The Rogers

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-20T15:50:00.000-08:00

Our Dear Family and Friends,

This year, for the first time in Marc and my 8 Christmases together, I did not get Christmas cards out. I had every intention to do so, but as the season pressed on quicker and quicker, time got away from me. For this year, this blog post is our MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR greetings to you, our wonderful friends and family who care about us and what has gone on in our 2011. Here is a little recap:

Carson DeVaughn (21 months) is our little character. Ask anyone who knows him well, and they'll tell you, he's got the craziest facial expressions. He gives this, "too cool" look, and kind of makes you earn a smile. But then, when you get the smile, it melts your heart. He is all over the place...and I do mean ALL OVER! Countertops not excluded. He loves to play with his big sister and ride bikes and cars in the backyard. He is saying so many things but some of his favorite words are, "Gickey" (Mickey Mouse), "Sassy and Ginky" (Paci and Blankie---this kid loves his comfort items), Mommy, Daddy, Tanny and Lilly. He also loves to take baths and is obsessed with shoes. He has to pick out his own pair to wear everyday, and is very obsessive about it. He scales the pantry walls to find what he wants to snack on, as he is very picky about what he wants to eat as well. He'll eat just about anything, but he has to CHOOSE it out himself. Some of his favorite foods are "Cookies, Faffles (waffles), Baba (bottles), Wawa (water), Kacker (crackers). This boy LOVES his Daddy and gives him the best welcome home every night after work. He is such a joy in our home and we love him soo much!

Montana Belle (5) started her final year of Pre-Kindergarten this year. This girl will be SO ready for Kindergarten next fall! She is my little helper. She even wakes up every morning and makes her bed, without being asked. She loves to help with letting the dog out and feeding her. She loves to Windex for me, vaccumm and help with the laundry. I often find her on her own creating masterpieces and works of art in the office- she LOVES to draw. Montana enjoyed finishing out her first year of dance as well as her first season of soccer. She was the most beautiful, graceful dancer and yet the most studly and talented athlete all at the same time. I'm totally not biased, either. :) She's begging to start gymnastics soon, and so that may be the endeavor we start this next year. She loves her new school, Sheldon Acres, and all the new stuff she has learned. She is enjoying learning to cook with mommy and has just started taking piano lessons--- from Mommy. I don't know how I got blessed with such a sweet hearted, thoughtful and responsible little girl for my oldest, but I know that life will be easier for me because of this little one and her helpful ways. We are so thankful for her in our lives. She's truly one of my best friends and we love her to pieces.

We had a new addition to the family this year- Lilly, our purebread black boxer. She has been a learning experience for this Mommy. She's still in the puppy stages, and so we are still working on the potty training and not chewing on things-- but we do love having her in our family. Isn't she gorgeous?

As you probably already know, we are expecting our third child around April 18th of next year. We are excited to announce that SHE is a GIRL! :) We have a name pretty decided upon, but just to be safe we will save that for when she comes so that I don't have to print a retraction. :) Montana is so excited about her baby sister, and we are trying to talk Carson into the idea- but right now, I think he thinks either everyone has babies in their bellies--- OR your belly is called a baby.

Marc is still enjoying his wonderful job at The Annuity Store. He celebrated 5 years with the company this summer and we feel extremely blessed and fortunate for the career that he has that provides so wonderfully for our family. He has turned over a new leaf of devotion this year, and just when I thought he couldn't be any better of a dad or husband, has stepped it up big time. He's somehow managed to fit all of his work in, be home in time for dinner, and be there for us whenever we need him! He takes over for me when he gets home, and gives the kids their bath and does the nighttime routine. One night when Daddy was out of town, after we had finished eating dinner, Montana turned and asked me, "Who's going to give us our bath? Dad's out of town." Him coming home at night is the highlight of our day. He started out his year at church as a Ward Missionary and as a Nursery Worker, taking care of the 18mo-3 year olds for two hours during church. He learned to LOVE the calling and all the kids loved Brother Rogers. Six months into that, he was released in those callings and called to serve as the Ward Executive Secretary and he has loved working with our wonderful Bishopric and has learned so much. He still enjoys golfing a few rounds a couple of times a month and getting to the gym whenever his schedule allows for it. His travel roster was full this year with plenty of business and pleasure trips-- Utah a few times for work, Disneyland twice with the family, Tahoe two or three times for both business and vacation, which I got to come a long for, Las Vegas for business and vacation (including a birthday trip for me), Cancun for business and vacation (took me a long too!), Los Angeles and San Diego for business and we just booked a trip to Boca Raton, FL in February as a work reward for him, and he's bringing me a long! He loves to travel, but likes it better when I can come too! :) We just celebrated our 7th Wedding Anniversary this month, and this year, more than ever, feel so grateful to be together eternally. There is no greater gift or blessing to us than that, this year.
I think all of the above about sums it up for me; amazing husband who loves me, wonderful children who make me so proud, a dog that keeps me on my toes, a little baby girl sucking all of my energy, lots of fun travels and adventures, 7 years of marriage- and a partridge in a pear tree! :) A few little extras for me, I started the year serving in the Relief Society presidency and I loved it. The calling helped me to learn and grow so much and I will always cherish the women I served and served with. I am now serving as the Nursery Leader, over two nurseries and 33 kids. It definitely keeps me busy on Sundays! I finished my 2nd half marathon in May, beating my own personal best time at 1:56:18. At almost 6 months pregnant, I'm a far cry from that now, but hope to be back there again one day. I also got braces this year-- it's been a huge adjustment to be an adult with braces, but six months into the treatment, I hardly notice they are there. I DO look forward to next summer or fall when I hopefully get them off! I love my beautiful life and the blessings I receive every day. I don't know how I got so lucky.

