April Showers Bring May Flowers?

Well, that's what we're all hoping for anyway. With the amount of rain we've had in the past few weeks, there should be MANY beautiful flowers blooming. We are a bit tired of being stuck inside, so I thought we'd update you on what we've been up to this past month.

Let's start with March Madness. It was awesome. We celebrated a storybook ending for the Washington Hatchets with their 4th state title in the past 7 seasons. We also got to celebrate the fact that Washington had their 3rd Mr. Basketball (all by the last name of Zeller in case you know nothing of Indiana basketball) and 3rd Trester Award winner in the past 7 seasons. What a great way to end the Zeller era in Washington. The Rogers' are certainly glad we were able to attend the State ee Finals and experience all of those State Championships as fans. One of the best parts of attending the State Finals this year was the halftime show. No, there were no kids jumping rope or even dogs doing tricks. The halftime show I'm talking about didn't even take place on the floor of Conseco Fieldhouse. It happened out in the concourse. It just so happened, that during halftime of the Hatchet game, the Butler Bulldogs were playing for a ticket to the NCAA Final Four. Only in Indiana could one experience what we witnessed. It seemed the whole stadium evacuated to watch the televisions in the concourses. Even the workers had left their stands to witness Butler pull out an overtime victory over Florida to earn their second straight trip to the Final Four. It was incredible and certainly a memory I will carry with me forever. I ended my perfect basketball weekend by traveling to Dayton with a friend to watch the Tennessee Lady Vols play the Notre Dame Fightin' Irish play in their regional final. While Tennessee did not reign victorious, it was still a thrill to get to see Pat Summitt coach.
Once March Madness ended and we all finally left the couch and the television, it was back to our normal busy schedule. Cam's soccer season has begun with limited activities due to the crazy weather. Both Stuart and Cam have been crazy busy with Boy Scout Activities including the Blue and Gold dinner and the Cub Scout campout at Camp Lazarus. Stuart will be traveling for his job almost every week until the middle of June. It makes things very hectic around here but we survive because we have good friends who come visit and help out when they can. Noah continues to be a ball of fire and he certainly keeps us on our toes. He has not handled this rainy weather well because he is a kid who needs to be kept busy at all times. He is talking more. Right now he is obsessed with buses (because he knows it brings Cameron back to him at the end of the school day) and Choo Choo's.

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. We had a nice weekend at home and enjoyed a nice church service yesterday as well as lunch with friends. Here are a few pictures of our crazy lives. Enjoy!!!

Noah in his Easter outfit (courtesy of Uncle Mohamed)

Stuart saw this sign on his travels to West Virginia. I'm thinking they should move this street sign to Washington!!

More signs from Stuart's travels.


The Cub Scouts have been busy with their spring campout and their Blue and Gold Dinner.


The Easter Egg hunt at church.



First soccer game of the season.

Coloring on a rainy day.

The Lady Vols at the Regional Final in Dayton.

Why We Love March

Basketball of course!!! The question is, why do I love basketball so much? I have been pondering this question much of the morning. I have managed to trace this love back to some very special people in my life.

Thinking back on basketball, the obsession probably started when we moved to Washington, IN when I was about 5 years old. It's a basketball crazed town in Southwestern Indiana of about 10,000 people. The high school in Washington has one of the greatest gyms in Indiana as well as the entire United States. Indiana has 11 of the top 12 gyms in America and Washington ranks twelfth.





It is in this gym that I used to sit in the Southeast corner with my Grandma and Grandpa Nimnicht (not my biological grandparents, but grandparents nonetheless) and watch the Hatchets play. It didn't matter whether it was the boys team or the girls team, they were at just about every game and I loved sitting with them. When I was in elementary school I started to play basketball like most of my friends. I could shoot alright but beyond that, I was a pretty mediocre player. Nevertheless, I loved it. I remember when I started playing basketball and Grandpa invited me over on a Sunday afternoon to watch the NCAA Women's Final Four. A team named the Tennessee Lady Volunteers coached by Pat Summitt were playing. He told me what a great team the Lady Vols were and how their coach was really something special. Little did he know how true that was.

During this time I had also developed a love for the Indiana Hoosiers and Damon Bailey. I remember many driveway games at our old house on Tieman Street with my brother Paul. He was always Calbert Cheaney and I was always Damon Bailey. Back then I won a lot just because I was taller than him but that wouldn't last long.

Fast forward a couple of years and I had made the Jr. High basketball team. It was a big thrill to be able to play on a team that I had to be selected for. However, in all honesty, I was in it because some of my best friends were on the team. I was the kid on the end of the bench constantly praying that we wouldn't win by too much so Coach Spillman wouldn't feel obligated to put me in the game.

Our girls program at the high school was up and coming and was destined to be one of the best teams in the state for a run of 5 years or so. I knew I wasn't going to play past Junior High so in high school I became a team manager. Grandma and Grandpa Nimnicht were at every game. We managed to put together a string of sectional and regional championships and even a semi-state championship to put our team in the Final Four. That was the first time I could ever remember crying because we won something and not because we lost. From then on, me crying after a big win became common place. A trait I believe I inherited from my mom who would often be found crying in a corner somewhere after a big game. Funny considering I was just the team manager but she came to love those teams as I did. My nervousness has never subsided when I watch a big game. Even now I tend to freak out a little during big games.

