This Blog Brought to You by the Letters "F" and "Y"

No, I'm not being vulgar. I'm finally getting around to telling the story of how the great toilet mystery of 2010 was finally solved. So, a couple of months ago, I was cleaning out my closet and Noah was entertaining himself in the bathroom that's attached to my closet. To be honest, I knew he was probably up to something that he shouldn't be but I was being so productive and it was so nice to have him entertain himself for a while. Then it happened...I heard the toilet flush. I immediately ran over to make sure that he didn't flush himself down (which I knew to be impossible but I still have those irrational thoughts occasionally, I call them mommy moments). Upon inspection, it looked as though it was a harmless flush and everything was as it should be. It wasn't until later that evening that Stuart and I realized that the toilet was not flushing in its regular manner. We plunged and we flushed for a few days and even used a pipe snake to try and clear out whatever it was that was causing this issue. Finally we gave in and called a plumber. He came over and within about 10 minutes he had used his industrial strength pipe snake and seemed to have fixed the problem. The toilet worked for a day. We knew then that the nice plumber had just managed to dislodge whatever was down there temporarily and now the object had lodged itself in there even tighter. So, instead of calling back the plumber, we called a friend (who we should have called in the first place) and he came over and lifted the toilet off of the floor. He managed to find the culprit. It was a foam alphabet letter that Noah plays with in the bathtub. He apparently thought it would be neat to see what would happen when he put it in the toilet and flushed. So, after fishing out the letter "F", the toilet goes back on the floor and our friend realizes that there is still something down there. Again, toilet off the floor and what gets pulled out this time you might ask? None other than the letter "Y." We found it to be very ironic that those were the two letters that Noah had chosen to flush. And that's how the great toilet mystery of 2010 was solved.
That, ladies and gentleman, is just a glimpse into daily life with Noah Stephen Rogers. He is a handful to say the least. Now that he is mobile, our house tends to look like a bomb went off all the time. There is no stopping him, only containing him. Stuart has taken to calling him "The CEO" because he wakes up early, orders everyone around and throws amazing tantrums if he doesn't get his way. Now, with that being said, I will say that he is the cutest CEO I've ever seen and he's also quite the comedian. He has an incredible sense of humor for such a little person also. He speaks his own special language which we have taken to calling "garblish" because that is exactly how it sounds. All in all, life is pretty exhausting trying to keep up with that kid but we wouldn't trade it for the world.

The boys both had a very fun Halloween. We were treated to a parade of costumes at Cameron's school this year. All the classes parade around the playground in their costumes. Cameron was some character from Star Wars (not sure which one but he looked like a great Star Wars character). Noah dressed up as Scooby Doo which brought more than a few funny moments due to the weight of the head of the costume. It played hell with his newly adapted ability to balance and walk. Again, I don't have many pictures due to the fact that our camera is broken (black Friday here we come). Over Halloween weekend, Noah had his first night away from mommy and daddy. Stuart and I went to our friends' wedding downtown Indianapolis on the canal followed by a very eventful murder mystery themed reception while Noah got to spend the night with Aunt Stacey. Even though mommy was a bit nervous that Noah would have one of his hysterical fits, he did just fine for Aunt Stacey and mommy and daddy had a wonderful night out with friends.

So, now we are gearing up for all the festivities that late November and December bring our way. Next week, Thanksgiving is here (which is hard to believe) followed by Stuart's birthday, our 5th wedding anniversary and then Christmas. It's going to be a wild and crazy couple of months but we always look forward to catching up with all of our friends and family. Because the holiday season can get so crazy, we decided to celebrate Stuart's birthday/our anniversary a bit early this year. This Saturday we are traveling to Ann Arbor, MI to attend a University of Michigan football game. Stuart has been a lifelong Wolverine fan and he has never been to a game at Michigan Stadium. So, Aunt Stacey is coming out to watch the boys while we make the trek up to Ann Arbor. We are very much looking forward to it!!!

In other news, Cam continues to do great in school. We had his parent/teacher conference last week and he is reading very close to a 4th grade level and ranks in the top 2 or 3 of his class in all academic areas. We are so proud of him. The only complaint that any teacher ever has about him is that he talks too much. My response to that tends to be "try living with him." Well, that's all I've got for now. Hopefully we'll have some pictures to post on here sometime.

