The Bergeson Family Blog

Raegan Rockstar

2010-03-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post a link to what Raegan's nights are like just before she goes to bed. This was about 9 pm. I wish I could figure out how to post a video on this blog, but that's Blake's department. Not only that, the video is on his phone. . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqpSieamIEM

I wonder where she gets her energy from. . .

a must read

2010-03-29T06:58:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone--
So, I took a four month break from blogging. Just lazy, I guess.
I saw this on my friend's blog and had to share it. It is SO TRUE! I have lived this--I can't tell you how many parents drive cars to Creighton School nicer than mine and then their kiddos eat for free. Explain that one to me.
Here's the "letter":

Dear Mr. President:

During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.

While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one costly pack of cigarettes every day and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer.

And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture", a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me".

Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.

Respectfully,

STARNER JONES, MD

Do I hear an AMEN?

OK--no clue who this guy is, but does it really matter? REALLY PEOPLE. Why should I pay for your health care if you don't care for your health? "Not gonna do it--wouldn't be prudent".

Thanks for the letter, diaper diva!

Bergeson Family Fotos

2009-12-13T14:54:00.001-08:00

Here are our family pictures for this year. . .

Thanks, Jamie! We love them!
You can see more of Jamie's work at accidentallycreative.blogspot.com.

Polar Express Trip 2009

2009-12-10T09:54:00.000-08:00

THE POLAR EXPRESS

This year we decided we would give the Polar Express a try. We headed to Flagstaff with the Hill Family.

What, no Raegan? She refused to have her picture taken. Just a little glimpse into what the trip was like (and we'll just leave it at that).

Here are the Hill's. Happy and ready to ride the train.

Jonathan was all bundled up and ready for the cold. And COLD it was. There was a LOT of snow. We went sledding the next day.

So happy to be on the Polar Express!

Daddy and Jonathan

Singing Christmas carols. Oh, wait. Maybe she's saying, "Noooooooooo! Don't take my picture!"

Yummy chocolate chips cookies were passed out on our way to the North Pole

as well as some hot, hot, hot, hot chocolate.

Guess who boarded the train at the North Pole? Boy did her attitude change when she saw him!

Santa gave each of the kiddos a bell.

Jonathan LOVED his.

And, of course, Raegan did, too. :)

Hangin' out at the Little America. What a beautiful place! They had beautiful lights all over in the trees. We wished we had spent more time around the hotel area.

"Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me as it does for all who truly believe."

Do you believe?

My 40th Birthday--The Best One So Far

2009-11-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

What a fabulous day! It couldn't have been better!

I started off the day by picking up my niece and nephew (Macey and Nicholas) and headed to Krispy Kreme donuts with my beautiful daughter for my free dozen. YUM. (Out of the 12, I think I had 5.) Macey presented me with a beautiful portrait and Nicholas a necklace with a poem "To Jennifer. You shin more then the moon. I love you Deaer Jennifer I really do!" OK, so if that didn't make my WHOLE day! I cry every time I read it. What sweet children.

For lunch, I headed to Bertha's Cafe (my favorite place for lunch) and ate with my mom, my three sisters, Jane and Sonja. I had an asparagus and havarti panini with chicken and a roasted red pepper and goat cheese salad. Everything there is fresh and homemade. It is DELICIOUS!

After that, we headed back to get ready for the BIG BASH. So many people came to help me celebrate. I felt so loved! I especially appreciated those who came long distances just for my big day. Thank you Heather, Jane and Dana! I have such amazing friends. I am so blessed!

Friday night Blake came home with five bouquets of flowers. Sonja combined them into two vases for a beautiful splash of color. I LOVE flowers, and Blake knows that. :) I am so spoiled!

Getting all of the food ready--that was my mom's department. She is definitely the hostess with the mostest. And, as you will see in the pictures that follow, she can get down with the best of them. There was a TON of food--all of it fabulous. My mom knows how to throw a good party! (My wedding reception was KILLER thanks to her--of course, I deserved it. :)

Julie, Ryan and I
So hard to believe I'm forty!

We had fun things to do-Rock Band, ping pong, pool, air hockey and a home theater.
Here is Dana (the most yellow person I know) rockin' out.

So sad Jonathan and Raegan couldn't stay for the party. Wait--who was sad? Not me! :) Blake took the kids home (THANK YOU) and put Jonathan to bed while I warmed up my moves.

Ready to GET DOWN

Did I say I just wanted to dance for my birthday? Yep. And that's what I did for two and a half hours. I LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

This is the second time in my life I have seen my father dance. The first time was at my wedding reception.

John and Sonja are pro's.

Alisha and Julie. Julie only danced to one song--that would be ABBA's "Dancing Queen." She just couldn't resist it.

Here's Jane, my BFF from high school, my Duran Duran buddie and eternal friend. She flew down from Utah just to help me celebrate and danced with me the whole night. Jane--we look FABULOUS for forty an' we still got it! LOVE YOU!

Here's d.j. Tim. He did a WONDERFUL job (in spite of the various power outages throughout the evening--at least it gave me time to rest). If you need a great d.j., just let me know. Worth every penny!

One of my "fab four" friends, Sheila, and I. All four of them were there, but we did not get a picture of us all together--darn it.

April, Ryan and Ayden

Not sure what Blake did on these few pictures, but they sure look cool. . .

Dana and Amy's duet. Jane, Serena (another of the "fab four") and I on background vocals. If I'm not mistaken, we were singing to Bon Jovi's "Livin on a Prayer."

No doubt this was a Duran Duran number. (Jane and I singing every word and no one else really caring. . .)

Blake and I dancing. It kinda looks like I'm shouting at him. . . Hopefully I'm just singing here. :)

This is a great shot of my sweaty head. I got up the next morning and got on the scale. I had lost two pounds! Of course, it was all sweat, and after drinking some water, I gained those two pounds back. Blake tells me he made a fool of himself dancing, but he was the only one who thought so. I think he looks DARLING. Like I always say, he is a perfect husband. And I mean it!

And here is my almost 70 year old mother boogieing with the best of 'em. And people wonder where I get all of my energy from. . .

Jen and Larry. You are BOMB, Larry! Love you!

All the single ladies
All the single ladies
All the single ladies
All the single ladies
Now put your hands up!
(OK, so I'm not single, and neither is Renee, but Dana and Julie are. And aren't they beautiful? What's wrong with all the men out there?!!)

A little salsa with my Creighton friends. Let me just interject here with this: I have the BEST co-workers EVER. Honestly. They have been so supportive of me and my family for the last fourteen years. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't know what I will do when I am no longer a part of the Creighton Family. Hopefully that won't happen for awhile.

And speaking of the BEST, here is my best friend, Heather, dancing with my sister Julie. I couldn't ask for a better friend or a better sister!

Spencer and Alisha

Cori and Daniel

Jane and I trying to find the perfect Duran Duran song to karaoke to. We finally found "Planet Earth." It was actually a video, and neither Jane nor I had ever seen it. (I found that VERY hard to believe.) We were so distracted that we didn't do such a good job on the song. But we sure had fun singing. Speaking of singing, Karen and Ashlee also did a great karaoke number "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." No one could believe that those two had it in 'em. They did AWESOME and I loved every minute of it. What a great birthday gift to me!

Now--here is proof that I can actually dance with teenagers. These are two of my laurels (well, ex-laurels), Ashlee and Cali. They were impressed that a 40 year-old could keep up with them. That's right. And don't you forget it.

Looks like those girls needed a rest. But not me! :)

And last, but not least, Spencer's "one move."

Thanks to everyone for making what could have been a terrible day, my best birthday so far! And I appreciate all of the donations made to the homeless shelter. I took them all to Paz de Cristo, and they were delighted. I love you, my friends. And, most especially, I love you, my dear family!
Now on to at least 40 more fabulous years!

Preschool

2009-10-28T10:12:00.000-07:00

This year a group of my friends and I have a pre/play school every Wednesday. There are seven of us, so I teach every seven weeks. Raegan loves it. I thought I would include a daily schedule just to give an idea of what goes on in a typical day:

Today we studied the letter H:
We did calendar activities and read some H words.
Then we sang some H songs (If You're Happy and You Know It; Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes; He's Got the Whole World in His Hands)
We played a memory game with H words.
We drew some hair on a smiley guy.
We played the "Who Wears This Hat" guessing game.
We played an H matching game.
We played with hula hoops.
We made Halloween bats out of our hands while we did centers (legos, puzzles, blocks).
We decorated and ate some Halloween cookies.
We read some H books.
We made some Halloween pumpkins.

Here are just a few pictures:

This is the matching game--we matched hats to the people who wear them. And speaking of hats, the next few pictures are from the "Who Wears This Hat?" activity.

a soldier

a firefighter

a safari leader

a cowboy

a magician

a king

We had such a good time!

