show

Cali's favorite - the Horses

Pretty Tiger

It was a great day!

Juice, Horse and Pink Eye

2011-02-08T20:52:00.000-05:00

It seems like Cali is trying or doing new things every day! I guess since she is almost 2 she is ready to take on the world.

Up to this point in Cali's life she has been a strict milk and water drinker. We tried juice early on but she was not having it. They tried at school and she dumped it out. They just give her water now! While grocery shopping Nick and Cali found Sesame Street apple juice boxes. They are a hit! Our girl LOVES and I do mean LOVES Sesame Street so since Big Bird is on the box she was sold.

Juice!

We aren't sure when or how it started but Cali also loves horses. It was one of the first animals she learned. She loves to point them out if she sees one on TV, in a book or a toy horse. She also does an adorable horse sound! Last night we were all playing around after dinner and I put Cali on Nick's back. As he walked around on all fours she shouted, "Horse! Horse!" What a smart girl!

A girl and her horse

Playschool has been wonderful in many aspects for Cali. She gets to play with other toddlers, learns socialization skills, learns songs, does crafts and it gives Nick time to work. However, school is also a place for all the toddlers to share their germs. Cali's newest issue is pink eye. She has had it before so when she woke up with crunchies in her eyes Nick took her to the doctor. The eye doesn't seem to be bothering her but she doesn't like the eye drops! It was a wrestling match to get her to lay still for me to put them in tonight!

Here is evidence that Cali does eat vegetables! She has broccoli in her mouth. I made a bowl for me tonight and she ate most of it!

It's Potty Time!

2011-02-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

Big News Today - Cali pee-peed in the potty!

The proud girl pointing at the potty!

This morning Cali told Nick she needed to go pee-pee. He asked if she wanted to go in the potty. And... she did!

We have had the potty out for a while and she will pretend to go but today was our success!
Now we have to decide if we are committed to potty training.
Any tips from the moms out there?

The River

2011-01-30T11:18:00.000-05:00

BC or Before Cali we would take the dogs down to the river at least twice a month. There is a large city party by our house that has walking trails and runs along a river. The dogs love to run, chase the tennis ball and swim. Going to the river also means the dogs need baths. It was in the 50's yesterday so Nick suggested we all go to the park. Once the dogs figured out what was going on they went nuts! So all 5 of us walked down to the park to play. Cali thought it was so funny that the dogs were so excited.

Harley with her ball

Headed to the river!

It didn't take long for the dogs to run to the river.

Jack swimming

Harley with the ball again!

Once they were done swimming - it was time to SHAKE!!!

When we got home Nick gave the dogs baths while I feed Cali and put her down for a nap. The dogs slept all afternoon and evening. A tired dog is a happy dog!

Just another fun Saturday with the Jordans!

Made a Mess!

2011-01-29T14:30:00.000-05:00

Cali is a professional mess maker! Whether it is food, toys, dishes, toilet paper, or clothes Cali can make a mess. We sometimes refer to her as Hurricane Cali because we can clean a room and 2 minutes later she has destroyed it!

Thursday night around 10:45pm Cali started calling for me from her crib. She had been asleep since 8. I found her in her crib saying, "Made a mess". I went to pick her up but she felt wet - then I SMELLED it! I threw on the light and say poor Cali sitting in a crib full of throw up. It looked like she had gotten sick a few times poor girl! She kept saying, "Made a mess, made a mess". I got her calmed down and out of her messy clothes. I stripped her crib and put everything in a plastic bag. After calling "Super mom" (my sister) I was ready. I called Nick and asked him to leave work early and grab some ginger ale on the way home. Cali and I rocked in the recliner watching Elmo as I tried to get Cali to drink water. Around 12:45am she was back in bed.

Friday she was good all morning. Her appetite wasn't huge but that is understandable. Nick called me at work around 3:15pm to let me know she was getting sick again. This time Nick was holding her for part of it! He did great keeping her calm and getting her clean. I came home early from work to find them in the recliner covered in towels, "Just in case".

Cali has been fine all day today. She hasn't eaten too much but has done a good job drinking. Since Cali was sick we had to miss our friend Spencer's 2nd Birthday party and pass on going out to dinner with family. Hopefully tomorrow Cali will be back to 100%. Pray she feels better and didn't share this bug with Nick and I! We don't have to time throw up for 24 hours!

