Happy Fourth of July!

Jack and Azi on their first wagon ride together

"The Coach" and Cate

Mike and Hayleigh, Shelby, Cate and Azi, Bonnie and Jack

Hayleigh

Jack and his dad watching the Bend Pet Parade

The family on the Fourth

Happy Fourth of July!

Here is an actual weiner dog taking to the skies. Crazy!

Herding toddlers for a group photo

The most 'real' group photo- Jack, Azi and Hayleigh

The Fosters Visit Jack's Nana and Papa's House

Jack is Walking!

We should have posted this earlier, but here is the proof that our little man has joined the Walking Club. A couple weeks ago, during a visit from our friend Amanda, Jack decided it was time to start walking. Jack took off from the living room and walked all the way into the dinning room swinging monkey-arms-of-joy with a giant grin on his face. Patrick was so excited by Jack's new mobility that he unfortunately failed to capture a single usable video. Luckily Bonnie shot the following clip of his new skills. We muted the sound due to Patrick's extremely loud commentary -- typical Jordan. 

A few favorite words

I need to include more videos because Jack in action is so much fun to watch. During spaghetti last night, I thought I would see if he would use a few of his favorite words, like 'hot', 'hi', ect. You may wonder where the bowl of spaghetti is in this photo. Well, Jack has an amazing throwing arm. He can throw balls, toys, food and bowls with a lot of gusto. We were saving ourselves from the spaghetti toss- a toddler's Olympic sport.

Jordan Clan in Bend

The Jordan family got together this weekend at our place in Bend. It was especially special because Patrick's Grandma, Joyce, was also able to come. We ate well, had a great time and celebrated Patrick's birthday.

Waiting with excitement for the Garners to show up...




"We are here!" was Hazel's surprise greeting.




Let the hugs begin!




Holden continues to be darling and easy-going. Look at him sitting up alone so well!


Pictures after the walk to the top of the butte.




Four generations of Jordans.


The boys ham it up in chairs that are too small for them. (See Holden golfing in the background?)


Some more of the boys.


This weekend we also celebrated Patrick's 36th birthday. Patrick received a very special present from his Grandma when she gave him the family dominos which hold a lot of memories for the whole family. (He also got a very cool bbq thermometer that syncs to his iphone, from his parents, that made him down right giddy and that he used on his first attempt at brisket- a huge success.)


Patrick's birthday dinner.



I captured a departure picture before Liz, John and Joyce headed over the moutain. Thank goodness it was not the final farewell. With a few things left behind, we had the chance to say farewell three more times!

Thank you for a wonderful family visit!

In Memory of Grandma

My Grandma (my Mom's mom) passed away last week after a gradual decline in her health. Today is the service for her in Canada. She was a tender, kind and funny woman and though we are grateful she is no longer suffering, it is still hard to know that she is no longer here.

I love you, Grandma, and I can still hear you singing 'My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean'.

The picture above is of my Grandma at the shop the day we found my wedding dress. The following picture was from her Oregon stay.

Happy 1st Birthday, Jack

Jack is one! Here is a little bit about Jack at the age of one:

Favorite food- without a doubt, chicken
First word- 'dohn', which means done or down
Favorite hobby- dancing; reorganizing the fridge; loving on mom and dad; scavenger hunts for the unidentifiable, the unsavory or the unsafe things we have not noticed
Personality- loving, detail-oriented, tenacious, happy and vocal
Least favorite things- Separation! (Currently experience a big case of separation anxiety)
Funny business- Giving raspberries; 'noodle legs' if you try to help him to practice walking when he is not in the mood; his military crawl when he really needs to check things out and how it evolves into floor swimming if he doesn't find anything exciting

We celebrated his first birthday at Patrick's parents home last weekend so that we were in the area of our families. Here are a few of the highlights...



Liz, aka Nana, made lion and monkey cupcakes for the party. Eggless to accommodate Jack's still persistent egg allergy.



Austen made jello jigglers that spelled 'Jack'. Super cute and Jack was intrigued with them. What a great idea, Austen!



Encouraging Jack to get messy!



Jack seems to like chocolate and jello.



Nana gets into the action.



Carson poses for a picture. What a character!



Opening presents. (Interrupted when the birthday boy turned pink and stinky- diaper change!)



The party ended with a group stroll up to the neighboring vineyard, where Jack was able to get a nap in and the rest of enjoyed a beautiful day with wine.

We love you so much, Jack!