City Girl Livin' in a Southern Town

Merry Christmas

2009-12-28T18:25:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-28T17:40:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-14T18:19:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-07T17:54:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-07T17:28:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T19:35:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T19:20:00.000-08:00

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

2009-11-03T18:49:00.000-08:00

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???

2009-11-03T18:32:00.000-08:00

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

2009-09-30T18:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-09-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-09-08T17:48:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-28T18:27:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-11T21:47:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-11T21:27:00.000-07:00

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.

Happy 40th Anniversary Mom & Dad

2009-07-11T20:42:00.000-07:00

On June 28th my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary and so I decided to give them a party the weekend of July 4th. We were coming in town to "drop off" the kids for a week of fun and sun with their grandparents. So, I spoke with my Uncle Rico, Aunt Renate and (cousin) Katarina and they flew in from Chicago for the weekend and party. Then with the help of one of my parent's neighbors, we arranged several other neighbors to meet us at a local, favorite Italian restaurant of my parents to celebrate an amazing milestone. I am blessed to have wonderful parents and hope that they enjoy another 40 years together.

My parents were really surprised and everyone seemed to have a great time. The food was fantastic and I have to thank Doris and Ciro again for helping me pull it all together.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to "paste" a slide show in my blog so I'm only going to do some highlights. Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!!!!

Even my dad seemed to enjoy the Prosecco (an Italian, sparkling wine).

Here's a group shot.

Have to include the "cousin" photo.

Of course, I have to include Grandma sharing a cappuccino with her grandchildren - just like she does every time we go to an Italian restaurant.

Almost, but not quite sleepovers

2009-07-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

So who would have thought Brayden and Lexi would have two friends sleepover the same night? Well seveal weeks ago, we gave it a try. Brayden's buddy Bryson came over and Lexi's BFF, Livi, came up the hill. It all started out well but it didn't last long. Bryson came into my bedroom sometime around 10:30 or 11:00 and said, something along the lines of, "Ms. Bry, I'm ready to go home". As I was getting him ready, he made a comment about how brave another friend of his was to be able to spend the night at another person's house. But before they went to bed, they were some rootin, tootin cowboys ready to ride off into the sunset.

Of course, the girls had to have their picture taken as well. So here they are...with their fine jewelry and makeup.

And for those of you wondering, Livi came into my room around 4:30. All I have to say about that is "Thank goodness, she just lives down the hill".

From the beach to the mountains

2009-07-09T18:15:00.001-07:00

So we spent four great days at the beach and then we had to come home for an afternoon before we headed to Gatlinburg, TN for a week. Of course, on the afternoon we were home and into the evening all I did was laundry. (Actually, I had to come home early to attend a seminar for work). The mountains were filled with lots of fun filled days and evenings with extended family. The trip was shared with Scott's immediate and extended family (his parents, sister & family, grandma, aunt, cousins and cousin's children). Luckily, for all of us we had two houses. The house we stayed in was the "Light House".

I don't think any of the adults even got into the hot tub but the kids sure seemed to enjoy themselves.

The kids had a blast riding go-karts with Scott, going to Dollywood & Dixie Stampede, and Wonder Works...among other things. Here are just a few pictures of the highlights.

Just in case you didn't understand how many people were on this trip here everyone is right before we went into the Dixie Stampede.

Here the kids are at Dollywood.

Scott had to pay Lexi, after he lost a bet that she would scream on the ride that drops you straight down from waaayyyy to high in the sky.

Just a few more, these are from Wonder Works - which was a great mix of education and fun. So you walk into the place - it's upside down and all you hear is some creaking noises, as if the building is teetering from side to side.

We experienced an earthquake and mid-level hurricane force winds. Scott even laid on a bed of nails. Anyone believe he said it didn't even hurt???

Look closely, because those nails are extending out of the plexiglass about 2-3 inches.

The background in this picture was too beautiful not to include and plus it had Nana. (I think this is her first appearance on the blog).

Our annual beach trip

2009-07-09T18:07:00.001-07:00

The weather was incredibly sunny and ridiculously hot! I think it was in the high 90's two of the four days we were there. But as always we had a great time - especially the kids. Here's the proof.

Football on the beach anyone?

How about wake boarding?

Seashells anyone?

How about a shark or a jellyfish? (Luckily for us, they were not presenting any danger to us or anyone else).

I have to give you a brief look into some of the incredible photos our friend, Mark Craven, took again this year. You might remember some of his work from last years' Christmas card.

A pit stop

2009-07-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

So it's been over a month since my last post and we have been so busy that I just have not had any time. Sorry. So mid June, we headed down to the Isle of Palms with a bunch of friends from church. But before we made it to the beach we stopped in Columbia, at Riverbanks Zoo.

We saw lots of animals. Some of which were .....

One of the coolest things the kids saw and touched was giraffe fur and hooves.

