The Waiting Game

We have spent a lot of the past few days organizing documents and appointments for our homestudy. Our first homestudy interview is scheduled for September 4th. Stuart and I are both taking off that entire day so we can work on getting fingerprinted (for the state background check) and also getting documentation that is needed for the homestudy. We each have to have a physical exam so we are getting those this Friday afternoon. I'm hoping that if we overachieve and get a lot of this stuff done before our first meeting, it will help expedite the process. I've been hearing through the blog world that wait times for babies in Ethiopia are increasing so the sooner we get our dossier over there, the better. I just have to keep reminding myself that God's timing is perfect and I don't have any control over how this is going to turn out. So, we'll let you know how our first homestudy interview goes.

On the homefront, Cameron is loving kindergarten. He is eager to show us everyday new things he has learned. He has even started to learn the difference between consonants and vowels. I think that's pretty impressive for a kindergartner. He's got his magic birthday coming up on the 6th of September so last night we had a big debate on what kind of cake he wanted. At first he told us that he wanted a banana transformer cake. Well, after preparing myself for the challenge of that, he then told me that he wanted a dog bone cake like we had at Lady's birthday. Okay, I thought, I can do that. Well, now he's changed his mind and would like a funfetti Transformers cake with both chocolate and white icing. So, it seems that I've got some work to do.

Last night, Stuart and I celebrated my birthday early upon my request. We went to the wheat beer dinner at BJ's brewhouse with some friends. What a great time!!! We were treated to a 5 course dinner and samples of 8 different wheat beers from around the world. The food was delicious and the beer was great, however, the company was the best part. Apparently BJ's is going to be doing a themed beer dinner once every quarter so we are excited to find out what the next beer selection will be.

This weekend, Cameron and I are in a wedding of some friends of ours. We're planning on spending Saturday night and Sunday with my Aunt and Uncle and hopefully be able to go out on their boat. Then a glorious Monday of no plans. Hooray!!! I'll be sure and post some pics of the weekend festivities next week. Until next time...

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Return to Glory

How excited am I that the U.S. women's soccer team won gold!!! I thought for sure they would struggle without their star forward Abby Wambach, but they came through and avenged their world cup loss from last year. This game reminded me a lot of when they won the World Cup in 1999. I was in New Zealand visiting my Grandparents and Aunt and I was glued to the live results as they were being fed very slowly through the internet. Thankfully, Mom sent a fax through right after Brandy Chastain secured the victory with the famous penalty kick followed by de-shirting scene.

That's about the most excitement I've had for the week. The Olympics have been a bit anti-climatic after the excitement of Phelps' 8th gold medal. The triathlon is over so we're setting our sights on different upcoming events. Mainly the Hilly Hundred in the middle of October. It's a 2 day, 100 mile bike ride through the hills of Southern Indiana. It will be a challenge but it's not a race so there will be plenty of time to stop and rest if we feel like we can't go on.

Cameron seems to really be enjoying school. When he spoke to his Grandma Gill the other night he told her that "the other kids are learning, but I already know it." As you can tell, he's pretty modest about things.

On the adoption front...after the initial excitement wore off about our application being accepted we are now in "holy cow we have a lot to do" mode. First and foremost, we have to decide how to best finance this. As you all know, adoption in general is not cheap. However, it is reasonable. The problem comes with all of the initial fees that are due right away. The Rogers' financial plan is to just take one step at a time and trust that God will provide. We also got our first interview scheduled for the home study. We are interviewing on Thursday September 4th at 10 a.m. In the meantime we will be collecting all information we need such as letters of reference, letters from the police, letters from our doctor, birth certificates, and pet vaccinations. Yep, you read that right, they even want pet vaccinations!!! We feel very overwhelmed with all of this but we are "doers" so once we get started, there will be no slowing us down. I can't say enough nice things about the ladies at the Adoption Support Center. They are the ones that opened this doorway into international adoption and are now going to be doing our homestudy. They are so friendly and helpful. It comforts me to know that they will be helping us through this process.

This weekend is shaping up to be nice and relaxing. We really don't have any plans except for dinner with friends on Saturday night. It will be so nice. Until next time...

"Is Holy Ship a Bad Word?"

