Merry Christmas

Not much time to post about Christmas. Quick summation - the kids got way too much but had a good time hanging out with Grandma & Grandpa. Here are just a few photos. Hope everyone had a great Christmas and has a Happy New Year.



This was taken right after Lexi woke up and at that time she probably could hardly focus on the Littlest Pet Shop.



Brayden's number one request from Santa - Healy's.



Lexi with her American Girl, Licorice & Coconut - Brayden with his new Wii games and DS game.


The towel/hair wrap was also a Christmas present, I had to include this picture because Lexi's pleasure and excitement with the towel/hair wrap made me laugh. For the last couple of months, she has wanted me to wrap her hair in a towel when she gets out of the shower but needless to say she can't keep it on. So, for Christmas, she got her own "little towel". Sometimes it the little things that make her happy:)

Happy Birthday Lexi

I can not believe that Lexi turned 5 on the 19th. What is even more unbelievable is that she wanted to have her party at Chuck E Cheese. I made several attempts to "convenience" her to have her party ANYWHERE but there. Then I just had to come to the realization that every kid I know has a great time at Chuck E. Cheese - it's just me who doesn't really like it. Guess that's how lots of things in life are - I know I have only been a parent for six years but this certainly isn't the first time I've realized it's my "issue" not the kid's. So here is the very first and the last picture taken the day of the party. She was a very happy birthday girl...even when everyone was singing "Happy Birthday".





I have to admit the perks for the birthday girl were awesome a blow up crown (with extra tokens), a huge balloon (including a bank with extra tokens) and a birthday medal. And it sure seemed like everyone had a good time.

So to my sweet baby girl,Lexi, Happy Birthday!! I hope you never lose that twinkle in your eyes and that sweet smile that melts my heart every day. May all your dreams come true, I love you.

The second week of Christmas

So here's a recap of the last seven days....all I can say is WOW was it busy. The kids had their Christmas program and they did awesome. Scott and I were very proud of them. They made snowflakes, their own Christmas cards, snowman soup - which is also known as hot chocolate and includes a Hersey kiss and a candy cane. This weekend we made a ginger bread house and have been enjoying the candy on it ever since. It is by far the best house we've ever made. In the past, it either hasn't maintained its shape or became so hard the candy was no good.

See for yourselves - they were so proud of their creation. They did decide to add another layer of frosting around the rim of the plate, which of course, had more candy on it and was the first to be eaten.



Scott and I went to see the Rockettes as a part of my birthday celebration. The show was amazing, I had no idea that there was going to be so much more than the girls and their high kicks. I tried to take a picture to share but it was too dark for my camera.

So now it is time to take my cookies out of the oven. I have 3 more types still to bake and will recruit Brayden and Lexi to help with some tomorrow. Stay tuned to see what the next seven days bring.

The first week of Christmas

So December has been busy so far and today is December 7th. We are trying something new this year (thanks to the Family Fun magazine) and created a calendar which has an activity listed each day for the the month of December. To date, we have made snowflakes, picked out and decorated our tree, watched Frosty the Snowman, made our Christmas lists, saw Santa, Lexi & Brayden have bought and wrapped each other presents. So like I said busy. I still have yet to get out Christmas cards, Christmas calendars or decide where in the world we are going to celebrate Lexi's 5th birthday. Did I mention her birthday is in 12 days. Now if it were not December this may not be that big of a deal but timing is a big deal this time of year. It's definitely on my list for tomorrow....keep your fingers crossed. The real delayed is Lexi can't make up her mind where she wants to go. Stay posted.

Speaking of the birthday girl. Here she is surrounding herself with Hallmark's musical snowmen...gotta love hearing them all at once.



I had to include this moment where they donned themselves Santa's helpers (and were getting along well).



The feeling of Christmas is really around the house. I forgot to mention we have a visiting elf named Frosty, who watches Brayden and Lexi during the day and then flies to the North Pole and reports what type of day they had to Santa. So every morning they awake and run around the house until they find him. So far he's been spotted in the Christmas tree, in Brayden's fish bowl and in Lexi's shutters (just to name a few places). We also are doing an Advent house...so far the highlight from the house had been this past Sunday when St. Nick left a card telling them to look in their shoes. Of course, in their shoes they found fruit and nuts - which they thought was hilarious. So that is a wrap and the highlights of the first week of December. Stay turned for what craziness the next seven days may bring.

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a good but quick Thanksgiving. We had a lot of fun checking out the Smithsonian Museum of National History. Brayden was amazed at the T Rex and the Pterodactyloid. Unfortunately, all of the pictures with the dinosaurs had some kind of funky glare but here is a shot of the massive elephant who welcomes you when you enter the museum.



