Planes and Helicopters

So this past Saturday we were invited to attend a lunch out at Airport #2, and go see where "Boppa" (Grandpa) works. Jordan had a blast sitting in the machinery, and checking out the little planes and helicopters up close. It was so fun! It was catered by Joe Morley's BBQ (yum!) and there was even a little band there to perform. Jordan couldn't help but do a little dancing and "snapping" of his fingers. All of the sudden the music would just hit him and he would have to stop whatever he was doing to dance. It was so cute!

Then Saturday afternoon we did a little "painting" I have definitely learned to only give him as much water as I want to clean up.

Saturday night we went to a BBQ at the Overton's house. Jordan loves to play with their kids, and had an especially great time performing in a little "3 man band" with Kylie and Calie. He took turns on the harmonica, recorder, and guitar. It was so fun. Their dog Harley also recently had puppies, and 3 of the 4 of them now have their eyes open. They are darling! Jordan didn't quite know how to react to such small little puppies.

Here are some pictures from our weekend. Enjoy!

Thank goodness for Mr. Clean Magic Erasers!

I've been a fan of the Magic Erasers for quite some time, but never more than I was this weekend. In the few minutes it took me to switch loads of laundry, Jordan was able to get his hands on a pen and add some artwork to my plain hallway walls. I didn't notice it at first. I returned upstairs and he came walking right up to me with the pen, and just handed it to me. I didn't know where he had found the pen, but thought it was nice that he was just surrendering it so easily. Little did I know that he had already done the deed, and had no further use for it. As I went to put some food away in the pantry I noticed the first of several original Jordan masterpieces. As this is the first for artwork on our walls (probably not the last) I immediately grabbed the camera. In the back of my mind I was already taking a mental invetory of my cleaning supplies and hoping that I had a Magic Eraser.

Luckily I did, and the ink came right off. Man, what did we do before these little sponges from heaven? Then later in the day, we were talking to Duane on the web cam and I watched Jordan walk over to his highchair, grab the tray, bring it over to me and set it on the ground. Then without missing a beat, walked over to the kitchen "junk drawer" (which is the only drawer without a child lock on it go figure) grab a screwdriver, and proceed to try and take apart his tray. It was hilarious. So I repositioned the web cam and we both watched in awe. He knew what he was doing, lining up the screwdriver with each screw and then using both hands to twist. What is funny is that neither of us have really "shown" him how to do this. The only thing he has seen us do is replace batteries in various toys, which I had just done the day before. He never ceases to amaze me with how smart he is! He had a plan in mind for that tray and was on a mission.

We rounded out the weekend enjoying one of Jordan's favorite things...blueberries. As he is getting some new molars I had the bright idea of buying frozen ones instead of fresh (plus they last longer). He loved this idea! He happily ate his frozen berries and grinned the whole time. (Sidenote, the frozen ones aren't as messy as the fresh ones so it was a bonus for me too!)

Well, it's less than 3 weeks until Duane gets home, and we are counting down the days! We've almost hit the halfway point of this trip. Hooray!!!

Memory Lane

So this week has been crazy. Between Jordan not feeling well and both of us having a much harder time with Duane being gone, let's just say there hasn't been much sleep at the Koford's. It's times like these that I really appreciate (and should more often) our close friends and family. In my circle of friends there are many married couples, but very few with kids. I know that before I had Jordan I couldn't really identify with what it takes to be a parent (especially of a toddler).

One thing that really helped me prepare to be a mom was the birth of my half-brother Tyler. I was almost 16 when he was born and I was his babysitter when Shauna went back to work. It was a great summer, and it definitely helped me understand what a newborn needs. I grew up a lot that summer, and I will always remember it. I am thankful that I had that opportunity, and even though I know Tyler doesn't remember it, I do.

Along the same topic, but a litle different, I think it is interesting to compare "major" events that my generation remembers with that of our parents. I remember rocking Tyler to sleep in my Dad's living room while watching MTV (yes Real World had just come out and I was addicted to reality TV even then) and seeing the breaking MTV news report about Kurt Cobain's death. I was a big Nirvana fan, and had recorded their Unplugged concert just a few days before. (Talk about dating yourself).

Our parents saw the first man walk on the moon, maybe Vietnam, etc. I wonder if the events that we have seen will be as legendary to our kids. Are they going to have a History book that talks about 9/11, the war in Iraq? Probably, but we also waste a lot of time paying attention to stupid "news" items like what celebrity is in rehab or who got kicked off of a reality show. Our parents watched TV, but was it as important to them as it is to us? As much as I love my DVR, I also have to wonder how much time I waste watching dumb TV shows.

Here are some new pictures

So I have been a little slow on getting pictures on the blog. Here's a few recent ones. They're mostly of Jordan or Duane and Jordan. I've tried to put captions on most of them to tell you what they are.

Some Jordan pics...oh wait, nope not yet

Well, today was interesting. Couldn't go to work because Jordan hasn't been doing to well. We slept for about 2 hours last night, and luckily I have a great boss who was willing to help me stay home. In the last 36 hours I figure Jordan has slept for about 7 and I have had almost 5. Not too bad (for him) but I have only been getting about 4 hours a night anyway, so I am way behind. Not complaining, but I am so tired. I have always been a huge night person, and before Jordan I really could get by on 4 or 5 hours a night. Since being pregnant, I need a full night's sleep. (Yet another way being pregnant messed up my body...but it's worth it right?)


