On Fathers

Yesterday was Father's Day and this post was supposed to go with it. Alas, here I am a day late (typical) but I'd still like to share some big love for the Dads in my life.

First, there is my Dad. He is supportive and generous, goofy and kind, and has always been my number one cheerleader. My Dad is an incredible Papa to Eloise and the first person she asks for when it comes to having tea parties, taking trips to the park or creating masterpieces on the sidewalk with chalk. He often appears at our door to find out if there is anything he can do for me at that perfect moment when Eloise is whining, I'm working on a deadline and Spencer just won't go down, saving me from a full-blown meltdown. Watching my Dad as a grandpa just makes me love him more. 

And then there is Chris. I don't think there are many Moms out there who can say that their husbands wake up an hour early every work day to fold laundry and do the dishes, prepare school snacks and make breakfast. When Eloise wakes in the night Chris often climbs into her single bed and stays there til morning when he wakes up to read books and feed her breakfast so I can get more sleep. As a Father Chris is an equal partner with the ability to do everything I do, even ponytails. Chris makes our lives a happier place and we're lucky to share it with him.

I am so thankful for the Fathers in my life and hope that they know, everyday, what an incredible job they are doing. 

Thank You, Chris

On my last day with Molly Chris posted this incredibly thoughtful thank you to me on Facebook. I was - and still am - very touched every time I read this note and now it is my turn to extend my gratitude.

So, Chris, thank you. In the months and weeks leading up to Spencer's arrival you put in endless long days at work to ensure that your time at home with us would be uninterrupted. You never let go of my hand as we experienced the ups and downs of my last weeks of pregnancy and kept me calm during every moment of Spencer's birth. When we came home from the hospital you were my nurse, my chef, my butler and chauffeur, and I cannot thank you enough for giving me time to sleep and recover during your three weeks off with us.

Most of all I want to thank you for working hard so that I get stay home to raise our children. I know it will not always be easy to be a work from home Mom, and there will be days where I would gladly trade positions with you, but I am so thankful to you for giving me the opportunity to be here. Your support of my career means that while I work from home I am also here to take care of the breakfasts and lunches, naptimes, boo boo bandaging, quiet moments, messes, endless laundry, play dates, afternoon activities and all the goodies that come along with caring for young children. You give us as much as you possibly can every day and I am endlessly thankful.

Chris, you are an incredible father, husband and friend, we are all lucky to have you.

Cheers to Seven Years

Pure Spirits, where it all started.

The day of my first date with Chris is and will forever be a special one.

We met in first year of university but lost touch until a random meeting at YVR waiting for a flight back to Toronto after Christmas holiday two years later. I invited Chris to my upcoming birthday party but didn't hear anything until he called me six months later to ask me out.

That first date was seven years ago today and I am forever thankful that Chris finally decided to pick up the phone to ask me to dinner. Cheers to seven years, babe, I love you.

Work in Progress

Big Girl room work in progress.

Eloise has not yet figured out how to get out of her big girl bed, and thank goodness. She can climb in by herself and happily plays in her bed throughout the day, but when she wants out she calls for me. I plan to keep it this way for as long as possible.

First time in our trying bedtime experience over the last year I am actually the one who manages to get Eloise to sleep in under an hour. I've got naptime down to a 15 minute process and if I do bedtime it takes me around 30. Unfortunately, the only way to get her to sleep is to lie down in bed with her. I know, slippery slope. But here's the thing, if lying down with Eloise gets her to sleep quickly and without any tears, then what is the harm? I figure in about 12 years she's going to want nothing to do with me so I'll take all the snuggles I can get.

The biggest issue we've had with Eloise's transition to her big girl bed is that she's started waking up in the middle of the night again. We've tried to just leave her cry but when she calls for us over and over saying "scared" (or starts doing the dreaded cry-cough) we can't just leave her. Chris and I have alternated between sleeping in her bed but last night I remembered to turn on the nightlight and she slept for a solid 11 hours. Why did it take me so long to figure this out?

Her new room is still very much thrown together. We haven't picked out her linens or hung things properly on the walls and come spring her bed will be getting a very lovely coat of pink paint. Still, she loves her very own Big Bed and although getting her to sleep is still a work in progress (but isn't it always?), this transition was the right choice.