As we reflect, this special time of year, as 2011 comes to a close, Marc and I agree our most precious blessing is our Savior, Jesus Christ. His birth, His life, and most especially the gift of His Atonmenet. We would be lost without it. Because of it, we are an eternal family. The Gospel in our lives is the most amazing blessing and we are so grateful for our wonderful parents who helped cultivate our testimonies of it so that we could continue to build them and teach our children the way to make it back to live with Our Heavenly Father. I am brought to tears when I think of the countless gifts and blessings the Lord has given us all year long--- far too many to wrap and fit under any tree. Our wish is that your family has been blessed as well and that you have the Spirit of Christmas to fill your heart and home with love as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

And we count you, our friends and family amongst our greatest blessings. Thank you for all of your love, friendship and support, now and always. Merry Christmas again--- please forgive my lack of a card to hang on your wall. There will be one next year, with our new little addition, I can assure you. Hope your New Year brings many beautiful things your way.

Love,
Stacy, Marc, Montana, Carson, Baby girl and Lilly the dog, Rogers

PS- DON'T FORGET to check out the 15 posts I just did to update this blog on the past 6 months of our 2011 in pictures.

Disneyland, December 2011

2011-12-20T14:56:00.000-08:00

Part of the Rogers Christmas came early this year, as we surprised our kids with a trip to Disneyland. I had never seen it at Christmas and I have to say that the snow on mainstreet is one of the most magical things I've ever seen or felt. I couldn't help but cry at the beautiful memory our family was making and how fortunate I felt to have my family to make that memory with.

These pictures are out of order-- but here are some highlights--

*MONTANA is a RIDER! She loves to ride anything she can!

*CARSON, surprisingly, was NOT. He was super reluctant, but by day 3, did much better. However, as you will see from some pics- he loved the food- the churros, the hot chocolate. And all the Mickey he could wish for. Everytime he saw anything Mickey (every 2 seconds) he'd scream "Gickey!"

*Our dear freinds the Barkers met us for a fun evening with their little cutie, Tate. Love them!

*Disneyland at Christmas is my favorite season so far! So magical and a great way to start the season!

Thanksgiving Program at Sheldon Acres

2011-12-20T14:45:00.001-08:00

Montana loved to sing, "This Land is Your Land" and learn about the foundation of this wonderful country that we call home.

Montana and Kami- the most gorgeous puritans ever.

Montana turns 5!

2011-12-20T14:44:00.000-08:00

Our birthday girl on her big day!

Taking birthday cupcakes to school

Her 5 year check ups- The shots SUCKED but doc said she is good on shots until she's 10. What a relief...for both of us! This girl is growing like a weed- 90th percentile for height and weight!

She wanted a Strawberry Shortcake birthday party with all her little girl friends

What a lucky little girl she is to have so many people that love her--- and we're lucky to have this sweet Montana Belle in our lives!

Halloween 2011

2011-12-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

Carson will hate me for this when he grows up...

Is she not the most BEAUTIFUL witch, you've ever seen??

A pregnant cat

And I'm sorry, but this little pirate didn't scare me one bit--- he just melted my heart to pieces.

Love Halloween time!

Vegas Trip for my Birthday

2011-12-20T14:30:00.001-08:00

For my 28th Birthday, my sweet hubby took me on a little getaway to Vegas.

And he took me to my favorite restaurant

So grateful to have someone who loves me so much to celebrate my birthday with.

Apple Hill

2011-12-20T14:28:00.001-08:00

It's not Fall in Northern California without a trip to Apple Hill. We went with some friends from the ward.

Mmmm- nothing like apple donuts.

Fog Willow Pumpkin Patch

2011-12-20T14:20:00.001-08:00

Montana and Kami started a new preschool this year, for their final year of preschool- Sheldon Acres. These are pics from a field trip they took to the Pumpkin Patch

Tahoe

2011-12-20T14:13:00.000-08:00

We took a few trips up to Tahoe at the beginning of the Fall. Luckily it was still really warm! The Lindsey's joined us on the second half of our first trip.

