Team Rogers

December Fun

2008-12-17T20:27:00.000-08:00

The girls were keeping busy today with the watercolors...stuck inside 'cause baby it's cold outside!

We made our first snowman. The snow is still really fluffy and won't pack so we had to pack little buckets of snow and do it "sandcastle style". Baby carrot for a nose, and I tried the "blush" trick with a spraybottle of red-colored water. Elsa named her "EMILY".

This is Ly's first snow where she's conscious of it. She was so cute examining how it fell through her gloves.

Elsa was having such fun. She swung in the tree swing with Grampa Rogers, made a snow angel, ate her icicle, and played with the sled. What a day to be a kid!

Pulled Ly around the house on the old Westersund Family Sled...

Our apple tree out front looked like it was decorated with red ball ornaments in the snow. One of my favorite winter sites.

Well, well, well...look who turned 4!!! By this point in the party she had stripped down and re-dressed in a dress up dress.

Lyla...how are you 2 already??! Boy, does this girl love "choc-at"!

My aunt Gail made each of the girls a little cheerleading dress up outfit...complete with pom-poms and megaphones. Of course they think that is just too much fun!

Elsa switched into her new yellow horse tu-tu and was working on the gingerbread man sticker project. The "theme" of their birthday this year was gingerbread man...she's into that story right now.

Working on some sparkle playdough cookies with her friends...

Sometimes your kids just have a moment of cute. I try and catch some of them...like this one so that I never forget what it is like to look in the back seat and see this looking back.

The quail have been busy in the back yard. There they are- between the tree and the garden shed. We've counted up to 40 of them together. They are hilarious right now, dragging their little birdy bellies through the snow...hurry! hurry! hurry!

A better, but blurry, shot of them out the window.

Santa...Ly wanted NOTHING to do with sitting on his lap. Elsa was a seasoned pro, and asked for a candycane for Christmas.

Halloween Time

2008-11-07T08:38:00.001-08:00

Lyla in the leaves

cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_Ho9uWjtR62A/SRRwO-MBsSI/AAAAAAAAAqs/QvObZeF1-_I/s320/fall08_0016.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265957266816872738" />Lyla and Jenny trick-or-treating in downtown Walla Walla

Big Sis showing little ladybug how to trick-or-treat

Elsa had me put an old baby sweater on Gaucho. She said he's "dressing up as Grama Rogers" for Halloween this year. She said "because Grama's wear sweaters".

Elsa in her fairy costume...all dressed for her preschool party

The girls with our pumpkins carved at our Pumpkin Party.

The pumpkin lineup...all the pumpkins carved at our party.

Pics from summer/fall

2008-11-07T08:34:00.001-08:00

Elsa and her airplane drawing

She wears wings nearly every day

Lyla set all this up herself in the bathroom. And what did she do with her shirt? This is her face when we say "show me the cheese"...

Elsa fast asleep at naptime

Sweet girl...

Elsa riding her stick horse

Ly's face was covered in raspberries, sidewalk chalk, and lots of dirt. And people wonder why we call her pigpen?

Ly in the corn

Our garden going full blast...with Barney the scarecrow keeping an eye on things.

Elsa spent a LOT of time sitting out in the garden like this. She had a thing for picking the beans especially.

Visiting Grampa and Grama Rogers

2008-04-11T20:40:00.001-07:00

Our last visit to Grama and Grampa's included an excursion to go see the new (31) lambs. The one in the photo was only a day old. Elsa fed the ram, Benny, and did her usual chasing of the flock.

Finally...Some new pics (in no real order)

2008-04-11T20:21:00.001-07:00

Lyla in her cheeezy sunglasses. (Goes right with our psychadelic kitchen floor.) She loves to play dress up!

They put boxes on their heads...Elsa said they were robots.

The '08 Easter Egg Hunt begins...

Lyla seemed to get the hang of it...

The girls decided to pack themselves for Grama's house.

Scott and Elsa built another snowman...we had so many snow days this year!

Our little princess. She was dancing and asked me for a crown, so I McGyvered one out of foil and a headband.

Lyla won't stop eating Elsa's markers and crayons. Oh no...

Not again?!?!

Looking cute in a new shirt that Grama Rogers sewed for her.

Ly in her little blue hat. Sunny cold day!

Elsa paints nearly every day, which I love.

Elsa's FIRST DAY OF PRESCHOOL!!! She's growing up so fast.

Sweet little ballerina girl. That was MY tutu when I was in ballet WAY back when.

Oh NO! NOT AGAIN!?!

Ly came around the corner like this...wearing a headband and broken necklace. Pretty baby! I can only imagine what she's going to do when she can DRESS herself...

