I mentioned I took the kids hiking this past weekend... This was the first time I really let Jordan hike along with her brother an I. We started with her in the backpack, but she didn't stay in there for long. She really held her own and I was very proud. The trail was really bumpy and she never fell down. We even climbed into a cave. That's when I took this picture. She's standing on a rock even though you can't really see any proof that she's in a cave!
I've been consumed with work this week... So I haven't been able to post about Jordan enough. She's been talking up a storm and it's pretty great.
Here's Jordan and Cameron yelling into an old silo. SO funny.
Making noise from NerdyMom on Vimeo.
Here's my attempt at interviewing Jordan about hiking as she hiked -- note the little comment from Cam right at the end. Very sweet.
They love hiking from NerdyMom on Vimeo.
It was warm today! It was so warm that we didn't even need a jacket! It was so warm that I just want to write sentences with exclamation points!
No seriously, we went on a hike on a local trail and walked to a nifty playground near a little lake. You could feel a sigh of relief everywhere you went. This has been an unpleasant winter.
Jordan was super happy to ride in the hiking backpack. Anytime you say the word "hike," Miss Jordan gets super excited.
We even got to grill outside for dinner. That meant the kids got to just ramble around in the backyard, squish in the smooshy wet parts and enjoy chalk, baseballs, basketballs and even the wagon. It was simply a happy thing.
Jordan got so dirty that she had mud on her face down to her toes. (Yeah, she took her shoes off because she didn't like having mud on her shoes.) The big moment of the day: Her yearlong strike on riding swings ended today! She asked to get on her swing and just giggled as I pushed her. I'm SO glad she's willing to ride again! (There I go with exclamation points again)
It was surprisingly warm today so I packed the kids up and headed out to our local state park for a hike. The leaves are past their peak, so the hills were just COVERED with beautiful colors. I usually plop the kids into a leaf pile in our front yard, but that also requires a lot of raking. So I figured I might try for a cute picture or ten during the hike. I was right. Jordan LOVES the outdoors and leaves are no different then playing in sand or dirt or rocks. She was very happy.
We had fun. At one point, I had Jordan singing a hiking song, Cam was singing a different hiking song and I was just enjoying the complete silliness of it all.
Speaking of music. Apparently Daddy isn't allowed to sing. Cam went through a similar stage. But Jordan yells "NO DADDY!" when he starts singing. So I've got her trained to say: "Stop please" and then he stops. During this afternoon's hike, I was not allowed to sing. She is very demanding!
OH! And in the last couple of days, Jordan is finally saying "Cameron." She still won't say her name, but at least she is working on saying her brother's name.
Jordan made herself even more known at church today. She screamed her way right out of the service and into the nursery. It was ugly... And kind of funny at the same time. It was so loud that I was given some recognition as I returned to the service after dropping Jordan off. Aren't kids fun. Some of the parents thanked us for helping them feel better about their embarrassing moments with their kids during church services.
Jordan really needed a nap after church.
After the kid naps, we (Cam, Jordan and I) went out to a state park just outside our town and went on a mega hike. Jordan was awesome as we trekked all over the place. She oooohed and ahhhed over the beautiful blue sky, danced along to my silly hiking songs and said she thought things were pretty when I asked. After a couple of hours of hiking, she and Cam had a blast eating ice cream and playing at a local playground. Jordan tried climbing up a rock wall and fell on her face. She's pushing her limits. I'm proud of her for that -- But it's hard to step back and watch sometimes. I have a hard time knowing when I should jump in. I should let her take risks, but I don't want to see her get seriously hurt. She did go down a couple of slides on my lap.
By the time we got home, she was EXHAUSTED. A little bit of food and she was done. The funny thing is how her going to be process is changing. She's more demanding. She wants more books, more ways to delay the sleep process. I'm holding true to the bath, PJ's, one book, lullaby, sleep process. No matter what, she cries for a minute when I leave the room. A minute is nothing... But for most of her life, she hasn't cried at all. I'm sure it's another sign she's growing up... But man, I hate hearing her cry!
