The Rogers Family

I'M BACK!!!!

2011-08-16T12:16:00.002-06:00

Well we have had an extremely eventful summer, to say the least, and just last week I realized that it's August already and summer is nearly over. I've been a very neglectful blogger (you'll understand why) and need to catch you all up on our last couple of months.
June - beginning of June we decide to move out of our condo and in with Ric's parents to make selling easier. We had an understanding with an acquaintance of Ric's that he was ready to have his daughter move out of a house he owned and he wanted us in there. A few days later a friend calls with someone she wanted to have look at our place. With the condo not "show ready", but clean [mostly], a few days after that he looked at it and wanted it. Sell our place, check! Whew, that was easy!
June 27-30 - I spend with the young women up at Girls Camp. Waaay fun, but came home exhausted and had only a few days to pack everything up and get out of our condo.
July 4 - Ric's 31st birthday.
July 5 - Move out of the condo and into Ric's parents' house. They graciously scoot over and rearrange and give us 2 bedrooms. Number of people in the house goes from 4 to 9.
July 7 - Ric's sister, her husband, and 4 children arrive from CO to spend the next 3 weeks with the family. Also at Mom and Dad's. Number of people in the house goes from 9 to 15. Though, her husband had to leave after a few days to go back and work :(.
July 8 - We take family pictures because this is the first time in 7 years that we've all been in the same place long enough to get one. (Done by a friend in our old ward, will post some another time - fabulous job!) Just before leaving, Ric manages to catch the guy we're planning to rent from on the phone and finds out the guy isn't ready to kick his daughter out and has no timeframe on that for us. Ric and the guy decide we need to move on and get things settled because Stratton needs to get registered for kindergarten. I throw a minor fit with only a few tears (we have pictures in just minutes, after all). This guy was going to give us an amazing deal on renting a 4 bedroom home with a fenced back yard and all - it was going to cost the same as our condo. We sold our condo based on what he'd been telling Ric for the last 6 months!
The next 2 weeks were blissfully spent playing with cousins and having a grand old time: late nights playing games around the kitchen table, long hot afternoons with the kids playing in the sprinklers and jumping on the trampoline, a trip up to Ogden to the Treehouse Museum (awesome!), gourmet meals made for 20 or more Rogers' at a time, dollar theater, McDonald's, morning walks, virgin margaritas on the back porch swing, and just generally savoring each other's company. We LOVE it when Candace and the kids come! :)
We left the ongoing party to spend the 24th of July down at my grandparents' cabin in southern Utah, near Bryce canyon, with my family. The cabin is a nearly pristine paradise (except for the occasional cowpie) on 100 acres, nestled in a canyon with forest service property on 3 sides, and a rancher down the road at the mouth of the canyon. We enjoy the seclusion and the chance to just spend time in nature and with family. My kids were in heaven: dirt and rocks as far as the eye can see, and an abundance of horny toads to catch this year (actually a horned lizard, but we've been catching them every year since I was a little kid going there and have always been a highlight to little ones).
We almost didn't make it out on Tuesday because of the rain not being conducive to a van full, driving down dirt roads. But we made it home uneventfully, in time for me to wash a couple of loads of laundry, make a quick run to Walmart to restock my driving snacks, and catch a few hours sleep before the kids, my mother-in-law and I caravaned out to CO with Candace to stay for the rest of the week. We got to stay in their beautiful new house, play at their cool neighborhood park, help with the weeding, and spend more time with cousins! I was introduced to "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "The Marriage Ref" and Magnum bars (gourmet Belgian chocolate covered ice cream...did I ever really live before partaking?!).
Mom and I drove back with the kids late Saturday night, arriving in SLC about 3:30 am. The next morning we got up and went up to church and a baby blessing and family party for my side in Bountiful.
The next day my sister, Karina, and her husband, Devin, and baby, Becca, arrived in SLC. The trip for Karina and Becca was already planned, but altered to include Devin because his father had unexpectedly passed away in a car accident while I was in CO. Oh Devin! How my heart goes out to him and his sweet family! Devin's dad's funeral was the following Thursday and although we were grateful to be able to have Devin home here with Karina and Becca that week, to say the circumstances were tragic just doesn't seem to do it justice.
But Devin and his family are amazing! They came over to my parents' for dinner and games one night and we loved being able to spend time with their fun family. They all did a beautiful job at the funeral and our thoughts and prayers are ever with them right now.
Karina and Becca stayed another week after Devin and the rest of his family had to leave (most to TX). We spent all last week with them - sleepovers up at my parents' house, luncheon with aunts and cousins, watching "Pride and Prejudice" (the short version) while doing self-pedicures, morning walks, nighttime partying... can you tell we just never get enough family time!? And we had to give little Becca all the loves and kisses that we possibly could to last her until we get to see her at Christmas - but by then she'll be nearly a year old!
Karina and Becca left to head back to TX on Friday, Saturday and Sunday we had a farewell with the accompanying partying for one of our favorites, Brock. He really did a great job on his talk and we're so excited for him to go on a mission for the church. He joined the church about a year and a half ago and it has been so neat to watch his testimony of Jesus Christ grow and see how much he has changed and matured. We've watched him prepare to go on a mission and know that his excitement over the things he's learned will help him be able to share the gospel. Yay Brock!
And now we've got to hurry and go change into swimsuits because we're off again! Headed out with Ric's family to take Dad's boat to the lake for some water fun!
Sorry for the overly long post, but now you're up to date on the crazy Rogers family life! Love to you all!! :)

Random Song from You Tube

2011-06-22T22:11:00.003-06:00

My aunt and uncle sang this a loooong time ago and I've never heard it since then, but found it tonight, while looking online for girls camp songs and thought I'd post it for my sister. Debbie Reynolds is super cute and I love her in "Singing in the Rain" so I was delighted to see her in this one.

I apologize - I know I haven't posted in forever and here I finally do with a really weird one... one of these days I'll do a real catch up post!

Journal Entry

2011-04-11T09:22:00.001-06:00

Another Creighton funny: the rule is that you have to ask to be excused from the table after you're done with your meal, and then when you are excused you take your plate to the sink. This was Ric's idea and it happens about 50% of the time. I've really been trying to remember to enforce it though. And I do really push getting the boys to clear their plates, but Creighton has been rather obstinate lately. He tells me it takes to long. I usually respond with, "Fine, then you can go be in the corner and see how long that takes." He then will choose to take the plate over.

Ric handled it a little differently on Saturday though. When Creighton gave Ric his usual response of it taking too long, Ric then reminded him that that's what we do. Creighton whined again about it taking too long. "But Dad, it takes five minutes!" (He thinks five minutes is an eternity.) Ric loudly said, "Creighton, NOW!" Not cowed, but knowing Dad meant business, Creighton grumpily grabbed his plate and walked to the sink.

Ric and I didn't notice his quiet, "One...two...three...four..." until he reached the sink and, raising his voice, triumphantly said, "FIVE!" as he slid the plate in. "See Dad, it take me five minutes!" he whined again. I tried to hide a smile and it was all I could do to keep from laughing. I'm afraid that child is going to give us major grief by the time he's a teenager and it won't be nearly as humorous then!

Spring Boutique!

2011-04-07T22:00:00.002-06:00

My Mom and I had so much fun with the fall boutique, we're doing the spring one too this year. Come and see all the creative stuff that people make. You may even find something you just can't live without! :)

Better Homes and Gardens Magazine Deal

2011-03-31T18:46:00.003-06:00

Does anyone like Better Homes and Gardens magazine? Well if so, you can get a year's subscription for $5. Here's the website www.tanga.com/products/better-homes-gardens-magazine-subcription--26 and you enter the coupon code SAVING at checkout. I got this from the moneysavingmom.com website (http://moneysavingmom.com/2011/03/taste-of-home-better-homes-and-gardens-and-family-fun-magazines-for-3-99-per-year.html) and there are a couple of other ones if you're interested. Yay for a good deal! :)

(sorry about the copy and paste you'll have to do to get there - couldn't get my hyperlink to work at the moment)

BYU Basketball and the Honor Code

2011-03-25T15:48:00.002-06:00

My Dad sent out an email to all of us kids today, expressing his disappointment over last night's loss for BYU. But he was also talking about how much he liked the positive things people have had to say about BYU's honor code and the positive publicity the Church is getting over it all. This was my response... I felt it was blog-worthy as it's something i feel really strongly about and may be a small insight into "mormondom" and why we do what we do:

good thoughts, dad - hooray for church standards and the honor code! same with being missionaries - people didn't understand the standards we held ourselves to but respected them nonetheless (although they may have thought we were crazy). i italicize that because many misunderstood both the honor code and the missionary rules as being something we were forced into living, but not only do you make the choice to follow the rules and honor code back when you decide to go to a church school or to go on a mission, i really feel that there is a power that comes when you are truly holding yourself to the rules/honor code.

i guess you could take it a step further and say the same for the church standards that apply to all members of the church. because you choose to live the law of chastity and the word of wisdom and pay tithing and follow the prophet, etc, you never see it as a burden (which is a blessing in and of itself), and therefore can receive greater blessings. goes back to that quote from elder maxwell about the difference between being honorable and valiant...

and that's my 2 cents worth - because you know i've always got at least 2 cents to say about everything!

ser

Stratton's Primary Talk

2011-03-18T18:29:00.003-06:00

Another behind post. He did this about a month ago. This is his re-enactment at Keely's bday party for Grandpas and Grandma. Cute kid! He did a good job. His notes were mostly pictures. :)

Happy Birthday, Keelian!

2011-03-17T12:48:00.004-06:00

Keelian Belle turned one on February 28th. We celebrated her birthday with our adopted family the day before (chocolate cake with pink frosting!) and then on her birthday we had our families over for 'cakes and shakes. Keely loved the cake, cupcake, and shake! She's never had that much sugar - turns out it makes her pretty loopy, well that and that we kept her up late to celebrate. So fun! We love our little Keelian! Thank you to all of our extended and adopted family members who were able to celebrate with us! :)

Too Funny To Not Post

2011-03-03T18:29:00.002-07:00

My sister just posted this gem on her blog and I stole it so that you can also enjoy the ridiculousness that pervades at Stratton family gatherings! (As this pushed my morning sickness over the edge, I never did get to see the end results of this competition. I was outside throwing up.)

Keely Baby

2011-02-22T12:30:00.002-07:00

Just because I love my Keely, here are a couple more videos of just her:

And this one's my favorite!

Keely's Army Crawl

2011-02-11T21:38:00.004-07:00

Keelian's pretty speedy at the army crawl, but lately she has also been known to get up on her hands and knees to crawl occasionally (finally!). I think she's just so fast at it that she's not had the desire to get on her hands and knees. In this one her desire is to get to her cousin, Boston. She loves Boston and she loves to give him loves... he is not so fond of it (see following picture). He can walk and so he had run away from her and she's following after. This is just a short sampling of the army crawl skills:

Boston, we'll see if this is what you still think of girls when you turn 16! ;)

Snowy Days!

2011-01-31T11:59:00.002-07:00

These were some videos I took earlier this month of the kids:

Lego Man

2011-01-28T22:16:00.003-07:00

Stratton has discovered how much fun Legos are! He had some before and has enjoyed them... but always within the limits of what the instructions dictate ("No Mom, I can't use a red one, the picture says it has to be a blue piece!" - very frustrating). For his birthday and Christmas he got a few more Lego sets and has spent a lot of time with them since. And thanks to some serious playtime with Uncle Jacob, he has learned to think outside the box (or the directions).

These are pictures of his "Star Wars aircraft" that he labored over all morning today. He then insisted on taking these pictures himself (including the self-portrait) so that his cousins could see. So here they are!

Freezer Food Fridays...

2011-01-14T21:24:00.002-07:00

... has moved!