23 Months Old

2011-01-23T21:24:00.000-05:00

Cali Maple is 23 months old today! How did our little baby turn into an almost 2 year old toddler?!
Cali has been busy learning new things lately.

Cali loves to climb into the chair and play her computer games.

She also loves to play games on the iPad.

She is also a big ham! She loves an audience and loves to perform for a crowd.

Cali loves story time!

23 Month Stats

12 teeth
Size 4 diapers, 6 shoes, 18-24 month clothes
Sleeps from 8pm to 7am and takes 1 nap a day
Favorite Foods: mac-n-cheese, turkey, ham, pasta, cheese, crackers, and cookies
Is learning colors and letters
Talks none stop ALL day long!
Likes to do things on her own
Loves to color and read books

Cali with Grandma and working hard

2011-01-20T21:26:00.000-05:00

Nick is on a mission trip to Mexico this week. Grandma Jordan came to play with Cali from Sunday afternoon to Wednesday evening. They had tons of fun playing, going for walks, cleaning, reading, watching Elmo and eating.

Watching TV on Grandma's bed

Heading off for a walk

Monday night we went shopping at the outlets. Cali had a fun stroller to "drive" while we shopped.

Cali driving the stroller

Today Cali joined me at work after school and nap time. She did a great job and only made small messes. I was even able to get some work done.

Cali conducting an interview at the conference table

Playing with her toys on the floor.

Tomorrow Cali gets to play with Aunt Mary and cousins Kimmie and Michael. Luckily Nick comes home tomorrow. The munchkin has missed her daddy!

I was THAT parent

2011-01-15T14:19:00.000-05:00

Today I was THAT parent at a restaurant. I used to always think mean thoughts about parents that would bring McDonald's Happy meals into different restaurants. Now that I have a toddler I understand why.

Cali and I were out running errands and it was time for lunch. I read a blog about some yummy Gluten Free pizza at Brixx but I knew Cali wouldn't be up for pizza. So I drive through Chick-fil-A for a kids nugget meal with milk for Cali and then went to Brixx.

My yummy Gluten Free pizza and Cali with her nuggets.

When we got home Cali enjoyed putting some stickers we bought on everyone. And I do mean everyone.

Notice the pink hearts on top of Jack and Harley's head!

The dogs tolerate Cali so well. She gets whacked with a tail every now and then but otherwise she does fine.

Snow!

2011-01-10T21:41:00.000-05:00

We are getting hit by the snow storm that covered Atlanta. So far we have less than an inch but it is still coming down.
Nick and Cali went out to enjoy the snow before dinner.

Cali is playing with the bird feeder.

Our little pink princess!

A Place with a View

2011-01-06T22:24:00.000-05:00

After three months it was time to make the trip to DC to bury Dad in Arlington National Cemetery. Due to the war there is a three month wait for burials. After 28 years in the Air Force he was entitled to a burial with full military honors.

During his last week with us we discussed where he wanted to be buried, when we suggested Arlington he got a sweet grin on this face and said he would like that. On January 5, 2011 Col. Ray Vitkus received a full military burial in Arlington National Cemetery. He has a beautiful view of the Potomac River and the Pentagon. This is very appropriate since he worked at the Pentagon for a number of years.

We were blessed to have so many friends and family attend the service to show their love for dad. After the service we had a reception at our old church. It was amazing to be able to see so many of our friends from years ago. There were even a hand full of people that had worked with dad or for dad over the years.

The service was perfect. The Air Force honor guard did a wonderful job. It was very moving. The 21 gun salute and playing of "Taps" was very emotional.

Christmas 2010 - Take 3

2010-12-26T23:11:00.000-05:00

For our final Christmas celebration we spent time at Nick's mom's house. We arrived Saturday afternoon and left Sunday morning. We had a low key dinner and then tore into the presents. Cali really wasn't feeling well so she wasn't as active as normal.

Grandma and Cali watching TV in bed

Cali and Leigha playing before dinner

Daddy helping Cali open presents

Sometimes presents just mean work for daddy's to put them together

It started snowing Christmas night. We woke up Sunday morning to 5 inches of snow at Nick's mom's house! Cali still wasn't feeling too well but her fever finally broke so we took her outside to enjoy the snow.

You can tell she didn't like the snow on her face.

I LOVE SNOW! It is my favorite!

Cali loves her daddy

While Nick packed up the car Cali played with some of her Christmas presents. Adorable!

