Tis the season....

...to be busssyyyyy..... Fa la la la laaa la la la laaaaaa.....

*Sigh* Another two weeks of slacking and I finally find my way to the blogging world. This is becoming a VERY bad habit. Oh well. I've embraced it.

Motivation from reading my dear friends' blogs (see links at left of page) and a very well needed break from figuring out the 2009 budget for work has landed me here. I just have to say that I am just amazed at the creativity and talent my friends have. Not only do their blogs make my blog look like a boring old newspaper column but they are SO much fun to read! Now I just need to gather them all in a little room, lock the door and force them to help me get my page running correctly. Ok, so maybe having the 3rd child syndrome I am hoping they just do it for me because I have skimmed the pages and nothing stuck out as to WHY my pictures are not attaching or the google calendar is not updating.... (Sidenote: a good read is "Birth Order" by Kevin Lehman)...and I have yet to find a book called Blogging for Dummies although I am sure it is out there.

Anyway.

Turkey day has come and gone minus the few extra pounds that are still lingering that I keep telling myself it is just water retention "from the baby". I recently was reminded in the midst of eating the most carb-loaded dinner that the average Thanksgiving dinner is 4000 calories. 3500 calories equals a pound.....that is like a pound of butter plus one stick just melted, poured down your throat and stored into the fat pockets of your hips and thighs...mmmmmm....yummmyyy. Blech.

Thanksgiving, as always, was a lot of fun! The dinner party we had went well but most definitely too quickly. Dinner went off without a hitch thanks to all the help from family and friends that aided with their expertise with everything from the old Polish-style turkey to the Costco purchased pecan pie. *smile* I do have to say that although I did not eat the turkey, I heard it was fabulous. I managed to burn the pie because my pregnancy brain had me doing something else while it was 'warming' on um...broil.... BUT it was to die for. It is amazing what a tub of cool-whip will do do a slightly charred pie....

The drive to South Dakota went too slowly and Sunday we couldn't get back fast enough with the snow, ice and rain we encountered. I swear people forget how to drive in these conditions...we saw semis barrelling down the interstate and people weaving in and out of traffic sliding everywhere. Then at the gas stations people are rushing in to buy milk, bread, and sand tubes like they are preparing for armageddon. Better safe than sorry I guess!

So turkey day has come and gone once again with Christmas just around the corner. Speaking of which, did anyone else wake up feeling crazy on the day after Thanksgiving and do some shopping? I don't know what I was thinking with the mass amounts of people out there being pregnant and all (sidenote: there is NO sympathy for pregnant mamas while shopping the day after Thanksgiving...) but we braved it with coupons in hand and trudged through the mayhem. My mother-in-law and I had a fabulous system going where if we went to a store for a certain purpose the one that was not shopping, perse, would immediately get into line. The lines were wrapped around the store and by the time one was finished looking the other person would almost be to the check out and the other would jump in line with her to check out! It was heaven. It was the way shopping was meant to happen. Had we not done that I would have went back home and shopped online... I am a very patient person but too many things would have been going through my mind had I been just standing there for 45 minutes waiting like "do the kids REALLY need this toy?"; "is it REALLY worth the $20 savings?": "I could REALLY be making better use of my time right now"... AND I wouldn't have gotten ANYTHING done. So, kudos to my mother-in-law for jumping in line at Toys R Us which started the whole process!

So it's hi-ho! Hi-ho! Back to reality we go with work and school... Noah had his first chess tournament the weekend prior to Thanksgiving, which I believe I forgot to mention, and he did a really good job. I have to commend the little guy, I had never played chess before Thanksgiving weekend and once Dad Jorgenson convinced me into letting him teach me "a few basic moves", 2 hours later and my first game won I was hooked. There is a LOT to remember and for a 6 year old to play like that is just awesome! I accidentelly broke Dain's chess board during our last move (who has a glass chess board ANYWAY..I mean REALLY...) which he loves to remind me of and we are looking forward to replacing very soon so that we can play. Board games are a touchy subject in the Jorgenson household....I will admit that I do not like to lose and if I do lose it is because I have let you win out of sympathy... (Hey. If you think that is bad you should see my brother and I play....we will play Scrabble and Monoply until either one of us starts crying or one of us gives up because it is 8 hours later and we are dying of boredom.) Needless to say, Dain doesn't like to play with me...I personally think he is scared but I will let him explain that one. He will forever try to convince you that he is the reighning Monopoly champ but I will take him in a game of Scrabble ANYday.