We all enjoyed chips and guac by the poolside

The 2nd day, when the Lindsey's were there, we went on a gorgeous hike

View of the gorgeous Ritz Carlton- Highlands hotel

We ate at our favorite restaurant- Mikuni and got to chat with Taro (the owner of the chain). He made us a special sushi roll

Montana loved riding the Gondola

What a fun time we had! Thank heavens for great vacations with great friends on the weekends! Keeps us all sane during the week!

Other Summer Fun

2011-12-20T13:50:00.000-08:00

We went to a River Cats game

Montana's last ballet class and dance recital

Sibling bonding at home

Swimming with cousins (Montana and Andalyn)

Visit from out of town friends (Montana and Hannah)

Getting used to a new puppy

And a little mischeif here and there ( Montana and Kami got into my make-up!)

And of course some dress up fun!

Montana's First Soccer Season

2011-12-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

Montana has turned out to be quite the little soccer player! She's a stud athlete and made us so proud!

Montana's favorite phrase to tell herself before a game, "NEVER STOP RUNNING!"

Cancun

2011-12-20T13:32:00.000-08:00

Marc's work went on an incentive trip to Cancun, Mexico this year. We had a blast!

Shuttling from the airport to the Ritz Carlton- Cancun

The welcoming spread- yeah, the chips, salsa, guacamole and mangoes were gone within minutes!

The view from our room

The following pictures are from the trip we took to Chichen Itza with our awesome new friends, The Mongies

One of the many wonderful dinners The Annuity Store hosted

We were able to make it to the local ward on Sunday

The day we left it started storming!

Pics are out of order- here is us flying to Mexico

Burning the crap out of myself

Heading down the elevator to walk on the beach at night

Storm rolling in

Room service on our final day

Some of the fun ladies I got to meet on the trip

All in all, a great vacation with my sweetheart, can you tell we got some sun?

Boating and The Drive Ins

2011-12-20T13:19:00.000-08:00

Some of the other fun things we did this summer, was going out with our dear friends, The Schroeders, on their new boat...

... and taking in an evening movie at the drive-ins

Thousand Trails

2011-12-20T13:14:00.000-08:00

We got to go camping twice this summer at our favorite family spot- Thousand Trails- Lake of the Springs. It's a McFadyen family tradition. The kids loved it!

Coloma with Mams and Pompy

2011-12-20T13:04:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite day trips is to go up to Coloma, CA. Marc went a lot as a kid, and so we invited his parents to come a long with us and enjoy some lunch and a day in the sun.

2011 Wrap Up- 4th of July

2011-12-20T12:53:00.000-08:00

I have been a major blog slacker, but in hopes of starting 2012 fresh, I'm going to do a few re-cap blogs of the past six or so months of our lives...

For the 4th of July, we decided to have a block party with all our neighbors, co-hosted by our next door neighbors, The Paynes. Carson wasn't too fond of the fireworks, but it was a fun time!

Manic Monday

2011-10-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Long, lost, neglected blog. I've been thinking a lot about you. I've been thinking of ways to make a little extra time for you in my life. The problem is, every time we get together, I spend hours and hours with you and then I exhaust myself from you and can't handle looking at you for months. So- here's the deal- let's just start fresh. I know I'm leaving out months worth of blog worthy posts and pictures and it will probably leave a gaping hole that I know will just KILL you to not know what went on with the Rogers for those couple of months, but I feel this is the way our relationship might make a come-back.

So, instead of these lengthy catch-ups, I've decided to do themed blog posts to whichever day of the week I am writing. Some weeks might be one day a week, some might be seven (highly doubtful), but that way I can visit and have time to catch up on friends blogs too and not be so sick of blogger.com that I avoid it like the plague.

So, I decided Monday's will be "Manic Monday", cuz what Monday isn't a little bit manic? It's the work week, my love is back at work, back to the daily grind of school, what's for dinner, laundry, house cleaning, etc. For me, Monday (as well as every other day) is a little extra manic as of late-- and that's just because I'm trying to do all on my list, whilst feeling like I'm carsick....

...yup...in case you didn't hear it on Facebook....

We have a bun in the oven.

As of today I am 12 1/2 weeks, so almost out of the 1st Trimester and looking forward to the day when I realize, "Hey...I haven't felt sick today, or yesterday, or the day before.... YAY the madness of "morning" (more like all day) sickness is over!"

The idea of three kids is making me feel grateful, blessed, overwhelmed, scared, tired and kind of complete. Don't get me wrong, we haven't decided anything for sure, just stating how I feel about it.

We've been through a lot this year- good things, great things, not so great things and really not so great things. But, I've realized there are blessings and silver linings through every trial, every mistake, every bump in the road that makes you feel like your life is over. And our Heavenly Father is always waiting with open arms for us to come to Him, learn our lessons and be stronger. I've truly learned this year, its really how you react to and act upon what's sent your way that determines who you are. I appreciate my blessings so much more because of trials that I've gone through. This baby is a testament to that- because even though pregnancy has got to be one of my least favorite things (sickness, body changes, low energy, etc.) what is more reassuring of God's love and faith in our ability to do good things, be good people and learn from our mistakes, than entrusting us with one of his precious children. That privilege is beyond description.

