10 Months Old

Olivia is getting so big. She amazes me everyday. It seems like she learns something new everyday. She loves to torment Savannah (and Lexi when she is here!). She loves the dishwasher. It is like she has a radar or something. She can tell anytime you open the dishwasher. She is almost walking. I can't believe how much one little person can change in just a year!

Dave II

Happy Birthday Dave! I know that he is not checking this blog since he is on his mission and has so many more important things to do, but I just wanted to wish him a happy 20th birthday!! We are proud of you and our girls miss you !!!

Pink Christmas!

So Nicole, Danielle and I signed up for a gift exchange called Pink Christmas. The idea is that you make something and then send it to that person and they open it on Christmas. Well, being sisters that weren't going to be together on Christmas we decided to open it together a few days early. I have to say a big thank you to Jenny for my gift! Loved it all! The apron, the tutu's for the girls, the J plaque, and the scarf! So very thoughtful and sweet! (Don't forget the m&m's! Like I could forget chocolate!) Having trouble finding the picture I took. Will post it when I find it!

I also had fun creating my gift for Sheri in AZ. I hope she liked it! The gift exchange was a great idea and I had lots of fun with it! I think it is a must for next year!!

Blog Hiatus

Since all the writers are on strike for TV I thought I should take a break too. Just kidding. So much has been going on yet, I didn't have the energy for blogging. I think each member of our family was sick at least once once this past month except for me. Stay tuned and I will attempt to update you on our last month or so. Thanks to Kat for calling me on my blog slacking!

Family Christmas Parties!

Our Christmas was a special one! It seems like we got all we could have wished for and more. We spent the holiday with family and family and more family. Savannah survived non stop festivities with only a few minor tantrums. Olivia loved the wrapping paper and tormenting her sister!

We are truly blessed as a family and are happy to be able to spend the holidays with loved ones. Each year I am truly amazed at how wonderful our families are. I am feel so lucky to be aware of the love we share. Also, I love to reflect on the amazing gift of the birth of our Savior. It is an wonderful feeling to know that he came here on earth to save us all. We have been trying to teach Savannah about the true meaning of Christmas. She knows about Baby Jesus and loves to play with her little people nativity. Merry Christmas to all! (My cards are coming just a little late this year!!)

Our Christmas celebrating began on Friday before Christmas with a party to celebrate with nicole and her family before they left for AZ then Hawaii. My mom surprised all the kids with new blankets. She spent countless hours in the month of December working on blankets for each child! They were amazing. Savannah's is a sock monkey blanket (like her Ballet!) and Olivia's is made from Olivia fabric. It is so cute!!! So much talent and it was fun to see how much the kids love new blankets. We also did an QUICK nativity. It was a very special nativity since Savannah was the stable cat. It was so funny. She wouldn't break character at all. So our nativity had a kitty!! Jamison was also funny. He was the Wise Man with the brown skin riding the camel. (My mom has a Fontini Nativity village that has this character!) This was the funniest nativity I have ever seen! I am not sure I stopped laughing and every time I think about it I laugh! It was a fun time and were happy to spend the time with the Becks before they left us!

We spent the Saturday before christmas at eric's parent house. It was a fun time to gather and celebrate. The food was yummy and the nativity was very organized (compared to the Z's). No cats at this stable! It was fun to party with Kat and Scott and Craig. They all arrived that day so it was a great time for all!! We ate and ate and sang lots of fun carols! Thanks to Molly for organizing this shin dig!

The Nutcracker

Today we went to an exclusive showing of the Nutcracker! Savannah's dance class read a book about the Nutcracker and learned all about the different parts. Their teacher would read a section of the book and then they would act it out. They had little red dots on their checks for when Clara gets the doll. They had swords when the Prince and the Mouse King fight. White Sheet overlay things when they were snowflakes, and flowers for the end. At the end of the class all the parents were invited in to watch their "performance". I was the only mom with a camera and I tried to capture the beauty of our sweet dancers, I think I need a better camera! The girls were amazing and so talented! I don't think I will ever be able to attend a Ballet West version again.(Actually, I haven't gone to a Ballet West version for about 7 years. The last time I went with Jen Hoffman, she knew a few of the dancers and she thought for sure that they had been drinking or something because the performance was terrible!) Anyway...It was fun to watch how far that these tiny dancers have come in just a few short months. Here are some of the pictures!