In order to appease my husband and children and also satisfy my desire to still post some favorite freezer meals, I have created an entirely new blog devoted to freezer meals. Go check it out! http://freezerfoodfridays.blogspot.com/

Creighton's New 'Do!

2011-01-10T13:37:00.002-07:00

The boys got haircuts Saturday night. After, I put all 3 kids in the tub and walked into the other room (yes, totally unsafe, I know). I was gone maybe a minute and a half, tops, and came back to find this:

Big trouble!!! Cratey had gotten out of the tub, climbed back up on the chair (naked and dripping water all over the hair mess), grabbed the little neck trimmer, and added to my haircut. It was not fixable.

So I shaved him bald. He cried the whole time. I wanted to cry too. His hair has never been this short! This is him checking it out after I had finished:

I made sure to really make him feel badly about cutting his own hair and now having to be bald. I had visions of him cutting Keely's hair if I didn't make him feel appropriately remorseful. (I even instructed Ric that when he got home he was not to laugh or tell Cratey how cool he looked.) Evidently Creighton doesn't yet understand that hair grows, because after I put him back into the bathtub I said, "It's okay, your hair will grow back after a while and you'll look normal again." Immediately he brightened up and said, "Really, Mom? Oh sank you!!" This is his relief:

Christmas Eve Devotional

2010-12-28T14:36:00.002-07:00

My family always does a devotional Christmas Eve, where everyone is asked to come prepared with a song or poem or story about the true meaning of Christmas (okay so Cratey's is not spiritual at all, but it was a last minute idea and had to be on his level!). We don't do any gifts and it's always a neat evening and just a great chance to focus on the Savior.

Free Patterns

2010-12-23T22:07:00.003-07:00

Hey all, I came across this website where this gal is giving her patterns out for free. (Have I mentioned how much I love the word "free"?) Out of all the crafty things I like to do, sewing is not one of them. I have been known to do it on the rare occasion (seems like it's always around this time of year), but I find it incredibly painful. However, I got the patterns for some baby shoes that were way cute and I'm thinking I might just have to give it a try!

Anyway, here's the website that explains it and you just have to click on the gray link to get to her shop to buy the patterns. http://myhomespunthreads.blogspot.com/

A Stolen I-Phone

2010-12-22T14:32:00.002-07:00

I uploaded the pictures from Ric's phone onto our computer the other night and just for nostalgia's sake Ric and I stayed up looking through them and reminiscing. Imagine our surprise when we came across the following sequence...

Hee, hee! I know it's gross, but it was just so hilarious I couldn't resist! There were actually about 20 pictures he took in all, but blogger only let me post this many at a time and I didn't think you actually wanted to sit through all of them. However, it was quite an interesting commentary on what life looked like through the eyes of our 4 year old!

Just Pictures

2010-12-09T21:29:00.003-07:00

So my husband and children are disgusted that this "has turned into a food blog". In an effort to appease them, I am posting pictures (of them). No, there is no theme to these pictures, just cute ones I've taken recently. Sorry family, I do love you more than food! (Well, usually.)

I think Keely's waving in this one.

This next one was tonight. A momentous occasion: all 3 kids in the bathtub for the first time. (Ric thinks I'm weird, but I can't help it - I love bathtub pictures!) Directly after the picture I got Keelian out and let the boys continue playing. I came back later to find the bathroom under 1/4 inch of water and more flooding out onto the carpet just outside the door. Creighton.

He was put in time out (naked) while I started to clean up. I brought him back in a few minutes later to show him what a mess he made. That backfired as he was totally delighted to see all the water - animatedly told me he dumped the water out of the tub because "it was sinking!" - like it was some life or death situation. It's sure tough to discipline someone who's so totally excited about what they did wrong. :/

The boys were too impatient for me to pull out all the decorations in the Christmas boxes so they started without me. Creighton obviously doesn't yet understand all this Christmas hoopla, but he did find a good use for some of the decorations!

And speaking of messes...

Love you, my family! ;)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2010-12-03T23:02:00.003-07:00

3 cups cooked, chopped chicken breast (I used 3/4 jar of home bottled chicken)

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 cans chicken broth (about 4 cups)

1 (16 oz.) jar of salsa

1 heaping teaspoon chili powder

1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin

2 heaping tablespoons lime juice

½ (16 oz. bag) frozen corn

1 teaspoon chipotle rub (optional)

Sauté onion and garlic with cooked chicken breast until tender, about 3 minutes. Add chicken broth, salsa, chili powder, cumin, and lime juice, bringing to a boil. Reduce heat and cook 10 minutes and add corn, cooking for a few more minutes.

To eat immediately: serve with tortilla chips, avocado, cheddar or pepper-jack cheese, and sour cream.

For a freezer meal: cool to room temperature, transfer to freezer bags, label and freeze for no longer than 3 months. When ready to eat, defrost and reheat over low heat. Serve with tortilla chips, avocado, cheddar or pepper-jack cheese, and sour cream.

*I tried this one out this week and it was oh so easy and really good! I altered this recipe a bit from the original in Holly Clegg's Freezer Friendly Meals book. As with most soups, you really can just kind of dump and adjust to what you like. This adjustment is perfect for one meal for my small family (2 adults, 2 small children) with not much extra, so if you're cooking for more, dump in a bit more chicken broth to stretch it. ;)

Freezer Apple Pie Filling

2010-11-26T23:12:00.003-07:00

Apple Pie Filling

Original Recipe Yield 5 - 9 inch pies

Ingredients

· 24 cups thinly sliced apples

· 3 tablespoons lemon juice

· 2 cups water

· 2 ¼ cups white sugar

· 2 ¼ cups brown sugar

· 1 cup cornstarch

· 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

· 1 teaspoon salt

· ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

· 10 cups water

Directions

1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice and 2 cups water and set aside. Pour water into a large cooking pot and heat over medium heat. Combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to water (*It is important that the water is only lukewarm when you add these ingredients or else the cornstarch will clump up!), stir well, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

2. Drain and add apples and return to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until apples are tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

3. Ladle into 5 freezer bags. Cool at room temperature no longer than 1 1/2 hours.

4. Seal and freeze. Don't forget to put the bags in a container to freeze uniformly. Can be stored for up to 12 months.

*Notes: You may want to use a firmer apple (like a granny smith, not a golden delicious) that will hold its shape well with heating, freezing, then reheating so that your pie isn’t just mush. Also, as these apples are already somewhat cooked you may need to reduce the bake time when it comes to actually baking your apple pie.

If you want to take this idea a bit further, try making and freezing your own pie crust. J (But if you want to try that, I would recommend you freeze the unbaked pie crust separate from the filling so that the crust doesn’t get slimy.)

Fall on Temple Square

2010-11-23T11:22:00.004-07:00

We were already on temple square and dressed up for a family wedding, so we took

advantage of the time to get in a couple of nice family shots.

Feather Light Overnight Rolls

2010-11-19T14:29:00.003-07:00

Mom and I brainstormed yesterday about how to simplify our big Thanksgiving dinner preparations. We decided to get done what we could ahead of time. One of the things we're doing is preparing the rolls this weekend. You get them to the point where they are all shaped and need to raise to bake, and then you freeze them. So I'll mix them tonite, stick them in the fridge and let them do the 1st raise overnight, roll them out in the morning, stick them on a cookie sheet in the freezer, then pop them in a ziploc after they're frozen.

Next Thursday morning I'll pull them out and stick them back on the cookie sheet (lightly covered with plastic wrap so they don't dry out) and let them raise until early afternoon, then bake them right after the turkey comes out of the oven, and in my perfect little plan they will come out of the oven, moist and golden, just as we sit down to our feast!

And then everyone will ooh and aah and tell me they're just too beautiful to eat...(okay, reality check - the most appreciation they'll probably garner is that my brothers will wolf down most of them before the rest of us get any)... But anyway, this is a recipe I got from Meridian magazine last Thanksgiving and it quickly became my all-time favorite roll recipe.

FEATHER LIGHT OVERNIGHT ROLLS - Light and irresistible. Can freeze rolled dough

1 cup water

1 cup butter (2 squares)

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. salt

1 cup cold water

4 beaten eggs

2 pkgs. yeast (1/4 oz. each)

1/2 cup water

7 1/2 cups flour

Bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add butter, sugar, and salt. Once butter is melted, remove from heat. Pour into large plastic container. Add 1 cup cold water. Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water (not hot). When first mixture is lukewarm, add yeast mixture and beaten eggs. Stir briefly. Add flour and stir together. Cover container with lid and refrigerate overnight. When ready to roll out, divide in thirds. Flour surface of breadboard. Roll dough out in a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Spread dough lightly with butter. Cut dough down the middle. Shape each half into about six triangles. Roll each up beginning at the wide end to form crescent shape. Oil baking sheet. Put on 3 baking sheets (about 12 per sheet). Let rise about 4 hours. Bake at 400 degrees for about 12 minutes.

If doing ahead, freeze after dough has been shaped into crescent rolls and placed on cookie sheets. Once frozen, put into plastic freezer bags until ready to use. Return them to cookie sheets and let rise about 6 hours or until light. Proceed with previous baking instructions.

We have also talked about pre-baking our pie shells (MC's acknowledged for the many years my hubby did that!), and I have a freezer apple pie filling recipe i'm going to try (I'll tell you how it went next week), and I've also found a mashed potato recipe that can be done in the crock pot ahead of time (not a freezer recipe per se, but here's the link if you're interested http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooker-Mashed-Potatoes/Detail.aspx). So here's to a less stressed Thanksgiving day!

Creamy Chicken and Pasta

2010-11-13T13:32:00.004-07:00

Shall we just rename it "Freezer Food Saturday"? It just doesn't have the same ring to it. Family wedding yesterday... an all day affair.

Creamy Chicken and Pasta

3 cups pasta, any shape

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 12-ounce can evaporated milk

1/3 cup parmesean cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

2/3 cup French fried onions

1 pint canned chicken, drained (or 2 cups cooked chicken)

Salt and pepper to taste

Cook pasta in salted water for 1/2 of the time recommended on the package. Drain. Combine all ingredients. Put in gallon freezer bag, label, freeze (remember for uniformity and easier storage in freezer to freeze filled bag in a casserole dish).

Thaw before baking in a greased casserole dish. Bake covered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Uncover, top with more French fried onions. Bake for 5 more minutes.

Freezer Food Friday...on Saturday!

2010-11-06T11:56:00.004-06:00

Okay, I'm pretty lame, I know. I'll get this down yet! ;)

This week's meal is one I got from my mother-in-law but tweaked it a bit (used red peppers instead of green because I think red taste better cooked!). It sounds intimidating, but is really very easy. And you can quite easily do a ton all at once. I love this one because you don't have to wait for it to thaw before you pop it in the oven.

Stuffed Red Peppers

Pepper Shells

3 Large Red Peppers

5 cups boiling salted water

Meat Filling

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, chopped (about ¼ cup)

½ cup chopped celery

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

½ cup uncooked instant rice

½ cup water

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut each pepper lengthwise in half. Wash insides and outsides; remove seeds and membranes. Cook peppers in boiling salted water 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Cook and stir meat, onion, and celery in large skillet until meat is brown. Drain off fat. Stir in half the tomato sauce and the remaining ingredients; heat to boiling. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 5 minutes.

Place peppers cut sides up in ungreased baking pan, 9x9x2 or 8x8x2 inches. Spoon meat filling into peppers. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 25 minutes. Uncover; top with remaining tomato sauce and bake 5 minutes.

Makes 4-5 servings.

For freezer version, prepare as above except stir all the tomato sauce into the filling mixture, cover with aluminum foil but do not bake. Label; freeze no longer than 2 months. I wrap them individually in plastic wrap and then put them all in a gallon freezer bag.

