Life at the Rogers' House

Hanging Out at the House

2012-02-18T12:08:00.002-05:00

Here are a few pictures of us hanging out at the house. Ava still loves to spend lots of time crafting and Harrison loves to draw (especially on walls and furniture). :) This was our MLK day off from school last month and the kids spent some time coloring and I finally got out the camera (I take so many photos on my phone now!). Harrison was coloring in his pirate book and Ava was writing a story called The Snow Princess.

This is Making My Baby Girl laugh today...

2012-02-18T11:58:00.003-05:00

This morning as we have been watching Smurfs, this commercial keeps coming on and Ava absolutely dies laughing. So funny to her...

P.S. I have been taking more pics lately and I am hoping to get some new posts up very soon! :)

Christmas with Grammy and Gramps

2012-01-30T06:02:00.001-05:00

(Only a month late...)

These pictures are from Christmas with Grammy and Gramps.

Our Little Choctaw

2012-01-29T19:57:00.002-05:00

Ava has continued to do well on her cheering. We have actually missed some games due to sickness, busyness, etc. However, each game she has been at, she has done a fantastic job. This next weekend is her last game of the season and I know she will miss it when it is all over with.

Love how you can see what a busy girl she obviously is in this picture.

Opening Gifts - Christmas Day

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

Here are a few shots of the kids opening gifts from us on Christmas morning. I wish I had snapped more, but we were in a rush and I just didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked.

Christmas Morning - Gifts from Santa

2012-01-16T21:46:00.002-05:00

We woke up early on Christmas morning to do gifts before heading up to KY. Ava had been asking Santa for a Barbe Princess Castle and Harrison wanted candy canes. :) Both kids were happy with all their gifts and it was so fun to see the excitement on their faces.

I just realized that I posted all of these backwards...and I am not redoing it. lol So start at the bottom if you want chronological order. ;)

The dragon was a big hit. He grabbed it and hugged it and said, "My dragon! I love it so much!" So sweet!

Harrison has to have his blankie in the mornings. ;)

We left Englebert where Santa could easily pick him up for his ride back to the North Pole. This year Ava made sure we left 9 pieces of celery for the reindeer.

Christmas Eve with the Rogers Family

2012-01-09T07:00:00.001-05:00

Once again, we hosted Christmas Eve at our house and Nana, Pop, Aunt Bethany, Lester, and Liam came over to celebrate Christmas. This year we started with dinner, then opened presents, and finished the evening off with the Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at church. We are always rushed on this day, but I still love celebrating the evening at church. Seeing my children's faces in the candlelight as we celebrate Christ's birth is something that I never want to forget. :) I just wish I had pictures of it...maybe next year.

We thought this box was funny. It definitely did not contain Victoria's Secret though....

Loving their coaster cars from Nana and Pop

So hard to get a picture where everyone is doing what they are supposed to... ;)

Ava's Kindergarten Christmas Program

2012-01-08T21:58:00.002-05:00

I decided to just catch up in chronological order and the first event that I haven't posted was Ava's Christmas program. This year the kindergarten class hosted a mini-music program and then invited the families to help their children with making gingerbread houses.

Ava was excited because she had a speaking part in the program and we spent a lot of time practicing it. :) Her line was from The Night Before Christmas and she had to say, "And I laughed when I saw him in spite of myself." She did a great job and her little singing parts were so cute!

Hello, Old Friend...

2012-01-08T20:20:00.003-05:00

Dear blog,

I am sorry that it seems that I have abandoned you for almost a month. I can't explain why I haven't found the time to update you other than that I am so far behind on downloading pictures, that I am overwhelmed anytime I think about it.

I have now starting downloading the pictures I took over the holiday season in all it's busyness. I am working on sorting through them and even though it is January of 2012, I am going to post a recap of Christmas 2011. :)

Love,
Tiffany

P.S. If anyone is still checking this blog, I promise to have some catch ups soon! ;)

Harrison's Christmas Party

2011-12-17T08:02:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we attended a Christmas party for all of the families of children who stay at Nana Cheryl's daycare. We already knew most of the parents and their children, so it was nice to get together and enjoy a meal and let our children play. Unfortunately, Harrison was scared of Santa Claus and stayed very skittish until he left. However, we had a nice time and the kids enjoyed making crafts and exchanging gifts.

December Events

2011-12-12T21:36:00.002-05:00

December has been very packed so far with many, many events and lots of family time. :) We have had a lot of fun and it seems like December is flying by and Christmas is almost here again. :)

So far we have watched a Christmas parade and waved at Santa, Ava and I went to see JT and Jonathan in White Christmas, put up our family Christmas tree, and had 2 bouts of beautiful snow. We also attended Sorghum Valley where Harrison had a traumatic visit with Santa.

Even though it has been busy, it has been a great month so far and I am looking forward to Friday and the last day of school for 2011!

Ava and Harrison enjoying the parade.

Harrison enjoying the parade

Ava and Jonathan

Ava and JT

Ava's ornament of the year

Harrison's Ornament of the Year

Little Choctaws

2011-12-03T09:40:00.003-05:00

Ava is cheering again this year with the Little Choctaws. We missed the first game of the year because of her being sick, but were able to make the second game. Last year we all laughed because Ava definitely had a mind of her own and pretty much did what she wanted when it was time to cheer. This year she has definitely matured and now she does what she is supposed to do and she did a fantastic job. I was so proud to see her up there cheering. She watched the video and said, "Next time, I am going to do even better!" :)

Harrison's 2nd Birthday Party

2011-11-30T10:37:00.005-05:00

On last Saturday, friends and family gathered to celebrate Harrison's 2nd birthday. We decided on a train theme after I found his adorable overalls and it just fell into place. Of course he loves trains, cars, tractors, and basically anything that moves on wheels.

Even though it was his nap time, we had a great party and I thought everything was wonderful. Harrison opened up his first present and was pretty much done with the rest. I had to make him open up the rest of his gifts. :) He got a lot of really nice things and he has been playing with them nonstop.

Thanks to all who attended or sent cards and gifts. This little boy is very loved. :)

Ava made Harrison the cute drawing in the frame. So cute.

Another wonderful cake by Stacy. Loved it!

Thanks to my mom and dad who provided the vintage trains that served as part of our decor.

*HUGE thanks to Bo for taking the majority of these pictures so that I coul relax and enjoy the party!*

Thanksgiving at the Rogers' House

2011-11-28T20:21:00.002-05:00

On Thanksgiving Day, we celebrated Thanksgiving (and Harrison's birthday) at Joe and Anne's (Nana and Pop's) house. As usual, the food was delicious and we had a great time visiting with family.

The first two photos are of Ava's cornucopia that we made. she had been begging to make one, so we found some directions online, I modified it and I think it turned out very nice. :)

Harrison's 2nd Birthday Video

2011-11-27T21:54:00.001-05:00

Here is the slideshow I made for Harrison's 2nd birthday. Hard to believe that he is two years old already. Time does fly!

Thankful for this...

2011-11-25T09:59:00.002-05:00

Yesterday on Thanksgiving, we also celebrated Harrison's 2nd birthday. Even though he was born early on a Tuesday morning, his birthday fell on Thanksgiving Day this year. So after our huge meal at the Rogers' house, we napped and then woke up to open presents and eat cake.

I figured Nana had gotten Harrison a cake, so I didn't; Nana assumed that I had a cake so she didn't get one. When Nana snuck out, we figured that she had went to get a cake and sure enough, she found a gas station Baskin Robbins open and Harrison had an ice cream cake (which he LOVED!). Thanks, Nana. :)

He opened a few presets on this actual day and the rest will be saved for his birthday party on Saturday.

Happy Birthday, Harrison/Captain Destructo. We love you so much and are so thankful for you. :) Love you to the moon and back!

Harrison having his belly rubbed is a constant in our house. He love this. :)

Midnight Movie Maddness

2011-11-18T10:39:00.003-05:00

Last night, my friends, Courtney and Susan, and I, braved the late hour and crowd to go see the latest installment in the Twilight move saga. We headed out extra early to get in line for our popcorn and seats. The last time we did a midnight movie was when the last Twilight movie came out and it was during the summer. This one was after a long day of school, so I wasn't sure if we would make it or not!

We did and the movie was fantastic! Loved it. Great movie and great company!

