The Rogers Family

Baby #3 is on it's way!!!

2011-04-11T16:08:00.000-07:00

So as I look at the date of my last blog it makes me sad that it has been so long since I have posted anything, but there is good reason for my lack of dedication. The day after Scott's 36th birthday we found out we were expecting our 3rd and final child. I was in disbelief and I honestly think I still am. The day we found out Scott called me three times at work asking me how I was feeling. He is so excited about this baby he just couldn't stand being gone that day I think.

From the day I turned 6 weeks until around 14 weeks I felt SO sick and extremely nauseous. Each morning I woke up the only thing I could think about was bed time. Smells made me sick to my stomach and nothing sounded good to eat or drink. And the third time around hasn't been as easy due to the fact I am still a mommy to two other little ones that need attention. BUT with help from lots of people I survived and I can now function. It feels good to feel good. :)

At first I just knew this was a girl because of the way I felt. I was sick with Kenzie for 9 months and not one day with Ryan. As the months go on I am starting to think it is a boy because as I start to feel better I am getting a face full of pimples. I don't have the "pregnancy" glow that everyone talks about, but the "16 year old" glow. This is the way my face looked when I was pregnant with Ryan. So basically I have no idea. In less than two weeks we will be able to find out and not wonder anymore. We both can't hardly wait!!!!!!

We told the kids when I was about 10 weeks pregnant. Several days before Ryan kept asking me if I had a baby in my belly. I didn't really say anything and kind of acted like I didn't hear him. One night as I was putting him to bed he said "mom you HAVE to have a baby in your belly because it is getting SO big." Scott and I both just laughed. On the night we finally felt comfortable telling them Kenzie didn't really give it much thought but Ryan's eyes got really big and he was so excited. He kept saying that he knew it all along. Since then Kenzie has gotten more and more excited and is starting to understand that a baby is growing in my belly. At nap time she acts like she takes the baby out of my stomach and lays it down in her bed to sleep with her. It is really cute. She likes to kiss my belly a lot and inform me that the baby is crying or that I need to be quiet because they baby is sleeping. It will be so fun to see each of them with the baby once it arrives.

I sit and just wonder what this baby will look like. What color eyes and hair. What kind of personality. What will he/she like to eat or can't stand the sight of. What will be it's favorite toy? I think about holding this baby and it all seems like a dream. It is something we talk about and prepare for but still can't believe that it is real. I have a boy and a girl already so what will another Boy/Girl Rogers look like? It is hard to imagine, but it is fun to dream about. Sometime in September many of my questions will be answered and I will be holding another wonderful creation that God has created just for Scott and I. How amazing is that?!?!?!

The Rogers family is blessed and we will be blessed once again in 5 short months. :)

Happy Birthday Scott!!

2011-01-12T08:34:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful Husband!! He is 35 and looks more handsome each day. He is the love of my life and I am thankful for each year I get to celebrate him. He is an incredible father and an amazing husband and I am honored to be apart of him and his life.

Scott you are my world and I treasure you and am thankful that today we celebrate you. I love you more than you will ever know.

Snow bunny kiss

Snowball fight

Happy Birthday Emme!!

2011-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today is my mom's (Emme) birthday and we celebrated at the local bowling alley....which was her request because she knew the kids would like it. That is my mom always thinking of EVERYONE else. She is an amazing woman with a big heart that has a love for her family like no other. I don't think there is a second that goes by that she is not thinking about what we would like to eat, wear, try out, do, listen to, watch, and the list continues. The little things that you think no one even cares about Emme does and she continuously makes her family a priority...unless it is on bridge day. Hahaha Just kidding!!

Mom, you are more of a mother than I could ever even dream up and more of a grandmother than I could even have the words to pray for my kids. There is no one in this world more loving, caring and gracious than you. I love you more than you will ever know and I thank you for ALL the things you do for me and my family. God must think we are pretty darn special to give us you!!!! Thank you JESUS!!!!

Love you mom!!!

Go Emme Go!!

Good one Ryan!!

Cheering everyone on

Kenzie stealing pops fries

Handsome boy

Every time Kenzie sees my mom she asked for her pink and brown a-chic (chap stick). Here they are getting beautiful together. :)

Christmas Day

2010-12-25T09:55:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve Scott's parents, sister, brother in law and the cousins come over to stay the night so that we are all here for the big day. We started out the night with Reindeer feed. The kids loved sprinkling it over the front yard.

I ordered pillowcases from MoonBeam so each kids could have something special to sleep on as they waited for Santa to come

Celebrating Christmas with three families makes a fun Christmas

The adults trying to get some coffee on this early morning

Ryan taking it all in

Kenzie finally got her baby that talked from Santa

Evan and Ryan

Scott bought Kenzie a dog. She loves it and this one doesn't make a mess. :)

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve started out with a yummy breakfast. The kids loved their holiday pancakes. That night we went over to my parents house and celebrated with them.

My aunt and my mom cooked a great Christmas Eve dinner

The kids couldn't hardly wait to open gifts

My dad got Ryan his first REAL golf clubs. He is excited to learn.

Every Saturday my dad brings donuts in a box that looks just like this so when Kenzie opened this gift the first thing she yelled was DONUTS. She was excited thinking she was about to eat a whole box of them.

My aunt Del had a few surprises as well and Ryan was right there to help her open them.

Each year my mom gets some cupcakes to celebrate Jesus' birthday.

Roasting Marshmallows

2010-12-23T08:40:00.000-08:00

On Thursday before Christmas we roasted marshmallows with my aunt Del and my parents. It was so cold but so fun to all be around the fire enjoying each other.

Sea World

2010-11-25T12:49:00.000-08:00

We finally went to Sea World this past July. Yes, it was HOT but it was all worth it because the kids had so much fun. My parents went with us and were good sports as we stood in LONG hot lines and fought the crowds but again I would do it all over again because to the kids it was something they still continue to talk about. Shamu splashed Kenzie during the show and even 4 months later she loves telling us how he splashed her as she is laughing.

The first day we toured the park and saw all the shows and the next day was spent at the water park which was a much cooler day. We are excited to go back one day but it will not be in middle of summer. :)

Ryan's Chuck E Cheese B-day party

2010-11-25T12:15:00.000-08:00

Ryan could not wait to celebrate his 5th birthday at one of his very favorite places....Chuck E Cheese. He was counting down the day to be the birthday boy and receive all 100 tokens. He had a blast and keeps saying that he wants EVERY birthday there. We will see what happens next year.

He and his dad got to go in the ticket stand and try to get the most tickets they could

Kenzie had as much fun as Ryan and yells out CHUCK E CHEESE every time we pass the place.

Even daddy had a great time celebrating

Happy 5th Birthday Ryan!!

2010-10-17T07:00:00.000-07:00

On this day 5 years ago at 2:59 pm God blessed us with the most adorable little baby boy. I am in awe at the gift we were given and feel honored that God entrusted us with his precious creation. That day we were given someone to hold, someone to comfort, someone to love and someone to call our son.

Ryan we love you more than you will ever know. I look at you and am amazed at the big boy you have become. I am so excited to continue to watch you grow and become the man that God desires you to be. Have a wonderful birthday sweet boy!!

Let's play some FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!

2010-09-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

The football season has begun and not just for the Cowboys, but for the 4 to 5 year old Texans!!! Ryan is playing flag football this season and he is loving it. He has learned a lot through the practices and scrimmages so he was ready for the big game this past weekend. The Texans won 21-20. It was so exacting for us all. He now ask me many days if he is going to have a football game that day. He enjoys playing and we love watching him.

They even have cheerleaders that are adorable. They make a sign each game for the boys to run through. So cute!!

Getting the last bit of coaching before the big game

Go #24!!!

I have to admit he is one good looking boy. :)

He does a great job blocking and helping his teammate.

The Best Show On Earth

2010-08-25T12:48:00.001-07:00

About a month ago ( I know I am a little behind ) we went to the circus. I still get the same feeling as I did as a kid when I walk in and I love seeing m my kids with the same excitement. Ryan and Kenzie had a great time. Kenzie sat on Scott's lap for 2 hours and laughed, pointed, clapped and was amazed at all that she saw. They were able to pick out one thing and Ryan, of course, got a sword because that is his toy of choice everywhere we go. Kenzie got something with tigers that lights up. It was fun that we got to go and enjoy as a family. What a fun day!!

7 Year Anniversary

2010-08-17T12:41:00.000-07:00

August 1st Scott and I celebrated 7 years of marriage. Time flies when you are having fun. This year I surprised Scott and took him to an indoor Rock Climbing place. We had SO much fun. He even commented about how impressed he was with me at how I climbed. This determined girl can climb some mountains. Hahaha well not real ones, but the fake ones were fun. After about an hour and a half we called it quits and headed to our favorite place of all.....Ruth Chris Steak House. We enjoyed a juicy steak and a nice glass of wine. It was a perfect celebration to our wonderful marriage!!!

Amazing Transformation

2010-07-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

We have lived in our house for 3 1/2 years and for about that long we have been wanting to do something with the playroom. I never minded the kids getting in there and having fun, but when it was time to clean up it all still looked out of sort. I thought I knew a little bit about how I wanted it to look, but I am a very visual person. I have to see it first then decide whether I like it or not. When you decorating it makes it very hard to not have that "eye" to see how things will eventually come together. BUT I am blessed with WONDERFUL friends who are the opposite of me and have not only the creative gene, but also have this amazing love to "organize" whatever it may be. So this task was right where they love to be.

