It's official!!!
Allan and I are the proud owners of a beautiful home! It's our first house and hopefully we won't have to move for a VERY long time. We are so excited, and feel so blessed. It still amazes me how everything just fell into place. It was possibly the easiest home purchase of the century. HA!
Stay tuned for pictures...........AND FOR THE HOUSE WARMING PARTY!!!
PARTY AT THE ROGERS'!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
House Update
Well, today we went to the title company and signed the papers on our house. We are still waiting for some of the costs of closing to be ironed out, so hopefully, tomorrow, we are finished!! And then, we are hoping to get the keys by Friday. THEN WE MOVE!!!
We are so grateful for this house. We didn't think we'd be buying a house for a very long time, and luckily for us, our brother and sister-in-law, put the bug in our ears. Even more lucky for us, my mother and step-father wanted us in a house so badly, that they helped us with the down payment!
We are so blessed, more than maybe we should be. We feel like the luckiest people in the world. Our family's are sooooo supportive of us, and really want to help us in any possible way that they can. We definitely have a lot of repaying to do, for everyone's help with this, especially our loving Father in Heaven, for allowing us to be apart of the wonderful families that we are apart of and allowing us to have the amazing opportunities that we have.
We love you!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Happy Saturday!
Today was a spectacular day! We started the day off with a trip to Red Rock, with a good friend of ours, Scott (the photo guy). We ate at Burger King and then went to the Red Rock Visitors Center. They just built a new museum (because the old one was doing just fine.......makes sense right?) and they just opened it this weekend, I think. It was WICKED cool. But, when you walk up to it, it looks like a DMV. I was kind of in a bad mood as soon as I saw it. Weird.
After spending about an hour or so there, we drove onward to the Children's Nature Hike. It was insanely busy today!! There were tons of cars! We finally got there, after having to convince Scott to even come on the hike. His flat feet and general womanly-ness was trying to take over, but I'm much more persuasive. Food always prevails. We hiked the little hike, stopping to take whatever pictures Scott was inspired to take, and then trekked on. We got to the end of the hike, and there was still a little waterfall!! It was soooo fun!
The kids ate their snacks and hiked all over the pond area, and jumped off of boulders, along with throwing rocks at anything (even some people. SORRY!!). I got Taylor, and I decided to go try out the waterfall. It was COOOOLLLLDDD! But so fun. Taylor thought it was pretty cool, and got really wet himself.
After spending about 45 minutes there, we made the journey back to the car, again, stopping to take pictures at spiffy spots. Scott was such a trooper. He only complained the first half of the hike, on the way to the waterfall. And, going back from the hike, he was trying to run up ahead of the kids to get pictures. What a guy! I can't wait to see the pictures!
After the Red Rock expedition, we took the kids to the in-laws house so that Allan and I could go to the adult session of conference, and so we could go pick up some moving boxes from someone who was giving them away. We were so exhausted from the day at Red Rock that we were really trying to stay awake during the conference. What was really neat, was that Allan saw his old mission companions dad there. Elder Packer of the quorum of the 70. He was a speaker! So Allan got to go up and say hi to him. He was so excited to see him, and to ask about his son and got his contact information again. I was really happy for him that he was able to speak with him.
It wasn't a particularly special Saturday, it was just fun. For once, in a long time, I didn't have to worry TOO much about the kids' behavior, or tantrums or anything. We just went and had fun! I got my kids wet in freezing water, hiked all over the rocks with them, gave Sarah a piggy back ride on the way back to the car, and then raced her back to the beginning of the hike. It was just so fun. Not to mention, we had a great friend along for the fun too.................and hopefully some cute pictures to boot! Plus, we got to end the day at church, listening to amazing, and inspired speakers.
What's next for us busy, and exciting people? Packing!!! Wanna help?.........................please???
After spending about an hour or so there, we drove onward to the Children's Nature Hike. It was insanely busy today!! There were tons of cars! We finally got there, after having to convince Scott to even come on the hike. His flat feet and general womanly-ness was trying to take over, but I'm much more persuasive. Food always prevails. We hiked the little hike, stopping to take whatever pictures Scott was inspired to take, and then trekked on. We got to the end of the hike, and there was still a little waterfall!! It was soooo fun!
The kids ate their snacks and hiked all over the pond area, and jumped off of boulders, along with throwing rocks at anything (even some people. SORRY!!). I got Taylor, and I decided to go try out the waterfall. It was COOOOLLLLDDD! But so fun. Taylor thought it was pretty cool, and got really wet himself.
After spending about 45 minutes there, we made the journey back to the car, again, stopping to take pictures at spiffy spots. Scott was such a trooper. He only complained the first half of the hike, on the way to the waterfall. And, going back from the hike, he was trying to run up ahead of the kids to get pictures. What a guy! I can't wait to see the pictures!
After the Red Rock expedition, we took the kids to the in-laws house so that Allan and I could go to the adult session of conference, and so we could go pick up some moving boxes from someone who was giving them away. We were so exhausted from the day at Red Rock that we were really trying to stay awake during the conference. What was really neat, was that Allan saw his old mission companions dad there. Elder Packer of the quorum of the 70. He was a speaker! So Allan got to go up and say hi to him. He was so excited to see him, and to ask about his son and got his contact information again. I was really happy for him that he was able to speak with him.
It wasn't a particularly special Saturday, it was just fun. For once, in a long time, I didn't have to worry TOO much about the kids' behavior, or tantrums or anything. We just went and had fun! I got my kids wet in freezing water, hiked all over the rocks with them, gave Sarah a piggy back ride on the way back to the car, and then raced her back to the beginning of the hike. It was just so fun. Not to mention, we had a great friend along for the fun too.................and hopefully some cute pictures to boot! Plus, we got to end the day at church, listening to amazing, and inspired speakers.
What's next for us busy, and exciting people? Packing!!! Wanna help?.........................please???
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Past Isn't So Bad
Recently, I've been thinking more and more about my past and things that have happened in my past. Especially, during the inactive years. I don't know why, but occasionally I think about it, and who I would be without having gone through or experienced some of the things I did. My sister and I got to talk a little bit, recently, about what we were both going through at about the same times in our lives. It's funny. We both lived out here at the same time, and were around the same people, yet, we rarely saw each other. And even more rarely spoke to each other.
During that time of my life, I didn't have good communication with my mother, father or siblings, especially my older sister. I moved, back out to Las Vegas, just as soon as I graduated. The opportunity presented itself, and I took it. I came out here, expecting my path to continue as it did in California, but I made some wrong choices, that I thought, at the time, weren't great decisions, but that I could change the outcome. I couldn't. I tried really hard, for a long time, to pretend that I was a "good girl" or "goody goody". To the people I hung around with, I was, compared to them!
The unfortunate thing, is that they knew I really was a good person, and I really wanted to do good, but they also knew that I was still trying to figure out who I REALLY was. I let them influence me more and more, to the point that I had no idea who I was anymore. And to the point that when I came out the other side, I had to figure it out all over again. I was so lonely, that I wanted to just be around anyone, and they wanted to be around me.
One amazing blessing, or 2, or 3, were some people that I had met at work. Well, one girl in particular. She recognized me, and I her, from our very first ward, out in Henderson. I think we were Sunbeams together,and on up. We got to know each other again, and she invited me out with her and her friends, Clint and Pat. We all became fast friends, but I still always felt like an outsider. I felt like I was a terrible terrible person. I remember one night, sitting in Clint's house, in the dark, probably at about 1am. We started talking about everything. I don't know how we got on the subject. But it all came pouring out of me. From that night on, I was at his house almost every night, and he would come up with any creative way to talk about the gospel and bring it all back into focus for me.