However, upon arriving home I discovered that Harrison had thrown up in his bed and was covered in vomit. I woke him up, stuck him in the tub, Bradley changed his sheets, and then I tried to make myself go to sleep since it was after 3.

I had very little sleep and since I had originally taken off today to take Harrison to the doctor, we are stuck at home seeing if this is a bug of some sort or just a result of his sinuses bothering him. Anyway, I hope that the day passes by without any more instances of sickness. :( I also hope that I can squeeze in a nap! :)

Barn Warming

2011-11-13T21:54:00.002-05:00

Last weekend we went to the high school's Annual Barn Warming. The Ag Dept at the high school (FFA) has one every year and for the first time, we actually got to attend. All day long Ava was super excited about it and talked, talked, and talked about it.

Unfortunately, Harrison wasn't feeling well and was super fussy, so we ended up not being able to stay the whole time. However, while there, we got to enjoy some nice food and Harrison loved watching the cows. He kept calling to them, "Hey cow, I pet you." Adorable.

He threw a fit over riding on the tractor which ended in us hurrying home before it was over.

The spooky fog we woke up to last Saturday.

It's too much to ask for one picture with both kids looking at the camera. :0)

Ava loved playing Corn Hole and cried when we left.

2nd Birthday & Christmas Wishes

2011-11-11T07:00:00.000-04:00

As it gets closer to the holidays, I know I will get several phone calls and/or texts asking about various things for the kids in regards to Harrison's upcoming birthday and for Ava and Harrison for Christmas.

I hope none of you see this as presumptious, but I thought it may be helpful to put out a little likes/dislikes list for you all who read the blog and may be wondering about gifts.

Bradley and I have talked and decided we should tell people the kids need clothes. And this year, that is very true. Ava has hit a bit of a growth spurt and Harrison has too. In the past, I have always had time to consign and have always stocked up on clothes. This year it has not worked out, so if you are at a loss and want to buy clothes, here is the rundown of sizes.

Ava - 6 in clothes and a 10 and 1/2 in shoes

Harrison - 3T (this will be the next size I am buying in pants and some shirts even though he is wearing a 2T now, but some are getting tight) - Size 9 shoes

Things they like -

Ava - anything Barbie she has been drawn to in catalogs, still loves anything Princesses, likes playing school and drawing so she likes arty/crafty things

Harrison - LOVES tractors, trains, and dragons

Halloween Wrap Up

2011-11-07T20:54:00.002-04:00

I guess since it is now the second week of November that I should post the rest of the Halloween pictures. We had a pretty busy time leading up to Halloween, but all in all had a good Halloween.

The kids' costumes proved the most stressful. Ava wanted to be Rapunzel, but I convinced her to be Cinderella since Aunt Bethany had gotten her a beautiful Cinderella dress for Christmas last year. But alas, it was still too big and she was having none of it.

Harrison was scheduled to be a dragon and I ordered him an adorable dragon costume that was supposed to fit 2-4 year olds. Lets just say that unless they are elfin people, this costume ain't working!

So at the last minute we settled on Fancy Nancy and a "ductor."

Other notable events included Ava tie-dying shirts for her school party and making cupcakes for her party. We also carved several pumpkins this year and had a good time working as a family.

As far as actual trick-or-treating goes, we didn't even make it all the way down the street. Half of it and Ava was done. I think Harrisons slowness just wore her out (I know it did me!). After we had walked up the street and returned home we headed out to Nana Cheryl's and Harrison and I had a conversation that went something like this.

H: Monster gonna get me.

Mommy: No monster is going to get you. Monsters aren't real.

H: Are to.

Mommy: They are not.

H: Is to.

Love that little guy. :)

A view of all our pumpkins - Witchy Hello Kitty, Lightning McQueen, Thomas the Train, St. Louis Cardinals logo, Mike Wazowski (from Monsters, Inc), and the face that I named Carl.

Lightning McQueen and Thomas the Train

We Hope You Had a Happy Halloween

2011-11-01T07:28:00.003-04:00

We hope you had a Happy Halloween with lots of treats and not too many tricks. :) Enjoy these pics of our "Fancy Nancy" and our "Ductor."

There are very few pictures of Ava because she feels that when wearing glasses, you must squint or keep your eyes completely closed.

We stayed up late last night...

2011-10-29T08:24:00.003-04:00

We stayed up, and when I say we, I mean all of us here at our house, to watch Game 7 of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. It was a great game and at the end of the night, the Cardinals were victorious.

Living in what is pretty much Cardinal Country, it was all everyone was talking about at school yesterday and with Bradley being a lifelong Cardinal fan, I was hoping they would pull off a win.

Sure enough, somewhere between 10 and 11 last night, they finally won. We made the kids sits down to watch the last 3 outs and it was so much fun. Bradley asked Ava if she remembered the last time the Cardinals won the World Series. She was just a couple of months old in 2006 and Bradley talks about how he held her on a few late nights and they watched the World Series together.

It is sweet knowing that he has those memories of Ava and that they correspond to something he has enjoyed his whole life.

It was just an exciting night and I am glad to have experienced it as a family.

And how much do I love this picture with all the guys and their little ones. Such a special thing to see families incorporated into the celebration.

Fifties Day for the 50th day of school

2011-10-27T21:53:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, Ava's kindergarten class at school celebrated the 50th day of school by having 50's day. We were luck enough to be able to borrow a poodle skirt from Ava's friend Lindsey and we pulled together this little ensemble.

Some of the events for the day included a hula hoop contest, bubble-blowing contests, and coke floats. Ava said she did not like the coke on her ice cream! Other than that, she had a blast and it was so fun to see her dressed up like this.

Halloweenie Roast - 2011

2011-10-26T18:31:00.002-04:00

This past weekend we celebrated Fall/Halloween with the Annual Rogers' Family Halloweenie Roast. My parents and grandmother were able to come down and Bradley's parents, sister, and her baby were all able to attend. We usually have a little bit of a larger crowd, but this year a few people were unable to attend. For those who did come, we had a very low-key day. For the most part, we hung out and ate while the kids played hard. Ava and Trayton had a blast and Harrison was right in the middle of it.

It was a lot of fun and I fully enjoyed hanging out and catching up with everyone. On the heels of another hectic week, it was a nice relaxing day.

My Nanny helping to make the candy. 4 generations of ladies

Brown County by iPhone

2011-10-14T09:38:00.003-04:00

Here is a little collage of the photos I took on my phone from Brown County.

1. Taking a pic of Bo for my contact list.

2. Bo modeling the menu at the Muddy Boots Cafe.

3. Harrison and Mommy

4. Harrison cheesing

5. Ava and Mike playing Connect 4 while we waited to eat.

6. Harrison being goofy

7. Coloring while we wait to eat

8. Connect 4

9. Bo and Seth

10. and 11. Harrison waiting for our Saloon Picture

12. Ava and Harrison asleep at the cabin

Brown County - Fall 2011

2011-10-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here are some more pictures from our trip to Brown County. These are the ones from my camera and I am excited to see all the ones that Bo got as well. These were all taken in areas of downtown Nashville, Indiana.

Bo's camera flashed as I snapped, but I love the expression on Harrison's face.

The girls. :)

Ava and Uncle Mike ordering ice cream.

Love all the colors of this popcorn.

I think this was my favorite display in town.

Harrison sporting the monkey backpack (there will be another story about this later).

Ava was a collector of flowers all along the downtown area. She had amassed this little collection by the time we were ready to leave.

We just got back from a lovely trip....

2011-10-13T13:23:00.002-04:00

to the hills of Brown County. Nashville, Indiana. Beautiful this time of year. Soooo beautiful. The trees were turning all of their beautiful colors and it was breathtakingly beautiful. They have the quaintest little village and it has the cutest fall decor. While there we stayed at a cabin called The Tree House courtesy of Uncle Mike and it was such a beautiful place. We explored a little bit when we first got there and the kids loved it.

Ava collected leaves while Harrison terrorized the leaves with a giant stick. Typical...

Builder of the Week/First Report Card

2011-10-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

The week before last, Ava was named "Builder of the Week" (student of the week). As the Builder of the Week, she got to make a poster of family photos to share, fill out a little biography form, take a movie to share with class, and have a parent come and read a story to the class.

When she got off the bus on the Friday before her week, she was so excited. Every week she had been talking about what the builder of the week had done, and finally, it was her week! I believe she told everyone at the bus stop and showed off her letter.

