Chocolate Tour!!!!

Really, I have more than the chocolate tour to report, but all the pictures are from the chocolate tour.  On Friday, Chad dropped off Jordan and me at our friends, the Garneau's.  Our friends Marc and Kathy had a great idea for Marc to take care of Jordan for the day so Kathy and I could go have a girls' day out!  It was fun!  Chad went to work, Jordan stayed with Marc, and Kathy and I went downtown.  

Jordan got to go to Dunkin Donuts with Marc and Maddy, they got to play at the tree at Northbrook Court, they took pizza lunch to Daddy at school, and then went back to Maddy's house to play and take a nap.  It was fun!  I do have one picture of Jordan playing at the tree:

Kathy and I made it downtown with minor traffic issues.  We went through Washington Library just to look around, then stopped at Dick Blick, Urban Outfitters, and Old Navy on our way to Macy's.  We wandered around Macy's, looked at the Tiffany ceiling up close, and then ate a mid-morning lunch.  



Finally, it was time for our Chicago Chocolate Tour to begin!  We met at the fountain in Macy's and our first stop was Sarah's Pastries, right inside of Macy's.  


It was a cute little space and everything look delicious!
Next, we went downstairs to learn more about Frango and sample the newest flavor: Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Pistachio...it was awesome!  I had to buy a box!  We also went to their chocolate/candy section and tried some of the Queen's chocolate.

Then, we went upstairs to see the old Frango-making machine...which they, unfortunately, don't really use any more.  All Frango production actually moved to Pennsylvania when Macy's bought out Marshall Field's.  (tear)

This cool piece of Chicago art is actually made entirely of chocolate by chocolatier Joseph Schmidt:

After that, we left Macy's to hit a few other stops to try more chocolate!  The next stop was probably my favorite and I am already concocting a plan to either make this treat myself or to figure out where another Lavazza is.  At Lavazza, an Italian coffee shop, we had these yummy gelato creations.  The woman brought out a tray of mini-coffee cups with gelato...and then she poured the thickest liquid chocolate I have seen right over them.  It was awesome!  I definitely recommend it!

Next, we went to Hannah's Bretzels...but we didn't have Bretzels (the German word for pretzel), instead we marveled at their chocolate wall and got to try lots of samples.  This place definitely had some funky chocolate.  They did also have Kinder eggs, which I remember from when I went to Italy in high school and had to get some!  They have over 200 different kinds of chocolate bars.

Our last stop was Argo Tea where we had Chocolate Tea Lattes which were pretty good...their brownie I didn't care for, but the tea was yummy.  

And that was our Chicago Chocolate Tour.  They have other tours on the Mag Mile and I think I would definitely do that one!  Afterwards we went back to the Garneau's house to find Jordan sleeping and Marc, Chad, and Maddy hanging out.  When Jordan woke up we all went to eat dinner at Michael's and then went home.  We had such a fun day!

Treadmill Trouble

Man, I got busted on Facebook for using a Jonas Brothers song on my movie!  I didn't know it was considered copyright infringement...anyway, I switched it up.  Now it's just a random song that iMovie provides.  It better be okay otherwise I'm gonna be mad.  Enjoy!

Spring Break Day Four

Today we didn't do much, it was kind of nice.  We hung out this morning and had a kind of late breakfast.  We went to Crocodile Pie for story time.  This story time was way better than the Barnes and Noble story time from Monday morning.  I had never been in Crocodile Pie before but it was a cute store and I will definitely go back again.  As far as book stores go, it didn't seem like they really had that many books, but they did have a nice collection of books.

Jordan loved saying "Crocodile Pie" a million times.  They had two big crocodiles (stuffed) that he liked talking to.  Here he is coloring at this cute coffee table they had.  These little beanbag seats were perfect for him.  