This post wouldn't be complete if I didn't include the pictures of one of the gorillas that recently escaped and injured a zoo worker. Just in case you have no idea what I am talking about, several weeks ago we had a horrible storm and apparently high winds moved some tree branches around and one of the Silverback gorillas was able to climb out of the exhibit. He was out for just a few minutes before he jumped back into the exhibit. Anyways, I do not know if they ever determined which one it was but here they both are. Fast asleep,inside their exhibit.

Summer treats

2009-06-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love fresh picked strawberries? I know the kids and I do. So we went and picked a bunch the other day. Of course, we ate some as we picked because that's what you do. And they were delicious. Here's the proof.

It sure was hot, and we were sweaty but, we had a great time finding the biggest, juiciest strawberries. Too bad we didn't get enough. They are already all gone.

Lost tooth

2009-06-04T18:48:00.000-07:00

Brayden gave new meaning to "lost tooth" this past Tuesday. He was playing first base, with his hands in his mouth, and wouldn't you know it .... his bottom tooth fell out. He said he put it in his back pocket but when I went to get it ....it wasn't there. Myself and several other parents searched the in-field but never found his tooth. I thought he was going to be disappointed but he quickly told me he "didn't really care". He went on to explain to me that he didn't have to put his tooth under his pillow. All he had to do was write the tooth fairy a note and tell her he lost the tooth at his baseball game and she would go to the field and get the tooth.

So when we got home he wrote his note. Here it is.....

And here he is, minus one tooth.

Just in case you were wondering, the tooth fairy left $5 under his pillow and according to Brayden, she found his tooth.

Mad scientists & lesson learned

2009-06-04T18:13:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you have heard of and probably have seen the "reaction" when you drop Mentos into diet pop. But for those of you who haven't, just stay tuned. Brayden and Lexi are really into various experiments and of course, we had to invite Whit and Livi over to join in the fun.

Down to business. First Scott had to find a level place that was not going to spray the pop all over everything and leave a big sticky mess. No place better than the middle of the backyard.

Scott got it all ready, all he had to do is pull the cord and watch out.

Here it is........................... the grand EXPLOSION!!

And finally, the mad scientists.

And, my two mad scientist. Happy they got to do another experiment.

I can't end this post without telling why the explosion occurs. So according to Wikipedia, "The reason that the soda erupts so violently from the bottle is actually twofold: a decrease of the surface tension of the soda (due to dissolving Mentos), and an increase in nucleation sites (sites where bubbles of CO2 can form) within the bottle (due to the rough Mentos surface). Both of these factors make the carbon dioxide in the soda less likely to stay dissolved and more likely to become gaseous. The fountain effect is from all of the CO2 going from dissolved to gaseous at once, and at a great rate." Science really never was one of my things.

Goin' swimming

2009-06-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

After much asking, Brayden, Lexi, Avery, Aubrey and Arden finally got their chance to go swimming. Brayden and Lexi were so excited to go to the pool with their cousins they immediately put on their "gear".

So here a some highlights from the day...

Check out those ears!!

What a pair!

How about this face - one only a mother could love.

We had a great time and are looking forward to many more days at the pool.

Lexi's First Trophy

2009-05-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

Soccer is finally over but I am glad to report Lexi ended on a high note. She played the last two games all by herself...I actually got to sit on the sideline. She didn't score a goal but she did hustle up and down the field. She even kicked the ball a few times. I am very proud of her. Last night, she got her very first trophy and was so excited. Here she is in all her glory!!

Goodbye school, hello summer

2009-05-27T18:59:00.000-07:00

Brayden and Lexi are officially out of school for the summer. They both had a precious end of the year program consisting of some very cute songs. Unfortunately, the sanctuary was too dark and none of my pictures came out.

But we did get some photos with each of their teachers. They both had such a great year and are excited to enjoy a fun filled summer.

Lexi and Ms. Debbi

Lexi and Mrs. Mattison

Mrs. Howe, Brayden and Mrs. Harris

We hope everyone has a great summer

The Knight and the Princess

2009-05-27T18:40:00.000-07:00

The kids were recently invited to one of their friend, Riley's birthday party. The theme was princesses and princes. I'm sure you'll be surprised to see who dressed up and who didn't. They had a great time getting their faces painted picking out tattoos.

Check out the blood from the dragon on Brayden's face and the scar from one of his previous battles with the dragons.

And while she didn't dress up, Lexi loved the butterfly on her face and the "kissing" fish tattoo.

Then like all great parties, we got some party favors that are driving Scott and I crazy. Who needs a 4 foot tall inflatable sword...but if you do we have one.

And no princess would be complete without her tiara.

More Cinderella Pictures

2009-05-13T19:34:00.000-07:00

So here are some more pictures from our "play date" with Livi, Leigh and Cinderella. (Thanks Leigh for sharing the photos).

