Love Them So, To Let Them Go

Today was a very sad day for us.  We had to give our two sweet, loving dogs away.  :(

About a week ago, Knox was continuing his daily harassment of Lula and Chloe.  He chases them from couch to loveseat over and over again, and once he corners them, he wallows all over them.  I guess the dogs finally had enough.  One day Lula snapped at Knox, which only scared him for a bit but left no marks.  A day or two following that little incident, the one we thought would never harm a hair on Knox's head had her fill of rough housing.  Without a growl, she turned and bit Knox on the forehead.  One snap and she was done.  Unfortunately, instead of only scaring Knox, she actually left a mark.  I flipped.  No one was home with us at my parents, except my sleeping father.  Keith was 4 1/2 hours away.  I cleaned his little cut and applied some medicine.  Knox calmed down quite quickly, but he kept touching it--I know it was sore.  I called Keith, Mom and the vet.  Knox was fine and wouldn't need shots, and the wound would heal fine on it's own.  Actually, today it's barely noticeable.

Without much discussion, Keith and I knew we'd have to give our precious puppies away.  The only reason they behaved like they did is because our little rough-and-tumble little boy didn't know how to play gently with the dogs.  Once the other baby gets here, I can't eagle eye Knox while taking care of newborn to ensure it didn't happen again.  I know it is best that they find another home, but I can't help to be so sad that they won't be with us anymore.  They were mine and Keith's first "babies."  I've had my bouts of crying spells for the past few days (I know this is enhanced due to pregnancy hormones), and noticed I've distanced my self from them lately.  I guess it was fear of the separation.

I think we had favor on our side when we received a call this morning.  We desperately wanted to keep them together--the only dogs they like are each other and they love each other so.  We had other arrangements that fell through this morning, when a woman that lives with her mother and 14 year old son called.  They wanted one for the both of them-and they wanted lap dogs.  If our two aren't lap dogs, I don't know what dogs are.  :)  I went with Keith to meet their new owners, but couldn't bare to see them handed over.  Keith is really happy and at peace after meeting the ladies.  The grandmother was so excited, saying they were sleeping with her at night.  She already had Chloe rubbed silly, in her lap, with her head laid back on the grandmother and eyes half closed.

I know they will be nothing less than spoiled in their new home, but can't help to tear up because I had to give away my first "babies".  Mommy will always love you so.  :)

So Much Fun!

We're having a fun time with family before the holidays, and can't wait to see more family this coming week.  In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the Wild Man playing at a children's museum.  Sweet Lindsey came and meet up with Knox, my brother and myself.  We missed Keith being there, and can't wait until he can join us this week!  Knox had a BALL, and did NOT want to leave!

You can't see how cool the tree is behind them.

Tu-tu and Lu-lu watching Knox play

Uncle Tu-tu had as much fun playing as Knox!

See what I mean?  :)

Knox LOVED the shopping cart and play groceries.

Of course, a playtime wouldn't be complete without splashing around.

His shirt is totally laughable.  :)

This was hilarious--Knox unloaded groceries on the counter, had play money that he handed to the little boy behind the counter, who then put the money in the register.  TOO CUTE!

He kept trying to hit plastic eggs with the kiddie shovel, saying "ba-ball" every time.  Hehe!

You can tell he was thrilled to be on the back of the cow!

The Start of Baby #2's Journey

Just thought I'd share how the journey of baby blessing #2 has started.  I've been meaning to start a journal for this one, like I did for Knox, but I haven't gotten around to it just yet.

In January, Keith and I decided to start trying for baby #2 in June.  By then, if we got lucky right away, Knox would at least be 2.  It took 10-11 months to get pregnant with Knox, so if that was the case again Knox would still be 3.  At first, I was so preoccupied with Knox that, even though our attempts didn't result in anything, I wasn't too upset--plus we were still in our ideal range.  When we finally did get pregnant, I actually didn't expect it!

