Normal Conversations 9th Edition

This one is all about Jordan:

The Home Folder
::Kids doing homework in the car on the way to worship practice. Eli rummaging through his backpack searching for his math sheet pulling out wads of paper::
Eli: I can't find it
Jordan: Is it in your homework folder?
Eli: No, I just shove it in here ::indicating his backpack::
Jordan: Why don't you put it in the homework folder?
Eli: I just put it in here
Jordan: But if it was in the homework folder you could find it
Eli: Here it is!
::Eli finishes homework and shoves it in backpack::
Jordan: Why don't you put it in your homework folder?
::Eli doesn't respond and throws his backpack on the floor. Jordan picks up his backpack and takes out his homework and puts it in the homework folder::

At least one of the kids got my over-organizational skills.

Reading
Jordan: I'm reading a book at school right now called Friendsle (no idea how to spell it). Daddy, can I borrow your Friendsle?
Justin: That's not a real thing
Jordan: You need to read more books

Tooth Fairy (Thief)
So we've never done the tooth fairy with my kids so they know it isn't a thing...
Me: (to another adult) So I realized, my dad saved all my baby teeth so I kept all my kids' baby teeth. I have no idea why. So when I was cleaning yesterday I realized there was no reason to keep them and threw them out.
Jordan: WHAT?! You threw away my teeth?
Me: I don't know, maybe. To be honest I'm not even sure if they were yours or not. I never labeled the bag.
::Now at home Jordan rushes out of my room with a wad in her pocket::
Me: What are you doing?
::Jordan whips out a wad of plastic bags::
Jordan: They're my teeth! You can't throw them away.
Me: You're weird.
Jordan: I'm never going to let them out of my sight!
Me: Are you getting in the shower now? Are you taking them with you?
Jordan: No, I'm going to...wait! You're going to go in there and throw them away aren't you? I'm going to hide them where you'll never find them!
::later after the shower she comes into my room and starts going through my drawers::
Jordan: Where are the rest of them?
::I find the container of teeth and hand them to her. She squeals with eery delight::
Jordan: YAY teeth!
Me: I don't even know if those are yours.
Jordan: They're MINE you can't have them!
Justin: ...serial killer...
Jordan: No, they aren't YOUR teeth

Normal Conversations 5th Edition

I'm pretty sure I'm not using "edition" correctly.  But what went from a one time blog turned into a thing...so I'm just going with it.

::watching t.v. with Jordan::

Character on show: What you did is unforgivable!
Jordan: Well, I guess he isn't Christian


::while finding something to eat::
Me: Jordan, how about a crunchy granola bar?
Jordan: ooo
Me: I like mine with peanut butter...but you don't like peanut butter.
Jordan: I HATE it. Hates a strong word. Hate is the perfect word to use.


::seeing a band-aid on Jordan's leg::
Me: What happened to your leg? Did you cut it shaving?
Jordan: I don't shave.
Me: Right answer, you pass the test.
Jordan: Can I shave?
Me: No

Normal Conversations 4th Edition

We do this thing at dinner. We call it best parts and worst parts. We go around the table and ask the best part of the day and the worst part of the day.  Apparently, this is a "thing". I only started it because asking kids 5 and under (which is the age we started this at) about their day was very uninformative, but asking specific questions made it a lot better.

Any way, now to the normal conversation for the night...

Eli: Daddy' what was your best part about today?
Justin: Hanging out with mommy
Me: We didn't hang out
Jordan: Sure you did! You were kissing. That's hanging out.
Justin: You're never allowed to hang out with anyone...ever

::a few minutes later while cleaning up dinner I walk by Justin and give him a kiss:

Jordan: Look! You're hanging out again!

Normal Conversations 1st Edition

On this edition of "Normal Conversation" we find that Jordan has not yet given up her serial killer tendencies.

Enjoying National Cheeseburger Day at Farmer Boys with $1 burgers a young man approaches our table staring at Jordan and smiling.  Jordan, after a moment of gathering herself seeing a person she knows out of context, says, "Oh, its a friend from school".  But that's nothing special we chatted, finished our meal, the young lad gave Jordan a "gift", I glared judgingly (apparently that's not a word) at the back of his head as he walked away.

In the car on the way home...

Me: What was that kid's name? Matthew?

Jordan: Ethan. Mom, I thought you said we weren't going to be a long time? Now I won't have time to play with my friends!

Me: We are leaving so late because you stopped to talk to friends.

Justin: Yeah, you are getting mad about leaving friends to hang out with friends so you wont have time to hang out with friends.

