Jordan & Co

Author: jordan

  • The Grand Finale

    Yep, it’s “social media official”…we are pregnant with Baby #3!!

    Our “Grand Finale”, if you will.

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    We told the girls right before our Hawaii trip because we didn’t want any of our family members bringing it up and having the girls find out that way.

    I really wanted to be the one to break the news- especially since Q has been asking for a “new baby” since Cubby was born. I filled up a box with all sorts of baby items and a little envelope with flashcards that read “Mommy has a baby in her belly.” (I made sure to use all words that Q knew how to read so that it would be a fun surprise.) I figured the girls would open the box, assume it was stuff for their baby dolls, THEN read the card and get it. Let’s just say it didn’t really go as planned. Q opened the box, took out the first baby item, held it up, and said (in her most mature 5-going-on-25 voice), “We’re Having a Baby!” We were NOT expecting her to get it so fast- but she did, and she was a squealing ball of delight- asking “What kind of a baby?” and “How many more days?” before we could even finish explaining. Cub, however, grabbed the baby bottle from the box, started sucking on it and pretending to cry like a baby. Let’s just say- we think she’s a little less excited than her sister about all this “new baby” junk.

    Ever since telling the girls, Q has taken the self-appointed title of “Big Sister, Master Educator” very seriously. She keeps explaining things to Cub, who honestly could care less! Thus, the idea of the “Big Sister Advice Booth” was born. Let’s just say, Q has a very strong (ahem) attitude-resemblance to Lucy from the Peanuts Gang and the idea of her sitting behind her booth, á la “Doctor is IN” style,  just made perfect sense. I wanted this announcement to be just as original and fitting to their personalities as the “Big Sister Training Camp”  (click for link) one we did back in 2013 to announce we were pregnant with Ardyn. I think their faces prove that it’s a pretty accurate portrayal of their (polar opposite) personalities!

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    So yes, Baby #3 is coming and we could NOT be any more excited to complete our family! I’d love to share a little about our journey- but I think I’ll save that for another time. For now, I’m just happy I can finally be honest about my bulging belly and the lack of wine-related comments coming from my Instagram account. 😉

    Baby Mac #3 Coming Spring 2017

     

    Feel Free to Share/Pin Away:

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  • Hawaii

    Every year we go to Hawaii with Ryan’s immediate & extended family. It’s such a fun time to reunite with aunts, uncles, and cousins- some that we only get to see once a year.


    This year there were NINE little girlie cousins and our one (cutest ever!) little boy cousin who, by the way, is going to be SUCH a trooper when he’s old enough to start [trying] to talk… with nine little girls constantly chattering around him like a pack of seagulls. 😉


    This year was perfection. My girls were at such ideal ages for a trip like this…that it actually made the vacation err more on the side of “enjoyable” than “work”, which is kind of a new thing for us.

    We stay on Maui and our trip happens to fall on Halloween every year. The girls have so much fun dressing up with their cousins and parading around the resort “trick-or-treating”. Q & A went as Sully & Boo from Monsters Inc this year. And yes, I chose the costumes. (I got that question a lot.) I figure my days of dressing them in cute coordinating costumes are numbered, if not over…the push to be anything “Princess” is STRONG, people.


    Even though our trip falls on the anniversary of my Dad’s passing, we always find a way to incorporate him and think about him in a positive way while we are there.

    We ended our trip this year by flying over to Oahu to Disney’s Aulani resort for 4 days. The girls LOVED seeing the characters and playing on all the awesome water features. And we thought it was pretty great too…until about day 3 when we were ready to hit up the hotel next door for a meal that didn’t consist of chicken fingers or Mickey shaped anything.

     

    Our only complaint (if we HAD to think of one) was there was almost TOO much for the kids to do. When on Maui we say: “There’s the pool and there’s the beach, kids. Have a fun day!.”  Of course we’re building sand castles, swimming, and paddle boarding with them, too- but at Aulani…the kids were so overwhelmed with options that we were chasing them around from water slide to pool party to lines to meet Minnie Mouse- All. Day. Long.


    Overall it was another AMAZING family vacation to add to the books. But I think our whole group agreed that Aulani has more of a 2-3 day stay max. And if you should find yourself there for longer…just remember: The Four Seasons next door has some killer retail therapy. And a Starbucks.

  • Q’s Mermaid Party

    Well, as promised, here is the Official “Mermaid Party Blog Post”…and only 2 months late. Not bad for my blog-slacking self!

    So, my little lover of all things Mermaid only wanted one thing for her birthday this year and that was to swim with a REAL mermaid. Real, people.