We made a poster and she chose all the pictures herself. She added illustrations and would have covered the whole thing with drawings if she could have. She took the movie The Aristocats to school and then I took cookie and punch to school for her class on Friday. While there, I read two book to her class. We read No David and There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed Some Leaves. The kids loved both stories and they both got a good amount of laughter.

Ava had such a great time that week. She says her favorite part was "Building the big poster."

During that week we also had her first parent/teacher conference. I went to it wile Bradley kept Harrison and it was a nice conference. Ava is still having issues with talking and staying on task, but other than that, she is doing fine. Her first report card shows that she has mastered all the skills that she should have by this point (duh) and she is doing satisfactory. :) That's my girl!

iPhone Photos

2011-10-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

Since getting a new phone, I have spent a lot of time playing around with it and trying little fun things. I love that it has a camera that takes relatively good photos. Once I figured out to take the protective film off the camera, it was tons better. :) I like that I have it everywhere I go and can so quickly snap a shot. No, they aren't the greatest photos in the world, but the little memories are what matter!

1. and 12. Harrison cheesing

2. Ava - First photo with new phone

3. Ava with her student of the week poster

4. Harrison enjoying supper (Playing with it at least)

5. and 6. Ava and I shared a slice of cheesecake at Sweet Peppers

7. Playing outside

8. Ready for dance

9. Supper

10. Working hard

11. Harrison stealing Fritos before supper

The Story of Baby "Mosef"

2011-10-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, Wednesday night marked the return of kids/youth programs at our church and Ava was so excited to get back to Wednesday night church. She loves being in class with Mrs. Alma Ruth and always has such a good time. In fact, when it is time to leave, she never wants to go. She always begs to stay a little while longer.

The first Wednesday night she was the last little one out of her class because she was finishing her craft project. They had studied the story of Moses and how his mother made a basket and put him in the river. At the end of the story they had made a little paper doll Moses and a paper basket (more like a box). Ava was so excited that she came running out with her "Baby Mosef." She had even made him a teddy bear (colored in the box), and a blanket (from old rags).

All night long she talked about "Baby Mosef" and the story of his basket. When bedtime came, we read the story of Moses from her children's bible and then she wanted me to put Mosef somewhere to sleep. Everywhere I chose was wrong. The bookshelf was too dark and he would be scared and the baby bed wasn't safe because Paisley might get him and puke on him (Paisley is our pukey cat). Finally she found the perfect location and I figured that was the end of Baby Mosef, because she would forget about him,

Alas, that was not meant to be. Baby Mosef kept reappearing as she carried him around the house and then put him in a LARGER basket for protection. Anytime she had to leave the room, I was charged with watching Baby Mosef so Harrison could not steal him. He even slept in his LARGE basket on her bed. The first morning when I went in to her room, she was upset that in the middle of the night, someone (Daddy) had moved Baby Mosef to the foot of her bed and when she woke up in the middle of the night, she moved him right back to the top of the bed. :)

Then for a little while, Baby Mosef hung out in our pictures in the hall so he could watch over us. That is where she rediscovered him and began to play with him again.

The second Wednesday night they learned about the burning bush and colored one and then this past Wednesday night, they made a staff that turned into a serpent (bracelet). Since then, we have read the story of Moses, watched the movie "Prince of Egypt" and looked at anything resembling Egyptian stuff. Harrison was even the unlucky kid who had to play "Pharaoh" while Ava was Moses and chased him with a stick. This morning, Baby Mosef has inherited a cookie cutter sheep "because Mosef had sheep."

Her big imagination continues to astound me and I love seeing what she will come up with next. I love her zest for church and am glad that she enjoys learning about the Bible.

So sweet to see these little quirks that my baby girl has. I love seeing what interesting things she does and always have loads of laughs!

Catching Up...again

2011-10-03T21:22:00.003-04:00

Whew! What a crazy couple of weeks! It seems like I am always saying that anymore. Just trying to make it to the next weekend or next break, and low and behold, I have made it to Fall Break. 2 weeks! Except today on my first day of break, I had to go to inservice. Yuck!

We have been hanging in here at the Rogers' house. Harrison is getting meaner, but funnier everyday, Ava is as dramatic as always, and Bradley is obsessed with baseball (the Cards are in the playoffs) and college football. I am on my last class of my Masters degree and in 7 and 1/2 weeks, I will be finished! It can't get here quick enough, but then it can, because the next day, Harrison will be 2 years old.

We have been relatively well (with the exception of snotty noses) and just so busy with things around the house. I have lots to post about, but I need to figure out how to get pictures from my phone to my computer. That will take some tinkering with! So, I hope all are well and that I have at least 3 or 4 people still reading this blog! :)

Happy Fall Y'all!

Ava on "Orange Day."

Enjoying the cooler weather.

A few weeks ago we caught this rainbow on camera. It didn't last long, but it was beautiful.

Sweet Talking

2011-09-24T08:13:00.003-04:00

Over the past week, I have spent some time playing with my new phone and figuring out all the stuff I can do with it. I am excited because it takes pretty good video and then I can upload it directly to youtube. Harrison likes for me to take his picture and I even got him to let me take a video. So here he is doing his animal sounds and my favorite, "What do Mommies say?" That is answered with a sweet little "I love you" (even though you may have a hard time deciphering that, I can sooo tell what he is saying).

So please excuse the jumpiness of the handheld video, the grossness of Harrison's sticky face, and how annoying I sound on tape! Harrison likes to watch himself on camera. :)

Depot Days - 2011

2011-09-20T06:00:00.001-04:00

This past weekend was Newbern's annual Depot Days. This year we skipped the pancake breakfast and opted to just watch the "parade" and go tot he street fair. The annual parade of tractors was fun for Ava and Harrison, but Bradley and I were really disappointed. Ava did get some candy, so she was jazzed.

After watching the parade, we were really afraid that there wouldn't be much happening at the street fair, but we loaded up and headed downtown. There were quite a few people milling around and Ava started off by getting her face painted. We bought tickets to the inflatables, but only used 2 out of 6. Ava couldn't climb up the first one, but did do a big slide and a bouncy house. The kids also both road a small horse and that was a big hit. Harrison even rode.

Finally, no Depot Days is complete for us without a BBQ baked potato from Fast Mac's. They are scrumptious! We headed home with our food and Harrison passed out before lunch was over. :)

It may not look like much, but oh my! Deliciousness in a styrofoam dish! :)

Just Ordinary Days

2011-09-19T07:30:00.000-04:00

Other than having the sickies, there hasn't been a lot going on at our house lately. We have been busy getting back into the routine of school and all the stuff that comes along with the beginning of the year. Ava has started back up with dance and Harrison is terrorizing the girls at daycare. I have been busy with work stuff and finishing up my Masters. I am set to be done on the day before Harrison's birthday/Thanksgiving. I am so burnt out and ready to be done.

The weather for Fair Week was beautiful, but we never got a chance to take the kids. That marks the second year in a row we haven't made it. We have just been trying to get well again and get back into the swing! So here are a few shots that I haven't posted yet. Just of us on ordinary days.

Harrison loves hanging out in baskets.

When Ava was sick she wanted to do schoolwork so she worked out of her booklet.

Just hanging outside.

Ava sorted these leaves by size. That is a skill they have been working on at school and she has it down.

For "Green Day" at Ava's school we made green chocolate chip cookies. They were actually sugar cookies dyed green with chocolate chips added in.

The Bubble Guppies obsession continues.

This is what Saturday mornings look like.

Ava's prize out of the ttreasure box. She knows how to pick 'em!

The other afternoon I heard Harrison reading this book to himself. The only words I recognozed were llama and mama. But it was so stinking cute!

That Sweet Face/Harrison Sickie Update

2011-09-10T08:33:00.003-04:00

This sweet little guy has been feeling so awful this week. He went to the doctor Thursday and started antibiotic for strep, but then yesterday when I got home from work, I could tell hi breathing was very labored and after 3 doses of antibiotics, he should have been feeling better. So I ran down to the drug store to pick up some tylenol and motrin (because he was still running fever) and asked the pharmacist what she thought. She told me what I had suspected, that we needed to call our pediatrician and let them know.

When I called, they told me to come right in. Sure enough, Harrion has developed croup. This is not the first time we have had croup, but usually they give us a breathing treatment and all is good. This croup however had settled in his throat and not his lungs. They went ahead and gave him a steroid shot and then sent us to the hospital for a oft tissue xray (to look at his throat).