So, I guess maybe this Monday isn't so manic after all- because even though I have laundry to fold, floors to mop, still need a shower for the day (it's 1:00PM by the way), kids to entertain on a rainy day, soccer mom duties to attend to, and LOTS more To-Do list items that need to be done amidst spells of gagging and dry heaving, I can't help but feel calm and at peace with the beautiful bliss that is my life. A wonderful and humble husband who loves me, two beautiful children and one on the way, all the luxuries of house, home, food, transportation, etc, family and friends that love and support us... and one 4 month old puppy....

....wait, thinking about dealing with my growing puppy- who pees and poops in my house still, chewed up my baseboard, and thinks she's allowed to snooze all over my freshly vacuumed couch and I can't put her in the backyard all day because its rainy and muddy... I'm thinking MANIC is a perfect way to feel about this Monday. :)

Mini Me

2011-08-03T15:10:00.001-07:00

C wants to be just like Daddy!

Lilly!

2011-08-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

Well we did it- we got a puppy...

We got to see her a few times as she grew

She's a full-bred AKC registered black boxer.

Meet miss Lilly.

We are currently dealing with potty training and nipping at the kids. Oh this is so fun! Good thing she's so darn cute!

Fathers Day Golf

2011-08-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

Marc has been at me to go golfing with him for a long time. Even bought me golf clubs for Christmas. So, for Fathers Day he said he wanted to golf a round.

Getting ready to tee off

I had a great time!

Turns out I'm not too bad, actually!

Such flattering pants....not...

Santa Cruz for Memorial Day

2011-08-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

We wet with friends to Santa Cruz for Memorial Day weekend. For some reason, I didn't take many pictures but here are a few.

My boy riding the carousel at the boardwalk

Dylan, Montana, Kami and Carson

Loves the carousel

Kami and Montana

Loving the beach

He loved playing in the sand

He already loves cars

Silly girls

Trying to get a tan- but it was so windy!

Sam and I left to meet our friends Melissa and Alisa for the Usher concert.

Me, Alisa, Sam and Melissa

Excited to dance!

Fun time!

Parkway Half Marathon

2011-08-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

Back at the end of April I completed my second half marathon.

Me, Ashley, Bethany and Mattie getting ready for the big race!

Montana came to cheer me on and was proud of me.

My official chip time was 1:56:18. I came in #464 out of 2615 runners
(top 17th percent), 26th out of 226 females in my age group (top 11th percent) with an average of 8:53 a mile.

I had such an incredible time and look forward to doing it again next year.

Some Summer Fun

2011-08-03T14:42:00.000-07:00

This baby is such a character! He loves making this face!

Montana won!

Who has the highest hair contest

Running through the sprinklers and a rainbow!

My handsome sunkissed boy

My sweet little girl loves to be in her swim suit

Just too adorable for words

Love my babies!

Heels and Hats

2011-08-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Some friends of mine had the cutest "Hats and Heels" Tea Party.

Melissa and I had such a fun time walking the cat walk.

Edith, Jen and I (Shout out to my friend at Ruffles and Fringe who made my "hat")

Laura, Rochelle, Ginnie and I.

Such a fun idea! Such a fun party!

Montana and Company

2011-08-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

Montana LOVES playing with friends. Here are some of her adventures with just a few of her friends over the past few months:

Kami (The white tiger) and Montana ( the zebra)- at the Sacramento Zoo

Ryder came into town- and we went to make pottery and have frozen yogurt!

A "twins" sleepover

And this is just because I think she is gorgeous!

Yes I consider myself her friend too! Pedicures and feathers in our hair!

Having a picnic lunch with her cousins Andalyn and Ryan

Montana wanted to have a Fancy Nancy Spa party- so here she is wearing a banana and honey mask

She and her friends Mia and Addie soaking their feet in the rock salt and lemon foot bath, after they got manicures.

The gorgeous girlies

Addie had to go home, but here is Montana and Mia having their spa snack- yogurt parfaits

The books that inspired it all

Their post makeover look- Beautiful!

Here is another play date- Montana is Dorothy, Kami is Belle and Mia is the cheerleader. Love dress up!

This little girl loves time with her friends. And I love seeing all the cute things their little minds can imagine!

Momma's Getaway

2011-07-15T16:38:00.000-07:00

Mommy's need to take some time away sometimes - and thanks to my dear friend Sam, she and I did just that.

We took a road trip to Southern California... (the pics are out of order)

We visited the Hollywood Walk of Fame

One of my idols!

We got to see one of our best friends, Rachel and her sweet little man, Tate.

And go have dinner on Newport Beach

Love my gorgeous friend

Such a cutie!

Just drove through- wished I could afford to stop!

Had dinner at the famous Pink Taco

Kissable cheekies

Kodak Theater

One day maybe...when I'm famous... ;)

The classic driving pictures

Sam with Britney

Don't be fooled- Sammy did most of the driving. We wanted to make it home alive!

