The Jorgensons

SPRING FLING Super Saturday!

2011-04-18T13:39:00.000-07:00

SPRING FLING Super Saturday

Saturday, April 30^th 10AM-2PM

Lunch served at Noon

Freezer Jam Taster Table

Floating Name Frame $20 (Please let me know as soon as possible if you are doing this. Because YOUR name is custom, it takes longer to fill the order.)

Herb Garden FREE if you bring your own tin cans. You can also use/bring 2 liter bottles for your container.

Picture of 2-Liter Herb Garden

We will have a variety of seeds. If you have a preference, please let me know so we can make sure to have that for you!

Herb Garden with Container Provided $3

Again, please let me know if you have a preference of herbs that you would like.

Scrabble Magnet Word $5 We spelled out SANITY (something we all need) but you can spell out anything you want. Suggestions: PATIENCE, HOME, FAMILY, a name, etc. Please let us know what you would like to spell out so we can make sure to have the pieces you need.

Spring Summer Sign $17

Leave me alone, I'm tired!

2010-05-13T22:02:00.001-07:00

Really?Come on!

I'm out of here!

I think Logan stole my camera and was bothering Carter before nap time. He cracks me up!
BTW, this is a great shot of one of two of Carter's hemangiomas on his leg. It is almost completely gone. The one on his head is slowly getting there. We can cover it up really well with his hair.

TBall Tate

2010-05-08T22:21:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day they didn't use the "T"
Tate obviously didn't hit this one but he did hit and run (next picture).
I was on first base taking this picture as a six year old is throwing the baseball towards me! Blond moment, for sure!

This sweet girl from the other team was just resting at first. She'll get up when she needs to.

Tate has LOVED being a part of this team. I missed sign-ups and this awesome mom (Betsy) pulled some strings and got Tate on. He has two buddies from Kindergarten on his team which he loves.

We love teachers...especially Mrs. Strub.

2010-05-06T22:09:00.000-07:00

A couple of ladies help me get started on these blocks. I love how they turned out and hope that she can and will use them at home and in the classroom.

She would refer to the kinders as friends so this is a phrase that her and the kids used often.

Logan's Preschool Perfromance

2010-05-04T22:16:00.000-07:00

We left Utah at 5AM to get back for Logan's performance. It was SO worth it!!
He kept waving to us...it was so cute.

Just making sure that you are still looking at me!

And by the way...

2010-03-03T18:34:00.000-08:00

So, as I am trying to catch up on past posts...I actually post them on the date that they are supposed to be. Does that make sense? So, I have been doing a post every few days and I am up to August 2009. I am hoping to catch up to present time in the next couple of week...LOL.

Catching up...

2010-02-11T17:54:00.000-08:00

I know that I am a shame to the blogging community and it used to bother me, but I am getting over it. I love having a blog to share our experiences with our friends and family...especially those friends and family that are not close. I thought about giving up this past time but one reason that I have blog is for a family history. My friend, Erin told me about a web site where you can put your blog into a book form. I love this idea! And so, I am continuing on...catching up with a renewed passion for cherishing our family's memories. Wish me luck!

Oh, and here is the web site she told me about...I have not used it but I cannot wait!

http://www.blurb.com/create/book/blogbook

Free Vision Screening

2009-10-08T09:45:00.000-07:00

I highly recommend getting your kids eyes checked by three-years-old. This is what was recommended by our pediatric ophthalmologist. Due to Tate's experience, Logan and Carter have already been checked and will continue to have yearly eye exams. Tate sees his ophthalmologist every six months to check his good eye and his surgeon every year.

This is a link to free vision screening in the Portland, Oregon area.

http://www.oregonlive.com/health/index.ssf/2009/10/post_7.html

Logan's First Day of Preschool

2009-09-07T15:23:00.000-07:00

He is making silly faces in these for some reason. Logan is kind of a mama's boy and has a hard time with the dropping off part. He loves going to school though and does great. He is kind of a brown nose.

Tate's First Day of Kindergarten

2009-09-06T15:19:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast they grow up! Tate loves school..or should I say he loves his friends at school.

He didn't ride the bus for the first few days of school. This was his first time. This was harder than dropping him off at school!

Tate's Soccer Team

2009-09-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

Tate had so much fun with soccer. He is really good. He likes to play goalie...I believe that it gives him more satisfaction to deny the other team a point then to score one him self.

I {heart} David Cook!

2009-09-05T15:07:00.000-07:00

We fell in love with David Cook from American Idol.
Very talented...so, when I found out that he was coming to the Oregon State Fair, we were there!

Silly Pictures in September

2009-09-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Good times with the laundry basket.

What possessed Carter to sit in this pot? Not quite sure, but he could not get out!

That's who has been eating our sunflower seeds!

2009-08-20T21:12:00.000-07:00

Happy First Birthday Carter!

2009-08-13T20:39:00.000-07:00

a.k.a. Chunky Monkey

One of Brad's AMAZING cakes!!

Carter with Aunt Nicole.

Aunt Jannah & Logan pretending to be on a rollercoaster.

Cousins: Sophia, Lilly, Tori and of course Logan.

Tate & Uncle Joe.

Dad presenting Carter his cake. Tate, cousin Sophia and Erica are standing by.

Mmmmm!

The boys helping Carter open presents.

Big Truck Day

2009-08-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

Boy Power!
Brock, Tate, Carter, Logan, & Brad

They had a helicopter. We didn't get to go in but the boys loved watching it take off. Brock couldn't take his eyes off it long enough for the picture.

