fun at the fair

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boys only

a few weeks ago, josh got a 'wild hare' (or is it hair?)...to start cleaning out our garage (a.k.a. the abyss, or the black hole). i would LOVE to be able to park my car in the garage...and it looks like that dream may soon come true. cue the hallelujah chorus.

anyhow...we have accumulated tons of junk over the years. one thing that takes up a lot of space in our garage is josh's '64 1/2 ford mustang. it actually has served as "storage" for lots of other junk (i like to pile junk upon junk).

as the unearthing began, josh pulled out (and cleaned up) "old red" (just kidding....the car doesn't have a name....i just came up with that one). he took 'er down to the warehouse at work, and now we can walk through the garage....but just barely. you know how things sometimes have to get worse, before they get better? well, that's the abyss right now. there's still a lot that needs to be done....

before he took the 'stang away....the boys had to go for a ride!! they all looked so cute and the boys were SO excited to ride in dad's cool car! :)

there they go!

....i can't ever seem to do a 'short' post! no matter how hard i try....i get that

"explain-every-little-detail" syndrome. :) happy wednesday, everyone!

family reunion

this past saturday, 75 family members- from all over the US- gathered together.

we "reunited" and celebrated family...along with two wedding anniversaries! there was a lot to celebrate on august 6th!

here we all are....

my maternal grandma and her two sisters are alive and well, but their three brothers have passed away. the three jorgensen sisters....along with all of the six jorgensen's children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren came from near and far!

my mom's cousin (craig) and his wife (linda) hosted all of us in their GORGEOUS home and yard!

my boys swam for six hours straight!!

bryson had a blast...jumping off the rocks and going down the slide!

peanut and mommy

hiring a lifeguard made it easy on us parents :)

my dad said the prayer before the yummy meal!

all of the food was homemade and delicious!

a few views of their beautiful home...

we felt like we were at a resort!!

playin' volleyball...

at the top of the stairs, there is a batting cage, and behind that is a baseball diamond...!

b played ping-pong with my mom's cousin, amy! she's so sweet and i enjoyed talking to her about adoption (she works for a christian adoption agency and has adopted several children of her own).

what a lovely day...all together...enjoying:

*the california sunshine...

*the yummy food (there was even a soft-serve ice cream machine)...

*the pool and the gorgeous back yard....

*catching up with family we don't see often...

*meeting family we'd never met....

*hearing stories from days past...

*watching our children play all together....

*the God-given gift of family!

changes happening 'round here

i am sitting here, glancing at all of my pictures from summer...and wondering where the time has gone?! there are pictures of hudson's preschool graduation...pictures of bryson's basketball games. there are some from hudson's 5th birthday, a few from the beach, and lots from our vacation. there are many fun memories stored in our brains and imprinted upon our hearts, too....even though they are things that i haven't captured on camera. our summer is flying by, and i am sure yours is, too. we have been busy every day....and we have been having lots of fun! summer always comes and goes so quickly. and, for a summer girl....that's a tad sad. this summer is [has been] slightly unusual for us, in that our summer will end...but our time as a family- at home together- will not. we have been preparing for what is to come. :) there will be no "going back to school" this year. we aren't purchasing the backpacks, the uniforms, and the lunch boxes.

we have (prayerfully) chosen to homeschool the boys this next school year. there. i said it.

i have been so reluctant to post that...and i can't say exactly why. maybe it's because doing so really makes it feel final. maybe i fear the backlash, or the judgment. maybe i wanted it to be our little secret. maybe it's because i feel the eyebrows raising and i can hear your..."oh. wow. so....what brought you to that decision? are you really sure you want to do that?"

one thing i have found, in making this decision, is that EVERYONE has an opinion about homeschooling. some are very supportive (thank God...our families are!), while others are definitely not. for an insecure chick...it has been challenging, but satisfying, to stand up...and stand firm in this decision. i can even tell you that i am excited, albeit nervous, to start!