The girls were so excited for the show to start.

Livi and the star of the show, Cinderella.

Lexi and the Queen, not to be confused with the evil stepmother.

Perspectives

2009-05-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here is what, and who, I am to my beloved son.

I am 65 years old because he couldn't remember how old I really was.

I am prettiest when I am around Scott because I just am.

I like to talk with my friends because he (Brayden) sees me doing that.

I always tell him he is handsome because I really always do.

I am funny when I giggle but he couldn't tell me why.

And one last note, he used red and brown markers for my hair (which didn't really show up in the picture) because sometimes it looks brown and sometimes it looks red.

So moving on to my favorite daughter.

According to Lexi...

I had her when I was 10 (almost 11).

I am anorexic (if not dead).

I am Bryanna.

I like a fast food restaurant I hardly ever eat at.

My closet is not nearly as colorless and dreary as I thought.

I love a book which teaches her and I how to be "fancy"

and yes,I do like to look at magazines.

Don't you think I am lucky to have kids with such interesting perspectives on me?

Happy Teacher Appreciation week

2009-05-08T18:45:00.001-07:00

Unfortunately, there are no pictures to go along with this post. I have to send a shout out to my girlfriend, Leigh, who informed me last Sunday that this week was Teacher Appreciation week. Most of you who read this have no idea how creative Leigh is, she definitely has a gift to make anything look incredible. Anyways, I asked "Miss Fancy Pants" (AKA Leigh) what she was going to do for her kids' teachers but her ideas were way too creative for me...but I do have to say I was pleased with how the week turned out.

Monday - I sent in some potted flowers with a note of gratitude.

Tuesday - I sent in some pudding with a decorative note which read "Thanks for puddin' up with me" (just in case you wondered, this was soley from Brayden for multiple reasons but the main one is Lexi only goes to school 3 days/week)

Wednesday - I sent in a bag with a coke and a take 5 bar. The note attached read, "Have a Coke and Take 5. You deserve it".

Thursday - I sent in blueberry muffins. No cute note today

Friday - I sent in a bag with microwave popcorn, M&M's and a gift card for Blockbuster for a movie night.

It's funny that almost every night I stayed up, much later than I wanted, to get these small tokens of appreciation ready for the next day but in the end it was worth i. Brayden and Lexi's teachers don't know how what great things they do for them each day and how grateful I am to each of them.

And so while I have already thanked my kids teachers let me say "Thank you" to all the teachers in the world.

Bippity Boppity Boo

2009-05-08T18:38:00.000-07:00

Last week, Lexi and I went to see Cinderella with our neighbors (Leigh & Livi - AKA "BFF"). We had a great time. The play was great and afterwards all of the characters came out and signed the playbills. Livi,who is not nearly as shy as Lexi (that is a major understatement), had her pictures taken with all of the characters. I hope to post some other pictures, Leigh took, in the near future.

Baby Jake

2009-05-08T18:28:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth and baby Jake came to cheer Brayden on at one of his recent baseball games. Isn't he so cute??? It's hard to believe how big he has already gotten.

It took Lexi a while to get up her nerve but she loved holding Jake and of course, he was great and didn't move around too much.

What a crew!! Brayden and Lexi were very excited to have Elizabeth and Jake come see them. Lexi is already asking if she can spend the night with them. She doesn't quite get it yet...

Look and Find

2009-04-21T18:36:00.000-07:00

So I walked into Lexi's room tonight to turn off her night light and this is what I found.

She fell asleep,literally with her nose in her Princess Look and Find book. It is not uncommon for her to look at a book before she goes to bed but this was a first, normally the book in on the floor, not covering her face.

Lexi's first soccer game

2009-04-21T18:20:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was Lexi's first game. Look how cute she was in her uniform. Her team is the "Little Tornados" and surprisingly enough, she loves it...her uniform that is NOT soccer.

I guess I will say it went well...only because I played soccer too!! The beginning of the game was rough but we made it through (but not without, some hand holding, leg holding, complaining about all the running and wondering how much longer the game is going to last :). I have to give her a lot of credit because only 4 kids play at a time, and there were only five kids - so everyone had to play a long time.

Here were a couple more pictures ....

BFF's

2009-04-14T19:31:00.000-07:00

This was just too cute not to post.

Happy Easter

2009-04-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! I hope everyone had a great Easter. Brayden and Lexi sure did. My parents came in town, which of course, meant plenty of presents and lots of things squeezed into three days. Lexi and Brayden got to show off Grandma to their teachers and friends at school and do egg hunts.

Then after school, it was off to Scott's mom's house to dye eggs with their cousins.

So that was Friday.