Can't you feel the testosterone?

Tate

Logan

Brock

Space Needle

2009-08-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

Grant Logan Abby Katie Tate Maddy

Seattle Science Museum

2009-08-09T18:21:00.000-07:00

Yeah, gross, I know! It was one of those Grossology science exhibits.

Tate & LoganTate Grant Logan Maddy & Jeff

How milk is made.

Brad & I

Kathryn & Carter

Abby & Logan

Grant Lori & Maddy
Abby Katie & the Bionic Woman

Tate Brad & Logan

Maddy Jeff & Abby

Logan & Abby in a dinosaur footprint

Grant & Tate...not sure what they are doing.

Sign reads: Please do not feed the giant scorpion.
Logan & I

Carter inside some play area. Loved it!

Grant Tate & Maddy

Such a fun, fun day! Thanks for letting us visit Jeff & Lori!!

We love our Carter Monkey!

2009-08-07T21:00:00.000-07:00

Carter is almost one in these pictures.
Like his brothers, he loves to make noise.

Neighborhood Party 2009

2009-08-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

We have this WONDERFUL neighbor (Tami) that heads up a neighborhood party...this is the third year!

I got a fun idea from our friend Sabrina (who did this with her neighborhood in Utah) of doing a triathlon. We live on the corner of two cul-de-sacs so the course went as follow. Swim through pool, bike around one cul-de-sac, and run around the other cul-de-sac.)

Tate studying the course. Mason and Logan close by.
Logan getting hydrated.
Carter eating ice off the grass...kind of like a grass shot!

More hydration.

The kiddos just itchin' to go. We split them into older and younger groups. Next year...adults have to do it and ride the tricycles!

Ready, Set, GO!

The biking portion.

--THE FINISH LINE--
Our cool neighbor Tami and her son Nobel...providing emotional support and positive reinforcement.
Logan, chillin' after the race.

Autumn/Winter Sign

2009-08-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

This was a craft project that we made in August.
Now I am working on the Spring/Summer one.

Again, idea from Molly's blog.

Richardson Reunion 2009

2009-07-15T20:27:00.000-07:00

We stayed at the campground in Washington called Zion's Camp. It is designed for large groups and families. We stayed in this lodge and had access to so many fun things! I wish we had pictures of it all. They had a ropes obstacle course, baseball field, playgrounds, sand volleyball, an awesome lake and much more.

Campfire one night...Tate and Sophia.
Tate and Grant.

Logan=o)

Here is Carter warming up for our campfire skit.
We were the JORGENSON BROTHERS.

Like Mommy Like Son
Just what the doctor ordered.

Forth of July

2009-07-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

The Forth was a very casual day hanging out with the family.

It was really nice.

Jane Nicole Lori and I

Joe Sleeping..little jealous.

Jannah and Tate.

Jeff Dad and Josh

Logan Cousin Katie Carter

Carter

Logan
Carter Tate Logan in shirts the Grandma Jorgenson sent.
Jannah Grandma Carter
FIREWORKS

Yes, it was only dusk, but we wanted Jeff's kids to see them before they headed back to Washington. They kids loved it.

JORGENSON GRANDKIDS -1

2009-06-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

Max was sleeping and no one wanted to wake him up=)
We had a wonderful vacation having the Jorgenson crew come out our way!

Last day at the beach with the Jorgensons...

2009-06-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Go, Tate, Go!

Cheezin' it up!

Our little model, Logan.

Eating sand, priceless.

I thought I would let him eat sand, and he wouldn't like it and then he would stop. Funny thing though, he likes sand!

My favorite...Tillamook Cheese Factory!!

2009-06-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

Carter loves cheese...oh wait, he loves all food!

Grandpa and Logan!

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

2009-06-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

This particular day was SO windy and miserable.
At the lighthouse you had to be a certain height so I stayed in the car with Logan and Carter. Tate absolutely loved it!

The climb!

Handsome.

The views.

LOOK OUT!! A SHARK!!

2009-06-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

Oregon Coast Aquarium 2009

Oregon Coast Aquarium

2009-06-24T15:01:00.000-07:00

Preparing for a family picture. I love Tate's silly personality. He is so much fun.

Family Picture.

Logan with one of his favorite cousin's Kacee.

Tate with his buddy Caden.

The three boys checking out the sharks below!

Lowest Tide in 500 Years!

2009-06-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

Even though I am not a morning person AT ALL..we got up at six in the morning to see the lowest tide in 500 years. It was amazing! It was a wonderful reminder of all the beautiful things that our Father in Heaven created for us.

This is what I look like at six in the morning=)

Lincoln City~ Reunion Continued

2009-06-22T14:41:00.000-07:00

The view as we walked down to the beach from the beach house we were staying in. Beautiful!

Logan warming up...you know typical day on the Oregon Coast!

Brad and Logan playing in the sand.

And now Tate is warming up!

Jorgenson Reunion~Oregon Coast 2009 Playing at the Park

2009-06-21T14:33:00.000-07:00

We found this amazing park that overlooks Devil's Lake. It was so much fun!

Isn't Brad's butt SO cute!! My husband is hot!!Mmmmm...football. This kid will eat anything!

Cute Pic...

2009-06-20T14:10:00.000-07:00

I love this picture of my boys with my sister Jannah, and my parents. Too cute!

Tweety

2009-06-07T20:29:00.000-07:00

We missed Brock's birthday party but when they came over for dinner the next day, Tweety (who had visited his party the day before) came to visit our house! They LOVED it! Thanks Grandma Judy (Brock's Grandma)!

