Kids Triathlon 2013

 

For three years now, Jacob has enjoyed competing in the Kids Kiwanas Triathlon here in Pearland. This year, he was determined to train well and run hard. It was an exceptionally fun year to have his cousin, Aiden and his best friend, Robby, competing with him!

Since Nathan turned 7 this year, he was also eligible to compete! He’s watched Jacob run the course for a few years now and he’s been chomping at the bits to get out on it. We trained hard this summer and he was ready to go!

I’m so proud of all of my boys who competed today. They rocked it.

18 Month Old Evan

 

Evan has arrived at the point where I stop referring to my baby as being _ months old and instead use years to describe his age. Does that mean I can’t call him a baby anymore ?  

18 month old Evan is dubbed “chub” or more recently, “golden baby” for his summer tan and long golden curly locks. He says all kinds of things now. The other day I was at the pool with him and he was using a water squirt toy against one of his brothers. A lady swimming nearby said, “how cute, what is he saying?”. It sounded like “da” but he was actually saying “die”. A word he most certainly picked up from his older brothers! He is fascinated  obsessed with our turtle and walks to the counter and points above saying “peedy” (speedy). He loves to look out the window of the car and find all the dogs, birds and especially the cows, which are in abundance here in Texas. His dad recently introduced him to chocolate milk and its his new favorite drink. He seems like he might soon be ready to potty train, but I am not sure yet.

A sweet friend took some beautiful pictures of him last month to capture this precious stage of his life. You should go and check out her blog, she is super talented! http://sarahsphotomontage.blogspot.com/

Here are a few of my favorites, but really, I loved them all!

That’s All Folks

 

“In a word, the function of eloquence in teaching is not to make people like what was once offensive, or to make them do what they were loth to do, but to make clear what was hidden from them”

St. Augustine

Every year, around this time, I look back and think “we survived”. Another homeschool year down.

By God’s grace, we have completed 4th and 1st grade. There were many lessons learned, for both the boys and I. And I am so grateful for another year that I am privileged to teach and train my boys. Here are a few things I learned this year,

• I learned that teaching two students and occupying a toddler and baby are best done with prepared activities. The Busy Bags I collected from our swap last year were a big help in keeping my toddler occupied.
• I learned to be realistic about how much we were able to do. I would have loved to teach Spanish, typing, Latin, drawing, etc. but I was aware of how little and precious my time was. We spent time with the key subjects and doing them well instead of trying to squeeze in as much in as possible.
• I learned that it is helpful to combine as many of the subjects as possible. We worked on Bible memory and study, history and our Classical Conversations memory work together. That freed up more of my individual teaching time.
• I learned to let go of the idea that my house would be perfectly in order, that my meals would be perfectly planned or that I would have perfectly planned school days. I succumb to what each new day presented and trusted that God would supply my strength and needs for that day. This one was HARD for me. I love an ordered house, tasty meals on the table and a well run school day. That’s not always reality! In fact, that is rarely the norm. There were sick kids (and mom), needs from friends that we wanted to meet, unexpected field trips or play dates and so on. That was my greatest challenge this year, schooling in the midst of life, not putting it on hold because of school. I pray God will help me with this task even more so next year.
• Perhaps most of all, I learned what Paul meant when he said “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 It was a rough year in general, abnormally so. I felt weak and tired, most of the time. As I look back and celebrate all we’ve learned and accomplished this year, I know it was because Christ’s grace and strength kept me. It is my hope that He will do the same next year as we look forward to 5th grade, 2nd grade and preschool (with a toddler in the mix)!

Now if you’ll excuse me, we’re off to have some fun for the summer!

Car Wash Phobia

With my last two sons, I sought out a better way to give birth. My first two hospital births were long and filled with unnecessary interventions. Thankfully, I found a birthing center here in Houston, Reunion Birth Center, that fulfilled that desire of mine.

One of the most helpful techniques used at the birthing center was the large birthing tub. I almost gave birth to Austin in the water but at the prompting of my midwives, I moved out of the tub for birth. With Evan, there was no way I was moving from the tub to birth him. I remembered the pressure and pain accompanied by leaving the tub and made the choice (even though I wasn’t prepared for a water birth) to birth in the tub. So, my fourth son was my only who was born in the water.

All this to say, he is also my only son who HATES the water! I’m curious if any other moms have had similar experiences with their babies who were born in the water? Evan has never, ever liked taking a bath.  Not when he was an infant, not ever. He tolerates the pool but stays very close to me. He is terrified of the beach and freaks out at the sound of the waves.

Recently, I discovered that his disdain for water even extends to the sight of water. Our car was filthy from a trip to the beach and so I took it to the car wash, only to realize that I had inadvertently introduced my 18 month old to his worst fear.

This is too precious not to share,

A Trip to the Alligator Park

 

This post is mainly for my sister, who just moved to Texas and doesn’t share our love and acceptance of alligators here in the south.

We have a beautiful national park, not that far from our home, Brazos Bend State Park. I love going there for the long winding trails and quiet. My boys like going there to get up close and personal with some local alligators. Yes, we consider it fun to walk around a pond and look for those large, jagged toothed creatures. Could they cause us serious bodily harm? Sure, but so could riding in the car!