After I had come to the realization of where my place REALLY was, I agreed to go back to church with them, to the Henderson single's ward. I don't know if Clint remembers, or knows, but I was NERVOUS!! I was just petrified, and ashamed and every emotion I could come up with. I did not want to be there, but I went anyways. Afterward, I was talking with Clint and I told him I was happy to go, but that I still felt out of place. I couldn't help but look around at all of the girls, my age, doing things right, and I didn't. He really just listened, and tried to get me to go talk to the Bishop, but I refused. Even after all of that, I went back, and went back and went back. Clint finally convinced me to talk to the Bishop, and I did. It was so freeing. I finally felt like I could breath.
Well, Clint and Pat went on their missions, and Amanda and I continued to work together and be friends. That friendship faded, although I still miss it terribly. While the boys were on their missions, I wrote them probably 3 times a week, emails and letters. I sent packages and random things to them. I clung to them so hard, because I just didn't want to lose those feelings of doing the right things. While they were on their missions, I met Allan. We started dating, and fell in love and eventually got engaged. Clint and Pat came home from their missions. We laugh about it now, because, I wrote Clint a letter, informing him that I've fallen in love with someone and I can't wait to marry him. I couldn't stop writing about how much I loved this man. The times that I spent building my testimony again, with Clint, prepared me to meet my husband and marry in the temple.
The day that I married in the temple, was the most emotional day of my life. It was a difficult day, but it was the most exhilarating day. It was difficult in the fact that it was lonely. My parents couldn't attend the temple with me, for my endowments and our sealing. The days leading up to that day, I was so scared and emotional. It was difficult to have my husbands family helping me get ready to be married, instead of my own. It was difficult to walk into the largest room they had at the St. George temple, and see only my future husbands family. I remember scanning the room, almost TRYING to find anyone that I knew, with so much anxiety. And sure enough, there was Clint. Sitting and beaming. I was so much more relaxed. He was smiling so large, and so happy for me. But even on top of that, I knew that my family was there. My family in Heaven. I could feel them beaming with excitement, as they looked upon Allan and I being sealed. They were waiting for me to get this part of my life in order, so that I could help them get their work done. In that room, that day, I felt whole. I felt like I had finally found myself, and who I am supposed to be. I felt............home.
My friendship with Pat faded and has finally come back around, which I am so grateful for. My friendship with Amanda has faded, and I haven't talked to her in a really long time. But, my friendship with Clint, has faded and regained all over again. I never want to lose his friendship. He means more to me, than I can ever put into words. He has changed my life and I love him dearly for it. I owe him everything.
So now, at 29 years old, I have learned, the past isn't so bad. I can't change what I did, and if I could, would the outcome be the same? Would I be the same person I am now? Would my testimony be as strong, or my faith be as strong? Would I have met my husband or have my children or have the relationships that I do? I don't know. I don't want to know. I'm happy with what I have. I embrace what happened in the past, most of it, HA! I am positive about it, because out of that bad, came the most amazing good that has ever happened to me. I am sealed to my wonderful husband, and we have 3 beautiful children, my relationship with my mother, father and older sister is amazing, and I have a strong testimony of Heavenly Father's plan for me and all of us. What else do I need?
What I learned, a long time ago is, out of every bad, comes a good. You just have to be open enough to recognize the good and do good with it.
During that time of my life, I didn't have good communication with my mother, father or siblings, especially my older sister. I moved, back out to Las Vegas, just as soon as I graduated. The opportunity presented itself, and I took it. I came out here, expecting my path to continue as it did in California, but I made some wrong choices, that I thought, at the time, weren't great decisions, but that I could change the outcome. I couldn't. I tried really hard, for a long time, to pretend that I was a "good girl" or "goody goody". To the people I hung around with, I was, compared to them!
The unfortunate thing, is that they knew I really was a good person, and I really wanted to do good, but they also knew that I was still trying to figure out who I REALLY was. I let them influence me more and more, to the point that I had no idea who I was anymore. And to the point that when I came out the other side, I had to figure it out all over again. I was so lonely, that I wanted to just be around anyone, and they wanted to be around me.
One amazing blessing, or 2, or 3, were some people that I had met at work. Well, one girl in particular. She recognized me, and I her, from our very first ward, out in Henderson. I think we were Sunbeams together,and on up. We got to know each other again, and she invited me out with her and her friends, Clint and Pat. We all became fast friends, but I still always felt like an outsider. I felt like I was a terrible terrible person. I remember one night, sitting in Clint's house, in the dark, probably at about 1am. We started talking about everything. I don't know how we got on the subject. But it all came pouring out of me. From that night on, I was at his house almost every night, and he would come up with any creative way to talk about the gospel and bring it all back into focus for me.
After I had come to the realization of where my place REALLY was, I agreed to go back to church with them, to the Henderson single's ward. I don't know if Clint remembers, or knows, but I was NERVOUS!! I was just petrified, and ashamed and every emotion I could come up with. I did not want to be there, but I went anyways. Afterward, I was talking with Clint and I told him I was happy to go, but that I still felt out of place. I couldn't help but look around at all of the girls, my age, doing things right, and I didn't. He really just listened, and tried to get me to go talk to the Bishop, but I refused. Even after all of that, I went back, and went back and went back. Clint finally convinced me to talk to the Bishop, and I did. It was so freeing. I finally felt like I could breath.
Well, Clint and Pat went on their missions, and Amanda and I continued to work together and be friends. That friendship faded, although I still miss it terribly. While the boys were on their missions, I wrote them probably 3 times a week, emails and letters. I sent packages and random things to them. I clung to them so hard, because I just didn't want to lose those feelings of doing the right things. While they were on their missions, I met Allan. We started dating, and fell in love and eventually got engaged. Clint and Pat came home from their missions. We laugh about it now, because, I wrote Clint a letter, informing him that I've fallen in love with someone and I can't wait to marry him. I couldn't stop writing about how much I loved this man. The times that I spent building my testimony again, with Clint, prepared me to meet my husband and marry in the temple.
The day that I married in the temple, was the most emotional day of my life. It was a difficult day, but it was the most exhilarating day. It was difficult in the fact that it was lonely. My parents couldn't attend the temple with me, for my endowments and our sealing. The days leading up to that day, I was so scared and emotional. It was difficult to have my husbands family helping me get ready to be married, instead of my own. It was difficult to walk into the largest room they had at the St. George temple, and see only my future husbands family. I remember scanning the room, almost TRYING to find anyone that I knew, with so much anxiety. And sure enough, there was Clint. Sitting and beaming. I was so much more relaxed. He was smiling so large, and so happy for me. But even on top of that, I knew that my family was there. My family in Heaven. I could feel them beaming with excitement, as they looked upon Allan and I being sealed. They were waiting for me to get this part of my life in order, so that I could help them get their work done. In that room, that day, I felt whole. I felt like I had finally found myself, and who I am supposed to be. I felt............home.
My friendship with Pat faded and has finally come back around, which I am so grateful for. My friendship with Amanda has faded, and I haven't talked to her in a really long time. But, my friendship with Clint, has faded and regained all over again. I never want to lose his friendship. He means more to me, than I can ever put into words. He has changed my life and I love him dearly for it. I owe him everything.
So now, at 29 years old, I have learned, the past isn't so bad. I can't change what I did, and if I could, would the outcome be the same? Would I be the same person I am now? Would my testimony be as strong, or my faith be as strong? Would I have met my husband or have my children or have the relationships that I do? I don't know. I don't want to know. I'm happy with what I have. I embrace what happened in the past, most of it, HA! I am positive about it, because out of that bad, came the most amazing good that has ever happened to me. I am sealed to my wonderful husband, and we have 3 beautiful children, my relationship with my mother, father and older sister is amazing, and I have a strong testimony of Heavenly Father's plan for me and all of us. What else do I need?
What I learned, a long time ago is, out of every bad, comes a good. You just have to be open enough to recognize the good and do good with it.