Father & Sons Campout

2009-06-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

Logan and Tate.Daddy and Logan. Tate played with his buddies most of the time and Logan got all of Daddy's attention...he LOVED it. He always talks about camping with Dad again.

Logan, Tate, Bryce.

Tate, Brad and Logan.

Nickolas, Tate and Bryce. I cant tell who is behind them.

Tate's Last Day of Preschool

2009-05-28T21:49:00.000-07:00

He is so handsome!
Memphis and Alex. Alex is in Tate's Kindergarten class this year.

Tate and Nickolas.

Jacob and Kaden.

Trevor, Tate, Mrs. Wooding, Memphis and Jacob.

This was a VERY emotional day for me for some reason. I kept crying all day long. Maybe it was the reflecting of the year we had made it through...and WE DID...we made it through! I feel so blessed that we didn't lose our little boy. He is doing so great. I am looking forward to this summer and spending lots of time with my family, relaxing and taking every minute of my family's life in.

Hanging Tomato Plants

2009-05-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

This is the arbor that Brad built for me to hang the buckets.
We had some extra brackets from taking a closet out and used those to hang them.
REDUCE REUSE RECYCLE
The buckets are from the bakery.
I wrapped the buckets in black contact paper for two reasons:
1. To cover up the wording
2. Absorb sunlight/warmth as much as possible.
Below is the top of the tomato bucket. In it includes chives, yellow pepper and lettuce.

This is the bottom of the tomato bucket.

Top of the strawberry bucket includes chocolate mint geraniums, peppermint, and lettuce.

The bottom of the strawberry plant. We have already enjoyed a couple of strawberries.

Brad's Birthday

2009-04-27T16:50:00.000-07:00

So...ya, this is my attempt at a cool birthday cake....a guitar made out of cupcakes. The boys helped and had so much fun.

My parents stopped by for some cake and ice cream.

Tate attacking Brad...Tate and Logan decorated the birthday bag. We gave him a new guitar strap.

Josh and Jannah joined the fun.

And Tate wanted to get a group shot. First, he was going to take it and then he decided to be in it.

Homaking Group #2 Memory Candles

2009-04-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

This was the second project that we did. They are "Memory Candle Boxes." They turned out so cute. To order some of your own and other WAY CUTE projects, go to www.storiesbyme.com

The supplies are not only basic, but they send them to you.

It was so fun to see how everyone's turned out.

This is an example of what you can make. Brad's sister made these for us of his parents, and their parents and so on.

Easter Morning

2009-04-13T00:07:00.000-07:00

Slowly trying to get the backyard put together...

2009-04-11T23:51:00.000-07:00

It has been such a long process to getting our backyard put together. We live on the corner of two cul de sacs, but the back of our house faces one. When we moved into our house, our backyard was a hill down into the cul de sac. No fence, no privacy...just our master bedroom sliding glass door looking out over the whole area...or better yet, the whole cul de sac looking in our master bedroom. Brad with a little help built and eight foot retaining wall. Then with no help, he built a fence. THEN, we got grass and a garden. This was a happy day for the kids. The day I longed for was no mud. That day had come thanks to our tax return...this is the start of the process for concrete. The boys LOVED it.

Logan's THIRD Birthday

2009-04-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

Logan LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and all of the old Mickey Mouse shows that Brad has downloaded, so...of course it was a Mickey Mouse Birthday!

The fam.

Brad's AMAZING cake. His first try with fondant.

Cheese!

I love this picture of Grant in the background.

Logan's new hat...he is elated, if you couldn't tell.

Again, the fam.

Our chunky monkey.

OHSU Casey Eye Institute Easter Egg Hunt

2009-03-28T23:56:00.000-07:00

We were invited to the CEI Easter Egg Hunt because Tate is a patient there. They put this on every year for the kids. It was so much fun!

Logan gets a little shy whenever there is a lot of people around.

Tate LOVES all the people.

Brad with Chunky Monkey.

The boys with the Easter Bunny.

They had a bounce house and a petting zoo and all these games.

Being that it is an Eye Center, they had an Easter Egg for the seeing impaired. The eggs actually beeped so that the children who could not see could find the eggs. They invited other children to be blind folded and try it out. Tate was all over that.

Tate had his face painted after he saw another little boy with this. This is actually a really good picture of Tate prosthetic eye...it is obviously the one with out red eye.

My first homemaking group ~ March 27

2009-03-27T23:06:00.000-07:00

Brittany's East Sign...so cute!

Lori's Happy Birthday Sign...did you give it away or keep it??

I made a Happy Birthday Sign for Logan's Birthday which was a Mickey Mouse Party.

Again, this idea was from Molly's blog:
Tuesday's with Molly

Thanks Molly!

Being silly with the boys.

2009-03-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

We have been so happy with how Tate's prosthetic eye has turned out. The color was matched perfectly. I am so amazed at the process. We go in for adjustments and buffing to keep it shiny. As Tate's eye socket grows he will have new eyes made. And, no, your eye does not not grow, just the eye socket.

Another interesting piece of information: you might wonder what one might use on a prosthetic if it is dry. Not eye drops, but oil. The recommend Saffola (oil) from the neighborhood grocery store. We just put a drop on our finger and touch his eye and it works its way in.

Another project complete...

