Jorgensen Journal: January 2010

01.09.10 ~ Nate's Surprise Party ...

Nate is turning 30 on January 12th, so I thought this year would be a good one to throw him a surprise birthday party. It is stressful planning a surprise party - making sure people are there to yell "surprise," making sure Nate doesn't find out, and making sure 18 people can fit in our tiny condo. :) But everything went smoothly, and Nate was floored. He has never had a surprise party, and he said he almost had a heart attack when he walked in the door. Well, I have the footage to prove it, along with some pictures of that night's celebration ...

Nate doesn't like cake too much, so I got 6 different flavored pies from Village Inn instead ... surprisingly, we didn't have much left over which I was happy about. Everyone loves pie ...

The theme for the party was to bring gifts that made Nate feel like a kid again. He thought turning 30 was so old, but we reminded him with "kid gifts" just how young he still is ...

Happy 30th Birthday Nate! You are still a kid at heart in my book!

01.08.10 ~ Connor at 4 Months Old ...

Connor is 4 months old today! Time is going by so quickly and I can't believe how much bigger he is. He had his 4 month check-up (more shots as well) and weighed in at 15 1/2 lbs., and measured at 24.8 inches in length. Connor's doctor said that he is still in the 50th percentile, which I still can't quite believe because he seems so big to me. He coos all the time now, and especially loves to talk jibberish as long as he has his fingers in his mouth (still can't get enough of his own fingers). It's really fun to be woken up in the morning from hearing him coo and squeal through the monitor. He is always so happy and responsive to what's going on around him. It's been the best 4 months ever! Now we just need to get him to roll over! We're working on it ...

01.03.10 ~ Connor's First Laughing ...

I was so fortunate that my camera was right by my side when Connor decided to laugh for the first time. I was playing peek-a-boo with him and he just started to laugh uncontrollably. So adorable ...

12.28.09 ~ Jorgensen Christmas Card 2009

An update from the Jorgensens …
This past year has been filled with many miracles and blessings. My pregnancy and delivery all went very smoothly and I know the Lord was watching out for us. Connor Nathan Jorgensen was born on September 8th at 12:40 AM, and weighed in at 7 lbs, 6.4 ounces – 21 inches in length. He has been such a bundle of joy to have in our home ever since. Nate and I have truly enjoyed being parents so far and we love seeing him develop, grow, and start interacting with us more.

So I am now a “stay-at-home mom,” which is what I’ve always wanted. I feel so fulfilled in life to be able to stay at home and take care of our son during the day, every day. Nate is working at an auditing firm called Spicer Jeffries (located just outside of downtown Denver) and it literally was a miracle from the Lord that Nate got this job the very day I decided to not go back to work at Edward Jones Investments. It was scary to think that we wouldn’t have any income coming in with Nate being unemployed and me not wanting to go back to work after my maternity leave … but an hour after I had made the decision to not go back to work, Nate got the call for a job offer. And it turns out that this position he is in has been such a blessing for our family – he travels less, gets paid a little more, and it is located much closer to home.

The Lord works in mysterious ways and we know for a fact that He has a plan for all of us. He will bless us and watch out for us in our time of need. We are so thankful and feel so truly blessed this holiday season!

With Love and Gratitude in our Hearts - Nathan, Amber, & Connor

12.25.09 ~ Christmas in Utah ...

Nate and I spent Christmas this year in Utah with my family - the Coltons. Now that I don't have to go back to work, I was able to stay in Utah for two weeks, and Nate came out for the first week. I got to go down to St. George with my family the second week and celebrate New Year's there. It was sad to not be with Nate on New Year's Eve, but I was just so excited to be able to spend time with my family and not have to worry about using up too many vacation days or having to go back to work. That is a perk of being a stay-at-home mom. So Connor and I enjoyed a nice long vacation in Utah. Here are some of the highlights from the whole trip ...

Some adorable pictures of Connor during our stay in Utah ...

Christmas Eve Dinner ... It's a tradition to eat Arby's by candlelight ... and always a must that we have plenty of cherry 7up ...

After dinner it is a tradition to make Gingerbread Houses ... we split the family up into two teams and see who can make the better gingerbread house. This was one of the teams. Us Coltons are so competitive ...

Connor and Dad ...

Connor and Mom ...

Lining up in the hallway on Christmas morning ... getting ready to go see what Santa brought us ... a tradition we have always done in the Colton family ... and Dad always says "It looks like Santa didn't come this year" after coming from the family room. Of course, we never believed him ...

Connor after opening his present, with my help, of course ...

Playing games on Christmas day - one of my favorites ... Settlers ...

The COMPLETE Colton family was there Christmas Eve, which hasn't happened in a long time ... so special ... it's amazing to see how big our family is getting, and with Aly and Cami both pregnant it is going to get even bigger very soon!

Merry Christmas to all and have a Happy New Year!

12.20.09 ~ Christmas Exchange with the Jorgensen Family ...

Since this year Nate and I would be spending Christmas in Utah with my family, we did a "mini" celebration over at the Jorgensens beforehand. We had a scrumptious meal and then exchanged presents ...