Once home we unloaded the car and rested. Cali played with all of her new toys and Nick and I tried to get ready for the week.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas 2010 - Take 2

2010-12-26T22:43:00.001-05:00

Our second Christmas was with my side of the family. We went to my mom's house Christmas Eve and stayed till after lunch on Christmas day.

We started the festivities with lunch with Uncle David and Aunt Barbara. This is my dad's "twin" brother who happens to be 11 years older than dad. They are so similar so it was nice to have a part of dad there with us for Christmas. After lunch the kids got to open presents from Dave and Barb.

Cali loved her phone!

After attending a Christmas Eve service at mom's church we had a big dinner. After dinner the kids put our Reindeer Food in the yard. It was adorable! All three kids loved throwing the oats and sprinkles in the yard.

Back inside the kids got their Christmas PJ's from Grandma. It was adorable that they all matched.

Kimmie, Michael, and Cali

Christmas morning was so much fun with three kids! There were toys, wrapping paper and tissue every where! Cali did really well and enjoyed tearing the paper off gifts. It was a slow process because she wanted to open and play with each toys as it was opened. She was also fighting a cold, which was wearing her down.

Mommy and Cali waiting form everyone to wake up so we could open presents!

Grandma and Kimmie reading the note from Santa

The kids opening their stockings

More presents!

My sister's birthday is December 26th so we celebrated her birthday at lunch on Christmas day. Mary's birthday used to always blend in with Christmas when we were kids. We try to make it two separate celebrations but that doesn't always work. But hopefully she still felt special with her presents and cake! Happy Birthday Mary - we love you!

Christmas 2010 - Take 1

2010-12-26T22:12:00.000-05:00

We had 3 Christmas celebrations this year. Two with Nick's side and one with mine. So here is the first of three Christmas posts!

On Sunday December 19th we had our Christmas festivities with Nick's extended family. We had lots of aunts, uncles and cousins. Nick had a youth event so Cali and I went on our own.

Grandma and Cali

There are currently four young cousins all six and under. It was very funny trying to get all four to sit and look at the camera. This is the best I could get.

Cali, Ali, Leigha, Thomas

After lunch is was present time! Cali got lots of cute things from Grannie and the aunts and uncles. Once the kids had toys to keep them busy the adults played our "Dirty Santa" gift game. It is so much easier than trying to get everyone something. This year's game was pretty tame, no real aggressive stealing of gifts.

Cali trying to dump the gifts out of the bag!

It was a fun day with family. Cali was wiped out from all the playing.

22 Months Old

2010-12-26T21:54:00.000-05:00

Cali Maple turned 22 months old on December 23rd! Wow! I can't believe she will be 2 in 2 months!

22 Month Stats:

Has 11 teeth
Talks all day long - some of it is understandable
Takes one nap per day 1.5-2 hrs
Sleeps from 8:15pm to 7:30am
Loves to play, read books, watch for birds and dance
Wears size 6 shoe, 18 month clothes and 4 diaper
Favorite foods: MILK!, mac-n-cheese, turkey, beef, pasta, pears, peaches, peas, cookies

Cali has such a sweet personality, we are so enjoying this time with her! She is just so much fun to be around!

Cali with Teddy. She loves him!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T20:55:00.000-05:00

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you: he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace." Luke 2:12-14

Merry Christmas from the Jordan Family!

Cali's Christmas Program

2010-12-21T23:26:00.000-05:00

Cali's playschool was supposed to have a Christmas program last week but it was canceled due to the snow. We have been practicing the songs for a while now so Cali has gotten pretty good! We didn't want you all to miss out on the adorableness. So here is Cali's Christmas program.

Sorry about the signing, it's not my spiritual gift!

Anniversary Trip

2010-12-21T22:39:00.000-05:00

Nick and I were able to get away for an anniversary trip this past weekend. We headed to Winston-Salem Friday afternoon. We stayed at an adorable Inn that used to be a cotton mill.

The Brookstone Inn

Friday night we walked around downtown and enjoyed a wonderful dinner at a little restaurant called Mozella's.

My grilled meatloaf wrapped in bacon, mac-n-cheese and veggies!

Nick's fried chicken, mac-n-cheese and cheese grits.