Then Saturday, we had another egg hunt and an Easter basket raffle at our church. Lexi won an ice cream sundae basket, complete with adorable ice cream bowls, chocolate, butterscotch, caramel and reese peanut butter cup toppings, nuts, cherries, ice cream scoops, coupons for Brewsters ice cream shop, and a local gift card.

Then it was on to the egg hunt....more candy.

Almost forgot the Easter bunny popped in!!!

Finally, Easter arrived and guess what? Moooorrrrrrrreeeeeeeee candy.

Check out all that candy...thanks Easter bunny.

Do you see those cheeks filled with candy at 7 am?????????? Holy cow.

Now for some good family shots.

Wacky Wednesday

2009-04-14T18:50:00.001-07:00

What in the world is WACKY WEDNESDAY?????? It's one of the fun things Brayden's class did to reinforce "W Week". If you ask Brayden, he'd tell you him and his friend Nathan (who wore hair bows) were the wackiest.

Don't you think he looked wacky, with his one pant leg up, one boot, one gym shoes, his shirt on backwards and his hair spiked up. No matter how wacky he looked, he had a blast and was adorable.

Soccer has begun

2009-04-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

So if you know Lexi, you know she doesn't really want to do anything....except watch tv, color, read and get her nails painted. So recently she decided she was going to play soccer and we really expected her to back out at the last minute...but to our surprise she didn't.

So last Monday was the 1st practice and saying it didn't go so well is an understatement. She warmed up, introduced herself and then began to cry. There was identifiable reason why she lost it but she did and she never went back onto the field. So anyway, here she is right before practice began.

I am happy to report Lexi had another practice this week and it went sooooooooooooooo much better. Granted, I had to stay on the field with her and pretty much practice with her but hey, there were no tears and lots of smiles. Saturday is her first game and I'm hopeful it goes as well as yesterday. Please keep her (and me) in your prayers.

Play ball

2009-03-20T18:31:00.000-07:00

So as today is the first day of Spring. Yesterday, brought us Brayden's first baseball game. Although he played last year, this is his first year of coach's pitch and like last year, he is on the Atlanta Braves. He was so handsome in his uniform, I couldn't help but take his picture.

Cute guy, huh?

There are three innings and all of the kids get 6 pitches, each inning. Brayden went 1 for 3 (a single, no contact, and then he was tagged out). Here he is right before his first bat...

And of course, I can't leave out a picture of Brayden's biggest fan!!! She had to wear Brayden's baseball hat from last year.

I don't know if they keep score but either way you might hear us yelling, "Go Braves"!!!!

Happy St. Patricks day!!!

2009-03-16T13:08:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone a Happy St. Patty's Day from two very mischievous little "Leprechauns". Hope everyone finds their pot of gold tomorrow.

Snowy days of March?????????

2009-03-12T17:44:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought South Carolina would get between 5 and 6 inches of snow on the first of March? Not me but we did...it left us with 2 snow days. Wasn't it pretty?

All of that beautiful snow allowed Brayden to sled down the hill between our house and the Theos (thanks Theo clan for sharing the sled) and a nice size snowman.

As you can see the boys were proud of their snowman.

The best part of the snow was it was gone within 4 days - we were in the 60's by the weekend. I was glad to see the snow and enjoyed it while it was here, but was excited to see it melt...probably just like everyone else living in the Upstate.

Roadtrip

2009-02-28T17:55:00.001-08:00

Where does time gone? I returned to South Carolina almost 2 weeks ago and I am just finding (or making the time) to do this post. Oh well, that's what happens when you getting married and decide to have kids. They tend to occupy your time.

I went to Chicago Valentines weekend and had an incredible trip. But before I begin I have thank my Aunt Renate for letting me use one of her buddy passes because otherwise, there would have be NO ROADTRIP. Secondly, I have to tell those who might read this some facts and several photos have intentionally been left out for the protection of me and my friends - enough said.

So onto my trip .... my friends Jen and Tom, let me shack up on their couch for 4 nights. Really, Tom probably didn't have much of a choice but he certainly was a good sport about me being there and he was great about taking their kids when we were "hanging out & catching up". I spent a lot of time pretending to be Jen on Facebook. Although, I am not on Facebook, I will admit it was fun to catch up with so many people I haven't talked to in too many years. It was a little addicting and I have to wonder what Jen's profile says today. I was updating it (much to her chagrin daily). Anyways, in addition to "catching up" with Jen, I celebrated my friend,Grace's 40th birthday. Jen and my other friend, Kimmi, were burdened with all of the planning for the evening and of course, it all worked out great. Another friend Janice met up with us and I can't tell you how long it had been since we'd seen one another.

Grace had no clue I was in town and was quite surprised when Jen introduced me, and two random chics (we met at the bar) as friends of hers from work. It was priceless. We had a great time enjoying each other's company and revisiting the days of "yester year" when we could dance all night and close the bars down. Too bad we all had to wake up to kids later that morning. (For those of you who don't know, Jen has 2.5 year old twins - who religiously awoke at about 6:30 every morning).