Anyway. I am very much looking forward to our Christmas celebration so that we can get the board games out and have some hap-hap-happy times playing board games!

NEWSFLASH

Sooooo...today was the big day with the ultrasound.... I am eating my words as I type because I absolutely forbade myself and Dain to tell anyone but I am WAY too excited. We are having..........TWINS!!!!!!

I'm kidding. That would be a big surprise though! We are only having one and everything looked great...the baby is 12 ounces (is that crazy or what?) and (drum roll here......) it's a BOY!! I know I know....I am so weak but I just cannot contain myself and am SO incredibly excited! I am 98% sure no one will be able to squeeze the name out of us ONLY because I was 100% sure I wasn't going to tell anyone the gender BUT it will be a challenge! We haven't told the kids yet but how funny is it that they knew? I really had a strong feeling that I was having a boy as well. I was drawn to boy clothes at the stores...boy thoughts...boy decorations. I would have been extremely surprised had we found out it was a girl but we are in fact having a boy!

Fall is here!

Well I have written this several times in my head over the past few weeks but am just getting this down on "paper". If only I could have some sort of recorder in my head that will transfer my thoughts into this blog I would be set! Wait, maybe that isn't such a good idea.... :)

Halloween has come and gone as well as all the candy we collected. Grandma Ellen & Grandpa Jerry came to visit the weekend prior to the holiday to bring the kids Halloween treats as well as some fun and totally unexpected things for mom and dad. Noah got a special little stuffed black lab puppy as his big surprise. The puppy's name is Ebb--as in 'Ebony'. Grandma & Grandpa used to have a black lab named Ebbs that Noah adored. When Ebbs passed, Noah clung to a little stuffed black lab at their house and so Jerry and Ellen thought it would be nice for Noah to have another one at home. Noah loves little Ebbs and now not only sleeps with Little Blue (Noah's special penguin at home), Ebbs is snuggled in there too! Kennedy got a little black cat that she, of course, calls Colonel (as she does ALL of her stuffed cats...and random cats at the zoo or pet stores...or at friends' homes...) and most recently she has been putting him as well as all,--and I mean ALL, of her animals, as well as dolls "to bed" on the dining and kitchen floors. She covers them up-head to toe with a cloth placemat..... When I first saw it I thought it was rather disturbing--like a bad scene in CSI. But then she explained they were taking naps.

Phew.

A tad off the subject there but you get the point.

On the Wednesday before Halloween we carved Noah's pumpkin while Kennedy painted hers. I baked the seeds and to our surprise the kids LOVED them. Noah wanted me to save some of the unbaked ones so he could plant them in the yard....(silent pause)....thank goodness he forgot about them and they have magically disappeared since then. I don't know if it would actually work but I just had a fear that next year there would be a huge pumpkin patch in our yard. I love pumpkins and all but only once a year and I love it that you can toss them out when finished with them.

Trick or treating went well, it took us an entire hour to walk 2 blocks but Kennedy had a blast. We stopped at 2 blocks only because Kennedy was complaining of being tired which is ironic because Dad was carrying her the entire way. BUT! It was fun! She was dressed as a little angel with a halo and everything. She looked so sweet with her blond hair and big brown eyes... She wasn't too sure what to think about all the kids in masks and she still talks about our 11 year old neighbor girl who had a mask on dressed as Teen-Wolf.... She was NOT impressed at all... Noah was trick-or-treating in Ankeny this year and was of course, a race car driver. His bag of candy was filled to the brim and he had a blast. I was trying to remember when I quit trick-or-treating as a child....I am sure it was a sad day as I love candy but probably was going through that difficult time when I was "too cool" to trick-or-treat. Hopefully it will be a long time before trick-or-treating will ever get old in our house....It is just too much fun! Now if we could just get everyone to pass out magical calorie and fat free candy. Wouldn't that be heaven?

I think I just answered my own question.

Yes, it probably could only happen in heaven.... Oh well. I guess I can look forward to that some day!