Here’s proof that spotting alligators, in God’s creation, is wonderful!

This guy was just hanging out, not far from the trail.

There are so many beautiful trails, the boys love riding their bikes along them.

See, beautiful isn’t it? And for those who don’t enjoy spotting alligators, the turtles are pretty fun to watch as well.

The babies enjoy strolling along in the stroller but even Austin got out to play for a while.

These photos were taken on a gorgeous day in January. I’d love to go back now that the flowers are in bloom and the trees are full. Watch out Lindsey, I’m planning your next trip soon!

Playing Catch Up

Hello dear old blog.

How I’ve missed you! Life has been as busy as ever and I’m sorry I’ve neglected you. It’s time to catch you up on life in the precious moments.

We had a fun season with both boys playing basketball. They enjoyed their teams and learning that sport. Jacob started soccer with a new, more competitive league, and is being challenged as he grows in his love of soccer. We took the big boys to their first college basketball game. They enjoyed seeing a full game, now that they understand the concept more. As always, there were sweet baby snuggles and I’ll take them while they last!

We spent spring break at our favorite retreat center, Camp Tejas. We were thrilled to have two families join us for fun in the mud, on the trails and at the bonfire. We made so many great memories, it was a real joy! Grammy came to visit us and that was a special treat. She hasn’t been to Houston for over 2 years and we were privileged to have her with us for 2 weeks. We went to the Museum of Natural Science and Butterfly House with friends in our homeschool group. The butterflies are always a favorite but this year, the show stopper was the dinosaur exhibit. And Evan is as adorable as ever.

 

We inherited a new pet, Speedy the turtle. He is adored by all the boys in this house. Sadly, I lost two special people this month. My grandpa passed away. He was a big part of my childhood. My sister and I spent many summers in Nebraska with him camping, gardening and adventuring. He was a kind man who was always a soft place to land. He is loved and missed by many. I flew back to Nebraska for the funeral and enjoyed lots of time with family and seeing people who knew me when I was only a little girl. For the first time, in too many years, all the Ehlers cousins were together at my Grandma Ehlers house. It was a treat to see them again! One week after the funeral, my sister and her family moved in with us here in Pearland. We are elated to have them here and can’t wait for the adventures to begin. One week after my sister moved in, my Grandma Bev passed away. She was a special lady in my life. She treated my sister and I (and our children) as her own. Her kindness and love knew no limits. I am sad that with the combination of events, I could not attend her funeral in Montana but she will forever be in my heart!

A few fun notes from this month were trips to the library, harvests of brussel sprouts from my garden and training for a 5K with friends (The Digital Run).

With the good and the bad, this I call to mind,

“My soul continually remembers it and is bowed down within me. But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:20-24

He’s Seven Today!

Our sweetheart Nathan turns seven years old today. Look how cute and adorable he was (and still is). Every year we tell him the story of how we went to the hospital to have him on Valentine’s Day. He didn’t want to share his birthday with a holiday so he waited to be born on the 15th. Although, it is fitting that this boy who loves so much, would have his birthday so close to the day we celebrate the ones we love.

Nathan is a true delight to everyone he meets. He has the most tender heart and desires to serve others. He is our snuggler who always wants to be close or holding your hand. He says the most amazingly kind things sometimes and prays enormous prayers with a sweet child-like faith. He is gentle to his younger brothers and is a defender to the helpless. Man, I love this boy.

He loves to ride his bike, bounce on the trampoline, swim, play soccer and basketball. He’s an active little boy. He likes to read books like Frog and Toad or Morris the Moose. He loves to get frozen yogurt, its his favorite treat.

Nathan is a joy to us all. We are so grateful for another year watching this wonderful young boy grow. I pray for many more happy birthdays with him and that God would continue to draw his heart closer to Jesus.

The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

Zephaniah 3:17

The Most Amazing

Being a homeschool family, our workload during the week is pretty heavy. Breakfast usually consists of something fast but filling. The weekend is a whole other story.

We like to have big family breakfasts on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Ian prefers eggs and fruit, Jacob likes lots and lots of pancakes. We all have our favorites. Last week, Nathan asked me to make some cinnamon rolls because “it had been a long time since we had any”.

Truthfully, I’ve always made store bought cinnamon rolls because they’re easier and I’ve never found a recipe that I really like. I LOVE a good homemade cinnamon roll. They are the best! I’m happy to say, I finally found the perfect recipe for cinnamon rolls.

I found this recipe on Pinterest, but it’s actually the Pioneer Woman's recipe which means it’s awesome. Every recipe I’ve ever tried of hers, I’ve loved. I love Ree Drummond. Did I tell you I met her once? She had a book signing here in Pearland so a few friends and I waited in line for her to sign our cookbooks.

 

She was as genuine and funny in person as she is on her blog (and I’m sure on her show too but we don’t have cable so I haven’t seen it). I have a hard time wrapping my mind around how she does it all? Homeschool, cooking show and books, blogging, photography, living on a ranch, etc. She’s my hero.