2009-03-20T22:43:00.000-07:00

BEFORE:

AFTER:

My friend Robyn has an amazing site for vinyl lettering.
Check it out:
graffitiCHIC

Largest Sitka Spruce Tree...at least it WAS!

2009-03-19T22:37:00.000-07:00

It snapped in a wind storm in 2007. It is still really cool to see.

My sweet boys.

I love it when my boys get along!

2009-03-18T22:33:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day Sign

2009-03-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

My friend Molly inspired me to start doing more crafts. I started with this...an idea I got from her blog Tuesday's with Molly

It was for St. Patrick's Day and said "Kiss Me"

Flying Eyes

2009-02-11T21:38:00.000-08:00

After Tate had been up to see Kevin and his surgeon and doctor at OHSU he was worn out. His eye was irritating him a lot which caused him to rub it a lot. Once again he woke up and it was turned upside down and looking funky.

Tate's options before we headed off to school were to let me spin it or to take it out and put it back in. He seemed to think that it would hurt to spin, so he wanted to take it out and put it back in. By the way, they draw a small picture on the top of the eye so you know which side is up. I can't tell you what Tate picked, it is a secret, but if you ask him, he just might tell you.

We got the eye out fine and then I had it in (still with the suction thing on it) and Tate went to grab the suction thing to pull it off and there goes Tate's eye flying across the kitchen floor. Wow, never in my wildest dreams would I ever imagine that I would be in that kind of a situation. I stayed calm chasing after a very expensive eye. Tate wasn't very happy with me. We did get in and off to school we went.

The Lab at OHSU & The Pooping Moose

2009-02-10T21:29:00.000-08:00

Tate and Logan got a treat from a pooping moose. You can see the moose in the picture below off to the right. It poops out M&Ms. The boys LOVED it!

This is Logan and Tate with the lady that works at the lab. Tate wanted to visit the lab to see where his eye went.

When we first found out about Tate losing his eye, they gave us a book to read to him. After we finished the book, we asked him if we should remove his sick eye. He responded by saying, "if the doctor thinks so." After he had a couple of days to think about it, he would come up with more questions for us. He asked if we got to take his eye home. No, I told him, it goes to the lab where they test it to see what kind of sickness you have. We were lucky enough to go visit the lab.

Prosthetic Eye Making

2009-02-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

First Tate had to take out his eye to make a mold out of the eye socket. He is holding his temporary eye. They used a suction thing to pull it out.

Kevin, our ocularist, first made molds out of the inside of our hands. Then he made one out of Tate's eye socket. This felt weird and Tate wasn't too happy about it but it was better than putting him to sleep to have it done. It is like getting a mold made of your teeth.
Once the mold was made, we came back that afternoon to have Kevin match the eye color. We then came back the next day to pick up his new eye. The color matches perfectly and it brought tears to my eyes to see Tate and he was so excited too! We have been back twice already to have adjustments. It is quite the process.

Logan's take on Tate's Eye...

2009-02-02T21:06:00.000-08:00

You often wonder what might be going on it a 2&1/2 year old's head. After Sunday and not being able to get Tate's eye turned, we really wanted to get it turned before he went to school. As we were trying to talk him into letting us do it, Logan came up to me. He likes to play this game where he pretends to go to work and rides off on his little car and then he pretend to come home. So, Logan comes up to me and says, "Bye Mom! I'm going to the doctor." I said, "Okay honey. See you later." As he is walking to his little car, he says, "I'm going to get my EAR turned."

The Evil Eye

2009-02-01T20:59:00.000-08:00

To some, okay to most,this might be news, but a prosthetic eye has a right side up. Well, Tate's got spun in the wrong direction and it looked freaky! So, we tried to fix it but we didn't know what to do! This is all new to us! So, it was before church and I told Tate that he needed to let me fix it or people at church might think that it looked funny. He still didn't want me to fix it so I left it alone. Right before we walked out the door, he decided that he wanted his eye patch. I was cool with that and off we went. People looked and asked Tate questions but he just resonded that he didn't want to talk about it. Then came Sunday School...well, apparently somebody interupted Tate and that made him mad. Tate proceeds to tell this boy NOT to interupt and then he finishes his statement by pulling up his eye patch and sticking his eye right in the boy's face. Sure showed him...gave him the evil eye!

Yw Board Reunion Seaside 2009

2009-01-29T20:19:00.000-08:00

Sign reads: Too much of a good thing is wonderful.

Stephanie, Latessa and I

The yummy chicken taco cheesecake I made. It was SO good.

Carter's New Buddy

2009-01-10T22:57:00.000-08:00

Carter James MEETS Porter James Podpah for the first time. They are buddies instantly!

Mom takes Tate's Stitch Out!

2009-01-06T22:13:00.000-08:00

So, it is Monday and Tate goes back to school on Tuesday. His stitch is STILL not out and so of course I make a call to his surgeon. He tells me that the stitch is probably mush now and if I just pry open his eye it should come right open. So...here we go...Dr. Mom. I sat Tate on the toilet seat with my compact mirror. I used my tweezers and grabbed the knot at the top of the stitch. First Tate wanted me to do the other eye first so he could see what it felt like. He was ready. I got a hold of the stitch and a quick pull and it was out. Tate flinched and that was it. He looked at his eye and then RAN to show Logan his new eye. He loved that it looked real. I was really sad because I thought that this would match better. Tate looked in the mirror and asked why they were different colors and I just explained that this one is temporary until his eye finishes healing and then he will get a prosthetic to match better.