we have cleaned out the play room (to make it more of a classroom)...we have ordered the curriculum...we have signed up for friday classes (woo hoo...break time for mommy each week!)...and i think we are just about ready to go!

homeschooling will be a huge change for us. it will totally change our lifestyle. it's going to change the dynamic(s) in our home. it is going to change me as a mom, and i pray that, in some aspects, it changes my relationships with my boys. i pray that these changes are for the better. i am surrounded by a ton of godly women, who homeschool their children as well. i am so thrilled to come alongside them...and i am so blessed by all of the encouragement and help i've received from each.

whether you are getting ready to send your kids back to school, or you are homeschooling...i pray that the rest of your summer is wonderful! i can't believe that it's august already! i wanted to hop on here and try to form some thoughts (which always seem to sound better in my head!). i wanted to "check in" and "say hi." i wanted to update my faithful few. i'll be back soon...

have a super duper weekend! :)

family vacation

i can't believe that our vacation was nearly a month ago. we got to spend five nights in palm desert- at our friend's condo. we love to spend time there! our vacation was filled with....swimming, BBQing, eating, going to see cars 2, celebrating the 4th at a fireworks display, going to soak city, visiting the windmills, sleeping in, playing wii, reading, playing games, and taking the gondola/tram ride. i got to celebrate my birthday on our trip, and my parents even came and stayed for a night...to help us celebrate the 4th and my birthday!

the boys had their own room...and they even napped one day!

eating a yummy breakfast!

exploring...down at the windmills!

leaving the "station"....going 8,500 feet up!

the boys loved the gondola ride...the floor spins the entire time and it's a 10 minute ride to the top. each gondola fits 80 people!

when you arrive at the top, you're in san jacinto state park....

trails, hiking, camping, look outs....we wish we had planned better and given ourselves more time up at the top, before the sun set!

on the fourth of july, my parents came down. we swam and laid out. my dad and josh got to golf that afternoon, and then we BBQd...before heading out to a fireworks show at the college.

probably the best show i've ever seen! (even better than disney)....

relaxin' and enjoying the show!

my parents spent the night on the 4th....and we all went to soak city on my birthday. it was actually a belated celebration/field trip for hudson's birthday. my dad went and got us donuts and coffee, before we took off for the day!

i got to open some gifts before we left. i also got my card from josh. i had to share it with you! here's the back story...i always tell josh that we have "jungle fever"...because in the summer, i get pretty tan...and he...well....he doesn't. so...he found this card and whited-out one hand! :) i got a good laugh out of it! the wording was pretty funny, too...."straight up, baby girl...."

we had a BLAST at soak city!!! the boys went on every slide...and so did we! it was really fun to see my mom and dad on the slides. we enjoyed time in the wave pool and in the lazy river, too. it was very hot out that day (duh)....but we loved getting to play! soak city (palm springs) is clean, fun, and well-attended. we can't wait to go back!

my boys loved this slide!

silly faces....

we all had sooo much fun!

after soak city, we went back to the condo and showered. then, it was off to hibachi steakhouse, for a yummy birthday dinner!

hudson and papa

mimi and bryson

my special dessert...and they even sang to me!

i love my family...and i felt so blessed that day! (i still do)

we came home on the 6th, and we stopped near cabazon to get some lunch. we love ruby's! the weather was so weird that day...thunder and lightning...and pouring rain. it had let up a bit once we finished lunch!

this guy surprised me...big time! for my birthday "present," josh had our backyard planter filled with fruit trees, roses, ground cover, hedges, and climbing vines! we left a planter full of weeds and overgrowth...and came home to a beautiful yard!!! we have lived here for over five years...and have had the hardscape done....but we had never finished the landscaping! what a special gift!! thank you, jose...for your lovely work!

it's always nice to be home again, but we had a great time away. i love vacations that are relaxing...where there's really not a whole lot on the agenda. josh definitely needed some time to "get away"...and we needed that special time as a family.