Jordyn's big Birthday week!

Wow!  I don't even know where to start with this post.  Jordyn turned 8 years old last Monday and she literally got to celebrate all week long.  Actually, the fun started the weekend before when she was lucky enough to get to attend General Conference in Salt Lake with Grandma and Grandpa Rose!  My parents have taken each of the kids when they turn 8 years old for a fun weekend get away.  No only do they get to experience listening to Conference in the new Conference Center but they also get to stay 2 nights in a nice hotel, they eat out, they shop, ride trax, and hang out with my parents.  They have all loved their special weekends and I'm so appreciative to my parents for giving the kids this special opportunity that they may not otherwise get.  Jordyn's weekend was described to me as being "the best weekend she's ever had."  She called me 2 different times throughout the weekend to update me on all the fun she was having and she'd talk my ear off for probably 10 minutes giving me every last detail.  Though we had been through the Conference Center before as a family, she was still in awe at the size of it.  She is particularly scared of heights so when there seats were in the upper part of the center, she said she was not too excited and totally freaked out but Grandma said she calmed down after a few minutes. She loved listening to President Monson, especially when he stood up and said, "HI" to everyone.  She just got the biggest kick out of that.  She spent time during the talks filling out the conference packet that Grandma had prepared for which she loved and then she spent one whole session sketching a picture of the Conference Center interior.  If you know Jordyn, she has a passion for drawing and has had since she was really tiny. She particularly loves drawing fashionable girls:), but she also loves drawing buildings with lots of different rooms and tons of detail (even down to the design on the toilet paper:) 

We just sent this in to the Friend magazine and she's hoping and praying that they will choose her picture!

*****

As a side note, our sweet Primary President called me Sunday evening to tell me the cutest "Jordyn" story that happened in primary.  I guess the presidency was talking about our upcoming primary program and talking about how the children should conduct themselves when up on the stage, etc.  Susie, (our primary president) asked Jordyn, since she had been to Conference, to tell the kids about the primary children that participated in the Children's Chorus at General Conference.  I'm sure Susie was looking for an answer like, "they were reverent, they were dressed nice, they didn't talk or wiggle," instead Jordyn went on for about 3 minutes describing what each group of children were wearing, the different colors of hair, the way the boys were dressed, the different nationalities (skin coloring is something Jordyn really pays attention to when she's drawing), what length of hair the girls had, and finally ended with, "and they were really reverent")  She said she just couldn't stop grinning and just had to let her keep going because she was just getting the biggest kick out of her.  Awww, yes, that is our Jordyn!  I love her to pieces and I mentioned it in a previous post, but it was interesting putting her baptism video together as I looked through hundreds of pictures from when she was tiny and she was very particular about her clothes, particular about her hair, she loved to lug around 5 different purses, she loved to draw, and she loves lots of color!  She is one of a kind!! 

Anyway, back to our regular scheduled program.  As I talked to her on the phone, I got the biggest kick out of two things she said that she was SOOOO excited about, "mom, guess what, I actually got to hold the DVD player in G&G's car all by myself, I didn't even have to share it!!" and, "mom, guess what, I got a whole queen bed ALL to myself so I could move around as much as I wanted!"  Some other things she loved were the huge continental breakfasts at the hotel, the room that was on the 6th floor, getting to go out to eat several times, shopping all by herself with Grandma, riding trax and talking to people about the gospel, hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa at the hotel watching t.v. and having her own snacks, laying out she and Grandma's clothes for the next day, jewelry and all, snuggling with Grandpa, talking with no interruptions:)  Yep, I guess she should have been an only child but since that didn't happen, weekends like this are just what she needs and loves!  Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa for a very fun and special weekend.