(Pictured: me, Grace, Kimmi and Jen)

(Yes, that is Grace, the birthday girl, whose hair may have caught fire - but it was her big day!!)

Had to include some pictures of Alessandra and Frankie - my daily alarm clocks:)

In addition to hanging out with all my old friends, I was treated to the best pizza in the entire world by Jen's parents. What a lucky girl I am to have the friends and "family" in Chicago, who always welcome me home.

The Greatest Show on Earth

2009-02-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

The Greatest Show on Earth of course, is the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus. It came back to Greenville and in keeping with tradition, we went with my friend Beth, from work, and her family. Everyone had a great time and I am proud to say we escaped without one souvenir. (It was a close call but Scott held strong and the kids only got a pop and a $12 bag of cotton candy).

We went early to check out the pre-show and had lots of fun. We watched the elephant paint one of her master pieces and then rushed up to our seats to get our cotton candy. The cotton candy came with a wizard's hat which Lexi quickly placed on head and to my surprise kept on her head the majority of the show. Sorry to say, I don't have any pictures of her and her hat.

The circus was more magical than I have ever seen in the past. The ring master, with the help of the audience made an elephant disappear and later made a clown, turn into a tiger. There were many "tricks" that left me asking Beth, "How did they do that?" and her quickly telling me she had no idea.

In addition to the magic, there were the expected acts but most of them had a twist. The acrobats did all their tricks on moving gigantic swings, there were human cannon balls being shot across the length of the floor, and the double wheel of steel we saw at Cirque de Soleil. The animals were the kids favorites and they really were amazing. I don't have pictures but there were also some cute dogs, horses (two of which had manes that looked like a skunk - white on the outside and a strip of black in the middle) and zebras.

The magic of the circus is amazing and the wonder, excitement and thrill on Brayden and Lexi's face is priceless. I can't wait for the circus to come back to town next year and experience the magic again.

Who needs facebook....

2009-01-28T19:04:00.001-08:00

Lately, I have had a lot of "pressure" to join Facebook. I finally had my first experience with Facebook this past weekend while I was in ATL. Melissa showed me all of her friends and a lot of them were people I knew too. I admit it was fun to reminisce and see what people looked like today but I'm sticking to blogging. Sorry Mel. Sorry Jen. But in the good spirit of posting photos, ...here are some more pictures from ATL. Thanks Mel for letting us "crash".

Big City, Big Fish

2009-01-28T18:10:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we spent in Atlanta with my old college roommate, Melissa and her 6 year old nephew,Brady. Melissa was nice enough to let us "crash" at her place and took us the the largest aquarium in the nation. The Georgia Aquarium had some of the neatest exhibits.

Here are Brayden, Brady & Lexi checking out the hide/fur of a sea otter.

And now, learning about the differences between whales with and without teeth. In the 2nd picture, Lexi is holding baleen - which is what whales, without teeth, have attached to their upper jaw.

Of course, Brayden checked out the shark's teeth as well. Did you know sharks can grow an indefinite number of teeth?

Probably the best part of the aquarium was the HUGE (I can't even describe how big it really is) salt water tank.

The large fish above is called a whale shark. It is the largest shark (and one of the least dangerous) in the world.

This next picture wasn't part of the "big tank" but it is too cool not to include. (I apologize the picture is sideways. I tried, obviously unsuccessfully, to get it the right way).

Although the kids all loved the exhibits in the aquarium they also had a lot of fun sliding down the whale slide, especially Lexi. Can you guess what she is holding?

If you guessed (simulated) baleen, you are correct!

Snow Day

2009-01-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

First, I must say I don't think I have a good reason for my lack of blogs...but I think I will be back on track just as soon as next week passes. It is time for all of my consignment sales to begin and as much as I enjoy them they certainly do take up a lot of my time and energy.

This is really for the amusement of my friends and family who are still in or are from Chicago. Here are the kids at our latest snow day, January 21, 2009. Yes, it is just a dusting of snow and yes, all of the schools in our county closed. Amazing, huh? Especially, given all of the roads were dry and when they were ready to go outside (at 7:30 am) it had not snowed in at least 3 or 4 hours.

Brayden and Lexi's excitement was amazing. They talked about making snow angels and having a snowball fight. Too bad the snow only lasted until about 10 am and left them "freezing" and anxiously awaiting the next snowfall.

I wonder how long they will have to wait?????

Christmas Angels and Shepards

2008-12-30T19:04:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from our Church's Christmas program where Brayden was a Shepard and Lexi was an angel.

Doesn't he look so sweet and innocent???

This is one of the sweetest pictures of Lexi I have ever seen. She definitely had the face of an angel this day.