For the actual story time, they had a guest reader: Terry Weppler, candidate for mayor of Libertyville.  Jordan had a little bit of trouble sitting still for the story time...
...but he was much more attentive once this dude came out with his guitar.  He had fun listening to the songs.  This afternoon he was singing Wheels On the Bus to me and doing the motions.  
We bought Skippyjon Jones in the Dog House.  I love Skippyjon.  We came home, had lunch, Jordan took a nap, Chad came home, we ate dinner, we went to Dairy Queen for chocolate dipped cones, we played at the park, we came home, we went to bed.  It was a nice relaxing day, but it was really nice.  One more day of spring break!!

Spring Break Day Three

Chad was home yesterday for day three!  We went to the Kohl's Children's Museum.  It was pretty crowded, but not too bad.  Jordan had a lot of fun.  We played in the grocery store for a little bit, and made sandwiches at the pretend Potbelly's.  

Jordan spent a lot of time in the water area.  You can kind of see a few drops of water floating in the air in this picture:

He was fishing for boats in the water!
He loved grabbing the boats out of the water.
It was fun to push the buttons and see what happened when he did.  I could tell it was totally about thinking about how things work for him. 


This is my favorite part!  I love seeing the little chicks!  They were really fluffy and so cute!

We ate pretzels at the cafe in the museum and then rode a little train they had outside before we headed home.  Jordan fell asleep in the car but kept sleeping after we got home so Chad and I could relax a little.  When he woke up he played outside with Chad and we grilled pork for dinner.  It was a fun day!

Spy X: The Code

Most Recently Read Book:

Spy X: The Code

By Peter Lerangis

I picked up this book because Peter Lerangis is the author who is writing the third book in The 39 Clues series and I wanted to see what his other books were about.  This book completely reminded me of The 39 Clues because there is a mystery and the characters are sister and brother twins, but the story is that their mom, a spy, has disappeared and they need to help save her.  I liked this book a lot even though they haven't found their mom yet because it's a series.  I'm excited to read the next book though!  

The Opposite of Invisible

Most Recently Read Book:

The Opposite of Invisible

By Liz Gallagher

This was a nice book about a girl kind of growing up about her life and boys, especially.  I liked it.  I may be reading too many books because I can't think of anything extraordinary to say about this book.  I think a teen would like it...maybe, it's not all that exciting.  I feel bad!

Tithe

Most Recently Read Book:

Tithe

By Holly Black

The cover looks freaky, right?  It was pretty freaky.  I definitely think this is a book for a high schooler...but that's just me.  There were some graphic parts, but overall, not too bad.  This story is about a girl who ends up involved with the faery world...but these faeries are bad faeries.  It made me think a little bit of Fablehaven which I love.  That has a pinch of "badness" to it, but this book was way more intense.  I love fantasy and this book was pretty good.  Some of the writing was a little bit confusing, but the plot was decent.  

Flip!

Spring Break Day Two

Today was a great day!  Maybe I had too much scheduled yesterday, because today was much more fun and relaxing.  We hung out at home in the morning for a little bit and then left to go to the Children's Neighborhood Museum which is really close to where my parents live.  Jordan played for almost two hours!  He had a great time pretending with all the cool stuff they had there.  It was fun.  Here he is in the workshop:

He loved the kitchen and made all sorts of food.  

He dressed up like a mail-delivering firefighter:


And banged on this giant drum (once I convinced him he wasn't supposed to stand on it)!

Afterwards, we went to Panera for lunch.  Yum!  It's one of my favorites!  Then we went to play at Papa and Gama's house!  Papa and Jordan played with the trains...and then, yes, he did take a nap!!!  I did some reading and took a mini-nap myself before he woke up again.  My mom came home from work and we all played with the trains and ate dinner.  We even did some drawing. Jordan loves markers!  Jordan didn't want to leave!  

One False Note

Most Recently Read Book:

The 39 Clues: One False Note

By Gordon Korman

This is the second book in this series.  I love the fast paced-ness of this series.  Of course, there are going to be 10 books so I get to the end and am ready to read more, but that's okay.  I really think a 4th or 5th grade boy would get a kick out of these books!

