Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Horsey Rides
All three kids wanted a horse ride from Justin--so he obliged at the same time!
Needless to say, his back hurt afterwards, but everyone had a blast!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Benjamin's first day of school!
Here is Benjamin waiting for the school bus. Seth got to walk with Justin and Benjamin to the bus stop and clearly loved it! Benjamin is now a first grader!
Benjamin has a new haircut (he loves the longer hair look--like his Uncle Mark, "but no hair in my eyes"!). He looks really good without a buzz.
6:30 is so early to get on the bus, but Benjamin is a real trouper about getting up and getting ready for school when it is still dark outside. At least this year he will get home just before 3 p.m. instead of 3:15.
Benjamin has a new haircut (he loves the longer hair look--like his Uncle Mark, "but no hair in my eyes"!). He looks really good without a buzz.
6:30 is so early to get on the bus, but Benjamin is a real trouper about getting up and getting ready for school when it is still dark outside. At least this year he will get home just before 3 p.m. instead of 3:15.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Jorgensen Picture Updates
The best part of making strawberry jam...eating it with fresh homemade bread afterwards!
The boys and their hats in preparation for the beach trip with Grandma and Grandpa Clendening in June!
Madeline LOVES to play the piano! Pretty much any time I sit down to play, she runs up to the piano and wants up next to me. I have to scoot the bench over so she can have a spot to sit and we make beautiful music together!
The boys and their hats in preparation for the beach trip with Grandma and Grandpa Clendening in June!
Madeline LOVES to play the piano! Pretty much any time I sit down to play, she runs up to the piano and wants up next to me. I have to scoot the bench over so she can have a spot to sit and we make beautiful music together!
Madeline's Second Haircut
Madeline's first haircut was a while back. She had rubbed off the hair on the middle of the back of her head, leaving quite a tail below that I trimmed. I love her curly hair and wasn't wanting to cut it, but it kept getting tangled (and she loved to put food covered hands in the long parts and pull!) so I finally had to cut it recently.
Here she is feeling like such a big girl! She got to sit on the tall stool that her brothers get to sit on when they get their hair cut. She even is holding the brush (and scissors) while I took a picture of the finished cut.
She was excited to see her brother in the mirror and show him what her new haircut looked like!
So much long hair--now it is rather more even. Though after it dried, for some reason the back middle is a little longer than the rest. With the curls it doesn't show too much, but I still clearly have to learn new techniques to deal with curly baby girl hair!
Madeline loves to smile for the camera!
Here she is feeling like such a big girl! She got to sit on the tall stool that her brothers get to sit on when they get their hair cut. She even is holding the brush (and scissors) while I took a picture of the finished cut.
She was excited to see her brother in the mirror and show him what her new haircut looked like!
So much long hair--now it is rather more even. Though after it dried, for some reason the back middle is a little longer than the rest. With the curls it doesn't show too much, but I still clearly have to learn new techniques to deal with curly baby girl hair!
Madeline loves to smile for the camera!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Seth
(Justin sitting on the couch; Seth standing on his lap).
Seth: I'm taller than myself!
Justin and Amy: Uproarious laughter!
Seth: I'm taller than myself!
Justin and Amy: Uproarious laughter!
Friday, June 10, 2011
Benjamin's Birthday Party Photos
So I'm finally getting around to posting Benjamin's birthday photos. We rented paddle boats again (third year in a row--it's what he loves to do), had a picnic lunch at the lake, then headed back to Aunt Marianne's for presents, cake and her pool! Enjoy the photos!
The nice staff at the boat dock took the picture so we all could be in it (Uncle Eric had to work).
The nice staff at the boat dock took the picture so we all could be in it (Uncle Eric had to work).
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Memory Lane
So, I was going through a box and found this picture of Justin and me when we were dating.
I decided to have some fun and do a then and now photo since my hair is about the same length.
We still have the same shirts; I still have the same necklace. That said there are some differences. Justin points out that my hair doesn't have as much strawberry in it now. He has facial hair; I'm wearing glasses instead of contacts. We are cuddling a bit closer :); it is our front door in the background and not the Jones'; and Benjamin is taking the picture (he had to stand on a chair to get the same angle).
Wow, time flies!
I decided to have some fun and do a then and now photo since my hair is about the same length.