Me: You have too many friends. Stop having friends.

Jordan: I have a friend at school and after I stabbed him...

Justin/Me: What? Back up. What do you mean you stabbed him.

Jordan: with a toothpick, but then...

Justin: Jordan, you really shouldn't stab people.

Jordan: No, its fine. He doesn't care.

Justin: Nobody likes being stabbed.

Jordan: No, after I did it he was like, its OK.

Justin: No.  We don't stab our friends.

She's Always Been Stubborn

It wasn’t intended, but I realized I recently wrote a blog about Taylor (and her ex-boyfriend drama) and one about Elijah (just being Elijah).  BUT no Jordan-specific blog.  So, let’s get her caught up.

My Jordan.  

My feisty and confident Jordan. She knows what she likes and goes for it.  Since she was young she insisted on dressing herself (unlike her older sister who is 11 and still asks me to pick her clothes for her – which I have refused to do for years, but she keeps trying).  This frequently results in outfits that consists of different colors, patterns, and layers upon layers.  It results in high tops with a fluffy skirt. She’ll take on a new challenge without hesitation because she is certain she’ll figure it out.

My brave and tough Jordan. She rarely cries (sometimes she should cry more often). She’ll go face first into concrete and split her chin open needing 10 stitches and barely cry.  She’ll walk around with a broken elbow at school for a couple of hours with nothing but an ice pack. The one who has been riding real roller coasters since she was tall enough (Age 3).  The one who punched a spider to kill it on her gymnastics mat during class while the rest of the girls (and teacher) screamed and ran.

My sensitive and tenderhearted Jordan. She has a deep desire to serve those in need.  Which translates to making dinner for the family when mom isn’t feeling well to helping Pastor Dan sweep and clean up almost every Sunday morning before services start.  She’ll sit and hold a baby for as long as humanly possible (or until the parents make her give the baby back). The one who happily fed her baby brother and changed his diaper whenever we’d let her.

My VERY stubborn Jordan. She is confident because she is too stubborn to let anyone else make choices for her.  She wants to make them and make them her way.  She is tough because she is too stubborn to let people see her cry (which she thinks mean admitting she’s weak). She’s sensitive because when she finally realizes that her stubbornness is causing an issue she finally breaks and releases ALL OF IT.  Like when she refuses to practice a memory verse at home because we are suggesting it, but then can’t memorize it in time for church she will cry and argue with us for 3 hours about how her life is just too busy and obviously our fault because she is too stubborn to admit she is wrong.  Or she’ll ask for advice and every solution we give her she has a reason why it couldn’t possibly work.

But, oh I how love my Jordan. Her frustrating stubbornness all the way to her servant’s heart.  Her awesome cuddles all the way to her spider punching.  The only one who inherited her mommy’s freckles.

That Time Team Davis Fell Apart

As Justin and I stand on the stage of an empty sanctuary practicing the worship set for the morning I glance at the pews.  I see 4 awesome kids huddled together, sitting quietly and calmly.  I glance down the aisle and see 3 other kids – one sitting inside a hoodie (like it’s a sled) with his 2 siblings using the sleeves to pull him full speed down the aisle as they laugh uncontrollably through squeals of delight.  The 2^nd set of kids are my kids.  My 3 bundles of pure energy. I look at the differences in these two sets of children as a direct reflection of my parenting and translated it to a failure in parenting.  Why can’t my kids just sit still and keep quiet?

I had given up on trying to force it.  It always ended in a crying mess on both sides.  They do sometimes manage to do the “quiet” thing, but more often they are balls of chaos. Well... what I considered chaos. 

However, over the last year I’ve realized more and more they are just “living life”.  This revelation was inspired by our Children’s Director at Church (the amazing Sara Hughes).  She lives her life AND more importantly (to me at least) she helps my kids do the same.  She encourages them to be creative in their learning with plays they create to demonstrate the lessons they learn.  She has parties filled with food and confetti cannons.  She finds reasons to celebrate life and the craziness of what life can throw at you.  She meets them where they are just like Paul explains in 1 Corinthians Chapter 9.

I admire Sara and her ability to do this.  I am very much NOT that person. I’m an over-planner.  I need to think 10 steps ahead of my next 50 steps.  I over-organize things in order to feel some sense of control.  And sometimes, God likes to remind me what little control I have.