Spring Break Day One

Man, oh man, oh man!  I survived my first day of spring break.  I know this may sound crazy, but being a stay-at-home mom is really a hard job.  I admire everyone who can stay home with their kids and still stay sane.  Maybe I would get used to it, but it is really a lot of work.  I love Jordan to pieces, and we had a great day together, but I'm pooped!!!  

We hung out at home this morning and then were at the library at 9:00 when they opened.  We played puzzles and checked out some books.

From there we headed to Barnes and Noble to play with trains and do storytime there.  (Yeah, totally disappointed with the B&N story time...I'm sure they can't all be that bad, though.)

For lunch, we went to Chad's school to eat lunch with him and to see his co-workers.  

We came home after lunch to take a nap...BUT Jordan didn't actually take a nap.  He hung out in his room for about 30 minutes talking and singing to himself but then he started calling me and that was the end of naptime.  

We played a little bit and then headed to the mall to play with our friends and eat dinner.  Jordan always has a ton of fun with Chad at the mall!  Today he had his bouncy balls with him.  He loves his two bouncy balls!

And then, finally, we came home for bedtime.  You'd think he'd be so tired he'd be asleep before his head hit the pillow, but, think again!  It was hard for him to go to bed just because he was so tired.  He cried and cried and then finally settle down.  He's a sweet boy, but I'm exhausted.  

(Mini) Roadtrip!!

Yesterday we had a fun mini-roadtrip to Woodfield.  We were going to go to Ikea for free breakfast...but the line was crazy out the door wild!  Instead we did breakfast at Sweet Tomatoes and then headed over to Woodfield Mall to play in their new (to us at least) play area.  Jordan had so much fun running around.  There was tons of space compared to Hawthorn even though it was a little crowded.  

Jordan is totally at the stage when it's impossible to get him to take a picture!  He'll say "Cheese!" but he doesn't look at the camera any more!  I did get a couple.  Here's Jordan and Chad.
We came home and Jordan took his nap and then I played with him outside on our little mini-deck.  We used up all of our sidewalk chalk.  It's kind of hard to see in the picture but I traced Jordan.  It was fun!
Here are Chad and Jordan drawing bugs.  

The Prophet of Yonwood

Most Recently Read Book:

The Prophet of Yonwood

By Jeanne DuPrau

This book is the third so far in the City of Ember series.  I really liked the City of Ember.  The second book in the series I really didn't like as much...and this book was okay, but it doesn't compare to the first book.  I read the City of Ember without really knowing what the book was about and it was great.  This book actually is a prequel and goes back to before City of Ember and it explains how City of Ember came to be.  It's a cute story, but it wasn't all that relevant to City of Ember for me.  I like the series, but this book was definitely not my favorite.  

Boy Meets Boy

Most Recently Read Book:

Boy Meets Boy

By David Levithan

I really enjoyed this book.  I talked to my students about it and they all seemed kind of uncomfortable about it because the main character is gay.  When I talked about this book I got back lots of giggles.  I think even though gay people have come a long way in terms of social acceptance, there are still so many people who are uncomfortable about gay issues because they may not know any gay people.  For me, this was the first book I had read with a main character who was gay and it struck me that my students probably haven't read about gay characters either.  (I did recently finish a book where the main character's brother is gay, and it focuses on his relationship(s).)  

What struck me as being so great about this book was that once I knew the characters in the book it really read just like a teen issues novel about dating and love and broken hearts.  I think it is important for readers to understand that gay relationships are just like straight relationships.  This book does a great job of not making the story about being gay, but truly about teen relationships.  Bravo!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Maddy!

We celebrated Maddy's birthday with her today!  She had a princess party and her mom, Kathy, made this cool castle cake!  

All the kids got personalized crowns when they arrived.  Jordan actually wore his the whole time...until he switched it our for a fireman's hat. 
Maddy was so excited to open her presents! 
The kids played fun games!  They dropped beanbags into a bucket and played hot potato!
Jordan liked playing downstairs with all of Maddy's toys.  I wrangled him in  to take a picture with me!
Here is the beautiful Princess Maddy with her crown and sceptor.  She had fun changing us all into animals...poof!