The boys program at the high school was pretty average during the years I was there. They never won a sectional but came very close several times. During one of the sectional tournaments I was sitting in my normal spot with Grandma and Grandpa Nimnicht watching Barr-Reeve win the championship. I remember Grandpa saying how happy he was for their coach, Dave Omer. He told me that night what a great coach he was and also what a great man he was. Ironically, Dave Omer would take over the Hatchet program in my last years of high school. My family became close to he and his wonderful wife Wilda through Grandma and Grandpa Nimnicht and we shared many Sunday lunches together after church.

I went off to college and became an athletic trainer. I loved working with the women's basketball team and their coach, Gene White. Coach White was co-captain with Bobby Plump on the 1954 Milan team that the movie Hoosier's is based upon. I so admired how he coached and I loved sitting with him in the front of the van (yep, DIII we drove 15 passenger vans) and listening to his stories.

During my college years my parents started working at all the Hatchet basketball games and would report to me about how the team was getting better and better and how there was this kid named Zeller that Dave would speak very highly of. Year after year the Hatchets would come so close to winning their first sectional title since the early 80's and year after year they'd come up short.

I went on to grad school and worked with the Women's basketball team at Valparaiso University. They had a really great women's team for a mid-major conference. My first year with them we lost our conference tourney but got invited to the NIT and made it to the final 8 teams. My second year we won our conference tourney unexpectedly (Cue the crying again) and I got to experience March Madness from the sidelines. We lost to a really great Purdue team in the first round but it was a memory I will cherish. My nervousness became legendary with the coaching staff and the players. We were in the final seconds of our conference championship game that year. The game had been back and forth and we were leading while the other team (The Oakland, MI Grizzlies) had an opportunity to win. Coach Freeman called a timeout and actually stopped in the middle of the timeout to make sure I was okay because he knew how nervous I would get.

During my summer vacations from Grad school I would return to Washington and work for Dave in the athletic Dept. I enjoyed helping with his summer basketball camps and enjoyed even more getting to watch Dave interact with the boys. I became more familiar with the Zeller family and was so impressed with what a great family they were. No wonder Dave always spoke so highly of them!!!

So, here we were in 2005. I was newly engaged to Stuart (who loved coming to Hatchet games and enjoyed the atmosphere of 8,000 people crammed into the gym). Dave Omer is in his final year coaching. His beautiful wife Wilda is terminally ill and Luke Zeller is in his senior year. The Hatchets not only won their first sectional championship since the 80's, they also advanced to their first ever State Championship game. It seemed that the mighty Hatchets were going to get their storybook ending, pushing out to a 19 point lead over Plymouth. However, Plymouth made a run and we found ourselves in an overtime battle. With 1.8 seconds left in the overtime period, Plymouth hits a go ahead layup and all of Hatchet nation stands in stunned silence. I wanted to vomit on my shoes. It was the most awful feeling. Where was the storybook ending for Dave that we all longed for. Surely this wasn't happening. We had 1.8 seconds to pull off a miracle. And it happened!! (click on the link below).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7N-qQfgn9MA

I remember watching the team head up to the podium to get their championship hardware. I wasn't watching the jubilation on the player's faces. I was watching Dave share that moment with his wife and understanding how much bigger this was than just a basketball game. I was remembering the first time I saw Dave winning that sectional championship with Barr-Reeve and my Grandpa Nimnicht telling me how special he was.

Luke went on to play for Notre Dame after winning Mr. Basketball that year.
In 2008, the Hatchets won another state title led by Tyler Zeller, Luke's younger brother. He also won Mr. Basketball. Tyler now plays for UNC. We love watching him play on TV.



Last year, the youngest Zeller led his team to the State Championship. Cody was only a junior. This year he has led them back to the semi-state and we're hoping for another State Title. Next year he will play for Indiana University which still happens to be my favorite team!!!

So, that my friends, is why March is so awesome and why I love basketball so much. A lot of it goes back to my Grandma and Grandpa Nimnicht and the seeds they planted long ago. I continue to cheer for the Lady Vols and Pat Summitt. I love the Indiana Hoosiers still and am so excited that their program is on their way up. Stuart and I continue to listen to most of the Hatchet games on the radio. We have been unable to make it to any of their tourney games this year but that doesn't stop my nerves. I was shopping with a friend this weekend and Stuart was texting me scores from the radio broadcast. I thought I was going to have a meltdown in the middle of the store. But, that's why I love it.

Dave Omer is retired now and is in the Indiana Basketball Hall of fame. The Zeller family has proven to be one of the best families in basketball. Not only are the boys amazing basketball players, but amazing people. They are a wonderful Christian family and Washington is so blessed to have them.


http://hoopshall.com/hall/o/dave-omer/


Grandma and Grandpa Nimnicht are both in heaven now but I can't help but think how much they would have enjoyed watching these Hatchet teams. It's amazing how one little seed planted long ago has developed into this crazy love that I have for basketball. That is why starting on Thursday until "One Shining Moment" concludes the tournament in a few weeks there will be little else happening here on Sedona Ct.