Misty, Stephanie and I took the kids to a fun place and off we were. The girls took me to Ikea and that is my kind of place. I can see it set out and displayed and then could fall in love with it. After several hours of looking at containers, rugs, fabric, chairs and more we were ready to transform. Another several hours was spent putting all of it together. YIKES we were already tired and the hard part was just beginning. Soon after Steph had to leave and Misty and I had to do "mom" things. Once the kids were in bed we were off to clean out. This is my favorite part. I am anything but a pack rat. I love to get ride of and clean house and that is exactly what we did. Goodwill is going to love it when we come. Finally after 9 hours from start to finish of laughing, frustrations and exhaustion we were DONE and I couldn't be more happy. It is fun and inviting!! It is exactly what I wanted and didn't even know it, but I am glad the girls did. :)

Today Ryan and I were in the kitchen and he runs to the playroom and stands at the door. I asked him what he was doing and he said " I just wanted to look at my new room again. I really like it." And I do too!!! Thanks Misty and Stephanie for working so hard to get us all fixed up!!

The Builders!!

And thanks to my mom who was also there helping us put this together.

Before:

After:

These hand prints are of the haynes and rogers kids and we will continue to fill it up as friends come play. I love that they will have a part in decorating as well.

The Soccer Blog

2010-06-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

So soccer was back in the spring, but for some reason I thought I had already blogged about it. Scott tried to show someone at work awhile back and it wasn't there. From then on the joke has been about when I was going to blog about soccer. Finally I remembered to write about it.

Ryan was SO excited that his daddy was one of his coaches. He had all of his friends that he loved on the team so it was the perfect combination. Ryan did great and really worked his way up to the ball almost every time. We were very proud of him and happy that Scott got to do something he has ALWAYS wanted to do. He love coaching Ryan just as much as Ryan loved having him as his coach.

One of the practices

Go Ryan

Getting ready to kick off

Kenzie helping her brother at break time

Vacation Pictures #1

2010-06-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

Heading to the gate

Kenzie wanting to say Cheese one more time before we go

Seeing uncle Ron for the first time..

The crew back together again!!

Vacation Pictures #2

2010-06-15T13:03:00.000-07:00

Movie night...you can see Ryan and Lola were being a little crazy

Love this Bff picture

Fun at White Sands

Ryan and Lilli sliding down the mountain

Kenzie had fun with the "snow" as she called it

Picnic lunch

You can see our card board box we had for shade

On top of the mountain

Amazing views

Water park at the Haynes

Ready for the zoo

They really did have fun, but this picture show pure exhaustion

Where should we go first?

Look Wowa

Ryan and Kenzie loved the sea lions

Precious

You are going WHERE on your family Vaycay?

2010-06-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

This is the question Scott and I got many times plus a weird look when we told people that we were going for 6 days and 5 nights to El Paso. To many it might seem weird that we wanted to spend our vacation in a place surrounded with rocks and cactus's, but in all honesty we COULDN'T wait!!! We were all so excited to get on the plane knowing at our destination was waiting some of greatest people we know. So instead of focusing on the tent of brown that the city was we focused on the beautiful mountains and the perfect cool mornings and evenings spent with people we love. We didn't care what there was to do or see we were just filled with excitement that we got to do it with our favorite peeps.

To me it was kind of a full circle moment. Since I use to live in El Paso my 6th through 8th grade year, it was so much fun going back and seeing my "hood" which is only blocks from the Haynes. I loved driving by my old house seeing the rock I once sat on for many pictures and remembering the walk to school I had each day. Lilli will be going to that same school one day soon. She will be walking those same halls and swinging on the same monkey bars I have such strong memories of. Even though Lilli is not mine biologically she is mine by grace and in that aspect it is my full circle that she will be where I was many years ago. AND I LOVE THAT!!

I couldn't wait to get that first picture of our kids seeing one another. Kenzie screamed with excited as she saw uncle Ron and Ryan and Lilli grabbed hands as though they had never been apart. Through out the week Kenzie kept patting Lola's arm saying "hi wowa hit wowa". I think she just couldn't believe Lola was finally for real and not on Skpe.

One day 1 we had a water park right in Misty's back yard. Pools, slides, swings and so much more. The kids had so much fun for hours as they ran and swam and if you talk to Kenzie all she wanted to do was SWING.

Day 2 we went to white sands...ohhh how beautiful it was, but with that beauty comes the HEAT. After sliding down the sandy mountain a few times the kids wanted shade and with the ghetto card board box we happen to have in the truck they got their shade. Lunch and some water and we were ready for our next stop. We traveled another hour to Ruidosa. In one moment the sweat was covering our whole bodies and in the next we were freezing in the mountains. They were beautiful and we enjoyed going on a little nature hike seeing amazing views and even some snow!!

One day 3 we enjoyed relaxing at home. Well, if that is what you can call 4 kids under 5 in one house. Misty and I got to sneak away and go shopping as well as get mani and pedi's. Day three was also when the sickness snuck up on poor Lola. She kept saying she had "grown ups". And as all parents we don't believe it until we see it. Well, we saw it more than once. Poor Ron and Misty were up all night with Lola and her "grown ups".

But never fear on day 4 we still all got up and went to the ZOO. By this time Scott was feeling his "grown ups" coming on so what better way to get you healthy then to walk around in the heat with a bunch of smelly animals. haha But if the Rogers/Haynes crew have set out to do something we are going to do it and we did and it was fun for the healthy ones. By that night mama Haynes joined the "grown ups" group.

By day 5 everyone was starting to feel better and the kids got to go to the park and run wild. That night we hired and babysitter (who was wonderful ) and we got to go out just the four of us to a movie and dinner.

Day 6 started with a big lump in my throat and a pit in my stomach. Not from sickness but from sadness. We loved our family vacation with all the family. We cannot wait to do it again.

*pictures will be in the next post*

* the song that is playing when you pull up the blog is a true memory of our trip. Ryan, Kenzie and I sing this at the top of our lungs while driving around town now just as we did there. This is only one of the many that were played over and over again.* Thanks Misty!!

McKenzie is 2!!

2010-05-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Two years ago today God gave me the most precious baby girl I could ever imagine. I naturally loved her the moment I found out that she was conceived, but i could have never imagined how much that love could grow in just two years. Her smile makes you want to smile with her, her laugh makes you giggle too and her hugs make you never want to let go. I pray one day she will know how truly special she is!

Thank you Jesus for my blessing. Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!

McKenzie's Birthday Paw-ty

2010-05-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

On Saturday McKenzie celebrated her 2nd birthday with one of her Bff's Jack-Jack. Jack and Kenzie have been doing Little Gym together for awhile and since their b-days are only a day apart we thought it would be fun to party together. They both love dogs so with a little scooby snacks, paw berries and puppy chow we all enjoyed the celebration. Jack and Kenzie truly knew it was their day and enjoyed every last moment of it. It was so fun to see these two in their element with the people they love. We couldn't have asked for a better day.

The place settings for each kid

The birthday couple

Steph and I had fun planning the details

One of Kenzie's favorite thing to do is swing.

All of their friends singing Happy Birthday

They got to ride on birthday boat

At one point everyone was in a circle singing and Kenz and Jack were off to the side popping bubbles. It was adorable.

Jack and his big sister Olivia having fun on the air track

Daddy and Kenzie

Ryan loved celebrating his sister. Kenzie is in the background drinking her juice. I don't think she came up for air once until it was gone.

Blowing out candles

YUMMY!!!!!

Mom's Day

2010-05-12T11:42:00.001-07:00

Without these two precious children I would not have the joy and honor of being called "mom". I am blessed because of them and I cannot imagine my world without them.

I had a great time celebrating on Saturday with my mom, mom in law, and sister in law at a mothers day tea at their church. It was fun to be "girly" drinking tea and eating scones. Of course as you can see I brought my sonic coke with easy ice. Hey it was mothers day right?!?!

Sunday morning started off with one of my favorites...whataburger bacon, egg and cheese. YUMMY!! I promise I didn't eat all of that. I was keeping some on the plate for my kiddos. :)

My new fun watch that Ryan, Kenzie and Scott gave me. I LOVE it!!!

Thank you for a wonderful Mother's Day!!!

Bye Bye Baba

2010-04-23T11:46:00.000-07:00

One of Kenzie's best beds is her paci (aka baba). Last Friday we decided to limit it only to the bed and she did a great job. She only asked for it a few times and was never upset with the answer. For naptime at school she did great without it so I figured it was time to just get ride of it all together. Kenzie loves baby Cooper, Chastity's little boy, so we talked for several days about her giving it to him. Since she LOVES lollipops I told her that once she gave them to Cooper he would give her a pop. She kept telling me day after day "baby baba pop", "baby baba pop". I think she was informing me that she was ready to get that lollipop so sweet Chastity let me run over there at the last minute and give her dear friends to Cooper.

She was so excited to give it to him. She kept trying to put it in his mouth and was excited that she was giving him this special gift. All of the kids enjoyed a heart lollipop and we all cheered Kenzie on. All was well with the world until bedtime. She cried for almost an hour and woke up in the middle of the night wanting it. After being comforted she went back to sleep and began her morning at 5:30. YIKES!! She went down for a nap and cried about 20 minutes so we are crossing our fingers that it only gets better from here.

I am not sure who it hurts worse because my heart was torn apart hearing her cry for it. She is great sleeper and I hated to take away something that she loves and something that makes her feel comfort. This is only the beginning of my life of parenting and making hard decisions. I am sure there will be many times I will take something away for the best of my children and listen to their tears. I am sure with each time it doesn't get any easier seeing and hearing your child with a broken heart.

Getting them ready to give to Cooper

I think Cooper is excited!!