Just a little video

Just wanted to share a little about this weekend's half marathon. Had a wonderful experience with two awesome friends!! Enjoy:0)

We Love Fall!!!

Fall is certainly here. The temperatures have gradually gotten cooler and the sun has been a little later arriving in the morning and a lot earlier leaving in the evening. The Rogers family has been busy wrapping up its fall activities in anticipation of a very busy holiday season.

Cameron finished up his soccer season with a bang last weekend. With Grandma and Aunt Stacey in attendance, Cameron decided he would light up the other team with 2 goals!! We were so proud of him. Of course, being the great parents we are, we didn't have the video camera on to capture the momentous occasion so I'll try to give you a description. The first goal he scored from about 5 yards out on a nice pass from a teammate. The second goal happened when the opposing goalie punted the ball out to midfield. It came right at Cameron and he put up a beautiful shot just over the outstretched goal keeper's arms. Good stuff for U-8 soccer.

This past weekend, I completed the Columbus half marathon. It was my 6th half marathon that I have completed and I recorded my second best time!!! I can honestly say that I ran with a smile on my face the entire time. It was a fantastic race and was made even better that I got to start out with 2 good friends. We all finished at different times but it was awesome to have the camaraderie at the start line. It was also amazing to have Stuart and Noah there to cheer me on. They managed to catch me at mile 9 and again at the finish line. I cannot describe the feeling I had when I turned the final corner and could see the finish line. There were hundreds of people lining the finish chute and somehow I still got to see my amazing husband and sweet Noah cheering me on to finish hard. It was amazing!!!

Speaking of Noah, he is a man on the move these days. He is now walking most of the time. I find it hard to believe how much joy that child gives me. Watching him learn to walk has been hysterical. He waddles around like a drunken old man and is just so darn proud of himself. He had his 15 month check-up today. He is weighing in at 23 lbs. 9 oz. and is almost 30 inches long. He's in the 10th percentile for height, 30th for weight, and 75th for head circumference. How quickly he has grown!!!

We have lots of fun events coming up. This weekend, Stuart and Cameron are camping with the Boy Scouts at Camp Lazarus. Aunt Stacey is coming over to hang out with Noah and I while the other boys are away. The next week is Halloween and we'll be in Indy for a friend's wedding. Then, before you know it, the holiday season is upon us and we'll all be in Washington stuffing ourselves at Grandma Gill's house!!! Our camera has been on the fritz so we're gonna work on getting that fixed and then hopefully I'll have some pictures/videos to post on here.

That's all for now. Enjoy the fall weather!!!

For your viewing pleasure

Here are a few videos we shot of the boys tonight. Today Noah took his first real steps thanks to Cam's coaxing. I think Noah and Cameron would do just about anything for each other. I love the bond they have and I hope and pray that even though they are 7 years apart, that bond will grow over time.

Post number 150!!!

I remember when we first started this blog and the reason we started it two years ago. We wanted to give everyone a chance to follow us on our journey to adopt a baby from Ethiopia. It was amazing how this blog became my outlet for the up and down journey for those few months. Things have changed a lot in these past two years and now this has become a really good way for us to keep you up to date on our family of 4 (none from Ethiopia). So, thanks for keeping up with us!!!

Now that the school year has started we are busier than ever. Add in a few September birthdays as well as soccer, boy scouts, and church activities, and you'll understand why the blog postings have been few and far between lately.

I celebrated the 10th anniversary of my 21st birthday on the 5th and Cameron celebrated his 8th birthday on the 6th. We celebrated Cam's birthday a few days earlier since he was going to be at his mom's for his actual birthday. My sister, brother-in-law, and nephews were visiting so we decided to celebrate while they were here.




He had a great time and enjoyed all of his gifts including lots of new clothes and Lego from Aunt Lisha and Uncle Luke and a new Pokemon game for his DS from Stuart and I. He also got to celebrate his birthday at school with a cupcake cake in the shape of a dinosaur. I do have to apologize for the lack of pictures as our camera has not been working very well so just use your imagination if you will:0)

Labor Day weekend we got to celebrate my birthday with an awesome "almost" surprise party thrown by my husband and some good friends. Apparently this party had been in the planning stages for quite some time. We had the party out at Laura's house. Stuart knew that if he wanted something done right, he could count on Laura. She certainly did not disappoint. It was amazing and I am so grateful to have such great friends. I was really excited (even though I had it figured out) to spend an afternoon with most of my favorite people.








