05.08.11 ~ What do think he's doing? ...

It's quite obvious, isn't it? If not, take a look at your face the next time you watch TV. I just had to take a picture of this - it completely portrays what TV does to all of us - I can just see the brain cells dying off, one by one. :)

04.30.11 ~ My Magic Birthday ...

What is my "magic birthday," you ask? It is turning 30 on the 30th! :) And what a magic birthday it was ...

We first stopped by my MIL's (mother-in-law) to drop off Connor for the weekend. Before Nate wisked me away for the next couple of days, we ate cake and ice cream to celebrate as a family. Cindi, my MIL, bought this beautiful cake and it was quite delicious too ...

Connor wanted to be in on all the action and was mesmerized by me blowing out the candles. He was also decked out for the occasion with his "beads." :) He is quite stylish ...

Then, without giving any hints, we drove for the next couple of hours through the mountains and stopped in Vail to eat at this wonderful, AMAZING restaurant called Dish. All I can say is, again, AMAZING ... one of the top restaurants I've ever eaten at. We absolutely loved it.

The inside and outside both didn't look too fancy, but the food was as gourmet as it gets. We chose to have the chef cook 6 different samples of what was on the menu (very popular choice there), and it was such a great food experience. We walked in a little hesitant, and walked out loving the place. I hope I will be able to go back there again some day ...

After my magical dinner, it was on to this magical hotel where we stayed the next two nights ...

Although it snowed the majority of the time we were there, I loved being able to spend time with my hubby after being gone from him for so long. And the atmosphere was so magical. Vail will always be a special place to remember ...

Thanks to all those that made my 30th such a magical day and weekend!

04.28.11 ~ The Best-Dressed Kid Ever ...

I know one day Connor will forever wonder why a mom would ever let her child go out in public looking like this ...

It's because those legs are just too darn cute ... besides, the socks matched the ensemble ...

"Thanks a lot, Mom" ...
I love my little Connor.

04.24.11 ~ Happy Easter ...

The night before Easter was busy as can be ...

Dying eggs at Grandma's house with lots of cousins, and decorating Easter sugar cookies ...

I was smart and came up with the idea to have Connor "dye" his eggs in water. It worked out wonderfully ...

"I'm so proud of my egg!" ...

Aubrie and I came up with some cool-lookin' eggs ... at least I didn't dye my fingers in the process ...

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Then came Easter Sunday morning, and the Easter Bunny came with lots of candy to share with everyone. Connor started to get the idea of collecting the candy and putting it in the bowl instead of his mouth ...

Sometimes he liked to hoard a little bit ... always had to have a couple of pieces in his hands ...

Grandpa Colton was helpful in trying to get Connor and his cousin, Bridger, to collect the candy that the Easter Bunny brought ...

Towards the end, Connor got so good at getting the candy that he started to even find the ones that were a little bit tougher to find ... sometimes that Easter Bunny can hide them in tricky places! ...

Connor with Mom's old Easter basket ... made out of a milk carton ... he was a little scared of them at first, but then became close friends with all the baskets ...

Candy, candy, candy ... and now that it's collected, it's time to organize and divide it up for all to eat! In our family, we always have to be "even-steven" ...

Happy Easter! ... I'm already excited for next year when Connor will be a little bit older and it probably won't be "pulling teeth" the whole time to get him to collect the candy and put it in the bowl ...

04.01.11 ~ My Quiet Book ...

So my stay in Utah has gone by pretty quickly. It is probably because for the last month and a half my sister and I have been working on making an ABC Quiet Book for our children. It took me a little over a month, and the project is finally complete! I seriously was working on this thing from morning to night ... sometimes even dreaming about it. It was a lot of fun to make (thanks to my sister's help) and I am excited for Connor to be able to play with it when he is a little bit older ...

My sister and I working on our quiet books ...

The finished product - my niece was having a fun time playing with it ...

Next to having a child, I think it's up there as being the biggest accomplishment I've ever acheived start to finish! :)

03.15.11 ~ Tennis in Indian Wells ...

My mom and dad surprised me at Christmas with one of the best gifts I could ever receive. They took me to Indian Wells, California, where we got to watch all the professional tennis players play in a tennis tournament (the BNP Paribas Tournament - they call it the "fifth major"). It was AMAZING. One of the best trips of my life. I got to see all the greats and my favorite player of all time - Roger Federer. This trip was basically sitting in the sun for thirteen hours each day, and I loved every minute of it. I got to see the players so up close - front row for most of the twenty-plus matches I saw. It was a trip to remember and I loved going with my mom, dad, and grandpa.