This eye is called a "conformer" or "space saver." This was put in to hold a space while everything healed up. It is like a big contact lens. They used to put in this clear "contact lens" that was a lot less pretty and then most kids would wear and eye patch. Tate will have a prosthetic made in about 5 more weeks.

I went to school today with Tate and the kids did not seem to notice. A few of them kind of would stare at Tate and I could just see their little brains thinking...something about him is different, but I can't quite figure it out. When he wears his glasses it is even less noticable. I was pretty upset that it didn't match more. My mom came over to check it out and she said that it was a really pretty eye, it just didn't match. She cracks me up.

Crusin' Carter

2008-12-28T22:08:00.000-08:00

This is our Chunky Monkey! He is so sweet!
Thanks Aunt Nicole and Uncle Joe for my cool car!
Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for my cute red outfit to match!

Christmas Morning

2008-12-25T20:38:00.000-08:00

Carter's First Christmas.

Brad made the boys a kitchen and Logan got some food and was SO excited. Thank you Fellers!

This was one of Tate's favorite presents (from Carter)...it is a six foot long race track. It is so much fun! And yes, Tate's eye is STILL sewed shut.

I so enjoyed this Christmas more than I normally do. I loved just sitting back and watching my boys, so thankful that I have all of them and that they are healthy.

I think this is the only picture I managed to snap of Brad. He is such a camera hog!

Snow Day #2

2008-12-21T15:30:00.000-08:00

That was in the middle of our cul de sac. Our neighbor plows a huge mountain in the middle that lasts forever. The kids love it. Church was once again canceled. The snow really didn't stop all week.

School was canceled all week. Tate was ready to play! Eye was still sewed shut but he didn't seem to mind.

Eye Patch Off and GOOD NEWS!

2008-12-19T15:15:00.000-08:00

Last night was a rough night for us. Tate was going in to see his surgeon and he would take his bandage off, if it had not fallen off already. We thought that it would be better to do it the night before. Tate was really upset. I think it was comforting to have that on. After meeting with the surgeon (everything looked great), we ran into Tate's doctor. He had just received a call from pathology telling him that Tate did not have retinoblastoma...it confirmed that he had Coats Disease. We could not have asked for better news!! I guess Tate's eye was in such bad shape that he was really surprised that it had not started causing him pain. Tate does still have a stich in his eye that should disolve soon.

Fun, Messy Activity

2008-12-16T15:09:00.000-08:00

Because we had so much snow outside, we decided to play with "snow" inside. We used shaving cream on cookie trays and drove all of our trucks through it. I know that this was messy, but SO much fun. Clean up was actual pretty easy.

Snow Day & Freezing Eyes...

2008-12-14T13:48:00.000-08:00

Church was cancelled because of snow and Logan could not wait to get outside. This was only three days after Tate's surgery and he didn't want to try and go outside because he thought his eye would freeze.
So we set him up downstairs in our master bedroom next to the sliding glass door.

Logan was freezing...it was so windy.

Brad made Tate a snowball...

Then he wrote his name in the snow. I had to turn the camera sideways to get it.

Brad again made Tate a snowball and of course Tate threw it at him.

Tate's MRI and Surgery

2008-12-11T22:12:00.000-08:00

Tate's MRI. He did great as usual. He is amazing with the doctors and nurses. Tate was pretty excited about getting pictures of his eyes and brain. He thought that it was really cool. They first put a numbing solution on the tops of his hands and wrapped them. This is so they can insert the IV in there without him freaking out. He once again had a cocktail and off to sleep he went. The MRI took about two hours. Brad and I ate a nice meal (they have good food at OHSU) and then sat with Tate as he woke up.

December 10th.
We received great news today that his optic nerves look great which means, if it is cancer, it has not moved into the brain. They confirmed that there was a build up of calcium which often means cancer but they will not know for sure until pathology comes back.

December 11th
This was one of the hardest days I have ever experienced. I did fine before his surgery but having him wake up and be in so much pain was horrible. I could barely hold it together as Brad sang to him to try and calm him down. His doctor came in and asked him how he was doing and he gave him the thumbs up. He has such a good attitude.

In the next few days, it was really hard as well. The pain meds hurt Tate's stomach so he was throwing up all the time...or at least trying. Once we got that under control he seemed to be doing fine. He actually liked visitors. I thought that he would be shy, but once he realized he had a patch on and people couldn't see his eye, he was okay with it. Under the patch, his eye was sewed shut and for 2 or 3 days he wouldn't open his other eye. I don't blame him though! Everyday got a little better. Brad's mother had come out for the baby blessing and ended up staying an extra week to help out. We could not have made it through without her! I cried when she left overwhelmed with what would lie ahead.

Carter's Baby Blessing

2008-12-07T21:56:00.000-08:00

Just getting Carter ready for his big day!

Family picture...I love my boys! And yes, I know Brad looks stoned but he looked that way in all of the pictures. This was the best one.

Our sweet baby!

More bad news...Tate's Eye Exam #3

2008-12-02T22:10:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let you know how today went. In the last three months Tate's eye has gotten a lot worse. There are a lot of calcium deposits which could be from retinoblastoma (cancer). Tate will be having a MRI on Tuesday (it was on the 15th but they have moved it up) to look for any tumors and to take a better look at his optic nerves to make sure they are the same. No matter the findings, Tate will have surgery. The retina is damaged beyond repair and it will soon start to cause him pain because of the excess fluid in there. Tate has no idea yet and has recovered today better than the two times before. I have a lot of hope and I know that our Heavenly Father will not give us more than we can handle or that Tate can handle. We love you and appreciate all your love and support.