The xray showed that his throat was swollen (not alarmingly so) and that his tonsils and adenoid were also swollen. This is something we will keep an eye on as we go through the winter. Last night he had a good night. He slept well and hopefully that steroid shot pushed him back into the get well range.

Thanks for all who have been thinking of us. I know we don't have serious illnesses, but sick little ones are no fun! :( I am just looking forward to seeing some of these sweet faces again. :)

Beautiful Weather

2011-09-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

I am so glad that the heat has finally broke for a while and cooler temps are here. In the south the humidity is just killer and last week and the first part of the weekend were atrocious. I was so happy on Monday when we woke up to cooler weather and nice breezes (maybe a little too much breezes at times!). To celebrate what we hope is the beginning of cooler fall-like weather, the kids and I went outside a couple of times on Monday (Labor Day).

In fact, when we got outside the first time, Harrison shivered and said, "Oo, Cold!" It was a little chilly, but they had fun playing and getting some energy out. I dragged the camera out and took some pics (since I have been an epic failure at that lately!) and we just enjoyed some time outside.

The Last Two Days

2011-09-08T16:32:00.002-04:00

The last two days have consisted of two trips to the pediatrician. The first one was made yesterday when Bradley took Ava. Turns out she has a raging case of strep throat. Then last night before bed, Bradley randomly checks Harrison's temp. Low-grade fever. Yippee.

He woke up early this morning and I held him and gave him tylenol and he went back to sleep. I ended up staying home with both he and Ava and we once again made a trip to the doctor. His strep test was negative, but he was checked for a virus and was negative, so the doctor felt that his strep was just in such an early stage that it was not showing positive on the test.

So I now have two puny kids on antibiotics. :( Bradley and I both agree that we are super tired of being sick! I just want to have a few months of everybody being well with no sniffles, coughs, ear aches, or tummy troubles.

I took some time to download some pictures today. I haven't downloaded since Ava's birthday! What a slacker! It has just been so sweltering hot and of course, the sickies that have constantly invaded our house! Maybe we will be on the mend and the blog can get some updating every once in a while!

Around the Rogers' House

2011-08-29T06:00:00.004-04:00

I actually took these photos one evening at the first of this month. We have just been so yucky lately that I haven't taken many photos. These were just some of us hanging out outside and messing around with the garden. We have been lucky to have a lot of tomatoes this year and a few cucumbers and eggplants, but have been unlucky with squash.

The others were of Ava and Bradley playing Battleship one evening. Ava was excited to get to play this with her Daddy.

This didn't come from our garden, we have just been enjoying watermelon this summer. :)

Ava's 5th Birthday

2011-08-28T10:15:00.000-04:00

This is the last set of pictures from Ava's birthday, which was a huge success! Ava had a great time and it was so great to see family and friends and celebrate Ava's 5th birthday. Thanks to all who came or sent birthday wishes! :)

Thanks to Aunt Bo for being the photographer.

Unfortunately, Ava ended up getting sick during the middle of the night and for the past 2 weeks we have passed around lots of little sicknesses. I am so sick and tired of people being sick!

A Tangled Birthday

2011-08-21T21:58:00.002-04:00

For Ava's 5th Birthday she decided on a "Tangled" theme. This is one of Ava's newest faves and since it is pretty new, it was easy to find things to go along with this theme. Like usual, we invited several family members and then just a few friends. This is also the first time that Ava's bug party has been on her actual birthday.

Here are some pictures of the decor and some of the party. I will post the rest in a later post.

Bo arrived the night before the party and like always she helped do some decorating. It is always nice to spend time together before the madness of the party. Bo was excited about the gift from her and Uncle Mike so she insisted Ava open it that very night. Of course Ava was all too happy to oblige and was so excited to get a new Build-A-Bear named Stella Rose.

Another fabulous cake made by Stacy.

Making jeweled bracelets was a big hit with the gals. Trayton was not as thrilled.

Ava's 5th Birthday Slideshow

2011-08-15T19:50:00.001-04:00

Here is the annual slideshow for Ava's 5th birthday. :)

The last song is my favorite this year. I guess the lyrics just really touched me and the way I hope Ava feels about me.

The Best Day
by: Taylor Swift

I'm five years old, it's getting cold, I've got my big coat on
I hear your laugh and look up smiling at you, I run and run
Past the pumpkin patch and the tractor rides, look now, the sky is gold
I hug your legs and fall asleep on the way home

I don't know why all the trees change in the fall
But I know you're not scared of anything at all
Don't know if Snow White's house is near or far away
But I know I had the best day with you today

I'm thirteen now and don't know how my friends could be so mean
I come home crying and you hold me tight and grab the keys
And we drive and drive until we found a town far enough away
And we talk and window shop 'til I've forgotten all their names

I don't know who I'm gonna talk to now at school
But I know I'm laughing on the car ride home with you
Don't know how long it's gonna take to feel okay
[. From: http://www.elyrics.net/read/t/taylor-swift-lyrics/the-best-day-lyrics.html .]
But I know I had the best day with you today

I have an excellent father, his strength is making me stronger
God smiles on my little brother, inside and out, he's better than I am
I grew up in a pretty house and I had space to run
And I had the best days with you

There is a video I found from back when I was three
You set up a paint set in the kitchen and you're talking to me
It's the age of princesses and pirate ships and the seven dwarfs
And Daddy's smart and you're the prettiest lady in the whole wide world

And now I know why the all the trees change in the fall
I know you were on my side even when I was wrong
And I love you for giving me your eyes
For staying back and watching me shine
And I didn't know if you knew, so I'm takin' this chance to say
That I had the best day with you today

Here's What Turning Five Looks Like

2011-08-15T19:38:00.002-04:00

Here is what turning 5 looks like. On the dot.

Turning 5 is full of fantasies and princesses,

pirates, dragons, and dinosaurs.

Lip gloss, perfume, and playing super hard.

Turning 5 is full of drawing pictures, coloring,

and beating up your little brother.

Turning 5 is starting kindergarten,

being excited about the school bus,

and living for recess.

Turning 5 is full of wonder, amazement, and frustrations.

Turning 5 is a beautiful thing, Ava, and I am loving every minute.

Here she is at exactly 5 years old, to the minute!

All I Wanted Was One Smile

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-04:00

The Conversation went something like this:

Okay Ava and Harrison. Both of you look at me.

Ava, eyes at the camera.

Harrison, please smile.

I guess I got what I asked for. You would have thought he was the son of Shrek. :)

First Day of School Recap

2011-08-07T09:28:00.004-04:00

Ava's first day of school was a combo of good and bad. She had what she said was a good day, but there was one bad thing that she didn't like. It was also her first day riding a school bus which was kind of overwhelming to her.

When I went to get her at the bus stop (she gets off the bus at the high school), I was worried because she didn't get off immediately. Apparently she had sit in the back and was by the window with a middle schooler sitting beside her. The bus driver went and got her out of the seat and she finally got off. I had a second of panic when she didn't get off with the other ones, but it was fine.

It was like pulling teeth to get her to tell me about school, but she was excited talking about a book they had read called The Kissing Hand and telling me what the story was about and showing me a handprint from the day.

Then she also told me about the not-so-good. A little girl had pulled her hair during carpet time and when Ava told her teacher, the teacher ignored her. This just broke Ava's heart and she translated that into her teacher not liking her. Now Ava can be very dramatic, but it goes one of two ways. Maybe her teacher didn't hear her or maybe she did ignore her because she was just tattling. My thoughts are that on the first day how hard would it have been to say, "Boys and girls remember we keep our hands and feet to yourself." Then Ava would feel that justice was served and it wouldn't have been a huge deal.

On day 2 of kindergarten Ava didn't want to get out of bed and cried that she didn't want to go to school. It wasn't fun and her teacher didn't like her. This has NEVER happened. She has always loved school and wanted to go. Poor thing. But day 2 turned out better (except I had to go and get her off the school bus) and day 3 was great. Hopefully the bad of day 1 will fade into the background and she will be a happy kindergartner once again.

