Christmas Card Photo Shoot

Our first attempt at pictures for Christmas cards:

A few days later:

Oh, yah, much better!!

E's Just Sayin'

This year, I got busy/lazy and neglected to put any Christmas lights on the outside of the house. So the other night I was driving the kids around to look at lights in other neighborhoods, and E kept saying things like, "There's no lights on E's house" or similar-worded observation. She made comments about not having lights on her house about a half-dozen times during the trip. Then tonight after I took the kids out for burgers and fries at "Five Guys Burgers" (my new favorite place in town), we were driving down a main road and I noticed one of those mega-lighted houses (the ones where they must have taken out a 2nd mortgage to pay the electric bill) on a side street, so we turned in and drove slowly past the house. A oohed and aahed about the Santa Claus and the Manger scene, and then E piped up and said, "there's no lights on my house". Ok E - message received - next year, big Christmas light display at the Rogers' house!
P.S. "I" is Ben...just sayin :)

My New Venture

I recently became a consultant for Heritage Makers!! It is my first direct sales venture and my first business so I am warily excited. I'm hoping it will be a good fit for me and I did it because I wanted something outside of Ben and the babies. I don't have many hobbies but I think that this one could be a good (and potentially) expense one. At Heritage Makers we make storybooks, cards, calendars, canvas prints, as well as many other great products. What I love is that you can do a lot of one-on-one consultations and don't necessarily have to have a lot of "parties" or workshops as they are called with us. If anyone out there is looking to organize and document some memories and needs some help, let me know, I would love to help! Oh, yea, there are lots of great ideas for Christmas as well!!

Happy Halloween!!

So I thought I had already blogged Halloween but apparently I am really losing my mind so here we go in all our Halloween glory!!
Jammies:

Shirts:

And finally...our costumes! We didn't get any real great pictures because the babies would not cooperate so this is about the best we get! It is at our ward party where we had a trunk or treat which I am a big fan of! Much nicer to just walk around to everyone's cars than to have to go door to door! Best of all...it took about 20 minutes to do about 50 cars!!

Our Texas Trip

I am finally getting our trip to see Grandma and Grandpa Rogers in Texas blogged. Hallelujah!! We were gone for a week and when we got home I picked up a stomach virus that had me sick for about a week and then trying to recover after that...well, that's my excuse for not having this up earlier. I have broken it down a little into a couple of days a post and may end up posting more pics, we'll just have to see. Enjoy!!

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday

We left for our trip on Saturday afternoon and our neighbor Chris was nice enough to drive us to the airport so we wouldn't have to pay for parking. We flew from Boise to Albuquerque with a stop in Salt Lake. In Salt Lake we didn't have to leave the plane but it was kind of a long stop so Ben took A up to look at the cockpit. The pilot let A sit in one of the seats and "fly" the plane. At one point he was even trying to get A to speak into a microphone but all you could hear was heavy breathing. A thought he was all that since he got to fly! From Albuquerque we flew to Love Field, after an hour delay, yuck! We finally made it in but then when we got to the car rental place it took them about 45 minutes to find a car...grrr. By the time we got to Milt and Sandy's it was about 11:00 pm and the babies were tired! We fixed them a little mattress and blankets by the side of our bed but by morning we were all in bed together, the little stinkers.



On Sunday we just relaxed and watched General Conference so it was a pretty layed back day. On Monday we helped around the yard and A & E were in heaven playing in the big dirt pile. They also helped shovel rocks into the driveway. They are so very helpful and had lots of fun getting dirty (which they don't get to do very often at home)!!

Tuesday and Wednesday

On Tuesday we went into Frisco and met up with Ben's sister Holly before she had to go to work. Unfortunately we didn't get to spend too much time with her but at least we got to see her and visit a little bit.After going for some lunch we headed to Sachse were we stopped to see Ben's nephews (and ex-sister-in-law) for a bit and then headed to his brother Jared's house. On the way to Jared's house we stopped at the cemetery where Ben's sister Shauna is buried. I am very glad we got to stop because it gave me a chance to say goodbye. I wasn't able to go to the funeral so I don't think it really felt real to me but I finally had the chance to see it and let it sink in. Ben's mom made this plaque for the grave since there's not a headstone yet and I'm glad she did, it is very nice.

