Jordan Turns 12!

We celebrated our first boat birthday when Jordan turned 12 in May. There was a lot of pressure to get it right and ensure the kids that a birthday on the water could be as great as one on land.

We started the day with nutella waffles and a birthday gift scavenger hunt, thanks to Hannah’s creativity. Jordan did very well with presents, luckily he wished for things that are also useful: a trick scooter great for exploring new towns, a camelback, a fanny pack (Jordan LOVES bags and often wears more than one at a time), a kids telescope and a Harry Potter 3d puzzle perfect for long passages. And of course, a tent for all the beaches—or the flybridge!

We were in Bodrum, Turkey on the big day and our only struggle was finding ‘party’ activities. First we tried horseback riding, but they were full. Then we found laser tag at the mall and that was a hit. We should have stopped there. But we saw swimming with dolphins and that seemed like a birthday-worthy experience. Unfortunately, it was overcast, overpriced, rainy and chilly. Jordan was overwhelmed by the dolphin and our usually fearless pre-teen wouldn’t get near it! Since we had already (over)paid, someone had to get in the cold water with their clothes on…Russ is such a good dad. The pictures were priceless, so I settled for only one. Did I mention we should have stopped at laser tag? I think at this point we over-did it!

Overall: It was a great ‘first’ and we can’t wait to celebrate a whole gaggle of summer birthdays coming up!