Hanging Around Home

2008-01-25T21:07:00.001-08:00

Elsa likes to put "capes" on Lyla so that she can be "SU-PER BABY!!!!". She'll just truck around wearing that on her back...

And sometimes, Elsa will ad a dustmask "helmet" to complete the outfit. Poor Ly...

Elsa thought Gaucho was cold so she had us put Lyla's fleece vest on him.

We've had some excellent icicles on the house, and Scotter got one down for Elsa to try out.

Lyla at the front room window- just her height to look out and see what's going on outside.

On Elsa's actual birth day, we made a crown together and she customized it herself.

Elsa was just looking so "big girl" one day when we were heading out the door...she's growing up so fast.

Nightgown: Check. Snuggy Robe: Check. Hello Kitty Toothbrush: Check. Cute: Check.

Wow. It was quite a scene! Elsa put on her dancing dress and was mowing with Ly's push toy. She put on her dancing slippers (complete with "flamingo feathers") and was giving us quite a show.

Lovely Drive

2008-01-25T21:03:00.001-08:00

We took a drive for New Year's Eve and headed up north of Walla Walla. It was such a pretty day, with a bit of snow on the ground. We drove up one backroad, up through a canyon to the tops of the hills and came upon a large grouping of wind turbines. They are so, so huge...there isn't a way to capture it on film. But here's a shot of the scene. Such a contrast between the landscape and the technology...

Sitting with Santa

2008-01-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

We went to get our tree up in Walla Walla, and guess who was there? Lyla wasn't so sure about the whole thing, but Elsa was all over it!

Birthday Girls

2008-01-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

It has been FOREVER since I posted new pix! Here are a few from the girls' birthday party in mid-December.

The Girls

2007-11-30T16:11:00.000-08:00

Such a big girl, standing in her crib.

Elsa in her "sleeping cap". She wears this nearly every night...getting the idea from "The Night Before Christmas" story.

Winter Wonderland

2007-11-30T16:06:00.000-08:00

It snowed for the first time last week...

The huge tree in our backyard looked so beautiful covered in snow.

Elsa is putting the last finishing details on "Frank" (a third arm, that is). Had more snow the past couple of days, and we built another snowman that she named "Yankee Doodle".

Snow baby Ly...

Halloween

2007-11-10T21:28:00.001-08:00

Had a couple of cute bugs for Halloween this year. Elsa really got the hang of the "ring bell/get candy" routine...

The girls out on our porch

Lyla-bee

Moving Day

2007-11-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

Here we are, one last photo at our house in The Grove...

Pumpkin Patch

2007-11-10T21:24:00.001-08:00

A visit to Grampa and Grama Rogers' pumpkin patch, on a lovely day.

Elsa helps Grama get ANOTHER ONE

Ly and her special pumpkin

Fall at The Ranch

2007-11-10T21:20:00.000-08:00

The girls spent a week at the ranch while Scott went on his annual fishing trip.

Final Shindig

2007-11-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

We had the Kennedy's and Mudge's over for one last hu-rah. Where did all these kids come from?

Elsa sharing a snack with Rowan

Lil' Kennedy finessing her piano Concerto No. 1

Pizza in the living room...

Our little darlings

Random Pics from the Grove

2007-11-10T21:03:00.000-08:00

Oh happy baby...

Elsa and her sweet friend Charlotte on the porch

Elsa "packing Gaucho" in the moving box

Miss Lyla in the tub

The Divine Miss Elsa in her dancing dress. She's posing just after jumping on our bed, dancing to butt rock.

2007-09-14T08:59:00.000-07:00

It was my birthday last weekend, and while A and L had a family event in the gorge, I needed to head over to Sisters and grab the raft for my pending trip to Idaho and Yellowstone...so I loaded Elsa up in the pickup and hit the road.

Someone enjoys roasting marshmallows, and this is as close as we could get to a campfire...

Saturday morning, E and I hit the Gallery for breakfast and then cruised through Bend to the High Desert Museum. Elsa, of course, had a blast...

Who doesn't like hot chocolate?

Recent Pix of the Girls

2007-08-23T13:39:00.001-07:00

Ju-Lyla

2007-08-18T19:51:00.001-07:00

Harvest Time

2007-08-18T19:35:00.000-07:00

Scotter and the girls in the wheat truck.

Lyla's first ride!

Even though it was SO LOUD...Elsa just had to fall asleep in Dad's lap on the way back to the ranch.

Elsa out for her second combine ride with Grama and Papa.

Our little huckleberry junkie...helping Papa make the hotcakes.

