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...