The drama of Kindergarten! :)

Starting Kindergarten

2011-08-02T21:58:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow morning starts Ava's first day of Kindergarten. She has been a couple of times for screening and for a half day, but tomorrow is the beginning (well continuation since she did PreK) of her school career. She is very excited, but a little nervous. She has a new teacher, Mrs. Lea Ann, and her one concern is that they don't have "enough centers" for all the kids. (Do I have a future teacher on my hands?)

As she starts school, I find myself thinking that I can't believe she is already starting school and almost 5 years old. How time flies.

Ava- As you go through your school career, I hope you continue to have as much enthusiasm as you do now. Your love of learning and trying new things will take you far if continue to have that drive. I hope you always have a love of reading. It would be so great if all students went to every grade with the want that you have right now to go to kindergarten. I love you. Good luck in school! ~ Mommy

P.S. Your teacher is in for a treat! :)

Oh the Places You'll Go

by: Dr. Seuss
Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself
any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know.
And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.
About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,
you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any
you'll want to go down.
In that case, of course,
you'll head straight out of town.

It's opener there
in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen
and frequently do
to people as brainy
and footsy as you.

And then things start to happen,
don't worry. Don't stew.
Just go right along.
You'll start happening too.

OH!
THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!

You'll be on your way up!
You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers
who soar to high heights.

You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed.
You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be best of the best.
Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don't.
Because, sometimes, you won't.

I'm sorry to say so
but, sadly, it's true
that Bang-ups
and Hang-ups
can happen to you.

You can get all hung up
in a prickle-ly perch.
And your gang will fly on.
You'll be left in a Lurch.

You'll come down from the Lurch
with an unpleasant bump.
And the chances are, then,
that you'll be in a Slump.

And when you're in a Slump,
you're not in for much fun.
Un-slumping yourself
is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked.
Some windows are lighted. But mostly they're darked.
A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in?
How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And IF you go in, should you turn left or right...
or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind?
Simple it's not, I'm afraid you will find,
for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused
that you'll start in to race
down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace
and grind on for miles cross weirdish wild space,
headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.
The Waiting Place...

...for people just waiting.
Waiting for a train to go
or a bus to come, or a plane to go
or the mail to come, or the rain to go
or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow
or the waiting around for a Yes or No
or waiting for their hair to grow.
Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite
or waiting for the wind to fly a kite
or waiting around for Friday night
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake
or a pot to boil, or a Better Break
or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.

NO!
That's not for you!

Somehow you'll escape
all that waiting and staying
You'll find the bright places
where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping,
once more you'll ride high!
Ready for anything under the sky.
Ready because you're that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball
will make you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be as famous as famous can be,
with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don't
Because, sometimes they won't.

I'm afraid that some times
you'll play lonely games too.
Games you can't win
'cause you'll play against you.

All Alone!
Whether you like it or not,
Alone will be something
you'll be quite a lot.

And when you're alone, there's a very good chance
you'll meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon,
that can scare you so much you won't want to go on.

But on you will go
though the weather be foul.
On you will go
though your enemies prowl.
On you will go
though the Hakken-Kraks howl.
Onward up many
a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore
and your sneakers may leak.

On and on you will hike,
And I know you'll hike far
and face up to your problems
whatever they are.

You'll get mixed up, of course,
as you already know.
You'll get mixed up
with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step.
Step with care and great tact
and remember that Life's
a Great Balancing Act.
Just never foget to be dexterous and deft.
And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?
Yes! You will, indeed!
(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

So...
be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray
or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea,
You're off the Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting.
So...get on your way!

Last Bit of Camping Pics - Pool and Feeding Fish

2011-08-01T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here is the last section of camping pictures (about time since that was 2 weeks ago!). These are of us enjoying the pool. Ava was a little hesitant, but enjoyed swimming. She kept getting mad because I would make her go under water with me. She still hates getting her face wet. Harrison was very scared at first, but got to where he enjoyed it, especially when I was spinning him around in his swim ring.

Here are a few more of the fish we enjoyed feeding. This was right as we were leaving and the geese joined in on the feeding frenzy. Ava thought all of their honking was funny.

Just a Boy - Harrison at 19 months

2011-07-31T08:27:00.001-04:00

Harrison at 19 months (I realize he has now turned 20 months), but this was a glimpse at how he was at 19 months. All boy, that's for sure!

loves Trac-a-naws (Tractors)

finicky eater - his tastes change from day to day

Wears size 5 diapers

Wears 24 month clothes (very few 18 month) and occasionally a 2T

peed in the potty one time

loves playing "sow-side" (outside)

Has a couple favorite shows on TV - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and the ULTIMATE new fave, Bubble Guppies

loves to be read to, especially at night before bed. His favorite books are Tumble Bumble, Goodnight Gorilla, The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the big Hungry Bear, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

He mimics Ava a lot, especially with actions

He LOVES his Thomas the Train blanket and likes to take it out of bed with him in the morning. If you forget, he says, "Banket."

loves to watch traffic go by

runs like a sidewinder (sideways)

when he does something like drop a cup, he sometimes says, "Oh, Man!"

climbs like a monkey

likes to have his belly and back rubbed

has an ever-expanding vocabulary

spends a lot of time dumping out toys

likes to roar and try to scare people

He loves eating ice and raids the freezer quite often.

Loves digging in garbage and we are also working on throwing stuff away.

More Camping Pics

2011-07-24T18:44:00.002-04:00

Here are some more pictures from camping. A few highlights from the trip include:

Getting up early Saturday morning to check out the campground. Ava was excited about the geese we saw as well as the fish that were in the pond. And for some reason they really liked the tree stump and wanted their picture made by it.

Harrison's favorite spot in the cabin (and Ava's too) was the window by Pop's bed. It was perfect for them to hide in and they did it a lot during the time there.

Daddy tried to trick Harrison by putting this blanket over his head and talking like Thomas the Train. Harrison was not fooled, but I was amused.

When Pop cooked bacon the kids went nuts. In fact they ate about half of this before we even got a chance to sit down to breakfast.

Who knew that a $1 frisbee from Wal-Mart could provide such a great source of amusement and fun.

The kids LOVED the bridge and we fed the fish a couple of times. It was fun to watch the fish go after the chips and bread we threw into the water.

Throwing out a cheese face. :)

All this stuff for 2 nights...

Our Garden

2011-07-21T08:22:00.003-04:00

Just a few recent pics of our garden. Ava is super excited that the eggplants are growing (not that she will prob eat them!).

Camping Trip - 2011 - Fishing

2011-07-18T09:44:00.002-04:00

This past weekend the 4 of us plus Pop went on a camping trip. On Friday we traveled down to Cherokee Landing and spent the night and Saturday night at a cabin there. Bradley and Pop had been back in the 80's, but not since then, so we weren't sure what to expect. When we arrived it was already dark, but on Saturday, we were up bright and early to explore and see what all they had.

Unfortunately, not a lot of people camp anymore (esp in July), so the campground is kind of run down and sad, but we still had a good time. Bradley had been excited about going fishing and Ava had bought a new Barbie pole, so Bradley fixed us up and we headed out.

Harrison was being super fussy because he wanted to push the stroller around and there wasn't a sandy beach to fish at, just some clay-like mud that was not very fun. It made for a long hour trying to catch a fish and wrangle Harrison.

In the end, we didn't catch any fish. We got some nibbles, but no luck with reeling anything in. Ava loved it though, but was super disappointed since she said God told her she would catch something. :) But she had fun and that is what matters.

Hanging in this Year's TINY pool

2011-07-15T08:43:00.003-04:00

This summer has flown by so fast. So fast that we never got the chance to get a "real" pool (and by real, I mean a plastic one with a slide). So, I grabbed this one at the Dollar Store just so the kids would have something to get in and cool off. Next year we will have to do better because this little thing is sad. Our bathtub is bigger! :) Both kids just have room to sit down.

Needless to say, they still LOVED it! It's not really big enough for them to swim around in at the same time, so they mostly run and jump (which gives me a heart attack each time and makes me yell at them to stop running and jumping in the pool!). But, they had a great time splashing around and it was fun to see them hanging out together and having fun, which is a little different from the fussing and fighting they have been up to lately.

Love this little series of pictures. He gets in and realizes it is cold and starts sucking his tummy in. Silly boy. :)

A Few Random Going Shots

2011-07-14T16:55:00.002-04:00

Here are a few recent shots that I haven't blogged.

Ava enjoying Coke Floats one night last week. It was one of the things on our summer to-do list.