We still have the same shirts; I still have the same necklace. That said there are some differences. Justin points out that my hair doesn't have as much strawberry in it now. He has facial hair; I'm wearing glasses instead of contacts. We are cuddling a bit closer :); it is our front door in the background and not the Jones'; and Benjamin is taking the picture (he had to stand on a chair to get the same angle).
Wow, time flies!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Madeline Smile
She is such a happy baby! This is one of my favorite of her smiles--she scrunches up her nose, squeezes her eyes shut, and shows all her teeth.Usually she smashes her gums together more, but this is pretty close.
Additionally, she got a hold of Mr. Potato Head's smile and decided it made a good chew toy--my slow phone camera made it difficult to get a good shot, hence the blurry.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Chainsaws, Diapers, Teeth, and Pizza a.k.a. What's New with the Jorgensens
So a lot has happened lately with our family. I weaned Madeline to whole milk (she loves it). Benjamin turned 6 (pictures coming as soon as I remember to ask Marianne for them--I, of course, forgot my camera). Our ward boundaries were just redrawn so we are in a new congregation for church. AND...drum roll please!!! Seth gave up diapers (more below)!!!!
Chainsaw:
We are working hard on our yard. When we bought the house, the backyard was mostly wild trees/shrubs/undergrowth. Unfortunately, that undergrowth included LOTS of poison ivy--Justin got it mildly a couple of times; Benjamin got it badly twice, the last time on his face, arms, hands, and in between his fingers, YIKES! So below is Justin's hard work with our handsaw, a rake, and then a bunch of chemicals to kill all the poison ivy (including the roots so it won't come back--that's the theory at least).
However, when you look at the picture (and the one below) you can see there is still MUCH work to be done. So Justin borrowed a chainsaw from someone at church and cut down the rest of the trees. I took a picture of him felling trees and then emailed myself the wrong one.
We're really excited to be able to clear out a large space in the back for the boys to run around and play in--kicking balls, playing tag, and just running or rolling around.
Also new in our family is Madeline's diapers. I've been feeling really guilty about all the diapers I throw away (in an average week, we would generally have one kitchen bag of trash and at least that volume or more of diapers). I know how to do traditional cloth diapers (prefolded, pins, and plastic covers) from my younger siblings. I had thought about starting out that way with Benjamin but we didn't have a washer and dryer in our first apartment. Various things (most likely habit being the strongest) contributed to me not switching back.
However, I finally decided to go for it--not being in graduate school anymore, no job yet, and having more time being BIG contributors. Oddly enough the final catalyst was not wanting to have to drive 30 minutes to Target to buy more disposables. I did some research and picked a style (there are several different varieties now) that promised to be easy enough so that Justin could change them without much (if any) learning curve. Below is Madeline modelling one (with the new bag I needed to carry wet diapers changed while out--it helps that it's cuter than any of my other bags).
I got three colors of shells: one white for church (to wear under light-colored dresses), two pink giraffe, and three green giraffe (both with brown backgrounds to hide the inevitable dirt that comes from sitting on the ground). The inserts (on the bottom of the picture) just snap into the covers so they stay in place without pins. The covers snap adjust to different sizes and snap closed. I've been pleased so far though it did take a day or two to get into a new routine so diaper changes didn't take quite as long. (I also picked up flushable wipes for dirty diapers since wet pieces of flannel only do so much.) I feel much better about my family's impact on the environment and our cost savings for not having to buy any more disposable diapers.
Also, Seth is now independently using the bathroom! (I used Azrin and Foxx's train in less than a day method with slight adjustment for Seth's older age and penchant for temper tantrums). He has had so many successes and only a few accidents in the past few days and loves being a big boy!
He is also finally pushing through more teeth! (Madeline is also getting on of her front middle to fill in the gap). He last pushed through teeth between 1 year and 18 months, so I was getting a little worried because his canines and half his molars were missing. However, they are coming in now!
As a cute and adorable side note, below is Madeline's first experience with pizza!
She loved it and ate more of it than Seth--who has been choosing to pull everything off, including the cheese, before he eats the bottom crust (but not the edge of the crust).