As you can see from the pictures (courtesy of Diane Drake Photography), I had a wonderful time and felt so honored that everyone took time out of their busy weekend to spend an afternoon celebrating my birthday.

My women's bible study started back up this past Friday. We are going to be a doing a 10 week study on The Shack. I am very excited about it. Stuart and I are also hosting a small group from our church every Sunday night. We are loving our church family!!!

In a few weeks time, I will be running my 6th half marathon. Well, running is a loose term. Apparently when Noah was born, I lost all ability to be mentally tough. Therefore, I will be running 80% of it and walking the rest. Unlike the other 5 that I have participated in, my goal here is to prove to myself that I really can still do this.
While we were in Indy over the long weekend, I met up with one of my best friends and my favorite running partner, Carrie. Carrie and I used to run almost every day of the week together when I lived in Franklin. We trained for a marathon together. When I got married we had a standing date for Saturday morning runs. Then, the day after I found out I was pregnant with Noah, we switched to to walking (for fear that I might puke if we did anything more strenuous). Carrie and I have logged hundreds of miles together. Usually in the early morning, our discussions would range from engagement, to marriage, to wedding planning, and when we would have kids. We would talk about our jobs and going back to school. We would battle the winter blues together and talk about all the other places we'd rather be than running in the cold Indiana winters. Basically these long runs were our therapy. So, it was a big deal for us to get together for a Saturday morning run for the first time in 2 years. It's amazing how we didn't miss a beat. The run was slower as we both have babies now (her AJ is 7 months old) and our topics of conversation ranged from breastfeeding, baby food, and diapers to whether or not we see ourselves going back to work. But, we did it. We ran 7 miles together and it has never felt better. It just served as a gentle reminder of how circumstances may change but true friendships can push you through just about anything. Love you Carrie!!!

Everything is great in Noah's world. He has no interest in learning how to walk because he can get everything he wants by crawling and pulling up on things. He has developed an obsession with our trash can and I have caught him throwing away quite a few things. I'm fairly sure he threw away one of his sandals the other day because it is nowhere to be found. He is a chatterbox these days. He talks all day long. I don't have any idea what he's saying but he sure has lots of it to say. His love affair with Cameron is unending and I am so thankful for that. No one can make Noah laugh or smile like Cam can. We love it!!!

That's all I've got for now. Football is here and the Rogers' are one happy family. Have a great week:0)

First Day of Second Grade

Really, is summer gone already? Today was Cam's first day of second grade. He was very excited and even reminded me when he needed to leave the house to get to the bus stop. Miss Francik is his teacher this year and Cameron already loves her. It is hard to believe he is in the second grade and even harder to believe that in a few short weeks he will be 8 years old. He has had a really busy summer switching back and forth between our house and his mom's house. He will get back into his school routine and in turn we will be back to our busy schedule. His first soccer game is this Saturday and boy scouts start up again on Monday. As much as I love the freedom of summer, it's very nice to get back into a routine.

Noah is a handful these days. He's not walking on his own yet but he has started pushing around his walking toys and seems to really enjoy it. I am wishing we had a landing strip in our back yard as he gets frustrated at trying to make his way around all the obstacles in our living room and kitchen. Mommy gets frustrated too because Noah yells every time he gets stuck. He also loves to climb things including stairs, the couch, and anything else that gets him into places he's not meant to be. I am learning quickly that taking my eyes off of him for even a few seconds is too long. Yesterday he managed to make it all the way to the top of the stairs before I figured out where he'd gone. He also dumped several of his wash cloths in the toilet yesterday when I wasn't looking. I'm glad he hasn't learned how to flush yet. He's starting to say a few words. Momma and Dadda are the most popular but occasionally he'll utter "k" like okay. He has one heck of a sense of humor and we just feel so incredibly blessed by him.