So happy about the lollipop

Good job Kenz

Her new lovie made by our friend Cindy

Easter Day

2010-04-04T15:17:00.000-07:00

This Easter we had a great time celebrating what Jesus has done for us with family and even a special friend. Ryan's friend Sam and his grandmother came over to enjoy lunch and an egg hunt. The three kids had a great time running around the yard and searching for their eggs. The boys were so great about leaving the obvious ones for Kenzie. Each year Mimi and Papa give the kids their Easter Baskets which is WONDERFUL!! Scott and I gave Ryan and Kenz just a little something that morning along with a big breakfast to start off the day right.

Kenzie loves Elmo so she was so excited to see her favorite friend at breakfast

Ryan is obsessed with Superheros and was excited to see his new spiderman lamp. Yes his hair is out of control. We did fix it before church. :)

Emme and Pop with the kids

Ohh he looks so grown up

Mimi and Papa with the kids

Kenzie digging into her basket

Ryan and Sam

Kenzie had fun jumping while all the eggs were spilling out of her basket.

Easter lunch

I often wonder

2010-03-16T17:56:00.000-07:00

I often wonder if I will miss hearing my children screaming at each other over a toy or stepping on a car that was left in the middle of the floor. I often wonder if I will miss doing loads after loads of laundry and folding the tinniest pink sock and the smallest superhero underwear. I often wonder if I will miss getting on my hands and knees cleaning hour after hour all of the food that was spilled onto the floor after breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and then dinner. Will I miss the crying and pouting or the hour that it takes my son to get dressed just because he won't do it the first time I ask. Will I miss cleaning up the water that Kenzie has splashed out of the tub night after night or the snotty nose that gets wiped on my clothes each day.

These very things that seem so frustrating at the time might just actually be missed. When my children are all grown up and out of the house the toys will be all picked up and gone, the mess from the bath is one that only I will make and the dinner that is spilled will be from either Scott or I. There will be no more wishing I had a quiet moment because there will be plenty of those.

Simon Cowell says on American Idol "you didn't have a moment". Well, I thank Jesus that I have a moment every second of my day. They may be frustrating moments, but they are mine and they are with two of the most precious people in my life. So when I want to read the book to Ryan a little faster at night because I am tired or I turn on a mindless show so I can do something for myself I have to remember that these are the moments I was given and to enjoy them. The kisses and hugs that I receive and the sweetest smiles that I see and the laughter that I hear are the moments that I often know I will remember and I will miss.

I am blessed to have the life that I live and the people that live in it with me. I often pray as I am walking around because frankly I don't sit down much and I find myself saying thank you, thank you, thank you over and over again. I can't tell Him enough and I often wonder if He truly knows how grateful I truly am for the moments that I have.

The Bagel Shop

2010-03-05T13:19:00.001-08:00

Once or sometimes twice a week since Ryan was a baby my parents and I have met at "the bagel shop" for breakfast. Ryan was brought in his carrier as a baby and so was McKenzie. They think this is just what we do on Wednesday mornings and we all look so forward to it. The kids would start out just getting small bites of our bagel when they were little to now splitting a whole bagel and a blueberry muffin. McKenzie fights me for my cream cheese and begs for more. Sometimes we wonder if she would even care if she had a bagel with her cream cheese as she sticks all her fingers in it and stuffs them in her mouth. Kenzie normally ends up out of the high chair and walking around the table or in poppy's arms and Ryan ends up making some kind of super hero with the leftovers and some coffee sticks and plays with Emme.

When I was a kid I always remember going to a place called Mavrick Market on the way home from daycare/school and as the story was told I would cry to whole way there due to being exhausted from the long day. I remember going in and looking at every piece of candy thinking how hard it was just to pick one thing. I loved that place and looked forward to it each day. Now I feel as though this is my kids Mavrick Market. It is such a fun little tradition that I hope we will enjoy a for long time.

Beautiful Snow

2010-02-12T10:51:00.001-08:00

It was like nothing I have ever seen in Texas. It was so thick and pretty. You just couldn't help but make a snowman or throw a snowball at someone. The flakes we were so big as they fell it was like I was in a Christmas show and the snow machine was doing a great job at making all of the snow. We loved every moment of it even if our hands were ice cubes at the end of the fun. What a beautiful sight it was to see!!!

Kenzie could not stop eating it all up. It was one big slushy to her.

The big blob at the top of the picture was the snowball Scott threw right at my face. It ended up right at camera.

old camera/new camera

2010-02-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

Well we finally did it....we invested in a camera that might actually work more than two years. It seems like once the two year mark hits our cameras go bad. Our first one 4 years ago started taking blurry pictures so then we got our "day after Christmas Sale" camera two years ago. As I was taking pictures of the kids icing Scott's b-day cake it did captured the moment but all of the moments are now in red. So another bites the dust. My favorite thing about an expensive camera is that the zoom actually works. Heee On our other cameras the more I would zoom the blurrier the picture would get. We are excited to play with our new purchase. :)

Here is the last of the pictures with the old camera

Icing daddy's cake

The new camera

Action shot

Excuse the trash can in the back ground. I just love her little face in this picture.

Happy Birthday Scott!!

2010-01-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

Ever since I met Scott I have been told many times by he and his family that he was born during half time of the Super Bowl. It is like one of those stories your grandmother tells you every time she sees you thinking you have never heard it before. Well, this story is different because it is one I do love hearing over and over again. After knowing Scott for 8 years more or less I have decided that it is one of my favorite stories and that that was the best darn super bowl ever played because that was the day my husband and father of my children was born into this world. He is a leader, encourager, a romantic at times, thoughtful, caring, family man, Christian, supporter, builder, handy man, successful business man, smart, intelligent, creative, determined, energetic, protector,and of course so handsome. Who wouldn't want to celebrate this wonderful man and I am so lucky that I get to.

Scott I love you so much and I am thankful to God that 35 years ago today he blessed this world with you. Thank you for all that you do and being that husband and father that you are. Happy Birthday Hubby!!

Happy Birthday Mom!!

2010-01-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

Today is my moms birthday and there are no words that really explain how wonderful she is not only as a mom, but in every area of her life. On Monday I told her I wanted to take her to lunch to celebrate while just having McKenzie. ( Ryan was at SS Noah.) Kenzie has a horrible cold and was ready for a nap, but I was determined to take my mom out and celebrate her. Once the food got there kenzie lasted about 2 more minutes and she suggested we get it to go and we finished the rest of the meal at home. It was a disaster but my mom didn't care. All she wanted was to do what was best for Kenzie. She is an amazing grandmother. My kids ADORE her and she drops anything ( except playing bridge days. Heee) to be with them. She runs around with Ryan helping him "fight the bad guys", hides old toys around her house just because the kids get so excited to find them, buys books she thinks they will learn from and toys she thinks they will enjoy and food that she knows will be their favorite. Ever since Ryan could sit on a bike she has pushed him up this hill in her back yard and holds on to him and the bike as she runs down the hill. Then again, she pushes him up the hill and runs down, pushes him up and runs down. This Christmas she pushed him up once again and he finally could go down the hill all buy himself without falling over. Then she turns around and plays music, sings, entertains and loves on Kenzie. She truly, truly enjoys being around them even when they are acting like crazy kids. She just smiles and looks at me as I am about to self destruct and says it is going to be ok.....they are going to turn out ok. Because to be honest there are times I truly wonder. :)

My mom has such a gift that she doesn't even realize she has. She has an amazing, loving and unselfish spirit about her that makes people feel comfortable when she is around. When there is a task that has to be done or a mission that needs to be taken care of my mom is the first one in line to help. Whether it be shopping the world for a coat for Kenzie when they don't sell them anymore, or planting flowers in my yard, or helping me get my house ready for a party she is THERE!!! Since Scott is not home much at night she invites us over many nights to eat with them and then ALWAYS sends me with leftovers for us the next night. At times my mom and I go run errands together, but half the time we never get hers done because my kids start to melt down and she still seems to always want to go with me the next time.

I aspire to be the mom that she was and is to me and I pray I can be half the grandmother that she is to my kids.

Mom, I love you with all my heart and I pray that God bless you for the heart you have towards all that are around you. Thank you for being you and thank you for being apart of our lives and loving us the way you do. Happy Birthday mom!!!

Christmas Day

2009-12-26T18:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas eve we had Scott's parents, sister, brother-in-law and their three kids spend the night so everyone could wake up and enjoy opening their gifts together. After the kids went to bed all the adults had so much fun laying out all the presents and setting up the santa gifts. It all looked like so much fun that I don't think any of us could wait until the morning just to see the kids faces. Ryan, Evan and Kenzie got a bike from Santa and the girls got an American girl doll. When Kenzie first saw the bikes she immediately turned away from hers and tried to get on her cousins bike which was more like her big-brothers. I think we may have a tom boy on our hands. Once she realized that she had a big stuffed dog sitting in hers it became her favorite. Santa also gave Ryan two super heroes and a girl super hero to Kenzie which she loved and would not put down for awhile.

My parents joined us in the morning to see the kids open their gifts and stayed for breakfast. The rest of the family ended up staying all day playing and enjoying the time together. We ended the day with a homemade dinner that Scott's mom cooked and everyone left exhausted, but having enjoyed every moment.

This is what I looked like the whole day. A camera in one hand and the video camera in the other.

