Jorgensen Journal

07.18.12 ~ Lake Powell with the Coltons ...

So rather than post a ton of pictures and video, I thought I'd just post this amazing video that recaps the whole trip and how amazing it all was. My sister's friend, Marci, made this video and she did an awesome job. I love Lake Powell and was thankful I could take Connor to enjoy its beauty and everything that is wonderful about it ... watch the video below and see what I mean ... I love Lake Powell! Thanks for an amazing trip Colton family!!!

06.26.12 ~ Feeding the Birds ...

Living in the city, we don't really see many lakes or ponds. So instead of feeding the ducks, like we used to do in Colorado, we improvise and feed the pigeons on the side of the road instead. Connor loves it ...

05.19.12 ~ The Brooklyn 1/2 Marathon ...

I just finished the ranked "most popular 1/2 marathon in the United States." The Brooklyn 1/2 Marathon! It was 13.1 miles and 2 hours & 13 minutes of pure ... enjoyment. Almost. I got really tired around miles 10 and 11, but other than that, it was a blast. It was perfect weather, I didn't have any "body issues," and I never stopped to walk. I am proud of myself, proud of where I've come in the last 8 weeks of training, and I hope to keep losing weight to live a long and healthy life. That's what it is really all about for me anyway. I've lost 30 lbs. since starting my "weight loss venture" last November of 2011, and I hope I can lose 30 more in the next upcoming months. Now I've just got to figure out what new goals to set now that the race is over.

Connor and Nate came out on the train to "pick me up" after the race. It is almost a two-hour subway ride from where we live, so it was very thoughtful that they came down and supported me. We decided to do a little sight-seeing and make a day of it, since we don't know when we will be in the bottom portion of Brooklyn again ...

Connor and myself after the race - I finished on the boardwalk right by Coney Island. It was a beautiful day to chill on the boardwalk and look out at the ocean. And even though I tried to protect Connor as best I could from the sun, including sunscreen, he still got a "heat rash" on his cheeks the day afterwards ...

Connor on the "firetruck ride" at Coney Island. He could have spent the whole day on this ride if we had let him. He absolutely loved it ... pure bliss ...

Picture of part of Coney Island - so colorful and happy ...

We had to stop at the Famous Nathan's - where they hold a famous hotdog-eating contest. I don't get to eat hotdogs very often, so I jumped on the chance to eat one with Nate ... or should I say ... Nathan. :)

Connor conned us in to getting this little gift for him at one of the markets by Coney Island. It was very cheap, and the toys are totally cheap, copy-cats of the "real deal." But does Connor know the difference? No way - he loves them just the same ... gotta love kids ... He was so excited to open them and play with them on the subway going home that afternoon ...

We had to go see the NY Aquarium, since we had a membership to go there for free! It is located right by Coney Island and the exit comes out onto the boardwalk, so it fit perfectly into our day. Connor especially loved looking at the sharks ... I loved seeing the penguins ... sea life is so awesome to see ...

Connor loved running around, dancing around, and jumping around on the boardwalk ... he was full of energy today ...

I was so tired by the end of this day - I ended up sleeping from 7pm to 8am the next morning. It was all worth it though - running, enjoying beautiful scenery and non-humid weather, and most of all - spending quality time with the family!!!

04.20.12 ~ Morning Runs ...

I have been training for the 1/2 marathon that takes place in Brooklyn in May. Last week, I just had to take my camera with me to take pictures of my beautiful route that I run along the Hudson River - along the west side of the Manhattan Island. The running path is full of blossoming trees and having the river alongside me is so peaceful ...

I looked behind me to see how far I had been running (I live by the George Washington bridge, which is in the distance of the picture below) ... and the sun was still rising - so gorgeous ...

I so look forward to my morning runs when I know I can enjoy the beauty around me ... and I have no kids with me. :)

04.08.12 ~ Happy Easter ...

Connor had a fun-filled week entailing many Easter Festivities. He first had a "playgroup" mid-week and of course, it was all based around bunnies, Easter, candy, and egg hunts ...

We didn't have an Easter basket yet, so Mommy improvised earlier that morning ... Connor loved opening his eggs and seeing what treats he got inside ...

Then, that weekend, Connor was able to go on another Easter egg hunt at Isham Park. There were a lot of kids, so he only got 5-6 eggs. He was as happy as could be though ...

"Treats make me really happy! "

We of course, needed to dye some Easter eggs the night before Easter ... Connor was entranced by the little tablets dissolving in the vinegar ...