Now that I am a little more savvy on my new camera I will have some cute pictures to share hopefully tomorrow. I have to get some sleep tonight or I would try it out. Let's just say I have been working (slowly) on Halloween decorations and Jordan and I have been doing some craft projects. Yes, there are several stories involved so stay tuned. It turns out that toddlers and a bag of rice don't mix well, no matter what the magazines say. I do have high hopes for a few Halloween card projects that involve handprints and paint, so I'm sure those stories will be funny!

So I am still a somewhat child of the 80's and still make "mixed tapes" for different reasons, although nowdays it is mixed cd's. Tonight I made one with all of the songs that make me think of Duane (yes, I am sappy). My favorite song that reminds me of Duane right now is Jason Mraz called Lucky...listen to it here it is exactly how I feel right now. I can honestly say that 11..almost 12 years later (wow, I'm old) I still love him so much! Love and miss you honey!!

Quick update...sorry no pictures

Just thought I would write a quick update on what's going on at the Koford house.

Duane's in China, obviously since I talk about it all of the time. What is completely different this time is that Jordan realizes he is gone. He really does! We have the best picture of him napping with Daddy and it is framed by our bed. Jordan has to kiss the picture every night (his idea actually) and he pats Duane's side of the bed and makes a little sad face. Then I say "Daddy will be home in a few days (ok so I lie..) and you can play with him then."

We were finally able to talk to Duane on the web cam this morning. On the previous trips we have been able to do this almost every day, but this time it took longer to connect the internet in his apartment. Also, Duane has been working crazy long hours and the only time that he is awake is while we are sleeping. It was so good for Jordan and Daddy to see each other. Jordan was brushing his teeth at the time of the phone call, and tried to brush Daddy's teeth on the web cam. I had to clean a little bit of toothpaste off of the screen but it was so worth it. Jordan was so much more into talking to Duane this time. It is amazing what a month will do in the life of a toddler! He is changing so much every day! We can't wait for Duane to get home (for a minute) and be with him.

As far as Jordan and I go, we are doing well. We had a little scare with the Petty's this week. They were evacuated from Sweeny due to the hurricane, and I was able to find them a room in the Dallas area to stay at. They returned home tonight, and I just got the report that there was no major damage. They were without power for a while, so everything in their fridge and freezer is a loss, but they are so grateful that it was not worse. It really could have been a total loss of everything. We love them so much and were so worried... I am so relieved to hear that everything is ok. There will be some clean up of branches, etc. but at least the house is intact.

I will hopefully be able to put some pictures on here tomorrow. I have had some technical difficulties figuring out my new camera (which is so awesome, thank you Duane) but I think I know what I am doing now. Some pics, like the zoo, will have to wait, but I have some great ones of Jordan since then.

More updates to come (I promise) on a more regular basis. Thanks to Jeff, our yard looks absolutely amazing!!! It's great to have best friends who are there for you no matter what. It is really hard to be a "single" mom of a toddler, and I even have a ton of help from friends and family. I don't know how my mom did it when we were little. I appreciate her more and more every day. In the grand scheme of things I think all of this is making our family stronger, and I know I am learning a lot.

He was home for a couple of weeks...right?

At least I think so. It went by so fast! Duane is off to China again already. This trip is longer than the last one, but it should be the final trip this year. I will be so excited when he gets home and life can return to normal (well, at least our version of normal). Actually, I don't even think I know what that is lately. Between Duane being gone, Jordan walking, and summer trips I am all out of whack. We have sure had a lot of fun though. We tried to fit in a lot of fun things while Duane was home, like going to the Zoo, and most recently our weekend trip to Denver to visit Nate, Jo, and Riley. We had such a great time! I'll get some pictures posted this weekend I promise. Riley is so funny with Jordan and he thinks she is great.

Unfortunately Duane is going to miss a few things while he's gone this time, like the State Fair, the RV Show, and the season premier of his favorite TV show Heroes. (Thank goodness for DVR's) But unless Jo goes into early labor and I head back to Denver he won't miss any trips so that's good. I'll still be looking for things to do to make the time go by faster, so if you have any ideas, let me know. Maybe I will actually get around to some of those home projects I had planned.

As for Jordan news - he had his 18 month Dr. appt last week and he is getting so big! He is now 33 1/2 inches tall, which is 2 1/2 inches taller than at his last appt. I new he had been through a growth spurt in the last couple of months, but wow! No wonder nothing is safe in the house anymore - he can reach everything! He is also getting to be more and more of a daredevil. He can do pretty good sommersaults and is climbing on everthing. I am thinking of taking him to the toddler class at Flips gymnastics to see if he likes it. If so, it might just be a good way he can perfect his "stunts" while being supervised and having a padded "landing" area.

Well I think that's it for now, check back for pictures this weekend. Who knows, I may even have something exciting to blog about too. You never can tell what kind of trouble Jordan and I might get into!