I first tested positive on November 2nd.  I barely saw a line and just stared, trying to decide if I was crazy or not.  So I went out to get a digital one--like I did with Knox, to make sure I wasn't mistaken.  To my luck, when I got out to the car, I had an extremely low tire.  I had to go have it filled with air while I ran errands (and got my test) while the line to have it patched dwindled.  I sat in "agony" waiting at the tire place!  I flew home and got a PREGNANT result just a few minutes later!  I about flipped!  I didn't want to call Keith at the office, so I whipped up a shirt for Knox to wear when Keith got home that read, "Big Bro Knox."  (see pic!)  I initially wanted to tell family in person when we were home for Thanksgiving so I didn't tell anyone ALL DAY, especially since Keith didn't know yet.  (I about died to tell someone!)  Once Keith did get home, Knox wouldn't sit still for Keith to see the shirt, so I had to hold Knox up so Keith could read.  Keith isn't a drama king, so I got a "you're pregnant?"  :)

By the next day, I couldn't keep it quite any longer.  I called my mom and Keith called his dad.  We told my dad and Keith's mom over Skype so Knox could show off his new shirt.  I sent my brother and Lindsey picture messages of Knox's shirt (on their 2 year dating anniversary, coincidentally!)  We slowly told extended family and close friends over the next few weeks (once my blood work came back with good results), until we had our first ultrasound last week, on Knox's second birthday!

As far as how I've felt, it's similar to how I felt with Knox.  I'm nauseated most every day, most all day, though it's been slightly better the past two days.  By that I mean I've only gotten sick once compared to about 4 times.  I'm not sick as often as I was with Knox.  When pregnant with him, I was sick EVERY time I ate ANYTHING.  I'm keeping more things down, but still haven't gained any weight!  That a plus to all this yucky sickness, in addition to the reason I'm sick, of course!  :)  Nothing helps the nausea--I've tried everything from eating crackers before getting out of bed, eating crystallized ginger, lemons, lemon ginger tea, small meals throughout the day, motion sickness bands, vitamin B6 AND two types of Zofran (regular and instant that dissolves--and being in a car only aggravates it.)  Think I might have to try a combo of the aforementioned for the drive home for the holidays.  The nasty cough I have now doesn't help things either.  I have a headache most every day from coughing so much.  And please don't think I'm just complaining--it actually gives me a small piece of mind that the pregnancy is progressing as it should.  I actually freak out a tiny bit when I'm not as sick.  :)

I'm also excited that my baby bump has already popped out.  I've always heard that after the first it makes it's appearance much sooner, but to have it actually happen is just plain awesome.  Besides, I love me some stretch pants and I stocked up at Target the other day.  I didn't have tons of long pants when preggo with Knox--it was unseasonably warm (or that's what I thought then).  I actually love fitted clothes when pregnant--it's the only time I can show off my belly and be proud!  Haha!  It's also great knowing that the pooch is all from the baby since I haven't gained any weight from all the sickness.  See--it's all good!

Blessed Times TWO!

Today is a great day for the number TWO!  Not only is today Knox's actual second birthday, but we FINALLY got to see and hear the heartbeat of our SECOND bundle of joy!!!  That's right!  Knox is going to be a big brother on or around July 12th!

We can't begin to express how thrilled we are, and we just wanted to share with you now that we've seen our little miracle and everything is great so far.  Well, with the exception of my all day sickness.  :)  But that's the little price to pay for such an amazing blessing!

Happy Birthday, my amazing little Wild Man!  I know you'll be an amazing big brother in seven months!  :)  I know you'll love on your baby sister or brother just like you love on all the other babies you've met over the past two years.

Knox at his birthday party!

The first picture Baby Rogers #2, AKA "olive" (actual size of baby at this moment!)

Big Birthday Weekend

We're gearing up for Knox's SECOND birthday party!  Second party for turning two!  The men of the group will have eyes glued to the TV--I thought I had cleverly planned the party to end right in time for the SEC Championship kickoff, as it worked out last year.  Unfortunately, after invites were sent, we found out that kick off was right during the party.  Why put the #1 and #2 ranked teams for a day slot anyway?  OH well, the kiddies won't mind--they'll be having fun regardless!