Harrison's lunch one day. He is such a finicky eater and I thought a muffin lunch would give him some variety to choose from. Ava loves having meals like this, but Harrison wasn't really impressed.

The clubhouse that Bradley and I made for them. This provided hours of enjoyment, unfortunately, it wasn't sturdy enough to withstand Captain Destructo!

The End of Swim Lessons

2011-07-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

On the last day of swim lessons the culminating activity was going down the water slide. Ava was jazzed all week until it came time to actually slide. She ended up going down 3 times, but would hold onto the sides and just barely scoot down. Her teacher had told me that she would let Harrison go down too, so I had him ready in his swimmie and trucks. At the very end it was his turn. Once he realized what it was he had a freak out, and me being the excellent mother that I am, I pushed him on down. In my defense, I told them to catch him before he went under, because I did have the option of them letting him go all the way in. ;) He cried and cried, but not as much as Ava when I tried to get her to go down one last time!

The lessons ended up being a great success and Ava even went to a pool party and got in by herself (a definite improvement from last year).

Harrison preparing for his trip.
If you can, open this picture in a new window so you can see Harrison's face. Love it! :)

Super screaming mad boy. :(

4th of July at Nana and Pop's

2011-07-09T20:46:00.004-04:00

On the 4th we went to Nana and Pop's for our usual 4th of July food and celebration. My brother, Nick, was visiting so he came along with us. As usual the food was great and we had a very enjoyable time. We didn't go out to the fireworks show this year but opted to stay at home and do sparklers with the kids instead of fighting the crowd. It was a good decision, but I think Ava really missed the fireworks.

Ava was excited. but nervous about the sparklers. She started off very scared, but by the end she couldn't get enough. Harrison was more hesitant, but seemed to enjoy it. This is one of my favorite things we do every year. I love trying to make designs turn out using the sparklers. After that, out 4th is complete.

Loving on my cheesy boy.

Harrison loves loving on his cousin, Liam.

Harrison and Pop

Liam

Aunt Tiffy and Liam

The kids and Pop on the hammock

Aunt Bethany and Liam

Mommy and Ava

Nana and Ava

Ava

Mommy and Harrison

Ava ana Pop

Ava

4th of July - Festive Wear on the 3rd and 4th

2011-07-06T16:58:00.006-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the kids "Festive Wear" for the 4th. A couple of these were taken before church on he 3rd and the others were right before leaving for the Rogers' cookout on the 4th. Ava still fit into the same dress as last year, so we just kept with that! I love that dress and thought it was just as cute this year!

4th of July Festivities - Cookout on the 2nd

2011-07-06T16:53:00.005-04:00

This past weekend we had our 2nd Annual Rogers/Freeman family cookout. My parents we able to make it down and the Rogers group came over for a nice family cookout. My mother actually rode back with us on our trip back from Indiana and stayed a couple of days with us before the cookout.

Just like last year, Ava and Grammy made chocolate covered pretzel rods, we hung out while the food was cooking, we chowed down on some delicious food, and we donned some festive 4th headgear for our annual family picture.

As usual, I loved having everyone over and it was good to have our families blended together with the addition of the Murphy clan this year. A nice way to celebrate a lovely holiday that has more to do with family and patriotism, then with giving presents. I like holidays like that. :)

Visiting with the Great-Grandmothers in KY

2011-07-03T09:31:00.003-04:00

On our way back home from Indiana we had enough time while waiting for my mom to get off work that we got to stop by and visit with both Great-Grandmothers (My grandmas). Ava and Harrison loved playing with Mammaw's dog, Poncho, and then Trayton and Libby were able to meet us at Nanny's for a little visit.

It was nice to get to visit with everyone because we are usually so rushed that we never make the rounds, but on this day, everything worked out and we had a great visit with each of them. It is a great thing to be able to see my children with their great-grandmothers and I am happy to be able to spend that time with them. Sometimes living away from home it is rush, rush, rush to see everyone when in town for just a few hours, but I was so happy we got to see them all this time.

A Visit to the Zoo

2011-07-03T09:16:00.003-04:00

While in Indiana we had to go to the zoo. Of course Ava loves going, and I knew Harrison would too, especially since he is big enough now to understand that he is seeing animals (even if he calls all of them dog or cat). A couple of years ago, we went on the hottest day of the year and it was hot that it was miserable. This year we went on a day that was about 80 degrees and breezy. We got hot pushing the strollers, but it was a perfect day to go.

Both Ava and Harrison were excited about the stroller we rented which looked like a Jeep. Since Bo and I carry so many bags, this was perfect for us because we used Harrison's stroller to carry the bags, and the Jeep stroller for the kids. I was happy we decided to rent one because as soon as Harrison saw them, he yelled "Truck!" and ran and jumped in.

We saw most of the animals this year which included the peacocks. Ava said that one of the boy peacocks was sad because he didn't have a wife. He was working on impressing the ladies with his giant tail, but I don't know how well that was working out for him.

The one animal that is really sticking out for Ava this year is the cockroach. They had some of the large, hissing cockroaches and they were eating apples. She has talked about that several times. Such a joy to her her recap. Yuck!

I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked, but we definitely enjoyed the visit and being in the moment and I know the kids loved it too!

You can check out the pics from last time HERE-Zoo Trip 2009. I loved the pics of Ava last time in front of the bat. We recreated that here with her and Harrison. It is hard to believe how much she has grown!

Project Life Catch Up

2011-06-30T08:59:00.002-04:00

We are back in town after spending a few days with my aunt in Indiana. I will have pictures from the visit later, but I wanted to drop in and post some pictures from my Project Life book to catch up some. I am loving documenting our lives this way. My mom loves the album and says, "It's like scrapbooking, but easy." That's what I love about it. I can just add little pieces of our day to day life. Here are some pages that I don't believe I have posted yet.

Lunchables

2011-06-24T06:00:00.000-04:00

Ava loves Lunchables and I find them on sale at Kroger every so often and stock up. I think they make her feel big since she can basically go to the fridge and if they are where she can get them, she grabs one.

Harrison's eating habits change constantly so from day to day I never know what he will actually eat. What he eats one day will not necessarily be what he eats the next day. Plus his appetite has been weird since being on antibiotics for his ear infection. So sometimes he eats a Lunchable too, and sometimes he mostly picks at it. But one thing is certain, the minute I don't give him one is the minute he "attacks" Ava for hers.

Budding Readers

2011-06-23T06:00:00.000-04:00

This summer Ava has been bitten by the reading bug. She has been working on learning how to read and still loves to be read to. Harrison also loves to be read to. Many times when I send him upstairs, I find him sitting in his rocking chair reading a book.

The other night when I was making supper Harrison wanted a book read to him but I didn't have time. I sent him to find Ava so she she could "read" to him. I could hear her reading the book "Goodnight Moon" to him so I grabbed the camera and took a couple of pictures. So sweet.

Even though they fuss and fight at times, these two are very close and can be so stinking sweet.

Swim Lessons - Day 2

2011-06-22T07:59:00.002-04:00

Day 2 of swim lessons were also a success. Ava practiced all of her skills from Monday and then also adding some kicking skills. She didn't want to get on the board at first, but once she did, she didn't want to stop.

Swim Lessons - Day 1

2011-06-21T16:46:00.002-04:00

Yesterday Ava had her first swim lessons and they went surprisingly well. I had not intended to put her in lessons at all after the last few years of refusal to even get in the water without some major coaxing and then some major crying and fear. But, I saw an ad in the newspaper that the city would be having lessons and with it being so close I decided to see if Ava wanted to do it. She did want to and so we signed up.

All weekend long we talked about lessons and she talked about her worry of "draining." She knew she would have a "guard" who would not let anything happen to her. She told me when we got there that she was just going to look at the water, but seeing the other kids, she wanted in.

After about 5 minutes the teacher asked them to go under and Ava refused. She said, "I will do everything, but not go under." However, within 15 minutes she was going under like a pro. She loved it.

At the end of the 50 minute session she wanted to know why I didn't pay for longer. :) I am glad she is taking to the water and even happier that she is learning to be safe.

Having to be the little brother and watch is tough, but don't let him fool you. I tried to get him in the baby pool during Ava's time in the big pool, but it was "Cold."

Harrison playing with Eli (he was in Ava's class at school last year).

Ava being "spaghetti." You can tell she's not too sure.