Bergeson Family Halloween Party

2009-10-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

After the Gustafson Family Halloween Extravaganza, we had another party. Boy, do we love to party!

Outside on the swings waiting for a scrumptious dinner of

chili in bread bowls (Basha's makes really good ones, I found out--thanks, Shay)

and of course, our witch's brew--always a hit at Halloween.

I thought the chili was pretty good, if I do say so myself. I seem to be able to have a talent for finding good recipes from talented people--like Sonja. :)

Grandma and Grandpa Bergeson (aka GiGi and Grandma Linda)

Aunt Meagan brought cupcakes to decorate. There were rats, eyeballs, skeletons and other repulsive things to add to the cupcakes. I stayed away. . . This is Dane getting working on his.

Creating masterpieces.

Aunt Meagan and Drew

Cousin Britta

Johnny Boy

Baby Lindsey

Gustafson Halloween Family Home Evening

2009-10-26T09:24:00.000-07:00

Monday night we spent at the Gustafson's for a fabulous family home evening.

We started off the night with a bean bag toss.

Then we had a delicious dinner--Papa Murphy's pizza and homemade root beer. Yum!

After that we painted pumpkins.

Raegan painted such a cute face on her pumpkin (as can be seen here) but then covered it all up with black paint.

We had a special guest that evening

who read some spooky stories. Thanks, Aunt Julie! After the spooky stories we played "Don't Eat Pete."

We decorated cupcakes

so we could have a cake walk.

YUM!

Our Week in California and Raegan's First Trip to Disneyland

2009-10-25T16:52:00.000-07:00

Wow! A long time has passed since I have posted. I'm going to do my best to catch up. This particular post is going to have MANY pictures in it. Blake is going to print out a blog book for me as my Christmas gift, so I want to have as many pictures in there as I can (then I won't have to scrapbook as many :).

What an AMAZING time we had in California with Meagan and Mark and their family (Blake's sister)! We left on Blake's birthday, October 2nd. We spent most of the day driving (in our fabulous van that we LOVE--SO glad we got it). We stayed at the Marriott Villas at Newport Beach. Meagan and Mark have a time share in Maui (which has excellent trading power), and they were gracious enough to let us stay there with them. It was beautiful! The weather was in the 70's every day and there was sunshine aplenty--a wonderful break from the heat.
On Saturday Meagan and I went to the swap meet in Costa Mesa--AWESOME DEALS. My buy of the year is my $1 jewelry. One dollar for a necklace and earrings. Needless to say I stocked up. We stopped to get something to eat on the way home, and I had the best carne asada taco I have ever had in a restaurant. Yummy! I think we went back to that restaurant three times while we were there. We got home from the swap meet about 3 (honestly, I could have spent two full days there), and Mark and Blake left for Magic Mountain. They drove two hours, stayed until midnight getting their fixes of roller coasters (so hopefull they wouldn't want to ride any at Disneyland) and were home by two or two thirty am. The kids spent time at the beach (why don't husbands remember to put sunscreen on children?) and doing activities at the resort. Blake came home from the beach with a bruise all along his forearm. "How did he get it?" you may ask. Well, he was walking along wet rocks on the beach with Jonathan in the Baby Bjorn and FELL. He "sacrificed his arm" to save Jonathan. When I heard about that stunt, he was lucky the only thing he ended up with was just a bruised arm, because I wanted to strangle him (remember the fact that both of my kids were also bright red, they were sunburned so badly?). It was a good thing he left for Magic Mountain so I had some time to cool off. :)
The next day, Sunday, we tried, but failed to listen to Conference. You would think that at a Marriott in California, you would find Conference on the television. Nope. And the volume on the computer did not go up high enough to drown out kid noise, so no Conference for us. So sad! For dinner that night, we went to Meagan’s friend’s house (her name is Jennifer, too). The kids played, we ate a FABULOUS dinner and made some new friends. Jonathan was coughing terribly, so we left early from our new friends’ house and headed to Urgent Care. What’s a vacation without a trip to Urgent Care? Unbelievably enough, Jonathan did not have an ear infection, the flu (or the swine flu), pneumonia or even a sign of asthma! A miracle!

Monday we listened to the time share presentation at the hotel and got two free Disneyland tickets so we could go back. J After that we all loaded into a tandem bike and rode up and down the boardwalk along the beach. We drooled at all the beautiful beach properties as we rode by. That night we celebrated Blake’s birthday at a local pizza shop.

Tuesday and Wednesday were Disneyland. Jonathan was a trooper—poor little thing. Disneyland was everything we thought it would be—it truly was magical. We had a “pass” that got us to the front of every line, so needless to say, Raegan got to ride plenty of them. I am not a big fan of rides, so her dad went with her on most of them.

We spent our last day just hanging out. Meagan and I went shopping at a very expensive mall, and she almost convinced me to spend $180 on a pair of jeans. What was I thinking?! :) We spent our last night at Joe’s Crab Shack and had a fabulous dinner—yummy!

Lindsey, Raegan and Jonathan (Lindsey and Jonathan are two months apart)

Rocket Launching

A hug from Tigger. Apparently, Raegan was a "favorite" during one of the parades. Many, many of the characters in the parade came over to her and involved her in the parade.

Raegan in the conga line

A common look we received throughout our visit at Disneyland

Dane, Raegan and Drew with Belle

Snow White and the three dwarfs

Sleeping Beauty with Drew, Raegan and Dane

The Old Hag and Raegan

And everyone thinks she gets her antics from me. Here's proof she does not.

Uncle Mark, Drew, Dane

So happy to be on the Carousel

Waiting for the Dumbo ride

Jonathan's first french fry

So happy to be in Disneyland

Classic Castle Picture

Uncle Mark, Aunt Meagan, Drew and Lindsey on Pirates of the Carribbean

My sweetest boy!

The men of my dreams

Look at those choppers!

Scared of the Jungle Ride, Uncle Mark???

Raegan and Princess Jasmine

Getting Princess Jasmine's autograph

Day two of Disneyland--we got smart and rented a stroller for Raegan. Of course, it was her idea.

My little trooper. He was such a good boy!

California Adventure was almost closed, and we spotted Dopey. As we approached where he was standing, his character helper told us he was going home for the night, and we would have to leave. We were so sad! The next thing I knew, he whispered to me to wait a minute. After everyone left, he told me Raegan could not only get Dopey's autograph, but walk Dopey back to his "house." Raegan was THRILLED. This is a picture of the worker that made our Disney experience just wonderful. Thank you, David!

Getting Dopey's autograph

Walking Dopey home

Now this is a Disney smile

Lovin' the parade

Her first face painting. Of course, she fell asleep on her daddy's shoulder about 30 minutes later and smeared it everywhere. Oh, well.

I couldn't believe she could hold still that long. She really wanted her face painted.

Bumper Cars with Daddy

My Angel Baby

Such fun!

Mommy's FAVORITE Disney character-- M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

A picture of where we stayed. It was posh. Thanks again to Meagan and Mark!

Mama's sweetest boy

Raegan trying to escape the flash on Daddy's camera

Fun on the tornado slide

Lovin that lolipop

Ready for Disneyland!

Riding the tram was the only ride that wouldn't make Mommy sick

Getting Pluto's autograph

Proud to be an American

2009-08-13T14:09:00.001-07:00

I would call today a patriotic day. I had an interesting experience with "the cable guy" and read a very inspiring quote.
The quote comes from my Relief Society President. I found it quite refreshing and, like I said, inspiring amidst all of the negativity and pessimism about our government. NO, I am not saying I am for Obama's health plan. I just think we need to remember where we live and have faith in the promises made to our forefathers in regards to this chosen land. I also believe we have the responsibility to support and sustain our civic leaders (especially pray for them) even if we do not agree with some, or most, of their political views.

"Men may fail in this country, earthquakes may come, seas may heave beyond their bounds, there may be great drought, disaster, and hardship, but this nation, founded on principles laid down by men whom God raised up, will never fail. This is the cradle of humanity, where life on this earth began in the Garden of Eden. This is the place of the New Jerusalem. This is the place that the Lord said is favored above all other nations in all th world. This is the place where the Savior will come to His temple. This is the favored land in all the world. Yes, I repeat, men may fail, but this nation won't fail. I have faith in America; you and I must have faith in America, if we understand the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are living in a day when we must pay heed to these challenges. I plead with you not to preach pessimism. Preach that this is the greatest country in all the world. This is the favored land. This is the land of our forefathers. It is the nation that will stand despite whatever trials or crises it may yet have to pass through." Harold B. Lee (Ye Are the Light of the World pg 350-351)

After reading this quote this morning, I then had a really neat experience with "the cable guy." I noticed Jessie (the cable guy who came to fix our broken dvr) had a big ole tattoo on his calf--covering his entire calf, mind you. So I asked him, "What's your tattoo all about?" He told me it was Psalms 91. He went on to say it was the Psalm that the chaplain would read to him and his buddies when they were on active duty in Iraq. He said it was their favorite. I also asked him what he thought about how the government, under President Bush, treated them while they were over there. He told me that the military personnel loved President Bush. He said he was treated very well and that he would do it all over again if they asked him to. He also told me that the soldiers felt very supported by the citizens of our wonderful nation.

