Punked

Yep, we were successfully punked by my own Mother this weekend. That's right, my Mother. So, here is how it went:
All week my Mom had been telling me she was going to skype me on Saturday because all my nieces and nephews would be at her house decorating Christmas cookies. So, Saturday rolls around and I get two txt messages on my phone. The first was from my Aunty Pam asking if I was home so she could skype me, the second was from my Mom asking if I was home to skype. So, I text them both back and tell them that I have turned on the computer. My computer signals that someone is video calling me and I answer. It was my Aunty Pam. I thought it was kind of funny that she was up so early and I could have also sworn that when my computer signaled the call that it said Gill Smeltzer. So, the first words out of my mouth were "Why are you up so early?" Before she could even answer me I realized what was going on. The next words out of my mouth were "Why are you at my Mom's house?" Stuart, who was calmly working on his computer in the living room, dropped everything and ran to the computer. It was like we had all won the lottery. It was incredible!!! Mom and Dad had decided that Aunty Pam needed to be here with her family for Christmas and had decided to fly her over unbeknownst to everyone. They didn't tell a soul. Of course, with big surprises like that, comes a bit of stress when you live more than 5 hours away and need to rearrange Christmas plans. However, I don't mind that stress at all. We now have a plan to maximize our time in Washington so Aunty Pam will have plenty of time to snuggle and spoil Cam and Noah. This might be the best Christmas present I've ever gotten.

In other news, we leave today for our Christmas vacation and head west to Indy. We will be there for several days and then park ourselves in Washington for the remainder of the holidays. We feel so blessed that we have a large family to spend the Holiday season with. We can't wait!!!

Tomorrow is Stuart's one year follow-up with his orthopedic oncologist. So, tomorrow morning he goes in for a CT scan of his chest and an MRI of his shoulder. Then later in the morning we get the results. So, just say a few prayers that everything is clear and we can take a deep breath and fully enjoy our Christmas vacation. It's hard to believe it's been almost a year since the discovery of "the lump." So much has changed in such a short time but we are so thankful to God for the blessings he pours out upon us.

Noah has decided lately that he is okay with this rolling over thing. However, he only does it when I leave the room. Imagine my shock last week when I left the room for about 5 minutes, heard Noah fussing a little bit, walked back in to find him on his belly. He was grinning from ear to ear and looked so proud of himself. I was bummed and have been keeping him under surveillance ever since thinking there was no way I was going to miss that again. Yesterday, he did it again. Where was I? I was in the kitchen of course. He thinks it's like the funniest thing in the world (and truth be told, I think he's pretty darn funny myself). So, at some point when he decides, I will finally get to see him roll over. He's sitting up pretty well on his own these days and LOVES his exersaucer. His sleep habits need a bit of improving, thus I've dubbed January "sleep boot camp" at the Rogers house. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Cameron is at his Mom's until Christmas day. We have not told him yet that Aunty Pam is here. I cannot wait to see his face when he walks into Grandma and Grandpa's house on Friday night, only to find that Santa has left him a great big present!!! He is going to be pumped. That kid has an intuition about things. I remember when Stuart and I were struggling to have a baby. We never said a word to Cam about it but for some reason he would pray every night that he would get a baby. So, last week, he was talking to Aunty Pam and very matter of factly asked "well aren't you coming for Christmas?" She asked him how in the world she could do that and he just said "get on a plane." Little did we know.

Here's wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We'll post again after Christmas.

Multi-tasking

Noah likes to multi-task. He is simultaneously taking a bath and getting a workout in. Who needs a recumbent bike when you have a gigantic inflatable duck in your bathtub?

Big Weekend

This weekend was the annual baking weekend at Aunt Stacey's house. We're not sure when this became a tradition but it probably happened at some point in the last 4 years. Last year I was not present due to the fact that the very thought of baking anything made me want to toss my cookies. This year was so much fun. The menu this year was: white chocolate chex mix, oreo truffles, peanut butter balls, toffee, and butterscotch rice krispie treats. As you can tell from the pictures below, Cameron was not so into it this year. I think when you turn 7, it's not cool anymore to bake with your Grandma and Aunt. Noah didn't really care either but he provided some good comic relief posing in Cameron's chef hat.

This weekend was also Stuart's 30th birthday. We celebrated with all of Stuart's favorite snacks and desserts and a few of our closest friends. Noah and Cameron gave him a new Big Bang Theory T-shirt for his birthday and he also got several Dave Ramsey books (which his wife hopes he doesn't make her read) from Aunt Stacey and myself. It was such a good weekend and we were sad to leave. We will be back in Indy for the Christmas holiday though. Hooray!!!

Let the baking begin!!!



The cutest chef I've ever met


When you're 7, watching TV is way more fun than helping bake goodies


Two tables full of goodies made for 15 gift buckets



Noah and Daddy relaxing after a big weekend

Happy Birthday Husband!!!