Ryan seeing his bike.....the hair is lovely

Kenzie seeing her bike

Now trying to get on Evans

Good thing for the soft doggy

Kenzie's super hero

The girls

So much for no guns in the house......Scott and his mom got everyone a Nerf gun to play with. Kenzie was not having it...she was ready to use hers. :)

Target practice....They lined up plastic cups along the stairs

I ended up having some little surprises as well. I got a GPS since I never seem to know where I am going and a gift card to my new favorite store. Scott also wrapped up packages with little pieces of paper in them that told me where to find my gifts. The first one was in the back of the Tahoe. It is one of my favorites....a great American cookie company cookie cake. YUM Every time they have a sample out in the mall I run up like a little kid a get one.

The next one told me to go into the laundry room freezer which is where I found a big bag of Sonic ice. I love me some sonic!!

The last one was the perfect gift for our house. We have been looking for something to go in the art niche above our fire place and he found it. It is beautiful!!

The guys trying to hang the rod iron piece

I LOVE it!!!

Poor Scott has had to return two of his gifts already, but his birthday is in 3 weeks so I can find something that actually works right or is the right size. Heeeee

What a wonderful Christmas we all had being together. It was such a special time to see the kids just be kids and enjoy the season. I remember feeling the same way as a kid and now it is such a joy to see my kids experience the same excitement.

Christmas Eve

2009-12-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

We had a great time celebrating Christmas at my parents on Christmas Eve. We ate a yummy Turkey dinner and began to open gifts. Ryan couldn't hardly stand it seeing all the gifts and not being able to open them until after dinner. He kept going over and finding every gift that said R-Y-A-N. He knows when he sees his name and he got so excited every time he saw it. He got lots of super hero dress up clothes as well as action figures. He also got a Hulk bath Science kit that I was glad to leave over at my moms for her to experiment with. Heee My parents set up a scavenger hunt for Ryan to find his last gift which was a spiderman scooter. I don't know who liked it more Ryan or Kenzie. She kept trying to pull Ryan off of it so that she could ride it. Anything and everything Ryan does she does or thinks she can do.

It was so fun seeing Kenzie actually enjoying Christmas this year as she is a year older. She loved to unwrap her gifts and wanted to play with each thing that moment. She LOVES dogs so my mom got her a puppy that barks and rolls over when anything gets near it. That is as real as it is going to get for now. :) We ended the night singing Happy Birthday to Jesus and Ryan got to blow out the candle and eat some cake which he truly enjoyed celebrating Jesus.

When we left my parents house the doors to our car where frozen shut and snow was everywhere. It was a perfect White Christmas Eve and we were all ready for Santa.

Thank you mom and dad for a great Christmas!!!

Kenzie enjoying her dinner

Kenzie kept laying on her dog and laughing. It was her new best friend.

Ryan found his scooter

Iron Man

Storm Tropper

Singing Happy Birthday

McKenzie's turn

We were all SO tired after a busy night

T-Ball Party

2009-12-14T18:53:00.001-08:00

Ryan had his end-of- the season T-Ball party at Gatti-Town tonight. All he could think of was getting a trophy. He had seen other kids with them towards the end of the season and could hardly wait to have his. We all ate some pizza and then the coaches presented the trophies. In the first picture you can see that Ryan is over by the table anticipating the moment he will actually get his in his little hands. The coaches noticed he was overly excited so they gave him the first one. He ended the night playing some games and now the trophy is sitting on his night stand while he sleeps. He is so proud of it and we are so proud of him.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-01T18:12:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family. The kids enjoyed playing as always and the food was yummy!!! We missed my parents who were visiting my brother in Indiana and we also missed my brother-in-law and his father who were at the Cowboy game. It ended up being a small group, but still a great day and so much to be thankful for.

Scott's mom always does the turkey every year

Look at all that food. YUM!

Kenzie enjoying her meal

After playing and running around all night the boys played a video game to end the night.

Kenzie was by papa's side all night long. She loved playing with him.

The Haynes Visit Allen

2009-11-25T14:17:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful 5 days we had together as the Haynes visited. It was just like old times as every one knew where they slept and ate and played. Ryan and Lilli were SO happy to see each other they played without a peep for an hour and a half straight. Then of course the brother and sister love set in. The first night they were here Ryan woke up about 11:00 crying asking where Lilli was and if she was still here. We reassured him that she was in the house asleep and that they could play in the morning. A couple hours later he ran into Misty and Lilli's room half asleep making sure they hadn't gone anywhere. After snuggling with Misty and Lilli awhile he felt comfortable going back to his bed. He was just so excited that they were there he wanted to make sure they weren't going to sneak out. It was wild and crazy couple of days and so much fun. You think 5 days is a long time, but it is not and we are counting down the days until they return.

It has been our tradition since Ryan and Lilli were first born to take their picture on a certain bench together at Christmas time. Now that we have two more they join right in.

At the fountain in the mall. So cute as they look at all the "wishes" that have been thrown in.

Misty gave them each money to close their eyes and make a wish. I can almost promise you I know what Ryan's was......Can Lilli move back to Dallas??? Ok so that is mine. I want the Haynes to return forever. :(

Scott enjoyed dressing up and playing with the kids.

The trampoline is always so much fun.

We took some pictures of the crew with their yummy lollipops

Sweet Friends

After 5 days of staying up late and running around with fun we were all exhausted, but I cannot wait to do

it again.

Bye Haynes family. We love you and miss you already!!!

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

2009-11-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

Sunday was my dads birthday and we celebrated at BJs for lunch. It was fun getting the family together except we missed my brother who is now living in Indiana. We all went in together and got my dad hockey tickets for the new minor league hockey team that is now playing off of Stacy road. My dad, Scott and Ryan will be sitting on the first level right in front of the glass while my mom and I sit right in back of them. We cannot wait to go and continue the celebration.

Dad, I love you more than I can ever even begin to tell you. You are one of the greatest men I know and one of the wisest. I look to you for comfort, knowledge, advice and just the feeling at times to be daddy's little girl. God has blessed me with a father that is one of kind. Thank you for teaching me and loving me and passing the same thing onto Ryan and Kenzie. We are blessed to know you and blessed to call you ours. Happy Birthday dad!!

Halloween Night

2009-11-02T11:44:00.000-08:00

Our night started out at a festival at our parents church. They had lots of games and some yummy food. Then we headed home so Scott could take Ryan and Kenzie trick or treating while I stayed back and handed out candy. We have lots of kids in our neighborhood and kids that come over to our neighborhood so we saw lots of cute costumes that night. Ryan even got to pass out candy and I am not sure which was his favorite getting or receiving. All in all we had a great night.

Ryan trying to hit the balloon with the dart YIKES!!

Ryan, Evan, Ashley and Kenzie...we are missing Kaitlyn.

At first Kenzie was a little scared of all the costumes so she stayed in Papa's arms for awhile

Ryan was so excited when he won something at the ring toss.

Kenzie was happy to have a baby bounce house

In the bubbles

Scott took the kids on the cake walk

Kaitlyn trying to win at the cake walk

Aunt Wendy helped Ryan at bingo and he WON!!

Kenzie trick or treating at our sweet neighbors who had a special treat just for her.

Ryan giving hand fulls of candy to his favorite people

Halloween Playgroup

2009-10-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Wacky Wednesday play group, which is now on Fridays, had their annual halloween party. It is always SO much fun each year seeing all the kids in their cute costumes. We also bring can foods to take to the food pantry and this year the goal was 20 bags of food. I think we made it!! It is so wonderful teaching the kids each year to give back and to show them how blessed they are with what they have and how nice it is to give that to others. After laying all the food out the kids were able to load the bags to get them ready to be delivered. What a fun day we all had!

Group picture

The big kids

Getting ready to eat

Making spiders

Jack & McKenzie looking at all the yummy food

Ms. Kelly explaining to all the kids about why we give back

Loading the bags

Ready to be delivered

Super Hero Party

2009-10-21T09:07:00.001-07:00

Ryan's super hero party was last Saturday and we had a blast. Scott came up with the idea of making capes out of a plastic table cloth for the kids that didn't have one and super hero symbols for them to put on. They also each had silly string as their "power" to spray at each other and at Spiderman. Wonder woman and a clown was there to face paint and make animal balloons.

Kenzie was showing us her super moves too

These are the symbols that we made

Passing out silly string

Fun games were played

Cake time

What a face....so strong

Sweet Girl

Fun balloons

Happy Birthday sweet boy. We love you!!

4 Years!!!

2009-10-17T07:16:00.000-07:00

It brings back such great memories as I look through all of Ryan's pictures the last years. Seeing him for the first time melted my heart and I don't know if I ever could have imagined the joy he would bring me in just 4 years. Everyday is such an adventure with my very active energetic loving son. There are moments when we are both sitting still,which doesn't happen very often, that I look at him and cannot help but smile wondering how I got so blessed to call him mine.

Ryan, I love you more than I can ever express. The day you were born was one of my most happiest moments ever and the fact that I get to spend each day with someone that brings me such joy is something I hope I never take for granted. Even though you challenge me each day in ways I never thought I would be challenged you bring out a love inside of me that I never thought was there. I pray each day God gives us wisdom to raise you as He would and I promise that with all that is inside of me I will do my best to be the parent that God has called me to be. I love you sweet, sweet boy and I am so happy to be celebrating with you today.

Super Ryan

2009-10-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

In about a week and a half Ryan will turn 4 and have a super hero party. Every chance Ryan gets he dresses up as some kind of super hero. It is so funny to see what he gathers to put on to create this certain hero that he wants to be. He runs around the house in his home-made costume, jumps from couch to couch (yes we have tried to explain he cannot do this everywhere) and makes very interesting faces as he is doing all of this. So since he thinks he is a super hero the party will fit him well. We are looking forward to celebrating our little superhero turning 4.