Muffni Man

Jordan is my little muffin man.  He loves muffins.  We hadn't made them in a while so when Chad suggested it this morning I whipped some up.  These were from a box, but I love the recipe for lemon-blueberry muffins and the applesauce muffins from the Jessica Seinfeld book so I may be making those later this week on my stay-at-home-mom spring break!

Picture Perfect Placemats

Here are pictures of my latest sewing project.  I had to get my sewing machine back from my mom because I left it there when we were working on Jordan's pants a few weekends ago.  I had a lot of fun working on these fun placemats for Jordan's friend, Maddy.  They were fairly easy to make, just lots of little steps.  It was a nice project I could get done in one sitting.  So...here it is:

First I had to cut all the pieces for the placemats and the little pockets for the silverware.  I also had enough extra for little napkins.  

Then it was off to the ironing board.  Ironing is so important in sewing.  I've come to realize that lately.  I ironed all my pieces.  I even did a cool iron-on transfer thing to make the flowers for the pockets.  It was cool!  I ironed the folded over pieces for the pockets and the napkins which mad sewing them super easy.  After I got the placemats put together I went back to sew them once they were turned inside out.  

Ta da!!  (You have to imagine the little pink napkins that I tucked in the pockets with the silverware.)  
I made four placamats.  I put ribbon on one side so they can be rolled up and then tied up.  They are picnic ready!  I had so much fun making these and I think they turned out great!

Mango-Shaped Space

Most Recently Read Book:

Mango-Shaped Space

By Wendy Mass

I love learning from books, but there are times when what I read is so crazy out there it's hard for me to connect with the book.  One book I particularly remember is The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing.  I think they should have a preface that explains that the book is based on historical goings-on.  This book doesn't really need a preface, but it is about a girl who sees words in colors because she has synestesia.  I have never ever heard of this, and it's not too hard to get used to (especially compared to TALoON), but, I nonetheless found myself kind of un-connected with this book.  My brain has this thing with really new stuff when I'm reading a book.  

I did really like some of the writing in this book.  There is one big thing that happens (I can't give it away!) and I like how the writer put the emotions into the story.  I didn't, however, really like the main character too much.  She sneaks off to get acupuncture without telling her parents and that kind of bugged me.  I feel like I'm being a little over-critical of this book...I was just kind of torn between liking it.  It was just okay for me.  

Schoo Bus

When Jordan sees a school bus, he yells out, "Schoo bus!"  I love it.  It's so cute.  We see them a lot after I pick him up from Patty's, especially on the way to the mall.  This week, he rode the bus with Arthur and Maddy!       

 

Arthur, Jordan, and Maddy

Jordan was having a heart-to-heart with Arthur...but I think Arthur was more worried about the road...

Weekend Fun

We had such a nice weekend!  I convinced Chad to fire up the grill because i was so nice!  We had chicken breast and grilled peppers.  Yum!  

After Jordan woke up from his nap we went to Robek's for smoothies and then stopped at the park on the way home.  

The Mole People

Most Recently Read Book:

The Mole People

By Jennifer Toth

I have been barely finishing my book club books on time the last two months, BUT I do finish them!  This book was a little hard to read because there were so many stories about so many different people.  There wasn't really one consistent story/plotline throughout the whole book.  I did however think it gave an eye-opening look at what life is like in the tunnels underground in New York.  I had no idea and could hardly believe some of the stories that were told.  The woman who wrote this book is very brave for doing all she did to collect the information in order to be able to write this book.  It's really sad to think that people live their lives underground.  I can't even imagine.  

Bed Time Story Time

Every night, story time is part of our bed time routine.  Jordan gets his jammies on and then we sit in the glider chair in his room and read stories.  Our favorite this week is Good Boy, Fergus by David Shannon.  Jordan loves it.  

While we read, Jordan sits and looks at the pictures while he gets to sit with his eehee.  He loves to suck his thumb with his blanket and pick the fuzz.  
Thumb sucking is serious business.