This past weekend we had a visit from the Bridges (minus Andy whom we missed dearly). We had a great time with Laura, Hannah and Abbs. We spent a day at the zoo and had a great time. This next weekend we are busy with soccer (I'm playing on a team this fall too) and Cam's back to school bash at his school. On Labor weekend we are heading to Indy for a long weekend so if you're in the area and want to see us, we'll be at Aunt Stacey and Uncle Mohamed's house.

That's all from the Rogers' homestead. I'll leave you with a few of Noah's 1 year pics that our friend Diane took last month.

As you can see, Noah is quite the character these days. He has such a funny sense of humor and the deepest belly laugh. He makes us laugh so much.

Cameron has been away for about 3 weeks visiting his mom. He arrived home on Saturday and Noah was so happy to see him. Cameron and Noah are the best of friends and I am so thankful for that brother bond. I know that because of their age difference, it might not always be like this but I'm going to enjoy watching their relationship develop.

We leave for a trip to Michigan on Thursday to visit Stuart's family and then I am staying put for a while. I feel like we've been so busy this summer that I haven't had an opportunity to just enjoy being here. I am looking forward to August.

Hope everyone else is having a great summer and staying cool!!! That's all for now.

Dear Noah...

Today you turn 1 year old!!! Daddy slapped me a big high five this morning to commemorate the occasion. What a year it's been. We have so much to celebrate. I remember on this day last year waiting nervously in the delivery room for you to arrive. I remember when Daddy yelled out "it's a boy!" I remember holding you and realizing that you were here, you were finally here and you were mine to love. So, today we celebrate. We celebrate all of our family and friends, both new and old, who have been praying for you and rejoicing in you. We celebrate your smile and your laugh. We celebrate that you're healthy (20 lbs.) even though you're a little short (28 in.). We celebrate your love for Cameron and his love for you. We celebrate your curiosity and how much you love to explore new things. But most of all we are going to celebrate how much we love you. Did you know that on your birthday you are meant to make a wish? Someday when you're older you'll make your own wish. Today, I will make that wish for you. My birthday wish for you is that you live each day to its fullest, love unconditionally, and, as you grow, you will come to understand how great our God is. After all, you are a miracle given to us by God. We love you Noah and we are so excited to see what is in store for your second year.

Summer madness

Hello again!!!

We had such a busy June that I hardly realized we had made it into July already. This summer is going way too fast for my liking. I think that means I need to slow down and take some time to enjoy it but just like the heat wave that is clutching the Midwest and East coast right now, there is no end in sight. In June we were treated to several visitors including my sister and nephews and our friends, the Beck's, from Franklin. It was good to see them as well as their two cute kiddos Tyler and Kelsey. In the middle of June, my parents came out for a visit and went on vacation with us. I have to keep up my continuing education credits for my AT certification so this year the National Convention was out in Philadelphia. All 6 of us loaded up and made it a week long vacation. We started out by visiting some family in Greensburg, PA and then traveled to Harrisburg and spent some time in Hershey and Gettysburg. After that we traveled over to Philadelphia so I could attend my conference and take in the historical sights. Overall it was a wonderful trip (with the exception of the stomach flu that invaded the family at the end of the week). Both Noah and Cameron did so well traveling and we all made some wonderful memories.

Cameron holding the world's largest Hershey Bar

One of the highlights of Hershey was making our own chocolate bars

Cameron loved the Hershey Story Museum and even became one of Milton Hershey's apprentices


Cameron standing on top of Little Round Top in Gettysburg


The boys walking through Gettysburg National Cemetery where Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettsburg Address


Daddy and Noah enjoying the Liberty Bell


Vacationed out


Cam posing with the Philly Phanatic in the Independence Visitor's Center


Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence as well as the Constitution was signed


Noah enjoying life in the hotel


July is not showing any signs of slowing down. This weekend we are traveling down to Washington to celebrate Noah's 1st birthday. He doesn't technically turn 1 until next Thursday but we are celebrating a bit early with the family. Then when we get back, I have a week of vacation bible school. I am teaching kindergarten this year. Yikes!! It is going to be a long week. Then, the next weekend we are traveling to Indy. Combine all that with a late month trip to Michigan and July is already escaping me!! Stay tuned for pics of Noah's birthday celebration...

Fun Filled Weekend

I'll actually start with a picture from last weekend, because it's just too cute not to share with everyone.