I was so impressed! I felt so proud! What patriotism! I felt honored and humbled to be in this man's presence. What a great example of how we need to be ready and willing to sacrifice for each other's freedoms.
In the course of our conversation, he also told me his health care is paid for as well as his education, thanks to the military (and the new GI bill passed by Obama). That is EXACTLY how I would like my tax money spent! LOVE it!

On a side note, I also told him my husband was a stress engineer for Boeing and worked on the Apache. This is what he said about that, "There were times when I thought I was going to get stuck in a city. I would radio to get out, and if there was any dust or if flying conditions weren't good, the Marines wouldn't send out their helicopters. Just when I thought I was going to be unable to get out of a dangerous situation, I would hear the rotor blades of the Apache flying overhead. That was the best sound in the world to me then."

I would just like to say that MY HUSBAND busts his tail to see that the main and tail rotor blades on those helicopters are safe and efficient for those soldiers. What a compliment it was to hear Jessie say that "the best sound in the world" was the sound of those rotor blades. I am so proud of you Blakey!

Grandma and Grandpa Gustafson's

2009-08-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

When we're not cooling off in the mountains, sometimes we head to Mom and Dad's for a dip in the pool and to rock out on the Wii.

No, Blake, we are not getting drums for the house. No.

Getting ready to swim with the help of beautiful Aunt Julie

Doesn't she look FABULOUS in those goggles?

Daddy and baby Jonathan

He's so fat he would have probably floated without this floatie. . .

The Bergeson Family Swim Party

The following is a totally unrelated photo, but I had no idea where else to put it. I just had to post it. . .

This is Blake at 4:56 on 7/8/9. Only an engineer would think of that. . .

Cabin Fun

2009-08-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

For two weekends in July we have been able to escape the heat of Phoenix and spend a long weekend at my parents' cabin. It is absolutely beautiful up there and so peaceful. I love the blue, blue sky and the big, white, puffy clouds. It even rained on us while we were there. Raegan gets to play outside and all of us just get to relax. It's WONDERFUL. Here are a few highlights from both weekends:

Fun on the four wheelers

Absolutely beautiful!

Lovin' it!

How does a three-year-old fall asleep on a four wheeler?

Jonathan and Daddy chillin' in the hammock

Mommy playing with Jonathan

Mama's chunky monkey

Ready for our nature walk--which turned into a fiasco with at least two kids getting injured. . .

Sweetest whitey tightey boy ever!

Raegan riding the tiny four wheeler in the rain. Notice the bare feet--OUCH!

Of course she got stuck. . .Daddy to the rescue!

Sunday centers

Sour cream on corn on the cob. Sick.

Chef Judy--we always leave feeling well fed--OK, fat. :)

Grandpa and Jake in the hammock. Grandpa was a bit surprised Jake could get up there.

Bug catchin' fun with cousin Nicholas (who really is Raegan's superhero).

Joseph Blake Smith

2009-07-27T10:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday in church Raegan saw one of the teachers in our ward, Blake Smith, standing as an usher by the door. Raegan said to Blake (her dad), "Look, Dad! It's Joseph Smith!" Blake replied, "No, Raegan, that's not Joseph Smith." Raegan of course rebuffed with, "Yes, it is, Dad. It's Joseph Smith." Blake told her, "Raegan, that is Blake Smith." Her reply was, "Dad--that's not your Smith, that's Joseph Smith!" HILARIOUS!

You know you're having a bad hair day when. . .

2009-07-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

your daughter calls you into the room while she's watching Little Mermaid, points to the seagull using the fork to frizz out his hair and says, "Mom, his hair is just like yours!"

American Idol Hopeful

2009-07-02T16:21:00.001-07:00

We have gone from Dancing With the Stars to American Idol:

Dancing Queen

2009-06-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Who needs dancing with the stars?! :) Watch her look at herself in the reflection of the t.v. while she is doing the twist. So vain!

Time for More Substance to Our Meals

2009-06-28T15:40:00.000-07:00

I gave Jonathan rice cereal the other day for the first time. This was our experience. This is my first time to upload a video and I did it with my ELPH, so we will see. . .
Of course, I failed, so Blake posted the videos on YouTube and then had to show me how to embed them (whatever that means). What would I do without him? Only post pictures, no videos. :)

Bye, Bye Best Car Ever

2009-06-19T12:58:00.000-07:00

I sold my beautiful car yesterday. I was so sad! We were just too cramped in it. Poor Blake was always eating his knees. The good news it, I sold my car to a woman who will love it as much as I. So, it's off to California we go to buy an Odyssey. I think we've found a dealer who is going to give us a screaming deal. We're keeping our fingers crossed. I guess we'll know the deal is for real when we drive the van into our driveway!

And, of course, whenever my husband has the camera, there's never a dull moment (and a million pictures to fill up my computer). Jonathan was not amused (obviously).

Raegan's Swimming Lessons

2009-06-15T14:59:00.001-07:00

This is Raegan's second year of swimming lessons. What a difference a year makes! She didn't sit on the step the whole time this year and scream bloody murder. She actually enjoyed it and swam like a little fish. It was a great experience!

Not recommended for the bathtub. I think we used about four towels to clean up the water. . .

"Do your star."

The bellyflop queen

Great job, Raegan!

Jonathan's Blessing

2009-06-15T14:36:00.000-07:00

Well, I am going to make an attempt at blogging again. I have no idea how you people out there can do it. I barely have enough time to breathe it seems these days (can't even BEGIN to understand how people with many children remain SANE). Jonathan is actually sleeping longer than 30 minutes, I've caught up with grading, and Raegan is eating a snack and watching my least favorite cartoon--Wow Wow Wubzie, so I'm going to give this a shot and see if I have time to finish this post. . .

Jonathan was blessed last fast Sunday, June 7th. Here are a few pictures of our family and of him. Sonja made his blessing outfit. He looked soooooo cute! Blake gave him a beautiful blessing. It was such a wonderful and tender experience to see all of those worthy priesthood holders surrounding my little boy and calling upon the powers of heaven to bless his life. How thankful I am for the privilege it is to be a mother and for the honor of having such an amazing husband who is a perfect father! (I have to say that because he FINALLY put all of our pictures on my computer so I could blog.) Love you, Blakey-po-Blakey.

What a precious, precious smile!

Raegan, Jennifer, Blake and Jonathan

Can you believe his cute outfit?! Thank you, Sonja! It has a little white bow tie that you can't see because he constantly has his hands in his mouth.

OK--so I just had to include these two pictures of my brothers-in-law because I am wanting to embarrass them. :)

Love you Ryan and Tim!

Jennifer Wanted a Family Picture

2009-05-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Jennifer wanted me to post a family picture so here is JonathaDog.

Gustafson HDR

2009-05-04T14:10:00.001-07:00

Just a high dynamic range (HDR) photo inside Jennifer's parent's house.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/blakebergeson/archives/date-taken/2009/02/03/

check up with Dr. Mike

2009-03-20T08:22:00.000-07:00

Jonathan had his follow up with Dr. Mike yesterday. His lungs sound great! He also has a double ear infection! The dr. said kids who get rsv have a 40% chance of getting an ear infection. Poor little guy! And, of course, he has not complained at all. My little trooper!

Goin' home!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-03-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

The "modified barium swallow study" was a raging success. No problems that they could see! That means we are going home today!!!! I am just waiting for the nurse to come in and officially tell me we can go home and take the nasty feeding tube out of his nose. He is such a good baby and has been such a trooper while we have been in the hospital. Hats off to the wonderful staff at Phoenix Children's Hospital!! If your child ever needs a hospital stay, I would highly recommend going to PCH. They are FABULOUS.

barium swallow study

2009-03-17T09:19:00.000-07:00

Another speed bump in Jonathan's recovery. Since yesterday's feeding at 1pm Jonathan has been drinking from a bottle. We were so excited that things would go well and he would be able to go home yesterday. The first bottle feeding went great--no problems. During the second bottle feeding he ate only one ounce then gagged and wouldn't eat any more. Blake had the night shift last night and said he ate between two and three ounces at each feeding but did some gagging while eating. So, Dr. Bode (pronounced Boe-dee--yes, Linda, just like your dog--and I made the mistake of saying to the Dr. when asking how to pronounce his name, "You mean like a dog's name?," thinking about Garfield's dog who is actually named Odie. I'm sure the dr. hates me now.) said we will need to do a barium swallow study to see if he is aspirating his formula. They have him swallow some barium and watch what it does. I guess they also feed him different consistencies of formula to see if thickening the formula helps him to not breathe it. I personally think that is what is going on. When Jonathan eats, he swallows so many times without taking a breath that when he finally takes a breath, I think he breathes the formula. So, it might be that he needs to relearn how to eat correctly again.