He's Happy and He Knows it!!!

So anyway...

It's been a while!!! So much has happened in the past two months that I actually had to go back and look at pictures to remember what we needed to tell you about. So, let's start in November.





Stuart and I celebrated his birthday and our 5 year anniversary early and traveled to Ann Arbor to the Michigan vs. Wisconsin football game. While it was disappointing that they lost, it was certainly not unexpected. They have not had a good year (culminating in the firing of their head coach yesterday) and we knew it would take a miracle for them to beat a top 10 team. However, just being there was such a great experience. The Big House is the biggest college football stadium in the nation and it was at capacity for the game. The weather was beautiful and our seats were great. I don't know that I've seen my husband that excited about something in a long time. It was amazing and we're hoping to get tickets to go to a game every year because it's such a great time. It really is college sports at its best.

A few days after the Michigan game we traveled to Washington to spend some time with the family over Thanksgiving. It was a great time!! As always the food was amazing and the company was even better. One of the highlights of the trip was our Black Friday shopping experience with my sister and her husband. We certainly were at Kohl's at 4 a.m. We didn't really go because we needed anything (most of our shopping was already done), we go because it's fun to watch other people act crazy. It was a great time!!

After Thanksgiving came baking day (which coincided with Stuart's birthday weekend). Aunt Stacey loaded up the Kitchen Aid and candy thermometer and made the trek to Columbus so we could load 15 tins of goodies for friends and family. It has become a tradition for us and one that I wouldn't trade for anything. This year Noah decided he wanted to join in and we all learned how big of a sweet tooth he really has. He would stand on a stool at the island and peel the chocolate off the wax paper and then weasel his way into the dishwasher to hijack the spatulas we used to stir the chocolate so he could give them a "prewash."



That brings us to Christmas. We had a wonderful time. We spent several days in Washington with Grandma and Grandpa and then headed up to Indy to stay with Aunt Stacey and Uncle Mohamed. The boys were thoroughly spoiled and were so excited that Santa found them at Aunt Stacey's house. This year Santa treated Cameron to a new bicycle since his other one was quickly becoming too small. He also received a variety of other favorite presents including: a new Bakugan Wii game from Grandma and Grandpa, a Lego set from Aunt Lisha and Uncle Luke, his own Geocaching GPS from Uncle Matt and Aunt Kendra, and a bed tent from Aunt Stacey and Uncle Mohamed. Noah also received some great gifts: a tool bench from Grandma and Grandpa, a bubble blowing octopus bath toy from Uncle Matt and Aunt Kendra, and a Noah's Ark Little People toy from Santa not to mention the variety of other gifts from the rest of the family. Stuart and I were treated to a new bicycle trailer and a digital camera from Stacey and Mohamed. I also received a "Girls Mystery Vacation" from my Mom. She is going to take my sister, my two sisters-in-law and myself on a vacation in June and we are so excited. We don't know where we're going but we know that we're going to be shopping and eating and hanging out. I could not be more excited to have an entire weekend to spend time with those girls!!!




Our New Year celebration was very low key. We had a few friends over for refreshments but everyone was gone by 10 and Stuart and I were asleep shortly after. My how our lives have changed...or have they? I guess you would've never called me a night owl anyway.

So, now that it's 2011 and the holidays are over, we have many more adventures in store. Cameron will be back to scouts and he has just started to attend Karate classes at our local community center. We're hoping it might teach him to talk less and listen more while staying active. I'm not that hopeful about the talking part but excited that he is showing interest in a variety of activities. The first Monday of every month he is learning how to play chess in the chess club at school. Yep, that's right, chess club. We always knew he'd end up involved in academic activities but he's started way sooner than I ever imagined.

Noah...well, he's just Noah. He's into everything and doesn't slow down unless he's sleeping. He runs everywhere and leaves a path of destruction in his wake. We can't say that he's not a happy kid though because he's usually laughing or smiling at something he's done. He is quite the ham and will gladly wink at you, show you his muscles, or dance to any beat that's available. He's also become quite proficient at pointing out his body parts. However, he has not yet mastered any words except for "uh-oh" and we hear that one about 100 times a day. I have had the most fun watching his imagination come to life. He will line up his animals and "talk" to them and will occasionally cook a steak on his toy grill.

Noah and Cameron are still the best of friends. That was never more evident than last week when Cam was spending time at his mom's house. Every morning Noah would wake up and knock on Cam's door. His face just lit up when Cam arrived home and he has been following him around ever since. Stuart and I both are so thankful that Cameron is such a loving big brother and loves to play with Noah. One of their favorite activities is to play up in Cam's new bed tent. Noah also loves it when Cam pushes him at high speeds around the house in his toy firetruck. It makes for a loud house at times but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

We don't have much coming up and are thankful for the opportunity just to be home and spend time together. We are slowly getting back into our routine. We are hoping for a great 2011 and wish you one as well. Later!!!

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!!!