I really love Heavenly Father's blessings. Aren't they cute?!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
2 New Quilts
I just finished 2 quilts for 2 different baby showers. 1 shower I had known about for a while, but procrastinated, and then the other I found out about 3 days before the shower. Either way, I really loved how they turned out. They weren't my most complicated quilts, but I like them.
This is Jessica Price's quilt I made for her. Her family just got baptized a month ago, or maybe more, and then, a few days after she got baptized, she had a new baby boy!
Unfortunately, the back of the quilt looks like it's yellow and blue in the picture, but it's actually a baby lime green color. It's simple but it's cute, I think.
This quilt is a quilt I made in 3 days for Jana Houston. She probably has no idea who I am, but I heard about her shower, that was to be held on Wednesday, on Sunday in Primary. I figured, women were nice enough to have a shower for me, even though they had no idea who I was, because we were new in the ward at the time, and even hand make me things for Taylor, I would like to do the same.
It didn't turn out perfect, obviously, around the boarder. But I didn't care too much, I really really loved this one. Not only that, I had to have Tara bring it to the shower for me, because Allan had a meeting for church he had to attend, and I didn't get it to her until 5:45p, and she was leaving at 6p, HA! Nothing like last minute, right?
I am excited to continue making these for people and be the lady in the ward that makes blankets for new babies in the ward. HA! Look out ladies! Nah, I just love doing service for people, and if this is something I can do for service, I am a happy lady.
This is Jessica Price's quilt I made for her. Her family just got baptized a month ago, or maybe more, and then, a few days after she got baptized, she had a new baby boy!
Unfortunately, the back of the quilt looks like it's yellow and blue in the picture, but it's actually a baby lime green color. It's simple but it's cute, I think.
This quilt is a quilt I made in 3 days for Jana Houston. She probably has no idea who I am, but I heard about her shower, that was to be held on Wednesday, on Sunday in Primary. I figured, women were nice enough to have a shower for me, even though they had no idea who I was, because we were new in the ward at the time, and even hand make me things for Taylor, I would like to do the same.
It didn't turn out perfect, obviously, around the boarder. But I didn't care too much, I really really loved this one. Not only that, I had to have Tara bring it to the shower for me, because Allan had a meeting for church he had to attend, and I didn't get it to her until 5:45p, and she was leaving at 6p, HA! Nothing like last minute, right?
I am excited to continue making these for people and be the lady in the ward that makes blankets for new babies in the ward. HA! Look out ladies! Nah, I just love doing service for people, and if this is something I can do for service, I am a happy lady.
The Battle Has Begun!!
After we got home from my mom's, the night of Easter, we gave the kids a bath, and got them all jammied up. Allan, being the amazing father he is, decided he would play with them for a few minutes before bed. The kids decided it was time to gang up on Daddy!
Round 1: Toddler vs. Giant Hairy Man
Round 1: Toddler vs. Giant Hairy Man
(Don't they look tough, HA!)
First, they decided to try taking him down by wrestling him to the ground.................
..........but then they remembered he's a lot bigger than them.
Round 2: Toddlers with Weapons vs. Big Hairy Man
Next, they decided to grab their guns and light sabers.................
In the end, after a long and heroic fight, the brave Toddlers lost against the Big Hairy Man, because he told them it was time to go to bed. It's their kryptonite. Better luck next time!
Easter, 2010
I know this is late getting posted, since Easter was about 3 weeks ago, but better late than never, right???
Instead of going to St. George for Easter with the rest of the family, we decided, since we are buying a house right now, it would be better for us to stay home, and save our pennies, rather than go out of town.
So the night before, Allan hid the Easter baskets, as is tradition in this house. However, Allan goes a little over board with the hiding of the baskets. He doesn't care how old the kids are, he's making them work for it. HA!
When the kids woke up, they found their Easter stuffed bunnies and their easter books sitting by the fireplace, but no baskets. Then Allan told them that the Easter bunny hides them, because "he's tricky", as Sarah declares. Sarah easily found hers underneath the huge pillows that sit next to the couch.
Luke though, needed a little help from big sister. The Easter bunny got a little trickier with his, and hid it in the coat closet.
Allan decided, not with the approval of mommy, that it's ok to let the kids eat their Easter candy all day long.......Any other mom's see a problem with this? It did allow for some cute photo's though.
After we got done watching General Conference, and stuffing the kids full of candy, we left to have Easter dinner with at my mom's house. While she was making a big dinner, we had an Easter egg hunt outside for the kids. They had SOOOOOO much fun being able to find more eggs with their favorite people, Christine, Justin and Sierra.
Sorry for the small photo's in the collages. If you didn't know, you can click on the collages to view it larger. :)
Ward Easter Party
I finally got around to uploading all of our, not so great, pictures to Picasa and editing them, and all that good stuff. There weren't a lot to choose from, but I wanted to share a few that I thought were super cute.
I just loved these pictures of our sweet Bishop. He has Chase and Brinley on his lap, and another little girl (sorry, I CANNOT remember her name right now). They sat with him for a good 10-15 minutes, chatting away with him. I love the one picture with his sunglasses on. It looks like he is really focused on what they are talking about, and it's super serious. So sweet.
These are just pictures of us hanging out, and of Luke, Sarah, Sage and Jaylee playing in between some tables. I just thought the kids playing were really cute. They all found each other and just started playing about 5 minutes after we arrived at the party. It was so sweet.
This is Luke during his Easter egg hunt. Every time he found an egg, he had to hold it up and show me. He almost filled up his bucket...........mostly because there aren't a lot of nursery kids to compete with.......and those Superior Rogers' Genes, of course.
The women in charge let Taylor be in the nursery Easter egg hunt, even though he's not old enough for nursery. It was so sweet of them to let him be involved with it, and he had so much fun finding all of the eggs. He was pretty excited about his 1 yellow egg. He only found about 5 eggs, because he was so impressed with his yellow one.
This is the junior primary's Easter egg hunt. I love the picture of them all lined up, raring to go, and then they all dart out. In lots of pictures I have, you can see Sarah and Brinley going for the same eggs. It really made me laugh.
And finally, Sarah got to hunt for her Easter eggs. As you can see, she had a blast, and made out pretty well.
The only things that didn't get captured was the senior primary Easter egg hunt, because I don't have children in senior primary, and the FOOD! Oh the food. Some things I tasted and didn't think I'd like, but I LOVED! The meatballs have to be my favorite though. I think Allan's would be the rice crispy treats. He knocked back about 7 of them. Sorry if you didn't get any. HA!
One thing that really sums up how wonderful this ward is, is that picture of the bishop, talking with the 3 nursery children. He lets them do whatever they want to him, and just love on him, and you can tell he really loves them back. He embodies what this ward is about. Everyone is like that, and it is such a joy, and a privilege to be apart of this ward, and apart of that love for one another.
This is Luke during his Easter egg hunt. Every time he found an egg, he had to hold it up and show me. He almost filled up his bucket...........mostly because there aren't a lot of nursery kids to compete with.......and those Superior Rogers' Genes, of course.
The only things that didn't get captured was the senior primary Easter egg hunt, because I don't have children in senior primary, and the FOOD! Oh the food. Some things I tasted and didn't think I'd like, but I LOVED! The meatballs have to be my favorite though. I think Allan's would be the rice crispy treats. He knocked back about 7 of them. Sorry if you didn't get any. HA!
One thing that really sums up how wonderful this ward is, is that picture of the bishop, talking with the 3 nursery children. He lets them do whatever they want to him, and just love on him, and you can tell he really loves them back. He embodies what this ward is about. Everyone is like that, and it is such a joy, and a privilege to be apart of this ward, and apart of that love for one another.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The Biggest Loser=Biggest Disaster
A few minutes later, he IM's me and says he's going to attempt to do it anyways, and we'll see what happens. EXCEPT! He can't find it!!! He starts by asking me if it was on last Tuesday, and I said of course! It was on their website, but only in clips. And then he broke the news to me that he couldn't find it recorded. I wanted to scream! This happens at least once a season and it just ruins my week. He asked me if I wanted him to download it. I said YES!! HA!