Dr. Bode just came in again and, after listening to my apology about saying he is named after a dog, told me his barium swallow study is scheduled for 11:45. He is due to eat at 10:30, so it's going to be a long hour an 15 minutes. Hopefully he'll just sleep until then. The Dr. said we'll be going home today (YIPPEE!!!!!!!!!!) unless he is aspirating a lot of formula, and he doesn't think that is what is happening. If he is aspirating a lot of formula, we'll be here another couple of days at least. But I am hopeful they will figure out what the problem is with this study and we'll be on our way home today! :)

more progress

2009-03-16T08:29:00.001-07:00

The pediatrician was in this morning. He said that our goal this week is to get Jonathan home. Finally! Yesterday they took him off the continuous feed and put him on a bolus feed--1 oz every hour in the first 30 minutes of that hour. Now they are going to jump to 3 ounces every three hours and see how he does. After that we are going to try feeding with a bottle, and he said we could try some time today if he tolerates the bolus feeds with the NG tube. We are keeping our fingers crossed. I am thinking we will be home by Wednesday--maybe even tomorrow!!

I got a nice surprise this morning. When the pediatrician left I went over to make googly eyes at Jonathan, and he gave me the biggest smile! I looked up on the internet when little babies smile for the first time as a social reaction vs. a reflex and it said 6-8 weeks. I don't care--I'm counting it as his first real smile at his mommy. Now, if you asked Blake when he smiled for the first time, he would tell you Jonathan smiled at Blake when he was a week or two old. We'll let him think that . . :)

While Still on Oxygen

2009-03-15T16:33:00.000-07:00

This was yesterday, when Jonathan was still on oxygen.

My little silkworm

2009-03-15T15:35:00.000-07:00

off oxygen!

2009-03-15T12:05:00.000-07:00

Jonathan is off oxygen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Right now his saturation level is reading 94, and he is breathing his own air. That is great news! They took another x-ray today at about 11:30, so we will see what the results are. They also took another blood gas reading and it was even better than yesterday's. When I got to the hospital today he was awake and chillin' just like normal. Our next step is feeding. We are going to try and wean him off the feeding tube. I'm not sure when that will happen, and we can go home as soon as he is eating normally. We are excited! We owe this great blessing to the many prayers that have been offered in Jonathan's behalf. Thanks again to everyone!

more good news

2009-03-14T09:40:00.001-07:00

The pediatrician was in this morning. He listened to Jonathan's chest and said he sounds better, that he doesn't sound as coarse. He said he would probably be weaned off the oxygen by tomorrow if we are lucky. He oxygen is at .2 liter and his saturation level is at 92/93 right now. That's not 98, 99 or 100 so we'll be keeping an eye on him today. He heart rate is normal and when the nurse listened to his breaths per minute this morning they were down to 28 instead of between 40 and 60 which is what they were at the height of his sickness. After he goes off oxygen, they will work toward a normal feed and get him off his 24-hour feeding schedule. He was still aspirating his formula a little bit when he was being fed every three hours, so they put him on a continuous feed. He doesn't cough or gag nearly as much now. The pediatrician said that if he shows tolerance as we up the volume of the feeds (3 oz every two hours on the NG tube, then 3 oz every three hours on the NG tube, then 3 oz by bottle every three hours) he won't have to do a barium study to see if he has reflux. We are hoping his gagging and coughing was due to congestion and not due to another problem--reflux. We will know for sure in a few days. As it looks right now, my prediction is that we will be home by Wednesday or Thursday. I can't wait! :)

"turned the corner"

2009-03-13T08:44:00.000-07:00

Finally some good news! The nurse practitioner pulmonologist was in this morning to see Jonathan. She said she thinks he has "turned the corner" with this thing. Yippee! They turned his oxygen down from a 1.0 liter to .3 liter and his saturation levels are staying in the upper 90's. She also said his blood gas levels have greatly improved which indicates his exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide is much better. She said that the blood gas reading is a better indication of progress than the x-ray. He still has yet to have his x-ray this morning, so I don't know the outcome of that yet. For the last 48 hours he has been on pulmicort and albuterol/xopanex (they switched from albuterol to xopanex), and the nurse practitioner said she thinks it's been long enough for us to see the results of the effects of the pulmicort--a reduction in the inflamation of the lungs. He seems to be doing so much better. He may have to go home on oxygen or with the feeding tube, neither of which I look forward to, but as long as he is getting better we are so grateful. Thanks again to EVERYONE who has been praying for us. I have really felt strength beyond my own this past week, and I know it is because of your prayers. We are thankful to those that have come to visit, have called or sent emails. A special thanks to my mother who has been tending Raegan all week, cleaning my house and doing my laundry. I love you, Mom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We couldn't have done this without your love and support.

Just a View of the Hospital Room

2009-03-12T20:43:00.000-07:00

This is just a little view from Jonathan's room.
He was just chilling in his crib with his silky blankets.
All of the other kids in the hospital have to be jealous!!

They took out the IV but he still receives food through a feeding tube (the little yellow tube). The clear tubes in the video are for oxygen.

visitors

2009-03-12T10:29:00.000-07:00

Some people have asked about visiting Jonathan/me. :) RSV is highly contagious, however it is not airborn. It is transmitted via saliva. The virus can live up to 48 hours on any surface. It manifests itself in adults as a common cold and is only dangerous for little children. If you wash your hands before and after your visit you should be fine (as long as you don't kiss Jonathan on the mouth :) If you would like to visit (and I would love the company--but don't worry--I am FINE), the hospital says you can come if you are over 12 and free from illness. Visiting hours are from 8 am to 8 pm. Call me for information for the hospital he's in and what room number. 480-223-2440.

feeding tube

2009-03-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we visited with the pulmonologist. He advised us it would be best to put Jonathan on a feeding tube. He was aspirating his formula while eating, and it was ending up in a lobe of his right lung (which is the collapsed part). In order to better facilitate the healing of the lobe, they decided to place the tube. He eats 2.5 ounces every three hours and seems to be keeping it down pretty well. He will have an x-ray tomorrow morning to see if there have been any changes. We did see a partial good sign this morning when the nurse practitioner pulmonologist came in to do a screening--she did hear some air passing through the collapsed lobe. :) She said that hopefully by tomorrow we may see some change. They are also doing a daily blood gas read--he gets pricked in the foot--because he has had elevated carbon dioxide levels. I would imagine that is from breathing so shallowly and rapidly. Aside from that, he is resting somewhat comfortably. Keep those prayers coming!

Here he is with nurse Elyse "hangin out in his silkies" as Blake says. :)

Update

2009-03-11T08:56:00.000-07:00

They took another x-ray this morning to see if the lobe in Jonathan's lung has re-expanded, and it did not re-expand. For the last 24 hours they suspected he did not have pnuemonia, but he does have viral pneumonia. The dr. told me yesterday he suspected that the lobe would re-expand by today. He words to me this morning were, "Well, I was wrong." The pulmonologist will be by to see him some time today. The attending dr. says he thinks they will tell us to stop feeding him formula. Apparently it is possible that when he drinks he is aspirating some and it is going into his lung. We'll see what the pulmonologist says. Poor Jonathan. The dr. said it is uncommon to have an entire lobe collapse. He still has very labored breathing and is still on the oxygen and iv. Although his progress is "slow," his coloring is good, he is eating on a regular basis (sad to say that may be a bad thing), and he is awake more. Right now he has developed a pretty good cough. That is a sign that the rsv is running its course. The dr. said he would have the cough for a good two weeks. He HATES to cough--that is really the only time he cries (other than when they suction him). He is still producing a lot of thick mucus that he cannot extract by himself--thus, the suctioning. But the cough is a productive one, and that is a good thing.

Through all of this, I am amazed at how I have been getting feelings about certain things--I know it is Heavenly Father prodding me to do certain things. For example, when I got here yesterday morning his oxygen was turned down to .7 and he was really having to fight to breathe. I had the thought--he shouldn't have to work so hard to breathe if he is struggling to overcome pneumonia. I explained that to the nurse and ask that she turn up the oxygen. She did and a few hours later, the dr. agreed with my decision. How did I know that? I have NO experience with this kind of thing. Another example is with Jonathan eating formula. I kept asking if it would make his mucus thicker. The nurses and dr. all said no but it turns out that the formula might be causing problems with the fluid in his lungs. I could list so many other little things like that but suffice it to say how thankful I am for the promptings of the Holy Ghost! I need to live my life in such a way I can stay in tune to those promptings to help Jonathan the best way I can.