While we're gearing up for the big celebration, I wanted to make a list of words Knox is saying now on a regular basis--in case we're asked at his two year check up.  And just so you know, I'm spelling as it sounds coming from him:

mama:  unfortunately not used to refer to me, but instead cows and Elmo

uh-oh:  self explanatory

shu:  shoe

E-E:  puppy, for puppy food, but won't call the dogs that

bayball:  baseball, my child can already play baseball on the Wii--sad or stellar?

haut:  hot

nummy nummy:  yummy--often says when he sees cookies in stores or in the drive thru

choo-choo:  for any train or to watch Thomas the Train, normally accompanies with an imaginary tug for the train whistle

juce:  juice

*Just thought of two more:

all gah:  all gone

tha i is:  there it/he is

ca:  car--this is new one as of today!!!

There may be a few others that I just can't think of right now.  I know it's very limited for a two year old, but he saying a few more slowly but surely.  Some words he's said once or twice include bug (as in bug juice--sugar water packaged with coloring), horse, ice, match point (I know this one seems crazy, but he repeated it after the Wii tennis game!)

He understands more than what he lets us hear him say.  He signs please, thank you, more, eat and milk, but you usually have to get him to quit whining with his hand stuck out, and ask him point blank what he wants.  He also can do all the hand movements to Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.  He knows where all of his body parts are and can point mommy and daddy's too.  He listens very well at school and almost as well at home.  :)  He's getting very good at helping pick up his toys when asked.  Oh and he LOVES all things cleaning--did NOT get that from his momma.  :)  I got him a toy broom that he carries everywhere and is obsessed with the vacuum when it's out of the closet.  We think he played with our steam cleaner so much that it doesn't work like it's supposed to anymore.  Hopefully this continues, and he can help really clean soon!

What else--oh, he loves putting together his little wooden puzzle with animals on it.  It's kinda like a matching puzzle--animal picture in space for piece and also on the piece with little knob handles on the pieces--does that make sense?  He does it all by himself and almost always gets it right the first time.  Speaking of animals, which he adores, the animal noises he makes are moo moo for cow, grrr for bear, meow for cat, ss-ss for snake, zzzz for bee, doo doo for rooster (as in cocka doodle doo :), and gobble gobble for turkey.

We're very familiar with time out.  You almost have to be with a temper like our Wild Man's.  :)  We just tell him he needs to go sit in the corner (a dining room chair in the corner of the dining room), and he just goes and sits (and whines a bit too).  We remind him there is no crying or whining in the corner, that he needs to think about what he was doing to get him there.  We never leave him there for long since once he gets quite and calm he just sits there.  We go over and explain to him what he did wrong and what we expect of him and then ask him to say, "Yes, ma'am (or sir)" when we ask him if he understands.  Right now our response is a head down movement for yes and a mouth that moves with no sound.  (I think that comes from me pointing to my mouth and telling him to SAY, "Yes, ma'am."  Normally he just points at his mouth and smiles when I point at my mouth asking him to talk.)  We save pops on the leg for when he does something dangerous or has fits in excess.

And last, but not least, my most favorite thing about Knox right now is how affectionate he is.  He is totally a rough and tumble little boy--chasing the dogs, trying to sit on them, running into the couch full speed, walking on everything in his way and doing "down, set, hike" in the hallway.  But in the midst of it all, he stops to give fabulous bear hugs and kisses, and kisses are now followed with a big MUAH!  Even his teachers at school say that he gives the best hugs!  And when he's winding down for nap time or bed time, he'll sometimes come over to me and crawl up in the chair with me to veg to some TV before turning in.  These are the days.  :)

That just turned into a rather long post.  I just wanted to make sure I'm documenting things going on in his life right now.  I have been horrible at keeping up with his baby book.  Anywho, hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

A Lapse in Time--Again

It's just been a bitty lapse in time since my last blog. A big apology to those few that read! We've been busy working, playing, fighting colds and other sicknesses, and now we're just looking forward to the holidays!

Those holidays include a little Wild Man's SECOND BIRTHDAY! I can't believe it's been two years since he's blessed us with his presence--and what a wonderful two year's it's been!