Why am I posting this? I am wondering how one can be so addicted to a television show like I am. I mean, I am really ticked (for lack of a word that I am willing to put on Blogger) off when this show doesn't get recorded. It's like someone just rear ended me mad. Ugh. That's not good right? That's not normal!
It's not like I'm TRYING to diet and actually listen to the tips that they give and it doesn't inspire me to lose weight or anything. Actually, it does the opposite. It makes me hungry! And not hungry like I'm gonna go make some whole wheat pasta, lightly drizzled in olive oil with a cup of vegetables on the side, with a side of lettuce and some lemon zest on top of that (see I watch the show and pay attention). NOPE. I want my microwaveable popcorn, with the pour over cheddar, and I mean POUR over cheddar. I am not drizzling any of that heart attack. Oh, did I mention the Dr. Pepper sitting on the table next to me??
So, again, why am I so addicted to this show?? I think that it's actually causing me to be unhealthy. That's all. I should really stop watching it. Because if I stop watching it, I will stop eating that yumminess of popcorn, and poor Orville Redenbacker will probably discontinue making it, because I won't be buying it so often. I just can't do that to poor Orville, so I will continue eating it, and watching my show. I mean, he's old. We should support our elderly, right?
Well, now that I've vented this pointless post, I'm going to get back to work now, and pray that my husband can find week 13 of The Biggest Loser, so I can come home from work and watch it, before I have an anxiety attack.
Sarah Rides Again!
Last night, Allan went with the Young Men to play pinball for their activity. So it was just me and the kids for a while. I had offered to watch the Truman kids, since Tara was going to a baby shower and Tom had church stuff to do too, but I wasn't sure if they were coming or not. I waited until about 7:15p for them, and figured they weren't coming. So, I decided to take the kids for a walk, and let Sarah ride her bike. She has gotten really good at it!! I'm so proud of her.
I put the boys in the stroller this time around. Taylor wanted to play with the wheels of the wagon too much. I was so stressed he lop a finger off by playing with it while we were strollin' along. Now the problem is, is Luke is in the front and Taylor is in the back. Taylor see's Luke's head and goes in for the kill. He just beats the crap out of him every time! My poor Luke! I try to tell him no, and smack his hands away and all of those things, but the dang little bully just goes after Luke. What is wrong with him??
As she was riding her bike, I noticed that the seat is all the way down, so she looks really cramped up. Maybe the bike is too small for her, who knows? But she doesn't seem to care right now. She was just excited that she figured out how to brake and how to go, and she only fell twice!!
We walked all the way down Abbeyville to White, and then walked down White to whatever street comes after Abbeyville, and then up that street until it curved to Tamarus, down Warm Springs (I was totally freaked out, but it was big enough to have me on the outside, on the sidewalk, and her on the inside near the wall!!) and back to our house. She was so good!!
During our little walk, she would stop her bike abruptly and ask me, "Mommy, can we have a little talk?" I seriously thought we were about to have the birds and bee's talk a few times, but nope! She just wanted to tell me that grandpa has white hair, and he was big. But he doesn't have a beard. I'm thinking that she was thinking that he might be Santa. But without the beard, it didn't make sense. HA! The next time she said she wanted to have a "little talk", she told me that we should have another boy, so that he can beat up Taylor and Taylor would leave Luke alone. HA! She's always got Luke's back.
It was a fun walk for all of us. I'm really glad that I decided to get out. We had such a fun time!
Afraid of Jesus??
For about a month now, Sarah has been telling me that she's scared to die. I'm not really sure where it has come from, but she mentions it at least three times a week! Now, in just the last 2 weeks, she has been telling me that she's afraid of Jesus!
I think her being afraid of Jesus, is because when we talk to her about her dying phobia, we always tell her that she shouldn't be afraid because when we die, we'll be able to live in Heaven with our family, and with Jesus and Heavenly Father. So now, Jesus has been associated with dying, and no matter what kind of positive spin we put on it, and no matter what Family Home Evenings we have about the subject, it just seems to get worse!
She had a picture of Mary holding baby Jesus in her room, she made me take that out. The picture in Luke and Taylors room had to go in the closet when she sleeps in there. What?!
Every day we have a chat about it, because she brings it up, not me (we're not THAT weird around here) and I am definitely running out of things to tell her. She's only 4! I don't know what to do about it anymore or what to say to her. It's really worrying me for sure. She is afraid to die before Allan and I do, and I try to tell her that when she dies, mommy and daddy will be there waiting for her, and if it's before, Uncle TC will be there waiting for her and it'll be so awesome!! I don't want to lie to her and tell her it's definitely not going to happen before her parents die. Who really knows but God. I HOPE not. I hope it's when she's really old and that's the only reason she does, but I don't know for sure. That's just my hope as a mommy.
Normally, I wouldn't post on my blog expecting responses on a posting, but this one..........TOTALLY ENCOURAGED! HA! Is this completely bizarre or normal? Anyone have any ideas of what to tell her now. We've done all of the primary answers and everything. I'm at my end, and I feel terrible for her. I want her to have some sort of understanding, so this doesn't make her so scared and not sleep at night, like it does.
My poor weird little girl.
I think her being afraid of Jesus, is because when we talk to her about her dying phobia, we always tell her that she shouldn't be afraid because when we die, we'll be able to live in Heaven with our family, and with Jesus and Heavenly Father. So now, Jesus has been associated with dying, and no matter what kind of positive spin we put on it, and no matter what Family Home Evenings we have about the subject, it just seems to get worse!
She had a picture of Mary holding baby Jesus in her room, she made me take that out. The picture in Luke and Taylors room had to go in the closet when she sleeps in there. What?!
Every day we have a chat about it, because she brings it up, not me (we're not THAT weird around here) and I am definitely running out of things to tell her. She's only 4! I don't know what to do about it anymore or what to say to her. It's really worrying me for sure. She is afraid to die before Allan and I do, and I try to tell her that when she dies, mommy and daddy will be there waiting for her, and if it's before, Uncle TC will be there waiting for her and it'll be so awesome!! I don't want to lie to her and tell her it's definitely not going to happen before her parents die. Who really knows but God. I HOPE not. I hope it's when she's really old and that's the only reason she does, but I don't know for sure. That's just my hope as a mommy.
Normally, I wouldn't post on my blog expecting responses on a posting, but this one..........TOTALLY ENCOURAGED! HA! Is this completely bizarre or normal? Anyone have any ideas of what to tell her now. We've done all of the primary answers and everything. I'm at my end, and I feel terrible for her. I want her to have some sort of understanding, so this doesn't make her so scared and not sleep at night, like it does.
My poor weird little girl.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Fantastic Mr. Fox Strikes the Rogers' House
So, if you have seen Fantastic Mr. Fox yet, you know that it's a strange kid-ish movie. It's silly and funny, but I think more for older kids, 8 or 9. Allan disagree's. It's a pretty clever movie. One thing in it that is either a positive or a negative is that there is no foul language of any kind. Not even a word that resembles a swear word like, "dang it" or "crap" or "shoot". Nadda. Instead of using any bad words or words like bad words, they insert the word "cuss". There is a part in the movie where Mr. Fox and another character are arguing, and they use "cuss" in all of the spots of this argument that you would normally put any of the above words.
So my husband has gotten the kids addicted to this movie. They think it is the funniest movie, along with The Princess and the Frog (because they talk about mucus, ugh).
So we are sitting at the dinner table, and I was getting annoyed with Sarah that she just kept talking and talking and talking...........and talking, and not eating. We had to leave right after dinner to go to the Rogers' Cousins FHE, and she wasn't eating! So I told her to stop talking and eat! She looks at me, very seriously, and says, "Mommy, are you cussin' with me?"