Jonathan has had a great nurse--Brenda. Today is her last 12 hour shift, and we will be sad to see her go. He has had such wonderful treatment here. We are so thankful for good health care and good insurance. We are so blessed!

Yesterday I spoke with the social work manager for PCH and she asked me if I would be interested in serving on the parent advisory council for the hospital. I told her I would love to, depending on the time committment involved. They are supposed to call me. We'll see what happens there. . .

Thanks to everyone for your continued prayers. Our family has felt the strength of united faith and prayers in our behalf. We are so grateful!

More complications

2009-03-10T09:36:00.001-07:00

We found out yesterday Jonathan has a lobe in his right lung that has collapsed. Ironically enough, he seems to be doing better. He has awake times where he seems quite responsive and he is eating. He still has labored breathing and requires oxygen. And of course, to top it all off, Raegan woke up this morning with her eye swollen, "Mama, I have a pink eye."
Here is a picture of Jonathan taken yesterday during one of his awake times. That is the face he makes when he is content. :) Such a cutie!

Did I ask if things could get worse?

2009-03-09T08:35:00.001-07:00

Well, Jonathan has developed pnuemonia. Poor little thing! He is taking two antibiotics, so hopefully that will help him get better sooner. They told me he will be in the hospital for a week to ten days from today. It looks like we are in for the long haul--and he is in for an even longer haul. Right now he is still on oxygen--1.5 liters and has an iv. He did eat almost 40 ml's of formula last night, and that is a good sign. Please keep those prayers coming!

In the ER one more time

2009-03-08T18:27:00.000-07:00

OK so this is the fourth time we have been in the ER since December. I was in two times, Raegan once, and now it's Jonathan's turn. Poor little guy. He has RSV. He will be in the hospital for a few days. At least he is not coughing so much. And he is resting peacefully. He is on oxygen and an iv. He will get to go home when he is eating normally (which he is not doing--eating, that is) and when he can keep his oxygen levels up on his own. I have no idea how he got RSV. He wasn't held that much, we didn't take him hardly anywhere. Raegan was only allowed to touch the top of his head or his feet. We used hand sanitizer and washed our hands incessantly. HOW? Of course, I have a cold, so I am sure I was the one to give it to him.

I learned something about babies I did not know. They do not breathe through their mouths. The only breathe through their noses which is why having a cold is so dangerous for them. If their nose is plugged, they can't breathe. And that is Jonathan's problem. When we got to the ER last night, his oxygen level was at 66%. It makes me absolutely SICK to think what would have happened if we had waited even until the next morning to do something. I felt like I was in a movie--or maybe the show ER. When the triage nurse measured his oxygen, (which score I did not know at the time) she said "Follow me." The next thing I knew, my little baby was on a big white bed in the ER with about 10 people around him doing a so many things. The nurse was talking to me in such a calm voice and I wanted to scream, "WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH MY BABY?" They talked about so many possibilities and even mentioned a spinal tap to check for spinal meningitis. I felt like I was going to pass out--I think I was having a relapse from my surgery reaction. Anyway, the test results came back positive for RSV. At least we know what is wrong now and just have to wait for it to run its course. He is still having labored breathing and that is a problem. They also said this RSV could trigger asthma. I am praying he not have any side effects from this virus. I am so thankful he is in such good hands. I am not as anxious now that I know what is wrong.

So sorry if this seems like I am rambling. I haven't slept much in the past few months and it shows. Thanks to everyone who is praying for our baby. He will get better soon.

Raegan Loves Her Baby Brother

2009-03-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple pictures I really like.

Recovering. . .

2009-02-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well, it's me, Jennifer. Jonathan is 8 days old and is the best baby any mother could ask for. This is his schedule: he eats, is awake for 10-15 minutes, falls asleep and then sleeps until his next feeding. The only time he cries is when we need him to wake up to eat. Eating is really the only problem we are having with him. He is not gaining weight like Dr. Mike (his pediatrician) would like him to, so I am having to supplement with formula a little bit. It's disappointing--I wasn't sure before Jonathan was born if I would nurse or not, and things went well in the hospital, so I was excited and thought things would be different. Don't they say, "Every pregnancy is different.?" Well, I am having deja vu--things are going just like they did with Raegan. I just don't produce enough milk or it's just too hard to get out. He falls asleep every time I nurse him, and that is one of the "warning signs" that something is wrong, according to the instructions I got from the hospital. Pumping does no good. If I pump, then there isn't anything for him at the next feeding and he ends up eating more formula. The plan is to nurse as much as I can until the milk runs out. Wish me luck!
As far as the c-section goes, I am healing pretty well. I did get a urinary tract infection, and that was painful. I got dressed today, did my hair and actually had to put on make-up because my nice pregnancy mask/tan is gone. My incision is doing great--I am down to two ibuprofen every six hours. My dr. did a great job--how thankful I am to have had such a great dr. Having a c-section was not my favorite experience. There is nothing like looking up into the reflection of the lights and seeing a HUGE hole in your body--TRAUMATIC! That trauma combined with post-partum hormones does not make for happy time, but this too, shall pass. :)
I had such a WONDERFUL nurse--thank you, Brooke. I really don't think I would have handled the c-section as well if she weren't there. She was there in pre-op, during the operation and afterward. She did an awesome job on my iv--I never felt it. What a blessing to have such a talented professional to attend to my needs and be there for me!
My neighbors, friends, family and ward members have been so supportive. We have eaten like pigs, and it is MUCH APPRECIATED. Poor Blake, here he is trying to lose weight and we are getting these DELICIOUS meals catered every night. Speaking of losing weight, I must say I put on a normal shirt today and it felt GREAT. Next step, normal pants. That may take awhile. I've lost 22 pounds so far, only 21 more to go. . . Can't wait to get back to the gym, but that will be another seven weeks--actually six weeks and six days. :) I AM SO THANKFUL TO NOT BE PREGNANT ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Not sure if I will do this again, but that will all depend on what Heavenly Father has in store. If my instincts are correct, there is another child there, but I can't even begin to think about doing this all over again. That's at least a year, probably two, down the road. Right now I am just going to enjoy this little angel sent from heaven. I had no idea that things could be this good with a new baby. And he is BEAUTIFUL.

Baby Jonathan Has Arrived

2009-02-13T12:40:00.001-08:00

Well, Jennifer is trying to take a quick rest before feeding time, so I thought I would send out a quick update. Jonathan was born on Thursday, February 12, 2009 at 12:54pm. He was 8lbs 13oz and 21.5 inches long - it's a good thing we scheduled an early C-Section. [The nurse just wheeled the little stinker in and we're attempting to feed].

Everything has gone well so far. I watched the surgery and was surprised I didn't pass out - I'm not good with blood. Raegan is missing mommy and can't wait for her to get home with the baby. Both Jennifer's parents and mine have been helping out a lot and we are grateful for that. We'll be in here a couple more days and probably head home.

Here are a few pictures. I'll let Jennifer post more later.

Jonathan coming soon!

2009-01-27T11:06:00.000-08:00

Well--they scheduled my c-section yesterday. Jonathan is making his entrance on Thursday, February 12th at 12:30 pm. Right now he is about 7 pounds. I would be having another 9 pound baby if I went full term, so I am really glad I am going to have this baby 9 days early. Yippee! I've never had surgery in my life, so I am a little apprehensive but not too much. Just as long as I don't feel anything at all during the surgery, I'll be okay. I'm not looking forward to recovery, but Blake will have two weeks off from work, so that will be nice. Fourteen days and counting. I can't WAIT.

update on Jen's health

2008-12-24T23:51:00.000-08:00

More insomnia tonight, so I thought I would post.

I went to the dr. on Tuesday. He told me they actually did get enough information from the ct scan to determine there were no large blood clots, and that there was a miniscule chance I had any small ones. Yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He told me just what I thought he was going to tell me--to just take it easy. Now that Christmas is here (Merry Christmas to everyone), that is going to be much easier to do. :)

Thanks for your prayers, everyone. I believe in the power of prayer! I have been taking it easier, and it is helping. My "no stress" campaign is underway. . .

Trip to the ER

2008-12-23T00:01:00.001-08:00

For the past few weeks I have been struggling with not being able to catch my breath, insomnia, exhaustion, a few headaches, occasional dizzy spells and general crabbiness (ok--VERY crabby)--all of which I thought was just a normal part of trying to have a baby at 39 and being busy during the holidays. Saturday night I went to bed about 9 pm and slept until about 7 am. Besides frequent trips every couple of hours to the bathroom, I slept through the night (which is more than I can say for tonight obviously). I woke up totally exhausted. My body felt like I had just run a marathon and the inside of my arms ached between my wrists and my elbows (weird).

I sat through sacrament meeting fighting sleep and trying to breathe. I was sitting in Sunday School when the thought came to me, "Check your pulse." I took my pulse a couple of times, and the average was about 102. All of a sudden everything started to make sense. I was so tired because my heart was working too hard! I got home from church and started doing a little research online and noticed that quite a few women had experienced the same thing I had, so I wasn't too worried.