To serve: Bake foil-covered pan of frozen peppers in 350 degree oven until hot, 1- 1 ¼ hours. Uncover; top peppers with cheddar cheese slices, catsup, or chili sauce and bake 5 minutes.

A Peanut Butter and Jelly Love Song

2010-11-04T21:01:00.001-06:00

This is my new favorite song! :)

Holiday Boutique

2010-11-03T15:10:00.003-06:00

I'm so excited!!! This is a really nice, fun boutique my mom and I go to every year. About October I start looking forward to it. We go under the guise of buying Christmas presents, but usually end up getting more things for ourselves and our homes :P. Every year we get cute ideas and say to each other, "Gee, I could do that if I had the time," or "We can make cute stuff like this; why don't we sell stuff here?" Well this year we are! We're going to have some of our homemade breads, sweet rolls, and granola there. (We entered to late to get in any crafty things... maybe next year!)

There are cute items for every price range and even if you don't buy anything it's fun to get crafty ideas for your own home. So go check it out!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-02T17:04:00.002-06:00

A dry run of the costumes a couple weeks before Halloween. These are all the local Rogers' grandkids.

Yes, Cratey was bored and ready to be done with pictures - I began to feel the same way after a bit!

After much anticipation for the pumpkin carving event, it was rather comical to see the lack of enthusiasm and Stratton's reaction to the dirty work of carving:

They did survive, and here's the finished product:

And these are our two cowboys later that night, ready to rustle up some candy. (And our little Keely-Cat!)

He-lo sugar high for the next two weeks!!!! :/

Freezer Food Friday FAILURE!

2010-10-30T10:05:00.002-06:00

So we did a preview of trick or treating last night at Ric's office, Great-grandma's house, and my parents' house... consequently I spaced the post I had ready to put on last night. :/ Ha! Oh well, here we go:

Lasagne Casserole

1 pound ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1 t. minced garlic (I'm all for the Costco bottles of pre-minced garlic. Just know there's extra sodium, so you may need to decrease the amount of salt you use in your recipes.)

1/2 of a 1 lb. package of bowtie pasta (8 oz.)

1 can of spaghetti sauce

1 can of tomato sauce

2 T. sugar

1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach

1 cup cottage cheese (or 1/2 of a small container)

2 eggs, slightly beaten

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. Italian seasoning (or your own mix of basil, oregano, and thyme)

Brown the ground beef with the onion. Cook the bowtie pasta in salted water for half of the time recommended on the package. While the beef is browning and the pasta is cooking, in a separate bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients. Put in a gallon freezer bag. Label and freeze.

To serve: Thaw. Place in greased baking dish. Stir. Place baking dish on a baking sheet. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with more grated cheese.

*Tips:

I love the "estimate and dump" method so some of the measurements aren't very technical. Makes it faster ;).

For easier, more uniform freezing, put your gallon freezer bag in a casserole dish in your freezer. Once it's frozen, just pop it out and stick it back in your freezer. They stack really well this way.

For my family I split the sauce and noodles in half, cooking half of the noodles fully and also cooking half of the sauce fully (to cook the egg). Then I use that for dinner and follow the recipe for making the other half a freezer meal.

If you also have a husband or children that are not overly fond of spinach, it might be in your best interest to chop the spinach even more (that disguises it a bit) and maybe even decrease the amount by half!

Try it and let me know what you think!

Announcing Freezer Food Fridays!!!

2010-10-22T14:13:00.002-06:00

With encouragement from my sister, I have decided to begin doing Freezer Food Fridays where I will post a new freezer friendly meal (or dessert!) every Friday - along with maybe a tip or two. Freezer meals have been an obsession of mine for the last 6+ months. It just makes so much sense to me - cook once, eat twice (or more!).

So I've bought a couple of books, hunted recipes online, created my own, and found a bunch that I really like (and some I don't). Acknowledged, tastes vary. But these will all be meals that I have tried and tested on my family.

So check back next Friday and I'll have a yummy recipe for you to try!

What do you think? I'm excited! :)

Harvest Time

2010-10-14T21:14:00.002-06:00

Picking raspberries in Grandma and Grandpa's garden.

Grandma and Grandpa grew giant pumpkins this year.

We look forward to carving one!

I love my cute kids!

Brown Sugar Muffins

2010-10-13T10:17:00.002-06:00

I took these muffins to a brunch a few weeks ago and promised the recipe to my cousins, so here it is. The recipe was given to my mother by a dear friend - she brought these over with some honey-lemon tea when mom had a sore throat and they instantly became a family favorite. (By the way, these are definitely not low fat, but they are way easy to throw together, you most likely have all the ingredients on hand, and they are absolutely delicious and guaranteed to impress!)

Brown Sugar Muffins

Mix and crumble together:

1 c brown sugar

½ c margarine or butter, softened

2 c flour

½ t salt

1 t soda

Combine:

1 c milk

1 egg

1 t vanilla

Gently stir until moist. Add ½ c nuts if desired. Will be lumpy.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Makes 12-15 muffins.

Video my friend made

2010-10-07T13:44:00.002-06:00

This is a video about modesty that my friend made. Kinda goofy but in addition to a good laugh, it teaches good values. :)

Bug Soup

2010-10-05T12:01:00.001-06:00

Hey all, I finally got a You Tube account so that I can post some videos of the kiddos. (Just for you, K and D!)

Love my stinker boys!

Linguine with Tomatoes, Basil and Brie

2010-09-24T21:58:00.002-06:00

I was asked earlier this week what I cook for dinner. Well here is a recipe I discovered this week and decided I really like it. It's way easy and if you have generous in-laws with a large garden, it is a way cheap meal right now! This is actually a variation of something I do quite frequently. I love pastas! The changes I made to this were I probably used 2 teaspoons of minced garlic (no vampires around our house!), no pepper, and being repulsed by online descriptions of Brie cheese i opted for grated Parmesan (may try feta next time). Not hot at all - if you're going for spicy I'd add another jalapeno or keep in some of the seeds.

Linguine with Tomatoes, Basil and Brie

The beauty of this dish is that the hot pasta warms all the other uncooked ingredients.

8 oz. linguine
2 cups chopped seeded tomatoes
1/2 cup sliced fresh basil
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 jalapeno chile, veins and seeds removed, chopped
6 oz. Brie cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup (1 oz.) shaved Asiago cheese

1. Cook linguine according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, in large bowl, combine tomatoes, basil, oil, garlic and chile; stir gently to mix.

3. When linguine is cooked, drain; immediately add to tomato mixture. Add Brie cheese, salt and pepper; toss to combine. Sprinkle with Asiago cheese.

4 servings

Keely Update

2010-09-23T20:59:00.004-06:00

Keelian will be 7 months on Tuesday so I thought it was time for another update on her.

She is finally sitting up, but doesn't really like it much. She would rather be lying on her back, able to roll around. She is able to get all over the room that way.

She loves taking a bath and always gives me a huge grin when I wrap her up in her towel after. (I took an even cuter nakee bum picture, but I'm not sure that should be posted on the internet!)

Her foot is healing nicely. I've been putting vitamin e on it and I think that helps. Yes, the darker pink is the actual size of the burn. Poor baby! :(

She has become increasingly energetic, but remains quite patient with me, as if she realizes that I have many other demands for my time. But she definitely makes herself heard when she wants to be heard! And she's quite a little chatty girl.

Her brothers adore her and dote on her. Stratton knows he's her protector and frequently "saves" her from Creighton's not so gentle loving. Unfortunately he also thinks he's big enough to lift her and move her around, despite my orders otherwise.

Daddy also adores her and is relieved that she is finally showing a desire to stand. I think he was worried that she was developmentally behind because she didn't stand on his hand by 8 weeks old like the boys did. But she finally did it last Sunday, so he's feeling much better!

I constantly reassure him that I've just finally been given a normal, laid back, easy baby!

We love our baby girl!!

A Man and His Dog... A Boy and His Toad!

2010-09-15T14:30:00.003-06:00

The larger toad Ric brought back from high adventure two years ago (yes, it has survived for two years!) and the smaller one was a "gift" from our upstairs neighbor who found it one night when she took her dogs out and caught it for the boys.

This was the first time this year we've gotten them out and just let them hop around in the back area for a bit. The boys were ecstatic! And Creighton learned how to catch them and hold them on his own - quite humorous to witness, but admittedly not very humane!

I tried to talk Stratton into letting them go this summer - told him their moms probably miss them. He started crying, telling me he'd miss them too much! So much for my strategy for getting rid of them. Looks like we'll be buying crickets for a little bit longer yet. (I hate paying money to have bugs in my house - especially when they get loose!)

Ah well, I suppose a little boy needs something to love!

Gramma's Creek

2010-09-09T15:16:00.002-06:00

We went to my Grandma's house earlier this week for a luncheon with my cousin, second cousin, and their 3 kids. I have long been promising my boys a chance to get in the creek in Grandma's back yard so after the others left, I took them down and we got in the frigid creek.

I remember doing this when I was a kid and it was fun but oh so painfully cold, but it felt pretty good on a hot summer afternoon.

Cratey is not sure he wants to get back in! (Pics are out of order, sorry.)

After your feet go numb, it really is fun. Stratton didn't want to get out!

Cratey perched on the side again.

The happy picture.

The not-so-happy picture!

This was when the boys first stepped in. Mill Creek is just runoff from the snow up in the mountains. Now it's September so the water is pretty low, but still cold and being little boys, it came up to their thighs - mid-calf for me.

We took this picture and then the boys wanted out. Then after being out for a minute, Stratton wanted back in. Since Stratton got back in, Creighton wanted back in too. So they got back in and Stratton played around, exploring up and down, while Creighton tried to hug to the sides and stick to the high rocks to keep him out of the water as much as possible.

Maybe it'll be a little warmer and more fun next summer!

Labor Day Fun

2010-09-08T17:15:00.003-06:00

Monday morning we got up and went up Big Cottonwood Canyon on a family hike. I use the term "hike" loosely, as it was really more of a walk, stop and throw rocks, walk 10 more yards, stop and throw more rocks...

Proof that I was there - gotta take my own pic!

I love the mountains!

My little mountain goat.

This kid had a rock in his hand the entire rock - as soon as one was chucked in the water, another rock took it's place in his hand. He was obsessed!

Can't get enough beautiful scenery pics.

My Sweetheart. And this was Keely's first experience in the baby backpacker and she did great. (Love that carrier - it has been awesome and been on many adventures with our family.)

We also went to the Natural History Museum, went for ice cream at Arctic Circle, watched a family movie, walked to the park, and dropped by a family party for one of the young men in our ward. Busy day, but we loved spending it together!

Keelian's Foot

2010-08-18T09:58:00.001-06:00

It was such an idiot thing to do and I should have known better. I was cooking dinner and had her in the baby bjorn, facing forward, on the phone with mom Rogers, and reached up high above the stove to get a cookbook and it dragged Keely-Belle's foot across the hot burner. I burned a spot just bigger than a quarter on the top of her right foot. She kind of cried and I felt her foot and it felt hot, so I went to the couch to sit down and look at it. When I saw what I had done I started freaking out, "I burned my baby! I burned my baby!" (I would be hopeless as a paramedic.)

Ric had just come home from work and had the presence of mind to do something about it. He grabbed her from me and ran to the kitchen and started running her foot under cold water. I called Candace (family burn specialist due to a couple of her children having had bad burns) and she told me how to take care of it. Keely was an angel and really didn't cry too much over it after we got it under control.

A few days later the blister popped and so I took her to the doctor, just to make sure I was caring for it correctly. They seemed surprised that I wasn't very upset about it and that made me worry that they were thinking they needed to call child services because I didn't seem appropriately remorseful. But by that point it was three days after it happened and I wanted to tell them that this was my third child and probably wasn't the worst thing that had happened or is going to happen. Is that bad? The good news is that the doctor said she probably won't scar, so things are going fine as soon as we get it all healed over.