Allan laughed so hard he turned purple. I think he may have been choking on his grilled cheese sandwich. Either way, he was having a good time. I was soooooo furious that she had even said it, had no idea what it meant, but said it. And then it made me even more furious that that man was laughing about it!
On the way to the FHE, I found out that Allan is actually using the lines in his meetings at work. No one gets it but him, but he thinks they are hilarious.
I got over it. Mr. Fox may have to be deleted from the tivo computer accidentally. Too bad. It is a clever movie. George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Owen Wilson do a bang up job. Adults, you can rent it, and you will probably laugh pretty hard, but really. Wow. HA!
Only in our house..........
.............2 years has passed
It's been 2 years, tomorrow, since TC, my beloved brother-in-law passed away from a head injury.
Today, as I was folding laundry and cleaning up the house, I saw a folded piece of paper on the floor. I picked it up and realized it was the account of TC's final day on this earth, written by his parents, my in-laws. They had given this to us on Sunday, as we talked about the 2 year anniversary of TC's death. We all listened and were greatful to hear my father-in-laws testimony of the gospel and how it has been strengthened by the event of his son's accident.
All of the kids were playing in Luke and Taylors room, so I took a moment to sit down and read what they had written about this special day. I will not share the whole account with you, because I feel that it is sacred to our family. But what I do want to share with you, which conveys what the whole family feels about the day, is the last paragraph of this 5 page story:
"There was no terrible weeping or wailing, there was no uncontrolled sobbing and crying. There was no emptiness, pain or anger. There was a peace that existed, that was real, and confirmed that this is only life; that there is so much more to our existence than just our time here. That peace confirmed our faith in the Lord and made real the existance of his Son, and the love he has for us all by offering the gospel. TC is not with us physically anymore, but he is never gone from us. He is in our memories. He is in our prayers. He is part of us, he influenced so many to do good and better that his presence has left a change for so many of those he came in contact with. He truly left his mark on the world, which will be in affect in the eternities. He set an example for all of us. We will see him again, and we will feel his love for us as we continue our existence here on this world. He will never really be that far from us, but his absence from our everyday life makes it feel so distant."
The day that he passed, Allan was privileged to give his little brother a final blessing, releasing him from his body. I don't remember what he said, but I know Allan does, word for word. I do remember the feelings in that room. I will never forget how full that room felt. There were his parents, and his siblings, and their spouses, along with his uncle and his aunt. But the room felt so much fuller than that. It felt packed full of angels. You could feel the spirit, hugging every one of us, and comforting every one of us, and letting us know that it's ok to let him go, and that it is his time.
There are many special events that happened during this time. Too many to write down and share right now, and still, the feelings are too raw to share them. One thing that I would like to share is the day of his accident. I talk about it a lot, because it is the most special blessing, for me, that came from this accident.
At about 3:00p that afternoon, I found out I was pregnant with our third child. I had already emailed Allan, and let him know the news and he was exstatic. He came home from work at about 5:00p, as usual. I met him outside, because I couldn't contain myself. As I walked outside, the phone rang. It was Lincoln, wanting Allan right away. I handed Allan the phone and he got the news from his brother what happened to TC. We left my kids and went to the hospital. As we walked in, it was amazing. The ER was packed with about 60 people from the singles ward, and about 20 family members, all for TC. Everyone had decided to fast, and I couldn't fast, and I was hungry. We hadn't told ANYONE that I was pregnant yet, because it just happened, and it didn't seem like the time. So we let one person know, TC's friend, and he went and got me food, and sat with me outside while I ate. We didn't talk much, and I was relieved when Allan came out and started talking to him. This friend was with him when the accident happened, and I later found out that he felt somewhat responsible for it, even though, it would've happened anyways. We left the hospital earlier than anyone else, to put the kids to bed, and relieve the babysitter.
On the way home from the hospital, Allan and I had the weirdest feelings. I remember passing the Spring Mountain exit on the freeway, and we were talking about how he wouldn't make it. We just knew it. Then we started talking about the baby growing inside of me. We both knew, without a doubt, it was a boy. We had named it that night, after TC. Taylor Clifford Rogers. TC always wanted us to name a baby after him, and we thought this was just the perfect time. True to his namesake, he has his uncle's personality. He is a mama's boy. He is a go getter. He is STUBBORN. He has dimples that he can just turn off and on to get what he wants. He has light blonde curles. He has big bright blue eyes. Becky tells me that she thinks that there was another baby meant for us, but TC was able to over rule that and hand pick one just for us. I like that thought. I always had heard as one life goes out, one new life comes in. I've never seen it first hand, and experienced it. It was a neat time. I felt like I was doing something really important, and I just didn't understand what yet.
During TC's hospital stay, Allan set up a Facebook page, and a blog so that Cliff and Becky weren't bombarded with phone calls wanting updates. Allan kept up with the Facebook updates, and Cliff and Becky got really good at blogging! They wrote down, every day his vital signs and what news the doctors brought them, and what surgeries he had. Later on in the blog, they wrote down more profound sentiments. Not only that, people were encouraged to submit stories and pictures of TC to share with his parents, and with everyone else that reads it. Please take the time to read it. It really is a testimony building thing to read. http://tcrogers.wordpress.com/ and http://tcstories.wordpress.com/ (for the submitted stories). It's amazing to us that it still gets hundreds of visits a month! I'm glad that we were all able to contribute to this blog and leave it for others to read and maybe learn something during their own difficult experience.
During this experience, the testimonies of my husband and I have been tested, but we're grateful for that test, because we're able to have another reminder of the truth of the gospel. Some people just know, and don't need a reminder, and some people do. I think, sometimes, Allan and I get caught up so much in the goings on of the day, that we forget, so it's wonderful to have pictures of Christ around the house to remind us. Also, though, it's nice to have pictures of TC around the house, because it reminds us of that experience, and even through the difficulties, there were blessings.
I often think about how it would be right now, if he were alive. Lincoln brought it up on Sunday, that he too thinks about what he would be doing, or saying to us all right now, if it was just any other day, and he was alive. We know he would walk through their door, on Sunday, and yell to try to scare the kids......and me.......HA! He would be so involved in Allan and I buying our first home and helping us plan that out. He would be, hopefully, engaged or at least dating a wonderful girl and thinking about getting married. He would probably be making fun of how Lincoln and Cecilia train their dogs, since that's what he was doing the Sunday before he passed away. HA! He would still stop by and play with his nephew's and niece and laugh at all of the funny things that Sarah and Luke are saying, and provoking Taylor to beat them up like he does now. He would just be TC. I miss him. But I know he is with our family every day. I know that he is with Sarah especially. She was 3 when he passed away, I think. She'll be 5 in September. She still remembers everything about him, and always asks if we can go visit him soon. Hard to explain that to a 4 year old. You think they understand that they can't right now, but soon.........but she doesn't.
We miss you and love you TC. We can't wait to all be together again soon.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Moving Depression........:(
This week has been a rough week for me. Last week, I was dealing with getting documents signed and emailed off and running stuff all over town for the house, and just busy busy. This week........nothin. Not a darn thing. So, I had a lot of time to think about our decision to buy a house and move. That means, I had a lot of time to go crazy, start bawling, second guess our decision, talk myself back into it, and finally, just be depressed about it, but know it's the right decision for us.
Normally, when you start the process of buying a house, you talk about it with your spouse or significant other, about a year or so prior to actually making offers. Then you save whatever you need down, and then you get pre-approval, and then you go forth and conquer the housing market. NOT THE ROGERS! Nope, we, instead, talked to Lincoln (Allan's brother, who happens to be a realtor) about 3 weeks ago, started talking on the phone with a mortgage broker and getting him documents needed for pre-approval the next day, and then that same weekend we got pre-approval. Finally, a week and a half later, found a house, put in an offer, and TADA!