  

The fun continued the actual day of her B-Day, October 3rd.  We had a B-Day breakfast and she left for school.  I made some sugar cookies and delivered them to her class which really is the highlight of a child's life I've decided!  Later that evening, Grandma Rose and Grandma Johnson joined us for her family B-Day party where we enjoyed dinner together and then present opening, lots of pictures and then cake and ice cream. Jordyn was thrilled with everything she recieved and was spoiled as usual!  She got lots of arts and crafty type stuff and then a new scripture case and her own new set of scriptures.  Grandma and Grandpa Teichert sent a card and a check in the mail which she was pretty excited about it. The kids don't get to go shopping very often so to have a chunk of money to spend on whatever they would like is a dream come true.  Of all of my kids, she's my little shopper so I was a little afraid of how she might spend her money but I was pleasantly surprised at how careful she was with every dollar.  She ended up buying herself a watch, a wooden letter "J" for her shelf, shirt, headband, pair of stretch pants, and some gum.  She cracked me up because she accounted for each dollar she spent and was really careful not over spend.  Phew.....maybe there is hope:) 

Morgan loves to make these notebooks for B-Day's.  It's just a composition notebook covered with scrapbok paper (thank you modpodge), she sometimes decorates them more with their name and a big flower but she left this one blank.   Regan made a clipboard for Jordyn with basically the same idea.  Jordyn was so excited about both gifts!

Grandma Rose with Jordyn!  Jordy pretty much adores her, but then again, I do too!  Love you mom!

This is my sweet and amazing Grandma Johnson who has faithfully attended most of my kids activities throughout the years.  She is a remarkable woman and has faced a lot of health challenges this past year that set her back quite a bit but she is back to doing awesome again.  She is working on selling her condo on Three Fountains Drive and recently moved in to BonAventure Assisted Living Facility.  She seems to be really happy there but I always tell her that she could be happy anywhere because she's always so positive and faces her challenges with complete Faith.  My mom has many of these same qualities and I love being with both women. 

DJ and Jordyn--Jordyn loves to go on visits to our ward members with DJ on Sunday.  She's a little talky but DJ has always said that she will make a wonderful missionary because she can talk to anyone young or old and never seems a bit nervous. 

Aaaaahh.....the cake.  Jordyn has chosen to make a Polly Pocket cake for a few years now.  She LOVES playing with Polly Pockets and has since she was very tiny.  She decorated the cake on her own though I think Morgan might have pitched in just a bit to help with the candy (okay, eat the candy:) 

Some things that are special about Jordyn is that she's very organized.  She's up by 6:00 each morning and gets dressed, makes her bed, makes her lunch (she despises school lunch so she makes up her own lunch ideas), she often does her own hair, she always has her backpack out of the closet, packed and ready to go each morning.  She loves to read!  She has 55+ points already this year in the AR program which means she's read a ton of chapter books. She's very self motivated, she plays the piano, loves clogging, loves to sing, loves to draw and color, loves to doll herself up, she is an awesome student, she's a fast runner, she loves fashion, scarfs, purses, headbands, boots, etc.  She has a strong testimony and isn't afraid to share it with others.  She's determined and headstrong which can be a little challenging but I'm confident that she'll use it to her benefit someday when she grows up a bit)  We love you, Jordyn and hope that you had a wonderful year being "8"!

I have to be honest, I'm not a big fan of doing "friend" b-day parties. Maybe I'm just lazy but I really try to avoid doing them, but I have let the kids when they turn 8 and 12 have a few of their closest friends over for a small party.  We usually play a few games, decorate cookies or cupcakes, open presents and then the kids just hang out and play.  I keep it really simple and low key and the kids have to help me with the preparations. They love it and I love it so it just works for us.  Jordyn had the cutest little friends over, Chelsee, Emily, and Alyssa, and they had the best time.  They loved the games but I think their favorite was the caramel apple eating contest that was not even my idea.  I decided at the last minute to make caramel apples for the party as a little party favor but one of the girls had the idea for the contest.  Anyway, and while making them realized I was out of sweetened condensed milk so I just made my own with water, powdered milk, and sugar and it worked out pretty great.  Actually, the caramel tasted really good but the caramel apples weren't the prettiest ever but they worked!  It's fun to do things like that spur of the moment then I don't spend anytime stressing.  Anyway, the girls were so cute and Jordyn was thrilled to have her own party!

  

  

Part 3 (Baptism Day will be following very soon!)  What an awesome day this was and she had "perma-grin" the entire day!