We had such a fun trip and I was so rejuvenated to come home and love on my family!

Easter 2011

2011-07-15T16:11:00.000-07:00

Yes- this is how far behind I am on posts... ;)

The loot from the Easter Bunny

She so cleverly hid the eggs for us to find too!

Coming down the stairs to see the Easter Surprises

Can't you tell how excited she was? (She's not really a morning person!)

Bubba boy was excited too!

She loves her chocolate! Just like mama!

My gorgeous color coordinated babies!

Family Pic!

Always a scraped up nose!

Love him!

Beautiful!

Such a happy dude!

Love

Finding eggs at Mams and Pompy's

She got quite a collection

We had a "HOPPY" Easter! Hope yours was just as beautiful as ours was!

Family Pictures

2011-06-20T13:00:00.000-07:00

It's been such a long time since my whole family has been together and has been SO long, like since we were little kids, that we had professional pictures taken. I called my dear friend Erin at Erin Noel Photography and she took these gorgeous pictures.

The whole family

We're silly

My sister Courtney's beautiful family

All the boys

The MEN

My little family

Grandma, Grandpa and their grandbabies

Gorgeous Andalyn Belle

Handsome Ry Guy

My gorgeous Montana Belle

All the girls

My uncooperative little sweetheart who wouldn't put the cell phone down. :)

Mama and her daughters

Daddy and his girls

My stunning sister Whitney

Mama and her Sons

Dad and his boys

My adorable parents

My brother David and his gorgeous wife Ashley

The Twinners, Nicole and Tiffany

My studly brother Logan

My goofy, yet handsome, husband

More of my Tana

Sweethearts

Love my boy

Love these pictures and love my family!

Logan Returns!

2011-06-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

Back in April, my littlest brother Logan returned from a full-time, honorable church mission to Canada Calgary Mission. It was the first time the whole family had been together in 2 years!

Aunt Ashley, Uncle David and Montana awaiting Logan's plane.

Uncle David and Aunt Ashley spending quality time with Lil C since they live in Utah and we don't get to see them as often as we'd like.

Gwama and C

My amazing parents

Some of Logan's closest friends (and Whitney) that came to support him.

Daddy came from work.

Excited nieces and nephew.

Coming down the escalator!

Elder Petersen Returns!

Mama gets the first emotional hug.

Is there anything more beautiful than this moment?

So happy to be reunited!

Okay, this moment ties with being just as precious!

Brothers reunited!

And lots of sister hugs! 5 to be exact!

Seeing how much Montana, Andalyn and Ryan had grown!

Meeting Carson

Logan and Whit

Courtney and Logan

Whitney and her brothers/ best friends

Logan and I

All 7 Petersen children

The whole family back together again!

Cavemen brothers

A shirt that one of the elders in his mission decorated

Whitney and Christian

Tiff and Nicole

Ry Guy

Montana in her Canada shirt

Logan's footsie jammies

Aunt Ash and Tana Belle

Logan's signed flag

The girlies

Dad and Mom in their Canada gear

Mom and Dad with their boy

Carson in his Canada gear

Logan got Court and I Canadian mittens

Playing with the kiddos

So happy to have him home! We've missed ya bud!

Time "FORE" the PARTY!

2011-06-09T15:21:00.000-07:00

I had so much fun with the golf theme! I tend to go overboard on parties- I promise each time to scale back- but it's really hard for me because I enjoy it so much.

My very talented friend Christine at The Sweet Life Cupcakes made the delicious cupcakes and personal cake for Carson's party. Look how cute it all turned out:

And then munchies were provided of course!

Golf quotes added to the decor

The favors

The slightly off center banner

The birthday boy and his big sister.

I love this shot!

My sister Courtney and I

The birthday boy and his daddy

The loot

Mommy and Daddy, proud of their baby boy

Cousin Ryan and Aunt Whitney

Grandma Petersen with Tana Belle

The b-day boy on one of his favorite gifts- a jet ski from the Browns.

BFF's

Adorable outfit from the Lindsey's

Gwama and C

Auntie Sammy is one of Carson's favorite people in the whole world. He adores her.

"Happy Birthday to you... Happy Birthday to you!"

Diggin' in

Not gonna share with Mama

Are you full yet, bubba?

Guess not...

He looks like he's smiling- but he's actually crying because we had to take the cake away. He had eaten half of it.

Bath time!

Happy Birthday my sweet boy! Mama loves you!

Carson Turned ONE (almost three months ago...)

2011-06-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

If you are a friend of mine on Facebook, then you have probably seen some of these pictures. Facebook is part of the reason I've been slacking in the blog department- and the writing department, and the cleaning department, and the showering deparment....okay, Facebook has probably distracted me from every other responsibility at some point, and I'm kind of sick of it. I'm trying to do less of that, and more of other stuff- so hopefully you will see a lot more frequent blogging- and a lot less stupid status updates.