So now, this week, I have time to think about what I just did. When we first started looking, we really wanted to stay in our current ward. Why? I love these people. The families in the ward are just amazing. They are all fantastic example to us, and really make our family try harder to be better. The women in the ward have made me grow so much. My testimony has been strengthened tremendously by the women in the Relief Society. We have only been in the ward for 2 years, but I feel like we have been here for more. I feel so at home here. Unfortunately, everyone else likes the ward too, cause there aren't any houses for sale in the ward boundaries. Boo!! So we had to branch out, and branch out some more, and keep going.
This week has been difficult for me, because I have had time to really contemplate the friendships that I've formed in the ward and the changes that I have made because of the friendships in the ward. I think I am sadder because I know, from moving so much in the past, that keeping in touch will be easy at first, and then it will fade away, and eventually, these women won't be in my life anymore. That feels terrible to me. It's part of life, and moving and all of that, but I've never met a group like this before, and I hate to lose it. I hope that I have formed relationships with some of the women, that will carry through, but I just don't know. I hate not knowing.
This week, I had a party that I was supposed to go to, where I would be around all of these wonderful ladies, and then Friday park day. I do not want to go. I want to avoid it, and just sit at home and be depressed like an idiot. I don't know why I want to avoid them. You'd think that I'd want to spend as much time as possible, but no, not me. Weirdo. Don't worry, it makes no sense to me either. I just wanted to stay home, be in my jammies, with my hair up messy, and lay on the couch under a blanket and watch tv with my kids snuggling me. Just until we move, and then it's ok.
If you need to look on the positive side of things, I know that our new ward will probably be just as wonderful, and if I take the time and put in the work, to get to know the ladies, that I'm sure I will form friendships there too..............I just want the ones I already have!! I have prayed about the decision, and I know it's the right decision for our family, but as we all know, some answers to prayers aren't the ones we wanted.
I know this all sounds lame and immature, and it is. Mentally, I know this sounds stupid, and I need to suck it up and get on with it, but my heart is not making as much sense. We are doing the appraisal this weekend or mid-next week, so it'll be down hill after that, as long as the appraisal comes back with the numbers we'd like. Do they still take bribes?? HA! Just kidding.
I am not trying to sound like I'm dependent on my friends, or even a weirdo. It's just rare to come across friends, or acquaintances that you don't have to worry about their morals, or their thinking, or if you've offended them or anything like that. I've never had a group of people to hang out with, where I didn't have to worry about what they were saying around me, or be responsible for them getting home, or anything like that. No judgment of me, no babysitting of them, no yelling because of language or being rude. I can just relax and have fun. It's nice to have people be an influence on you, instead of you being the one that is the example. It's a breath of fresh air.
So, to the ladies of our ward, I will miss you, probably more than you'll miss me. I know you have no idea the impact that you've had on me, and I hope to carry that with me always, and always remember it. We're not moving for another few weeks, but, I figured, I gotta get this out while it's fresh in my mind, before something replaces the thought, HA! I appreciate every one of you. I hope you know how much we have loved knowing you, and appreciate all of the love and acts of service you have given our family. I'm so happy that Heavenly Father placed us where He did. I guess there was a reason for it.
Normally, when you start the process of buying a house, you talk about it with your spouse or significant other, about a year or so prior to actually making offers. Then you save whatever you need down, and then you get pre-approval, and then you go forth and conquer the housing market. NOT THE ROGERS! Nope, we, instead, talked to Lincoln (Allan's brother, who happens to be a realtor) about 3 weeks ago, started talking on the phone with a mortgage broker and getting him documents needed for pre-approval the next day, and then that same weekend we got pre-approval. Finally, a week and a half later, found a house, put in an offer, and TADA!
So now, this week, I have time to think about what I just did. When we first started looking, we really wanted to stay in our current ward. Why? I love these people. The families in the ward are just amazing. They are all fantastic example to us, and really make our family try harder to be better. The women in the ward have made me grow so much. My testimony has been strengthened tremendously by the women in the Relief Society. We have only been in the ward for 2 years, but I feel like we have been here for more. I feel so at home here. Unfortunately, everyone else likes the ward too, cause there aren't any houses for sale in the ward boundaries. Boo!! So we had to branch out, and branch out some more, and keep going.
This week has been difficult for me, because I have had time to really contemplate the friendships that I've formed in the ward and the changes that I have made because of the friendships in the ward. I think I am sadder because I know, from moving so much in the past, that keeping in touch will be easy at first, and then it will fade away, and eventually, these women won't be in my life anymore. That feels terrible to me. It's part of life, and moving and all of that, but I've never met a group like this before, and I hate to lose it. I hope that I have formed relationships with some of the women, that will carry through, but I just don't know. I hate not knowing.
This week, I had a party that I was supposed to go to, where I would be around all of these wonderful ladies, and then Friday park day. I do not want to go. I want to avoid it, and just sit at home and be depressed like an idiot. I don't know why I want to avoid them. You'd think that I'd want to spend as much time as possible, but no, not me. Weirdo. Don't worry, it makes no sense to me either. I just wanted to stay home, be in my jammies, with my hair up messy, and lay on the couch under a blanket and watch tv with my kids snuggling me. Just until we move, and then it's ok.
If you need to look on the positive side of things, I know that our new ward will probably be just as wonderful, and if I take the time and put in the work, to get to know the ladies, that I'm sure I will form friendships there too..............I just want the ones I already have!! I have prayed about the decision, and I know it's the right decision for our family, but as we all know, some answers to prayers aren't the ones we wanted.
I know this all sounds lame and immature, and it is. Mentally, I know this sounds stupid, and I need to suck it up and get on with it, but my heart is not making as much sense. We are doing the appraisal this weekend or mid-next week, so it'll be down hill after that, as long as the appraisal comes back with the numbers we'd like. Do they still take bribes?? HA! Just kidding.
I am not trying to sound like I'm dependent on my friends, or even a weirdo. It's just rare to come across friends, or acquaintances that you don't have to worry about their morals, or their thinking, or if you've offended them or anything like that. I've never had a group of people to hang out with, where I didn't have to worry about what they were saying around me, or be responsible for them getting home, or anything like that. No judgment of me, no babysitting of them, no yelling because of language or being rude. I can just relax and have fun. It's nice to have people be an influence on you, instead of you being the one that is the example. It's a breath of fresh air.
So, to the ladies of our ward, I will miss you, probably more than you'll miss me. I know you have no idea the impact that you've had on me, and I hope to carry that with me always, and always remember it. We're not moving for another few weeks, but, I figured, I gotta get this out while it's fresh in my mind, before something replaces the thought, HA! I appreciate every one of you. I hope you know how much we have loved knowing you, and appreciate all of the love and acts of service you have given our family. I'm so happy that Heavenly Father placed us where He did. I guess there was a reason for it.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Photo's To Remember......again!
Watching conference, and not having a particularly great weekend, I decided this would be a fun pick me up..........for myself, really.
April 26, 2006
This day isn't anything special really. I just love this picture. This is Sarah, every morning when she woke up. She is such a light in our lives..........even though sometimes her light is so blinding that we can't do anything else. She is so excited about EVERYTHING, even and especially now, at 4 years old. She really was the easiest baby. It was God's way of making us have more kids. He sure is a funny guy.
April 29, 2006
This is when my sister was married in Morro Bay, CA. It was sooooo beautiful. I had such a fun time with my sister and her friend, and felt like I got to know her so much better. It was really fun getting our hair done together, and go shopping, and argue with our parents about who was picking up what relative. HA! I had lost a lot of baby weight to fit into this dress, and had the jacket made, so it was garment friendly. I felt so beautiful that day. Allan kept telling me how beautiful I looked. One of my funnest days. Not only that, Allan REALLY liked the dress. HA! Can't get much better!