Ft Worth Zoo

2009-09-30T11:51:00.001-07:00

Ever since Scott and I met we kept saying we wanted to go to the Ft. Worth zoo. Two kids and 7 1/2 years later we finally made it there. Scott had off on Labor Day (yes, I know was a month ago) and we decided to take the WHOLE family. My grandmother, two aunts, uncle, dad and mom went and we had such a great time. McKenzie's favorite was the giraffe's. At home she carries around a big giraffe so to see them actually move was so much fun for her. Ryan loved it all. He spent the whole time running, of course, because he was so excited to see everything. My sweet aunt Del carried Kenzie around the whole time because once out of the stroller there was no way Kenzie was getting back in. We are looking forward to going again one day.

You can see Ryan running to the next thing and there is my aunt caring Kenzie

Ryan laid out the map reading to figure out where we were going.

We got to feed the birds

There is no better way to end the day at the zoo then with ICE CREAM!!! YUMMY

Go Cubs!!!

2009-09-09T12:58:00.000-07:00

Ryan's first game was last Wednesday and it was so fun for not only him, but the rest of the 15 people that were there cheering him on. To be completely honest I felt a little nervous before the game. I wanted to make sure I had everything together and he enjoyed himself. the video camera and real camera needed to be in each hand. During the game I kept trying to get the perfect picture as well as the perfect video. Tricky!!! He did such a great job. At one point he was pitching and ran up to get the ball after it was hit and threw it to first base. (of course he did this all with lots of coaching from everyone) It was such a good play with a lot of excitement. When it was all over he yelled out "MOM" from the field. I just knew he was ready to see the excitement on my face and a thumbs up for his great performance, but instead he said "look there is hot air balloon over there." What??? Ok.....hot air balloon???? What about the great play you just made?? Anyway, the important thing is he had so much fun with the game and the scenery. :)

A few pictures before the game

The warm up

Keep your eye on the ball

Run Ryan Run.....

Sitting in the "dugout"

Good game, good game

Snack time after the game

After game meeting

Ryan's fans...all 15 of them. He can never say no one supported him.

Attention All Children

2009-08-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

When your mommy tells you to back away from the hot pan on the stove listen to her because you could get hurt.....that also means your lips.

As I was cooking pancakes this morning Ryan came over to see what was in the pan. I told him ,as i do everyday, that it was hot so back away and somehow someway he ended up kissing the pan. Not sure why or really how but after today I don't think he will ever do that again now that he knows his lips will burn just as much as the rest of his body.

We took him to A-cute kids (love that place) and he has a 2nd degree burn. They gave him some antibiotic cream that has to be applied twice a day. Since I have "the day after Christmas sale camera" from Target these pictures don't show much, but as you can see from them he is still his wild little energetic self.

Oh and yes for all you mommies out there who were wondering if you were going to get the "mommy of the year" award this year...well don't wonder any longer because they called me today and told me I WON!!!! :)

First Day Of School

2009-08-27T17:37:00.001-07:00

Today was our first day of CLC ( Christian Learning Center ) and it was a success in some ways and tearful in others.

*up on time and out of the house early=success

*setting up the room and making it to morning prayer=success

*ryan quite during morning prayer=big success :)

*dropping off Ryan at his class=success

*dropping off McKenzie screaming crying tightening her legs around me=tears for her and watery eyes for mommy

*having 10 out of 13 kids cry almost the whole day=wanting to sit in the middle of the room and cry with them. :)

Other than that it was a good day. First day is always the hardest because we are holding a kid in each arm bouncing rocking singing dancing whatever we can do to try and make them feel comfortable and loved. At one point the other teachers (whom I love dearly) and I just sat there and started laughing because that was all we could do. Even though we could barley hear each other most of the day we still made the most of the moments we had. Our class is so sweet and just a little scared right now trying to figure out why their mommy dropped them off with complete strangers, but once they get to know us and realize we do have fun the crying will subside.

Kenzie on the other hand I am praying for. They said she cried on and off most of the day and wanted to be held. If you know Kenzie you know she does not want to be held and wants her independence. I know soon they will see that side of her. The second I picked her up she started laughing and blowing bubbles with her mouth. My sweet sweet girl. Ryan did AWESOME and ran to me when I picked him up with a big smile on his face. He said he had a GREAT day and was asking when he was going back.

We are gearing up for Tuesday and are truly excited about the new school year.

Here are pictures from last year.

It has now begun...

2009-08-13T12:20:00.000-07:00

After talking about it for almost 4 years it is finally here and I can't believe it. Ryan's first T-Ball practice was on Wednesday night and he loved it. He has two great coaches and is on the same team as his friend Rylee. Ryan felt comfortable seeing Rylee there and wanted to stand by him the whole time. Scott was even able to come out on the field and help with the kids which was also a dream for him. Ryan's first game will be sometime in September. GOOOOOO CUBS!!!!!

Yummy Apple

2009-08-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

The other day Ryan decided he wanted an apple for a snack. As he was eating it Kenzie was trying to sneak some bites in and thought it tasted pretty yummy. Ryan soon remembered he had Spiderman gummy snacks and graciously passed the apple along to Kenzie to eat those. She thought it was the greatest thing eating an apple like a big girl. She did really good with it and even carried it around for about 30 minutes taking a bite, playing then taking another bite as she continued to play.

Kenzie walking around with it getting SO excited that she had it.

Happy Anniversary!!

2009-08-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

Six years and four months ago Scott got down on one knee and our whole lives changed for the better. March 26, 2003 I woke up ready to go to work and found a rose on my car door with a note that said "I want you to have a great day". As I looked around the parking lot and saw no one I headed to school and on my door to my classroom I found another rose and note that said "I love you very much". Through out the day in random places I kept finding roses and notes that said something sweet. Random people would come up and even hand me the rose, but still never seeing the person that was giving them. My principal came over the announcements that day and asked if "Ms. Bailey could come down to the front office and get a rose". As you can imagine the whole school was enjoying all of this. I went to Scott's house that night because we were headed to dinner at our favorite restaurant since he was headed out of town the next day. Scott's niece had stopped by right before we left asking if we could go to the park before dinner. Not wanting to let the 2 year old down that was begging her uncle we said of course. When we got to the park Scott took me over to a certain bench where we had talked for hours one day. He gave me the last rose with a note saying "Mari I truly love you with every little bit of my heart and soul. My love and admiration for you has grown each and every one of the 445 days we have been dating. That date was January 5th 2002 and you remembered it well so let me give you a new one March 26, 2003 the day that...." and when I looked over Scott was on one knee. After the emotion of it all we headed to our restaurant and as I walked in I was greeted with some great friends and family. Scott had put together a surprise engagement party. Although it was a perfect day, August 1st 2003 was even more so. I married the man of my dreams. I love you Scott and I am excited to be celebrating us today and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together.

Our honeymoon

Tahiti and Morea Island

Swimming with stingrays

We were babies!!!

Our first New Years as Rogers'

Congratulations Jeff!!!

2009-07-30T06:54:00.001-07:00

My brother is graduating with his master from Truett with his seminary degree. He just got a job in Indiana as a hospital chaplain. He is already doing an internship in Waco as a chaplain and really enjoys it. The high in Indiana in the winter is 31 degrees. YIKES!!! That is way too cold for me, but my brother LOVES the cold weather so he is very excited. The job starts in two weeks so he will be busy getting everything settled from Waco to Indiana. After flying into Dallas after interviewing my mom had a little surprise party waiting for him. She is so good about decorating the table with fun things and getting champagne to toast the celebration. Congratulations Jeff on your new job and new career. You are going to do great!!!

Notre Dame is in Indiana so my brother brought back the kids some shirts from the school.

Vacation with Emme

2009-07-21T15:59:00.000-07:00

My mom was going to visit my aunts and her BFF in Mineral Wells for the weekend and she offered to take Ryan. WHAT A GREAT EMME!!!!!!!!!!!! Scott was going on a guys trip that weekend so it was a nice break for me. They, of course, had a BLAST. Ryan went swimming, saw two movies, went to a birthday party and so much more. I love that my mom loves Ryan so much and loves spending so much time with him. She takes such good care of him and he thinks that she hung the moon. Mom, thank you so much for being the grandmother you are to my children. Thank you for making them a big part of your life.

Emme & Ryan at the Birthday party

My aunt and Ryan. She cooked him a yummy breakfast every morning.

Maria is an artist and Ryan loved her drawing so many things for him.

Emme & Ryan at Ice Age

Emme tells me that she makes sure Ryan eats healthy when he is with her. There is a picture to prove it. :)

Del and Ryan had fun playing with the dogs and swimming

Sounds like a good vacation to me..

Swimming

2009-07-20T13:12:00.000-07:00

One morning before The Haynes left we went to my parents pool in their neighborhood. It was so much fun for all of us watching the kids swim and play and especially getting all of their energy out. Little McKenzie is our dare-devil and is not scared of anything. She wanted to rip those floaties off and go. She hated when I was holding her so thankfully there was a kid section in the pool where she could walk around. Lola is a little more cautions and enjoyed taking her Little Mermaid water can and making sure the flowers

has enough to drink. Lilli and Ryan were little fish as always.

Sad Goodbyes

2009-07-18T08:42:00.000-07:00

With the car packed full of treasures and the kids tucked away in the middle of it all we said goodbye to the Haynes family. What wonderful memories we have had over the last 4 months. Ryan has already asked when they are coming home just as I knew he would. We will now establish our old/new normal again but not without a little lump in our throat and glassy eyes. They will truly be missed!!!

Misty put all of our memories at the Monaco compound around this frame. It will always be special to us.