Enjoying our yummy dinner

Saturday we had a relaxing morning. After breakfast at a local European bakery we headed west to Elkin, NC. Surprisingly this was a very fun little town. We had an elegant lunch at 21 on Main.

My triple decker grilled cheese and salad. The sandwich had pimento cheese - amazing!

Nick's burger and potato salad

After lunch we headed off to two wineries. We made it home in time to have dinner with Cali. The trip was wonderful! We laughed because we spent a lot of time just hanging out with each other. With a toddler, work and church there isn't much "us" time. It was a much needed retreat from life and allowed us to enjoy being together.

One of the wineries

Cali was in the capable hands of Chelsea and the rest of the Dickey family. She had a blast playing with Landon, eating, and hanging out with Chelsea. They said she did great and only got upset when Chelsea would leave the room. Apparently Cali knew who was supposed to be in charge of her and didn't like it when Chelsea went outside to get the diaper bag. Smart girl!

The girls eating dinner Friday night

Breakfast fun!

Ray Vitkus' Burial Details

2010-12-16T16:00:00.004-05:00

You are invited to join us for a celebration of Ray's life and burial January 5th, 2011.

Burial Details:

Arlington National Cemetery

1 Memorial Drive, Arlington, VA

The service starts at 9am but you need to be there no later than 8:30am. If you aren't used to DC traffic, make sure you give yourself LOTS of time to get there.

When you enter the cemetery tell the guard that you are there for the Ray Vitkus funeral. The guard will then direct you to the Administrative building to line up. From there we will all process behind the casket to the burial site. He will be receiving a full military burial with the platoon escort, gun salute and band (weather permitting). Please dress warmly as it will be outside and cold.

Reception

Columbia Baptist Church

103 West Columbia Street

Falls Church, VA 22046-3482

A reception will be held at Columbia immediately following the burial service (Around 10:30am). This will allow us all to gather in the warm and share stories about Ray. Hors d'oeuvres will be served.

Please RSVP to Kerry at vitkus72@hotmail.com if you plan to attend by January 1, 2011.

We hope to see you in January to celebrate an amazing man!

Love,

Kerry, Mary and Pam

8 Years

2010-12-15T22:29:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was our 8th Anniversary! Amazing how time flies. So much has changed and happened in 8 years. We have come a long way in our relationship and are more in love now than 8 years ago. I would marry that man over and over!

Mr. and Mrs. Nick Jordan 12-14-02

8 Reasons Why I Love Nick:

We can do more for God's glory together than apart
He loves me like Christ loves the church and puts me and my needs first
He is a fabulous father to our daughter
He is my best friend
He has amazing integrity
He cares about other people
He sacrifices for our family and works so hard for us
He makes life fun!

You may kiss the bride!

Last night we had a low key dinner out with Cali. And then drove around town and actullay ended up driving by the place where we had our reception. It was fun to talk about what we were doing 8 years ago. We have a mini-getaway planned for this weekend just the two of us. I can't wait to get away with my handsome man!

We look so young and happy!

Christmas Parades

2010-12-12T19:00:00.002-05:00

Christmas means parade season! My company participated in two parades this season. Cali and Nick both joined us on the first one. We all sat on the bed of the big truck and waved. The second parade was an evening event so it was super cold. Cali and I road in the cab of the truck and waved out the windows. Nick was at the church office giving out hot cocoa for the parade. When Cali saw Nick from the truck she got super excited.

This is what Cali does if you say "Praise the Lord"

Cali getting excited about the parade

After the first parade, Cali knew what to do. She went from window to window of the truck waving and saying "Hi!"

Cali and I in the cab of the truck getting ready to wave.

Horses and Goats

2010-12-11T22:30:00.000-05:00

Friday night we went to a Holiday festival in downtown. It was pretty cold so we all bundled up and headed out. The event included horse drawn carriage rides, music, vendors and holiday goats. The holiday goats were just goats with Christmas bows.

Cali and I enjoying some Christmas music

Cali enjoying the view from Nick's shoulders

Cali watching the horse carriages. Notice the cookie in each hand!

Cali got her picture taken with the Holiday Goat. She is actually petting the goat in this photo. Shortly after this photo the goat bite her hoodie and pulled her off the wheat straw bale she was sitting on. She was startled but was ok. It was really very funny.

Photo from The Times News

We had a great time walking around and it really got us in the Christmas spirit.