May 13, 2006
This is Sarah's first Mother's Day gift to me. Allan was thoughtful and brought her to his parents house, to have her finger paint some stuff on a poster, and then he was going to post pictures of her all over it. He wanted to make sure the gift was from her, not him, since I'm her mom, not his. I really appreciated how thoughtful it was. Best mommies day so far, I think.
May 14, 2006
This is Sarah waking me up on my first Mother's Day. She is such a smiley little girl. It was a great day.
July 5, 2006
This is another one of those days when TC randomly stopped over to see how I was doing and to visit his favorite, and only, niece. I'm pretty sure she WAS tired, until she saw him, and then she perked right up. I just love this picture.
March 9, 2007
Cassie may hate me for posting this picture, but I love it, so I don't care. Bring it sista!
This is the day my first nephew was born. Well, my only nephew, which makes him the BEST! Cassie and I were fortunate enough to be pregnant together. Even though we were in separate states, it was still so much fun. We didn't really have a lovey sisterly relationship before, but this experience really allowed us to do that. We called each other every day, and encouraged each other. I remember always thinking it was a little backwards that the older sister is calling the younger sister for advice on kids and giving birth and stuff. But I LOVED it. Even now, she calls me about every other day, if not every day, and we chat while she is on the way home from work. I love her, and I'm so blessed that we got to have that experience, to bring us close together.
March 16, 2007
This is the day Lucas Allan Rogers came into the world. It's not my most flattering shot, but things went so quickly, there was no time to remember a good camera, make up or anything. This was taken on a cell phone.
The story with Luke's birth is this. The whole day, I had been having contractions. Allan had to go to work, but he notified them that I'm having contractions, and MAY not be in. They didn't care. LOVE THE PARIS....... Allan had to leave for work at 1p, so we decided to try to walk the baby out. We went up to Tule Springs and walked all around the park there, and ran from the ducks and laughed at the fisherman. I think they were laughing at me, because every time I had a contraction, I would moan, and they would look at me like I was NUTS! But we kept walking. Finally, we came home, and I called the doc. I told her that they were 10 minutes apart, regular, and not much fun. The nurse told me, to wait until they were 5 minutes apart, and then go to the hospital. I was slightly freaked about that, but ok! So Allan left for work, and I went to my mom's, just in case. I ate lunch with them, and they monitored me, as every contraction came. Finally, I was at 7 minutes apart, after about 45 minutes of sitting at their house. My mom went upstairs to take a shower and get ready to take me to the hospital. In the 40 minutes it took her to get ready, my contractions jumped from 7 minutes apart to 3 minutes apart. My poor step-dad, Wayne, was watching this, and kept telling me, "I'm trained to deliver a baby, but I'm not delivering your baby." He was VERY freaked out and so was I. We had a plan, that if she didn't come down in the next 5 minutes, Wayne would take me to the hospital. FINALLY! She came down stairs and we left.
We arrived at Summerlin Hospital, and my mom wasn't panicking or hurrying or anything. I was. I'm now at 2 minutes apart, and she's asking me if I wanna wait for the contraction to be over with before we walk in the door. NO! I will tough it out, let's go! It's amazing what a pregnant lady can get when she's in labor in the lobby of the hospital. There was a HUGE line waiting for an elevator. They all moved. It was great.
We got up to triage, and they checked me. The nurse's face was classic. She got quiet and hurried along, without telling me how dilated I was. I was really mad about that. My mom asked how dilated I was, and the lady didn't say. Mom got quiet and asked again, but more worried and persistent. The nurse said 7-8 centimeters and the baby's right there. The nurses all came in and told me to just get up, and they would walk me to my room. I had no time for wheelchairs and all that fluff. (Just an FYI, Allan was still at work, and didn't' get off until midnight. It was about 9p. My mom called him while I was being walked to my room) I was kind of panicking because it was going really fast, and I felt like I was out of control. This nurse is trying to get my name and information, while I was not having a fun time in labor, and everyone is running around me like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to get the room ready for this crazy lady who waited too long! So my mom got in my face and calmed me down and had me focus. They rushed in the epidural guy, while calling my doctor, who was in the parking garage, leaving to go home. I got the epidural, which wasn't much fun, and then he rolled me over, and my water broke. I was not a quiet person, to say the least. Allan showed up at the hospital, as I was being put up in the stirrups. He said he found me, because he could hear the yelling outside. I felt bad for a second. My doctor showed up, just as Luke was ready to make his appearance into the world. 8 minutes after my epidural, and about 30 minutes after arriving at the hospital, Luke was born. The first thing Allan said to him was, "Luke, I am your father" (nerdy dork), and the first thing I said was, "Since I did it naturally, do I still have to pay for the epidural?"
A funny side note, as soon as I had Luke, I asked my mom for her phone, so I could call my sister. I wanted to tell her about Luke being born, of course, but mostly I wanted to rub it in her face that I did it naturally, and she got her epidural at 2 centimeters. It was a good day for me when I got to do that.
......And just like always, TC was the first of the Rogers' to see my baby just after being born, with my cheeseburger and root beer in hand. I am glad that my mom got this picture with her cell phone, because I think it is so sweet of the 2 of them, Allan, a proud daddy again, and TC, a proud uncle again.
I think that is all for now. It's a good note to end on. I'll post some more a little bit later.
This day isn't anything special really. I just love this picture. This is Sarah, every morning when she woke up. She is such a light in our lives..........even though sometimes her light is so blinding that we can't do anything else. She is so excited about EVERYTHING, even and especially now, at 4 years old. She really was the easiest baby. It was God's way of making us have more kids. He sure is a funny guy.
This is when my sister was married in Morro Bay, CA. It was sooooo beautiful. I had such a fun time with my sister and her friend, and felt like I got to know her so much better. It was really fun getting our hair done together, and go shopping, and argue with our parents about who was picking up what relative. HA! I had lost a lot of baby weight to fit into this dress, and had the jacket made, so it was garment friendly. I felt so beautiful that day. Allan kept telling me how beautiful I looked. One of my funnest days. Not only that, Allan REALLY liked the dress. HA! Can't get much better!
This is Sarah's first Mother's Day gift to me. Allan was thoughtful and brought her to his parents house, to have her finger paint some stuff on a poster, and then he was going to post pictures of her all over it. He wanted to make sure the gift was from her, not him, since I'm her mom, not his. I really appreciated how thoughtful it was. Best mommies day so far, I think.
This is Sarah waking me up on my first Mother's Day. She is such a smiley little girl. It was a great day.
This is another one of those days when TC randomly stopped over to see how I was doing and to visit his favorite, and only, niece. I'm pretty sure she WAS tired, until she saw him, and then she perked right up. I just love this picture.
Cassie may hate me for posting this picture, but I love it, so I don't care. Bring it sista!
This is the day my first nephew was born. Well, my only nephew, which makes him the BEST! Cassie and I were fortunate enough to be pregnant together. Even though we were in separate states, it was still so much fun. We didn't really have a lovey sisterly relationship before, but this experience really allowed us to do that. We called each other every day, and encouraged each other. I remember always thinking it was a little backwards that the older sister is calling the younger sister for advice on kids and giving birth and stuff. But I LOVED it. Even now, she calls me about every other day, if not every day, and we chat while she is on the way home from work. I love her, and I'm so blessed that we got to have that experience, to bring us close together.
This is the day Lucas Allan Rogers came into the world. It's not my most flattering shot, but things went so quickly, there was no time to remember a good camera, make up or anything. This was taken on a cell phone.