Anywho, just wanted to check in for a bit. I'm dealing with a second round of the cold in about four weeks. Please keep your fingers crossed that I'm breathing better before we leave to spend time with family and friends for Turkey Day! I'll leave you with a little video of one of Knox's current favorite "games." :)

I HEART Bakerella

I know, I know. You're about to fall out of your chair since this is post number two in two days. But, I don't think I've told you of this amazing site/blog, and I felt I must before I burst!

Bakerella, as she deservedly calls herself, has an amazing blog I love to, um, check hourly. Haha! Really, everything about her site makes me happy. First of all, food. Namely desserts--and lots of chocolate. Secondly, her AH-MAZING photos that showcase her food. Thirdly, her witty and fabulous descriptions of all she's making. Makes you think you can do it yourself! And that's just the "icing" on the cake. Obv, pun intended. :)

Go check her out, and be prepared to have a sugar rush! Happy Sunday, y'all!

Quick Catch-Up

I know it has be AWHILE since my last update. I have good excuse though! My hobby side of my home business is booming, and I'm spending any spare moment filling orders. It's so incredibly exciting, especially to know that something that I concocted is in high demand. :) It's so consuming that I even dreamed I was making Collegiate-Inspired Pillowcase Dresses in my sleep last night! I'm so very blessed to be able to have my creative outlet, the means to do so, family that supports me and in the process make a few extra dollars. One lucky girl, I am.

However, I'm taking a pause in my day as hubs is of to hunt for the third time of the weekend, and Knox is amazingly still asleep for almost three hours! Just taking in some Bama football (which is re-diculous at this point--53 to 7? Come on, give poor North Texas a break! Haha!), noshing on some fresh homemade guacamole and washing it down with a ice cold adult beverage. Gosh, I love football Saturdays--especially when it rains and I'm in my cozy house. :)

Hope you have as fabulous of a weekend, as I am!

The Bama Collegiate-Inspired Pillowcase Dress, if you haven't seen it.

For more check out my creative blog by clicking on the button at the top that read, Great Day Graphics & Design

Bama Inspired Monogram--Just got a more girly circular font that I'll add to my other blog soon!

Small Home Renov Pics

Our house is beginning to look more polished and more fabulous each day! Here are a few pics of the latest changes: continued Pergo flooring in the living room (we just carried over the same of what was already down in half of the downstairs instead of ripping that up) and no more green cabinets. Now, I loved my John Deere green cabinets, but white just makes it more polished (even though I HATE almost all white in my kitchen--oh well!) :) I have brown curtains to replace the worn striped curtains over the sliding glass doors, and I think I'm going to paint the round table between the two chairs black.

We moved the TV to the center of the back wall and put the entertainment center in the corner to camouflage all the cords. We're also adding frosting film to the glass doors to hide cords inside the entertainment center as well.

I LOVE the beige and dark brown rug I found at Walmart.com for only $99! It's perfect for the space!

It's SO WHITE!

In Disguise--Slipcovers

There are many wonderful home renov/updates taking place in the Rogers household. First, we sold Gabby The Galant this past Saturday. She sold after only being listed two days! YAY! We're using the money made from Gabby's sale to put back into the house. Those pictures of those changes will come later.

I'm currently fighting the good battle of sewing slipcovers for our couch and oversized chair. I'm quite excited about this project. Not only will it polish off our worn (but still shape sturdy furniture), but I'm able to do it for a decent price. Prefabricated slip covers aren't cheap and they wouldn't look so great on our giant couch and chair. Plus, we're wanting to polish up our bright colors.

I found a rust colored fabric at Hobby Lobby. Still in the red family, just a tiny bit more subdued. I wanted a print or pattern, but a very muted one that would work well with other prints and patterns. I lucked up with my chosen fabric--I love the faint small diamond pattern mixed with the green and maroon itty-bitty dots. PERFECT for what we already have--tons of green accents throughout the downstairs. On top of that the upholstery fabric was only $10 per yard, quite cheap for such a heavy fabric. AND on top of that, it was 30% OFF! I had to order an entire bolt of fabric for the couch, but was able to bring some fabric home to start working on the chair. I'm quite excited that I spend only $170 to recover two large pieces of furniture--way better than buying new furniture, especially when ours is only 5 years old. The dogs have just reeked havoc on the cushions. I will have to spend a little bit more because I'm creating completely new back cushions due to the smushed and gnawed cushion corners.