Keelian's First Cereal Experience

2010-08-09T21:56:00.003-06:00

I fed Keelian her first cereal meal a couple of weeks ago. She's been giving all the signs, but I haven't really done it because the boys were such spitters that they didn't do well with solids until about 6 months. Plus, it's time consuming and I've been so busy. But we've done it a few times and she really likes it. The first time was a mess, but she's catching the hang of this eating thing pretty quickly. And whenever she watches me or the boys eating, she just smacks her lips constantly, eyes glued to the food going in our mouths. I think getting her started on solids and getting Creighton progressing on potty training are going to be my goals this month.

Heaven help me keep my sanity!

Love this picture - wish it was a little more in focus!
This is her poor little burned foot. More on that next time.

Think Pink!

2010-07-26T12:31:00.002-06:00

On Saturday we had a family party at grandma's house with my mom's extended family. So fun to see family! My cousin's wife has recently been diagnosed with breast cancer and so we had a pink party to show her our support.

One of my cousins found this bracelet somewhere. It says, "I love boobies! Save a breast." And he said that the $4 he paid for it went to support breast cancer research.
We all wore pink. And some of the boys shaved their hair. (As Wendy will be soon losing hers, due to chemo.)
A good looking mohawk is a serious and precise business.
We did pink tattoos, pink nail polish, pink streaked hair, and such. This is Wendy teaching another cousin how to do the tattoos.
Yes, I had to go D.I. shopping to find pink for my boys and hubby, but they were all very good sports about it! I have to say that I really admire Wendy for her positive attitude and sense of humor about it all. We're praying for you, Wendy!

Summer is for Swimming!

2010-07-23T14:43:00.002-06:00

The boys did swimming lessons for a couple of weeks and loved it! One of my young women teaches private lessons and they took them from her this summer (Stratton has taken from her older sister for the past two summers) and she did a fabulous job with them. Stratton can now swim by himself for almost the entire length of the pool, and Creighton has come a long way towards being comfortable in the water and even doing some strokes. I am all for private lessons; I think it is very worth the investment. (Or maybe I just have had really good teachers for my boys!)

Fourth of July in Murray

2010-07-11T22:26:00.002-06:00

I know this is way after the fact, but I just wanted to post a picture of me and my running boy. Stratton and I both ran in the Murray City fun days festivities. I ran the 5k with my dad (our first race together and Dad totally helped me make my goal of running it in less than 30 minutes - I ran it at about 29:50 or so). After me and Dad's race, there was the kids' fun run (1/2 mile) and Dad, Sharlee, and I ran it with Stratton. He did a great job! It was his first race and I was very proud of him.

Dairy Days

2010-06-30T23:34:00.003-06:00

Last Friday my mother-in-law and I took the kids to "Dairy Days" down at Thanksgiving Point. They had all kinds of animals to feed, games to play, rides, butter to make, and learning opportunities. Creighton surprised me by riding a pony and really loving it (he's usually scared of any animal larger than he is! It was a hot day but we had lots of fun!

Keelian's Blessing

2010-06-11T09:01:00.003-06:00

Daddy's Girl!

(Please don't have a blowout!)

Keelian was finally blessed this last Sunday! We felt very loved by all the support we received from family and friends on this special day. How we treasure our family!

Silly Stratton Sayings

2010-06-03T17:25:00.000-06:00

There were some things that Stratton said a few months back (right before Keelian was born) that I jotted down on a piece of paper so as not to forget before I could journal it. Well I found the paper. These all happened on the same night.

I made something for dinner that involved spaghetti noodles that night. Whenever I do that, the boys pull out a noodle or two and it becomes their pet worm. This annoys me. That particular night, I was telling him to put his spaghetti noodle back in his bowl and eat it. This annoyed him. He finally said, "I'm tellin' ya for the last time: they're worms!" He also informed me, "He's seventy-eight and he's almost old!" When he finally did eat his dinner he said, "Mmm, this dinner is fabulug! How do you make it?" And then later in the bathtub that night I heard him hollering, "Bloody booger!" So I went in to see him holding this disgusting booger and he tells me, "I just felt it slime out of my nose." Gross. (But kind of funny!)

And then last week the Poulsens and I took our kids to McDonald's. I had Stratton and the girls in the back seat of the van and they were telling each other how old they were. Then I heard Stratton say, "I don't know how old my mom is, I think she's probably one hundred!" Ah, the perspective of a child!

A Temporary Spell

2010-05-28T16:58:00.000-06:00

Life is heavenly for a moment. Creighton is actually taking a nap today, Keelian is asleep also, warm and snuggled on my chest, Stratton is busy on some art project at the table, it's windy and sprinkling outside, and I have Pandora playing peaceful piano solos.

It won't last. As soon as Cratey wakes up, the spell will be broken and I'll turn into a witch again. I hate it, but the boys just push me to my limits constantly. Yesterday they were such stinkers! Nothing in my day went as planned (I know, I need to learn to be more flexible) and then as I was unloading the Costco groceries and about to head to Ric's parents' house, the were being disobedient and it was the last straw.

I really chewed them out. The whole time Creighton sat there saying, "What Mom? What Mom?" He could tell I was frustrated, but I think he didn't quite understand what was going on. So I stopped and explained that I was really mad at them because they didn't mind me and it really made me sad and hurt my feelings. Creighton then penitently said, "Awww man!!" And that just totally took the wind out of my sails. I had to turn around so they couldn't see me laughing.

A couple of days ago I was going to just list all of the things Creighton did all day. It was easy to keep track of because he left a trail of disaster behind him (accented with Stratton messes also). Instead I decided to keep track of things I was thankful for, but may be more of a commentary on my attempts at seeing the humor than positivity.

It went something like this: I'm thankful that the big bottle of soap Cratey dumped out while in the bathtub was only 1/3 of the way full to begin with. I'm thankful that Creighton didn't eat the hydrocortisone cream that he squeezed out all over his hands. I'm thankful that when Stratton peed in the van while I was in the post office mailing a package, he peed on the smallest rug in the van. I'm thankful that when Keelian had a blowout while laying on the clean laundry on my bed that the poop only got on exercise clothes and not the nice clothes or my bedspread. And so on...

Herb Planter

2010-05-25T10:03:00.003-06:00

I just wanted to post a picture of the herb pot I made my Mom for Mother's Day because I am just so proud of how it turned out! (I even had to make one for myself too.) I got the idea from a Martha Stewart magazine. Now I just need to learn how to do more cooking with fresh herbs!

Children and Chickens

2010-05-23T14:38:00.003-06:00

My Mom recently got it in her head that she absolutely must have chickens. She had them when she was growing up and has always talked about how fun it would be to have our own. But this spring, for some reason she decided she was tired of thinking about it and just did it - much to Dad's chagrin! I think she's up to 16 chickens now.

They bought them when they were just hatched and so we've gotten to play with little baby chicks and watch them grow. It has really been fun for the boys - especially Stratton. They are always asking to go to Grandma's house so they can see the chickens. And then they spend all their time in the back yard with them (oh how I want a yard!). Stratton is very good with them (except for when he sends the chicks down the little slide!) - he's not afraid of them at all and is pretty fast at catching them. Most of them are older now and are almost full size, but there are still three little new ones.

The chicks are the ones that Creighton likes; I think the bigger birds scare him. However, he's not nearly as gentle as Stratton is with them (carries them around with one hand, usually around their neck!). I'm surprised that all have survived!

And my Dad has been just putting up with it all. The whole situation has all been quite entertaining! And I'm way excited for the fresh eggs. In fact, I told Ric that if our yard is big enough, I plan on taking some of her chickens for us to keep. She really did get too many - she got carried away in buying them and has now decided that with 48+ eggs a week (hmm... but that was when she only had 13 chickens so I don't know what she's figuring now) she is going to sell the eggs.

Ric is not excited about the idea of us having them either, but I think this is one of those things where he just won't have a choice! Marriage is about compromise, right? Well he gets to go and play or watch sports and I get to have my plants. He brings home a toad for the boys to keep and I get to keep chickens!

2010-05-22T09:39:00.003-06:00

I have been interested in freezer meals for the last few years. The idea just really appeals to my plan-ahead personality. I was at the library the other day and came across a couple of cookbooks that intrigued me. One of them was Don't Panic: More Dinner's in the Freezer and Holly Clegg's Trim and Terrific Freezer Friendly Meals. I haven't really looked at the second one yet, but really liked the first one - in fact, I bought it (fyi-I found out you can buy used books through Barnes and Noble online for really dirt cheap!). We tried one of the recipes for pork chops last week that was really good and oh so easy:

Herb Crusted Pork Chops

8 pork chops, bone-in (mine weren't bone-in)

1 1/2 cups breadcrumbs (I used the seasoned breadcrumbs)

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped (I used 1/4 cup dried parsley)

2 teaspoons dried thyme

1/2 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste (I didn't think it even needed either)

Mix all the ingredients except the pork chops together. Dip the pork chops in the mixture. If you're freezing them, at this point wrap in plastic wrap, put wrapped chops in a ziploc bag and stick in the freezer. If you're serving them, broil on high for 2-3 minutes each side, then set the oven to 350 and bake for 20 minutes or until they're tender. (If you're cooking them after freezing them, just make sure they're completely thawed before you cook them the same way.) The easiest way is to do double what you'd do for your family and bake up half the night you make it, and freeze the other half. Same prep time, but two meals!

Soccer Superstar

2010-05-20T15:13:00.003-06:00

The Goalie Dance

Right after scoring his very first goal

Stratton had his last soccer game Tuesday evening. Ric signed him up for this little rec league at the Holladay Lion's Club. He's had 8 games in the past 4 weeks and has just loved it! Ric really wanted him to do this (gave up his gym membership to pay for it) and I was quite reticent (not really ready to be the soccer mom yet that has a crazy driving back and forth schedule), but it has been really fun to watch.

Stratton's team wore white shirts and they named themselves the White Sharks. Stratton loves being goalie. They had 12 little 3 and 4 year olds on the team and rotated each quarter who was goalie, but somehow Stratton managed to get to play goalie every game. He did pretty well too! He blocked almost all of the shots, and when he wasn't playing goalie he was a pretty decent forward - scored 8 or 10 goals.

At this level they just call it "bunch ball" because the little kids just run around the ball in one tight bunch. This was a little frustrating to Ric (Mr. Former Westminster Soccer Player/Chief Competitive Rogers Brother), but we had a few talks about not expecting too much from Stratton and I have to say that he did quite well at just being positive and encouraging and not pressuring. There was even one game where Stratton's coaches weren't able to be there and Ric stepped in and was the coach for the game. He was a way cute coach - very good with the kids. And Stratton is already begging to be signed up again!

Angels and A Superhero

2010-05-12T13:32:00.000-06:00

Creighton must have all kinds of angels watching over him! We had another scare with him and Stratton last week. I was over at Mom and Dad Rogers' and the boys were playing out back, as usual. They had been out there a while when I sat down to feed Keelian. Stratton came running in the back door saying, "Mom! Crater is in the lake! Crater is in the lake!" My brain was still trying to put together Crater Lake and what Stratton was talking about as Mom ran past me out the door. A little slow on the uptake, it dawned on me that Stratton meant the canal out back behind Mom and Dad's property and panic hit.

I just about threw the baby down on the couch next to Makell and flew out after Mom and Stratton. Wondering how I was going to save him with shoes that had no backs, I got there in time to see a scared and crying Creighton chest deep in the muddy water and Mom pulling him out. Mom said after that he was just hanging onto the cattails that grow really thick there at the edge. He wad trying to hold onto them to pull himself out but he kept slipping (which is probably why one of his fingers was bleeding). The water was cold with all the spring rain and he was freezing. uuuuu

Relief flooding through me, I snatched him up and carried him to the porch where I stripped him dowand promised him a warm bath. At the word "bath" Creighton stopped crying (he loves taking a bath and begs to do it all the time) and perked right up. And by the time I had him sitting in the bathtub, splashing in the running water, all was just fine and dandy in his world.