So our sweet boy turned one and we had a golf party. I took these pictures for his birthday invitations.

Can you guess it was a golf theme??

Still Alive and Kickin…

2011-05-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Hey blogging world.... is anyone still out there??

I haven't been blogging lately... but it's been nagging at me to come back. I've missed checking all your blogs and need to catch up on your lives!

I have some catching up to do to... and lots of pictures to come shortly (if anyone out there still cares) ... but for now, take a sneak peek of our sweet family pictures that my amazing friend Erin @ Erin Noel Designs took for our family.

The Past Few Weeks at the Rogers

2011-02-24T12:48:00.000-08:00

Just a few pictures and videos of life in the Rogers family in the past few weeks:

Valentines Day before Montana went to her Valentine Party at preschool

Later that day when I noticed Carson's breathing didn't sound so great. Diagnosis- bronchialitis. Sad mommy, sad baby. Not so happy Valentines Day.

But, I still managed to celebrate Valentines Day at home with a romantic night in with my hubby. I ordered some Mikuni take out. And my friend made us some delicious strawberries. (That are pictured out of order, because I couldn't get it to move...)

Then we had brunch with our new neighbor friend Nicole. Here is one of her cute little boys, Brock, lounging with Samantha's boy Dylan and my Carson

Just a fun pic of my gorgeous girl

My big girl proud of herself for making her own bed!

The carousel at the mall with the kiddos on Marc's day off. And the rest of my pictures are out of order...It won't let me move them...

I took them to get haircuts

Carson thinks, "If it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face"

He did really good!

Montana got new shoes!

And Carson got his first big boy pair of shoes.

And here's my big boy walking and waving and saying "Hi."

We're lovin' our life! :)

Disneyland 2011

2011-02-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of this month, we enjoyed a wonderful trip to Disneyland with our amazing friends, the Lindsey's. We both decided to leave our toddler boys at home to have fun with their grandma and grandpa's. We sure missed them- in fact, Sam and I texted for the first few hours of the drive, about turning around and getting them. I was sobbing when I left my sweet boy. But, shortly into the trip, when we didn't have naps, diaper changes and strollers, we realized that it was a good time to focus on our girlies and that our boys were getting lots of love and attention at grandmas!

We stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel- which was breathtaking. I can't believe we didn't really take any pictures of the hotel. I don't know how we'll ever stay anywhere else now when going to Disneyland.

We grabbed an overpriced breakfast in Downtown Disney the first day before going into the park. Since we were starving, the fact that we paid $40 to eat a breakfast we could've gotten for $10 at McDonalds, didn't matter. We were headed to DISNEYLAND! Nothing could get us down.

As we walked to the first ride of the trip (our little family tradition), Pirates of the Caribbean, we saw Princess Jasmine and had to stop and get a picture.

I love her. We kept getting asked if we were sisters. Compliment of my life... :)

My beautiful little girl.

Getting ready to ride Dumbo!

Rapunzels hair behind Montana.

The Carousel

Sword in the stone

These girls are #1!

Getting ready to shrink down to fairy size in Pixie Hollow

Meeting the beautiful Fawn

and Tinkerbell

My love and I

That darn sword doesn't want to come out.

Goofy hugs

Gepetto and Pinocchio

It's a Bugs Life!

Silly faces

Just a little gift from the hotel

The view from our room of the "World of Color" show

Day 2

The Lindsey's

The Rogers

Pluto

Toon Town

Space Mountain!

Best Friends Forever

Lovin on my valentine

The only time I want our girlies posing next to cars

Love my gorgeous girl

Now we REALLY got confused for sisters. I guess most 20 something women don't wear matching t-shirts, cuz we got some looks. But we loved our matching shirts!

Last morning before leaving, we grabbed breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. A VERY expensive buffet- and believe me, we all ate our money's worth!

The girls got to meet quite a few characters. (They better for the money we paid!)

Such an amazing trip! Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth!

Vote for the Schroeders!

2011-02-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

Hey friends-
My good friends Anngela and Warren Schroeder are in a contest, in the top 5, to win a Disney Cruise. Please click on the link below to vote for them! :) The photo and caption are very worthy of the prize!

Y92 Photo Contest

Thanks!

Stacy

What's Up with the Rogers?

2011-01-27T13:27:00.000-08:00

"What have you guys been up to?" I feel like I get asked this question and I never have anything really cool to say. But... when I think about it. There are lots of cool little things about my life everyday...so if you care, THIS is what's been up with the Rogers.

Lil C had his first haircut, by our friend Eric. He was a bit anxious about the clippers but ended up being a really good boy.

All the better to run his fingers through when he's feeding himself-- which is one of his new favorite things to do. Finger foods are his new best friend.

This boy looks like this at least 5 times a day- covered in food.

Also, he has begun to take his first steps into walking. Here's an extremely shaky, annoying, sideways video I took of him taking some good steps the other day. Excuse my high pitched mommy excitement.