This question was posed to me yesterday by a certain almost 6 year old. He certainly keeps us laughing.

What a weekend!!!

Wow, this weekend has gone by in a blur. We have packed a lot in over the past few days. Friday night was our night out with the London Gang. Those are the girls that I went to London with during Winter Term 200o at Franklin College. There are still 4 of us that get together with our hubbies usually every other month or so. It's such a great time and so nice to hear what everyone has been up to.
On Saturday we headed downtown to tour Lucas Oil Stadium.
All in all it was a decent tour but we were disappointed we didn't get to see any of the luxury suites or many of the other features of the stadium. While we were downtown, Stuart and I went to pick up our race packets and check out the condition of the canal. The canal is newly cleaned, however, it didn't look like it so much. Disgusting!!!
And today was race day. We both did as well as we thought we would. The swim, of course, was our weakest event but we made it. Stuart and I managed to stay together during the swim but then lost each other on the ride. It was a pretty good experience and I think we will both be doing that again sometime.

Stuart crossing the finish line and TEAM ROGERS

What a fantastic weekend!! We sure did pack a lot of stuff in. Thank goodness for the Sunday afternoon nap tradition I typically follow. Until next time...

Another step in the process

Stuart just emailed me. He received an email from Children's Hope stating that our application is approved. I know that this is a small step, but a step nonetheless. It's a pretty good feeling that we can start moving forward in the process. I am now hoping that we can get this homestudy done within the next two months and I think it's a realistic expectation to have everything done and be on the waiting list by December. When I think about where we are on the journey and how far we have to go, it sometimes seems overwhelming. However, I have never felt more strongly that this is the path that God wants us to take. I know that our little baby is probably not even born yet but I am so excited to be a Mom. I consider myself a mother to Cameron but it's different with him because he only is with us half of the time. It is going to be so nice to love a child and not have to "share" with another parent. We have not yet shared any of our plan with Cameron and we probably will not until we get a referral for a baby. He continuously reminds us that he wants a baby sister. The other night when we were saying our night time prayer, he stopped me in the middle and said "Don't forget the one about you trying to get me a baby sister." Moments like that are precious and we pray a lot for a new baby in our family. We almost feel that we should request a girl so Cameron can have that baby sister. But we both feel that we should not request a specific gender because there is a baby out there that needs our love regardless of gender. So, that's the first step. Here's hoping we can start getting the rest of it underway soon.

Is there any doubt that this kid is related to me?

Nope, there's no disputing it, Hayden Alexander is my soul mate.

First Day of School

Well, today was the big day. Today was Cameron's first day of school. He was very excited and almost couldn't sit still while we waited to leave for school. I had to take him from 10-10:45am. He did a great job of just sitting and coloring, which, if you know Cameron, he doesn't do quietly very often (or anything for that matter). Cameron's teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, explained expectations and all other "administrative matters" to all of the parents. I think that Cameron is really going to enjoy her class. She is very passionate about teaching and I really feel like she will do her best to challenge all the kids.

Here are some pictures of Cameron this morning before he left for school, at school coloring, his teacher, Mrs. Sanchez, and then leaving school on the first day in front of the school.

Cameron's big day!!!

Here I sit as my little man prepares for his first day of kindergarten. I can hardly believe it. He was in great spirits this morning and soooo excited to be going to school. He came downstairs this morning already dressed. I then informed him that since he didn't take a shower last night, he had to take a shower this morning. He says "but Megan, I took a bath last night, remember, we went swimming?" I had to explain to him that swimming doesn't count because there is no soap involved. He wasn't too happy about it but did it anyway. He only goes for a short time today and tomorrow and then starts going everyday next week. I'll have Stuart post pics on here later. In other news, Cameron is starting to swim better!!! We were so excited last night when we went to the pool and Cameron threw his kick board out of the water, put his head down and propelled himself about 5 feet with his head in the water. We knew he'd figure it out eventually. Now, if we could just get him to ride that bicycle...

Go USA!!!