Ryan was helping the guys pack the car..he was wearing his new superhero gloves from Misty and his winter hat. Isn't that what you wear when you pack???

Each kid got a little gift at breakfast including a photo album of pictures through out the 4 months

Last family breakfast from Whataburger

The tears are coming...

2009-07-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

About 4 months ago The Haynes family moved in with us as they were transitioning to Ron's new job. Their house sold faster than they thought and where else better to live but in the upstairs guest bedroom of our house. What's another two kids when you already have two. It has been an adventure of fun, confusion, stress, excitement, worry, singing, laughing, and crying.

Misty and I taught across the hall from each other before we even had kids. We got pregnant about a month apart and out of 14 people having kids in our school we were the only ones to stay home at the time. Our friendship grew as we practically raised our kids together not knowing what the heck we were doing. We use to hold Ryan and Lilli in front of each other as infants telling them they were going to be friends whether they liked it or not and that is exactly what they became. It was precious to see their friendship form and now with our seconds it is egually exciting. Kenize and Lola LOVE each other more than I guess we ever thought they would. There was no time to even "make" them friends because we were busy with the 3.5 year olds, but every morning as Lola gets up her first word is Kenzie and when Kenzie sees Lola she squeels with excitement. How more precious could it be?

After months of establishing a "new" normal our second family only has one more week here. It is hard for me to even imagine saying good-bye to our dear friends who together we have been through more in the last 4 months then I could even begin to write. The number one question people always ask when they get one of us alone is "How is it REALLY...???" Here is how it really is...The noise level is uncontrollable, meal time is like an assembly line, bath time is a big wet mess, play time is either watching them all get along so well or breaking up the fights every 5 minutes. One second we are thinking how sweet it is that the big kids take such good care of the little ones and the next trying to peel them off of the babies as they are rolling around on the ground with them. It is truly sibling love around here. At times yes, it is very stressful and overwhelming, but it has also been 4 months of something wonderful I will never forget. In the mist of all the confusion we savored every moment. Just as much as there have been hard moments there has been 2 times as many precious memories to make up for it.

Misty and I joke about how we are going to miss our "wife" because yes having another determined woman around here hasn't been bad. While one is cleaning the kitchen the other is bathing the kids. While one is mopping the floor the other is going grocery shopping. While one feels like a big scoop of ice cream after a hard day the other joins in just like girls do. While one of us wants to complain about something random the other one is ready to listen.

So even though at times both of us are ready to get back to our family of 4 I am truly going to miss my family of 8. And yes, that is exactly what they have become and will continue to be "Our Family". I love each of them so much for different reasons.

Come next Saturday the house will be too quiet, bath and meal time will be boring and I am afraid we will all wonder what to do with ourselves.

My heart is breaking not only for myself....(I am selfish with this one), but also for sweet Ryan who is going to ask me over and over when Lilli is coming "home" just as he does when she leaves on a trip without him. I am afraid Kenzie will walk around the house yelling for "yaya" which is what she calls Lola and Scott is such a family man that not having 4 kids and two wives greeting him at the door may put a little break in his heart.

Haynes family you mean the world to us. I am excited for you as you begin your journey. Know that we love you and are here for you whenever you need. And of course when you come to Dallas your room/rooms will be waiting. :)

The days in the the life of Rogers and Haynes

BFF's

Family Breakfast

Swimming Lessons

Bath Time

Lilli was so excited Kenzie had matching pj's

Time out at the Rogers' compound....do you think it is working??

Painting the dining room. They are ready to dig in.

Ryan & Lilli loved to do this with the inside toys as well as the out.

Good Morning

Superhero day...Lola is their bodyguard

We love you guys!!!!

Father's Day (just a bit late)

2009-07-04T09:14:00.001-07:00

The Monday before Father's Day Ryan, Kenzie and I went to Target to get a few needed items. When we walked in Ryan said " mommy I want to get daddy a shirt. " I thought great that can be his father's day gift from him. So at first Ryan picked this really nice blue shirt that was plain, but classy. As we were headed out of the men's department all of the sudden Ryan started running full speed throwing the "nice and classy" blue shirt behind. He saw the ultimate perfect shirt he thought. Side note: Ryan is into superheros. He acts like a superhero, he dresses like them and carries his action figure superheros around with him everywhere. So to him seeing a baby blue shirt with a BIG "S" on it including the superman symbol was the best day of his shopping life. Well unfortunately they did not have that one in Scott's size which I knew Scott would be glad. He then found an Iron Man shirt that had Iron Man written really big across it in yellow and big red Iron Man faces all over it. Mom then decided they didn't have that in daddy's size. wink wink...So we settled on the one below. It has ALL the superheros on one shirt. PERFECT!!!

I told Ryan we couldn't say anything to daddy because it was a surprise. So that day as he was wrapping it Scott called and Ryan took the phone went into the laundry room shut the door and of course told him with such excitement the great surprise. We ended up baking a cake (scott loves them) and cooking Scott's favorite dinner and we celebrated father's day that Monday night.

Scott, you are an amazing dad. I could not imagine anyone else walking or running :) in this crazy adventure with me. Thank you for loving us and taking care of us and being the father I had always imagined my kids would have. We love you so much!!

Daddy's Game

2009-06-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Scott plays in the church softball league on Thursday nights and since it was an early game the "whole" family got to join in on cheering him on. We first ate at Pizza In and the kids got an animal balloon of their choice which they LOVED. McKenzie I think enjoyed the meal the most because after eating a full plate of food she turned around and snuck a pizza from Ryan's plate and was so proud of herself as she gobbled it up. The girl can put it away at times. The kids had so much fun running around outside and "watching" Scott play. It was the highlight of Scott's night having everyone there.

Chuck-E-Cheese

2009-06-04T11:44:00.000-07:00

I have to say that I have THE BEST parents on the planet. They took the 3.5 year olds to Chuck-E-Cheese yesterday to let them run some energy out and give the mommies a little break. Since it was Misty's b-day it was an extra special surprise. I like getting in on this b-day fun. Thank you Emme & Pop!!!

Happy Birthday Friend!!

2009-06-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

Today is Misty's 30 "something" birthday. We celebrated yesterday by taking the kids to three different places and actually getting some time to get our nails done and eat a yummy lunch. This morning we sang happy birthday to "homemade" muffins while the kids were acting a little crazzzzzyyyy. Birthday's are a lot different in your 30's with 2 or 4 kids running around.

Misty, you are an amazing mother, wife, and friend. You bless those around you with your kindness, talents and the way you care for others. Your heart is bigger than most and I am lucky to be able to celebrate you today. I know your hubby is not here, but we want you to know that your new roomies love you very much. Hopefully in this wild place we call home you can enjoy this special day!

McKenzie is 1

2009-05-20T06:21:00.000-07:00

How can this possibly be?? How can my little baby girl not be a newborn or an infant anymore? It is truly amazing that one year ago today this beautiful person came into my life. I now cannot imagine life without her. One year ago yesterday I felt very weird all day. I didn't feel like eating, which I always love to eat, and I kept feeling tightening in my stomach which Misty kept trying to convince me they were contractions and I wasn't believing her because they didn't hurt. I was suppose to be induced at 5:30 in the morning so I had gotten all my ducks in a row. The laundry was done, the bassenet was set up, Ryan was at my moms house and so I was ready. I went to bed that night feeling the tightening come more often and now they began to hurt. Scott was working late trying to get everything done before taking off for two weeks. He finally got home at midnight and was surprised I wasn't already alseep. He took his contacts out, brushed his teeth and jumped in bed saying that he better sleep quick because I may not make it until 5:30. Well, he was right...5 minutes after we said goodnight to each other I got out of bed and started walking because the pain was getting worse. I called the doctor and off we were ten minutes after Scott thought he was going to get a good night sleep. :)Kenzie and I couldn't wait to see each other so I think we were ready to get this show on the rode 5 hours early.

At 11:27 a.m. my sweet girl was here. As I did with Ryan I cried and cried. It is so emotional for me to meet my children for the first time. She is just such a joy in my life. Her sweet personality is starting to really develop and it is so fun to watch her learn and discover. Since she was born she has always been very independent not wanting me to rock her or snuggle so we are working on making her have cuddle time with us. :) But then there was last night...when I sat in the rocker with her right before bed and she laid her sweet head on my chest. The room was dark and quiet and for 10 minutes I got to just love on Kenzie. I didn't want to put her in her bed because I knew it would be awhile until she would let me do this again. She defiantly knows what she wants and tries to get it across as best as she can. She is always ready to go explore a room, a toy or get involved in what the big kids are doing. I cannot imagine my life without this precious girl and I thank God everyday for this gift he has given me. At times I just sit and stare at my kids wondering what I did to deserve them. They are my world and what a treasure I have because of them.

Last Saturday was Kenzie's party and we all had so much fun celebrating her....

Yummy party favors

Party Friends

My dad makes each grandkid their own flag with a logo and hangs it on his flag pole when they come over. Below is Kenzie's.

Friends Forever

Happy 1st birthday sweet baby girl!!!!

Happy Birthday Song

2009-05-20T05:00:00.000-07:00

May 20, 2008

McKenizie's "Birth"day Song

May 20, 2009

McKenizie's 1st Birthday Song

Smallest Mother's Day gift ever!!