Montana Belle is a certified:

and I mean that in the nicest way possible! This little girls loves to act out her shows and movies and pose for pictures.

She loves spending time with her friends.

And she is so excited for her super special trip to Disneyland next week. Since she is tall enough for almost every ride, Marc and I are taking her for a special trip to Disneyland, for quality time with Mommy and Daddy. Grandma will have bubbas...who we will miss SO much. But, we are excited to run around the park with our little Disney princess. Our good friends the Lindsey's are coming as well, and bringing their princess. Us four parents are going to be WORKED by these two little girls...I can feel it.

As for me- I have just been happy taking care of my kiddos, my hubby and my house. I've been working a lot on myself spiritually, and am planning on writing a blog on my thoughts soon. I'm sure you're all now sitting on the edge of your seats awaiting that. (jk).

Other than that, I spend my time here- showering in peace...I mean, working out. :) Okay, I went for the workout and am staying for the showers. :) I love my long runs and workouts with my girl Sam, but sitting in the steam room and getting ready for the day in peace is a huge factor as well.

And then Marc and I have been having a great time doing this workout together in the evenings. It kicks our butts! It hurts...but it hurts so good.

And my sweetheart of a hubby- is working his booty off at work. He seriously amazes me everyday with what he can accomplish. He was recently awarded with 2010 Marketer of the Year. So proud of him!

He's also been enjoying playing church volleyball and basketball. And is stoked for Disneyland as well. I think he and Montana are tied for excitement.

That's what's been up with the Rogers this month. Great start to 2011 for us...hope its the same for all of you! Stay tuned for Disneyland pictures.

10 Things 2011 Has Taught Me...So Far

2011-01-11T12:38:00.000-08:00

1. Exercise is 25% physical capability, and 75% mental. If you lack the motivation, drive, will-power and focus to make it through a long run or grueling workout, your mind will talk you out of anything you try to accomplish and give you ever viable excuse in the book not to finish. I saw a really cool quote on Facebook yesterday that I liked that went like this,

"Choose Your Battle - It's hard to be overweight, It's hard to lose weight, It's hard to maintain your weight. Choose which you want to battle and get with it." The right mindset can aid in accomplishing ANYTHING you set your mind to.

2. Body glide is a must have when running while wearing a ribbed tank top. Unless of course you'd like 2nd degree burns under your arms.

3. If you THINK you smell a poopy diaper… and you start to THINK it’s smelling stronger…and you see something on the ground that looks like it could possibly be mud from your daughters shoe after the playground…but it STILL smells like poop… IT’S PROBABLY POOP! And your little boy is probably losing it out of his pant leg and it’s probable that he’s gotten his hands in it…and it’s probable he’s touched something else…and …and…and… just when in doubt, if you smell poop- it’s poop and it needs to be changed immediately to avoid hazardous and extremely stressful and disgusting situations.

4. Don’t set a goal to stop eating sugary sweets if you still have a bag of milk chocolate chips in the pantry. Sure, they technically don’t count as dessert and are shelved with the baking goods…but when you need a sugar fix, they are sugar and not off limits. And you might be tempted to keep returning to the pantry until the whole bag is virtually gone.

5. Never make someone a priority that only makes you an option. I’ve recited this mantra before, but I am starting to understand it a little better this year. And I’d like to add to it, NO ONE is in control of your life and what you say or do or think or feel except for you. And your voice and opinion are important and you were given both of them to create a backbone to stand up for what you believe in. And if people don’t respect you for just being the real you, then they didn’t really care about you in the first place.

6. Patience is a virtue. After years of speculation and waiting and wondering if I should switch to AT&T to get the coveted iPhone, Verizon has finally announced they will be releasing a Verizon iPhone Feb 10, 2011. YAY!

7. Easy Bake Ovens/Cookies, etc….. are not EASY!

8. If you are feeling down about yourself or are worrying about your “issues”, turn on an episode of “Hoarders” or “My Strange Addiction”, and feel good about yourself that your issues are not anywhere NEAR the point of living in 3 feet of cat or rabbit feces, and you don’t eat chalk, or laundry detergent.

9. It’s good to set New Years Resolutions, but don’t expect yourself to be perfect. You are not going to all the sudden change everything about you in the flash of a dropping ball at midnight. If you miss one or two nights of scripture reading or exercising, it’s okay to start again the next day. Habits are not magical…they are formed and created. And we are not meant to be perfect…we are just meant to try our best to always progress.

10. There’s no better date night than a session at the temple and then Mikuni on the way home. Serenity and Sushi. Perfection.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-14T10:29:00.000-08:00

Dearest Family and Friends,

I won’t even make mention to the speed at which this year zipped by…because it’s a ridiculous thought. I’m starting to understand even more and more, that this life really is a short one.