Wow, what a great week it's already been at the Olympics. I have been staying up way too late watching Michael Phelps and the rest of the U.S. swim team dominate. Watching them kind of reminds me of what Stuart and I look like in the old Pines of Greenwood pool. Only much much slower and without the full body speedo. I think our favorite Olympic moment so far has been the men's 4x100 meter relay. How exciting was that? Stuart and I were both yelling and high fiving by the time it was over. Awesome!!!
In other news, Cam starts school tomorrow. I can't believe its school time already. I'll have Stuart take some pics and post them on here tomorrow. It should be interesting to see how he does. I'm terrified that he's going to get in trouble. We all know how much that kid likes to talk.
We'll keep you posted.

Stuart's First Blog... Ever

Welcome to my first foray into blogging. If you’re new to this blog, I’ll explain a little bit about myself and about why Megan and I have started blogging.

First, a little bit about me. Currently, I am an Associate Product Manager for one of the nation’s largest property/casualty insurance companies. In my “former life,” I was an actuarial student for an actuarial health care consulting firm. So, you could say that I’m a fairly analytical (or dorky, as my wife likes to say) person. Right now, I’m also working on my MBA from the University of Phoenix. If all goes according to plan, I should be done by early 2nd quarter 2009. That will be a glorious day. In my free time, I enjoy playing golf, Wii and poker, watching sports, trying new beers and hanging out with my wonderful wife and my 5-year old son, Cameron. My favorite sports teams are the University of Michigan, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Tigers and the Detroit Red Wings. I’m also a big fantasy football guy. Whoever thought of combining statistics and football was a genius. I could geek out on that stuff all day.

Now, a little bit about the reason that we started this whole blog. Megan and I have been “working on” having a baby for over a year. However, when we first started walking down the path toward parenthood, we knew that it was going to be a difficult journey. After trying for over a year, we have decided that having a baby on our own is probably not a possibility. With that in mind, we decided to take the plunge and start looking into adoption. With the wonderful support systems that we have in place, including her parents and family, my sister, our church family and all of our wonderful friends, we have no doubt that we will be able to love an adopted child as our own. We’re very excited to see what God has in store for us as we embark on this journey.

That seems like a good first entry to get acclimated to me, why I’m here and what I see for the future. Hopefully, as my schedule allows, I will be able to be more actively involved in the blogging process so that this whole thing won’t be dominated by Megan. That way, everyone will get more than one view on how everything is going and how the process is moving along.

On to the weekend...

Thank goodness!!! This work thing is way overrated. Anyway, we are heading up to MI this weekend to Stuart's cousin's wedding. The wedding should be a good time and Cam will get to hang out with his Grandpa while we're (Stacey and I, Stuart doesn't dance) dancing the night away at the wedding. The next day it's off to Gravyfest 2008 AKA the Rogers' Family Reunion. Then, only one more week until Triathlon day. I think we are both excited about it but nervous at the same time. Once I get out of the water, I'll feel better about the whole experience. Then next week I will be checking the mail daily in hopes that they will have our application processed. We did hear from CHI today to say they needed some more financial information so we provided that. In her words, "everything looks good" so that makes me hopeful. If you're looking for a great Ethiopian adoption blog check out www.kevstac-ouradoptionjourney.blogspot.com. I am addicted to this blog as it follows one of the first couples to go through the Ethiopian adoption program and their precious son. It is just interesting to read. Yep, I'm officially a blog stalker. Well, I'm counting down the minutes until I can hop on the blue blazer and head for home. No one told me how sore my behind would be from one of these fancy bikes. Seriously, with all the other technology on the bike you'd think they could do something to help with sore butts. Have a great weekend!!!

Oh my goodness, I can't believe I forgot this. This is also one of the happiest nights I will have for another 4 years as its the start of the Olympics. Yes, you all know how obsessed I am about my Olympics. Bust out the tissue box, I'll probably be crying at every medal ceremony. GO USA and NZ!!!