Lexi's 4

2008-12-30T18:43:00.000-08:00

It seems impossible that my baby girl recently turned four but it is true. Bright and early on the morning of her birthday, Lexi informed me she wanted to have a "home party". What is a home party you ask? It apparently was what Brayden had three months earlier...which was when we had a bunch of friends and family over to our house, on the day of his birthday and have cake and ice cream. So I went to Strossners (the best bakery in Greenville) and ordered the yummiest chocolate cake ever called everyone who was at Brayden's "home party". Thank you all for coming because I am positive Lexi would have noticed if everyone was not there to celebrate her birthday.

It all started well...Lexi and her cousin's dolled her up with soo much glitter it is still in her hair today (2+ weeks later) but then Lexi's shyness kicked in and she didn't want to come out of the bathroom. So I was forced to reassure that no one was going to comment on how pretty she looked. Eventually, she believed me and we moved on to having cake. She doesn't look shy here does she????

But in typical Lexi fashion, she didn't want everyone to sing "Happy Birthday." I guess she was embarrassed to be the center of attention but I promise she did want the home party. Anyways, she was beautiful on her birthday - glitter and all. I love you Lexi and can't wait for you to be able to enjoy your birthdays!!

BFFs

2008-12-15T21:08:00.000-08:00

Just in case you don't know what BFF stand for - it means Best Friends Forever. Lexi and our next door neighbor, Livi, are BFF. Just ask them and they will tell you.

They love each other, hurt each other's feelings and make up with one another all in a day spent together. They paint each other's nails and do each other's makeup. Can you imagine what these two will do when they are five, how about fifteen? I'm not sure Leigh (Livi's mom) and I will be ready for these mini divas to turn 15 but we certainly are looking forward to it and are trying to prepare ourselves.

I hope these BFF's discover that "It takes a long time to grow an old friend" (John Leonard) and cherish all the memories they create together.

Christmas Traditions

2008-12-15T20:50:00.000-08:00

This year Brayden and Lexi returned home from Grandma and Grandpa's house to find a new friend. "Frosty" is their friend who watches them everyday and then reports back to the North Pole each night and relays what type of day they had to Santa Claus. Each morning Frosty relocates himself and patiently waits for Brayden to find him. He has been just about everywhere in our house, even swinging from the kitchen chandelier.

Lexi is patiently counting down the days until Christmas by cutting loops off of a bell she brought home from school. It's a big help in explaining to her just how many days there STILL are until Santa comes.

(Leigh this is for you) The bell reads:

Each night before Christmas
after prayers have been said
take off one loop
and hop into bed.

When Christmas will come
"tis easy to tell
for that is the night
you come to the bell.

And as for me, I have begun the annual ritual of baking cookies. I think in the past two days/nights I have baked more than 12 dozen cookies. More impressive, I think I have only had four or five cookies during the entire process. All of the baking is motivated by Lexi and Brayden beginning Christmas break in two days and a desire to give their teachers something beside the normal lotion and candles.

Be on the lookout for a blog dedicated to my recently unleashed creativity and maybe a shot of just how I am able to find 12 dozen cookies on my table.

Good times with Grandma & Grandpa

2008-12-02T20:02:00.000-08:00

Just a few more pictures from Grandma's house. Here are Brayden and Lexi in their Hawaiian gear

Then there is the eye wear one MUST wear when excavating fossils...

there are also essential tools....

And then viola (or if you don't speak French - "waa laa" in English slang)...you find a fossil.

Who knew you could discover fossils and go to a Luau all right outside of Washington DC? Only if you have a Grandma with an imagination as big as Brayden's and Lexi's.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T16:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope everyone had a great day and didn't eat too much turkey. We had a great dinner. The kids pitched in and helped make my Aunt Inch's famous strawberry jello and Grandma's secret chocolate cake. You can see why Lexi wanted to help...I think her philosophy was a scoop for me...a scoop for the jello.

Here's Chef Brayden....

Scott and Brayden pasted some of the afternoon looking for golf balls, Brayden's latest favorite past time while at Grandma's & Grandpa's house. In 3 searches, he and Scott have collected almost 300 balls. Anybody need any golf balls? Finally, it was time for dinner but there was one last thing we needed to do ....celebrate the original Thanksgiving dinner between the pilgrims and Indians. Luckily for us, Brayden's and Lexi's school had a feast planned for this week (which unfortunately for B & L - they missed) and they had their outfits sent home. They were so cute....

Although I am not very sentimental, these are two outfits I will be holding on to.

Living the life of luxury

2008-11-26T16:31:00.000-08:00

So this morning was a day of "girls only" and was absolutely wonderful. Lexi, Grandma and I enjoyed a pedicure this morning. Lexi was her usual self, hogging the massage chair and dipping her feet... do you think she figured out she's not really getting a "full pedicure"?