Goals for a New Year

Now that we are five days into the New Year I feel like I've really had an opportunity to think about what I want to accomplish in the year ahead. No superficial resolutions that dissolve by my birthday, but a set of goals that I can look to when I find myself needing a push.

And so, I give you my Goals for 2013.

Chris!

You know how children learn through observation? Well Eloise has taken to yelling out "Chris!" (which comes out as 'Ki-iss!') when she wants him. It's high pitched, a little whiny and said on repeat until he replies. Does this mean I sound like that too?

I can't help but laugh when she does this further perpetuating her beckoning. Poor Chris, he was quite happy being Daddy.

Dear Santa

Dear Chr - er - Santa,

It's hard to believe that Christmas is just over two weeks away! This year is going to be so special with Eloise and I can't wait to see her excitement on Christmas morning.  Her play kitchen is going to be spectacular!

I know that Christmas is about the kids but I thought I should mention that I've been really good this year too. In case you were looking for gift inspiration I've put together a wish list of items I've been coveting all year. Fingers crossed that I made your nice list!

Merry Christmas!
xo Jordan

A stylish waterproof jacket for rainy days at the park. 

A pair of chelsea booties.

 (With sparkle? Yes please.)

 A sauté pan for winter stir fries.

A bottle of my signature scent.

A lace peplum shell to wear with black trousers for weddings.  

A 21" drop bed skirt to completely cover the legs of our bed.

An emerald handbag. It's the colour of the year, after all.

And Santa, I know how much you dislike Christmas shopping (for items the Elves cannot produce) so here's hoping that my wish list helps take some of the shopping-stress away. If not, there's always my birthday :)

Family Photos

We received the photos from our family shoot with Cat Watson and I'm so excited to share them. Cat did a wonderful job and clearly made an impression on Eloise - when we were out for a walk this week we walked past the spot where our photo shoot took place and Eloise said, "See Cat? Cat here?" and "Aw, Cat nice."

I feel somewhat organized this year as I did get around to ordering our Christmas cards from Tiny Prints today and should even have them out in time for Christmas.

 

Cat's photos have a beautiful, soft quality and you can see more of her work on her blog. A million thanks to Cat for capturing our family so well!

PS. Remember my post on what to wear for family photos? I think our colour combo really worked :)

21 Days

There are just three weeks to go until Christmas Day and I wish I could say it looks like the holidays around here, but it does not. Chris managed to put up the Christmas lights on Sunday, but once he had completed the installation he found out that half of them were no longer working. Bah humbug.

We're going to get our tree this weekend and I'm determined to finally get a coat of primer on Eloise's play kitchen, but apart from that I'm not feeling very inspired. Maybe we need to load the PVR with Christmas classics? Actual classics like It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street are always charming, but who doesn't love Home Alone, Elf and Love Actually? And, does Serendipity count?

I took Eloise to the Christmas train in Stanley Park tonight which she loved and I'm hoping to get her to Park Royal to see Santa sometime next week (he's a Miracle on 34th Street kinda guy). Our repertoire of Christmas tunes should set the tree trimming mood this weekend and with that in mind I'll leave you with my most favourite Christmas song of all ...

Happy Monday!

It was an eventful and productive weekend. Chris's cousin Anthony was visiting from Victoria and we got to spend some much needed time with my sister- and brother-in-law, Danielle and Pete. We held dinner here on Friday, on Saturday Eloise went swimming, I had a consultation downtown, did some errands and then we had a night out (what what). We were up and at 'em on Sunday for a family photoshoot at 10am, went to IKEA and then I worked on Eloise's play kitchen and put up some shoe storage in our laundry room with Aliy's assistance. No wonder we were asleep by 9:30 last night.

new shoe storage!

On Saturday morning Chris and Anthony surprised me by installing the the missing panel next to our sink (even though Anthony came over from Victoria to relax) and I can't tell you how happy this made me. Anthony, you're the best. Chris also gave me the gift of alone time this weekend and I must say I feel rather refreshed. I slept in late on Saturday, had an opportunity to have some quiet time and got a few done a few things that I have been putting off.