Hair and Snow

2010-12-04T22:19:00.000-05:00

Cali had her second haircut today. Once she realized where we were she refused to take her hat off. You can tell from the first photo that she wasn't happy. She did calm down and just sat there after a few minutes.

After the hair cut eating a treat.

Today, December 4th, it SNOWED! We got 1.5" at our house. While we were gone Nick decided to attack the leaves. Halfway through the front yard he started getting snowed on. By the time he got to the back yard it was full on coming down.

The leaf conquer!

Cali woke up to the snow. She was super excited and kept saying "water!".

Cali and I watching it snow

Mom's little helper

2010-11-28T15:14:00.001-05:00

Cali likes to help me unload the dish washer. Normally she helps with the bottom shelf. Today she found a new way to help empty the top shelf. She cracks me up! Mommy's little helper.

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Thanksgiving Overview

2010-11-27T22:27:00.000-05:00

We had a fun filled Thanksgiving weekend. In total we had three family Thanksgiving festivities. Thursday afternoon and evening we spent at Nick's brother's house. Cali had a great time playing with her cousin Leigha and we had some yummy BBQ.

Cali wearing a fireman hat.

The girls playing

Leigha reading a story to Cali.

Cuddle time

Friday morning I was out with all the crazy people shopping. After a nap we headed over to my mom's house. Cali had a blast playing with her cousins and stealing cookies off the counter. We even helped mom put up her Christmas trees.

The cookie thief

More cuddle time

The boys trying to get the tree lights to work

Toddlers playing

Saturday we had lunch with Nick's extended family. It was great to see all the cousins, aunts and uncles. After lunch we headed over to Nick's mom's house to play. Cali had fun playing with Grandma.

Cali, Leigha, Grandma and Great Aunt Pam at the kids' table.

Coloring fun

Watching TV with Grandma

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

21 Months Old

2010-11-23T21:34:00.000-05:00

Cali Maple is 21 months old today! Where has the time gone. It seems like everyday she changes, learns a new word and does something new. She is a full on toddler, fits and all. We are have started to work on discipline and obeying authority. If she doesn't listen she has to go sit in the corner. She seems to be catching on. She was having a hard time listening to Nick today so he asked her if she needed to sit in the corner to calm down, she shock her head no and gave him a hug. One small victory is nice when there are so many battles.

Cali is really starting to be able to communicate and give her opinions and wants. I told Nick is it going to get harder now that she can let us know what she wants, before we could just make her do whatever we wanted. She is also able to do things that you ask her to do, which can be helpful!

Cali Stats:

Cali has 12 teeth, 2 just showed up!
Wears size 4 diapers, 18-24 month clothes, and size 6 shoe
Sleeps from 8pm to 7:30am
Takes a one hour to two hour nap a day
Talks and makes noises all day, we only understand some of it but more words come out everyday!
Loves to play with baby dolls and push them around in strollers
Favorite foods: peaches, mac n cheese, chicken, fried rice, peas, cookies, french toast, ground beef, ham, MILK!
Goes to playschool for half a day 2 to 3 days a week
Loves to read books and color
Loves to play outside and swing
Loves Baby Einstein's and Elmo movies
Loves to snack. She will say "bowl" when she wants you to give her a bowl full of snacks. For some reason she took a bowl upstairs for bath time tonight and went to bed with the bowl. Not sure why.

Just being cute

This is Cali "helping" clean one of her bowls. This is the bowl she also fell asleep holding.

She likes to look at herself in the frame around the fireplace.

I can't believe our little girl is almost 2! Wow!

She blesses us so much and makes us better!

Surprise Party

2010-11-22T21:17:00.000-05:00

Nick threw me an amazing surprise 30th birthday party Saturday! He and my sister have been planning for weeks to pull it off! I was super surprised and SOOOO happy when I figured out what was going on. I'm so blessed to have wonderful family and friends in my life to encourage me and support me!

We had a great time hanging out, chatting and eating. Nick even had some of my favorite foods like Swedish Fish and popcorn! He also made a fun 80's montage of music and TV commercials. The party was at the church office so there was lots of room for everyone.

Here is one group of people hiding waiting for me to come in.

More people hiding.

SURPRISE!! I was so happy, Cali was confused.

Me and Mom

Me and Nick's Mom

My uber prepared sister brought a bunch of toys for the kids to play with. She and Nick set up a play area. In total we had 6 kids under 6! It was crazy fun!