Is there a Doctor in the house?

Lucky for us there not only was there a doctor in the house, we were at the doctor's house.

Tonight was the Zimmerman Cousin Christmas Party. We look forward to this party every year. It is with my dad's brothers family. It is always a great time. (Eric loves this party. Eric actually wishes he had my cousins and has adopted them as his own.) So we arrive at the party a few minutes late. Olivia is starting to look and act kind of sad. She is cutting her four top teeth right now, so I didn't think much of it. She started to get clingy and shy. She then would cry when someone other than me would hold her. I finally had enough and decided it was time to take her home. I went to leave and was saying good bye to my cousins, when my cousin Patrick (whose house we were at) suggested he take a look at her. In all my efforts to console Olivia, I had forgotten Pat was a doctor. Yep! I had forgotten that he could help me. He checked her out and sure enough, she has an ear infection. I felt so silly. For not thinking that her pain was more than her teeth and for not asking my cousin for help.
This is one Christmas party that I will not forget! The party was great, the part I got to be a part of anyway. It was fun to see all the cousins and their kids and realize just how grown up they are all. (Zach is an Elder!!) I feel very lucky to be a part of this family and know that this is a very special family that is not only related but also friends! And I feel blessed that my husband loves them just as much!!

Merry Ho Ho Ho!

Merry Ho Ho Ho!

This is what Savannah called Santa Claus yesterday. She saw the little people Santa and cried out, "It is Merry Ho Ho Ho!"

We also worked on a Barbie puzzled last night and she kept saying BarbieQ.

Love the funny Savannah!!

TIMBER!!

This day has been a day full of excitement. It started with Olivia waking up with the puke flu at 6 am. What a way to start a Saturday. Then Eric looked out the window to see all the snow that fell during the night to see that our tree had fallen down. Yep. Our tree fell down. I guess all the weight of the snow. Not sure since it really didnt have many leaves just lots and lots of branches. So while Eric worked outside cleaning up the tree mess and the snow removal, I was inside with our puking Olivia. Savannah was sick like this 10 days ago so we are old pros but it is so much harder when you have to be with them non stop. It is also hard to see her been so sad and not her usually smiley self. Anyway....here are some pictures of the tree. Eric had wrapped about 1500 red lights up the tree so we are really sad to see it go!

Tree Down!

Savannah loved to sit in the tree. Summer 2006.

Our house with the tree. Can you tell? Kind of a bad picture!

a few steps

olivia has taken a few steps. they are akward and unsure. she did it for the first time on sunday at a friend's house. she isn't necessarily walking but i think she is getting closer each day. she can now stop herself from falling hard. it is so much fun to watch her progress. i have to admit i am excited for her to walk. we need to get her off the floor. crawling is dirty!! i will let you know for sure when she is walking. until then, I need to figure out about a christmas tree. I am pretty sure she will think it is her personal playground!!

Grandma Zoe's Birthday

Today is Eric's Dad's Mother's birthday. She is a spit fire. She is 93 and full of life. Sometimes she is even pleasant. We made the trek up to surprise her for her special day. We even brought See's Candies. She loves the candy. She was in a great mood and we enjoyed the time there. She keep telling me that she was so glad that I could finally stop by and see her house. In fact, she asked me three times if this was the first time I had been there. I guess that at 93 you can forget that your grandson has been married for over 7 years and his wife has been to you house countless times. So Happy Birthday Grandma Zoe!

one day a year!

