213.

Our baby has been running a fever and after Doctor Daddy did his check he suspected an ear infection.  Tomorrow we will visit the pediatrician for medicine.  Hopefully he will begin healing before we travel halfway across the country. 

212.

watching "animals"

Momma running a fever, Baby J running a fever, early rise paired hardly any nap, and a car in the shop with a $500 bill made for a pretty crappy Monday.

Thankful for a visit from Jas to cheer me up and keep me distracted from feeling poorly.  Praying for quick healing. 

211.

This is Meghan.
Meghan is addicted to Tutti Frutti.
While planning a get together before I left town, she suggested fro yo.  Big surprise!
We sprawled out in the back of her truck, surrounded by summer hear, indulging in dessert, and discussing life. 
Girl date at it's best.

210.

What is better than a Saturday afternoon at the lake?

A Saturday at the lake with FRIENDS! 

And just because I can...

209.

Our backyard faces west, in the summer we must play outside in the morning while there is still shade available.  Baby J plays in his water table for bit and then finds it more fun to scatter his toys across the yard.  Chasing the dogs is another favored activity.  I use this morning time to sip my coffee in a lawn chair, hoping he keeps the water a good distance away from me.   

208.

I woke up in the most wonderful way today, not by a baby nor by an alarm, but naturally.  Now granted because of my daily schedule with Baby J, my body was awake by 730 am, but it was still refreshing.

I heard MM & Baby J talking downstairs and decided to take these few, precious, alone minutes to shower.  Clean and ready to begin my day, I was greeted with a pancake breakfast when I came downstairs.  MM was able to go into a work later than usual and had decided to surprise me. 

I love that man.

207.

Meet the world's most patient dog. 

Baby J "loves" on Ruby Girl much more than, I would guess, she prefers.  He is constantly trying to lay on top of her and his latest antic is playing with her while she eats.  He likes to hold her back legs, wheel-barrel style.  She doesn't protest it, just simply stretches forward and continues eating. 

To anyone worried we let our son do mean things to our dogs... this isn't allowed behavior and we stop it when it happens. 
I just had to sneak 1 quick picture.

206.

Pretty sights on a neighborhood walk.

205.

Monday is cleaning day at our house.  I feel like Danny Tanner [Full House, anyone?!] having a scheduled day for chores.  But I have to admit that allocating a specific day for cleaning has helped me.  I know what to expect every Monday and I like starting the fresh week with a fresh house.  Baby J is quite the little helper.  He likes to dust with the swiffer, as I go around with a rag and cleaner, he follows behind ensuring all dust bunnies are gathered.  He also enjoys when I vacuum.  He is nervous in the presence of the (turned on) vacuum and runs to the couch the moment I take it from the closet, but he still requests that I do it.  

204.

After church, a disappointing BBQ lunch, and naps we tried to show to Jim and Diane the headgates, wanting to take a walk along the canal trail.  As we drove out to the river area it began to thunder and ligthening and then came the downpour.  We tried waiting out the rain, but gave up after 20 minutes. 

Later in the evening, once the rain let up we grilled out hamburgers for dinner.  This is their last night at our house.  Tomorrow they will make their way back to North Carolina for a few more days with MM's brother. 

No one was ready for this photo and the result cracks me up...

203.

The boys having some lake fun. 
The day started out frustrating with MM being called into work for 9am "1 hour" meeting, that ended up lasting 5 1/2 hours.  Oh the joys of Army life. 
The day wasn't a total waste. We did make it out to the lake (just a little later than planned) and ended up getting the entire beach area to ourselves! 

202.

Phinizy Swamp Nature Park.  Located right outside of Augusta city limits.  It is 1100 acres of nature preserved swamp land. 
We took Jim and Diane there today, walking along the boardwalks built up over the swamp land.  MM and I checked this place out a month after moving to Augusta (February), the scenery was much greener and prettier this time of year.