Then of course, it wouldn't be the annual Thanksgiving post if I didn't include the kids in their Pilgrim & Indian costumes. Brayden's costume even included a "talking stick" which he would not let anyone hold because then they (not he) had the power to speak. The magic must be in the feathers.





Thanks Doris (and Gordon) for spending Thanksgiving with us and taking the photo!!



I also had to include this one of the "terrible trio".



I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and had the opportunity to spend time with family and friends.

Lexi and Livi

Okay, so I don't know if this is against the rules of blogging or the internet or any other rules but I feel like I'm probably violating one somewhere. But having said that, I give full credit to Leigh and since I have sung her praises in the last couple
posts I thought I'd share one more of her "works"...this one is of Lexi and Livi and is as cute as the goody bags.

Click here to see Lexi and Livi.
(Sorry, but I can't figure out how to make the image smaller so scroll down to the bottom and to the right).

Just a little more Halloween

Just a few more Halloween pictures.

Our pumpkin...had to be a werewolf per Brayden.



Anyone hungry for a mummy dog with mustard eyes? Have to give a shout out to Sue -- for helping me get these ready on Halloween night. Thanks girl.



What about an owl treat? Again, a Leigh Theo masterpiece. That girl has nothing but creative bones in her body.



A rare calm sibling moment can make for a memorable one. And a "crabby patty" can return to a beautiful, sweet, happy little girl again within just a few hours.

Happy Halloween

October 2009 was a blur. I can't tell you where it went or why it passed so quickly but it has come and gone. October is always a fun time of year at our house. We have lots of decorations - mostly thanks to Grandma (thanks mom) and the kids have been patiently (well maybe patiently is not quite accurate) awaiting the day to wear their costumes.

I had the joy of helping out with Lexi's Halloween classroom party - we looked for and found ghost suckers, played pumpkin bowling, did a witches hat toss, and had a bean bag toss game (all with candy, of course). And while we had fun at the party, I just can't not include this picture from before the party when Lexi didn't want to put on her costume and was taking on some kind of "crabby patty" persona. Clearly, it's written all over her face.



Thanks to my good friend Leigh (the queen of digital scrapbooking), Brayden and Lexi had the cutest goody bags ever. I had to include pictures of these because they were sooooooo cute.









We had Scott's family and some good friends over for dinner Halloween night before we all headed to our Church's trunk or treats and then hit our neighborhood to gather all the candy possible. Here are our trick or treaters.





We had a great Halloween and are looking forward to the upcoming holidays and know that they too will pass just as quick, if not quicker, than October. So I am going to make an effort to enjoy each day before and during the upcoming holiday season.

End of the Season Backpacks???

Another season has come and gone. Brayden had a great time playing flag football this fall but I have to admit I am glad the season has ended. As always, he had a blast learning the game, playing with his buddies (Bryson and Arden) and even caught a "granny" pass from Bryson and ran it back for a touchdown. I really wish I had a video for that game, it was a classic. But I am ready to enjoy a whole Saturday, the only day of my week, to do whatever I want and/or need to do that does not have obligations always attached to it.

We had the end of the year program the other day and unfortunately, there were no trophies. This is the first time either of my kids participated in an Upward program and didn't get a trophy. Brayden did get a purple and black backpack that he was and still is very excited about...go figure. I guess the reality is that he'll get a lot more usage out of backpack than the trophy....especially since he has used the backpack everyday since he got it.

And while I'm being honest, Brayden has yet to say one word about not getting a trophy.

And so here they are...each with a big smile, and their backpacks.

Happy Birthday Brayden

I can not believe that Brayden is six years old and how fast the time has passed. Some times it only seems like yesterday that I was pregnant and having a "family meeting" with Scott & my dad about whether or not we should go to the hospital or go to the doctor's office. Ultimately, after one large gush of water, I decided we were going to the hospital. Then, after so many hours and into the night, Brayden was born. He was such a big boy....10 lbs 5 oz and 23" long but seemed perfect.

And over these six years, he has proven to be a great big brother, who can be tender hearted and an agitator, a gentleman in making, and a boy I'm proud to call my son.

So for his sixth birthday, Brayden wanted to do a few or a lot of things....which of course, Scott and I made sure he got to do.

Just a quick glimpse into his celebrations.

Golf anyone????




Japanese steakhouse???





A pizza party at school...