Tate's Transformer Power Ranger Party

2008-11-22T23:00:00.000-08:00

Things NOT to do at a five-year-old's birthday party...have a scavenger hunt for the "ALL SPARK." Why?? Because, everyone wants to find the next clue, everyone wants a turn, and feelings get hurt and then the crying starts! Won't repeat that one! (Picture of the All Spark below...which contained the goodie bags.)

Things TO DO at a five-year-old's birthday party...have Dad make the coolest Transformer cake ever! We have nicknamed Brad Martha Stewart=) Oh, another side note...buy enough "wheels" (ding dongs) for all the kids to have.
Another great thing to do...PLAY SPIN THE BOTTLE...no really!! We had all the kids sit in a circle, holding their own present, and Tate spun. Kids loved holding their presents and giving them to Tate and no one crowded in. Great game!!

One last thing that we did that was a success, we made mini pizzas...bagel pizzas that is. We let the kids make their own. It was so cute and they were excited to eat their own creations.

Happy Birthday Tate!

2008-11-20T22:54:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that my baby is five! This is his school picture from preschool.

Family Pictures

2008-11-15T21:53:00.000-08:00

We had family pictures taken. We love how they turned out and wanted to share them with you. You can look at her blog to see a few or you can go to her website (the link is on the blog) and see all of them. Enjoy!

http://www.jennipricephotography.blogspot.com/

Dad's Slumber Par-tay!

2008-11-14T22:52:00.000-08:00

Brad made a deal with boys that if they earned so many stickers by doing chores and such, that they could have a slumber party upstairs on the blow up mattress. They had a blast!

Happy Seven Years Brad!

2008-11-10T21:30:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that it has been seven years. I wouldn't change a thing!

Tate took this picture of us...he thought it was so funny that I would jump on Daddy's back.

And just for a trip down memory lane...plus I really like using my scanner (it's for work so it isn't perfect for pictures, but it's still fun)

Brad, you amaze me. You are my greatest support and strength. I love you.

Tate's Camera Obsession

2008-11-01T22:45:00.000-07:00

You'll have to tell me if you kids do the same thing, but Tate wants to capture everything he does. It started out with him always asking me, "Mom, can you remember this?" This would be every time he moved his Power Ranger into a different position. Now he wants to take a picture of everything. Below are some that he has taken. I guess he just doesn't want to forget anything!

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

2008-10-31T01:36:00.000-07:00

I found it ironic that my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in breast cancer awareness month. She had a mastectomy on Halloween and is doing great! Her margins were clear and she will not have to do chemo or radiation. We feel so blessed. My Dad was also diagnosed this summer with lymphoma. His was caught very early and after only one treatment, they have shrunk significantly. They are so amazing and I feel so lucky to have them in my life. They truly inspire me. My Dad has a blog about his journey. He has some fun stories and a great outlook on life.

Carving Pumpkins

2008-10-27T01:32:00.000-07:00

Random Halloween Pics

2008-10-25T01:20:00.000-07:00

The boys are making "bugs" for our Family Halloween Party. Mound candy bars were the body. We used chocolate frosting to put on any kind of small candy (nerds, etc.) and then pretzels for the legs. It was so messy, but so much fun. I don't think anyone ate any either!

And here is Batman and Robin...thanks Aunt Jannah for getting our costumes for us! As Tate would say, "They are totally awesome!"
This picture makes me laugh because, with Tate's disease and no vision in his left eye, he really only has to make sure the mask is center over his right eye.

Here is everyone that dressed up for the party. My mom crack me up! Nicole in the pink was an over worked, under appreciated mom...she has a bottle of NyQuil in her pocket.

My brother Joe always makes the Root beer....made a little too much.

Tate Preschool Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-16T01:14:00.000-07:00

This day was supposed to be a family outing and then Logan woke up with the stomach flu. So sad! Brad got some cute pics of Tate.

Tate with some of his favorite buddies from school.

My Grandma and Grandpa

2008-10-04T21:11:00.000-07:00

Before we left Utah, we stopped by and saw my grandparents who are in Logan.

This is my Mom's Mom. I had never seen her with white hair because she always dyed it. I think she looks so cute. Her memory is kind of going so she really had no idea who I was, but it was still so fun to see her. She said she remembered Brad though (okay, whatever!) and she said that he is just as handsome as ever.

I put this picture on because that is a classic Grandma Coy face! So, my Mom was telling me that she has a boyfriend now and he is always over. So cute!
And this is my Dad's Dad. He absolutely loves children. He was thrilled to hold Carter. He is so with it too! He was asking me specific questions about Tate and Logan and Carter.

Here is another picture of us. That is his beautiful wife Glenna. She is so spirited and we are so happy that they found each other.

Some of my fondest memories of Grandpa (besides the house at Bear Lake) are going over to his house in Beaver Dam and having Thanksgiving Dinner or Christmas Day Dinner. He is a great cook.

The Alpine Loop

2008-10-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

I love having boys! I know some people might frown upon this, but I love it! When you gotta go, you gotta go!

It was such a nice drive! Carter is sleeping away in the car.
Tate and Logan with Grandma and Grandpa.

More Utah pictures...Witches!

2008-10-02T20:49:00.000-07:00

I can't remember what the place is called, but it was this cute little shopping village and they have witches everywhere for Halloween. You can even get a free cookie if you find them all!

Here is Grandma with Logan and Tate.

Check out the witch in the background. Can't you just hear the music from the Wizard of Oz?!