This weekend marks Stuart's 30th birthday. I've only known him for a little more than 1/6th of this time but I am so thankful for the time we've had. He's a great father and husband and never ceases to amaze me with his positive outlook on life. He inspires me to be a better wife and mother. I love you babe and I hope you have a great birthday.

I also need to wish my best friend Laura a happy birthday as well as my baby sister Alisha. Who knew so many people who would impact my life so much would all be born on the same day? Crazy!!!

This weekend is a crazy crazy weekend. We are leaving tonight for Aunt Stacey's house. Tomorrow morning I am co-hosting a baby shower for my friend Carrie. In the afternoon we are holding the annual Aunt Stacey baking party. Then tomorrow night we are celebrating Stuart's birthday with some of our nearest and dearest. What a day. I think that I will probably collapse from exhaustion on Sunday.

Stay tuned for pictures of the weekend. I'll get them posted next week. Nothing else new around here except Noah is working on his sitting up skill. He still hasn't mastered the rolling over thing but is apparently bored with that and wants to get straight to sitting up. He does pretty well but topples occasionally. Alright that's all I've got for now. We'll get some new pics posted next week.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Giggles

Check out this video. Cameron is definitely one of Noah's favorite people in the world.

Thanksgiving Adventure

As you can see from the pictures, it was another festive Thanksgiving holiday at the Smeltzer household in Washington. The trip down proved to be very adventurous. Noah is usually a pretty good traveler and rarely cries in the car. So, it was somewhat surprising when an hour into our trip last Tuesday night that he started wailing. I took off my seatbelt to investigate what the problem was and then I smelled it. I knew we were in a bit of a hurry to find a place to change a diaper. Stuart pulled off the first exit we saw and stopped at a Shell gas station. As soon as we extracted Noah from his seat, we could tell this was no ordinary poopy diaper. We sprang into action. Stuart went inside to obtain a plastic bag for the clothes and I tried to contain the damage inside the bathroom. We basically had to bathe Noah and change all of his clothing inside a gas station bathroom. Quite the adventure. The rest of the trip down was pretty uneventful. We stopped halfway at my Aunt and Uncles in Indy for dinner and then proceeded to Washington.
The time in Washington was awesome. We caught a Hatchet basketball game (won in 2ot), had a great Thanksgiving dinner (I think the final tally was about 23 people), and even caught some black Friday sales at the Wal-Mart. I think we all gained a good amount of weight and are now fasting until Christmas at the Smeltzer's.
Oh, I almost forgot the Cameron story. It's not a holiday if you don't get at least one hilarious story from that kid. So, the day before Thanksgiving, we thought we'd catch a pregame meal at the Amish restaurant in Montgomery. While we were there, an Amish family came in. Cameron, in mid-bite, nonchalantly says "oh, they have Pilgrims here." While I wanted to tell him that his awesome step-mom wanted him to have the most authentic Thanksgiving and that I'd actually brought the Pilgrims in on the Mayflower that morning, I was instead reduced to laughing while my wonderful husband explained the Amish lifestyle to Cameron. Cap that off with Noah rolling over for the first time and you've got one heckuva good time!!!

Thankful

Here's some of our family pictures we had taken last month. I love them!!! We are so blessed to have Diane Drake, one of our dear friends, who takes our pictures. Check her out if you live in the area and are looking for a great photographer. There's a link to her blog on the side of this blog if you want to see some more of her work.

Can you believe we are only 1 week away from Thanksgiving? The Rogers family has so much to be thankful for this year. We have truly been blessed. Whenever I get sad and miss all of our family and friends in Indiana I just have to remind myself of all the great things that have happened in the past year. Here's just a few of the things I am thankful for:
1. Noah Stephen Rogers
2. Cameron now lives with us full time (hooray!!)and has many new friends.
3. Stuart successfully finished all of his radiation treatments and remains healthy.
4. We have a beautiful new house in a great neighborhood.
5. I have the privilege to stay home with my favorite baby boy and watch him grow.
6. Our wonderful friends and family who have loved and prayed for us during the peaks and valleys of 2009.

This is a big week in sports for the Rogers family. On Sunday night, our beloved Colts came from behind (thank you Mr. Belichick) to defeat the arch rival Patriots. Stuart and I should be ashamed of ourselves for doubting the Colts and going to bed early in the fourth quarter. This Saturday marks one of the biggest rivalries in college football. It's the big Ohio State vs. Michigan game. This rivalry is bigger in our house this year because we live in Buckeye country. So, here's hoping the blue and maize can pull off a victory so Stuart doesn't have to hear it from our neighbors for the rest of the year.

Next week we travel to Washington to spend Thanksgiving with all of our favorite people. We can't wait!!! Thus begins the crazy holiday season. Good luck with all of your Christmas shopping, I'm almost done. Have a great week!!

Cameron and Cub Scouts

I thought you guys might want to see some of what Cameron has been up to at Cub Scouts. The other day they made cards to send to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.





Both Stuart and Cameron are enjoying their Cub Scout experience. On Monday, Cameron will receive his Bobcat badge. Hooray!!! Have a great weekend everyone.