A historic event happened the following week with Barack Obama being the first black man to become President of the United States. Although a very exciting time for some it goes with a very nervous time for others. Truly that would have been the same had the roles been reversed anyway I suppose! I have never been one to jump on the bandwagon of politics...siding on one side or the other just because of a particular party and unfortunately (and believe it or not considering all the media attention) I did not follow the candidates close enough to talk intelligently about the matter. I do have to say that by default and influence by my husband I was leaning towards a particular candidate....the one that did not get nominated. I can't say that I was 100% heartbroken ONLY because I did not follow the debates close enough. My reasoning was that because Barack was chosen he must have been doing or saying something that people liked. Some of my very close and very intelligent friends voted for the man so I can't say that a certain group or minority ruled the election... I don't know...this is such a touchy subject that in the end it boils down to faith. At church the previous Sunday Pastor Mike made a very bold move and based the sermon on "What Does the Church Say About Politics and Religion". Although I think the church was waiting for Pastor Mike to tell us all who to vote for or to crack some secret code that was in the Bible about the 2008 election.... he did not. He told us that whomever was chosen was put there by God and we should just have faith as well as respect.

Hmm...interesting concept. So simple...so true and so humbling for most of us. My husband laughs and rolls his eyes when I remind him of this but at this point what are you going to do? Sit and stew about it or embrace it and have faith?

Side note: "Embracing" things is my new concept aka 'positive spin' on dealing with things completely out of my control. These are a few of my new found daily affirmations still in the works of being believable by myself but most definitely showing progress towards...

"I will embrace this estimated bill we received instead of whine about it"
"I will embrace this cold weather"
"I will embrace the fact that my heating bill will be through the roof soon"
"I will embrace the cat throwing up fake grass on the floor....again..."
"I will embrace my home never being AS CLEAN as I expected it to be"
"I will embrace this fat-laden sugar cookie with a ton of frosting on it"

Things like that... "Self-therapy" nonetheless...

Anyway. So, yes, politics and a new President. I think it is exciting to have change coming --change is always good for the better in some way, shape or form. In the meantime we have ceased working on our basement and are building a 30 foot deep bomb shelter in our back yard. I'm kidding....with the lack of rock that Hubble keeps fighting us to put down in our spillway the thing would wash away anyway.

On the pregnancy front I am on week 20 headed to week 21 in just a few days. YAY! I am half way there! We have our ultrasound next Tuesday to find out the sex of the baby so after that the shopping will be UNLEASHED. Now I just have to find some good hiding spots so the grandmas and sneaky cousins do not find what I buy in search of the answer to the big question.... Girl or Boy? We (at least I) have made a pact not to tell anyone. We do have names picked out and most surprisingly have agreed on them! Again, at least I have anyway... :) Seriously though, the girls' name was easy but the boys' we were struggling with. Dain actually came up with the name and it is not one of those other crazy Norwegian names he came up with that kids would have a hay-day with! The name is still Scandinavian--both of them are--but they are very nice.

Noah and Kennedy both seem to think they are getting a new brother so file that one in the back of your brain for when the time comes if they are right!

I can't say enough how well this second trimester is going! It is going so well that I even thought "Why, I could do this again!" Dain is hoping it is my hormones or maybe a slight temporary brain defect because he is totally not on board for that...I think at this time it would have to be immaculate conception if I were to ever be pregnant again if my agenda doesn't change! I am sure as my waistline continues to disappear and the swelling gets worse...the bloating....the fatigue...the extra weight....---did I say I wanted another one already??? --anyway, maybe I am getting ahead of myself and should just enjoy this while it lasts. Two more months from now I will be praying the calendar skips ahead to April insisting on induced labor I am sure. :)

I was just looking at the calendar and realized we have 40 days left of Christmas shopping. Or, if you are like us it is 42 because we forgot something. Wow. WHERE DOES THE TIME GO?? :) Although I absolutely love this time of year I also dread it because from Labor day on it flies. Thankfully I started Christmas shopping a bit this summer and have stashed things away. It always makes it easier on the wallet come the actual holiday time. Now we just have to get it all out, sort through it, take the things back that are no longer of interest to the children and continue the shopping! :)