Oh that child! That's twice recently that he has totally stopped my heart like that! Thank goodness for Stratton's quick thinking in coming to get us. Thank goodness he didn't go in after him. Despite the fact that it was Stratton's fault that Creighton got out of the yard in the first place (he opened the back gate), I was just so glad that Cratey was safe that I sang Stratton's praises that night and told him he was a superhero because he had saved Cratey's life by coming and getting us so fast. Boy did he glow at that!

There is now a lock on both gates in the yard. I suppose it was inevitable that my little frogs discovered they could jump out of their bucket; I just wish I'd noticed it earlier!

Book Reviews

2010-04-26T10:21:00.001-06:00

I finished the most delightful book last week: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. It is set in England just post WWII. The main character is an authoress who is trying to figure out what to write about now that the war is over. For me it was a fascinating picture of what WWII was like in an aspect I've never studied before. The format was very conducive to my reading schedule - all letters, which made it easy, because of their length, for me to be able to stop and start whenever. And the romance woven into the storyline didn't hurt either! I'd definitely give it a "read again" rating.

I've also finished two other books since the beginning of the year. The first one was The Strong-Willed Child by Dr. James Dobson. Dad thought it was one that I needed to read (I can't imagine why!). It was really a great book. It was very insightful. He first explains about the will of a child and helps you understand what a strong-willed child is and why. Then he goes through the different ages/stages from toddler to teenager, describing what is going on in their mental development and how to best discipline them and help them. I need to remember to reread that one in a few years! I'd give that one a "buy and hilight" rating.

The second book was The Continuous Atonement by Brad Wilcox. This one was given to all of us kids by my mother-in-law for Christmas. The best way to describe it is to say that Brother Wilcox teaches complex concepts the atonement in a simple way. It could be considered an easy doctrinal read (larger print, more white space on a page, chapters broken down into sub-topics, many stories to illustrate his points), but the concepts he talks about, with regards to the atonement of Jesus Christ, taught me how Christ did so much more than just suffer for my sins to enable me to return to Father in Heaven. He made it very real and accessible for me, the reader/regular, run-of-the-mill member of the Church. Definitely a "buy and highlight".

Wild Goose Chase!

2010-04-24T16:33:00.000-06:00

I hate geese. Okay, maybe it's more like I'm terrified of geese. I think they are the meanest, orneriest things. Whenever we go feed the ducks the geese are the most aggressive and to a kid that's pretty scary to have something as tall as you, honking in your face and snatching bread from your hand. And the last couple of times I've gone running in the park I've been chased by one. I think they're male geese protecting a nest, but still! I give them a wide berth and they still chase me, honking, wings outstretched - it really freaks me out. So I changed my running route.

Me and My Ficus

2010-04-23T11:33:00.003-06:00

Ric and I listed our condo this week (anybody want to buy it?) and we showed it twice yesterday evening. It was just to realtors both times, however. So they were really just trying to get our business (we've not listed it with a realtor yet). But Ric and I cleaned and organized all day, finishing just in time. Well, by the end we were just stuffing things places - mostly in the van.

I have too many plants huddled by my windows, so in an effort to minimize I am having my sister and my mother-in-law plant sit until we sell. Well I hadn't taken the plants to their houses yet, so last night they went in the van too. The kids and I left while Ric fielded the realtors. So I drove around with a van full of dirty laundry, four houseplants, and three kids - among other things! I'm sure I looked homeless - except what person living out of a van would keep a ficus on the dashboard?

I sure hope our place sells fast - I don't know how long I can keep up the facade of an immaculately clean and organized family!

A Momma's Drama

2010-04-19T19:29:00.002-06:00

Two weeks ago I lost Creighton and got the police called on me. That was a rather traumatic experience. I had Keelian asleep inside and was playing outside with the boys. I went in to check on her and grab something and was gone only about two minutes. When I went back out I couldn't see Creighton. My first thought was that he'd ran down to the end of the condo property to throw rocks in the creek, so I jogged down to the broken gate but didn't see him - thank goodness he hadn't gone down there and fallen in! So then I started checking all of the stairs. By then I was starting to panic and had Stratton helping me too. I still couldn't find him and he wasn't answering. I saw a vehicle turn around in our condo parking lot and the thought crossed my mind that someone had taken him. I really started to worry.

Then I heard him crying. I could just hear it every few seconds or so. It was a serious cry. That made me really freak out. I had visions of someone hurting my baby and I could hear it but I didn't know where to look. I started heading out to go up the driveway and check the street when I saw Creighton come running down the driveway, followed by two women. One was on the phone describing our condos and location and the other one was Creighton's nursery leader.

What had happened was that this other lady was driving down Vine street and saw this little boy running down the street all by himself, so she pulled over (it was her vehicle I'd seen turn around in our parking lot) and went to get him. He freaked out and started crying, running away from her. At this point Carla looked out her window and saw Creighton being chased by a woman, looking too scared for her to just be a grandma playing with him. So Carla went out and talked to her, explained that he was in her primary class and I just lived back behind her, but the lady still insisted on calling the police, I guess.

I was surprised he had run up there. He'd never done that before by himself - only when we had taken walks together. He was good and scared by the experience though. I hope it traumatized him as much as it did me. We went in the house and sat on the couch and he just let me hold him for a long time while I sobbed out of relief. After a few minutes there was a knock at the door. It was a police officer. He was just there to make sure it wasn't a "drunken mother situation". How embarrassing! He got my name, date of birth, phone number, Cratey's date of birth, and asked how he got out, etc. I'm sure I now have a criminal record - negligent mother - down at the Murray police station. The whole thing was just awful - it ruined my whole day.

Creighton is Two!

2010-03-28T16:11:00.003-06:00

Creighton's second birthday was yesterday. We celebrated by taking the kids to Chuck E. Cheese's yesterday afternoon. The boys really enjoyed that - I think Creighton's favorite part was putting the tokens in the machines and pulling off the tickets... most of the games seemed a little old for him. Stratton really enjoyed it all though!

And yesterday evening we did cake (cupcakes) and presents. With each present he opened he gave an excited "Oh, Thank you!" squeal. It was a fun birthday!

Home Sweet Chamberpot?

2010-03-24T17:40:00.001-06:00

My life is so gross! I also thought of titling this entry "Down in the dumps". For the last two days Stratton has been sick and had diarrhea and I ended up having to rinse out his underwear twice because he didn't make it to the bathroom in time. Ugh! (But I am grateful that those are the only accidents he's had since he's been potty trained, which has been since he turned three.) So then I needed to bleach the sinks. I did this yesterday morning while Cratey was taking a bath. I finished cleaning the bathrooms and went back in to my bathroom to wash Creighton and get him out and found him standing next to the toilet with two big logs of poo on the floor between the tub and the toilet. ARGH!!

And as if that isn't enough, Cratey is making all the signals that say he's ready to be potty trained. So we bought him pull ups and have been starting having him use the potty. But he wants to do it about every 15 minutes. And he never does anything! I take it back - he usually does just one little toot and then jumps off and about sticks his head in, trying to see it. But he's taken off his diaper many times and peed on the floor once and in his bed repeatedly!

And we won't even go into Keelian and all the extra laundry I'm doing because of her!

Let me just say that being a stay-at-home mom is not for the fainthearted! This tests me like nothing I've ever experienced at college or working. I had to clean up throw up yesterday too (can you say, dry heaves?) And I'm not even getting paid or recognition for this (well, not in the way most people want or expect it). If I didn't believe so strongly in the importance of motherhood and the role mothers play in shaping their children's futures, then yesterday would have been a throw in the towel day!

More Keelian Pictures

2010-03-18T14:27:00.003-06:00

These are for my out of town siblings so they can see their niece via technology - even if they can't be here to see her!

I found Stratton likes snuggling his baby sister too. Had to move him after the pic, however, as I was afraid he'd suffocate her!
These are the most recent pictures of her (sometime late last week). Can't tell who she looks like yet.
At her doctor's appointment Monday, I found out that she's grown 1/2 an inch and put on almost a pound since birth.
My Mom and I did cute little naked pictures of her when she was 6 days old. So fun!

In Praise of Arnica montana

2010-03-15T16:35:00.005-06:00

I've discovered this wonderful little miracle called Arnica gel. You can find it in health and nutrition stores and it is used for bruising, swelling, and sprains. I was picking some up for my mother-in-law and it was a much cheaper price per ounce if you bought the two pack, so I thought I might get some for myself too.

It sounded kind of hokey at the time. (My father-in-law calls it "wuss cream"!) The sales lady said that she fell down some stairs and got some pretty bad bruising on her legs so she put some Arnica gel on it and the next day the bruises were almost gone. I was a bit dubious, but she was so impressed by it that I thought it was worth a try.

Boy, have I used it a lot since then! I think I use it on Creighton at least once a week; he's forever running into things or falling off things. And it turns out I have actually been really impressed. There have been many times where Creighton has gotten hurt and immediately after he's had a purpley blood blister looking spot - one that you know is going to be a nasty bruise - and I put the Arnica gel on it and by the next day it is practically gone.

One night, Stratton fell off the chair in our room, head first, and hit his forehead on the metal frame of our bed. Ouch! He had a deep line on his forehead where he'd hit (he was lucky the skin didn't break or that would have really bled!) and the beginnings of a nice goose egg. It happened to be right next to another bruise on his forehead that was at the green-almost healed stage. I put the Arnica gel on the new owie and the next morning there was no bruise. There was just a small bump and a faint line where the original one was. And the bump and line were both gone before the other bruise was. Impressive, eh? Yes, this one is a diaper bag necessity for my boys!

*Note: It works by dilating the blood capillaries to speed up the healing process. You're not supposed to take this internally or put it on any open cuts. Evidently it can be toxic, so use it carefully with kids.

Not to be outdone...

2010-03-11T16:50:00.002-07:00

Though Creighton doesn't say all the funny things Stratton does, he's a character in his own right. Ric and I decided that if he was a cartoon character, he'd be the Tazmanian Devil - "Taz" - from Looney Tunes. He's just a whirlwind of activity, mostly talking unintelligibly, a slobbering mess all over the place. But we love him! Here are some of his latest antics:

Hauling the baby training potty all over the house to use it as his stool. I can't express how much it grosses me out that he brings a toilet into the kitchen (no, nothing in it - it's just the idea of it!).
He was fascinated with "blowing" his nose in a kleenex and then flushing it down the toilet for the last couple of weeks, but last weekend he discovered something much more effective -- unrolling 6-8 yards of toilet paper at a time and flushing the whole lot of it! I really need to get childproof locks for the bathroom doors.
Sleep naked! For some inexplicable reason, that child will not leave his pajamas on after he's put to bed at night. Little Houdini worms his way out of the pj's (without even unzipping the onesie ones) and tosses them on the floor next to the crib. No matter how many times we go in and put the jammies back on, he always ends up undressed. So we've just given up on putting him in pj's for bed. It makes it much easier, really. At least he leaves the diaper on. However, we came in the other night and he had obviously tried to take it off and had gotten it undone on one side before he went to sleep, but then must've peed in his sleep because he was (asleep) soaked from head to toe. So we had to get him up and change the sheets and clean him up and he wasn't very happy! Guess that one backfired for him!

All in all, Creighton is an absolute joy though. He makes me crazy trying to keep up with him, but he is so willing and helpful and sweet (which is especially nice right now because Stratton is being rather independent and obstinate!). My favorite thing he does (and maybe it's because I didn't purposely teach him this) is whenever I sneeze or cough he says, "Bless you, Mama!" It totally melts my heart!