Back to the recipe. I wanted to share with you the most amazing cinnamon roll recipe courtesy of the Pioneer Woman. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Photo credit: The Pioneer Woman Blog

ROLLS:

Adapted from: The Pioneer Woman
Note:   The original recipe makes about seven 8" round aluminum tins of cinnamon rolls.  After cutting the original recipe in half, you'll end up with 3 - 4 tins full of rolls, with 7 - 8 rolls per tin...depending on how large you cut them.
Ingredients: (This is 1/2 the original recipe)

DOUGH:
2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup sugar

1 pkg active dry yeast

4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tablespoon salt
FILLING:

1 cup melted butter, plus more as needed

1/8 cup ground cinnamon for sprinkling
1 cup sugar, plus more as needed

Directions:

Mix milk, vegetable oil, and 1/2 cup of sugar in a pan. Scald the mixture (heat until just before the boiling point.) Remove from heat and let it cool 45 minutes to 1 hour.

When the mixture is lukewarm to warm, but NOT hot, sprinkle in package Active Dry Yeast. Let this sit for a minute and then add 4 cups of flour. Stir mixture together. Cover and let rise for at least an hour.

Next, add 1/2 cup flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir mixture together. From here, you could cover the dough and put it in the fridge until you need it—overnight or even a day or two, if necessary. Just keep your eye on it and if it starts to rise out of the pan, just punch it down. Or, of course, you can just go ahead and make the rolls.

Sprinkle surface generously with flour and roll the dough into a thin rectangular shape, about 1/4" thick. Brush melted butter on top, then sprinkle sugar over the butter, and finish with a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Starting with the wide end, roll the dough tightly towards you in a neat line. Next, pinch the seam to the roll to seal it. Spread 1 tbsp of melted butter in each pan/dish. With a sharp knife, begin cutting the dough into 1 inch slices, and laying them in the pans. Let rest for 20-30 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 13 - 17 minutes, or until golden.

Hoops

 

We are in the midst of basketball season in the Jorgensen house. I love it. My big boys are being active, we get to watch games each week and the little ones get to cheer on their brothers. It’s fun to get out in our community and meet new people too. Since the boys are homeschooled, it’s a good opportunity for them to learn how to interact with all different kinds of boys, not just the homeschooled, church going kind.

This is Nathan’s first year and so far, he’s doing great! He tries hard and has the basic concept of the game. He’s even scored a basket already. We just need to work on his offensive game. He tends to be unsure of what he’s doing when he gets the ball.

This is Jacob’s second year playing. He understands the game much more this time. He too has already scored a basket and is good at engaging the ball. Of course, soccer is still his first love but it’s good that he is playing other team sports as well.

GO TEAM!!!!

Snapshots From Our Trip Home

We recently took a vacation back to our home state, Arizona. Anyone who travels with kids knows that vacation with your kids isn’t always relaxing. But, to visit so many of our family and friends, was worth it!

Both Ian and I grew up in Flagstaff, Arizona. We love coming home to where we’re from. I think no matter how long we live in Texas, Arizona will still be what we call “home”. We have family spread out all over the state. So our visit has many destinations and various homes that we’re privileged to stay in.

Our first stop was Tucson.

The first morning we arrived there was snow on Mt Lemon and it was amazing! What a sight coming from our slightly above sea level home. We enjoyed time with Grammy and Pop-pop and even Great Grandpa who came to see us.

Next, we moved to Ian’s brother Joel’s house and had a lovely visit with his family. We got to see old friends from way back, meet his sister’s sweet adopted children and see the most Christmas decked out neighborhood ever!

The other Jorgensen’s also took us hiking in Sabino Canyon. Oh my how I missed nature, hiking and the fresh air! It was so gorgeous. The boys were in heaven romping around the trails with their cousins.

I even had time to squeeze in pedi’s with my nieces. Two of them had never had their toes done before and it was such a treat for me to be with them. Having four boys myself, I am always in need of some girl time

After that, we made our way up the hill to chilly Flagstaff. We stayed with my mom and got to see my sisters and brother. We had a wonderful time visiting with Ian’s parents who were in town as well. Ian got to spend some time with his brother, Brandon and I got to hang out with my friend, Elizabeth. It was so wonderful being with people who have known us and loved us so long.

Grammy and G-Daddy and a few of the Carsey cousins.

Christmas Eve with cousin Aiden (and the matching pj’s from Aunt Lindsey)

Of course we enjoyed the time with family but the real star of our trip was the beautiful snow! The boys loved playing everyday in it. They had fun sledding in it with my mom and sister as well. Coming from our sub-tropical climate, this was a real treat for us.

We enjoyed our time and visit so much, we rarely get to do that. Seeing family was such a joy for us. At the end of the trip, as we made our way back home, we reflected on our time in Arizona. While feeling so grateful for the love of family members, we realized, this is our family now. Ian, Angie, Jacob, Nathan, Austin and Evan. We have made our own decisions, choices and lifestyles that make us our own little family. It’s what the Bible refers to and “leaving and cleaving”. As you grow up and move on, you start your own family dynamic and memories. So, we made our way back home to our life in Pearland, knowing that we are truly blessed with extended family and yet, so happy to return to the ins and outs of our own little family and the community around us here.