In lieu of the holiday season we all put up the holiday decorations last weekend. I love how pretty and warm the decorations make the house look and feel. I have been burning the Christmas cookie and spice smelling candles almost daily. You can't help but want to snuggle up to read a book while drinking hot cocoa by the tree or watch a Christmas movie with the kids. I have also had this rather strong desire to bake and --get this--learn how to knit. I have a good friend who is in a knitting group that promises to teach me how. I would love to be able to learn how to knit the kids blankets and scarves...maybe even some doll clothes like my mom used to make for me when I was younger. My friend thinks that I am in my 'nesting' stage because I have been trying to toss out or organize everything along with becoming Miss Suzy Homemaker but I just think there is something relaxing about knitting. Dain's grandmother made these terrific afghans for the kids before she passed last winter and it is just something about those blankets the kids adore. Maybe because they know someone made it for them...maybe it is the love they can feel in it...maybe it is just warm--I don't know. I think there is something about a homemade gift like that... I have one quilt that my great grandmother made for me and I think it is the softest, warmest and most beautiful quilt I have ever seen. Knowing how up to the age of 92 she fumbled her nimble fingers over that and other quilts and doilies she made... Just something comforting about it.

Before we get to Christmas though, we need to get through Thanksgiving which is exactly two weeks away! I am so excited to have family over as well as be with family in South Dakota! I am hosting a dinner on Wednesday night with family and friends in the Des Moines area and then the next morning or even that evening, depending on the weather and how tired we are, we are headed to Sioux Falls! I always questioned WHY for the love of all that is holy my father used to wake us up at 3 in the morning to get in the car and drive to far-far away for vacation. Now I know. It is so they did not have to hear: How far is it? ...Where are we? ...I have to go to the bathroom...My brother keeps hitting me...My sister is taking up all the room...I'm hungry...I'm thirsty...I have to go to the bathroom...I want to go home...Are we there yet? I have to go to the bathroom... Leaving very late or very early so the kids fall asleep is pertinent to keeping ones sanity. Lesson learned! Anyway, I am very excited. I love getting everyone together and watching the kids play and laugh. That's what it is all about!

I am sure I forgot something to write about even though this was long-winded. Again, if I can just figure out a way to record my thoughts with all of the proper editing tools in play I would be set! Until next time.....

Pumpkin Patch and Visits from Family

SOOO...it has been two weeks since I have updated this. Where does the time GO? *at the end of the year we will have a contest to see who can guess how many times I have written THAT in here!*

In thinking back on the last couple of weeks, as usual, so many things have happened. Grami & Papa Jorgenson came to visit us the weekend of the 10th. On Friday night Dad, Noah, Kennedy and I made homemade pizza and a feeble attempt at constructing a haunted house out of graham crackers, frosting and candy. Dad and I did most of the building as Noah managed the project and Kennedy inspected all of the building materials for possible flaws. Ironically we had many flawed pieces so she and Noah "disposed" of those. Needless to say our house did not make the homeshow as it was more of a little shack....I guess you could say it WAS scary so maybe we were successful after all!

Saturday morning Grami & Papa came over bearing Halloween candy and gifts for the kiddos as well as dad and mom! We played and talked for awhile before heading out to Giesler Farms which is just a few miles east of Ankeny to pick out the most perfect pumpkins. The farm has a corn maze, games and fun things to do for kids of all ages. We all started out in the maze but as nature would have it Kennedy needed to use the potty. Grami tried to introduce Kennedy to nature but she wasn't sold on the idea. I am a teeny tiny tad bit thankful because I had visions of Kennedy out in the yard next summer....I wasn't sure how I was going to explain that to the neighbors.... Anyway, I took Kennedy back to the shed so she could use the indoor plumbing facilities and then we played with the games until the rest of the family found their way out of the cornfield.

We made our way out to the the pumpkin patch in search of (Noah's words here) BIGGEST pumpkin EVER. It took a lot of walking in circles but the kids finally settled on their pumpkins. We ended up with three pumpkins totalling 51 pounds! That is a lot of pie! (Don't get your hopes up...my pies come from a can generally). We loaded them up and headed out for a light lunch and then home to rest and play before going out to dinner that evening.

That evening we all went to Aparre to meet Derek and his girlfriend, Nicole, for dinner. Aparre is a Japanese Habachi-style restaurant that I highly recommend to those with children. Not only did we get to sit and eat together as a family but we got to talk and the kids were highly entertained! It was heaven! The food was wonderful and the kids even mastered chopsticks. Ok...so they may not have 'mastered' it but to me it looked awfully professional considering I have difficulty at times eating with a fork. (Not REALLY for you literal people reading this--my eating skills are quite up to par, thank you very much!)