Application Day

On my way home from work tonight, I am putting our application for adoption into the mail. It's a bit nerve wracking, but like Stuart always says, "if its meant to be, it will happen." So, we're just putting our trust in God. We should know within 2 weeks if we've been approved. If we do get approval we will move forward with our homestudy. We are praying that things will go smoothly. We'll keep you posted!!!
Puppy sitting this past weekend was so fun. Sniffles is such a cute little guy and is literally an ankle biter. The dogs all had a great time but Lady and Roscoe were exhausted by the time Sniffles left last night. Cameron also enjoyed Sniffles and would have preferred to keep him but I told Cameron that two wild and crazy dogs is plenty.
On Sunday, Stuart and I went with Jenica to her in-laws house on Fall Creek Reservoir to practice some open water swimming. It reminded me of swimming in a muddy hot tub. We did okay but were both pretty disappointed in our efforts. We learned very quickly that open water swimming is way different than the Pines pool. However, it still was good to get out there and get a feel for what we're in for. After that, Mr. and Mrs. Giffin took us out on their pontune boat and Cam was thrilled that he got to drive!!! He also got to take a swim the lake and then we all went out to dinner. It was such a fun afternoon.
This week is our last full week of hard core (if you can call it that) triathlon training. However, I have decided that in order to pass time while waiting and waiting and waiting on this adoption process, I will participate in one athletic event a month until we have Baby Rogers in our hands. So, obviously this month is going to be the Indy Triathlon. In Sept., Stuart and I are going to brave the Poker Run and Ride in Shelbyville. October brings us the ever popular Hilly Hundred 2 day cycling tour of Southern Indiana. In November I am planning on doing my first half marathon in two years before winding down in Dec. to do the Jingle Bell 5k run for arthritis. No one else has their calendars up much past that point but I will keep you posted. I know one of my friends from work is going to join me in this goal and Stuart is going to do some of the shorter events with us as he has time.
Speaking of Stuart, he is getting closer to finishing his MBA and I think his goal is to be done by May. He is blazing through these classes and I am so proud of him for taking this on. He has also had some very exciting things happen at his job lately which will hopefully help him to move up more quickly on the Nationwide ladder.
Well, I'm off for now. We'll keep you updated on the application as well as the Indy Tri!!!

Summer 2008

Here are a few things we've been up to this summer. How time flies. Cameron starts school in 10 days!!! Among the pics are our puppy sitting adventure with Sniffles, Cameron learning how to ride his bike, our visit to Squire Boone Caverns with Uncle Matt and Aunt Kendra. Cameron's first trip to Rascals to ride the Go Karts, Learning how to rollerblade, visiting with the Patton family in WI, and painting the fence.

Friday the 1st of August already!!!

I can't believe August is already here. That means that we have a crazy month ahead of us. Next weekend, we will be traveling to MI for Stuart's cousin's wedding and the annual Rogers family reunion. The weekend of the 16th and 17th is also going to be crazy as the triathlon that we've been training for is that weekend as well as our Tour of the Newly finished Lucas Oil Stadium as well as a bachelorette party. Crazy!!
Speaking of the triathlon, Stuart and I did a trial run last night of all the transitions. First of all, Stuart came out of nowhere to dominate the swim. I couldn't believe it. It was like all of a sudden the swimming Gods came down and showed him how to do it. Then off on a 5 mile bike. I just got a new road bike so I'm super excited. During our ride last night, Stuart taught me a few things about gears etc. and we were able to hold our speed at 16 mph for 5 miles. I'm hoping to be able to maintain that over the full 12 on race day but we'll see what happens. Then off for a 1 mile run. I think that I've underestimated all along how tired we will be when it gets to that last 3 miles. I know that doesn't seem like far but I was feeling it last night. Needless to say, we were both pretty exhausted at the end of our trial run but I think it was great for our confidence.
This weekend we don't have any major plans. We are puppy sitting for one of my co-workers pug puppy. His name is Sniffles and I just can't wait to get my hands on him. I'll have to post some pics next week of our house full of dogs. Tomorrow night we're hosting a cookout for the soccer team I've been playing on all summer. It should be a good time and we'll finally be able to bust out the new cornhole set that I bought Stuart for Father's Day.
As far as the long road ahead of us with adoption, we've had a minor stumbling block this weekend in talking to our rep from Children's Hope but I think we've gotten everything straightened out and will be sending in our application on Mon. We just have to get a few photos of our house and the people in it to submit with the application. We will then wait a couple of weeks to hear about our application and get the go ahead for a homestudy. Patience is the name of the game and I am going to immerse myself in other projects to keep myself busy and focused on other things. Until next time:0)