Mom, Mary, Cuz Dave, and Me

I love Birthdays! So I was really touched that everyone helped make my 30th a big deal. It was been a great ride so far and I can't wait to see what God has in store for the next 30!

The Big 3-0!

2010-11-18T21:58:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was my 30th birthday. It was a wonderful and difficult day all in one. I think I was emotionally charged up in the morning and let some things get to me that I can normally push through. After lunch with Nick I was good again! He is such a blessing in my life!

This sign was on the refrigerator when I woke up. Can you tell that Cali helped?

Nick's mom came to play with Cali and Nick while I was at work. They had a great time together. We had planned on a big dinner outing with all four of us but after my rough morning we decided a quiet dinner with just Nick and I would be better. So Nick's mom took first shift with Cali (dinner and play time) and our friend Angie took the second shift (bath and play time). After an amazing dinner we got home in time to tuck Cali in.

Enjoying birthday lunch with Nick, Cali and Grandma.

Nick's four girls

For my birthday Nick got me a new camera! We got a Canon Rebel XS! I have been wanting a good camera for a while. So often a point and shoot just isn't good enough to capture a fast moving toddler. We are still trying to get it figured out.

Cali looking for squirrels.

Jack is camouflaged by the leaves.

Thirty seems old to me; adults are 30. I do not feel like an adult most days so the fact that I'm 30 is perplexing.

Yesterday was also the first of many "firsts" without dad. I didn't expect that to effect me as much as it did. It was sad not to get a phone call from him.

Family Photo Shoot

2010-11-11T22:00:00.001-05:00

I have wanted to get professional photos taken of our family for a while. Cali is changing so fast I just want to capture how she is now. I also wanted some good photos for our Christmas card and for some fun wall art. The photos were taken by Will Page, he is still in high school and takes awesome photos. The photo shoot itself was interesting. It took Cali a while to warm up to the idea, but once cookies were used as a motivator she was all smiles.

So here are some of my favorites.

Headband

2010-11-06T17:13:00.001-04:00

This is Cali all dressed up to go out to dinner with Grandma Jordan.
Most of the clothes in her current wardrobe are hand me downs from my sister and 2 families at church. We are blessed to have all these free clothes! The down side is many of the dresses are for summer. So we added a long sleeve shirt and tights to make it a fall outfit. I think it looks cute and it has saved us a ton of money.
Cali is also sporting her new headband we got at target for a dollar!

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Piglet

2010-10-30T22:22:00.000-04:00

Cali was Piglet for Halloween. She had a very busy day today. Our church hosted a family fun day at the community center. We had over 1,000 people come! It was a lot of fun.

Piglet!

There were lots of games for the kids, a DJ and a big inflatable obstacle course. Cali's favorite was the fishing pond. She kept going back to play in the water.

Cali caught a fish

Nick and I were busy making food so Cali played with a couple of the youth group girls. Here she is getting pushed around by Ally.

Playing with Ally

When we got home Cali crashed and took a long nap! After dinner Cali put her Piglet outfit back on and we headed out for Cali's first official Trick or Treating trip.

Ready to go trick or treating

Cali with daddy

Cali's first Trick or Treat Stop

Cali at our neighbor's house

We only went to four neighbors' houses. After the first one Cali got the hang of it. Go to the door, smile and people put candy in your basket.

Cali's favorite part was to play with the candy. She would take the candy out of the bowl, put it in her basket and then back in the bowl.

Cali going through the candy basket

CANDY!

We did let her have some Smarties and gave the rest away to the kids that came to our door.

Enjoying a Saturday

2010-10-23T21:10:00.000-04:00

We had a super fun Saturday! Nick had to get some stuff done around the house so Cali and I left to get out of his way. Our first stop was to Daisy Cakes. We saw them on the Man vs. Food show on Travel Channel last night so I was intrigued. Cali and I ate their vanilla cupcake to celebrate her 20 month birthday and brought their pumpkin spice and black and white cupcakes home to share with Nick. They only sell their cupcakes on Saturday morning and they sell them out of "Sugar" their Airstream trailer. Very cool atmosphere and a very fun mix of people there at 10am!