My grandpa, mom, and dad ...

All sticky and sweaty from the day ... me and my mom ...

Roger Federer ... the most amazing tennis player in my book ... I got to watch him play in a doubles match from the front row ...

I took over 8 gb of pictures and video, but it would take too long to post all the players I watched both practice and play in matches. Thank you so much Mom and Dad! And thanks to my sister for watching Connor while I was away for five days! It was such a nice break from taking care of him 24/7 while Nate is away in New York.

02.28.11 ~ Connor's 18 Month Pictures ...

Connor is getting so big and growing into a personality of his very own. He is very active and loves anything that involves a ball ... such a boy. He has become quite the handful, but is a joy all the same. He is no longer my little baby, but a toddler and I just can't believe it! Time has gone by too fast. Here are some pictures taken of him at almost 18 months old ...

Here is a video of Connor playing tennis, or at least "serving the ball." He has become quite the fan of tennis and basketball ...

We love you Connor!

02.21.11 ~ First Experience with Snow ...

I've been so excited to try out Connor's "hand-me-down" snowsuit, and it finally fits him! It was a nice, sunny day, with new snow on the ground - so it was the perfect day to let Connor go at it for the first time. He loved walking in the snow - but did not like falling in the snow. He got his face and hands pretty cold from falling a lot, but finally got the hang of it. Here's a few highlights from his morning ...

Connor all bundled up - ready to go outside in the snow! ... What first came to my mind when I saw him dressed like this was the movie, "A Christmas Story." ...

He finally was able to walk in the snow without falling every three or four steps ...




Happy "snow day" Connor! He had a blast, and I'm sure we'll be out doing this again soon ...

02.14.11 ~ Valentine's Day ...

With Nate being in New York over Valentine's Day, and myself being in Utah, we had to get a little creative. I decided to make "homemade Valentine cards" and send them to Nate with pictures of us from when we were dating, with a love quote in each one. I had so much fun making the cards with my mother-in-law, that I ended up making 14 cards! So I sent one in the mail each day up until Valentine's Day. It was super cheesy, but isn't that what Valentine's Day is all about? :)

One of my favorite homemade card "fronts" ...

There they all are - all 14 of them ...

Nate sent me BEAUTIFUL roses with a sweet note attached on Valentine's Day ... they were gorgeous and made my day ...


"To love and be loved is like feeling the sun on both sides" ... Happy Valentine's Day Sweetie!

01.01.11 ~ Happy New Year! ...

I was fortunate enough to spend New Year's in New York this year! ... One of the benefits of having your husband working in New York for the next few months. Nate resides in an apartment just a few blocks away from Times Square - right in the middle of Manhattan. I got to spend four wonderful days with my husband and ONLY my husband. :) Connor stayed in Utah with Grandma Colton, which was so nice. I got to see A LOT of New York, I got to eat a lot of great food, and I got to see the wonderful musical, Wicked! It was an amazing trip, and New York was an awesome place to visit and walk around in.

Nate and I in Times Square on New Year's Eve ...

It was beautiful walking around with all the Christmas lights and decorations still up ...

We just had to get the funky "2011" glasses as we waited for the ball to drop in Times Square ...

More cool Christmas decorations ...

The musical, Wicked, was AMAZING! ...

Walking around in Bryant Park ...

Walking around in Little Italy and Chinatown ...

New York is amazing at night!

I now know firsthand why you love New York Nate! :) Thanks for the wonderful trip Sweetie!

12.25.10 ~ Christmas Morning ...

This year, we spent a wonderful Christmas vacation with extended family at Nate's grandma's cabin, in Lava Hot Springs, Idaho. This cabin was absolutely magical ... secluded away from everything, no internet, low cell phone service, one TV, etc. I loved spending time with family, playing card games, making crafts, decorating the Christmas tree, reading, and sitting by the fire as it snowed outside. Like I said ... magical. Here are a few pictures from the trip ...

Connor loved sitting and climbing on Nana Hayes' rocking chair ...

This Christmas tree was made with lots of homemade crafts and lots of love ...

Grandpa and Grandma Jorgensen ...

Nate's sisters ... Aislinn, Kristen, and Hanah - Connor loves his aunties ...

Connor loved his gifts from Santa, Mom and Dad, and other extended family members! He kind of got the whole idea of "unwrapping gifts," with a little help from us ...


It was wonderful that Nate could be there too. He was able to fly in from New York for a few days and I'm glad he got to spend Christmas with us and his extended family...

Merry Christmas!