After our stop at the cemetery we headed to Jared's and there A found his heaven. Jared runs an acoustic guitar forum and has lots and lots of guitars (many of which happened to be out) so the minute we walked in A was in awe. He loves guitars (actually musical instruments of all kinds) so he walked around in a bit of a daze. I was a little concerned cause he kept trying to touch everything and I know some of the guitars are worth a lot. Jared took pity on the babies and took them up to a loft where he has an electric drum set (which, if our kids take an interest in drums we will be buying), an electric guitar, and a keyboard with amps everywhere. He cranked up the amps and let the kids go and play to their hearts content which was actually a long time! It was hard getting them to leave it! We finally headed home where the kids were very tired and went right to bed (yay)! I have a video of them "rockin out" but it won't load so I'll have to try and load it another day.

On Wednesday we went to the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville. It was a pretty interesting zoo and not very big so the kids were able to walk the whole zoo without getting tired. I felt bad for some of the animals cause they were in small cages, which I guess they are trying to change, but there were some really cool exhibits too. They had an African savannah which was wide open and the zebras, giraffes, ibex, and ostriches could just roam around free together.

They also had a pretty big space for the kangaroos to hop around in. They had a three-toed sloth, which is one of my favorite animals, but it was in a glass enclosure and with the way the sun glared you really couldn't see him. After we walked around the zoo, we went and played on the big playground for a bit and then headed home.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday

On Thursday we just kind of hung around the house and played outside. It was nice to have a slow day where we didn't need to be anywhere or on any kind of schedule. On Friday Ben and his dad took the kids to Milt and Sandy's property on 7R Ranch. It's a piece of property that they bought as kind of an investment and haven't developed yet. They like to take the kids out and camp and stuff. They have a lot of nice amenities like several saline pools, a small movie theatre, workout rooms, and a nice clubhouse (or so they told me). Ben and the kids went swimming where the kids showed their fearlessness. There is a slide that goes down into the pool and Ben went down not realizing that A was right behind him. He heard a splash and had to jump back in the pool and drag A out. Thank goodness he was okay. E later dove into the pool from the side so Ben had to jump in again. I think we may have to invest in swimming lessons next summer! They had a ton of fun though so I'm glad they got to go.

Now, I bet you're wondering where was I during this fun outing? I was hanging out with Ben's mom because we were going to Time Out For Women that night. It just happened to be on the weekend that we were leaving and one of Sandy's friends couldn't go on Friday night so I bought her ticket and went. It was so great, very uplifting and even though I had gone in Boise just a few weeks before, I needed it. Michael McLean was the featured musician and I seriously adore him, I loved listening to his songs and stories. Mark Mabry, who did Reflections of Christ, was there as well as Virginia Hinkley Pearce, who were also inspiring. When we got there I just happened to be in the right place at the right time and ran into my aunt, Leisa, who we hadn't gotten to visit. It was so great to see her and be able to sit by her and catch up with her!!

On Saturday we drove into Dallas and visited with Ben's brother, Cory, for a little bit before we had to fly out and then his sister, Holly, came to visit for a few minutes. We flew home without any delays this time which was nice and once again I got several compliments on how well my kids traveled. The only eventful thing on this trip was when E refused to walk down the aisle in the plane and insisted on being carried which neither Ben or I could do because our hands were full so one of the flight attendants picked her up and carried her off the plane for me and E snuggled right into her shoulder and didn't want to be put down! I could finally pick her up so it worked out all right and then we went and met our neighbor Chris at the baggage claim and came home and went to bed! It was a really good trip and my only regret was that it wasn't longer and we didn't get to visit everyone we wanted to. I guess we could have tried but it would have left us with no downtime and we have learned that if we are on the go all the time, it's just no fun. Thanks Milt and Sandy for letting us come and visit and accommodating us so willingly!!

A New Mama

Today we went to Best Buy to look at a couple of things. E and I were walking ahead just a bit when A suddenly grabbed onto a leg and said he wanted mama. Ben tried to grab him and get him to move on but he was insistent that he wanted his mama. I finally looked back and saw my sweet baby boy attached to some random ladies leg and went to the rescue. I peeled him off and asked him if he was trying to find a new mom. He told me he was! Ben and I laughed about it the whole way home. What a silly little man!

Fair time

We went to the Western Idaho fair last weekend and had lots of fun! They had pig races which A thought was hilarious and E just tolerated. They had a really cool interactive dinosaur exhibit which I loved but the babies were totally freaked out.

By the time we got to the end E was mostly ok with them but A was like, get me outta here! We took them throught the petting zoo and while A didn't really like all the goats trying to take nips out of him E was enjoying it more so daddy took a little more time with her while A and I hung out by the stroller. We had lots of yummy food even though A and E didn't actually want much. We got some cotton candy for the babies to try and E loved it and A thought it was ucky!

I did feel bad though because Clint Black was at the fair and Ben really wanted to go but we decided that the babies would never sit that long, we would have had to wait about an hour and a half from when we got seats to when the concert actually started. Oh, well, maybe next year we'll plan better and actually get a babysitter!