I decided to call my ob on Monday and just tell them what was going on, thinking they would tell me to just rest a bit more. Next thing I knew, I hear the nurse tell me, "He wants you to go to the ER."
"THE ER?" I said.
"Yes. They will probably send you to labor and delivery. They have machines there that we don't have here that can run tests that you will need. Go to the ER."
"Great. That's all I need," I thought.
So after my mom came and got Raegan, I headed to the hospital. I knew I would be there awhile, so I took some work with me.
I thought for sure they were going to look at me like I was some kind of idiot--after all, my pulse wasn't THAT high--my youngest sister had a resting pulse of 160 when she was pregnant with her second baby, and mine was 102--no big deal.

I get there, and they call labor and delivery--no beds--so off to a room in the ER I go. They did a heart screening (I guess that's what you call it) first, and discovered I was having heart palpitations, so I got to stay for the day (in the ER mind you) and have a bunch of tests.

(I think I have been to the ER--for myself--one time in my life when I was 14 and needed stitches, but I sure don't remember much about that. I learned why you are in there so long-- You get a test, have to wait for the results of the test, then wait for the dr. to come by again, then have another test and the perpetual cycle begins--enough to drive you CRAZY.)

They started with an EKG which came back normal. After that they did a blood draw which also came back normal. They did another type of screening where they took my pulse lying down, sitting and then standing--not sure what they had to say about that. They took a urine sample and found out I had a urinary tract infection. I had absolutely no clue that I had an infection. The only signs I had were that I had to go to the bathroom every few minutes, but that's part of being pregnant. Maybe they just caught it early. . .What a blessing (that they caught it early--not that I have one :).

After ruling out everything else, the ER dr. came back into the room and said he had talked to Dr. Tutt (my ob) and they wanted to make sure I didn't have a blood clot. Blood clot? That sounded serious. They said they were going to do a ct scan. That was an experience--they put me on my back and then I really couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to pass out. Then after waiting for over two hours for the results of that test, the dr. comes back into the room and tells me they botched the test and couldn't repeat it (thank heaven) because of the risk to the baby (the test involves some radiation). So, they couldn't rule out a blood clot. Yippee skippee. He told me Dr. Tutt wanted to see me the next day. They would have to monitor my symptoms and if they got worse, then we would have a problem. He gave me a script for my infection and sent me home.

We'll see what Dr. Tutt says when I have my appointment. While in the ER, I asked the dr. what would happen if my ct scan came back negative--and then of course answered my own question by saying, "They are just going to tell me to take it easy, right?" And he answered, "Right." I am pretty sure that's what Dr. Tutt is going to tell me tomorrow. In fact, at one point the ER dr. made the comment jokingly to the guy moving my gurney to the ct scan (I had to sit up in the bed so I wouldn't get motion sickness) that he needed to give me a sedative so that I would not be so "high energy". Yeah, right. I think he thought I was some kind of weirdo because I didn't want to sit in the ER bed--the chair was more comfortable and made it easier to breathe. :) Sitting still all day did help a little, but there were about three or four times during the day that I could feel my heart racing and I had to catch my breath, so I know that I will still have the problem even if I keep still (which is VERY hard for me to do).

So much drama! This baby comes eight weeks from Saturday, and it isn't soon enough. I am ready to have my body back and get this (as the ER nurse called it) parasite out. I know that sounds heartless, but that's how it feels. I am too old to be having babies! I am go glad when they get here, but it sure takes its toll on my body.

I am so thankful I had the prompting to take my pulse--thankful and surprised I could actually get a prompting because I was NOT feeling the spirit whatsoever because I was so crabby--just ask Blake how crabby I was. :) You can pray for me, but he is the one that needs the help putting up with me. Poor guy!

I will update tomorrow with the news from the ob. My tylenol pm is finally kicking in, and I should try to go back to sleep. Wish me luck!

DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-19T07:58:00.001-08:00

Well, we are OFFICIALLY DONE WITH SCHOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it! Blake just sent me a text this morning with his grade in his design of experiments class--a B which means we graduate! Congratulations to Blake who will graduate with a master's degree in engineering. This B was his only B--the rest A's. Such a smartie! Congratulations to me who gets her husband back. It's a red letter day! :)

Raegan and Her Numbers

2008-12-18T08:55:00.000-08:00

I thought this was pretty cool, so I'm going to brag a little bit about daddy's little girl.

Yesterday, December 17, Raegan had pulled up a chair to our little chalk-board and was scribbling on it with chalk. She then yelled out, "Mommy, I drew a four!" I heard Jennifer cheer her on and then say, "Show daddy." Naturally, I came running in the room to see what Raegan had accomplished and she said, "Daddy, I drew a four." I said, "Wow, you did!!" She then replied, "I drew two fours."

I had to run and grab the camera to take a picture. Below are a few pictures. One of the fours looks a little smudged because she was pointing to it by putting her finger right on it :) I don't know if she was planning on writing fours or if she did it twice by accident and recognized that they looked like number four - either way I think it is cool.

Also, if you look below the two fours... you will see a number eight... she added the two numbers and wrote 8 at the bottom. The second 4 also looks like it is preceded with a partial derivative symbol... Okay, I'm stretching it with the last two, but the bottom number does sort of look like an eight.

Family Foto Fiasco

2008-12-02T17:26:00.001-08:00

OK so we tried to do it on our own--big mistake. Next year we'll need to get a professional, but this year our time was limited (10 days to finals). Of course Raegan woke up at 5:45 that morning and would not take a nap. Her hair looked PERFECT (thank you Jackie for the do and the headband) but her attitude was much less than perfect. After taking about ten vertical pictures I realized that last year my options were also limited because the card choices I liked were not vertical ones. But Raegan was all "pictured" out, and it was like pulling teeth to get the one we got. Actually I wanted to pull my teeth out (ok, her teeth) when it was all over. I got to thinking, "Is all of this effort and stress really worth it? When did we adopt this tradition? We never sent Christmas photos when I was little. My dad always wrote a hilarious poem that summed up our year." Maybe I ought to do that. . .

This is the one we are going to use. I thought it turned out ok in spite of everything.

Big Girl Bed for Raegan

2008-11-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

It's that time--time to make the shift from baby to "big girl". We are slowly but surely getting ready for baby brother's arrival. We moved the crib into the baby's room and made the switch to a real bed for Raegan. Sonja sewed a BEAUTIFUL quilt for her new bed as well as the dust ruffle. We took apart all of her baby bedding, and Sonja transformed it into a twin size quilt--custom made just for Raegan. :) You can't tell where the baby quilt stops and the twin size one begins. Sonja is a MASTER seamstress.

Her shirt says, "Big Sister."

Isnt's the quilt beautiful? It saved me from having to redo Raegan's room. Yes!

She LOVES her big girl bed.

Too bad you can't see the dust ruffle, but you can see what one of the pillows is going to look like. She has four dresses just like the one on this pillow hanging on the wall opposite her bed. Like I said, Sonja is a master seamstress. Can't wait for everything to be finished!

Happy Birthday to Me! Am I really 39?

2008-11-16T09:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, you are really 39. One more year until you are forty! FORTY. That is two times twenty. Ten times four. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh!

Here I am opening one of my presents. My sister, April, is really into emergency preparedness and made me a notebook with everything I could possibly need to do (and take with us) if we needed to evacuate the house and use our 72 hour kits. It is an AWESOME notebook.

Another use for gift bags. . .

I had plenty of help opening the gifts. . .

And everyone LOVED singing happy birthday,

and spitting on the cinnamon rolls.

I decided to have cinnamon rolls instead of birthday cake. And now I have a big behind as another birthday gift. (My mom sent me home with another tray this size and it was gone in a few days--and Blake didn't eat many. . . Happy Birthday to me!) Birthdays are not my favorite days, so I'm glad it's over, and I don't have to have one for another year. Next year I'm going to drown my sorrows in a big birthday bash. So, mark your calendars--Saturday, November 7th, I turn 40. Big party--hopefully at my parents'. . . :) Please?

Family Home Evening Pumpkin Carving

2008-11-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

OK so I realize we are almost to Thanksgiving, and I am just now getting to posting about Halloween. Oh, well. Better late than never, right? Here we are at Blake's parents' house carving pumpkins with Dane and Drew, Raegan's cousins.

Here is evidence that we did not use a pattern for our pumpkins' faces. Blake is such a great artist!

The finished product. We had a great time and love to spend time at the Bergesons'.