My Heartbeat

Most Recently Read Book:

My Heartbeat

By Garrett Freyman-Weyr

It's a weird coincidence that I have read a couple of books lately that have to do with gay relationships.  This book  is about a girl whose brother is dating a guy...except he won't admit that he's gay.  I guess it's not so much that he won't admit it as much as he denies it.  It was kind of confusing but then it comes out that his dad kind of tells him how he feels about his son being gay without directly telling him and he picks up on that and just can't come to terms with accepting the fact that he is gay.  It was an interesting book about the unsaid social rules that gay people have to contend with in their lives.  There was one weird part about her dating the guy her brother breaks up with and it just didn't make that much sense to me...but I thought the message about trying to see what gay people deal with in terms of what other people think was interesting.  

American Idol Fever

We've got Idol fever at our house and have been singing up a storm.  Jordan has fun singing along and even makes requests.  Is he your next American Idol?

My One Hundred Adventures

Most Recently Read Book:

My One Hundred Adventures

By Polly Horvath

I read Once Upon a Waffle by Polly Horvath and loved it, maybe because of the recipes at the end of every chapter?  This book was good, but not really that great.  The main character, Jane ends up in a few crazy adventures, but in the end doesn't get close to one hundred...she just ends up saying she wants to keep going to get to one hundred.  I was kind of disappointed in that.  It's a cute growing up kind of story but I wouldn't really recommend it.  

Chalk Drawings

Yesterday afternoon, even though it was gloomy, we played outside and did chalk drawings.  I drew this lovely Mickey Mouse picture...and then Jordan helped me color it in with purple.  I loved the bright colors that were a bright contrast to the gloomy mood of the day.

Jordan got all wet laying on the sidewalk and really getting into the coloring.  
We really went all out and had color all the way down our walk. 
Jordan had fun running and jumping on the drawings.  

Jordan wouldn't sit still for one second to look at the camera...he was just having fun coloring here and there and everywhere!

Vinko the Dancing Bear

Last night at the mall, Alex made a bear at Build-a-Bear.  He found one that look like Vinko the Dancing Bear that he watches on TV.  It was fun to watch him make his bear.  Jordan watched intently and then helped give him a shower before he took him home.  

The Year of the Dog

Most Recently Read Book:

The Year of the Dog

By Grace Lin

This was such a cute book.  The character is a sweet Chinese-American girl who relates one year of her life.  She talks about Chinese customs and about learning that she wants to be a writer.  It's a pretty easy read, but I think my 4th grader would really like this.  

Photo Booth Phun

Jordan and I were playing on Photo Booth this morning.  He thought it was so much fun!  

This was Jordan's favorite.  It's hard because this is only a picture, but on the computer he stands there and the fishies move all around.  He was so excited!
I think this one freaked him out a little bit because all of a sudden there were two of him!  

Red Robin

Last night, when I got back from ITHI, we went out to Red Robin for dinner.  We love Red Robin.  We sat in a booth where Jordan could play and color and then we all ate.  Jordan liked his quesadilla.  Afterwards, we played the arcade games they have and Jordan ran around after his bouncy balls.  He loved the TV in the floor.  Here's our family picture at Red Robin:

Jordan getting a close up of the TV.
He kept jumping on the TV.
Me and my munchkinhead.

ITHI 2009

I spent Friday and Saturday at the ITHI conference.  It is held once a year for teachers of the deaf and hearing impaired.  This year it was in Naperville.  Next year it will be downstate so I decided to go.  I used to go more often but our district doesn't pay for us to go...not one single cent...so I haven't been in a few years.  

I went with one of my mentees, Heidi, and her friend from college.  Of course, once you are there you see tons of people you know.  I saw lots of people from college and then lots of people I have worked with through student teaching or whatever.  There were some really good breakouts this year.  I have some great ideas to take back with me.  

Here I am with Heidi, my mentee, and Stephanie, who I worked with last year.  