One day a year, I trade in my stay at home mom status and join the work force. Okay. Not really work but once a year I take the asbestos refresher course to update my asbestos abatement contractor supervisor certification. I know you are thinking, WHAT?!?! I took the course for the first time in 2002. My dad was tired of paying to send people to this course only to have them leave the company. So he came of with a brilliant idea (or so he thinks!) for me to take the course. The idea is that as his daughter I will always be there. So despite the fact that I have been retired from my job at Capitol Roofing for more than 3 years, once a year I take the class so that they will have someone certified to deal with asbestos. I am always happy as I drive away that I won't have to work for at least a year!

i am thankful for.....

these are a few of the things I am thankful for:
(in no particular order)
my family
my mom and dad
the gospel in my life
eric
savannah
olivia
freedom
my house and it being finished
my health
warm showers (when I get them!)
friends, near and far
the ability to learn and be taught
my camera
bedrock and all its success
sleep (I will be even more thankful when I get a full night!)
my sisters
cell phone plans so i can talk to my sisters ALL the time
so many more things....

my favorite holiday

thanksgiving has been my favorite holiday for years. i started to love thanksgiving when I was in my early twenties. i love the whole day. the prep. the meal. the family and friends. love love love it! this year was no exception. it was a little more work since we hosted the meal this year. we usually rotate years with parents. st george every other year with my parents, sandy the other year with eric's parents. we didn't think with eric's schedule that we would be able to make it to st george so we decided to stay in sandy. since it was just eric's mom and dad and his bro steve, we offered to host the meal. then my parents decided to stay in town so we invited them too! it was a different day but it was a lot of fun. my mom has always invited "strays" to dinner so this wasn't anything new. the meal was fabulous!! With only 8 adults and Savannah this was the most relaxed and quiet meal we've had in years! Olivia took a nap and woke up just as I was finishing my last bite! What a great day!!

new bishop

I don't usually share such personal feelings, but I am trying to get over that.

today was a sad and happy day in our ward, after over 5 years our bishop was released. I really can't remember the last time I was in church for a new bishopric meeting. (We weren't at the last one for Bishop Farr because we were in Hava Supai!) I was even sure what to expect. It is hard to believe that we have been in this ward long enough to be here for an entire Bishop's calling. It was a very spiritual meeting. I think that if you didn't feel the spirit there you must not know what it is. The stake president (who is from our ward, he lives one house away from us.) started the program by asking anyone who has ever had a blessing from the bishop to stand up. I am pretty sure every single adult was standing. There were a few more questions like this. It made you realize how fortunate we were to have such a great bishop and how much he will be missed. On the other hand, the new bishop is going to be great. LIke you could really say someone is going to be a bad bishop. John Swallow was the bishop in a singles ward and was just barely released. We are all excited for the changes and sad to see a great bishop be release! It was really a happy and sad day for our ward.

I have to say that I teared up even before the meeting. One of the counselour's came up and gave me a hug and told me that one of the most touching blessings he had ever given was to me. I was being set apart as the secretary in the primary and in part of the blessing he said that I would be a mother. At that time I was struggling with infertility and I don't think that there was a dry eye in the room after that blessing. I had forgotten this blessing and I am so glad that he told me about it. I have blocked out a lot of emotional things during this time period, so I am really grateful that he shared it with me. It helps me remember that my Heavenly Father knows and loves me.

Olivia & the Stairs

Olivia has a new hobby. It is the baby version of mountain climbing. OliviA loves the stairs. If I turn my back for even a second she is up those stairs in no time flat. It is amazing to watch her climb. And every time she reaches the top she is all smiles. She realizes that she has reached the top once again and is so proud of herself! I worry about this new hobby so I try to make sure that I know where she is at all times. There is the occaisional sneaking away trip. Once time she sat at the top of the stairs and cried for me. She just sat there and cried. It was like she knew that going down was going to be a challenge she just wasn't ready for.

Happy Birthday to Danielle!

Okay, so her birthday was a week ago. I am late blogging but not celebrating. We had a great time celebrating with Danielle. This was her first birthday in Utah in 4 years. We were excited to spend her special day with her! We went to lunch with the utah sisters and all the kiddos! (We missed you nicole! It would have been so much more fun with you and your boys too!) We had a mini sorta surprise party at my parents the night of her bday! Thanks Danielle for turning 28 so we could have reason to spend more time together!!