Today Jim and Diane clebrate their wedding anniversary.  MM and I treated them to dinner out at our favorite local restruant- CRUMS.  They fell as much in love with the food there as we are, good way to celebrate 22 wedded years!

201.

MM's dad and stepmom (Jim & Diane, or better known to Baby J as Papaw & Grandma D) are in town visiting from northern Illinois.  It's been about 10 months since they have seen their grandson, needless to say, he has a changed a little in that time.  We are looking forward to a family fun weekend.   

200.

This toddler is all boy.  I find it fascinating to observe the gender differences between him and his female, toddler friends.  Baby J is instantly attracted to trucks and cars, dirt, sand, and puddles.  And while some of the toddler girls he plays with will also play with/in these, it's with less enthusiasm.  But more than that, I think it's his unreserved, no fear approach to trying new things.  The females tend to be more naturally cautious, surveying the scene before making decisions.  Not this kid, he is jumping into new adventures without any regard to consequences and it nearly gives his Momma a daily heart attack.

199.

Another goodbye was forced to be said last night.  I really hate goodbyes.  The Minters moved to Augusta just a few months ago, Austin has been attending an Army school at Fort Gordon.  They are newlyweds and started coming to our community group.  Talk about a fabulous addition!  They are sweet, insightful, and pretty darn hilarious!  The Army is now moving him and Lisa to Korea and they are embracing the adventure.  I speak for us as a group when I say, we are very sad to see them go, but very excited to see this next chapter of their life unfold. 

To celebrate their last night in Augusta we had dinner at Mellow Mushroom- fabulous pizza joint chain in the southeast.  I was finally able convince MM to let us try their Funky Q. Chicken (bbq chicken, mozzarella, cheddar, caramelized onions, applewood smoked bacon, and bbq sauce swirl).  I was also able to taste a friend's Red Skin Potato Pie (olive oil and garlic base, loaded with red potato, applewood smoked bacon, caramelized onions, mozzarella and cheddar cheeses, chives, sour cream, and spicy ranch dressing), it's like eating a loaded potato skin on yummy wheat pizza dough- I'll be ordering this one again soon!
It was an adults only meal, with friends keeping Baby J.  We took our time lingering over food, drinks, and conversation- something parents of toddlers aren't used to doing.  Upon leaving the restaurant, Austin and Lisa began "auctioning" off the household items that couldn't be packed up for Korea, out of the trunk of their car.  They were cracking me with their vibrant discribtions of each product and the quickest hand in the air went home with the prize.  MM and I made our way out with a tub full of batteries, shampoo, candles, and lightbulbs.  Got to love scoring others' PCS loot.

198.

Out of nowhere these dark clouds rolled up on our neighborhood.  The sun shining brightly behind us and this dark mass sitting before us.  The temperature dropped over 10 degrees in a matter of a couple minutes.  Then a few sprinkles came down and the sky cleared up, sure looked like it was going to be bad there for a while. 

197.

MM pulled AOD at the hospital today; it is a 24 hour shift that is rotated between soldiers.
Baby J and I had Momma-Son day.  We went to church, played outside, built towers with blocks and then promptly knocked them over!  We also baked pizza and took it to the hospital, staying to eat dinner with MM. 
We braved the night together, home alone.  For those who know me well, know how much I dislike hate being home overnight without MM.  On these nights I wish Baby J's sleep training hadn't been quite so successful and he would cuddle in bed with me all night, but I managed with the dogs and a body pillow. 

196.

Saturday morning farmer's market at the river.  MM joined us downtown after his morning run. 
We sipped iced coffee while strolling the booths.  Along the way picking up a jar of homemade dill pickle spears, fresh okra, and blodwine, heirloom tomatoes (mouthwatering!) .  That last purchase kick off a craving for BLTs, forcing us to stop by the grocery store to buy bacon on the way home.  With the recent rain here our temperatures have dropped from the 100s to the 80s- blissful!