Goin' to Kansas City, Kansas City Here I Come

2008-11-15T19:14:00.000-08:00

What a FANTASTIC trip I had to Kansas City to see my dear, dear friend Barbara Hopper Stone whom I have know since I was five and whom I haven't seen in TEN years. We lived across the street from each other until I went to BYU. I was treated like royalty while I was there! I stayed at her parents' house. I had my own room and my own bathroom. It was great. Barbara's dad, Nelson, is the only person in the world I allow to call me Jenny. Her parents are probably the most social people I have ever known--they are great examples of how we need to be involved with our families, our community and our church. They fill their lives with service. It was so wonderful to spend time with them. I also LOVED reconnecting with so many old friends, driving to my old schools and around my old neighborhood. Things have really changed and the trees are HUGE. However, I do not miss getting so carsick driving around on those windy, hilly roads. . . :) Here are a few pictures.

This is Brett, Barbara's 13 (?) year-old son who is very talented in many ways and almost has his blackbelt in tae kwan do (sp?). Miss you, Brett!

Here are Kathy Glauner (can't remember her married name), Barb and me. Kathy has her doctorate in microbiology (pretty sure) and is currently attending medical school. Her husband is from Guatemala. She has three kids and is raising them to be bilingual. YES! You go, girl!

This is Cathy Harris, Barb and me. Cathy, Barb and I had yearbook together with our teacher whom we called "Cream Cheese" (long story). Cathy always kept me laughing in yearbook. She was hysterical and still is. She's aged really well. Jealous! She works with autistic children at a private school (I think it's private).

This is Ed Hyatt and his beautiful daughter Tricia. Ed lived in our same neighborhood growing up. We have many memories of playing kick ball, head hunters, chase, building forts and riding the big "Huffy" bike. We even wrote a song about Ed riding his "Huffy" bike called the "Wheelie King" and don't you know, I can still remember the words. It's amazing I can't remember important things, but dumb things, no problem. So sad!

This is Francine Hodges Mosley, one of the nicest people on the face of the planet. They just don't come any better than her! She and I were good friends in seventh grade and were in orchestra together. She is currently working as an associate pastor at her church. It sounds like she does amazing things with music there. They are lucky to have her!

This is the small town of Weston, Missouri. LOVED being there--made me homesick.

This is where we had lunch in Westin. The food was DELICIOUS--to die for. Of course, I can't remember the name of the place, but if you plan a vacation to Westin, Missouri, I'll for sure remember. . .

OK--no offense to you Arizona people--but this is a FARM. A real FARM--with animals and grass and trees (we don't have those here) and barns. It was COLD--LOVED IT.

Here we are at the real farm.

Look at that sky! Clouds! Yes! Fall weather! Fall leaves! Pumpkins! Apples! Mud! Cold weather!. . . Need I go on?

So happy together!

This is Jeff, Barbara's husband. This picture was taken at the warehouse they own. Barbara looks about 20 here. Hate her for that! :) Jeff is soooooooooooo blessed to have such a wonderful wife. And he knows it!

Here are a few items you could buy at the warehouse if you are even in KC and want to go warehouse shopping. . . I think that's a picture of Roger with us. I would weigh two tons if I worked there. . .

Here we are with Barbara's mom, Kathy, (she is to my left) and her friends. If I remember correctly, their husbands play golf together. They decided that if their husbands were going to get together to play golf so often, they would get together and do breakfast just as often. Love the way they think! (I just hope Blake doesn't decide to go play golf for the many times I go to lunch.) We ate at the Corner Cafe, my dad's FAVORITE restaurant. Make you jealous, dad? :)

Thanks, Barbara, for flying me out there and showing me such a wonderful time. I love you and hope it won't be another ten years until we are together again. Keep buggin' Jeff about an Arizona vacation. It's the place to be in Jan/Feb. . .

Baby Boy Bergeson

2008-10-13T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well, we had another ultrasound today and luckily, the baby was cooperative. It's a boy! We are soooo excited and can't wait for him to get here. We know for sure his middle name will be James like Blake and Blake's dad. We are still thinking about first names. So far we have Jonathan James (after my dad, John) and Peter James (Blake wants a Scandinavian name--he wants Magnus--I told him over my dead body). This child does not cease to move. He even did a flip when the dr. was doing the ultrsound. I am hoping (ok, praying) that this child is more like his daddy. So far, everything indicates the baby is healthy. We are so grateful! (I am not a spring chicken, you know). :)

Okay, Blake here...just to give everyone some background on the reasoning behind my desire to name a son Magnus :)
Magnus is a power name which means "big" or "great". Bergeson is the Swedish name for "Son of Berg" or "Son of Mountain". So I thought it would be a good idea to name a son, Magnus - Big... Son... of Mountain... (yoda-style). The name Magnus also runs in the family. I still like it :)

OK--Jennifer again. I don't know who Blake is calling a mountain, but I just have one thing to say about that--Bergeson is my married name, so the mountain thing does not apply to me (ok, well maybe right now in my "state" but not normally). And I sure do not want to have a BIG baby, so no Magnus--and maybe we should change Bergeson to Gustafson. At least that would mean son of "royal staff or staff of the gods". I am not a mountain. Love you Blakey po Blakey.

successful surgery

2008-10-08T18:05:00.001-07:00

Well, Blake is home and recovering nicely from his out-patient surgery. He had an umbilical hernia repaired that he has had since he was a baby. It was so fun to see him a bit "loopy". For the first time in our marriage he told both my mom and dad he loved them and couldn't say enough good about everyone he saw. He flirted with the nurses, kept telling joke after joke, was constantly asking me who else was going to come see him and apologized every few minutes for making me have to do things for him. :) And, he is also wearing some beautiful white nylons that the hospital gave him. Remember he is a metrosexual after all. . . . :)

Finally!

2008-10-04T15:35:00.000-07:00

Kansas City is getting a temple!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Escape to Chicago

2008-09-20T07:37:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago my friend Dana Lee called and said she had tickets to the Oprah Winfrey show and wanted to know if I was interested in going. I thought, "Why not?" So, I left on Wednesday, Sept 10th. After landing at Midway, I had to take a few trains to get to where Dana's mom and aunt were waiting for me. When we finally met up, we headed to Navy Pier where we did some shopping while we waited for the other girls (there were 8 of us all together) to arrive.

The next day was the Oprah show! There was a LOT of waiting, but finally we were ushered into the studio. The show was on breast cancer and will air Sept 30th. Christina Appplegate, Maima Karmo (breast cancer survivor and founder of the Tiger Lilly foundation) and Nancy Brinker (President of the Susan G. Komen foundation) were Oprah's guests. We didn't know what the show was about beforehand, but luckily I wore pink! There were many breast cancer survivors there. It was very humbling to be among them. It was a great experience. I don't think I'll end up on tv--I ended up behind one of the cameras--and for that I was grateful. Who wants to end up on national television when you are pregnant? Not me! Everyone has asked me what Oprah was like--I thought she acted just like she does on tv.

Here we are eating at Avec restaurant. It was delicious. The food was Mediterranean.

OK, so this was my first experience with the American Girl store. I could not believe all of the hoop-lah over these dolls. This is a restaurant where you can lunch with your doll. . .

leave her to get her hair done while you shop. . .

or if she gets injured, she goes to the hospital! Could not relate at all to this. Hopefully Raegan won't be able to relate in a few years either.

Friday night we went to Wicked. It was FABULOUS. It is coming to Phoenix this next summer, and I can't wait--we already have tickets. :) The rest of the time we shopped, ate out and took a architectural cruise on the river around the city. It rained Friday and Saturday, and I LOVED it. I'm sure I was the only one, but when you live in a desert, you learn to love the rain! I had a WONDERFUL time while I was gone. Mucho thanks to Heather, my mom, Julie Spilsbaby and my most wonderful husband. We celebrate four years of wedded bliss this week. I love you!

metrosexual

2008-09-07T15:09:00.001-07:00

This morning I made a startling discovery--I am married to a metrosexual. Now, mind you, he does not get manicures or pedicures (although if you ever saw his feet you would recommend an overhaul), but when I went to wake him up for church this morning (yes, a "motherly" duty and I HATE it but let's face it, when you want your family to get to church on time sometimes you have to be a little assertive :) his face was totally covered in white stuff. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Blake went to bed with a mask on! And what's even better--while he was shaving he told me how much of a better shave he gets if he does his "mask". I wonder what will be next in his transformation--getting his hair colored, day trips to the spa or maybe he'll want one of Julie Spilsbury's pedicures. I hear she does a great job with the ped egg she bought at Walgreen's. I should have taken a picture of the "mask" for evidence, but I was feeling pity on the poor guy. Next time, I'll capture the moment. :)

Okay, this is Blake; I have to defend myself. Last night I was practicing for Halloween - I'm planning on becoming Dracula for the holiday. So, instead of applying make-up, I figured I would take the manly approach of applying a non-toxic shaving aid which at the same time exfoliates the skin. By using this mask I get a cleaner and more masculine shave which the ladies love. I will post more "better shaving" tips later in my "Mountain Man Online Shaving Guide".

runaway bun buns

2008-09-05T18:46:00.000-07:00

This is what I saw in my backyard this evening and had to capture it. Some of us just love the skin we're in. :) Who lets their child run around in the backyard naked? I do! Isn't it great?!