After enjoying our cupcake we went down to the Farmer's Market. There was everything from homemade pasta to local cheese to collard greens. I sampled a few items but only bought some yummy swiss cheese from a local creamery. As we were walking around I spotted a food truck. I have been trying to find one every since the Food Network show on food trucks. It is called Only Burger. There was a line for cheeseburgers at 10:45am! So I figured they must be good. Cali and I started with their fresh cut french fries. The picture below shows Cali's hand all the way in the french fry bag. She loved them and I have to say they were yummy! Since the fries were so good I decided to get us some cheeseburgers and brought them home for lunch.

Once we got home we found Nick playing with the power washer he is borrowing from his mom. He was cleaning our driveway. It is one of those things that you don't realize how dirty something is until you start to clean in. In this picture you can see the clear difference between the clean white area and the not clean brown area. So if you visit our house soon make sure you compliment Nick on how white our driveway is. He worked really hard on it.

While Nick power washed Cali and I played and went to the park. Just another fun fall Saturday in the Jordan family.

20 Months

2010-10-23T20:46:00.000-04:00

Cali Maple is 20 months old today! Wow! Where has the time gone? They really do grow up fast.
Cali is a very active toddler who keeps us on our toes.

Cali 20 Month Stats:

Cali is 23 lbs 10 ozs
Wears size 18 -24 month clothes
Size 6 shoe
Size 4 diaper
She has 10 teeth
Favorite foods: pasta, pears, peaches, chicken, beef, french toast, mac n cheese, sliced ham, graham crackers, goldfish, cookies and french fries
Will only drink milk or water
Goes to playschool 2 days a week for half the day, then spends the rest of her day playing with daddy until mommy gets home
Loves to dance
Is learning how to say new words everyday. Some new words are apple, door and up.
Sleeps from 8pm to 7:30am and takes a morning and afternoon 1 hour nap.

Cali is such a joy to be around. It is hard to be sad around her. She loves to give hugs and blow kisses. She even gives them without being asked.

Cali is also a toddler and has the art of throwing fits down to an art. Here is an example of one such fit. I think she was mad because I wouldn't let her play with the camera.

Cali keeps our days enjoyable and entertaining. We are blessed and honored to be her parents.

Pumpkins & Apples

2010-10-16T20:54:00.000-04:00

We took Cali to a "You Pick" farm today. They had a pumpkin patch and apple orchards. Grandma Jordan joined us for the fun.

Walking to the pumpkins

Our family

Cali in the pumpkin patch

Checking out a pumpkin

After the pumpkins Cali and Daddy played on the tire swing!

After the tire swing we grabbed a basket and headed off to the apple orchard. I have to say I was super excited because I have never picked apples before. We picked a bushel full of fuji apples. It was late in the season so most of the apples had been picked. However, we had a secret weapon - NICK! It is so great having a tall husband. He was able to get all the good apples from the tops of the trees. Cali's job was to put the apples in the basket.

Cali running through the orchard

Cali putting apples into our basket.

It was a fun trip! Afterward we caught up with the rest of Nick's family for dinner. Cali wasn't feeling too well so she and I came home early.

Now that I have a bushel of apples, anyone have any good apple recipes?

Joy

2010-10-15T21:07:00.000-04:00

Cali and Nick went to a park today. This is what JOY looks like.

This evening we went to a concert hosted by our church. The Daraja Children's choir did an awesome job! Cali loved it! This is her dancing with the kids. She is blurry because when they were singing she didn't stop moving. Adorable.

Cali's First Hair Cut

2010-10-09T15:45:00.000-04:00

Cali got her first hair cut today! Her bangs were always in her face and she won't keep a bow in. We decided to take her to see our friend Caroline. She used to be in Nick's youth group and now owns her own salon in downtown.

Cali before. She is smiling at herself in the mirror.

The first official cut!

You can tell Cali wasn't exactly thrilled about the process.

Cali's view

Cali after. The big differences are the bangs and the 1.5 inches Caroline took off the back. Since Cali has curly hair you can't tell how long it is but she had some long pieces starting to stick out the back.

Cali did AWESOME! She wasn't excited about it but she didn't cry. She just sat in the chair trying to figure out what was going on. As a treat for doing so well I gave her some candy corn (she LOVED them) and took her for a ride on the carousel.

1st day of School

2010-10-04T22:01:00.000-04:00

Tuesday September 28th was Cali's first day of school! She is going to a preschool for young toddlers two days a week. She goes from 8:30am to 12pm. This allows her to socialize with other kids and it gives Nick an opportunity to work. The church office is 2 blocks away so he can get tons done!