    So off I went to the Magical world of Google to make Q’s birthday wish come true. Luckily I had remembered going to see The Little Mermaid the musical earlier in the year and seeing “live mermaids” lounging in the lobby fountain. So I went in search and found the exact company I was looking for. It’s called MerFriends & y’all- this company is AH-MAZING!  My only complaint was that because of the swimming factor, our group size was limited. We tried to balance by inviting a few of our oldest friends and a few new. It worked out perfectly in the end, but I still wish we could’ve invited everyone we know…because it was a day totally worth sharing!

    So here you are, images and some deets from My Little Mermaid’s 5th Birthday…

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    An under sea treasure box and bedazzled dinglehoppers were the main attraction at the girls’ table. Backdrop was made from two shower curtains and some homemade jellyfish. Thanks Hobby Lobby & Amazon. 😉
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    The Mermaid Makeover station was the hit of the party. MerFriends has a “mermaid makeover” service that you can add to your package, so of course I took the idea and ran with it. I handmade tiny mermaid clips for each girl to keep and ordered these sweet aqua sea creature bracelets from MichelleAndCompany on etsy and lots of extra pearl necklaces from Amazon. I wanted the girls to be able to go home in their full Mermaid makeover bedazzlement!
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    Favors were mermaid swimming tails and seashell bathing suit tops. Never thought to take a picture before wrapping them up!
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    Dessert Table (before I scattered sand and glitter confetti). We had gummy sharks, pirate’s booty, goldfish, and some “seaweed” made from sour straws. We got her adorable cake from Celebrity Bakery!

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    The girls pretty much couldn’t wait for the party to start. Ardyn totally thought it was her party too. Q’s mermaid skirt is from Carken Design and “Merbabe Life” tank is from Lola and Darla.
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    When Ariel arrived WITH Peter Pan, there was complete silence among the group… followed by  intense ear-drum shattering shrieks that only five-year-old girls can produce.
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    MerFriends brought each girl her OWN mermaid tail to swim in for the day, along with life jackets for each girl (all for a price, of course). Ariel gave the tiny mermaids a lesson in combing their hair with a dinglehopper- and in swimming like a mermaid, of course. At the end, they had a Mermaid Princess Coronation for Q (complete with a crown) and paraded her around the pool in this awesome seashell float I found at Urban Outfitters. MerFriends also offered lifeguard services, which we took advantage of, so the girls were extra safe while swimming!

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    After Mermaid tricks, it was time for the Mermaid Makeovers. This was by far the girls’ favorite part. They got glitter eyeshadow, glitter nailpolish, glitter hair spray, rainbow scales on their arms and the jewlery and hair clip! Yeah, we are pretty much STILL finding glitter in the backyard.
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    Next came cake! (Please excuse my cake cutting skills.) Celebrity did such an awesome job with the whole cake & I loved the purple ombrè center. Plus, it was delicious to boot. (I know, because I ate all of the leftovers.)

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    Next the MerFriends handed out additional goodie bags (mini treasure boxes filled with loot) out of the giant treasure box they brought along with them and then posed for lots (and LOTS) of pictures.  Q’s swimsuit and A’s bottoms from Kortni Jean .
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    It was pretty much the best day; one I hope she’ll remember forever. (Mostly because she’s not getting another party for a few years.” 😉

    Happy “Whole Hand” Birthday, Q!

  • First Days

    Well, we did it. Packed lunches, early bedtimes & carpool lines galore. Yup, we managed to send both girls off to their first days of school…without any tears! (except for me, of course.) I’m still sort of in denial that summer is over- but you know what they say- “When in Rome…bring on the apple smocked dresses.”

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  • Ch-ch-changes

    Dear Blog,

    Thank you for being my BFF and sounding board during these days where too-damn-much is changing and my mama hormones just can’t deal.

    Today, Ardyn’s big girl bed was delivered (..although I’m about 98% sure she isn’t ready to sleep in it yet, and will be keeping the crib shoved in the corner of her room until that time comes). So even though I’m not necessarily saying goodbye to the crib just yet, I am saying goodbye to her baby room. I knew yesterday would be the last time her room would be set up this way, so I snapped a few pictures of my babe in her baby room, on the very last day it would be just that. I’m so glad I have these, because today her room consists of waaaay more furniture than can actually fit between those 4 walls and already the baby decor is getting replaced with some of the decorations I’ve been hoarding for this very day. It’s exciting. But what can I say? I’m bad at change…

    “Big Girl Room” to be revealed at a later date (much, much later). But until then…just one last peek at her room for the past two years. I kind of miss it already.