In case you were wondering, Yes, Baby J did eventually make his way out of the stroller and into the water spray you see to the right.    

195.

Playdate with Miss Ivy Sue this morning at our favorite park on Walton Way. 

 

194.

Fernandina Beach's farmers market has a vendor who sells olive products such as soaps, oil, spreads, etc.  The last time I visited I bought a jar of olive tapenade.  It was delicious, making me desire more.  So I decided to use the jar I bought as a taste comparison for making my own.  Jasmin wanted in on the fun, which is typical.  The 2 of us always want to help with each others' projects/experiments/recipes. 
Today we started with the basic ingredients in my food processor, then taste-tested our way through adding in spices.  Our end product is fit for a (Mediterranean) king!  [My favorite synonym option to "delicious"].    

193.

Jasmin's mom is quite talented at making beautiful hair pieces for special occasions.  She made one when Jasmin was married and next month she will be providing another one for her other daughter's wedding.  Her hobby brings her much enjoyment and after receiving many rave reviews she has decided to open an ETSY shop to sell her handmade, vintage inspired hair pieces.  Her ETSY shop  is where my photography comes in handy.  I was asked to do product photos for the shop, and here is one.
These gorgeous creations make me want to get dressed up just so I have an excuse to wear one!  The next military ball I attend I will have to plan my dress solely around my favorite hairpiece.  
 

192. 15 weeks

People say that every pregnancy is different and while the physical characteristics of my pregnancy with Baby J and this new baby have been slightly varied, the differences are not too vast.  Although my experience with OBGYN has been like night and day, some good changes (more ultrasounds) and some bad (waiting an hour past my appointment time to be seen).  That is what being an Army wife will afford you, having babies all over the country or world, each time learning a new hospital's system.  At Fort Sill we were grated one sonogram for our entire pregnancy with Baby J, the routine 20 week anatomy ultrasound.  We were fine with this, we had never experienced anything different.  Here, at Fort Gordon I am seeing the chief of OBGYN and she has her own ultrasound machine in her office, granting her the ability to look at babies anytime she would like.  MM and I went into this appointment planning to get the standard health questions and to maybe hear the heartbeat, but we were pleasantly surprised when she told us she wanted to have a look.  Here is Jellybean Jordan at 15 weeks, currently the size (lengthwise) of an apple and weighing in at a whooping 4 oz.  I am happy to report that the nausea and bouts of extreme exhaustion have passed.  I am feeling really good, the second trimester is definitely my favorite one.  I am grateful to be dealing with the extreme heat and humidity of Georgia's summer while feeling my pregnant best.  Someone posted a countdown to 2013 on facebook, it says 173 days left to go, which is approximately how long we have left to wait to until we meet our newest family member.  The excitement is building. 

191.

My latest summer read finished.  Before this book, I had never read a Nicholas Christopher book, but I thoroughly enjoyed this story.  It's about an orphaned boy who is kidnapped from his Aunt and the crazy and adventurous turns each of their lives take as the years pass and they move forward with their lives, separated, but always searching for one another.  The chapters alternate between the 2 main characters and their individual stories web together well.  If I had one criticism of the book, it would be that the author can get pretty wordy, being overly descriptive to the point of affecting my attention, but a quick skim through and I was easily sucked back into the storyline.

      

190.

 

Just a couple of cute pups enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon.

189.

The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta is the largest aquarium in the world housing more than 100,000 sea creatures. It first opened in downtown Atlanta, next to Olympic Park in November 2005. The Georgia Aquarium is the only institution outside of Asia to house whale sharks which are kept in a gigantic 24 million liter (6.3 million gallon) tank in the Ocean Voyager exhibit. 