Happy Birthday big boy!! May all your dreams come true and may you have many more happy birthdays. I love you.

The Titans are in Town

Flag football has begun and is now in full swing. Brayden, Bryson and Arden are all on the same team....those poor coaches. The boys are having a blast and are improving each week. He's tearing up the field - pulling flags and scoring touch downs. Go Titans!!!! (And thanks mom for the great shots).

So here we are...

I know you have all been patiently waiting for the Rogers family camouflage picture....the wait is over.


Here we are..................



I still can't figure out why my shirt is so "slack" compared to the rest of the crowds, especially since I did them all. Oh well, camouflage isn't really my style and my shirt probably won't get too much wear anyway.

Back to school

We had the best first day of school ever. Granted we have only been going to school for a few years but this past week went great. The first day Brayden was dressed and ready to go about a half hour early and kept telling Lexi to hurry up because otherwise she was going to make him late. Luckily, we got to school with plenty of time to spare. Then after school, Lexi was a chatter box telling Meagan and I what a great day she had and giving us all of the details of her whole 2 hour day. Yep, that's right, she only had to go for 2 hours the first day...thank goodness for us otherwise, she might still be talking.

Isn't he handsome???



And she's just so sweet!!!



I took some pictures under the St. James Kindergarten sign but unfortunately Lexi had her eyes closed and Brayden is doing one of his "poses" so the other ones will have to do.

I am hopeful I will get to post some of their work in the upcoming weeks or at least some good stories from school.

Time flies

So it has been well over a month since I have made any time to post anything to my blog and now I am forced to catch up a bunch of events all at one time. So here is the rest of the kids summer.

They went to Zoo Camp at the Greenville Zoo and learned all kinds of interesting facts. For instance, did you know the more fruit and vegetables a parrot eats the brighter its colors will be? Or did you know a human and a giraffe have the same amount of bones in their necks? (Our 7 bones are just much smaller than the giraffes). So here they are going to camp.



Brayden got braces back in the beginning of this month. He will be fitted for an appliance which will protect his bottom teeth next month and then 6 weeks after that he will start wearing his head gear (which hopefully will pull his top jaw forward and will redirect his bottom jaw). So far, he has done great. He has not complained at all and I'm saying prayers that we will be so lucky in October when he has to wear the head gear for a minimum of 14 hours a day. UGH!!!! Just in case you are wondering the plan will be for him to sleep in it.

Did you know a 5 year old could look so cool when getting braces?




Sorry for the close up but my mom had to see the braces....all 4 of them. :)



The whole family tie dyed some camouflage t-shirts...look for a group shot at a later date. The kids loved it. Initially, they had a hard time understanding the concept but they quickly got it and were very pleased with the final product.





We also visited the local Children's Museum in Greenville. The museum is three stories of tons of fun. Brayden and Lexi climbed on this thing that is as tall as the museum and has all different levels, they pretended to shop, work at the grocery store, be race car drivers and tire changers...the list could go on and on. Here are a few of the exhibits.







I hope everyone had a great summer and is settling down back into the routine of school.

Brayden & Lexi are back in SC

Scott and I met my parents for lunch this afternoon and did the switch. Which would be code for picked up Brayden and Lexi. As usual, they had a week filled with alot of activities - a couple of movies, Hersey Park in PA, Chuck E Cheese, McDonald's, etc. Look for some posts about that maybe next month. I am heading to Charleston for two weeks for training and don't anticipate making any time to post. Plus, I have to get the pictures from my mom.

Here's a photo from this afternoon.




P.S.
If you live close, please feel free to check on Scott and his sanity over the next two weeks. Luckily, for him and the kids, I will be able to come home over the weekend.

P.S.S.
Leigh,I hope Whit & Livi are ready to play!!!!!

Happy 4th of July

So immediately following the surprise anniversary party we headed back to my parent's house and had a neighborhood celebration. Now, as in previously posts, I will not make any specific mention about what anyone might have done to protect the guilty. But I will say, we stayed up too late enjoying some fireworks provided by my dad and two of his neighbors and some blue eyed blonde. My mom brought out her fire pit for the kids and those adults who wanted to enjoy some smores.

Lexi wasn't going to miss an opportunity to make smores.



Neither was Doris (co-conspirator for the anniversary party).



Have to show you some of the fireworks... after all it was Independence Day.





Another group shot, it was hard to find one that didn't implicate anyone.




I had to memorialize this event and I hate I can't say anything more about it. Anyone identify the floating object? Okay, so maybe it drowned and hasn't floated in a really long time.



Hope everyone had a great 4th of July.