Harrison loving Ava's towel.

Love this swimsuit.

Storytime with Nana

2011-06-15T17:01:00.002-04:00

Last week Nana dropped by for a little visit. In true Ava fashion, Ava pulled out her library books to take advantage of some Nana story time. I decided to pull out the camera and take a few pictures and in true Harrison form, he decided to mug for the camera. You have to love that little cheese face.

Loving Summer

2011-06-14T11:08:00.002-04:00

Here are a few random shots of our summer loves.

Playing with the new flower pots before Mommy plants her herbs in them. Anything remotely hat like goes on Harrison's head.

Playing outside after the rain. We didn't have electricity, so we went outside. After the rain a very dim rainbow came out.

We are taking advantage of the fresh blackberries we have found for sale. Harrison LOVES them.

After fighting with his tennis shoes over and over, I finally made it to the shoe store to buy him some crocs.

Ava loves doing "school work." As long as she is willing to learn, I am happy to spend time helping her.

Cooling off on a hot night

2011-06-12T06:00:00.001-04:00

For me, cool pops signify childhood summer days. My mom always had cool pops in the freezer and for me, they seem like a rite of passage on a hot summer day. The other night when Ava and Harrison were hot and sweaty and restless, I broke out the cool pops and they loved them. Bradley had the genius idea (yeah, I am married to the "smartest man in the world") to keep trimming down the package so it was easier to eat and it worked! Harrison and Ava both enjoyed theirs and I hope as summer goes on we have lots more cool pop opportunities.

Just Chillaxing

2011-06-11T06:00:00.000-04:00

Harrison loves juice boxes (I call them boxes, but I know they are just bags). He loves his milk and juice, but he LOVES juice boxes. The other night after coming in from playing in the water, he grabbed a juice box out of the pantry and brought it to me (because I have to open it, you know). I laughed as he started guzzling his juice and propped himself up on his high chair. Just nonchalantly drinking his juice with not a care in the world.

Summer Reading Program - 2011

2011-06-10T06:00:00.001-04:00

The kids are once again enrolled in the Summer Reading Program at our library. They love going there and our librarians are so awesome. They know the kids by name and always make them feel so special. Ava and I signed up last Friday, but Harrison was napping and recovering from strep throat, so I left him with Daddy and Ava and I went to check out our first set of books. This year I am letting both kids pick the allotted 10 books because they are both so different this year. They both listen to each other's books, so they end up getting double credit. In fact, they already have the first prize for 25 books (popcorn for Ava and animal crackers for Harrison).

Ava was so sweet when we picked books for Harrison and she really put thought into the books she chose for him. She found one Thomas book (which he LOVED) and several truck/car books. I decided to let Ava get her first chapter book and we selected Junie B. Jones and the Smelly Bus. Junie B. is a little girl in Kindergarten who finds herself in all types of trouble. When the librarian found out that it was Ava's first chapter book and it was a Junie B. book, she sent Ava home with a Junie B. doll to read with. That just made it even more special for Ava. I didn't know how Ava's attention would hold up through a chapter book, but she LOVED it. In face, we read 2 chapters a night and she always begs for more. We have now finished the first Junie B. and started another one last night.

Playing Outside - Summer 2011

2011-06-09T08:20:00.003-04:00

Since school let out, we have made it a nightly event to go outside after supper and play with the kids. Sometimes it's bubbles, the sandbox, or ball, and other times, it is just running through the sprinkler/water hose to cool off.

It has been so hot down here that we just can't make it outside during the day, so this evening time works well for us. Besides, playing in the sprinkler is equal to a bath, right? :)

Dirty boy in his nasty white onesie. Believe it or not, when I put it on him that say it was white. :)

I love how I snapped this at just the right time and it looks like Ava is either eating bubbles, or blowing them.

Our garden this year. We always work so hard, but it doesn't seem to work out for us.

I am ready for some squash.

Harrison Eating Pudding

2011-06-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here is a nice little video that showcases Harrison being messy with his pudding. You can clearly see why sometimes he doesn't get pudding unless it is bath night (which for Harrison is most nights!).

Recent Pictures

2011-06-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Here are some more recent pictures from the happenings in the Rogers Family. They don't really follow along any pattern, so I am just going to post a mixture of pictures. We are looking forward to a great summer. I have 2 days of work left, and then FREEDOM! We are looking forward to a great summer!

They spend lots of time watching traffic that goes by.

Harrison loves all cleaning tools. We have moved all the brooms, mops, and vacuums to a back closet that he raids almost daily.

Sweet brother and sister. Hanging out with Baby Liam.

Last Day of School

2011-06-05T09:12:00.000-04:00

Thursday was Ava's last official day as a preschool. *sniff* It is so hard to believe that the year has gone by and our little girl is headed to Kindergarten. She has had a great year and we have been so blessed that she got a spot in the PreK program. I was so worried at the beginning of the year about how she would fit in and about how she would behave. We have had ours ups and downs through the year with the behavior, but I am very pleased with how she did overall.

She can now recite all of her ABC's (and not just in that cute way!).

She knows all her letters, she writes all her letters (even though some are sometimes backwards).

She knows the sound that each letter makes.

She recognizes all numbers up through 10 and then some larger than 10.

She knows all of her colors and shapes.

She has a firm grasp on opposites.

She can use a pair of scissors relatively well.

She holds her pencil/crayon in a position that is very close to being correct.

She is recognizing some basic sight words and we are working on starting to read.

Okay, so obviously you can tell that I am teacher! :) I keep a close eye on what she is doing and how she is progressing. I know that Ava is very smart and I want her to excel and do well because I know she can. Plus, right now, she LOVES learning and I know that that won't last forever! :)

Here she is showing off one of the 87 water balloons that Bradley and I filled for her Field Day. She had a great time!

Last day as a preschooler.

Soccer Recap

2011-05-28T11:25:00.000-04:00

We wrapped up spring soccer this past weekend after the dance recital. Ava had a season that was pretty much high at the beginning and then downhill after that. The first game she absolutely loved. She was all about it and even scored the first goal. After that game it was downhill. She only wanted to play goalie and when she had to actually run, she didn't even try to keep up with the pack. She made the comment several times that they were all better than her and she just kind of gave up. She lived for playing goalie though and she wasn't too bad. You had to yell when the ball was coming her way because she's not that great at paying attention, but she did a good job of stopping the ball (but once again, they are preschoolers, so it's not like the ball is speeding incredibly fast!). I never want to forget her picking flowers for the ref, playing Ring-Around-the-Rosie with Ellie in the middle of the field while the game was going on, or her face after she scored that first goal. She was definitely done with soccer when we finished, but was excited to get her team trophy. I don't know whether she will play again or not. If she wants to, we will. I just thought it was a great experience for her to be part of a team and to have fun!

Waiting for her trophy

Getting her trophy

As you can see, it was a hot, hot day!

Recap of Dance and the Dance Recital

2011-05-25T17:13:00.005-04:00

This year Ava had a couple of friends that convinced us to let Ava do dance this year. I figured she would love it and it would be a great way to make new friends. She has struggled all year with paying attention and following along with the rest of the class. Her dance teacher, Mrs. Amber, said that she follows along when it suits her. Bradley and I had decided that we would just finish this year and then no more dance. It just wasn't worth it for us to pay all that money and then Ava not even make a real effort. However, something has come over her the last month or so and she is really trying hard in dancing. She has loved it and did such a great job at recital. She was all smiles and you could tell that she loved performing. She wasn't the best, but she shined and I loved watching her. So, we have pre-registered her so we can continue dance this fall. Who knows...she may change her mind and decide not to, but for now, she is all about dance!

Ava, Edie, and Jenna

Ava, Jenna, and Lindsey

The whole dance crew

Ava onstage

Ava was very proud of her ribbon

Harrison was worn out after the show.

Wrapping up the busiest week ever... or so it seems!

2011-05-20T09:25:00.003-04:00

I wrote this last Friday to sum up the craziest week ever! I am just now 5-25 getting around to posting this whinefest!

Like I said earlier, the weeks towards the end of school are the busiest ones. Add to that the work I am doing on my Masters this year, and I am just overwhelmed. To make it even better, add on a little bit of the sinus yuckies and a sore throat, and I have the recipe for the perfect week.

Just so next year at this time I can look back and say, nope, I was as busy last year, I am going to do a little run down/whining about my week so far.

