Reverse Chronology of Christmas in Pictures

Christmas Time (was) Here

Happy Christmas!

We had a great time this year, spending our holiday with our dear cousins: Tommy, Sierra and Josh. Determined not to be bored and to have a great time, we pow-wowed about a week before Christmas to plan. It took us all night because the boys were a little rebellious and goofy, but fortunately Sierra and I know how to take charge of our men! So here's what we did (and didn't do):

Three days before Christmas, Sierra and I tackled the task of shopping for our Christmas dinner items in one of the busiest stores ever...Walmart!! It was absolutely insane, but we made it out of there in record time!

Sierra and I started cooking early in the morning on Christmas Eve--we decided to have our big dinner that night instead of Christmas night. We had a humongous turkey that took forever to cook, but it was sooooo worth it. Things went very well until I burned the yams, which I've never done before! So sad because it's my favorite part of the meal.... However, everything else was delicious and we had a great time with lots of laughs at dinner.

Oh! I forgot. We came up with a fun little possibly-new-tradition idea. During our planning meeting we were split in half over whether or not to open a gift on Christmas Eve. In the Jorgensen family it's tradition. In Sierra's and my family it's not. So we compromised and came up with a super-fun activity. We drew names right before dinner and kept that name a secret. Then we piled into our van and went to Walmart, each of us with five dollars. The goal: dash into the store and find a $5 gift for the person whose name you drew as fast as you can. It was a total blast! We opened our gifts after dinner, and you'd be amazed at the awesome things you can get for only $5!!

Okay, so anyway, after dinner we all gathered at our house, where everyone slept to elimnate "commuting" for Christmas morning. The kids were up bright and early as usual, so we started opening presents right around 6-ish. The kids were so excited! (not to mention the adults)

We had a yummy breakfast of Aebelskivers (a super-tasty Jorgensen tradition) and Ziploc omlets (also very tasty and so simple!). Then came the laziness.... We watched a couple movies, ate our weight in treats and snacks, napped a little bit...you get the idea! We were supposed to make sugar cookies to take to a few of our friends, but discovered the day before that none of them would be around. So we decided enough of the laziness! Let's go play in the snow! We did and we had a blast!!

So even though we were stranded for the Holidays, we ended up having a great time, mostly because Tommy, Sierra and Josh were stranded too. It was so nice to have some family to celebrate with. We are so lucky to have them close by!

Holy SNOW!

Good 'ol Boise.... Part of the reason we moved here is because of the fabulous weather--especially the mild winters. To quote from the realidaho website: "The Treasure Valley sees very little snow. What snowfall we do get usually comes at night and early morning and is typically melted by noon. Every six to ten years we get a heavy snow year that can leave an inch or two of snow on the ground for several weeks. Because there is so little snowfall, roads are mostly dry all winter long in the valley. In fact, the Ada County Highway District (ACHD) does not own a single dedicated plow truck!"

Yep, you read that right! NO snowplows!! Now these two pictures are from the very first snowfall of the year. See how visible the ground is? That's usually the max--give or take an inch. So imagine our surprise when we received a snow storm! The first one gave us about 6 inches that started to melt the next day, but quickly iced over once evening hit (no plows), making morning commutes verrry interesting. They DO have trucks that spray liquid icemelt, but by my count, I'd be surprised if they have more than two of them.

Last night we received another few inches of snow. So unfortunate. However, it's been cloudy enough that there is no additional ice. But it doesn't stop there! We are expected to receive another 4-6 inches between tomorrow and Christmas Day.

Here are a couple pictures of our current status:

*Note: Yes, the toys are outside because the kids are usually still able to play with them.

Now, I know that for many of you who live in much colder, snowier places, this is no big deal. In fact I bet you'd be laughing in my face. But you have to remember that people out here don't even own shovels. It has been very interesting to watch everyone battling over the 10 shovels that Walmart has in stock, and it's not even close to over. In fact, as I finish this post, the snowflakes are beginning to fall...again.

Halloween--Yeah, it's been that long!

Hi folks,
It's been forever, so I thought an update would be good.
Here's some pictures from Halloween! Jayni was "Super-girl" and Aleks was Batman. We are raising a couple of superhero freaks!
This year instead of going from house to house (we froze last year!) we went to the neighborhood "Trunk-or-Treat" at Seasons Park. The kids came home with quite a haul! We had lots of fun.

Okay, so the picture layout looks retarded, but I'm not going to spend the time to fix it!

Thanksgiving: We spent Thanksgiving with just the four of us, so no pictures cuz they wouldn't be all that exciting! I spent pretty much all day in the kitchen (of course I didn't mind!), Nate spent the day being sick, and the kids spent the day watching movies and bugging Daddy, with a little bit of playing in between. Despite Nate being sick, we had a pretty fun day!

Making History

Yes, I'm so excited!! Heritage Makers has been featured in the December issue of the "O" Magazine, in the famed "O List" section! This is an amazing time!

Egg(less) Nog

If you know me well, you are probably well aware of the fact that a small part of my love for Fall is because that's when egg nog first becomes socially acceptable during the year! I love egg nog. I recently came across a recipe that immediately reminded me of my little sis. She is disgusted at the notion of drinking raw eggs. Well, Jenna, this recipe is for you and for all you nog-lovers out there:

1/2 gallon cold milk, divided
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant French vanilla pudding mix
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a large bowl, whisk 3/4 cup milk and pudding mix until smooth. Whisk in the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir in the remaining milk. Refrigerate until serving.

News Update

I am so shamefully behind on posting important stuff--like family announcements, etc.

So here's what we're happy to announce:

On September 11, 2008, Nate's brother Mike finally arrived home from serving a triumphant mission in Missouri! We are so happy to have him back home!!

My sister Heather is getting married to a great guy on November 21st! Now, I've only met him once, but he definitely seems 100% head-over-heels in love with her and seems to makes her genuinely happy. Therefore, I am very happy for the almost-newlyweds, and wish them an abundance of wedded bliss!
Sorry, no picture of them yet.

Okay. Next, and yes, the following information is true and verifiable: Nate's brother, Mike, is indeed getting married to his high school sweetheart, Megan in December. Yes, December!! Holy cow. We are very excited for them, and can't wait to watch them launch into their new life together.

Lastly, my kids are so excited to have 2 new cousins early next year! Nate's sister, Melissa is pregnant with her first, a little boy; my sister, Jenna is having her first girl! We are all excited to get to know them, and watch out, cuz Jayni just wants to play mommy and dress them up.

So I think that's all the super important stuff. If I left something out, I am SO sorry! Just let me know, and I'll be sure to make note of it.

Love to you all!