Then comes the real reason for this blog…I’m talking about that week(ish) in December…that week where God was like, “Oh, so you think you have everything under control? You think you have ANY say on what will happen tomorrow?” ::insert Godly giggle…well probably bellowing laughter…I assume God doesn’t giggle::

On Saturday morning Elijah comes into my room and says his tummy itches. He lifts his shirt to reveal a small patch of tiny red dots.  It looks like a mild skin irritation, so I tell him to take a shower to get clean and I’ll put some cream on it to help with the itch.  Problem solved.  Then that evening he complains again and reveals that small spot has spread rapidly up and around his side and back so to Urgent Care we go.  A 3 hour wait and we find out he has shingles. Not the worst case scenario so we move on with life.

Shingles.

Fast forward 4 days.  That amazing Sara lady I mentioned earlier walks into our Youth Group (where Justin and I are) and tells me Taylor was hurt and, in a VERY Taylor fashion, is letting the whole world know that her life was ending.  I walk down to get her and assume her tears are her typical over-exaggeration, but after a few minutes I realize she may actually be hurt.  So, another ride to Urgent Care (shout out to Tommy here for being willing to get the rest of my family home that night).  And we shortly find out her hand is broken AND it’s her dominant hand.

Shingles. Broken Hand.

Fast forward 5 days.  Jordan is outside happily enjoying the warm evening (and yes it was December and like 70 degrees outside at 5pm).  I’m inside cooking dinner with the other two and Justin is out studying (or maybe writing a paper) for finals.  I hear Jordan walking up the stairs crying.  I hear her open our storage room door and put away her pogo stick.  I hear her open the front door and I walk into the living room to see her clutching her chin with blood oozing from her fingers.  I calmly (calm on the outside, but inside hyperventilating) walked her to the sink to rinse off and quickly realized that the massive gash in her chin was in need of more than a bandaid.  So, I call Justin and tell him to hurry home, now! And tell Taylor she is in charge for 10 minutes until dad gets home.  Now I’m stressing about the amount of blood leaving one child’s face and the fact that Taylor was about to ‘babysit’ her brother for the first time.  I was almost certain that in those 10 minutes Justin would come home to the house on fire.  And so I sit, in Urgent Care once again.  Jordan needs 10 stiches.  She takes it like a champ…I almost pass out twice.

Shingles. Broken Hand. Stiches.

9 days later Justin gets a cell tumor removed from his hand (his dominant hand and more importantly his strumming hand) 4 days before our Christmas Eve services at church.  The tumor removal was more invasive than they anticipated so even now (over a month later) it is still bothers him sometimes.

Shingles. Broken Hand. Stiches. Hand Surgery.

Add to that I was 8 months pregnant and due “any day”.

Now, as Justin can attest, any one of these things would typically send me into stress overload.  Unplanned events creeping in and causing my perfectly organized schedule to become a mess.  But for some reason (probably for only the 5^th time in my life) shrugged it off and thought, “Why not? What’s next?”  At some point I just decided to giggle/laugh right along with God as I realized I have absolutely no control.  Silly me for thinking otherwise. And here we are a month later back to our chaotic, crazy, normal.

A New Type of Nickname

Growing up, my parents were always very honest with me.  I was an inquisitive child.  I asked a question, they gave me an answer.  They didn’t really dumb it down either.  Whether that was always intentional or related to the fact that they were teenagers raising a child who just HAD to know EVERYTHING.  All that to say I knew a lot about things kids my age had never heard of.

When raising our kids, Justin and I decided on a quite similar approach.  There have been times we have told them we are NOT giving them the full answer because they were not ready to process it all.  Add to that the fact we were a surrogate family which involved a lot of explanation to the kids about how the baby I was carrying was NOT our baby – which involved a lot of explanation about the difference in a baby mom and dad created vs IVF.  Needless-to-say, my kids know quite a bit about growing babies and understand clearly that mom and dad are incapable of growing their own.

Then adoption came up.  As we explained that we might bring home another brother.  Not a baby brother, but a brother their age, they understood.  They understood that for some reason another mom and dad couldn’t take care of their son so we would help for a while (foster) and if after some time, they still weren’t able he would join our family permanently (adopt).  We’ve been having these conversations with them for about a year.

That being said, for Christmas I got this awesome gift from my mother-in-law.  I’m not typically a jewelry gal, but this I love.

Jordan sat with me one day being an awesome cuddler, playing with the necklace and then this happened:

Jordan: Mommy, this isn’t a very good necklace.

Me: Why? I love it.

Jordan: It will make our new brother sad.

Me: It will?

Jordan: yeah, his name isn’t on here.  That’s not fair.

Me: Maybe I can get a new one or we can figure out how to add him.

Jordan: I know! We can just name him Taylor, Jordan, or Elijah!

