Deja Vue

Happy Belated Birthday Jordan!

It's not that we missed Jordan's birthday we celebrated it on the 19th just like we were supposed to. However, her mother is a little slow with blog posts lately.
So Happy Birthday Jordan! We hope your year will be a great one!!

13 candles still fit just right on the cake. Of course it was her traditional "mom's homemade ice cream cake"

Jordan goes to Alaska

Jordan was the lucky one this summer and went to Alaska where she visited with cousins and went to Girls Camp with them.

They got to stay in cabins with actual bunks! Things have changed since I went to girls camp and we slept in tents on the ground, after having built little moats around the tent to keep the water out.

She was fascinated with the vegetation there, especially all the wild mushrooms. I guess after having spent 6 weeks in the desert of Nevada any form of green would be fascinating.

Camp was at Ladasa. The lake was beautiful to look at but Jordan said it was FREEZING!!!

This was their campfire they sat around.

Upon returning back to Anchorage to Yvette's house they crammed in as much activity as possible in the last two days Jordan had there. They went to the zoo where Jordan was enthralled with seal lions,

caribou- the most interesting part of this was that they bleed from their antlers when they shed the velvet from them.

The only bears she got to see were luckily in the zoo!

Albino Alpaca,

and of course the polar bear.

A view across Cook Inlet

Mountain Goats in the wild

Portage Glacier, this is a view of all three glaciers.

She really liked the huge iceberg that was floating in the lake. It was SOOOOO blue!

Oh look she really was there. A picture with Smokey the Bear at the museum at Portage Glacier.

Jordan really did have a good time for the 2 whirlwind weeks she spent there. She came home telling me she and her Aunt Yvette had already planned for her return in 2 years. However, Tori said she's going next time also.

Thank you Grandpa & Grandma Harris for giving up your flight miles, letting Jordan stay with you and getting her off on her trip and to everyone else who contributed to the fund raiser that was held in Alaska to raise money for the girls to attend camp. It really was a trip Jordan will never forget!

Jordan's Birthday 3 times over

Seems Jordan always scores multiple birthday wishes throughout the week of her birthday. This year was no different.

It started on Wednesday when she got a birthday cake delivered from Sister Hansen, Jordan's acheivement day leader. She also got a special package in the mail from Grandma Jackie with her quilt inside.

On the actual day of her big 12, mom delivered flowers to school for her.

On Friday she had a friend over from school and they partied all night. Chad was on call that night so we took the cake and went to celebrate at the clinic. The girls were in heaven! They think that's a great place for a party...afterall they can act like animals and no one will think they are out of place, they blend right in with all the other cows, horses, goats and llamas :)

Happy 12th Birthday Jordan!!!

For Jordan's 12th birthday I thought I would share some of my favorite memories from over the years.

Her most recent memory happened last night on her actual birthday. Jordan went with the youth from church to the Oklahoma City Temple to participate in baptisms for the dead. She was pretty excited and nervous all in one.

I love how much Jordan has always loved the water.

She used to love to stand out in the path of the snow blower and be buried in the blowing snow.

I remember the day I brought home this skin and bones little girl, but she stole her parent's hearts from the moment she entered the world. Even though it was a LONG 9 months waiting for her to make an appearance.

Making a mess has always been a favorite of hers, from being a mud monster to making her own chocolate milk all over the couch.

Being with her dad is her favorite place to be. She enjoys going out and playing with the horses every chance she gets.

Oh the many hours of fashion shows we all have enjoyed. Jordan could play dress up with a piece of fabric when given the chance.

Her signature mark was the binky and tight curls upon her head.

Jordan has always been my little helper in the kitchen.

She is a WONDERFUL big sister and usually always willing to help.

How can we forget the time she painted herself, I think the bubble bath afterwards was her favorite thing.

Sharing so many moments with her best friend McKelle has made more memories then we can list.

Jordan, I hope you had a wonderful birthday and know how much mom and dad love you. We are proud of the young lady you are becoming and look forward to making many more memories with you!

Sheep and Goat Show Time

The time finally came for Jordan and Tori to take their animals to the county fair. It was something they have wanted to do for a lot of years. They spent the past 3 months caring for these animals to get them ready.


Tori's goat was pretty easy to groom. Just give her a bathe, blow dry (yes, they have hair dryers for animals), then brush her down.
Tori waited very patiently until it was her turn to go into the show pen.
She watched the others to learn what she needed to be doing and tried her best to show off her goat.
She came out with a 5th place ribbon and was very happy about her accomplishment.

Jordan's sheep took alot more time in grooming. That wool sure can hold A LOT of crud! We scrubbed and scrubbed, then scrubbed some more.
After a blow dry it was time to shear the sheep, which Jordan didn't care for at all. She was in tears most of the time and then when the animal got knicked with the razor that was it for her!
However, she went into the pen with a big grin on her face and had a fun time learning about how to show a sheep.
When it was all said and done Jordan got a 2nd place ribbon and couldn't have been happier!
We were proud of the girls for sticking with their goal of showing these animals, even though they weren't the fattest of the bunch and it was hard work especially on those really hot days to feed them. They learned from the experience and already have said they don't want to raise another lamb, that goats are much easier. Jordan has decided she wants to do a cow next time...no shearing required!
Oh yes, I can't forget Morgan. She took 3 of our little chickens and entered them, she got 10th place. She has no idea that's not very good and we haven't told her, she was just happy to get some ribbons like her sisters did. Sorry, I didn't get pictures of her.

Bread, Marvelous Bread!

Jordan made bread today....





and mom said it was SCRUMPTIOUS!!!

Driving 101

With nearly an acre of ground to keep mowed we figured this was a fun and safe way to teach Jordan how to drive in a straight line. Afterall, in just 4 more years she will be able to get in a car and drive. Let's just say it's a good thing we have a few years to work on her accuracy :0
For her first day, first try she did pretty awesome though!

New chef in the house

The picture doesn't do it justice, but this morning for breakfast (okay it was nearly brunch). Jordan and Tori decided they were in charge of breakfast. The next thing I knew they were calling me to the kitchen and low and behold was this beautiful plate filled with a yummy looking meal. Jordan has NEVER made an omelet before and I was very proud of her accomplishment. Even the toast was near perfect, which by the way we don't have a toaster so she had to cook it on the stove in a pan. She is becoming quite the little cook!

Morgan thought it tasted pretty good too, as you can see the plate is almost empty and the jelly is an added bonus to such a cute face :)

Moving up to 6th Grade

This week Jordan's 5th grade class held a promotion to 6th grade celebration. It was a little hard for her to go through because she of course hasn't been here all year and later told me that if she would have been she probably would have gotten some of the awards that were handed out. I told her we were proud of what she has done in school and there was alot of others who think she is the #1, A+ student!
Jordan wasn't to sure about this song, she told me she learned it about 10 mins before they started the program. She didn't do to bad with the words and can still remember the chorus line :)
Morgan and I were happy to go and watch Jordan recieve her certificate stating she has passed elementary and gets to move onto middle school next year. I remember when she started kindergarten just a few months after Chad started his undergrad work and we were expecting Morgan to join our family. Funny how life is coming full circle. This fall Morgan will start kindergarten, Chad will finish up with his DVM and Kordale will have joined our family.
Jordan, I'm sorry my camera was acting up that day and I wasn't able to get a picture at the moment you went across the stage. Your dad and I are both VERY pleased with your school efforts and look forward to seeing you achieve and accomlish all your goals. Thank you for being a good example to your younger sisters. We love you very much!