I'm sewing these slipcovers as pieces, so that the finished look won't be so slouchy like many slipcovers can be. The first piece I've worked on is the base, with the seat and back cushions to follow. I wanted the hardest part done first! I'm quite surprised with how well it turned out. I just pinned the bottom hem and only have one mishap to fix. It's already passed the daddy-seal-of-approval! :) I can't wait to get this chair completely finished, but looks like it won't be until next week--Knox and I are headed back to AL/TN for the next few days, leaving Daddy to fend for himself for a bit. Don't worry, he'll be busy with those other home renovs I mentioned earlier! YAY!

This is the best color pic of the fabric--isn't it fabulous???

You can tell that I haven't hemmed it yet--the front will hang more flush once it is hemmed. Can you see the boo-boo?

I'm thrilled with how the arms turned out!

This is the boo-boo. I'm completely happy with only one mistake and should be fairly easy to fix. Besides, once the cushions are in place it won't be noticeable anyway! ;)

A Belated Weekend Recap

I meant to do this on Monday, but Wild Man was still ill and stayed home from school--resulting in a near mommy melt-down from day-long whining. :)

We were blessed with a visit from Grammy and Grandaddy over the weekend, and had an amazing time as usual. We went to Stone Mountain State Park, and mainly drove around. We ended up at the covered bridge and took a short "hike" through the woods there. Knox was thrilled to see ducks on the water, but our (my) fun was slightly dampened by the dead (?) baby snake Knox and Grammy tried to play with when they thought it was a night crawler. Eeee! I get the eeby-jeebies just thinking about it. We got some great shots of three generations of Rogers men in the end, though!

Our next stop was at the Yellow River Game Ranch just about 5 minutes from Stone Mountain. Knox was in heaven--outside with tons of animals you could just tell he wanted to go squeeze. We were "those" people saying the name of EVERY animal we saw, quickly followed by the appropriate animal noise. Funny, we were never around the same people for an extended period of time. Haha! :) Knox was so worn out by all the excitement, he fell asleep mid-motion in the car on the way home. He has NEVER done that, but he was also diagnosed with this third ear infection of the year on Friday, so he wasn't quite up to par and that could have had something to do with it (on top of the fact that he STILL has a cold).

Anywho, a great weekend was had (Saturday was topped off with a super yummy dinner at the Japanese steakhouse!!!) We love having company, and when company is family, it is just that much sweeter. :) :) :) Thanks for the great weekend, Grammy & Grandaddy!

Desperately wanting to throw rocks.

All I have to say is, "AW!" :)

Aw! Again

And say it with me now, "AW!"

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this picture--Grammy, I will get you the hi-res version. :)

These next set of pics I like to call "Wild Game--Up Close & Personal." I used the GIGANTIC lens Keith loves to use (me, not so much) so it was hard to scoot back far enough, but then again I love those up close and personal pics anyway.

This silly billy goat had his head stuck through the door of this feed shoot (?)

Grandaddy, Knox and the silly billy goats

He's sticking his tongue out at me! :)

Oink, Oink, Oink!

Look into my eyes...this was a Knox-sized pony

Whatcha lookin' at gurl?

I LOVE peacocks, but never got a decent shot. :(

Raccoon running his wheel

This chipmunk/squirrel just cracked me up with his scrunched up face!

What A Fabulous Giveaway!

http://knoxrogersneighborhood.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-fabulous-giveaway.html

SICKIES--again!

As Knox and I hang out at the house today with yet ANOTHER case of the sickies, I thought I'd write a little note to self:

When feeding sweet baby boy a jelly biscuit...

put a top on the biscuit. :)

I haven't felt up-to-par to recap our great day visit to Chattaboogie for Sweet Jill's 30th birthday party, but she has lots of pictures I took posted on her site. Our only down side of the visit was getting hit head on (at only about 15mph, THANKFULLY) and just ONE HOUSE from Jill's. We're so very thankful we were in the SUV, but sad since we've only had that vehicle since late March. Oh well, at least it was only cosmetic damage to the vehicle and NO ONE WAS HURT--praise God!