We have been hearing great reviews of this attraction.  Visiting the aquarium for the first time today, we took my family with us on their last full day in Georgia.  The aquarium's size alone is impressive and there are many exhibits to visit. Unfortunately a poor ticket window set-up and excessively large crowd made our experience less than enjoyable and overshadowed our initial excitement.  Although they limit the number of tickets sold in a day, the size of the crowd was so large that we felt crammed into the rooms. Unable to see many of the exhibits it was as if we were herded cattle making our way through the building.   We left the aquarium earlier than intended due to our frustration and in the heat of it we proclaimed that we would never return.  We opted for an early dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe. 

Based on the recommendation of friends and their talk about how much they love the aquarium.  And after we have had time to let our disappointment pass, we have decided we might be up to giving the aquarium another try. If we do visit again, it will be during the off season, on a week day, and first thing in the morning.  

On the positive, Baby J (and ourselves) were captivated by the few exhibits we were able to view well. 

188.

After a busy week of sight-seeing around Georgia we spent today relaxing.   A little shopping, eating out instead of cooking, and soaking up sun in the pool.  If you will notice there is no baby enjoying the pool, Mr. Crabby Pants spent the afternoon in the Y's daycare service.  He came out much happier and we did too. 

 

187. A day in Savannah

Aunt Becky, Anna, and I spent the day wondering the streets of Savannah.  We had lunch at a cafe in the city market area appropriately named, Anna's.  If ever dining there I recommend the Cajun chicken tortellini, delicious cream sauce with just the right about of Cajun kick.  We rode the hop on- hop off trolley tour, stopping to visit Forsyth Park, St. John Cathedral, Leopold's Ice Cream Parlor, River Street, and the City Market.  I like to hear about the city's history and interesting facts while taking in the sights. 
To see a couple more of my Savannah shots, please visit http://amberjordanphotography.blogspot.com/2012/07/savannah.html 

186. 4th @ the lake

We have been in the CSRA (Central Savannah River Area) for the last 2 Independence Days and we have spent both at Clarks Hill Lake.  It hosts a nice picnic/day recreation area with individual picnic tables and grills nestled in trees along the lake and easy access to a beach area.  At a cost of $4 a vehicle and only a 30 minute drive from our house it is an awesome little summertime getaway for a day.  This year we were pleasantly surprise to learn that military are now able to enjoy the park for free. 
We spent the entire day swimming, playing, eating, and relaxing.  It was an all-American afternoon!  The Faunces and the Vela family even joined us for a few hours.  A happy 4th of July had by all! 

185. "animals!"

Despite the 100 degree weather we braved a day at Riverbanks Zoo.  Each time we take Baby J it is more and more entertaining to watch his excitement over the animals.  He is currently in an animal obsessed phase.  He starts each day by watching his Baby Einstein 'Baby Noah' DVD about animals living in various  habitats throughout the world.
We saw (to name just a few)...
Flamingos - "ducks"
Penguins- which Baby J could only see swimming under the water, therefore he thought they were fish, but he doesn't call fish - fish, he calls them "Dory".  We couldn't figure out why until we realized that Elmo's fish's name is Dorthy and along with currently loving animals, he also really likes Elmo (despite only ever seeing him on TV a couple of times)
Rainforest Birds - which he was fine with looking at, but held on for dear life if one came any where near us while walking through the observatory.
Giraffes- we were able to feed them and that was really fun.
Elephants- Baby J's favorite!!!  He gets excited when they come on his animal dvd, he gets excited to read his elephant book, and he was very excited to see them in person.  If he is as enthusiastic about elephants this fall, I see a themed birthday party and/or Halloween costume in his future.    
 

184. Go Cubs Go

The Starks (Braves fans) and Jordans (Cubs fans) double dated at Turner Field for the Chicago Cubs vs. Atlanta Braves game.  MM has a lifelong goal of seeing a game inside every baseball field in America, this was our first time to Turner Field, making it the 4th stadium to mark off his list.  We had great time and the Cubs winning was just icing on the baseball-date-night cake!

183.

The kiddos needed to burn some energy and what better place than an indoor jump house.

*Excuse the bad photos- small camera, plus very bad lighting- don't use these to judge my photography skills*