Me: We don’t get to name him.

Jordan: We can just give him a new nick name.

Me: That’s not really how nick names work.

Jordan: No, it’s OK.  It’s a great idea.

My kids are ready for a brother.  Justin and I are ready for a son.  Let’s hope our adoption agency actually gets back to us AND when they do it is good news (that we qualify).

Spiders, Blood, and Retainers (it makes sense)

So yesterday was really of no importance, but things happened that got my brain moving and so I’m sharing completely random things with you because of it.  Which I guess is not much different than normal.

The Spider Dream

I had a dream that I stopped by an old friend’s house to say hi to her parents.  My kids started running around chasing a “lizard” in their front yard.  I briefly saw that lizard race by me and thought, ‘that doesn’t look like a lizard’.  A moment later it ran by again with what looked like a giant spider in its mouth, but at closer look it was in fact a SPIDER with a LIZARD in its mount and that spider was eating the lizard whole (I know this is physically impossible, but it was very real in my dream).  I told the kids to stop chasing that thing only to have Taylor come up to me with a huge chunk of flesh missing from her arm saying “The lizard tried to eat me”.  Justin came to the rescue and shoved the spider in his mouth and just chewed away…yellow gooey stuff pouring from his mouth.

In hindsight... that is a little like he just ate a portion of our daughter’s arm… sicko.

Jordan’s Clumsiness

Jordan is the queen of epic injuries.  She doesn’t do “small” so on Sunday she tripped and took a quarter inch triangle chunk of skin off her toe.  She took it like champ while I scrubbed that open wound with alcohol.  Then she followed that up by jumping off swings and landing on her knees on Tuesday resulting in bloody knees.  The good news is Justin now has a medical kit in his car for such occasions.  

Fake Retainers

As the dentist explained to me that Taylor will likely need braces (not surprised) I had to reassure Taylor that braces aren’t that bad.  I then remembered that in my late elementary days I thought braces looked awesome and wished I could have them.  I proceeded to painfully sculpt a paperclip to fit around my teeth to look like a retainer.  I wore it for like a week.  Nobody noticed.  I was sad, and my teeth hurt, and it tasted horrible.

Glitter and Sticks - Holy Cow She's Six

On Monday, the one with the smile turned 6.  The one who adores babies.  The one who loves to help.  The one who has a slightly unhealthy love for pain and blood.  The one who for at least 4 years has been most people’s secret “favorite”. The tomboy in a tutu.

My Jordan.

Jordan started off with an exicing weekend when one of her life long goals was accomplished - she was a flower girl.

 

This was her first year being in school when it was her birthday and since I have such fond memories of being surprised by my daddy for my birthday I took the day off work.

I started by bringing her lunch and eating with her at school.  She was excited to tell everyone that I was her mommy and she was excited to sit and eat with me (I know someday that may not be the case).

Later in the afternoon Justin and I came to her class with cupcakes and listened as her class sang her Happy Birthday and prayed for her.

 

After school the birthday girl got to pick where we had dinner.  She picked IHOP, one of my kids’ go-to restaurants since who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner (except for me)?

 

As most of you already saw, she got a Ukelele for her birthday which she is learning to play. She wanted a Turquoise one – and that’s what she got (after a minor mishap with a pink one).

 

Our usual birthday tradition of letting the birthday kid decorate their own cake – which usually ends up being a pile of sprinkles in the middle – was sadly not done since we didn’t get home from dinner until nearly bedtime.  So that will be coming later.

Overall, I’d say she had a pretty good day.  And she still has her party to come!

Happy Birthday Baby!

I love you dearly.  You have such a compassionate heart and love to care for others.  You are selfless (well mostly) and loving.  You have a smile that lights up a room in an incredible way.  You are definitely stubborn and like to test the rules and boundaries to see what you can get away with.  I know that characteristic will help you achieve some incredible goals in your future.  I love your excitement for life.  I love your slightly terrifying curiosity in blood, needles, and pretty much all things morbid. I love your willingness to try almost anything (even if only once).  You try to face your fears, but still find comfort in mommy and daddy’s arms when the dreams feel a little too real (I’ll miss that someday).  You’re mommy’s helper.  You’re Aunt Genny’s Munchie.  You’re Grandma’s lover girl.  I’m proud of you and can’t wait to see what you can accomplish.

And the part you are all most excited about (or maybe just me) – The annual photo comparison:

 Birth

 

 Age 1

 Age 2

 

 Age 3

 Age 4

 

 Age 5

 

 Age 6