Wheels Always Turning...

2010-03-08T22:09:00.001-07:00

A couple of Stratton funnies:

About two weeks ago I was sitting in my Sunday school class, listening to the closing prayer, when I got a tap on my shoulder and Pam Moody whispered in my ear that Stratton had an emergency and I was needed in the bathroom. With pictures of blood dripping everywhere, I grabbed my bag and rushed (as fast as a 9 month pregnant woman wearing heels can rush) down the hall to where about 10 or 12 ward members were clustered around the men's bathroom. As I entered the bathroom I heard Stratton singing from one of the stalls. The stall door was open and there he was, perched on the toilet with feet swinging back and forth, pants around his ankles. "Stratton? What are you doing, Buddy?" "Hi Mom! I'm going potty," he answered brightly. Relief flooded through me. "Are you done? Do you need me to wipe your bum?" "Yep!" We took care of business and got his hands washed and he went running back to class. I couldn't help but laugh - that's what the emergency was all about?! The primary president told me he went to the bathroom and when he didn't come back his teacher went after him and he wouldn't let her wipe him, so she got the primary president but Stratton wouldn't let her either. They got Pam (the ward librarian, who sits behind us in sacrament meeting and always spoils the boys with treats and prizes every week) but Stratton wouldn't let her either. So they got the bishop, but he wouldn't let the bishop do it either! This whole time they'd been trying to find Ric and I but Ric had run home for something and for some reason they didn't see me when they looked into the Gospel Essentials class. It was quite hilarious actually - such a big to-do over my four year old that needed his bottom wiped! I was actually glad that nobody else had done it because it was an almost embarrassingly big poo!
A couple of nights ago I had sorted some laundry and needed it taken to the boys' bathroom/laundry room and asked Stratton if he could do it. "Sure!" he answered. "Ha! That's what any man could do!" And he handed me his favorite blanket, and pushed the basket to the bathroom. My hero!
I didn't realize how closely Stratton was paying attention to what I was doing when I nursed the baby until the other day I watched him lift up his shirt, and while holding it with his chin, stick his baby tiger stuffed animal up to his nipple. "I'm feeding my baby too," he informed me. "Honey, only mommies feed the babies," I corrected. He disregarded my instruction, arguing that daddies do too. I tried again. "No Buddy, it's a very special thing and only mommies feed their babies mommy milk." "Well daddies do too and they give the babies special daddy milk and it's chocolate milk and I'm the baby tiger's daddy," he stubbornly insisted. He had me there - chocolate milk trumps regular milk every time in my mind too. (I have since decided that it is now necessary to fully cover up when nursing!)

Keelian Belle Has Arrived!

2010-03-03T20:34:00.002-07:00

Keelian was born at 9:02 am Sunday. She was 8 lbs. and 19 1/2 in. We got home yesterday morning and are doing well. Stratton and Creighton are thrilled to death with their new little sister and are obsessed with playing with the new "toy". And of course Daddy is wrapped around her finger. We are loving our new baby!

Floating Psycho Ward

2010-02-26T14:26:00.002-07:00

If you've ever seen the Muppet version of Treasure Island, there's a part in there where they all get "cabin fever" on the boat because of the lack of a breeze to get the boat moving (and then they go into this hilarious song and dance where the boat becomes a "floating psycho ward"). That's kind of what state our home is in right now. I'm mostly just laying around, watching for some sign of a breeze that will tell me this baby is coming.

However, I've come down with a cold in the last few days and that's really why I've been laying around. I'm doing my best to get over it so that she really can come - because she's not allowed to come with me being sick! It just makes the waiting worse since I really don't feel up to getting out and doing things to keep my mind off of it at the moment.

But I just wanted to update everyone that no, we haven't gone to the hospital yet! =)

Miscellaneous News

2010-02-20T14:39:00.004-07:00

I think it must be karma or something, because I just had to report that after at least two years of coveting the roll recipe... I got it! =) I can't even say just how thrilled I am!

Also noteworthy is that we bought our first (and hopefully only) minivan this last week. Yes, I am now a Minivan Mommy. Mixed emotions on that one - it's a really nice vehicle, but I have trouble parking!

And I have less than a week until the baby is due! (However, knowing the timeliness issues that my Flegal genes carry, I am not really thinking she'll be here this coming week. Maybe the next week?) We have decided we will name her Keelian Belle Rogers. Keelian is a feminine twist on a family name. It is also Irish for "pretty". Belle is also a family name - plus I just think it's adorable. We are all excited and counting down around here!

Cheap Diapers and Frozen Peas

2010-02-12T16:11:00.001-07:00

We bought some really cheap diapers (couldn't make it until the next time we could afford to do Costco). Don't ever buy the cheap diapers. I have to use double the amount to make up for the fact that they don't hold as much as well. I've learned I have to change Creighton's diaper before I put him to bed, and then again before I go to bed or he will wake up in the morning totally soaked from head to toe (no literary exaggeration here). Gross. He doesn't like it much either.

So last night for dinner I did baked potatoes with butter, sour cream, and frozen peas on top. The boys loved it. Creighton especially loved the peas. He kept asking for more - except he kept calling it corn (I think he thought that when I was correcting him I was telling him to ask "please".) He even finished eating and then came back five minutes later to climb up and stand in Ric's seat and ask for more "corn pease".

Later last night I went in to change his diaper before I went to bed. As I rolled him over and started undressing him, he started mumbling in his sleep. As I continued, the mumbling got clearer and clearer. "Corn, corn, corn, corn." He finally got so loud that he woke himself up (either that or it was the fact that by then I had his diaper off and it probably wasn't very warm). But I just had to laugh; my almost 2 year old even talks in his sleep about food! Now that's obsession!

FYI on the New Year's Resolutions

2010-01-27T11:17:00.002-07:00

I did finally sit down and do some serious introspection and came up with some goals for 2010 - just the things that I really wanted to accomplish. And then I cut those in half! What I ended up with are these:

1) Finish studying 'Preach My Gospel'.

2) Attend the temple 12 times this year.

3) Read 6 books.

4) Run a 5k.

5) Scrapbook 2009.

6) Make my bedroom cute/nice.

7) Be actively involved in our family finances (tracking, budgeting, bill paying, saving).

8) Journal a minimum of 2 times a month.

9) Practice a talent once a month (drawing, painting, writing, piano).

I tried to go easy on myself, while still feeling like I will be accomplishing something. Let's see how I do... Here's to 2010!

On Secret Recipes

2010-01-20T16:07:00.001-07:00

I think it's really rotten of people to not share recipes. I can understand maybe not giving it out upon a person's first asking - you know, weeding out those who wouldn't really treasure how special it is - but if a person claims to really love your recipe and asks for it a couple of times, why wouldn't you share? I find it quite selfish and egocentric.

There is a roll recipe somewhere out there that I really, really want, but a certain someone won't share it. I am way bummed. I love breads and have tried dozens of rolls and baked quite a few different recipes with different variations in an attempt to copy the aforementioned rolls, but to no avail. However, I did try some last Saturday that are pretty darn close, if I do say so myself. I quite liked them. I suppose they will have to satisfy.

And Ric has a recipe for something that he's really been wanting ever since first tasting it at somebody's house a year and a half ago, but that recipe is not to be had either. I don't understand this; it's not like we see those people all that often, and it's not like Ric would go broadcast it to everyone we know that he's gotten a hold of this secret recipe. It would just mean that we get to enjoy it also. For heaven's sake, people, share the love!

Now Year's Resolutions

2010-01-11T15:16:00.002-07:00

I'm still stewing about what to do for my New Year's resolutions. I'm thinking something along the lines of: 1) have a baby and 2) get our condo ready to sell. Peggy advised I just make one: "Breathe in. Breathe out." =) I love my mother-in-law! I found my list of goals for 2009 a few weeks ago. Out of the 11 goals I set, I kind of did 4 of them. I think I had more like 15 or so the year before. My excuse for last year is that I was sick for about a quarter of the year.

But still, it's just overwhelming to try to come up with feasible goals for this coming year when I have no idea what to expect. My dad has me well trained on how to set my goals: be specific, and choose something from each different category (i.e. physical, spiritual, intellectual, etc.) so I'm growing in a well-rounded manner. But I feel like right now my main goal is just survival.

For example: I went to the bathroom last Monday morning (locking the door so I don't have little intruders). Upon coming out I found that Stratton had broken the glass on a picture frame on Ric's nightstand. I cleared the boys out of my room, got out the vacuum and cleaned up the glass shards, along with rabid dust bunnies that have been hiding in that corner, and came out of my bedroom to find Creighton sitting up on the kitchen counter, chocolate drool dripping off his face, pieces of candy wrapper all over the counter and floor, and him trying to get into another box of leftover Christmas chocolates. What do you do with a kid like that?!

Stratton is manageable and quite good most of the time (aside from the fact that he just brought a burnt out match to me, all proud that he was able to light it and is now in the corner for the third time today), but Creighton is just everywhere and into everything that he shouldn't be! What am I going to do when I have a nursing baby?

As a result, it's mid-January and I've yet to come up with any resolutions... any ideas?

2009 Family Newsletter

2009-12-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

Hello family and friends! I’m sorry you didn’t get our update last year, so this year you get a two-for-one deal: 2008 brought some major changes to our little family. In March we added Creighton Heath Rogers to the mix. Two months later, Ric graduated from Westminster College in SLC with a bachelor’s in Finance. One month after that, he began working here in Salt Lake City with a company called Sovereign Financial Group. He gets to put his degree to good use helping families and small business owners (though he has still continued to do mortgages for friends and family). And by December, I had finished up the last of my online classes in time to graduate from the University of Utah with my bachelor’s in English. So 2008 pushed Ric and I from the realm of college students into the world of “young family”.

2009 has seen our pace merely accelerate. Creighton is now 20 months old and always on the go (maybe it’s just his pace that makes me feel like life is in fast forward!). He’s been running since 10 months and never ceases to get into trouble. I have our kitchen chairs tied to the table, often the fridge door is taped shut, the safety locks on my cupboards are useless (Crater figured them out), and this year our Christmas tree is tied to the wall by a nail and some fishing line. However, when he’s not making a mess or climbing up to some forbidden, breakable object, Creighton is lots of fun! He has a bright smile, blue eyes that twinkle when he’s teasing you, and a very gratifying squeal and giggle when he’s being tickled. He is also known for his obsession with food. In nursery at church, when they have snack time he reportedly finishes his snack and then goes around to what all the other kids left behind and finishes theirs (this happens at home too). You can see why one of his nicknames is “Lunchbox”.

Stratton is a fabulous big brother – as long as Creighton isn’t messing with his toy organization! He alternates between bossing Creighton around, beating him up, and doting on him. Upon writing this, Stratton will be 4 tomorrow and has really turned into a great little helper. He started “preschool” this fall (4 other moms and I take turns teaching 6 kids twice a week) and has fallen in love with learning. His passion for art has added a new dimension recently – writing. I find his hieroglyphics (aka “My homework, Mom!”) all over every spare paper in sight. And sometimes the not so spare papers too! He is very into superheroes and anything “boy”. It seems that anything possible in my home is fair game either to be used as a weapon or some kind of building tool.

As for me, my year was filled with keeping up with two little boys. I also was able to dabble a bit in gardening, art, cooking and baking, running, and occasionally even getting some reading in too. And then we found out I was pregnant. So about a quarter of this year is a blur of morning sickness to me, but it was all worth it when we found out I am expecting a girl! Yay hooray! She is due at the end of February.