First day of playschool

2008-09-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

Well, we decided to put Raegan in "school." She goes twice a week for two hours at a time. She really needs a sibling (working on that one), so in the meantime we thought it would be good for her to interact with other children and learn to share (which she is not very good at) and not be so bossy (wonder who she got that from--shame on you, Blake!). We thought playschool would be perfect, and so far, so good. She even brought something on the first day for "show-and-tell" (her Ariel flip flops which she has yet to master walking in) and told her friends about them. A couple of her cousins also attended the same playschool, so the program/teacher come highly recommended. Hopefully this will be a good thing for her and help get her ready for a new sibling (yeah, right). She is officially a "Spuhler Sprout". I will put a link to the school's blog for you die-hard Raegan fans. :)
Here she is on her first day. She was so excited to be able to go to school like her cousins!

Labor Day Fun

2008-09-05T18:09:00.001-07:00

We spent a fun Labor Day weekend at the Gustafson Family cabin. Of course, Blake got sick and it took us six hours to make the two and a half hour drive home, but in spite of all of that, we had a great time. Traffic was HORRIBLE--it took us 30 minutes to travel four miles just outside of Payson. I thought I was going to lose my mind! We also had a flat tire, surprise, surprise. However, we were very blessed in that some guy pulled up next to us a mile just before a rest area and told us, so we were able to change the flat in the rest area. Wouldn't you know, the spare was flat, but we had a little pump that pumped up the tire and we were on our way at 50 mph for the rest of the trip. Yippee! ( I would highly recommend one of those pumps--it plugs into the power outlet in your car.)

Here are a few photos from our trip:

Raegan's first experience shucking corn

and eating it raw.

She loved it!

Her first time holding a sparkler--so fun!

We sang songs around the campfire and Raegan had her first s'more (with "marshpillows").

Thanks to Uncle Ryan for bathing those sticky, camp-firey smelling kids!

Bathtub Art

2008-08-16T18:06:00.001-07:00

Not only is Blake brilliant, but he's also a talented artist. Just notice our latest family portrait. . .

If anyone else would like to contract Blake's unique artistic talent, it can be purchased for a nominal fee. :) I LOVE my beehive hair--isn't it making a comeback? And is this really a subtle hint that my hair is too big?

Our "Summer Vacation"

2008-08-13T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well, we spent the weekend (Fri-Tues) at the Gustafson Family cabin. The weather was GORGEOUS and we even had a little rain. It was wonderful. After Blake finished his final project, he was able to relax as well. We watched some of the Olympics, and I finished Breaking Dawn. Good book! I was so thankful to have my parents and Blake there to help me. I'm still feeling sick and am counting down the days until I hit 16 weeks. I'm hoping to feel better by then. This pregnancy is still MUCH better than it was w/ Raegan, and for that I'm grateful. Here are a few pictures from our trip. (This is my first attempt at uploading pictures, so be merciful.)

Here is Raegan, Grandpa and Jake. Raegan could not get enough of that dog. Too bad she is allergic to him.

Raegan on the four wheeler.

Lunchtime. Silly girl.

Snack time with Daddy and Grandpa.

Want some?

Raegan was terrified to get on the four-wheeler at first. She was really afraid of the loud noise. I rode around for a little bit close to the cabin then told my dad to just put her on with me (what a mean mom!). She wasn't too crazy about it, but by the time she went around with her dad, she couldn't get enough of it.

Make a Space for Joy

2008-07-23T19:52:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about a one woman musical that was popular when I was at BYU. It is called Polly. It's the story of a pioneer woman (the great, great who knows how many greats grandmother of Janice Kapp Perry) and her experience in joining the church and moving out west. There is a part in the video where Polly gets a letter telling her that her daughter had been killed. She sings a song called, "Make a Space for Joy" that I think is so wonderful and helps me understand a little better about why I need to take life one day at a time. Here are some of the words:

If I’d know from the start what would happen
If I’d known in my heart, well then, what then?
But I chose right
I felt it all along
If I had known what would happen
I might have chosen wrong.
Is that why you keep us guessing?
Is our ignorance protection?
Is it really just a blessing in disguise?
Could you celebrate a birthday
Knowing life would soon be past you?
Could you spend the sweat to build a house
You knew would not outlast you?
Could you bear to love the children
Who would die before their season?
We’d miss so much of happiness
And maybe that’s the reason not to know
To free us from the burden of the future
And make a space for joy

To make a space for joy.

Eight Week Ultrasound

2008-07-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

Second post (by the way, this is Blake again). I'm sure everyone thought the Elmo's fire post was submitted by Jennifer - she always throws the most random things on the blog.

Anyway, today was the first ultrasound. I'll let Jennifer add all of the details. Here is the picture. You obviously can't see the heart beating in this still image but it was flickering away like a little hummingbird during the ultrasound.

St. Elmo's Fire

2008-07-17T18:38:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have two posts today. First, back by popular demand, I present the tribute to the infamous 1980's Brat Pack flick, St. Elmo's Fire.
St. Elmo's Fire is actually a weather phenomenon in which air molecules ionize creating a plasma which arcs upward into the atmosphere appearing somewhat like lightning from a thunderstorm.

Raegan is All Wet

2008-07-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

Let's just say that Raegan likes to play with water. I guess it's better than playing with fire. Am I right? eh? eh? Am I right?
It's a little blurry because we took the video through the sliding glass door--otherwise we would have been wet, too. :)

Abinadi and King Noah are hot in there

2008-07-06T19:33:00.000-07:00

Raegan loves to read the scriptures. Can you tell what her favorite story is? I wonder if that comes from living in Arizona. . .

Why?

2008-07-02T21:50:00.000-07:00

Isn't a blog supposed to be where we can say whatever and have it not make total sense? Just ramble. . .
I was looking at my friend's blog (Jackson Familia link) and kept asking myself, "Why do I get to keep my baby and my friend has to lose his?" That thought goes through my mind over and over and I can't find an answer. I can't even begin to understand just how difficult losing a child can be, and I don't ever want to. My heart aches enough for Vic and Molly. How I wish there was something I could do to ease the pain, but I have learned that sometimes experiencing pain is the only way to learn what is necessary for us to learn in order to become more like our Father in Heaven. I remember in Elder Scott's talk "Trust in the Lord" he says our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ would not require us to experience a moment more of difficulty than is absolutely needed for our personal benefit or for that of those we love. I just pray Heavenly Father will let Blake and I carry some of that burden for them. I just don't know what else to do, and it kills me to see such a wonderful family in so much pain.

Baby Stister

2008-06-25T21:50:00.000-07:00

My turn--
Why do I let my husband have access to this thing after he has spent hours working and studying?!
First of all, let it be known Raegan wanted a baby stister, not a baby sister. Apparently she knew about the "spore" all along.
I am so excited to be able to have another child running around the house but am filled with trepidation as I face the possibility of being so sick again. I am feeling great so far but still have oh, so far to go. I am praying for a miracle!
Blake has been wonderful so far--he gets up with Raegan at night now and combs my hair every single night. What a perfect husband! They don't get any better than him.

Creating Life

2008-06-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

Well, some of you may have heard the news. Yep, Jennifer is pregnant! We are excited and at the same time a little skittish. We welcome new little munchkins in the home but it is always a big adjustment and a lot of preparation. Raegan is ready for a "baby sister".

Of course, now she is saying "baby brother", so maybe she knows something we don't.

Anyway, I thought I'd post a picture of what a baby looks like when it is six weeks along. Also, I wanted to show my support for Jennifer and all that she will be going through for the next nine months by creating something myself. There is a new video game called Spore - where you can create a single cell which eventually turns into a creature, civilization, world, and galaxy. So, here is my one-hour old spore -> creature. You said it, these things grow fast. It will probably share Raegan's room.

Graduation

2008-06-22T20:41:00.000-07:00

Yep, I made it. I finally got the MBA on May 10, 2008. Three more classes to go for the Master of Engineering. Thanks to all for your support, especially my wonderful wife :)

Bergy Blogg First Exciting Multi-Post 1001

2008-06-16T22:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, Jennifer is having a rough time deciding what to write for our first blog so I'm just going to post something.

I thought I would just post something like, "this is our first blog" but I'll throw a picture in the mix to make things more interesting.

Where do I begin? Let us go back to 2004... to Jennifer and my first date... alright, I won't go back that far - I'd be typing way too long.

Here is a picture of our little family during Christmas 2007.

We were at the train park and Raegan had so much fun.

Here is another picture of the little stinker watching TV and eating her oatmeal "eekehmeeuhl" (Raegan's pronunciation).

Notice the blueberry marks on the light switches to her right.