Connor's favorite egg ... I think his favorite color is orange, because he wanted to keep putting his eggs in the orange dye ...

Easter morning ... I think the Easter Bunny came! ...

Connor with all his "lute" ...

And last, but not least, Connor in his new Sunday clothes he got for Easter ...

"Happy Easter everyone!"

04.01.12 ~ Big Shoes to Fill ...

Whenever Connor sees Daddy's slippers lyin' around ... he's just gotta wear them. He's got some big shoes to fill. Like Father, Like Son ...

03.25.12 ~ Spring is Here ...

Spring is here in New York. There are still many trees barren, but more and more each day are starting to sprout and bloom. We had beautiful weather yesterday, and I took Connor on a walk through the Cloisters. I came across some glorious flowers and trees that had bloomed ...

And the best part of Spring is that Connor can have fun outside with his friends! It was such a nice day ... I love Spring.

03.20.12 ~ Connor ... a.k.a. ... Spiderman ...

Connor is really into Spiderman lately ... can you tell? :)

And yes, I know that Spiderman doesn't really have a cape. But aren't all Super Heroes better with a cape? I know that Spiderman secretly wanted one anyway.

03.19.12 ~ Connor the Photographer ...

Connor has really loved using my camera lately and taking pictures all by himself. These two photos are his latest "artistic creations" he's taken all on his own ...

Hmmm ... maybe I've got a future photographer in the family? :) We'll see ... I'm actually secretly hoping that he'll use my camera enough to accidentally "break it," and then Nate will have to buy me a new one - or a smart phone with a camera on it anyway. But that's just between you and me ... wink, wink.

03.08.12 ~ Trip to Oregon ...

Towards the end of our stay in Utah, my mom and dad were nice enough to fly us out to see Cami and Taylor up in Oregon for a few days. My mom, myself, and Connor went, and had such a good time.

Here we are at the airport, excited to get on that airplane! ...

Connor and Bridger were best buds - as long as Cami and I were monitoring them constantly. They played well as long as we got them to switch or trade toys often, or put on a show, etc. ...

Enjoying the rain together ...

Enjoying lunch together, as well as some trains and train tracks ...

Enjoying the slides together ...

Cami and I were able to make super hero capes for our boys - Superman, Batman, and Spiderman ...

Connor wore this for a couple minutes, then realized he had no idea what it was. I guess I need to introduce the kid to super heroes here soon ...

He managed to create his own "costume" and pretended to be Fireman Sam, the best firefighter in town! The drum is his fireman hat, and the telephone cord is his hose to spray out the fire ... in case you were wondering ...

Bath time was filled with giggles, splashes, and delight. You gotta love bath time when you have kids that look this cute ...

Connor was able to sit in a real fire truck! We were walking home from the park and saw the fire station. The garage was open, and there was an actual fireman there. Connor, of course, called him "fireman Sam," and he invited us to take a look around. Connor was in pure heaven, as you can see from the smile on his face ...

We enjoyed a lot of sunshine, surprisingly enough. So Connor and Bridger and Mason enjoyed lots of walks and playing at the park along with us ...

Mason and Bridger

Thanks Cami and Taylor for being such wonderful hosts/hostesses with the "most/mostesses" ... I love you guys and Connor can't wait to go to "Bridger's House" again soon! :) We miss you guys!

03.07.12 ~ Trip to Utah ...

It's always fun to be with family. After spending Christmas with Nate's family, it was then time to head over to Utah and spend some time with my family while Nate worked in Boston for a month and a half. Here is some of the highlights from our stay in Utah ...

We went and hung out with Aubrie for a day up in Logan at Utah State ... Cafe Rio was nice to eat again ...

I ran a 5k with my mom and with my brother, Jeff. It was my goal to push Connor in the stroller and jog the whole time, and I did just that ...

Connor loved getting free popcorn after a hard workout of sitting in the stroller during the whole race ...

Connor loved hanging out with his cousins ... here's a few captured moments with just a few of his cousins ...

Connor and Bridger

Connor with Brady - Waiting for Grandpa's Famous Popcorn

Connor with his twin cousins, Brekyn and Kamryn - he could actually tell them apart!

And last but not least, Connor with his cousin, Ian ... they were Super Spys!

I also did many "projects" (some more productive than others) while staying in Utah ...

Aubrie and I did this puzzle together in a couple of hours one night ...

I finally made the Christmas Advent Calendar that I have always wanted to - something I grew up doing at Christmas time, and now I can have one for my family ... you pin one ornament on the tree each day as you count down to Christmas Eve ...