Time for a change

Anyone who knows me knows that I have super thick hair. It has been short and it has been long. I have definitely been attached to my hair. It is almost like a security blanket. In college, I had it short and then after I grew it out. Super long. I have taken it to various lengths since then. I had it long for my wedding and then cut it like everyone else does after the wedding. Well, I needed this change. I had been debating it for a long time. It is not a decision I rush into. Although my hair grows great and thick, I need to be ready or else I regret it A LOT! I thought I was ready and I was! Monica cut lots of layers and thinned it out. My hair on the floor looked like a small animal! I love my new thinner hair. It feels great!! Monica (with input from SIL April) cut it into a great shape and something that makes me feel so much better. I had been feeling like I had the same hair forever! I was ready for the change! I love it and am excited to have a new look! I may even change the color to something crazy! Who knows, I may go shorter! I am sure I will miss my hair but is only hair and it grows back!

A case of the blahs

I have had a case of the blahs or maybe blog burnout. Not sure which. Sometimes I feel like I am just surviving. Olivia had an ear infection last week, so I got a little bit of sleep here and there at night and she barely napped during the day. I think that takes a lot out of me. I really need me time. But since I am a mom and I have young children me time is limited. Not that I am complaining, I love being a mom. I think that sometimes I just need a break from it all! Anyway... I am going to try to snap out of it. I think I can do, I need to do it! The holidays are coming and well I need to be ready for it!!

Raking Leaves

Eric spent a few hours in the yard on Saturday. He dug a hole to find the leak in our sprinkler system. (I have to mention that he wanted me to take pictures and put it on my blog. Because so many people care about sprinklers!) Then he raked up the leaves in the backyard. We have one large maple tree and this is about all the leaves we get. Eric wanted Savannah to have fun in the leaves. He wanted her to run and jump and play and throw them around. She didn't get it. Finally he jumped in the pile too and then the fun took off! It was great to see Eric spending a little time having fun with Savannah!

It's Done!!!

For every birthday my mom makes us something. A quilt, a bag, a table runner. It is really fun and it is a lot of work on her part. I decided to give back to her. I told her to pick out something that she would like me to do for her. Well, this is it. It is a snowman embroidery. It is by far the biggest embroidery project I have EVER done. It is huge. I started on October 20th. It was fun and I even learned a new stitch for it. She said all I had to do with the stitching. Mom, I am done. It is here waiting for you when you get home! Love you and I am happy your birthday is only once a year!

Halloween!

Halloween is not one of Eric's favorite holidays. In fact, I am sure he hates Halloween. It isn't even one of my favorite holidays but I do think that kids love it (I loved it as a kid) and I want to make sure that Savannah (in time Olivia) enjoys the day!. As you know, Savannah was a punkin. Olivia was a lady bug. She basically wore here costume for pictures and for grandparents. Eric's family used to have the tradition of going out to dinner for Halloween but with kids and everything that has changed. At the last minute I invited his family (and anyone who wanted to come over) to dinner. I made chili and carrot chowder. It was yummy. (I think I ate most of the carrot chowder the next few days!) It was a good time. I took Savannah to a few houses Trick or Treating. I figure I will have to do more each year but right now we will take it easy! It was a great night. Relaxing and fun.

How I Became a Jorgensen!

How I Became A Jorgensen

I saw this on Kat's blog and decided that today was a great day to copy!