Chainsaw:
We are working hard on our yard. When we bought the house, the backyard was mostly wild trees/shrubs/undergrowth. Unfortunately, that undergrowth included LOTS of poison ivy--Justin got it mildly a couple of times; Benjamin got it badly twice, the last time on his face, arms, hands, and in between his fingers, YIKES! So below is Justin's hard work with our handsaw, a rake, and then a bunch of chemicals to kill all the poison ivy (including the roots so it won't come back--that's the theory at least).
However, when you look at the picture (and the one below) you can see there is still MUCH work to be done. So Justin borrowed a chainsaw from someone at church and cut down the rest of the trees. I took a picture of him felling trees and then emailed myself the wrong one.
We're really excited to be able to clear out a large space in the back for the boys to run around and play in--kicking balls, playing tag, and just running or rolling around.
Also new in our family is Madeline's diapers. I've been feeling really guilty about all the diapers I throw away (in an average week, we would generally have one kitchen bag of trash and at least that volume or more of diapers). I know how to do traditional cloth diapers (prefolded, pins, and plastic covers) from my younger siblings. I had thought about starting out that way with Benjamin but we didn't have a washer and dryer in our first apartment. Various things (most likely habit being the strongest) contributed to me not switching back.
However, I finally decided to go for it--not being in graduate school anymore, no job yet, and having more time being BIG contributors. Oddly enough the final catalyst was not wanting to have to drive 30 minutes to Target to buy more disposables. I did some research and picked a style (there are several different varieties now) that promised to be easy enough so that Justin could change them without much (if any) learning curve. Below is Madeline modelling one (with the new bag I needed to carry wet diapers changed while out--it helps that it's cuter than any of my other bags).
I got three colors of shells: one white for church (to wear under light-colored dresses), two pink giraffe, and three green giraffe (both with brown backgrounds to hide the inevitable dirt that comes from sitting on the ground). The inserts (on the bottom of the picture) just snap into the covers so they stay in place without pins. The covers snap adjust to different sizes and snap closed. I've been pleased so far though it did take a day or two to get into a new routine so diaper changes didn't take quite as long. (I also picked up flushable wipes for dirty diapers since wet pieces of flannel only do so much.) I feel much better about my family's impact on the environment and our cost savings for not having to buy any more disposable diapers.
Also, Seth is now independently using the bathroom! (I used Azrin and Foxx's train in less than a day method with slight adjustment for Seth's older age and penchant for temper tantrums). He has had so many successes and only a few accidents in the past few days and loves being a big boy!
He is also finally pushing through more teeth! (Madeline is also getting on of her front middle to fill in the gap). He last pushed through teeth between 1 year and 18 months, so I was getting a little worried because his canines and half his molars were missing. However, they are coming in now!
As a cute and adorable side note, below is Madeline's first experience with pizza!
She loved it and ate more of it than Seth--who has been choosing to pull everything off, including the cheese, before he eats the bottom crust (but not the edge of the crust).
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Graduation
So, I graduated with my Master's degree in English, Rhetoric and Composition, Saturday May 14th. Camera problems prevented any pictures from the actual graduation. I didn't bother wearing a cap and gown (over half my fellow graduating MAs also didn't wear cap and gown) and was very glad because it was VERY hot.
Many thanks to Justin for keeping three small children happy and relatively good and quiet for an hour and a half in a crowded, hot church. He received at least 5 compliments on how well he did from those who saw him with them, both at graduation and the reception afterward. Justin, you are amazing! I love you!
This photo below was taken post graduation and reception; clearly the kids were worn out. We hadn't been driving for more than five minutes when Madeline and Seth were both zonked (Benjamin is not sleeping, he is coloring).
I love my family and am so grateful for their support that allowed me to complete my degree! I know that without their support and God's help, I would never have been able to manage it all.
Many thanks to Justin for keeping three small children happy and relatively good and quiet for an hour and a half in a crowded, hot church. He received at least 5 compliments on how well he did from those who saw him with them, both at graduation and the reception afterward. Justin, you are amazing! I love you!
This photo below was taken post graduation and reception; clearly the kids were worn out. We hadn't been driving for more than five minutes when Madeline and Seth were both zonked (Benjamin is not sleeping, he is coloring).
I love my family and am so grateful for their support that allowed me to complete my degree! I know that without their support and God's help, I would never have been able to manage it all.
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