So, I'm not smart enough to put the pictures in order because Megan does most of the posting. But, with Megan out of town this weekend, I thought it was my job to post the updates from Ohio from this past weekend (with some extras thrown in for fun).

This was supposed to be the last picture, but somehow it's first. This is the flag retirement ceremony from Cameron's Pack Graduation on Sunday. It was a very nice, humble reminder about the sacrifices that have been made for us and how the flag symbolizes everything that we, as a country, stand for.

Cameron officially "crossing over" from Tiger Cub to Wolf.

Our favorite Cub Scout.

On Friday, I volunteered at Cameron's school for field day. Here are a few pictures of the day's activities.

Bounce House

A game where two sides competed to get the marble from one end of the group to the other using small pieces of PVC pipe.

Beach Ball "Team Race"

Sponge Race

Once again, Cameron's baseball game was rained out on Saturday. But, thankfully, Aunt Stacey came to visit again and saved the day. She and Cameron had a great time playing with Legos, making cards and hanging out together.

June already!!!

Wow, we have been keeping so busy that I just realized today that I hadn't updated the blog for a while. Cameron is now officially done with soccer and into baseball. He only has 3 days of school left for the year and then begins his summer vacation in which he will spend a few weeks at a time between our house and his mom's house. He seems to really love baseball and actually does pretty well with it. In his first game last week he went 2-3 with one run scored and an RBI. He also did really well in the field. Last night he had another game but only got 2 innings in before the rain came down and we were all stranded in a torrential downpour. He did manage to get another hit last night and made a pretty good play at 3rd to get a runner out. I am mildly impressed by his ability considering he's only had 2 practices and two games to learn the game.




This past weekend Noah got his first haircut. He sort of had a "Gene Keady" style comb over so it was time to get it trimmed up. Since Aunt Stacey came to visit, she joined us on our walk over to Cookie Cutters for the momentous occasion. Surprisingly, Noah did very well until the very end when the stylist busted out the clippers. He looks so much older now that he's had his hair cut. He seems to be transitioning to toddlerhood so quickly. He is everywhere these days and I am exhausted for it. We have learned that because of his obsession with the toilet, all lids should be closed at all times to prevent wet messes. He is starting to babble more often and occasionally we get a ma ma or da da and even a ba ba sometimes. He has transitioned nicely to drinking from a sippy cup and yesterday I noticed that he is finally cutting his first tooth.




In other news, we finally got around to checking out the Columbus Zoo. We knew it was close to our house but we had no idea how close. It's only about 5 miles down the road and it's so easy to access. We didn't get to check much of it out but the part we did check out was really cool. The day we went was boy scout day so Cameron got to do a ropes course which he thought was so fun. We did purchase a membership to the zoo (which was built by Jack Hanna and is ranked #1 in the nation) so if you come visit, we can take guests too!!!




We have a VERY busy month ahead complete with visitors every weekend and then our big family vacation at the end of June. I'll keep you posted when I have a chance. Have a great summer!!!

Busy Weekend

This past weekend, there was a lot going on around here. From camp outs to soccer games and Noah's dedication at church, we were busy busy busy. We were also excited that Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit. Here are a few pictures we snapped over the weekend with more to come later...

A day in the life...

So, Noah has been quite adventurous lately. He is literally into everything. Here are a few photos I've snapped over the past few days to show you what kind of trouble he tends to get himself into.

Hmm...wonder how I can get in there?


Look what I found Mom!!!


I wonder what goes on in there?


Playtime with my best bud Bailey. We're striking a pose!!!


I love love love my big brother!!!

That's pretty much what's been going on around here. I had no idea how exhausting it could be to chase around someone so small.

We have been super busy lately with Cameron's soccer season wrapping up and also baseball season beginning. Tonight, Cameron and Stuart are going to the Columbus Clippers minor league baseball game and afterwards are camping on the field with the rest of the boy scouts. Then in the morning they'll be treated to breakfast and a skills presentation put on by the Clippers players. Cameron is so excited. This weekend is also Noah's dedication at church so Grandma and Grandpa are coming out for a visit. We could not be happier they are coming!!!

Be prepared for more pictures next week and have a great weekend!!!