It has become somewhat of a ritual for the three of us to get a pedicure whenever we are hanging out with Grandma.

After a pedicure, our "girls time" is not complete until we have made it to Starbucks for a latte.

Then like all good things do, our "girls time" came to a screeching end and we had to go back to Grandma's house and pick up the boys. But that was okay because we were off to see Santa. Lexi and Brayden were armed with their letters, they wrote themselves, requesting a wii, sleeping bags, and cowboy boots. I don't have a scanner so I can't share their picture with Santa but hope to post it when I make it back to South Cakalaky. But here is the dynamic duo getting ready for Santa.

Christmas in November

2008-11-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Virginia this past Saturday and have been busy, busy, busy - ever since we arrived. I decided to split this up into a couple segments because it's too much to post all in one sitting. But first, I'm sure some of you are wondering about our actually trip from SC to VA and I'm glad to report Lexi only asked the inevitable question a handful of times. Unfortunately, I can not say the same for Brayden, I think he asked, "When are we going to be at Grandma and Grandpa's?" every five minutes. I'll admit that might be a little bit of an exaggeration but that's how it seemed for the brief 8.5 hour ride. Even if he only said it 5 times an hour that is over 40 times...too much for the average person to handle.

On Sunday we drove to Maryland to see Kooza. It was one h#@* of a trip. A ride which should have taken us 30 minutes was almost 2 hours because the directions were sooo simple we went almost completely around the Beltway before we turned around and finally found the Woodrow Wilson Bridge and a remote place called National Harbor (home to Kooza).

Kooza for those of you who are wondering what in the world I am talking about is a production by Cirque Du Soleil. It is a circus, but not your average, run of the mill kind of circus. It doesn't have any animals but it does have all of the acrobatic acts and clowns. My mom and I talked about going to see the show but little did I know it would under a BIG TENT!! It was huge and amazing to see in person. So much so, I decided to include it for all of you guys to see...

My mom, Lexi, Brayden and I had fun during the intermission seeing all of the souvenirs. The masks we tried on ranged in price from $12 to $200+. Who would buy that????? As I say that though, who would buy lip balm for $7 - that's right no one else but Grandma. And of course, Brayden and Lexi each had to have their own. You know the Rogers' kids have to get a souvenir from everywhere they go or Grandma and Grandpa go.

Needless to say we all enjoyed the show. It was amazing to watch Brayden and Lexi's expressions change as we watched the show. There was no doubt they loved it as much everyone else. On the way home, we talked about who like what the best and here are the results...Grandma liked the three girls who are way more flexible than God ever intended anyone to be, Grandpa liked the man who did tricks on 8 chairs, which he stacked on top of one another, Brayden liked the guys who did flips off of the see-saw and landed on some guys shoulders, Lexi liked the man who did flips on stilts (besides the Bendable Girls - this is one of the craziest stunts I had ever seen) and Scott and I liked the two guys who did tricks inside and outside of two large cylinders that kept spinning around - way too fast for anyone to attempt tricks on.

If Kooza, or any of the other Circque Du Soleil shows, comes to a town near you, consider checking into it. I will forewarn tickets are a little pricey but good thing for us, Christmas came early in Virginia this year. Thanks mom and dad for the early Christmas present, we really enjoyed it.

Luck...what luck?

2008-11-15T17:50:00.000-08:00

So obviously I have done something to someone and have messed my karma up. I mean how can you explain the pure, horrible luck I have experienced in the last 10 days. We all know my car caught on fire, I got it back only to have to have it towed the very next day because the brakes were smoking again!!!! I got my car back today, drove it briefly and all seems well. (Please God, let it really be fixed).

Then I came home, decided to put away all of my Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations since we are leaving for DC next week. Only problem, I left a small plastic package on the track of the garage door. Which wouldn't have been a problem if I hadn't opened the door. But thanks to the big, dark, black cloud over my head, when I opened the door, the plastic package kept the door from going all the way up. Since the door couldn't go all the way up, the tracks bent trying to compensate and one of the rollers fell out. I am grateful for my incredible neighbors who came right over and someone helped me get the door as close to down as possible. If you look at the right side is down but the right side is about a foot off of the ground...sounds nice, huh? In the midst of this disaster, we lost power. And of course, we didn't lose power for a short period of time, oh no, we lost power for 5 or 6 hours. I am so hopeful that my bad luck will pass because I don't think I can handle much more emotionally or financially. It is only 6 weeks until Christmas. Do you think Santa can bring me a money tree to plant in the backyard????

Lasting First Impressions & Endless Questions

2008-11-12T18:11:00.000-08:00

This entry is two part. I guess I will start with Brayden and then move onto Lexi.

So as I previously mentioned, Brayden recently finished his flag football season and with the end of the season came a "thank you" note to Scott from the coach for helping out. Of course the note had all the typically words you'd expect, but it ended with Coach Gabe saying how hilarious he thought it was that "Brayden still thinks his name is Coach Dallas" after 2 months of weekly practices and games.