The story with Luke's birth is this. The whole day, I had been having contractions. Allan had to go to work, but he notified them that I'm having contractions, and MAY not be in. They didn't care. LOVE THE PARIS....... Allan had to leave for work at 1p, so we decided to try to walk the baby out. We went up to Tule Springs and walked all around the park there, and ran from the ducks and laughed at the fisherman. I think they were laughing at me, because every time I had a contraction, I would moan, and they would look at me like I was NUTS! But we kept walking. Finally, we came home, and I called the doc. I told her that they were 10 minutes apart, regular, and not much fun. The nurse told me, to wait until they were 5 minutes apart, and then go to the hospital. I was slightly freaked about that, but ok! So Allan left for work, and I went to my mom's, just in case. I ate lunch with them, and they monitored me, as every contraction came. Finally, I was at 7 minutes apart, after about 45 minutes of sitting at their house. My mom went upstairs to take a shower and get ready to take me to the hospital. In the 40 minutes it took her to get ready, my contractions jumped from 7 minutes apart to 3 minutes apart. My poor step-dad, Wayne, was watching this, and kept telling me, "I'm trained to deliver a baby, but I'm not delivering your baby." He was VERY freaked out and so was I. We had a plan, that if she didn't come down in the next 5 minutes, Wayne would take me to the hospital. FINALLY! She came down stairs and we left.
We arrived at Summerlin Hospital, and my mom wasn't panicking or hurrying or anything. I was. I'm now at 2 minutes apart, and she's asking me if I wanna wait for the contraction to be over with before we walk in the door. NO! I will tough it out, let's go! It's amazing what a pregnant lady can get when she's in labor in the lobby of the hospital. There was a HUGE line waiting for an elevator. They all moved. It was great.
A funny side note, as soon as I had Luke, I asked my mom for her phone, so I could call my sister. I wanted to tell her about Luke being born, of course, but mostly I wanted to rub it in her face that I did it naturally, and she got her epidural at 2 centimeters. It was a good day for me when I got to do that.
I think that is all for now. It's a good note to end on. I'll post some more a little bit later.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Happy Easter!!
It's the day before Easter and we just now got the kids' Easter outfits. HA! We're way up on it. Yea right. This week has been a giant roller coaster. The kids haven't been the greatest listeners, and mommy has been just as bad. I've been busy getting paperwork for the house in order and sent off, and that's time consuming all in itself. This is much harder than renting a house, for sure! HA!
This year, for easter, we are staying in Vegas. Usually we go to TC's house for Easter dinner, but since his passing, we've been going to St. George, to I guess, run away from the sadness on this day. However, this year, because of buying a house and stuff, we'd rather stay in town, and hoard our money. HA! Tomorrow, we are happy that we will be able to spend most of the day at my mom's house and have a fun Easter Egg Hunt with her, and make dinner, and just have a good family time with them. We are really looking forward to it.
This year, General Conference falls on the same weekend as Easter. What a blessing. As the Rogers' house is busy with life, and preparing for a huge step, and battling lots of emotions in children AND adults, it's nice to get back to what's important. We are reminded that while we have our own lives to deal with, the most important lives are the life of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, and the sacrifices and plans that they have for us. We are reminded to be charitable, and give always to others, even when we feel that we have nothing to give. We are also reminded to ask for help, when we, ourselves, are having difficulty. And no matter what, forgive others. We may not even know the person that we are forgiving, but it doesn't matter. We should forgive those that make mistakes on the road and anger us. We need to forgive people who may have given us a look that we didn't like, or even forgive people who make a gesture that is unpleasing to us. Really, those things are not reasons to be angry, and bitter, and to hold resentment. Not only does it hurt that person, but it hurts us and our salvation, and even more importantly, it hurts our Heavenly Father and our older brother. They have sacrificed more than we ever will, to give us the opportunity to forgive and to repent. For myself, I know those are things, lately, I have taken for granted, and not put those things higher up on my to-do list.
Heavenly Father asks us to love one another, and to forgive others. He doesn't ask much of us. I have a testimony, that if we can do these 2 things, that aren't as hard as we sometimes make them to be, then all of the other struggles in our lives, will seem to not be as big as we think they are. I am also reminded today that Heavenly Father and the things he asks of us, aren't complicated. People make them complicated. I hope, for my family, this year, that we can make things less complicated, and just do what we are supposed to do.
I know this posting sounds preachy and maybe random, compared to the other posts that I have put. I just feel impressed today to share what I have learned.
I have a testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know it is the true church. I know the prophet is a true prophet of God. I believe the Book of Mormon to be a true word of God. I love my family, and my friends. I am greatful for the people that are in my life right now. They have uplifted me and made me want to try harder to be a better person, mother and wife, just by their examples. I know these people were put in my life for a reason, and I am greatful that they are there. I am very blessed to have the husband that I do. He works so hard for our family, with only our well being in mind. I appreciate that he challenges me and makes me want to learn, and grow, and be better for our family. I hope I do the same for him. I am very blessed to have my children and any other children that may come later on. They are all blessings from heaven, even though there are days that I question that. HA! I love my Heavenly Father, and am greatful that I am on this earth, and I hope that I make him proud. Finally, I have a testimony of prayer, and I am so greatful to have had the experiences with prayer that I have. I feel so much closer to Him because of it.
I love you all, and hope you all have a wonderful Easter with your friends and family.
This year, for easter, we are staying in Vegas. Usually we go to TC's house for Easter dinner, but since his passing, we've been going to St. George, to I guess, run away from the sadness on this day. However, this year, because of buying a house and stuff, we'd rather stay in town, and hoard our money. HA! Tomorrow, we are happy that we will be able to spend most of the day at my mom's house and have a fun Easter Egg Hunt with her, and make dinner, and just have a good family time with them. We are really looking forward to it.
This year, General Conference falls on the same weekend as Easter. What a blessing. As the Rogers' house is busy with life, and preparing for a huge step, and battling lots of emotions in children AND adults, it's nice to get back to what's important. We are reminded that while we have our own lives to deal with, the most important lives are the life of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, and the sacrifices and plans that they have for us. We are reminded to be charitable, and give always to others, even when we feel that we have nothing to give. We are also reminded to ask for help, when we, ourselves, are having difficulty. And no matter what, forgive others. We may not even know the person that we are forgiving, but it doesn't matter. We should forgive those that make mistakes on the road and anger us. We need to forgive people who may have given us a look that we didn't like, or even forgive people who make a gesture that is unpleasing to us. Really, those things are not reasons to be angry, and bitter, and to hold resentment. Not only does it hurt that person, but it hurts us and our salvation, and even more importantly, it hurts our Heavenly Father and our older brother. They have sacrificed more than we ever will, to give us the opportunity to forgive and to repent. For myself, I know those are things, lately, I have taken for granted, and not put those things higher up on my to-do list.
Heavenly Father asks us to love one another, and to forgive others. He doesn't ask much of us. I have a testimony, that if we can do these 2 things, that aren't as hard as we sometimes make them to be, then all of the other struggles in our lives, will seem to not be as big as we think they are. I am also reminded today that Heavenly Father and the things he asks of us, aren't complicated. People make them complicated. I hope, for my family, this year, that we can make things less complicated, and just do what we are supposed to do.
I know this posting sounds preachy and maybe random, compared to the other posts that I have put. I just feel impressed today to share what I have learned.
I have a testimony of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I know it is the true church. I know the prophet is a true prophet of God. I believe the Book of Mormon to be a true word of God. I love my family, and my friends. I am greatful for the people that are in my life right now. They have uplifted me and made me want to try harder to be a better person, mother and wife, just by their examples. I know these people were put in my life for a reason, and I am greatful that they are there. I am very blessed to have the husband that I do. He works so hard for our family, with only our well being in mind. I appreciate that he challenges me and makes me want to learn, and grow, and be better for our family. I hope I do the same for him. I am very blessed to have my children and any other children that may come later on. They are all blessings from heaven, even though there are days that I question that. HA! I love my Heavenly Father, and am greatful that I am on this earth, and I hope that I make him proud. Finally, I have a testimony of prayer, and I am so greatful to have had the experiences with prayer that I have. I feel so much closer to Him because of it.
I love you all, and hope you all have a wonderful Easter with your friends and family.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