Ric and I both work in the youth program at church (Ric as the Young Men’s president, me as an advisor to the 16-18 year old girls) so between that and family trips with extended family, our summer was swallowed up with one campout or another every other weekend. Whew! I’ve never been so glad to see summer go and life calm down again! Ric also is our condo association president and continues working with Sovereign Financial Group and loving it there. It’s been a struggle and more late nights than not, but he has really grown and learned a lot this year. As if that wasn’t enough, he also had microfracture surgery on his knee in September, which kept him non-weight bearing on that leg for 6 weeks, and hopping (literally) to doctor’s and physical therapy appointments ever since. And somehow in that cram-packed schedule he finds time here and there to be with us and save my sanity!

As we take a minute to think about our year and what was important to us, we think of you all and the love and support we receive from those we love – whether we see you regularly or not. Thank you for the impact you have had on our lives. We are also especially grateful for our Savior and all that He does for each of us. We love you all and look forward to hearing from you. Have a very Merry Christmas!

All our love,

Ric, Serity, Stratton, and Creighton

Christmas in the Air!

2009-12-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

Stratton is so excited about Christmas! It's fun seeing his excitement, but he's making me crazy. He's been so driven all week to get our tree up and all its decorations - he's been on my case multiple times a day. "Mom, you need to get out the Christmas decorations." "Mom, you need to put your ornaments on the tree." And so forth. My little delegator!

Creighton, of course, doesn't really know what's going on, but he's excited too. Every morning he walks out to the living room and points at the tree saying, "Free! Free!" And if the lights aren't on and he notices, he'll stand next to the tree and adamantly tell me, "On-on-on-on!"

We're using the fake tree (oh, how I wish for real trees!) Dave and Makell got us at Walmart on clearance a few years ago, but it's too big for the little corner of the room we have afforded it, so in true ghetto style we have only put the branches on the front half of the tree. This makes it look quite sparse. After Ric and I finished doing that much, Ric stood back to look at it and, putting his arm around me, commented, "You know, I really feel like we have a Charlie Brown tree this year!"

Unfortunately, with the boys only using half of the branches has made this too tipsy (it's a good thing I haven't gotten all my breakable ornaments up - and it's given Stratton the chance to decorate the bottom half of the tree numerous times because the ornaments fall off when the tree falls over!), so we have now nailed the tree to the wall with a piece of fishing line. So, adding to the Charlie-Brown-half-tree effect, we have all the non-breakable ornaments clumped on the front, bottom two rows of branches, and it's all held up by a piece of fishing line. Love it!

Now I just need to decide whether I should take the risk of putting wrapped presents under the tree yet or wait until Christmas Eve...

Time Out for Me and a Primary Program

2009-11-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

This last weekend (Friday night and Saturday) I went to Time Out for Women with my mother-in-law and some of her friends. It's kind of like an EFY for women. I've never been before, but I'm so glad I went. And boy did I want to back out on it this last week! If I hadn't already paid $47 to go do it, I probably would have too. Ric encouraged me to go do it, but then it turned out that he had a camp out with the young men Friday and Saturday... during my thing, of course. So I had to get babysitters, which is always a pain - and I'm cheap so I hate paying for babysitters (Especially when all they seem capable of doing is sitting my children in front of the t.v. from the moment I walk out the door until bedtime - forget putting away the dinner, clearing the dishes, or picking up the toys!! - Argh! This is my latest pet peeve.)

Anyway, Friday night Sheri Dew and Wendy Watson Nelson spoke. That was fabulous! Sister Nelson spoke on our roles as women. Some of my favorite thoughts from her were: "Stop trying to make your husband into your girlfriend.... Just enjoy him being a man." "If we could look at our 'premortal DVD' for just ten minutes and see who we really are, all of our present problems would fall away." And, "We, as women, need to be hyper-vigilant about who comes into our homes - through cell phones, movies, t.v., music, and so forth."

Sister Dew spoke about the power of influence. She talked a lot about how we need to go to our Heavenly Father and plead with Him for an understanding of who we are and what it means to be women of God. And then once we have that knowledge, go and find every teenage girl you can and teach them because they're not getting it from anywhere else. Teach them through the way we dress, how we act, and what our priorities are. Also, "[Living the gospel] is not always easy, but it will be much harder if we don't." Quoting Elder Jeffrey R. Holland at a funeral, "Sometimes we act as though we are going to stay here and we aren't and we can't and we won't."

Saturday was Hillary Weeks, Mary Ellen Edmunds, S. Michael Wilcox, Emily Watts, and Kris Belcher. They were also powerful speakers and I learned a lot and really had my cup filled.

Yesterday was the primary program at church. I didn't really think of it as a big deal, but my mom had asked me just last week when it was because she wanted to come see Stratton, so I told her and my mother-in-law about it. Well they both came, as did my dad and one of my brothers. It was fun to have them there. And can I just say, from a completely biased perspective, that Stratton was absolutely adorable! He sat up there with the rest of the sunbeams, just grinning away, totally thrilled to have such a captive audience. Oh how I love that big sunshine smile! And, due to our small primary, he had three speaking parts. Even though he couldn't really see over the podium, he said them just fine. And Creighton was absolutely enthralled with watching his big brother up on the stand - he was standing up on our laps with big grin on his face, pointing and saying, "Bubba! Bubba!" over and over. Lots of fun. I sure love my boys!

Halloween and Since

2009-11-04T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well we survived Halloween! Now we just need to survive the sugar shock. Creighton was a cow. It's his favorite animal sound to make (consequently, most animals "moo" in his book). I made his costume and thought it turned out rather cute - even if it was a bit simple (sticky felt white spots on brown clothes, a tail and ears out of felt, and hooves from that craft foam stuff). I'm glad Creighton's costume wasn't too difficult to bring together because Stratton's costume totally overshadowed everything else - and everyone else around.

Stratton was Bumblebee, the Transformer, and Ric spent hours last week working on it! And to tell the truth, I don't know who was more excited about it - Ric or Stratton! Ric went and got some commercial styrofoam and cut it with a hot wire to form the body of the car. That was glued and screwed to a diaper box that Stratton wore on his back like a backpack. When he went down on his hands and knees, the sides of the box fell around him, encasing him in the car shape. When he stood up, I had made him a chestplate and armbands and drawn the transformers symbol on a foam helmet, so he looked like the robot. It was pretty impressive. Everybody had to see him transform and talked about how ingenious Ric was in making it - major payoffs for all the time spent on it. I don't know how he'll top it next year! (I'll try to locate some pictures.)

I was a cracked egg. I think Ric was embarrassed, so I didn't make it a really obvious costume. I just wore black sweat pants, a white sweatshirt and drew a crack around my pregnant middle, and made some felt chicken feet and taped them to my shoes. A few people asked what I was and even fewer got it after I said something. I thought I was funny... at least my family appreciated my creative sense of humor!

I don't know if it's that pregnancy nesting instinct hitting me early or if it's just that I can no longer stand my cluttered house, but I have been working quite earnestly at organizing this last week. Today I tackled my bedroom closet - the small one, and minor parts of the walk through one. I also finally cleaned off the top of my dresser. Of course as a result my children and the rest of the house were severely neglected and the damage they did probably negated all my work in my bedroom today, but at least my sweet hubby was impressed when he got home!

I'm reading a really good book right now: The Undaunted by Gerald Lund*. I had to be on a massively long wait list through the public library to get it and it's a rather daunting size (802 pages), but I started it yesterday and haven't been able to stop thinking about it and am about 200 pages into it. It's an historical fiction about the story of people who settled Lake Powell area, which was evidently an extremely challenging location. I'm excited to learn more about it. In addition, it's kind of fun to let myself get swept away in an 800 page novel now and then - a rare treat!

*I have a huge respect for pioneers and love reading about this topic. Gerald Lund has also written other books on this subject that I really enjoy. Also, one of my other all-time favorites is A Lantern In Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldrich.

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

2009-10-17T10:18:00.000-06:00

Yay hooray! Ric and I went in for my ultrasound on Monday and found out (I'm sure thanks to the many prayers offered on our behalf) that this baby is a girl! I'll admit, I'm pretty excited! =) I would have been happy with either - three little boys in a row would have been awfully cute, after all - but it'll be fun to do something different. And due to what Ric and his brothers refer to as the "Rogers Family Curse", I've been worried that maybe I wouldn't even get a girl. Dad Rogers said that I've just given all of my sisters-in-law something to hope for! So Ric will tell you that I was quite happy about it. Time to start buying pink!

I think Ric is a bit unsure about how to be a good daddy to a little girl. In fact, he had the doctor check again - just to make sure it wasn't a mistake. But I have total confidence that he'll figure it out and know he will totally adore her!

Stratton's response was great; he said, "Oh yay!" and as I was kneeling on the ground to tell him, he immediately dropped down to my belly and kissed and hugged it! Cute big brother!

As for Creighton, he has no idea what is going but we're preparing him with one of my little sister's baby dolls and he likes to haul that thing all around the house (thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes) and poke it in the eyes and give it slobbery kisses - hopefully he'll do well!

It looks like the baby is doing well and they also told us that she is measuring a week early, so at my next doctor's appointment we may have to see if this is supposed to be a February baby instead of a March baby...

Summer Fun!

2009-08-10T21:40:00.000-06:00

Whew! It's been a whirlwind few weeks. The week of the 24th of July we went to the cabin for the whole week. I was still quite sick for a lot of the week, despite trying a new medicine (Phoenergen?). All that really did was make me tired, without easing the nausea any. But at least I wasn't thinking about it as much because I had more distractions. We went to Bryce Canyon that Thursday and I think that was the roughest time I had during the week - partially because of the driving and partially from the minor hike we went on (Moss Ledge, I think?). It was gorgeous though!

Ric and I and the boys got back Sunday evening and I just wanted to crawl into a hole and die for the week, but as we drove into our parking lot I discovered that the roofers had brought all of their equipment and were starting bright and early the next morning to re-roof our condo for the week. The next day the banging started at 7:30 am and my air conditioning and electricity were out for half of the day. That clinched it: I told Ric I would come on the YM high adventure trip as an extra shuttle driver after all! I just hadn't committed because I didn't know what I'd do with my kids and I didn't know if I could handle all the driving, plus camping for four days. But Ric hadn't been able to get any of the other wives to do it besides the one who went and did it by herself last year. And she had begged me to come. Plus I knew my husband wanted me to come.

So the next day (Tuesday the 28th) I did laundry and packed bags for me and the boys again. I also had my first doctor's appointment (with a new doctor, Dr. Rappleye - kind of a quirky man, but nice) and everything is fine. He gave me a prescription for another medication for the nausea (Zofran). This one is supposed to be the best you can get for it. I credit that stuff for my survival on the trip! It doesn't make the nausea go away entirely for me, but for the most part it makes it so that I can be up and around and doing again. I still throw up a couple times a week, but compared to 2-3 times a day, I'm thrilled with that!

Wednesday Ric left with the main group at 6 am. I left with the Borrowmans and Michael McBride closer to 1 pm. (My Mom came and got the boys from me and they had them for most of the time, but Peggy also helped, along with Karina and Devin... we got it worked out after all - thank goodness for family!) The high adventure activity was whitewater rafting on the Snake River just outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Thursday and Friday the guys rafted all day. Rachael and I were the shuttle drivers from the bottom of the run back up to the top. Then we'd go back down to the bottom and have a two hour wait where we had great intentions of getting all kinds of reading done, but mostly just ended up chatting. It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be! The last run on Friday I went down with them. There were two of the boys who hadn't wanted to do it that day, so it worked out that I could do it. Ric assured me that it wasn't very rough and threatened the boys not to involve me in the water fights (which mostly consisted of throwing each other into the water, rather than throwing water at each other) or else! And they were quite protective of me.