It was a very productive weekend indeed and our newly turquoise buffet is even ready to be moved back into place. I can't wait to show you the finished product, my mom is a painting genius!

Strengths & Weaknesses

Last night my girlfriend Aliy came over for dinner and installed a dimmer switch for our dining room fixture. Amazing right? She is one of those people who seems to be good at everything (and know everything, her internal encyclopedia is incredible) and it got me thinking about strengths and weaknesses.

I am an excellent multitasker (why just brush your teeth when you can make the bed and get dressed at the same time?), I'm good at sewing and crafts and I am downright excellent at organizing. It's definitely not my favourite thing, but I have always been very good at cleaning too.

But I am a terrible painter. I get paint on the floor and one time I accidentally painted over an electrical outlet (Aliy saved the day by installing a new one, of course). I cannot cut hair, which is why my bangs are slightly crooked, and I can't throw a ball to save my life so I never played sports. I always mix up my rights and lefts and don't know how to properly make a pot of coffee. Math makes my head spin and I can't keep plants alive - once I killed a hearty ficus in a matter of weeks.

The beauty of knowing your strengths and weaknesses is being able to build a network of people who can do the things you cannot. I am so thankful to have friends who can build things and teach me about sports, a Mom who imparts her wisdom and a husband who makes the best cup of coffee ever.

Tv Dinners

Every week Chris and I sit down to a PVR'd episode of Up All Night and laugh at the ridiculous similarities between us and the fictional main characters. Really it's the similarities between the show's characters, Chris and Reagan, and any new-ish, modern parents, but sometimes I feel like the show is written just for us.

Last week's episode opened with Chris and Reagan happily eating dinner in front of the tv. When their tv stopped working they were forced to sit at their actual dining table and converse, awkwardly. Chris and I watched this unfold as we ate dinner, in front of the tv. I'll admit, this is often where we end up eating. By the time we get around to dinner we've both had a full work day, it's after eight, Eloise is finally down and once we manage to throw a meal together we are both too tired to do anything but watch tv and eat before putting in a few more hours of work (studying for Chris, wedding stuff for me).

The last episode of Up All Night did remind Chris and I that we need to branch out of our evening 'routine' once and a while and this weekend we went tv-free. We cooked dinner earlier and ate all of our meals at the table with Eloise as a family. We had actually talked to each other and not just about Eloise or chores or the upcoming week. It was nice.

Three Years

Three years ago today Chris and I said, "I Do."

Yesterday afternoon I asked my best friend Lindsay what we were doing at the exact time three years ago and apparently we were putting the finishing touches on our wedding favours. I have no recollection of this. In fact, I can only remember the days leading up to our wedding in bits and pieces, but I think that is symptomatic of being a bride.

What I remember most of all is how much love I felt on our wedding day. From my husband, of course, but also from our friends and family who shared the day with us. It was a blur of emotions and when I look back on photos I am reminded of all the love we shared that day.

Three years later Chris, you are still more than I could ever hope for. A loving partner, a dedicated father and a very good friend, I am lucky to call you my own.

Happy anniversary, Love. 

xoxo

Mr. Wonderful

September 19, 2009

Last year, Chris and I got married on a beautiful late summer's day in Vancouver's Stanley Park. I cannot tell you how quickly our first year of marriage passed us by and even though it was not without its challenges, I was so fortunate to share every day with my own Mr. Wonderful. 

Happy first anniversary my love, may the next chapter in our life bring us as much happiness as our marriage has so far.

And Baby Makes Four

Hello, we're Jordan & Chris, twenty-something Vancouverites embarking on the journey of parenthood.

Jordan is a part-time wedding planner/ full-time nanny who loves to organize, craft and redecorate her friends' rental apartments. Chris is an urban planner who is crazy about soccer, obsessed with coffee, and loves to cook. Together we enjoy lazy weekends, open houses, throwing lavish dinner parties and most of all, our four-legged first born, Granby. After we got married last year we intended to wait a while before starting a family but fate has a way of making things happen and we are now excitedly expecting baby in April.

Welcome to our baby bliss. We hope you'll enjoy the journey as much as we do.