For those of you who don't know, Coach Dallas was Brayden's t-ball coach this past Spring and obviously left an incredible impression on him. Dallas is very soft spoken and had an incredible gift when it came to keeping Brayden and all his teammates' attention. And let me tell you when it came to Brayden, Coach Dallas certainly had his work cut out of him --- Brayden loves baseball but he also loved to "chase" a cute little 5 year old girl. I don't know if Brayden will ever get to play for Coach Dallas again but we sure were blessed to have him be Brayden's first coach and to leave such a lasting impression on him. Thanks again Coach Dallas.

Now on to Ms. Lexi....she is so excited to go to DC for Thanksgiving to see my mom & dad she can hardly stand it. Every day, multiple times a day, for at least the past week, she has asked me when we are going to grandma and grandpa's house. In the beginning, I patiently explained to her what day of the week it was and then took her through the remainder of days until we would be leaving. And almost immediately after I told her, she would go and tell Megan we were leaving the "day after today". (For whatever reason, the word "tomorrow" is not in her vocabulary). But by now, I am sick of explaining it. Come on how hard is it... we have to get through this week and next week and then thank goodness, we will be out of here. The scary thing is once the day arrives the question will still be "when are we going to be at grandma and grandpas?" The good news is that question will only last for nine hours instead of 3 weeks. Wish me luck to make it to next Saturday and patience to make it through the road trip.

Up in flames

2008-11-05T17:25:00.000-08:00

So today, I experienced an event I never thought I would endure and for that matter, something I've never known anyone else to endure. My car caught fire today. Yep, you read right. Somehow, some part of my brake engaged, never disengaged and after excessive heating caught on fire. Luckily, I recognized something was wrong when I was not able to go over 20 mph but I had no idea what the problem was. I pulled into the entrance of a local business (so that the other people heading to work would not be late because of me or experience road rage because the speed limit was 45 mph) and there is where I saw the smoke coming out from under my hood and front tire. Quickly, I put the car in park, turned off the engine and hopped out. Then I saw the flames shooting out of the front, drivers' side wheel.

I admit it, I panic for a second before asking one of the employee's from the business for a fire extinguisher. I quickly retrieved my purse and company lap top. Then it hit me, I had a few Christmas presents in the back, as well as, several hundred dollars of products from a recent home show I hosted. Luckily the flames somehow extinguished themselves and I was left with a car that smelled awful but did not show any signs that it was recently on fire. So of course, the fire department came and checked it out and then Scott came to pick me up. Now if he were telling this story, he would note that when he received my call telling him my car was on fire and I needed him to come right away, he had a buck in sight. Of course, it's my fault he didn't get to shoot it but I think my car shooting flames out from the wheel is a very good excuse, don't you? The good news is, I am okay and my car is going to be okay.

PS If you don't have a fire extinguisher in your car, get one, because if my car can catch on fire you just never know what could happen to you.

The end of an era

2008-11-04T17:13:00.000-08:00

.

I guess it's the way the world works. When something ends, invariably something else takes its place. So it is with Brayden, he has just finished up flag football. It was an interesting experience. The beginning was shaky, at best, most of the time Brayden just stood around - clueless as to what he was suppose to do. Then once Scott "bribed" him with a shopping spree at Academy, miraculously he seemed to figure it out. (For those of you who don't know what Academy is, it's a sports store where Brayden and his dad would love to spend ALL of their free time). Needless to say post-bribe, Brayden began pulling flags and even scored touchdowns. Of course, when the season ended he was thrilled to add a new trophy to his collection (of 2)

So today, the new era began. Scott has asked Brayden if he wanted to go deer hunting several times since the season began in mid-August and although he always said yes, he never actually would go. Today, all of that changed. He got all of his camo gear on and headed to the forest with Scott. I should also note that Scott told Brayden if they went hunting they would stay until it became dusk (which was at least 2 hours) and I believe he also said something about bringing handcuffs and duct tape. The good news is I don't think he had to use them although, Brayden did admit it "was hard to stay quite."

Three hours after I watched Brayden and Scott leave home, I was met by Brayden who could hardly wait to tell me what he saw. He was so excited he saw a baby doe and a flying turkey. Imagine what would have happened if Scott had killed something, I don't think Brayden would have been able make it all the way home without bursting. There is no denying hunting will be one of Brayden's passions in life, just as it is his dads. Father like son...and so it goes.

Here goes nothing...

2008-11-03T18:27:00.000-08:00

So I have decided to undertake the unknown world of blogging. I am not sure I will have the time or energy to give this project what it deserves - consistent entries...but I am willing to try (at least today). So until next time, when I have time to upload photos and don't spend all my time getting started on blogger.