2009-05-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

This morning Scott, Ryan and Kenzie surprised me with a tiny ipod. Since I began running again after 3.5 years,thanks to Misty, Scott thought this would be the perfect gift and it was. I was very surprised. It is the cutest little thing. After Scott and Ryan got me donuts for breakfast (see why I need to run) I was really motivated to go running and use it, but there was no time if we were going to make it to church. We met Scott's parents at their church and then went and had a yummy Italian lunch. It was a great mother's day and I am so lucky to have two wonderful children in my life and a husband who helps me be the best mother that I can be. Thank you Scott, Ryan and Kenzie for allowing me to be in your lives and to be loved by you. Blessed is what I am!!!!

Also, to my mother....the greatest woman in the world. I can only pray that I am half of the person that she is. I cannot imagine going through this stage in my life without her. Even at 31 years old I still need her just as much as I did when I was young. Thank you mom for your love, your advice and just being there to support me in my adventure in being a mom. I love and thank you so much!!

Mother's Day gifts gone wild

2009-05-08T11:32:00.000-07:00

For Mother's Day Misty and I decided to let the kids paint cards for their grandparents. They were so excited to get the paint brushes out and squirt the paint on the plate and just let their creativeness come out. It started out very calm and ended with Ryan calling himself a pumpkin. Enjoy the pictures!!! Painting will never be the same again. :)

**Kenzie got in on the fun, but was cleaned up before the camera came out**:(

Kenzie & Lola

2009-05-07T11:47:00.000-07:00

Since the Haynes girls have moved in Kenzie and Lola have gotten really close. Misty and I swear that kenzie even says Lola's name. The first word out of Lola's mouth in the morning is Kenzie. They have definatly become BFF's and now I am not sure who it will be toughest on when they move, the 3 year olds or babies. There are many days that I take the big kids to playgroup and Misty keeps the babies at home or vice versa. This way everyone gets their own special time to play and it gives us a break from having all the kids in the same house at one time. Below are pictures from stay-at-home days with Misty and the babies and they seem to really love "being the oldest" for once.

Grayson Dean Jennings

2009-05-06T11:39:00.000-07:00

My BFF Courtney had her second baby on April 27th. Grayson ,who will be called Gray, is completely adorable. He had to stay in the NICU for several days due to fast breathing, but he is home now and everyone is doing wonderful. Congratulations Jennings family!!!

Big brother Jackson

Proud Parents

Campout with daddy

2009-04-26T13:49:00.001-07:00

On Saturday morning Scott and Ryan got up at 6:00 a.m. and headed out on their first campout with a few friends. They had so much fun and Ryan could not wait to tell me everything he did with daddy when they got home. The night before we kept talking about the "campout" and he couldn't quite figure out what he was about to go do, but he knew it would be fun. He kept asking me why they had to sleep in a tent. Now I think he might want to sleep in one every night. Ryan caught two fish (which Scott didn't get a picture of), rode a 4 wheeler, made smores, built a fire, had a few races, played baseball, chased some cows and the list goes on. Ryan had a great time playing with all the kids, but there was one girl that stuck by him the whole time. Scott said they were holding hands a lot and as they sat around the fire she moved her chair over to sit next to Ryan. Ryan told Scott "Daddy, I like that girl, she is always following me around and she smiles at me." I think he was pretty smitten by her. After a long day and night they are both exhausted, but cannot wait to do it again.

Daddy & Ryan

Ryan still doing one of his favorite things...playing with his superheros

He was hot and tired after a long day

The 4 wheeler was one of Ryan's favorite things to do

He said he was a robot

This is Ava..his sweet friend

Super fast

our little ball player!

2009-04-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

the rocket in action!

Easter Day

2009-04-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Easter was filled with lots of family, food and fun. We started out the day at Scott's parents church. The kids looked so cute dressed in the their Easter clothes. Although I thought they were adorable McKenzie was mad because she couldn't crawl in her dress and it took ALOT of convincing to get Ryan to put on plaid shorts. All the boy likes to wear is basketball shorts and a sports shirt. I begged and pleaded that he wear something new and yes mommy won, but of course not without a little bribery. After church we headed back to the house for lunch, Easter baskets and an egg hunt. The Haynes girls made it back in time from visiting family to enjoy the fun. We all had a wonderful time and are wondering what to do with ALL the candy. Ryan and Lilli had 4 egg hunts each during the week with birthday parties and school so the candy is everywhere. We are slowly trying to get ride of it without the kids noticing, but at times we find them in the playroom shoveling it in their mouths. YUCK!! I have been trying to explain to Ryan what Easter is truly about and he defiantly can tell me the story of Jesus, but not without an egg filled with something in his hand. My prayer continues to be that R & M grow up to know how wonderful our Savior is what an incredible sacrifice he made just for us.

Papa (Scott's Dad) with his girls

Ryan & Evan having fun after church

The Haynes girls

Fun Easter baskets from Mimi and Papa

McKenzie LOVED hers and dug right in

Ashley & Kaitlyn

Counting all the eggs

The Lord's Prayer...

2009-04-13T18:03:00.000-07:00

Easter Playgroup

2009-04-13T11:36:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we enjoyed the holiday by having our annual Easter Egg hunt. Most of these little ones Ryan has known since he was 5 months old. It is so much fun to look back on when it was just one and how that one was so little. Now our playgroup has double due to siblings and new little friends. It may be a wild and crazy day, but SO much fun. The kids first played at the park while I hid the eggs. After hunting for them all we had a wonderful lunch and a fun time just hanging out.

Ryan & Kenzie

2009-04-04T13:22:00.000-07:00

Today we enjoyed playing outside while daddy worked on the yard. It is fun to see Ryan and McKenzie starting to play together. Kenzie was so cute trying to figure out how to get on the slide. She also enjoyed pulling up the grass. There are so many new and fun discoveries once you are mobile.

After a day outside it was time to head to bed and McKenzie decided to go up stairs without us. We now know she can climb the stairs. As you look at the pictures you will see her in "boy pj's". Poor girl, they were the only clean ones and who knew we would have a photo session the day I put her in those.

They do truly enjoy each other.

After a long day it was time to sleep just like the animals. Sweet girl!!

Our new roommies

2009-03-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

As of last Thursday our household went from a family of 4 to a family of 7 and sometimes 8 when Ron comes in town. We are excited to have our "new family" stay with us for a few months. The house is a circus. You never know what is going to happen next. Misty and I laugh most things off because when you are out numbered with kids what else are you to do......of course the wine that we hold in our hand most nights help us to do that. :) Welcome home Haynes family!!!

Fun Day

2009-03-18T12:43:00.001-07:00

Today was beautiful outside and while Kenzie was asleep Ryan and I enjoyed playing in the backyard. I decided to grab the camera just to remember the moment. He and I not only played, but just sat on top of his slide and talked. It is fun to have a conversation with your 3 year old. They come up with the greatest things to tell you.

Once Ryan went down Kenzie got up. Normally I get them down together, but today it didn't work out that way which was good because I got individual time with both. McKenzie has been pulling up on everything and even letting go a few times and today was the first day she grabbed onto the walking toy and actually took some steps with it. After I took the picture she fell and went for something else. Today was just one of those "good" days. :)

Sweet baby girl

2009-02-27T13:46:00.000-08:00

McKenize is now 9 months old. It is hard to believe that in just three short months she will be a year. My little baby is growing up so fast and her personality is growing everyday as well. She started crawling a month ago and now she is everywhere. Kenzie is getting hard to hold because she twist and turn to get down and go. Even though she wants to explore she wants me right by her side as she does it. She has started going through a little separation anxiety. I can no longer check on her in the middle of the day at school because she melts down now when she sees me. I miss peeking my head in her class through out the day to see what she is up to. She is eating most all table food. She pushes away her bottle to get what we are eating. The girl LOVES to eat. Her teachers at school kept telling me to bring more food because when she sees the others eating she gets upset. One day they said they were going to order take-out for her because she can't get enough. Ryan is still teaching McKenzie to be a tough little girl as he tries to wrestle with her on a daily basis. He can make her laugh like no other, but she also lets him know when she has had enough. She has started clapping and gets proud of herself when she thinks she does something wonderful. When she laughs she wrinkles her nose which melts my heart. As I sit and type this she is talking to herself while pulling all of the laundry out of the laundry basket. What fun times at 9 months!!!

Being healthy is good...it's really good

2009-02-16T03:30:00.000-08:00

Scott is starting to feel back to his old self and playing with Ryan again. They are the underwear monsters (Ryan's idea of course!)

The past several weeks have been an emotional time that took us by surprise. A few weeks ago Scott ended up getting really sick and thinking it was the stomach virus. I did what we all do and began cleaning and disinfecting everything. I knew it was going around and now I figured it was our turn, but I was going to try my hardest to keep it from the kids. After a week he was still feeling bad so I convinced him to go to the doctor just to get some medicine or something. It was lasting way too long. The doctor did some test and realized that he was suffering from Gal stones. The picture of it looks like a little gum ball machine...too bad these were painful ones. What worried us is the cyst they found on Scott's kidney. They had determined that it was not a "simple" cyst so more test had to be done. One of Scott's best friends is a doctor and after we sent him the results of the other test he called us with news he didn't really think he was going to have to tell us. Scott picked up the phone and began pacing all over the house. I finally began to follow him after awhile so I could hear what was going on. There were some things on the cyst that didn't look good. There were things that made him a little worried when he saw it. He went on to tell us other things about it, but we were still so confused on the medical terms of it all. We immediately sat down right where we were ( the playroom of all places) and began praying. What else do you do?? You have no control over any of it. What do people without God do at this moment? I didn't know what to tell Scott. When he was about to loose his job last year I just kept saying " it is not the end of the world, at least we are all healthy." Well, now what?? We weren't healthy. I tried not to cry in front of him so that he didn't worry anymore than he already was, but when you are praying to your heavenly father about your husband you can't stop the tears from falling. That Wednesday we went to the urologist to get his opinion on it and the second he walked in the room all I wanted to do was yell out "does my husband have cancer?" but I held myself together and shook his hand as I was taught to do. My heart was pounding and my hands were sweaty, but I continued to wait and be patient as we exchanged hello's. We ended up getting great news. It does not look like cancer at this moment and from what they can tell nothing has spread. In 4 months he will have another test to see if the cyst has grown or changed in anyway. If it has then they can remove it. They are waiting to do surgery on it due to the fact that it is so invasive. He reassured me that I didn't have to worry about Scott over the next 4 month because if you know me you know that is what I am best at. As we left the doctors office Scott was overjoyed with emotion that said to me with a huge smile "let's have another baby!!!" What?? Wait a second there stud...we just got great news but let's not take it to extreme and reproduce. Maybe we can celebrate with some ice cream. :)Heee Anyway, with all the prayers that our sweet friends and family have prayed over Scott I am convinced that they will not go in vain and the cyst will stay the same. So once again we live by our family verse " we walk by faith, not by sight."