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  • Back to School with Dressie Jessie

    If I HAVE to get excited about the start of school and the end of all things fun and summery, I basically have to think about it as nothing more than a shopping opportunity. Back-to-School shopping is pretty much my version of Christmas, and a valid excuse to give those credit cards a little work-out. I mean, it’s been 3 whole months since my Summer Siesta Shopping extravaganza, right? 😉

    In all seriousness, I have a little weakness for southern smocked attire, and I am so lucky to be able to work for a brand like Dressie Jessie. Seriously, she is an amazing shop owner and her clothes are just….well, keep scrolling and see for yourself.

    But, for reals- I know you think I’m crazy, but I am NOT excited to send the girls off this week. I’ll miss the travel and adventure of summer; the carefree days of swimming and the late-night family movies on the couch. (Not to mention frosè and margaritas.)

    Yeah. Pretty much the cuteness factor of these little numbers from Dressie Jessie is just about the only thing getting me through this week.

    That-and the return of solo Target trips.

    Other than that- viva la summer…or um, Happy Back to School.2016-08-29_00072016-08-29_00022016-08-29_00032016-08-29_00042016-08-29_00052016-08-29_00062016-08-29_00082016-08-29_00092016-08-29_00102016-08-29_0011

  • Q Turns F-I-V-E

    Well. It happened. Despite all my best efforts, this girl turned ONE WHOLE HAND!!

    I remember yesterday, seriously, yes-ter-day when I balled my eyes out on the eve of her fourth birthday. “Three” seemed like a baby still and “four” just seemed to be entering a new realm of big-girl-ness. I was also very selfishly upset that she would no longer say she was “free” when people asked her how old she was, while struggling to hold up only three little fingers. You guys, that was yesterday. I swear it. I even remember the picture I took, in her blue nightgown and two buns in her hair.

    And then I blinked…and now she’s F-I-V-E, folks. Five! I mean, I might as well get the college applications rolling now…

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  • In Summerrrrr…Part One

    In Summerrrrr…Part One

    Here’s the thing. I haven’t blogged since Father’s Day, and before that it may have been since 2014. But I’m trying to be better about that. It’s my New Year’s resolution…in July August.

    Shit, it’s August.

    Don’t even ask me what day of the week it is, people. I’m serious. Until the school calendar gets shoved in my face in a few short weeks, I’m pleading complete summer ignorance.

    So yeah. Blogging. Or my lack-there-of. In my defense, we kinda sorta haven’t really been HOME since Father’s Day and I just now am discovering mobile blogging so I no longer can use “not being home to physically sit my butt at my desktop” as an excuse. So here’s a little glimpse into our rollercoaster of a summer, so far.

    I say “so far” because in my brain it is still summer. (Because August-Shmaugust, Summer-Ending-Denial Syndrome, and all that.)

    But really…summer, saturday, whatever you are- where ever I am…please don’t end.

    So yeah. We started summering way back in May when we went to Charleston/Kiawah Island to surprise our cousin for her 40th birthday.

    (We make Q carry all her own junk! It makes her packing every toy in the playroom a little less appealing…) Our newest, sweetest baby cousin! Cubby looks thrilled, no?

    Our first low country boil. (We ate Mac-n-cheese…)

    After that, we unpacked, repacked & headed out to Alys Beach (aka Heaven on Earth) for my sister’s stunning wedding!

    We like to party…

    I’m not saying I was important or anything. But I was kind of important….Seesters!

    That’s a wrap, Florida!!

    We then returned home to this place we call “Our House” for a short stint. We had a fun visit from Toey & Papa, Q got to perform in a little camp play as the role of “Princess Mermaid”(enthralling!), we went to see Pinkalicious the Musical and Beauty & the Beast, Found good old Dory,& enjoyed many a drippy popsicle by the pool…



    And then, well…we packed it back up and headed out again.

    But seeing as how I just blogged more in this post than I have in the past 3 years, I think we’ll leave Part 2 for another time.

    I smell some frosè calling my name…

     

  • Father’s Day

    This is something we’ve been doing since the first year we had Q. It’s a gift Ryan knows he’s getting every year but looks forward to nonetheless. The first year I gave him a cool 8×10 frame for his office with the first picture of Q in it and every year I print out the new version and he replaces it at work. I think we both love seeing how much the kids grow each year, plus it’s relatively easy to execute!

    Here’s our newest Father’s Day image along with the collage that I’ve been adding to each year. Now I need to think of a fun way to display them all, because I think that’s half the fun! 😉

    Happy Father’s Day to all the awesome dads out there! xo

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  • Sleepover

    Because when they ask for anything involving “sleep” in the middle of the day, the answer is always YES…with fingers crossed.

    (Spoiler Alert: no luck.)

     

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