On Sunday, Grami & Papa J joined us for church while the kids attended Sunday School. We then rushed off to Noah's last football game. Noah had a GREAT game. For being one of the smallest kids on the team it always amazes me how he just hangs right in there. Boy can he throw! He was fast and got right in there with the bigger kids intercepting passes and even taking down his opponents by grabbing their flags. It always makes us nervous to watch him but he has such a good time and seems to really enjoy it. Afterwards we met his team and the other parents at a pizza place in Ankeny to celebrate. I know some of you can relate to this but being in a very small room with 15- 7 year old boys was an eye-opening experience. There isn't enough Tylenol in the world that could have saved me that day but seeing the kids laugh and be boys was so worth it. It actually got me thinking about when I was that age....It doesn't seem THAT long ago that we were kids does it? There are memories so vivid for all of us that it just doesn't seem possible --(let's say it together now...) WHERE does the time GO? I am not sure if it is the whole pregnancy thing that has my mind working overtime or the reality of adding another candle on my birthday cake this weekend but some days I look at the kids or think about the last few years...last 10 years...last (gulp) 20 years and just shake my head. Makes you wonder WHAT you have been doing this entire time, doesn't it? Or rather, what HAVEN'T you done?

Anyway, the party went well and everyone had a great time.

Kennedy had dance and gymnastics as usual the next week and Noah continued with his chess club. I am thinking more and more that Kennedy would rather have 2 nights of gymnastics versus the dance class but dance will help her with gymnastics later on. She is finally breaking the shyness (yes, she can be shy...) at dance and I am able to leave the room for her entire class. It is so much fun to watch the 8 little girls in there dancing around in their pink outfits...clumsiness mixed with innocence...sooo cute! Gymnastics is what it is--for Kennedy it is a lot of bouncing, rolling, jumping and climbing.... For Mom, a lot of closing of the eyes ever-so tightly and prayers. A little girl broke her wrist the last time we were there so I have been plotting ways to inconspiciously wrap her in bubble wrap before class. Suggestions welcome!

Noah has a chess tournament on November 22. We think it is so cool that he is enjoying chess..learning strategy and tactics. I picture him at Harvard one day in his little uniform playing chess in the library sipping hot cocoa.... Hot cocoa all over his top lip and trying to confiscate his teammates' marshmallows... I know he will read this someday and be utterly embarrassed but I just think it is cute. Speaking of strategy, he is learning that homework, which WAS fun and tolerable for awhile, is something that is becoming a daily ritual and he is trying to strategize ways to get out of (so it begins...). Dad has come up with a great solution for his math homework though to make it a little more entertaining. Noah's army guys have become regular visitors at the kitchen table during homework time to make it more bearable. As you may have guessed it Noah is loving the 'subtracting' of army guys the most. So, this seems to be going over very well! Way to go Dad!

On Friday the 17th Kennedy had her first slumber party at Aunt Trisha's and Uncle Steve's. Apparently she did not sleep so well (go figure...*sigh*) but it sounds like she had a good time! We picked her up on Saturday morning and spent the rest of the day running errands and playing. On Sunday I ran the half marathon. Although I had the worst time ever I finished and I couldn't have asked for better weather. I have not been training like I should but it was still nice to get out and be around other people like that. Another girlfriend of mine from the mom's group I am in is also pregnant and has committed to sticking it out with me through the cold weather. She is about 2 months behind me and definitly feeling the tiredness but she has been a trooper. The accountability is something we both need right now! Regarding the pregnancy, I am 17 weeks now and have been feeling the little peanut do cannon balls... I forgot what an amazing feeling that is! The next appointment is on Monday and I am hoping for an ultrasound just to sneak a peek but I have a feeling that it will be at the next appointment instead. That appointment we find out the gender. Don't expect to find it announced on here though...we are keeping this one a secret! (sorry grandma's!!)