1. Where did you meet your spouse? At the singles ward. We grew up in the same stake and never met. I do remember, right before I met him, sitting by his whole family at stake conference. (I was there by myself) It was funny because I remember his mom and kat and dave saving seats and then everyone else came in late and at different times. Side note: the person who sat by me was Debbi Yamamoto who later became a good friend. Funny huh?
2. What was the first thing you said to your spouse? I have no idea. I really don't remember. He was kind of shy. I do remember him calling up for Danielle. They were set up for the Presidential Date Night that the singles ward does every year. So basically Danielle went out with him first.
3. Where was your first date? We have an "official" first date. It was in July. He actually asked me out and picked me up and everything. (He didn't have a car so I usually drove to his house.) We went with Tyler and Mindy to Cafe Rio and to see Big Daddy. We were with Tyler's mission companions and then we went a big mansion in Orem (the former owner of WordPerfect or something).
4. Where was your first kiss? In my room. (or the hot tub a few months before that, depending on who you talk to)
5. Did you have a long or short courtship/engagement? Met sometime in January of 1999, became friends then began dating in June/July and engaged in October and Married in March. Short compared to my friends who were all engaged for a year or something like that, but long by LDS standards.
6. Where did you get engaged? This is funny. October 30, 1999. That is right 8 years ago today. At Rodizio Grill. It was a Saturday in Utah so it was basically Halloween. Eric's family tends to do alternate Halloween activities. This time is was dinner out. I had my tonsils out a week or two before this. I couldn't eat and could barely talk. I think I had mashed potatoes and mango juice (I had an allergic reaction that night and now know that I am allergic to mangoes). I had known he had the ring for a week. I had been at home and didn't have much to look forward to. Back to dinner... There was a birthday being celebrated at the table next to ours and when the servers were singing happy birthday, Eric leaned over and whispered,"Will you marry me?" I was so shocked I actually said, "You are doing it here?" I even held out the wrong hand. He put the ring on under the table and we didn't tell anyone. We left and told his grandma first. Then we went to my house and told my parents and then his house. It wasn't a big surprise for anyone except for the way he asked. That was a surprise. and that was his goal!
7. Where were you married? Salt Lake Temple, March 11, 2000. Spring Break Saturday. Never ever do that!! It was crazy! I was bride 67 or something crazy like that.
8. How did your reception go? It was fun! It was a party by LDS standards. Calm compared to most of my friends weddings. We had dancing and it was fun. I didn't eat. I heard the food was good.
9. Where did you go on your honeymoon? We went to St George. Not a lot of money and it was a good thing, since I got sick and spent a few of the days not being able to do anything! We did go into vegas for one day. That was okay.
10. If you could change anything about your day what would it have been? I think that I would have eaten. And when we cut into the cake we got the carrot cake layer. I hate carrot cake. For the most part I loved the whole day. I think I might have gotten married later in the day and then had the reception right after. And I would have had the reception at a larger venue. More room to party!!

Taco Tuesday

It took me 7 1/2 years of marriage to realize that Eric loves tacos. No, I mean LOVES tacos. His whole family does. I would hardly ever make tacos. I like tacos but I am not in love with tacos. So a few weeks ago I began Taco Tuesday. Every Tuesday night we have tacos. Eric loves it! I repeat, LOVES it. He knows what he i having and is excited about it! So if it is Tuesday and you are hungry stop by. We are having tacos and there is always plenty to share!

Mama S

At Savannah's school they teach that each letter has a mama (capitol) and a baby. Savannah knows that her name starts with a mama S. So every where we go, every S we see, Savannah shouts out, "That's my Mama S!". Every where. If she sees an S in a sign, on a shopping cart, even on a piece of candy at See's. I am so proud that she knows her letters, but I think that I am realizing that S's are pretty much everywhere! Why didn't I name her a name with the letter Q? Just kidding. I love that she does it, it makes me laugh.

Messy Faces

Here are some recent photos of our girls. Contrary to how it appears, I do wash their faces.

Olivia after she ate a jar of baby food. She loved it, as you can see!


Savannah after our outing to the Grand Opening of the See's Candies in Draper. Yep, we are see's fans. (not really, read Danielle's Blog) It was fun to go to the opening we won free stuff. The kids loved getting suckers and hats. Savannah had a chocolate sucker.



Cousins used some make up and gave Savannah a mustache. I think I like her without it. What do you think? She wouldn't stop sticking out her tongue. I guess it goes with the look!

Flashback Friday

These are pictures from last Halloween. The Hitesman Girls and Savannah were all cowgirls. It was so cute to see how much fun they had being the same thing. Eric's parents stopped by on their way to dinner to see our newly installed countertop. We didn't have any lights yet so it was dark. It is fun to see Dave in all these pictures. We miss him tons! This was also a fun Halloween since Paul and Ben were here to celebrate with us.