Here's Tate with his cousins Christian and Caden.

Can you tell that tell has to go pee?! I swear it is SO impossible to get that boy to go to the bathroom!
And here is another pic with the cousins.

The Reception

2008-09-30T15:41:00.000-07:00

Tate loves his "Utah Cousins." Jace, Zack and Tate.

The Jorgenson name lives on.
The bride and groom with most of the Jorgenson grand kids.
Zack, Samara, Keith, Amber, Carter, Ensley, Jace, Kacee
Christian, Tate, Caden, Logan, Sammy
Me with my adorable boys.

Couldn't be happier!

So...Brad has been wanting to lose some weight and he finally did. He looks great and more importantly he feels great. He loved the program so much that he is now a "health coach" and helping people with the program as well. I was really skeptical at first but I have seen such a change in him and others around me that have done the program, that I am a believer. I put the link to his web site "High School Body."

Salt Lake Temple

2008-09-30T15:31:00.000-07:00

Just waiting for the bride and groom...I think my husband is pretty hot!

Carter and Uncle Kirk.
And Mr. and Mrs. Keith Louw

Amber was the most beautiful bride...such a good looking couple. Congratulations you two!!

Playing with Grandpa Jorgenson

2008-09-29T12:09:00.000-07:00

We went to Utah for Brad's sister's wedding. The boys loved playing with Grandpa in the sandbox.

And Carter...6 Weeks Old...just inside snoozing away.

A Lazy Sunday

2008-09-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

Brad made a really big fort for Tate, as you can see. It kept him very busy...busy enough that mom and dad could take a nap. Tate decided to take some pictures of his awesome fort while we could not protest him using the camera. The following pictures were all taken by Tate.

Beaverton Parade

2008-09-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

Judy, Brock, Kasi, Logan, Me, & Tate

Tate's hair would not go down after the mohawks from the night before. Tate also had to bring this Christmas canister to collect all the candy.

Rocker Dudes

2008-09-12T16:07:00.000-07:00

Brad had fun with the boys hair after their baths.

First Day of School

2008-09-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

My camera is lame, but so is my photography. We were in a hurry to get out the door, I didn't really check to see if I got a good picture. I kind of didn't care though either because his eyes were still dilated from his exam two days earlier and his left eye wonders when they are dilated. Tate had a hard first day. He was really embarrassed to wear his glasses. He was painfully shy and it took him a long time to warm up to the other kids. It was really sad to me because he is SO not shy, but he is doing great now.

The Three Amigos

2008-09-03T15:51:00.000-07:00

MY BOYS

The boys are right outside my bathroom door but still with a view to the TV. I couldn't get out of the bathroom without stepping over them. The joys of trying to get ready with kids. Carter is about three to four weeks old here. I think the hardest part with adding that third is really having no time to yourself. The are so much fun though.

Tate's Eye Exam #2

2008-09-02T14:32:00.000-07:00

We had Tate's second eye exam on September 2ND. He did wonderfully as usual. They start out by putting eye drops in his eyes to get them to dilate. They put three in each eye. This is Tate's least favorite part. He hates it! Then they give him what we like to call a cocktail. Tate is hilarious after he drinks this. Brad was asking him how many fingers he was holding up. Tate responded with two. Then he proceeds to repeat the word two very slowly moving his lips all funny. I have to say the hardest part for me, which never gets easy, is when they wheel Tate away to the OR. He seems totally fine with it because of his "cocktail" but it is really hard on me.

Then we wait. Our doctor, Dr. Stout, is awesome! I feel blessed to have such a great doctor and to be so close to him. Some of his patients come from Washington, Northern California, Idaho and further. He deals with all of the Coats Disease and Retinoblastoma patients in these areas.

They checked once again for Retinoblastoma but our doctor is comfortable that Tate only has Coats Disease. Yeah! I was a little shocked that they still were checking because they had not found any tumors before. He said that tumors do not always manifest themselves as solid masses.

Our GOOD NEWS...Tate's eye has responded to the first treatment which means that they have stopped some leakage. There is still more though so they did another laser therapy treatment. Tate will have another eye exam under anesthesia on December 2ND.

If you have looked at the website on Coats Disease, you will notice that there are five stages of Coats Disease. We asked Dr. Stout what stage Tate's eye is in. He explained that it is really hard to say. We do know that Tate has a very advanced case but while some parts of his eye could be in one stage, other parts could be in another stage. He is confident is saying that we are not headed in the direction that Tate would lose his eye. We are very thankful for this. If you want to know more about Tate's journey to this point, you can click on the label entitled "Coats Disease."

"Carter James Jorgenson" is here

2008-08-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

Carter was born on 8/13/2008. He was 8 lbs 14 oz , 20 in long and 2 weeks early!

And she just gave birth! Wow she is hot!

The three amigos and mom

Proud big brother! Tate always wants to hold Carter and help as much as he can.

Logan and Little C

Made it home. 4 days old!

Family Reunion at Bullwinkles

2008-08-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

I missed out on the mini reunion because I was home trying to keep from having our baby prematurely.

Here are some of the cousins that were there.

Grandma and Logee bear.
Tate and Dad.
Grandpa holding up Tate.
Cheese!

Bumper Boats at Bullwinkles

2008-08-09T14:05:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and Logan.