It was fun and absolutely gorgeous but really cold! If we do it again, I want a wetsuit! I actually joined in on the cliff jumping too... which was terrifying for me. It wasn't that big of a cliff - Ric said maybe 12-15 feet - but it was into rapids and that's what made it scary for me. I'm not really a water person - by that I mean I used to be really terrified of anything more than a swimming pool, but I have gained a bit more control now and can force myself to not think about it enough to function normally around people in a water setting - so I was really proud of myself for going through with it. Plus I had a life jacket on, and I know Ric's a strong swimmer so I had him jump in after I did so he could save me if I didn't come back up!

I have to say, though, I thought I was prepared for how gross boys are. I wasn't. They're disgusting! It was all gas, innuendo, or violence (not my husband though, thankfully). I felt like my mind was dragged through the gutter for four days. Ric said the boys actually toned it down a bit for me and Rachael's sake, but I never would have known it. But I'll admit, it was much less drama than girls camp, that's for sure! I really enjoy those boys, though. Good kids.

Saturday we drove home and I threw up for the first time since that Wednesday. And I even made it to the bathroom in the gas station before it happened, so I didn't have to do it in front of the boys!

The next day, Sunday, Matt and Candace got to town. We went over to Mom and Dad Rogers' for dinner and pretty much have been there constantly since then until this Sunday. We were able to cram in a lot of fun! A trip to the dinosaur museum, a visit to Sean's house and garden, rock band, xbox, hand and foot, movies, water games in the back yard, and even building "hobbit houses" out of large boxes under the fruit trees. And Stratton slept over at Grandma's for most of the week, so he got a lot of cousin time in. We sure love it when the cousins are here! It's hard to have them leave, but I know we're all in need of some serious recuperation time!

Morning Sickness Blues

2009-07-20T20:51:00.000-06:00

Bleeechhh! I hate being sick. I hate the first trimester. I am not a very good pregant woman. You know, there are some women who have bodies that just like being pregnant; they're healthier, they have more energy - Candace (my SIL) even loses weight! But not me. I feel sick or I feel big and cumbersome and achy. And I whine a lot. And I'm always thoroughly exhausted. I suppose there is some Grand Design in making me this way... maybe so I'll have more empathy for people who have chronic health problems (I never have been very understanding towards sick people because I really never get sick)? I dunno. Anyway, I'm miserable. Morning sickness? Ha! More like "every-stinkin'-breathing-moment sickness"!

My poor gallant husband has put up with it all admirably - I know he's already stressed with his church calling and work, but he has helped out so much around the house and with the boys, sleeps on the couch most nights (he says I'm too grouchy in the mornings every time he moves or makes a noise), and doesn't goad me too much over the fact that I hold my breath every time he kisses me because I can't stand any smells at the moment (which is really no reflection of how he smells - I don't breathe through my nose when I put my chapstick on for the same reason).

Only another 6 or so weeks or misery to go!

Stratton's Doctor Visit

2009-07-17T21:32:00.000-06:00

Stratton caused me a little excitement earlier this week. Monday morning he was complaining about his ear that he had bumped earlier that morning and as I was looking at it, something sparkled from inside his ear. He had said something to me at church the day before about how he had something sparkly in his ear to keep the water from getting in, but I thought his primary teacher had just been talking to him about earwax. Well I couldn't get it out so I ended up taking him into the doctor's office and paying the $15 copay to have the nurse practitioner use this handy little gadget that just popped it right out. I suppose I should've been grateful it wasn't anything worse than that. As I had taken Creighton over to be with Mom Rogers for the dr visit, we went back and Stratton played there while Creighton and I took a nap.. Thank heaven for family because I was feeling pretty sick on Monday!

Today I felt pretty decent. I still felt nauseated, mind you, but it was more of a minor nausea, not a keep-me-by-the-bathroom nausea. So I took the boys to the park. Yes, I was rather impressed with myself too. I actually lasted almost an hour too because I was able to sit in the shade, for the most part. It was so hot - nearly 100 degrees. I asked Stratton how hot he thought it was, "Blasted hot!" was his reply. And it's only mid-July!!

2009-07-06T15:30:00.000-06:00

..but close enough! Ric and I went backpacking last Friday and Saturday to Notch Lake in the High Uintas with my sister (Karina) and her new husband (Devin), two of my brothers (Jacob and Daniel), and Jacob's girlfriend (Brittany). We left the boys with Ric's brother and wife (Dave and Makell). I was really anxious about this because I've been so sick, but I was determined to do it because it's what Ric really wanted to do for his birthday (July 4th) and we've been planning it for over a month. (Plus, we'll be taking about 8 girls up there in August so we had to scope it out.) So with lots of prayers and lots of moral support from my wonderful husband and family, I did it! And I only threw up once on the whole trip.

It's a two mile hike down in, with a 500 foot elevation change. Notch Lake was absolutely gorgeous, but dang cold. I'll admit, it was handy to have the snowbanks around to stick the food in, but it made for a cold night and a difficult time finding a good dry spot to pitch our tents. The boys were crazy and had to jump in the lake after we got all set up - just to prove their manliness, I suppose - while us girls laughed at their idiocy. We all relaxed or took walks, exploring the area. Then we did dinner and s'mores (a camping must), and turned in for the night. It was a long, cold night, despite the fact that my and Ric's sleeping bags zip together! After breakfast we cleaned up camp and hiked back out. And it only took an hour to hike out, compared to our 2 1/2 to hike in... probably just as much due to the fact that we knew the trail better as to me trying to suck it up and just push until we got there so that I wasn't slowing everyone down (and Ric carrying most of our gear in his pack!).

After we got back home, we all decided we wanted to go see a movie, so in order to get to and earlier showing we just dropped the gear off at our house and went to see "The Proposal"... yes, all smelly! Cute movie, minus some language and a few other things. All in all, it was a fun weekend! Love my hubby and family!!!

Announcing...!

2009-07-02T12:51:00.001-06:00

Well the last time I wrote was the day before my fifth anniversary. The morning of our anniversary I left for Girls' Camp with our ward. Kind of lame for Ric, I know. But we figured that since our anniversary was on a Monday, we really wouldn't be able to do anything cool anyway. So I was gone from Monday until Thursday. Ric stayed here but the boys went to stay with his parents so that he could focus on work. And from what I hear, they had an absolute blast at Grandma's. Stratton didn't even want to come home! (Sniff, sniff!) I had fun too, though. It was emotional work (you know girls) but it was a nice break in other ways. I guess Creighton had a temperature and Ric and Mom didn't want to worry me, but Mom told me about it when I called later. I think it was just probably from teething, but Mom said she got some good cuddle time in with Crater!

That weekend was Father's Day.... Over at Mom and Dad Rogers', Dave and Makell announced that Makell is pregnant! We are all so excited for them! Their baby is due in January.

The following week was recuperation from camping - laundry and etc. Camp really wore me out. I was so tired last week. Even when I went running in the mornings, it felt like I was running through mud! So I started taking my iron pills again because I was so tired.

I met Makell over at Sean's house (with my boys in tow) on Thursday to work on the garden. It was a carpet of weeds! Makell's been feeling sick and I remembered all too well what that was like. In fact, just being out in the heat and being tired and thinking about Makell being sick, I started feeling sick. I felt a little that way all Friday too. I thought that was pretty lame to have sympathy sickness for your sister-in-law! Then Ric asked me if my period shouldn't have started already... uh, oh! So that night, when Ric and Stratton and Ric's Dad went to the Father's and Son's, I took a pregnancy test. Negative. Whew!

Well all day Saturday I still felt kind of icky and still the same Sunday morning. By then I figured I had better just take the second test, just to make sure. I showed the results to Ric and he pointed out that I had been reading it wrong (honestly, who reads a pregnancy test wrong?) and yep, I am pregnant after all! Now, admittedly, this was not our plan. We were going to wait another year to have another baby - so many things going on until after next March - but evidently Heavenly Father and this baby had other plans! Ha, ha, funny joke on Ric and Serity!

So we've told our families now (by Stratton yelling, "Surprise, Mommy has a baby in her tummy!" at the Stratton family Sunday dinner and Rogers FHE in Sean's garden) because with me being this sick, it's hard to keep it a secret. This really bites. I hate being sick. I just keep looking at Creighton because I was so sick with him, and reminding myself that he was worth it. So I've spent most of this week lying flat on my back in bed or on the couch. My house is heading towards disaster and my children are getting quite neglected, but thank goodness for a wonderful husband and family that have already helped out a lot! And only about 8 weeks of this left!

The Responsibility of Personal Influence

2009-06-14T10:16:00.000-06:00

“There is one responsibility which no man can evade; that responsibility is his personal influence. Man’s unconscious influence is the silent, subtle radiation of personality – the effect of his words and actions on others. This radiation is tremendous. Every moment of life man is changing, to a degree, the life of the whole world. Every man has an atmosphere, which is affecting every other man.

“He cannot escape for one moment from this radiation of his character, this constant weakening or strengthening of others. Man cannot evade the responsibility by merely saying that it is an unconscious influence. Man can select the qualities he would permit to be radiated…and by these qualities he will constantly affect the world.

“This radiation, to which I refer, comes from what a person really is, not from what he pretends to be. Every man, by his mere living, is radiating either sympathy, sorrow, morbidness, cynicism, or happiness and hope or any one of a hundred other qualities. Life is a state of radiation and absorption. To exist is to radiate; to exist is to be the recipient of radiation.” -David O. McKay

I've been thinking about this quote lately. What do I radiate? Stress mostly, I'm sure. I know when I've been attending the temple regularly it really has a calming influence in my life. Without the temple I turn into Mommy Monster or the Witch Wife and I hate it. When I served as a missionary I always tried to keep a smile on my face because I wanted people to know that our religion makes us happy people.

Since I got home, I've gradually let that slide and too often my face reflects my momentary thoughts and stresses rather than my outlook on life and eternity. The funny thing is when I was a missionary and stressed or annoyed or disappointed, by pasting on a smile even when I wasn't feeling like it, that helped me remember eternal things and why I ultimately am a happy person. So this year one of my new year's resolutions was to "cultivate an unconscious smile." I forget frequently, especially when I'm driving and somebody has just cut me off (have you ever noticed most people look really grumpy or bland when they drive?) and my kids are crying in the back seat, but my lofty ambition is that by the end of the year I'll have developed that capacity to smile as an outward reflection of an inner peace. That can be developed in a year, right?

Soft and Absorbent

2009-06-12T10:39:00.000-06:00

I'm a bit bothered by false advertising. What tipped this off for me is that the other day I was at Walmart and grabbed the cheapest toilet paper I could find - just something small to tide us over until I could go and get some at Costco. Now granted, I know that in buying the generic brand I'm obviously not purchasing for quality, but for heaven's sake this was ridiculous! On the front of the toilet paper package it advertises "Soft and Absorbent!" My poor little pampered bum was not prepared for the shock.

First of all, I was have never seen a two-ply that is as effective as a public restroom one-ply. Secondly, "soft" is not how I would describe the feel; it felt more like I was rubbing my backside on a tree trunk. I think I'm chapped. Thankfully, the roll is almost done and the rest will go in our emergency kits so we can start using the still cheap and yet actually soft and absorbent Kirkland brand!

The lesson to be taken from this is that I will never again trust what a company has to say about their product. I understand why companies do it, but the blatant lies just don't seem fair to the consumer. Though it doesn't really make sense for the company to advertise, "Soft as sandpaper and absorbent as tissue paper", I just think that they should adopt the strategy of if you can't say anything truthful, don't say anything at all!

I'm a blogger!

2009-06-10T09:11:00.001-06:00

Yay me! I have taken another step into the world of technology. I am currently on Facebook, doing texting, and journaling online. But now in addition to those things, my friend, Rebecca, has helped me set up my very own blog! (Yes, it's a work in progress.)

So look forward to many dazzling, witty, and insightful posts... okay maybe not, but I'll do my best to at least copy parts of my journal entries and pictures of my boys and my husband and I to let all you family and friends know what we're up to.