The week has been tame as far as activities go...Kennedy was sick with a virus on Tuesday and Wednesday... Dain and I finished our parenting class on Tuesday which by the way I recommend reading/viewing ANY material by Dr. Kevin Lehman - http://www.praisestore.com/kevin-leman/ The class we took through our church was fun, informative and most definitely helpful. He speaks about relationships, parenting, children in general, marriage and is God-centered in his lectures. The next class we are taking that starts in November is called Fire Proofing Your Marriage. This class is based on the movie Fire Proof that is still in a few smaller theatres. We are excited to take it and although have only seen bits and pieces of the movie we heard it was EXCELLENT and highly recommended.

I had been trying to set up a slide show of pictures at the bottom of this blog but for some reason the picture publishing program is not communicating correctly. Neither is the calendar program that I set up through google which will have activities posted, etc. I will continue working on it though!

More to come!

Jorgenson Five (in the making...)

So after a lot of thought we (I mean, I) have decided this is a great way to keep families and friends up to date on the Jorgenson Family of Five. Yes, I said Five! Baby #3 will be joining us around April 4, 2009. We are extremely excited to welcome a new little bundle of love to our family and Noah and Kennedy are excited to have someone else to pick on. The pregnancy has gone well so far aside from the extreme tiredness I had in the first trimester. Needless to say the second trimester has been wonderful and no longer will you be able to find me with my head down on my desk during lunch time.

Can you believe the end of the year is just around the corner? Where does the time go anyway?

Noah is in 1st grade this year and doing very well. He has homework already but seems to enjoy doing it (thank goodness I have that in writing for when he is in junior high!!). He was busy with baseball this spring and is just finishing up his flag football season both in which he enjoyed playing very much. Most recently he has joined a Chess club at school and seems to be enjoying that as well. He is still very much interested in cars and his army guys and has been asking us for a ---get this----junk station wagon that we can put in the backyard so that he can take it apart. We have not been sold on that one yet but he continues to try. He is also very adament about me getting a van or RV to drive and says that when he gets big he is going to own a farm with 30 vans, buses and semis on it. I am waiting for the day I come home and find all of my appliances taken apart....*sigh* Noah has also been very interested in model trains which believe it or not has Dain and I excited! We both enjoy creating and working on the layout itself creating landscapes and buildings so this will be a fun family project for us all during the cold months ahead!

Kennedy is continuing to grow....I cannot believe she is going to be 3. She amazes me everyday with how much she learns and the things she does and says. She isn't a baby any longer and is such a little girl... She loves playing dress-up, school, and little mommy--she takes such good care of her babies (although I have witnessed them in time-out on more than one occasion...) and tries very hard to get Colonel (the cat) to be actively involved in her play. Colonel hasn't been fond of wearing the beaded necklaces her Great Grandmother gave to her but he is extremely patient most of the time. In August she started dance and gymnastics. She likes both of them but LOVES gymnastics. She about gives myself and her teacher a heartattack when she is on the bar and is only supposed to be hanging there...you know...to get used to it? She pulls her legs up and tries to flip through them. Then she gets mad when she cannot go over to the big bar or the big beams like the big kids do.... Thank goodness she is one of two students in her class--someone has to keep an eye on her at all times otherwise she would be hanging from the ceiling. God love her energy though...if only I could bottle it up and sell it.... Daycare is going well for her and she has learned her ABC's, counts to 20 (for the most part with a few repeated numbers in there) and can count to 10 in spanish. Her daycare is preschool-curriculum based so I am feeling confident she will be ready for next year when she starts that!

As far as Dain and I go we have been just---busy! It seems to be the common theme at our house but really we wouldn't have it any other way. Work has been busy for both of us but fortunately for me my 'down-time' is fastly approaching. I plan to take some time off this fall and work on the numerous projects we have going on at home. We have most recently started finishing our basement and thanks to my brother, Steve, and his plethora of tools, he and Dain got the ball rolling and have the entire basement just about framed. We ran into a few issues with the bathroom we are doing down there and have to move a few pipes by cutting into the concrete but according to Dain it will be a "piece of cake".... (this is where we all pray...) Anyway, we are sure looking forward to having that done to have some extra space for the kids to play given all the toys Grami and Papa Jorgenson continuously bring. :)

So this is where I will try to post things weekly or so to keep everyone updated. I considered sending out a Christmas letter this year but decided this would be a little more fun to have as sort of an ongoing project (one of the many..I know...). I hope everyone enjoys and we encourage family to maybe start one of these too...? It is so nice to catch up and see updated pictures of our children. They grow so fast!