Michael is in front, you have Tate and Brad to the right and Grandpa and Logan to the left. They were the first ones on the bumper boats when they first opened so they got to stay on for a long time.
Tate and Dad.
I love this picture!! Ted's face is classic. Tate wanted to go on the bumper boats again and Brad was soaking wet from the first time so Ted volunteered.
Logan (Ted's son) is in the blue and Tate and Ted are behind.

Race Cars at Bulwinkles

2008-08-09T14:00:00.000-07:00

Joe and Tori who is fkipping her hair in the wind.

Nicole and Tate. Jeff and Grant.
Grandpa and Logan.

Prego Pics

2008-08-01T15:03:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine took some prego pics and a preview of them is on her website. She was going to do our family pictures but then had to move!! So, if you are in Idaho...she does amazing work. Her link is http://nfocusphotography.blogspot.com
You'll have to look under the month of August or under the label maternity for our pictures.

Ice Cream & Chicken Little Glasses

2008-07-20T13:23:00.000-07:00

Tate is embarrassed of his new glasses so we had to be tricky to take a picture. He picked out green glasses to be like Chicken Little. I have to say he looks pretty handsome. It has been somewhat of a struggle to get him to wear them because they don't help him see better, they are just to protect his right eye. When he wore them to his cousins for the first time, his cousin Sophia asked what happened to his eye. Tate calmly stated, "nothing, it is just blind."

Logan and Mommy.
Logan being a cheese ball and I love Tate making faces in the background!
The next morning they say the camera and wanted me to take more pictures. Tate thought his powdered sugar mustache was pretty funny.
And, again, another cheese ball picture.

Great Wolf Lodge

2008-07-11T11:30:00.000-07:00

Brad and I decided to take the kids to The Great Wolf Lodge. It is a hotel with an indoor water park located in Washington. This was to be our last vacation before the baby. This is Tate and Logan pooped after being at the water park all night.

We were waiting for the pizza to be delivered.
This is the boys with Wiley.
Tate wanted to sleep on the couch by himself. Logan was in the portacrib, so Brad and I each got our own bed.
We took a ton of more pictures with an underwater camera. I need to go get those developed. It's been so long since I've done that.

The Search for Glasses

2008-07-07T11:19:00.000-07:00

It was recommended that we get glasses for Tate to protect his "good eye." With no eye sight in his left eye, we have a lot more stress trying to keep the right eye protected. The lenses do not have a prescription in them.

Tate took this picture of himself.
These are his sports goggles. He loves them and couldn't wait to wear them to t-ball.
When Tate was trying on glasses, after a few, he came up to me and said, "Mom, I can't see out of this eye still." That broke my heart. It had never occurred to me that he thought that he would be able to see again. After that, all he wanted to do was go home. We wanted to make this fun for him and we wanted him to have good experiences at OHSU and the CEI so we went on the tram. The tram takes you from the hospital, which is up on a hill, to parking down below. This was the view from the tram station at the top.
Here we are riding the tram. We could see The Old Spaghetti Factory from the tram so we decided to eat there for dinner. It ended up being a really fun night for us.

Fourth of July-Uncle Kirk visits!

2008-07-04T20:39:00.000-07:00

The boys and I made hats. They of course wanted to sport them over at Grandma's and Grandpa's house.

Here is Tate being a cheese ball.
The joys of everyone wanting to light the fireworks. You have Jeff and his kids...Abby, Katie, Maddy, and Grant and then Josh and Tate. Jeff and Josh did a great job with what we had to work with. We didn't buy fireworks until the day of and the selection wasn't that great.
Kirk, Brad and Tate.
Grandma and Logan.

Signs of Coats Disease

2008-07-02T20:21:00.000-07:00

Tate has probably had Coats Disease since he was two and a half. We could find pictures back that far with the "amber colored eye." It is not that we never noticed, we just thought that the light caught his eye funny. Had we known, we would have taken him in a lot sooner. This discoloration is also a indicator of Retinoblastoma. I have put links to this type of cancer to the left as well. There is a link to a story about it that was on the Today Show. Again, we are so thankful and feel very blessed that Tate was not diagnosed with that, but we feel like if we could help even one person diagnose either of this eye disorders it is worth it. Here are some pictures of Tate. It amazes me that he has adapted to not having eye sight in his left eye.

2 Years 6 Months

2 Years 7 Months

3 Years 4 Months

3 Years 8 Months

Eye Exam #1

2008-07-01T13:41:00.000-07:00

Tate before his exam under anesthesia.

After we brought his home, he slept for about two hours and then he was in pretty good spirits. His eyes were still dilated but he was okay to watch TV from across the room.
They gave him that elk at the hospital. It's name is Casey but Tate renamed him Patchy because of the patch. He also received a hand tied quilt (wonder which Stake made that!)
Tate was diagnosed with Coat's Disease today. They started treatment today with laser and cryotherapy (freezing). This is all done with out putting anything in Tate's eye. You can read more about it on the link to the left.

T-Ball

2008-06-19T14:59:00.000-07:00

Tate's first t-ball experience. They do a half hour of practice and a half hour game.

Tate thought it would be cute to pose for the camera. You might ask how they choose teams...well, we had a parent meeting where we could sign up for one of four teams. They had two girl coaches and two guy coaches. I thought Tate would respond better to a guy, so then the choice was the red shirt or the green shirt. I think Tate looks better in red and that's how we did it!
Tate up to bat...
Tate running like the wind...
And we are pooped!
Tate was hilarious. He is kind of a class clown. They were practicing running around some cones (bases) and Tate thought it would be funny to kick over every single cone. Then when he felt tired during the game, he would just sit down.