Our Little Rockstar

A is going to be a rock star when he grows up...or so he tells us all the time! He really does make me laugh sometimes, he goes around the house with his little guitar and plays and "screams" and jumps around. Today when I was doing some cleaning I found a wig that Ben had gotten for a costume and I put it on and told the babies I was a rock star. E was not at all impressed (she ran away) and A wanted the wig. I put it on him and here's what we get. I took a video of him doing rock star "stuff" but it won't let me load it, I'll try again later but I thought you would want to see how cute he is!

11 Year Anniversary

On Friday Ben and I celebrated our 11 year anniversary. Wow...has it really been that long? The kids and I had gone to Utah on Wednesday and Thursday so we could say goodbye to my brother, Jeff, and his family, who are moving to Indiana. We didn't get back until midnight on Thurs so we were all a little crabby on Friday and I told Ben let's pretend our anniversary is on Saturday. We actually hired a babysitter on Sat and went out to dinner at Tucanos which is a Brazilian Grill (if you click the name I linked it their site). It is so very yummy and we went at lunch with a buy one get one coupon! We are so thrifty!! :D It was nice to get out just the two of us and something we definitely need to do more. I got Ben an IHome alarm clock to work with his IPod and he got me a massage...I think I may have gotten the better deal!

Pics

Our own Lady Godiva

A & E in the outfits we bought in Hawaii last year.

Sweet girl!

Cute boy!

4th of July weekend pics

4th of July weekend

Last weekend we went to Rexburg for the weekend of the 4th. We started out our weekend with family pictures on Saturday morning. We haven't had a family picture with my parents and brothers for several years and my brother is leaving at the end of July for the Army so my mom really wanted a new pic. My uncles step-son is a photographer and did the pics for us and I think they are going to turn out nice! I'll post a couple as soon as we have them. We all went to the parade and for the most part the kids enjoyed it. Unfortunately as soon as we got there my nephew threw up but then we realized that there was a children's consignment store right there so we jogged over and got him some new clothes for next to nothing, it was great! After the parade Ben took the kids home while my mom and I ran to the grocery store for a few things. Later in the afternoon we all went to my aunt Louise's house for a party. The kids played to their heart's content so it was great. All of the cousins had fun playing together and it's nice for them to all be able to get together. Some of my greatest memories as a kid were when all of the extended family would get together and eat and play games. On Sunday, my brother and sis-in-law blessed their brand new baby boy, Dageus Jack (I think that's how it's spelled, it sounds like Vegas only with a D). He is the absolute spitting image of my brother, right down to the cowlick on his forehead, it's so funny! He is adorable and I got to do lots of holding so it was great.

Warning...

I just wanted to warn you at the beginning that I've posted several entries on here so it is pretty long today! You have been warned....enjoy!!

Another Big Milestone

We've reached another big milestone in the babies lives...getting rid of the cribs! A has been trying to climb out of his crib lately so I decided that it was time to move up to a toddler bed. Luckily for us, my aunt just moved her kids into twin beds so I was able to get her beds. A and E were so excited when my grandma and mom showed up with the beds in their car. We waited a day to put them up though, I figured it would be good for them to see them sitting there and I wasn't quite ready for them to grow up! Here we are taking down the cribs:

Here is A and E in their new beds: We put them up just before naptime but when I put the babies in them...forget about a nap. They were so crabby for the rest of the day! It took them forever to go to bed too, I ended up rocking them to sleep and E didn't go to bed till about 10:30 (her bedtime is 8:30). Today naps were non-existent again but bedtime went better. Hopefully tomorrow we can get naps in!

Memorial Day

We went to Rexburg to see my family for Memorial day this year and it was really great because we were able to spend time with my two brothers for the first time in a long time. The babies had so much fun playing with their cousins and they were so good to them. E spent most of the time that we were there in a swing. She would swing 24-7 if we would let her so maybe it's good that we don't have a swing. While we were there, A also had his very first horse ride. He was a little nervous at first but then really liked it. E took one look at the horse and said no way...she's a little cautious like her momma! We also went together to my brother's grave for the first time in several years. It was nice to remember him and the good times. The babies also had their first carousel ride while we were there, they were a little nervous but by the end didn't want to get off.

Our Budding Musicians

A loves instruments so when we were at my parent's house for memorial day I pulled out my dad's guitars and let A and E play on them a bit. As you can see in the video, A loved it and just did the cutest little bounce! My sister-in-law also pulled out my nieces violins (which are tiny) and let A play one so he was in 7th heaven. He keeps putting his litttle toy guitar under his chin and then plays it like a violin using his drumstick as a bow, he cracks me up. E loves to sing so she just sings throughout the day, I love it!!