Scott had his gal bladder removed last Monday and is back to work today. He is still a little sore, but doing great. God is truly so wonderful and we continue to count our blessings each day.

Our Little Valentine's

2009-02-14T11:56:00.000-08:00

Today we are continuing to celebrate our love for not only each other but for our kids as well. Sounds cheesy, but so true. We adore our kids and are still completely in love with one another. So much so that we woke up this morning going about our daily business and all of the sudden I stopped and said "Oh Happy Valentine's Day Scott." With a shocked face and wide eyes he said " oh, to you to." So even though we forgot we at least had a card for each other which somehow we remembered to buy earlier in the week. To not let the holiday just go buy we ate off of RED paper plates for breakfast and I of course pulled out the RED napkins. Heeeee We decided to take Ryan to the ice cream shop for lunch to celebrate and then we began to ask him about Valentine's Day. I asked him what he learned about V-day in school and his response was "it is the day you give me a gift." Well, ok...so after we talked about what it was about Mimi and Papa (scott's parents) came over and helped us on the gift part. They gave McKenzie some books and a dancing/singing cat and Ryan some video's. They are so good about books on the holidays and the kids love it.

It was a good day and each day that Ryan randomly says "Mommy, I love you" reminds me how lucky I am to be loved and to love.

She's Crawling!

2009-01-31T12:38:00.001-08:00

Since McKenzie was 6 months old she has been getting on her hands and knees rocking back and forth. I thought for sure we were going to have an early crawler on our hands. Well, 2 months later she finally did it. Wednesday night the kids were at my parents house and not 30 minutes after we dropped them off my dad text me that she was crawling around their living room. The funny thing is that Ryan hit many of his milestones at my parents house also. He crawled, clapped and walked for the first time at my their house so it looks like Kenzie is going to do the same. She just looks so cute when she slowly moves across the floor. She is still trying to figure it all out, but I know in due time she will pick up the pace in order to keep up with her brother.

First time for everything

2009-01-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

Well, Ryan got his first black eye at the age of 3. I am a little surprised that it took so long considering how rowdy and active he is. He was doing something as simple as picking up his playdoh and when he went to get some off of the floor he came right down on his little table. Scott and I heard it, but didn't think much of it since he hurts himself several times a day. We have a busted lip at least once a week so this didn't phase us until he shot to the floor and rocked back and forth holding his eye. YIKES...it came up immediately. He thought it was pretty cool to tell everyone about his eye so it makes a good story. It will be interesting to see what is to come the next few years with a boy.

Happy Birthday Scott!!

2009-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

Today my husband turns 34....I keep telling him how old he is getting and he keeps reminding me that I am not too far behind him.

I am so blessed to know this sweet man. Without him my life would be incomplete. Scott is such a wonderful husband and a great father. Ryan and Kenzie light up when he walks in the room. He is so good at caring for others as well as his family. He goes to great lengths to be the amazing husband and father that he is. I know that we are his treasure and he is ours. There are days I look at him and just think how lucky I am to have married him.

Thank you Scott for loving us like you do and being the man that God called you to be. We are blessed to be apart of you.

Happy Birthday Emme!!!

2009-01-05T08:14:00.001-08:00

Today is my moms 61st birthday and we have enjoyed celebrating with her all week. I took her to the T room at 4510 and then we had fun visiting as we got our nails done. It is rare that we get to talk without a child so it was really nice not being interrupted. Today we went to Red Lobster with my dad and grandmother to complete the celebration.

I could write a million words about my mother and it wouldn't begin to even touch how wonderful she is. She is not only an incredible mother but wife and grandmother. I have learned so many things from her over the years and continue to do so everyday. Emme has the sweetest heart and such a kind spirit. She is a helper in so many ways. With my children she will drop anything to come and meet their every need and she meets my needs for a break when I need it. She constantly tells me thank you for letting her visit Ryan and McKenzie or thank you for letting her babysit and I keep telling her that I am the one that needs to say thank you!!! She loves each one of us no matter what and we all know it because she literally shows us everyday. I cannot imagine living my life and going through everyday experiences without my mom. She is the one that knows everything about me and still loves me the same. What a blessing it is to have such a great mother and then in turn have her as my children's grandmother. How much better could it get??? One day Ryan and McKenzie will know how lucky they are to have her. They will know that their little lives are blessed because she is in it. The other day I was writing in Ryan's baby book and I was asking him what his favorite things are since he has turned three. He told me to write down Emme because she is one of his favorite things.

Thank you mom for all that you do and thank you for always doing it with a smile on your face. You make each one of us feel like we are the most special person in your life and really you are the special one.

We love you!!!

Today would have also been my grandparents 67th wedding anniversary. Instead of getting kisses from Papa John my grandmother got them from Ryan.

Christmas

2009-01-01T09:33:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas. We always spend Christmas Eve at my parents eating dinner and opening gifts. My grandmother and brother were in town so we all had a fun time just being together. That next morning Scott's parents and my family came over to eat breakfast and watch Ryan open his gifts. It was fun seeing him so excited and he had fun helping McKenzie open her gifts. For only being 7 months old Kenzie had a great time with celebrating. Her Mimi and Aunt Wendy got her an American girl doll for the year that she was born thinking that she would love to play with it one day. Well that one day was the second it was opened. It was the funniest thing seeing her get so excited about her doll. It was nice to have everyone together and enjoy the season.

Christmas at my parents

Leaving cookies for Santa

Scott and I going out for New Years

Where's froggy---Yummy Apple

2008-12-23T09:38:00.000-08:00

The other night we went to check on McKenzie before we went to bed and somehow froggy jumped on her back. Good thing we went in there because poor thing would have looked all over her bed for it in the middle of the night. So funny!!!

Many night after Kenzie has eaten she sits in her bouncy on top of the table as we eat. Well, now that she is older she is seeing what we eat and wanting it. She leans as far over her bouncy to grab things off the table as she can. The other night there were a bowl of apple slices and she worked so hard to get it and was so proud of herself when she did. She LOVED it. It was so cute seeing her try and eat it. It ended up falling on the floor and tears just immediately came. She loved being a big girl and eating something other than smashed mixed veggies...

Trains, Santa and Puppets

2008-12-22T09:09:00.000-08:00

What more could a 3 year old really want....My mom takes Ryan every year to Northpark for the morning around Christmas and who knew there was so much for a child to do. This year my dad, Kenzie and I decided to join them. First we saw the trains which were so fascinating even for me. There were displays of different building around Dallas and Ryan even spotted the McDonald's. We then went to see Santa and he actually came out of the chimney. Pretty fun for Ryan who continues to look up the fireplace and wonder how Santa comes down it. Santa told two stories to the kids and since we were number 63 in line to sit on Santa's lap we decided that the willowbend Santa that we saw a couple of weeks ago would do just fine. We ended the day with a puppet show in the middle of the mall. So fun!!!! It was a great day at Northpark.

Ryan's special room

2008-12-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

My mom and dad have a room in their house that is right off the kitchen that is Ryan's room. He has all his toys, his own couch, his table to eat at and do arts and crafts on and now it is his Christmas room. My mom has gathered many different Christmas items to put in his special room so that when he came over he would see his room was decorated for Christmas just as the rest of the house. He got to decorate his own tree just the way he wanted to and he gets to even turn on his own Christmas music. There are stuffed animals of all sorts, Christmas books and even a little band of soldiers that play a little Christmas tune. Ryan is in Christmas heaven.

Turkey Day

2008-12-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

21 people including McKenzie were sitting around the dinner table that night enjoying ALL of the wonderful Thanksgiving food. My sister and brother in law are wonderful hosts every year. They tackle the job of having everyone come to their house for the holiday. Scott's mom, Chris and his mom are the great cooks and everyone else throws in a little side here and there. Our nieces Ashley and Kaitlyn are so helpful to the old and the young. They help set the beautiful table, get the silverware and they even enjoy feeding and holding McKenzie. Kaitlyn says the prayer every year and she does an amazing job. Evan and Ryan get SO excited to play together. They are just three months apart so there is a friend for everyone. Thank you to Chris and Wendy and to all the cooks for a wonderful happy Thanksgiving.

The Table

My brother & brother-in-law. They look so much alike

My mom, Chris' mom and My mother-in-law

Aunt Bobbie, Uncle Tom, his brother Perry and of course the cutest baby ever...

Scott & his dad

Ryan & Evan enjoying the tent

McKenzie enjoyed her Thanksgiving

Scott, Wendy, Ashley & Kaitlyn
Me and my hubby