Dairy Queen

Most Recently Read Book:

Dairy Queen

By Katherine Gilbert Murdock

This book turned out to actually be a tad more serious than I thought it was going to be.  I thought it would be funny.  It was still a good book, I just didn't expect it to be what it was about.  It's about a girl whose family plays football and one summer she ends up training the quarterback for her high school's rival team.  As she's training with this guy, she realizes she wants to play football and tries out for the team.  It ends up being a cool story about doing what's right for you and learning how to communicate.  

Stuffed Green Peppers

Thursday night I made stuffed green peppers for dinner.  I got the recipe from my friend, April, but I forgot I didn't have tomatoes so it didn't turn out as good as hers.  It was still yummy, though.  It's one of my favorite dishes.  Here's Jordan getting ready to eat!

Chad was getting his tray ready and Jordan was playing with this funky thing you look through that makes what you see into a ton of tiny versions so you see what a fly sees.  I've had at forever.  We bought it at this great toy store that used to be in downtown Lake Forest when I was growing up.  
And, here are our stuffed green peppers.  I kind of forgot to take the picture before I dug in just because I love these things...but you can still kind of guess what it looked like.  

Love That Dog

Most Recently Read Book:

Love That Dog

By Sharon Creech

This is such a fun book that is a novel written in poems.  I love the story but also that the main character is learning about poetry.  This would be great to use in a poetry unit.  Can't wait!  It reminds me of Shakespeare Bats Cleanup which is also a novel in poems.  

Graceling

Most Recently Read Book:

Graceling

By Kristin Cashore

Another great book!!!  I was reading this book while listening to Seeing Redd and I found myself torn between both stories and wishing I could be reading both of them if I was busy.  This one is about a girl who has a "Grace" or a talent for killing people...or so she thinks.  Someone has kidnapped the grandfather of a prince of one of the seven kingdoms and she goes off to solve the mystery of who is behind it all.  It is an awesome story.  I love the love story but then I was turning pages crazily trying to figure out what was going on and couldn't wait to see how the story was resolved.  Love it!  A great fantasy book!

Seeing Redd

Most Recently Read Book:

Seeing Redd

By Frank Beddor

I love this series!  I am mad at this book because it totally ended and you can tell it will really get resolved in the third book of the trilogy...but I hate waiting!  I really love the characters in this series.  This book had a little more emphasis on Hatter Maddigan who is/was Alyss' bodyguard.  There was a kind of subplot...is that what it's called?  Or is it just another plot going on?  Not sure, either way, I liked that there was even more depth to the story in this one.  I seriously think this is turning into an epic trilogy because there are parts that really remind me of Star Wars.  I love Star Wars!  I can't wait for the third book!

March Open Letters

Dear March,

I am so glad you have finally arrived!  I have been dreaming about you because when you come to visit you bring me such joy.  I love being able to think about the possibility of warm weather, even though sometimes you bring snow, I know there is a chance of warm weather when you come.  You also bring with you Spring Break.  Oh, how I love Spring Break.  You also bring spring rain with you (unless, you bring snow) and that means there will be lots of green.  I love you March!

Fondly, 

Jen

Dear President Obama,

Thank you for the inspiration and hope you have provided for our country.  I know there are people out there who don't believe in your or support you but I do.  I think you are very brave for taking on the position of the presidency but I completely believe you are a great man for the job.  I hope, for you and for our country, that the ideas you have and the changes you make do make a difference.  I will proudly wear the awesome t-shirt with your face on it that my husband brought me back on his most recent trip to Washington, DC.  

Sincerely, 

Jennifer M. Vincent

Dear RAC DER 1,

Oh, my sweet RAC DER 1.  I apologize for any agony I have caused you when people don't understand your name.  If only more people could think backwards in this world!  You have been my partner in hearing itinerant teaching for the last seven years and I couldn't imagine my life without you.  You keep me warm, you play books on my iPod for me, you get me where I need to go, basically, you rock...and roll!  Thank you for keeping me on the move!  You really are one red car!