Father and Son Campout

On May 21, Ben and A went on the father & son campout again this year. Ben looks forward to it every year now and just can't wait! They had lots of fun and A got to eat his first smore! They roasted hot dogs and when a little boy told his dad that he wanted a hot dog, A tried to share his half-eaten hot dog with him. They watched a movie that night and since A had been running and climbing all day, they didn't watch very much of the movie and went to bed instead. The next morning they had breakfast burritos and strawberries (A's favorite!). They got home earlier than I expected so all the things I had planned on doing while they were gone didn't get done but oh, well. While the boys were gone, E and I went to the mall and did a little shopping and hit the Cheesecake Factory and brought home a piece of cheesecake to share. We had lots of snuggling and just being together, what a great weekend!

UH-OH!!

So, while I was in the shower this morning the babies decided to help themselves to my makeup. This was the end result of their makeover:

Mother's Day 2010

I know I'm a few days late but Happy Mother's Day to all of my wonderful friends and family! I, for one, had an awesome mother's day! It started with sleeping in a little, breakfast in bed, and my sweet little E saying, "Happy Mother's Day, mommy!" It was so nice!!! We went to church then when we got home, Ben cooked dinner for us. On saturday he had taken the kids to a pottery shop where they made me something, it won't be done till next saturday so I'm not sure what it was. They also got me flowers. I had been to a jewelry party a few weeks ago and found a great pearl necklace and earrings that I sort of bought myself. Ben always gets me great gifts but I just loved this one and so I couldn't resist. It was a nice relaxing day and I have to come up with something for Father's Day so that I can make the day as nice for Ben!! I'm including a video of E sort of saying happy mother's day, it's not as good as the morning but as I good as I could get her to say it. A tries to say it too but not nearly as well!

Twinkle, Twinkle

E sings for us again! She is so stinkin cute, I love it. She loves to dance and sing. Oh, and A helps out a little!!

My Sweet Baby Girl

I have the sweetest girl ever!! I always sit and run my fingers through E's hair and then kiss the top of her head. Today I was sitting on the floor changing H's diaper when I felt these little fingers in my hair then a kiss...how sweet is that!! Later I asked A if he wanted to come and snuggle with me then E came running over and said, "I wanna snuggle with momma!". She is such a sweet spirit and love that she came to our family!!

Pics

E's fave place to hide out-mommy and daddy's bed (especially when she's naked)!

A and his fave hat-one of the stacking blocks!

The best pic I could get of E's Easter dress, it is really, really cute but you can't really tell on here!

A in his Easter suit, it has a pale green shirt which looks so cute on him and I think the rake adds a nice touch :)!!

What We're Doin Now-Redux

So once again it's been forever since I've blogged and it will probably just be a bunch of random stuff again but hey, better than nothin right!

• A is not so much obsessed with dogs now, it's musical instruments. We have the Baby Einstein, Meet the Orchestra DVD so they know the names of most of the instruments. His favorites are: trumpet, trombone, drum, and guitar. We have a little toy guitar that he carries around all the time, takes to bed, all that fun stuff. The other day I bought them a little set that has a drum, tambourine and harmonica so they jam all day long!
• E is still our songbird, she is even getting good at memorizing lots of songs. She sings along to all the movies and even the songs on the cartoons in the morning. This is definitely a talent that we are going to work on developing!
• A is starting to talk a lot more, he has one phrase perfect: "Push the button, mommy" (referring to the DVD player). Yeah, we're working on less TV, he thinks he needs it constantly.
• E loves books, especially mine! She will take whatever book I'm reading at the moment and carry it around all over with her. Unfortunately she doesn't always remember where she set it down at.
• They love to be outside. They tell me they want to go out all the time now and unfortunately the weather has not been cooperating. They especially love to help daddy with whatever he is doing outside. The other day they were outside when it suddenly started hailing. E looked up after getting pelted in the face with an expression of extreme annoyance and surprise. I had to laugh!!
• We were going to story time at the library and can't wait to go again in a month whent they start back up again. It's nice for us to get out and for the babies to hear someone other than mom and dad telling stories.

I suppose that's all for now, I say I'll try and blog again soon but who knows....catch ya next time!

Our Songbird

The babies are really into dogs right now so we love the movie 101 Dalmations. E sings all the songs right along with the movie (as well as randomly throughout the day)! Here is a little taste of our songbird.

Good-bye Shauna

After a 5 month battle with stage 4 melanoma my sister-in-law Shauna finally gave up the fight today. She will be missed soooo much and our prayers are definitely with her family during this difficult time.

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