Monday - spent all day at school preparing for IEP meetings (IEP's are 20-25 page documents on each student that detail their special ed services)

Tuesday - IEP day - meetings with parents and teachers ALL DAY - Dance after school with Ava - Supper meeting with NHS officers to plan next year's activities - Went home and baked 2 batches of Oreo-Stuffed Choco Chip Cookies - Kids up late!

Wednesday - Read End of Course English I test to students (OMG! SOOOOO LONG!) - Finish IEP's - Retirement party set up - Retirement party after school - Helped Bradley in the garden. Wrote a 1500 word paper in less than 3 hours

Thursday - Read End of Course History test to students - Work on more sped paperwork - Have worst night with kids - Kids bathed and in bed by 7:45 and yes, it was still light out! :)

Friday - Dance recital dress rehearsal right after school with Ava. We still have to get new tights and black shoes at some point.

All throughout this week I have also tried to straighten up the house and put things into some semblence of order, but it hasn't really happened yet. Oh well.... dance recital and final soccer game/awards tomorrow. I am soooo tired already....

Recent Pictures

2011-05-16T07:00:00.000-04:00

This is sort of a catch-up post. We have had such a crazy couple of weeks for me more than most. The last few weeks of school are always the busiest and by the time I get home, I am just wiped. Here are a few recent happenings here at the Rogers' house.

Ava has one soccer game left. This coming weekend will be the last game and while I have enjoyed watching her play, I am ready to have my Saturdays back!

Dance is also coming to a close. This Saturday Ava's dance class will present a recital. I am looking forward to seeing her and hoping that she makes us proud, but knowing Ava, there is no telling what she will do.

Smiles at the camera look like this:

Harrison's daycare celebrated Cinco de Mayo with some Mexican goodies and music. Harrison just loves playing with hats...

As messy as always...

Harrison is loving the ipad. He loves to play "Barn" and he and Daddy spend lots of time playing "Peek-a-Boo Barn." We are going to miss the ipad over the summer when I have to turn it in. :(

Mother's Day breakfast was a delicious breakfast of biscuits and gravy...

The peanut allergy has had us look at other ways to have "peanut butter sandwiches." We tried this "Sun Butter" (made of sunflower seeds) that our allergist gave us. Harrison liked it the first time, but not so much the second time. He is wishy washy like that though.

A New Baby in the Family

2011-05-15T15:31:00.000-04:00

In April, Bradley's sister and her husband welcomed a new baby into the family. A couple of weeks ago we made the trip to Nashville to meet him, but our visit was cut shut when Harrison came down with the stomach bug. I hate the stomach bug, but it is even worse when you are away from home and you have a little one who doesn't understand what is going on.

Even though we only got to see him for a couple of hours, Ava was instantly smitten and we think he is a doll.

All I Wanted for Mother's Day...

2011-05-10T22:51:00.002-04:00

All I wanted was a nice picture of me and the littles. What was I thinking? How rare is a good picture of the 3 of us? They always have something better to do besides cooperating for a few minutes. Here are some of our attempts at a nice picture. :)

Mad at Daddy

The many faces of Ava

All Harrison wanted to do was play with the water hose...

The Royal Wedding

2011-05-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

I LOVE all things royal and have for as long as I can remember. While growing up, I had the Princess Diana paperdoll collection as well as various special magazines about her and Prince Charles. I grieved when she died and my mom and I woke up to watch the funeral. I feel like I have grown up with the Princes, so I was among the thrilled when the engagement was announced, because that meant ROYAL WEDDING!

As time got closer, I watched all the little sound bites, read all about it (People.com was awesome with its coverage), and prepared to wake early to watch. Ava was even convinced she would get up and watch. I figured I would never get her out of bed, but I told her she could get up early.

I woke up the morning of the wedding at 4:21. The actual wedding wasn't due to start until 5:00 a.m. our time, so I recorded it and planned to then fast-forward to the portions I wanted to see. Imagine my surprise when I came out of the bathroom at 4:45 to get ready to wake Ava up and she was sitting on the couch, ready to watch the wedding.

Together we watched Kate Middleton become a princess and I got teary-eyed at the fairy tale coming true for her. It was just beautiful. Ava loved watching all the to-do over the wedding and it was such a wonderful experience to share with my daughter. And the patriotism that the citizens of England felt that day was just beautiful. I loved every minute of. Needless to say, since the wedding we have "heard" a lot about it from Ava. This past weekend we made a trip to Nashville and Ava was so excited to go to Build-A-Bear and buy Flower her very own wedding dress.

So much fun to share this with Ava. I guess I will have to scour the internet for some Kate Middleton paperdolls so Ava can start her own royal collection. I searched and searched the house for my dolls, but I can't find them. I sooooo wanted Ava to see them before the wedding, but it didn't work out. I will find them though and think back to my childhood royal-watching days. I guess I should have been British!

Here we are with Flower at 5:00 in the morning waiting for the bride to arrive.

Ava passed out after the vows. So sweet to have her cuddled in my lap.

Flower was united in Bearimony with the Grinch. LOL

Easter Church Clothes/Egg Hunting

2011-05-01T22:21:00.001-04:00

Some pictures of Ava and Harrison after church on Easter Sunday. You've gotta love Ava's fakey smile!

We were glad that the rain held out and we were able to go outside and hunt eggs. Ava was totally into it this year. I was actually impressed with Ava's hunting skills this year. They were much better than last year!

Harrison could care less. He picked up one egg and then ran to explore and try to pet the cat.

Easter Morning

2011-05-01T22:03:00.003-04:00

I have a lot of catching up to do on the old blog. With all the rains and storms coming through (it seems like nightly), I haven't turned the computer on. So I am going to work on catching up, starting with Easter morning.

Ava had been talking about Easter morning for weeks. The day before she said, "Harrison and I will stand in the kitchen while you and Daddy see if the Easter bunny has been here." The only thing that kept her in her bed that night was the fear of the bunny not coming because she was not in bed.

From these pictures, you can see that Harrison was not very receptive to being put down without getting to snuggle and enjoy his milk like we start most mornings off with. Ava, ever the doting big sister, tried to get him to see the cool things the Easter bunny has brought him. She is certain he will love his hairy ball, but he finds it a little confusing.

Ava loved all of her things and Harrison of course loved his trucks. The Easter bunny let me know that it is hard to find candy without peanuts in it, so the littles didn't get a huge amount of sweets this year. That was fine by me because those things tend to pile up and hang around forever!

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

The Easter Bunny visit went better than I thought. I had been talking about it all day and while Harrison liked looking at the "Cat" from afar, he was not too sure about close up. In fact, he kept scooting away little by little to get as far away from the bunny as possible. Ava loved him and even took him a picture she had made of her and him. Sweet girl!

All bunny photos were taken by Kim Stewart Photography.

Harrison - Egg Hunt at Daycare

2011-04-23T09:21:00.000-04:00

Harrison's daycare had an egg hunt Thursday afternoon. This was his "first" egg hunt other than just in our backyard. Once we steered him in the right direction he got 4 eggs on his own!

His little bag was one they decorated that day. So cute!

Ava - Craft/Egg Hunt at School

2011-04-22T18:00:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday, Ava's preschool class had a parent workshop and egg hunt. For this workshop we made bunny ears and then had an egg hunt afterwards. Ava was worried she wouldn't get any eggs, but she came back with quite a haul of eggs. I was very proud when a little girl in her class was crying because she didn't get many eggs and Ava agreed to give her 3 of hers (which for Ava that was a big sacrifice in the sharing department). I guess that made her feel good because she gave a few more to another little boy in class who didn't have many.

After the workshop she spent the rest of the day with me at school and she always has a fantastic time doing that. My students get a kick out of her and she spends a lot of time working. We spent of my downtime working on reading. She is in such a hurry to learn to read. She tries very hard and I think she will be an early reader.

Top that day off with an egg hunt with her class at church and Ava had a spectacular day!

Harrison - Anatomy of a Little Boy

2011-04-20T09:41:00.003-04:00

At almost 17 months old, Harrison is all boy, all the time (with the exception of liking to wear Ava's tiaras, tutus, and glass slippers). Here are some recent pictures of his all boyishness.

Looking for trucks when he spotted a bug attached to our screen.

Cheesing Headed straight for Mama all the time... Oreo Cookies are not a wise choice unless it's bathtime.