Your Driver, 

Jen

Dear Westfield Shoppingtown Vernon Hills Mall,

You have no idea how cool you really are.  You really have no idea.  Every Monday we come hang out with you and it makes Mondays great.  We love hanging out with our friends in the play area.  We love eating dinner in the food court.  We looooove dancing under signs and in stores.  We most of all love reading books in Barnes and Noble.  We thought you would be pleased to know that we have officially declared Mondays to be....(drumroll)...Mall Days.  

Love,

The Mallrats

My Beautiful Laptop Bag!

Today Kathy and Maddy gave me an awesome gift!  Kathy made me a laptop case!!!  It's awesome!  I was just at Vera Bradley and couldn't see myself spending $80 for a laptop bag.  I almost made one myself this weekend but was working on Jordan's pants.  I was totally surprised today when they gave me a present...and then it was this beautiful brown and flowery fun case that is so great!  It fits my laptop perfectly!  I can't wait to use it when I go to work tomorrow!  She even made personalized labels for me and a little bag to put my power cord into!  Kathy also gave me a Barefoot Contessa cookbook.  It looks very fancy, but there are some recipes that look like they could be very yummy!  

Here's what it looks like when it's unwrapped!  I'm excited for when I go to Starbucks or Panera, I'll have a little mat to put my laptop on, too...how cool is that?


Here it is with the top flap unfolded.  Don't you love the inner and outer fabric?
Thank you!!!!!

Blogiversary!

Oh, man!  I just read my friend Kathy's blog and she posted her 100th post.  I meant to commemorate my blogiversary but then I totally forgot!  It was on Tuesday, the 24th of February. I didn't miss it by too much.  I actually learned how to do Photo Booth and we took these pictures on Tuesday...does that count?

I love keeping track of our lives on my blog.  It's so much fun to look back at everything we have done.  I haven't really done too much scrapbooking since Jordan was born and this let's me at least keep track of all the things we have done minus the time and minus the money spent on scrapbooking supplies.  Jordan already has fun looking back at pictures and movies I put on the blog.  We look at the pictures on the blog all the time.  

Thanks to everyone who reads the blog and does or doesn't comment. I hope you are able to share in everything we do and enjoy my crazy rambling!

Pants!!!!

Gama will be mad, but I think these pictures turned out cute.  Jordan loves to push the levers on the sewing machine and he sat with Gama for a little while.  We tried on the pants and the fit pretty good.  They are a little bit big, but I think they would be okay with shoes.  They may be best for being around the house, but they at least aren't too small!  

Puppy Pants

I have had two really cute fabrics sitting in my sewing bag at home.  I wanted to try making pants for Jordan.  Last night, after Jordan went to bed, my mom and I used a pair of his pants to try and make a new pair of pants.  So far we only made one pair...they turned out really cute.  I'm not sure if they fit yet...that'll be important, we'll see!

First we used his pants as a guide to make a pattern.  

Then, we pinned them all together and my mom helped me sew it up.  I did all the sewing though!  I guess that means it's my fault if they don't fit.  Here's a close up of the pattern.  I thought this puppy was sooo cute.  my plan is to use a little piece of the fabric to do an iron on to a t-shirt maybe.  
Here's the finished product.  We put no-roll elastic in the waistband, we'll see if that works!

More Trains!

Jordan (and Papa, I think) can't get enough trains!  After our crazy morning of gymnastics, library, and swimming...well, Jordan took a nap...but after his nap, we played trains with Papa.  Jordan has so much fun turning all the trains on.  It's great!

Jordan and Papa!
Jordan and Mommy!
Making sure the trains okay.  Sometimes they fall off the track.  We were all singing "Working on the Railroad".
Papa and Jordan working on the railroad!

Swimming With Mommy

My mom was able to click a couple of swimming shots before they told her she couldn't take pictures!  I haven't been swimming with Jordan in a while because I usually make Chad go...but this weekend Chad is in DC chaperoning the 8th grade trip so I had to take Jordan to swimming.  I tried to get out of it and kept asking him if he really wanted to go swimming...but, of course, he did, so I did.  In the end it was fun and I was happy I took him.  We had fun splashing and singing and swimming around the pool!  

Thankfully, you can't really see me in my bathing suit!