This year has been an incredibly eventful one for us with lots of big changes. At the beginning of the year, we felt a strong prompting that it was time for us to purchase a home, and after a lot of prayer and an incredible amount of guidance from the Lord, we found our perfect home in the lovely neighborhood of Kavala Ranch on the outskirts of Rancho Cordova. It’s a perfect location for us, because we are 15 minutes from Elk Grove, where most all of our family lives, minutes away from great friends and in an incredible ward perfect for our family’s age group. We were sad to leave El Dorado Hills, but with all of t he traveling we did to visit family in Elk Grove, we felt this was a better move for us while our kids our young. We love our home and it really feels like HOME! Shortly after the move (about a month to be exact), our little man made his grand entrance into this world.

Carson De Vaughn was born March 18, 2010 at 12:46am, weighing in at 7 lbs. 8 oz. He gave Mama quite the workout, and everyone a bit of scare getting here, and we are so happy to have our sweet boy. Now at almost 9 months old, he is turning out to be quite the little boy. He is trying to climb all over any and everything he can. I can’t count the number of times a day that he bonks his head. It’s driving me crazy. I tell Marc, “Your little boy is suicidal!”. I also almost cannot count the number of times a day he wants to eat. I think this boy would eat 24/7 if I let him. He has the cutest little smile and is one of the happiest babies I’ve ever known. He has started to say “Dada” a lot…I am trying to work on Mama, but if you could see the way this boy lights up when his Daddy gets home from work, you’d understand. I love seeing their bond. He is the perfect addition to our little family and we can’t imagine life without this fuzzy haired little chunk.

Montana Belle is growing up too fast. That’s the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of her. She is no longer a baby, or a toddler…but an actual kid. It makes me happy and sad all at the same time…but mostly sad. I don’t know where the time is slipping away to. Montana just turned 4 years old in November, and is currently in preschool three days a week, which she loves. She has a lot of friends in her class and enjoys playing, learning and doing lots of art projects. She also takes tap/ballet/tumbling from the Elk Grove Dance Center, and the same teacher, Miss Nancy, who I used to take from at about her age. She LOVES dancing. I love watching her twirl around in her tutu and have a blast with her ballet friends. She is loving her Sunbeam class and loved singing in her first Primary Program in November. She is also growing like a weed- she is over 40 inches now, and in May, when we went to Disneyland, she was able to ride most of the big rides! Can you believe that her favorite one was the Tower of Terror? This girl is a risk taker. She loves music, drawing, playing with dolls, riding her new bike, watching Disney movies and playing with her baby brother who adores her. We are so proud of our little girl as she learns to write her name, make her bed, get herself dressed, brush her own teeth and make her own breakfast waffles. She loves learning to be a big girl!

Marc is still working as hard as ever to provide for this growing family. We are so grateful for all of his hard work and for the wonderful career he has been blessed with. He LOVES golfing as often as he gets the chance; especially with his Dad on Saturday mornings. We bought bikes and a trailer this year and we’ve loved taking the kids out for rides and enjoying physical activity together. He is currently serving as a Cub Scout Leader with the Bears, and is reliving his days as a scout. Marc is truly the celebrity of our home. We all so look forward to when he walks in the door after a day at work.

And as for me, I am still loving my life as a mother and a wife. I’m still at home with the kids, and I love it! With Marc working so hard and long, and now having two kids in tow, I’ve learned even more about the dedication and love it takes to do this job. I enjoy my time at the gym and am getting ready to sign up and train for my first ever marathon…AHHH…wish me luck. I’m no longer teaching music for the time being and trying to focus on time with the kids. I miss it, but I still love to sing and play the piano any chance that I can get. I am currently serving on the Relief Society Board as the Visiting Teaching Coordinator. I have really learned to love this calling and the importance of the practice of Visiting Teaching. I am happy to report Marc and I just celebrated our 6^th year of marriage with a lovely weekend getaway to Monterey/Carmel. We fell in love with the area and began planning our dreams of retiring somewhere along the 17 mile drive….(what can I say? We dream big! J).

We have been incredibly blessed this year, and we owe it all to the blessings of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. We are so grateful for our faith and for the comfort and blessing it brings us to know that we are an eternal family. We are grateful to reflect upon our Savior even more so this season. We are so grateful for all of the love and support we have from you, our friends and family who we cherish and love deeply. We hope everyone has a blessed holiday season and a very happy and joyous New Year!

Love,

The Rogers

6th Anniversary- Monterey/Carmel

2010-12-14T10:26:00.000-08:00

20Marc and I just celebrated our 6th Anniversary! We took a quick getaway to Monterey and Carmel.

The view from our room at the Hyatt. It was killing Marc to be on a golf course and not golf!

We had a great time on Cannery Row

And the next day, after an evening of shopping, a movie and room service, we took in the beauty of Carmel!

We went crazy with the camera- behold our 6th Anniversary Photo Shoot! :)

We then had lunch at Roy's at the Spanish Bay golf course and hotel. The view was breathtaking!

I love you honey! Even more than I did over six years ago! You're my everything! Here's to eternity!

Polar Express 2010

2010-12-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

We did the Polar Express this year again. This time we did it with our friends the Lindsey's and had a blast!!!