Noah's first trip to Michigan

This past weekend we ventured to the booming metropolis of Sunfield, Michigan. It was Noah's first trip to the place where his daddy grew up. It was a great weekend and Noah handled the road trip well. He really does travel pretty well. Cameron had a great time and proclaimed Aunt Rosie's house the happiest place of his life. I'm not sure what that means but I'm guessing it means he likes it there.

Our sweet cousin Alaina (also one of the reasons we love Aunt Rosie...baked goods!!!)


Noah and Grandpa Dale


Cameron and our cousin Gabe


Alaina and Noah


In other news, report cards came out last week and Cameron is doing great academically. He struggles a little with his talking and behavior at times but overall is doing wonderful. Boy scouts are going great and he managed to sell 400.00 worth of popcorn to support local scouting.

Noah is learning to sleep better at night. Other than refusing to sleep in the pack n' play while we were in Michigan, he is on a streak of sleeping through the night. I couldn't be happier about that. We are trying to break him of napping in his swing but without much luck yet. He will usually take 1 nap a day in his crib and all the others are in his swing. Another development is that he's learning to roll over. He hasn't made it all the way yet but he can roll from his back almost all the way to his belly. He just can't figure out how to get his arm out of the way. He had his 4 month check-up last week and he is up to 14 lbs. and 2 feet long. Hooray!! We can start solids at any time now but I think we will wait until he's closer to the 6 month mark for that.

The Rogers family has still not managed to be vaccinated against the swine flu. They have had several clinics in the Columbus area for high risk groups. However, Noah is too young to be vaccinated yet and all of the clinics have been during school hours. So, hopefully within the next week or two we can get the entire Rogers family to a clinic to get vaccinated.

Roscoe's new favorite place to nap


Sweet smile


Celebrating a Colts touchdown

Halloween Weekend

We all had a great Halloween weekend. Cameron wasn't with us but I managed to snap a few pics of him in his Darth Vader costume. Noah withstood his Mother and Aunt putting him in 3 different costumes on Saturday. Even Stuart got into the spirit dressing up as a Master's Caddy (courtesy of St. Francis South and their lovely c-section suits for dads).

Cutest football I've ever seen

Aunt Stacey as a deviled egg, Noah as a dalmatian, Stuart as a Master's Caddy

I love me some Aunt Stacey

Our little pumpkin

Darth Vader!!!

Happy Halloween

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/fylcklP5bC4h3n54

Copy and paste that link for a good laugh. Have a great Halloween everyone!!!

Just another day

Just wanted to share some pictures I took this morning. This week, Noah has been practicing taking naps in his crib. So far, we have made a little progress. He will put himself to sleep in his crib but the longest nap he's taken has been about an hour. Now, if I put him in his swing, he will tend to sleep for much longer periods of time. But, we'll keep trying and eventually he'll get it.

The cutest Jack O Lantern ever

Sometimes I play so hard, I play myself to sleep

Fall Visits

Hello!!

One of the joys we have in moving to a new place is looking forward to visiting friends and family. Whether it be in our home or at their home, it's always a good time. 2 weeks ago, Noah and I spent the week down in Washington with my parents. It was such a fun week and Noah got to spend lots of time with his cousins Hayden and Brody. We finished up that week by visiting lots of friends and family in Indianapolis including Aunt Stacey and Uncle Mohamed.

The Brodester eating his spaghetti

Hayden the birthday king on his new lion


This past weekend we had a visit from our dear friends, the Bridges. The weather didn't cooperate for all the activities we had planned but everyone had a great time. The boys got to do some fishing (always a must when Andy and Cameron are together) and the girls got to do some shopping (what we do best). We sure miss all of our family and friends but we love when they come to visit!!!

I love my thumb!!!

Cameron and Andy after a long hard day of fishing

Our sweet Abby girl with Lady and Noah

Dear Noah...

Dear Noah,

Today I removed the adoption timeline from the side of our blog. It is still absolutely amazing to me what our life looks like now compared to a year ago. Your Daddy and I had all these big plans about what direction our life was about to take but little did we know that God had other plans for us. Last year, at this time, when I envisioned holding you in my arms, I saw a boy with dark hair and eyes who was born in a different part of the world but whom God had given to us to love. Today when I look at you and I see your beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes I am amazed and humbled at what a miracle you are. I cannot describe the joy you have brought to us. I am so happy to be your Mom. You turned 3 months old last week. Lately you have really learned to smile and giggle out loud. I just can't get enough of that gorgeous smile. As I write this, you are sleeping soundly in your swing. I keep telling myself that I am going to make you start taking a nap in your crib. I just can't do it. I love to watch you sleep and see all the sweet expressions on your face. Last week we spent the week with your Grandma and Grandpa down in Washington. We had so much fun and Grandma and Grandpa just think you are the sweetest little man. Everyone we met said what a beautiful baby you were. Daddy and I often look at you and say aloud "how did we create something that cute?" Only God knows. We love you Noah.

Pictures