Cali ready to go!

Her teacher said she did great and they even had craft time! When Nick and I went to pick her up she was playing happily on the playground.

It is strange to have someone else watch her for us. We asked Cali what she did at school and what she had for snack, but she just smiled. It is odd not knowing what she did. I guess we just need to get used to it, our baby girl is growing up!

Cali playing with a classmate.

Sitting at the puzzle table.

The teacher called Cali "solemn". Once Cali warms up to her I'm sure she will see Cali's wild side!

19 months

2010-10-02T11:14:00.000-04:00

Cali is 19 months old now! She is a very active toddler these days.

Cali Stats:
- Loves to drink milk
- Favorite foods: pasta, cookies, chicken, ground beef, carrots, pears, peaches, french toast, crackers, goldfish and applesauce
- Cali wears size 6 shoe, 3 diaper, 18 month clothes
- Has 10 teeth
- Takes 2 - hour naps a day, sleeps from 8pm to 8am
- Loves to read books, play with her dolls and color
- Cali has a vocabulary of about 15 words
- Weights around 23 pounds
- Loves to play in or with water
- Likes to play dress up
- Loves to go for walks and play outside

Cali likes to play dress up! Princess Cali

Funeral Arrangements

2010-09-27T19:01:00.000-04:00

Raymond Allen Vitkus

A visitation will be held at Williford Funeral Home, Wednesday, September 29, 2010 from 6-8pm.

201 E Academy St
Fuquay Varina, NC 27526-2248
(919) 552-2211

www.willifordfuneralhome.com

Funeral services will be conducted at Fuquay Varina United Methodist Church on Thursday, September 30, 2010 at 11am.

100 S Judd Pkwy SE
Fuquay-Varina, NC 27526
(919) 552-4331

www.fvumc.org

Interment will take place at Arlington National Cemetery on January 5, 2011. Further details to follow closer to the date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Legion Scholarship fund in the name of Raymond Vitkus.

Well Done

2010-09-25T22:12:00.000-04:00

Well done good and faithful servant - well done.

Ray Vitkus went to be with the Lord peacefully on Saturday September 25, 2010 at 5:45pm. Mom, Mary and I were all there with him as he passed.

Dad slept all day today and was never conscience. Last night before bed he said he loved us, kissed mom goodnight and wanted his picture taken with a big smile on his face.

Throughout this whole process he has been the example of what it means to faithfully chase after God. Even today we had nurses coming in wanting to talk about dad's faith. Amazing!

Mary and I are spending the night with mom at mom's house tonight. Tomorrow we will start to get things together and organized. Monday we will finalize the funeral and burial arrangements. I will let you all know the plans once we have them set.

We continue to appreciate your prayers as this will be a long process for us all. We are happy for dad but sad for us.

A different day

2010-09-24T22:19:00.000-04:00

Dad has been in the hospital since a week ago Wednesday, so this is day 10. Mom, Mary and I have all been here since Monday. The week has been a blessing for us. Our family has been able to come and visit dad and say their goodbyes. We have had great talks and laughed a lot. The last four days have been such a gift! It is time we will never get back and always remember.

God has also been present this week in everything. We have had several God moments where it was clear He is in control and using dad for His glory.

Today has been a different day that last last few. Dad is showing signs of wearing down. He has been tired and a little fuzzy headed. We will see what the next few days bring.

We continue to feel your love and prayers. It has been such a gift to talk to so many of you via email, facebook, and phone calls. We feel so loved.

As this journey comes to an end, know that we are all confident in God's plan and know that He is in control.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Hospital Party

2010-09-23T21:17:00.000-04:00

Even though we are going through this really hard time we have been having a party here at the hospital. It seems strange to be on a cancer unit with people who are at the end of their life and we are laughing. Dad has so much joy and peace about his situation. He is witnessing to anyone that will stand in the room long enough to listen. We have even had a Dr. come in and say dad's attitude encouraged her to have a religious conversation with her mom. Mom has also "friended" one of our nurses on Facebook.

This has been a roller coaster of emotions. At the beginning of the week we thought that it was over. So we all came to the hospital, said our good byes and tried to prepare ourselves. But God isn't done with dad yet.

We have really been blessed with this opportunity to be together as a family. Mom, Dad, Mary and I haven't been just the four of us since 1999.

Dying is a very difficult thing, but dad is doing it with style.