The girls eating together for the first time. Now, where are those hotcakes?

Elsa on the tractor, having a great time!

A Week at The Ranch

2007-06-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

We spent last week in Pendleton at the ranch while Scott went fishing with a friend in Idaho. What a great time we had!

Grama Susan filled her wheelbarrow with water and turned Elsa loose to play in the water. This girl LOVES water and will seek it out like a fish.

Elsa carrying one of Susan's new baby kittens up to the house.

She really loved getting to play with the kittens!

Elsa giving Uncle Matt a drink of water.

Smilin' Lyla...

Lyla taking in some sun on Daddy's lap.

We spent a couple days up at Aunt Gail and Uncle Mark's new cabin/house. Elsa was trying to catch one of the hundreds of butterflies in her net.

My cousin Jenny and her 2 little ones stayed up there with us. Elsa and Nellie had a great time running through the sprinkler in their clothes!

Sopping wet!

Balls and sprinklers! Does it get any better than that?

This sums up the hot summer fun...clothes drying in the sunshine. By the end, we had the girls stripped down naked and only wearing shoes. The bare-buns photos are on Jenny's camera...and I'll post them when she sends them to me. REALLY CUTE.

Elsa (what a goofball)

2007-05-20T20:30:00.003-07:00

When we wash Elsa's hair, we can form it into a "horn" on top of her head. She has no idea we do it...

When she uses her floor potty, she has starting pulling her little wooden stool over in front of her for a reading table.

Rogers Family Spring Getaway

2007-05-20T20:30:00.001-07:00

We spent a nice weekend at the house in Sisters with the entire Rogers gang. The weather was perfect and the kids had so much fun playing together! We didn't have the camera out much this trip...we just always seem to have our hands full of kids!

Family photo op, sans Grandpa.

Mom and Ly (she was dressed in her girly-clothes that day)

She's so happy!

Big hugs!

Mother's Day

2007-05-20T20:24:00.003-07:00

What a PERFECT Mother's Day! I was treated to a little sleep in (if 7am counts), a yummmmmy breakfast prepared by Scotter and his sous chef, and then I was taken on a lovely drive to a little spot in the woods for a picnic. It really couldn't have been better. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful family!

Elsa enjoying the picnic in her little camp chair.

Dad and Elsa check out the creek.

Mom and the girls.

Mother's Day Weekend in Molalla

2007-05-20T20:21:00.002-07:00

Grandma Rogers and Elsa playing on the slide.

Looking at the "fresh piggies".

Trying to get the llama to come visit the fence.

Feeding the sheep out of her hand...! She used to be scared of the sheep, but each time we get out there she gets more brave.

Girls, Girls, Girls...

2007-05-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Lyla in her pretty dress.

Lyla swinging with her arm up (just like Papa Westersund!)

Elsa post potty-time...washing her hands. Susan was here for a visit and we just had to take a photo of those bare buns!

Hammin' it up...

Elsa had to take a break from dancing (that's her "dancing hat" ) and was trying to go potty on the big toilet. And her preferred reading material is our backyard bird identification book...namely the hummingbird page. What a nut!

Ly in the tub

Eeeeee! We have a bathroom!!!

2007-04-22T13:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time coming, but our bathroom was finally brought to working order yesterday! New toilet, sink and refurbished clawfoot (original to our house) were all installed and look just great in our new "old" bathroom. So last night, the girls took the first bath in the ol' tub and loved it. We let Elsa go nuts for a while, then layed Lyla in for a quick dip with Big Sister.

Miss E taking her first soak...

The girls in there together...Elsa LOVED having Ly in there with her.

More Day to Day...

2007-04-22T13:32:00.000-07:00

Lyla is growing sooo fast!

Grandma Rogers bought Elsa some new rubber boots, which she calls her "Puddle Boots". So now her favorite thing to do is go out after a rain shower and find the biggest, muddiest puddle to stomp in. And we let her...

So here in this photo, she has on her new boots (on backwards, of course), her pajama shirt that she pulled over her regular shirt, no pants, and she's helping me sweep the kitchen.

The girls...

Just love Ly in her little birdy overalls!

Daddy and Elsa taking a break from bike riding on our front steps.

Snuggle Puppy

2007-04-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

We have a book titled "Snuggle Puppy" that Elsa loves...so much so that she has memorized it. (Well, close enough anyway!) She actually let me film her doing this at naptime today. Take a listen!

Easter!

2007-04-10T14:17:00.000-07:00

Grama and Grampa Rogers invited everyone out for an easter egg hunt and lunch. What a beautiful, sunny morning!

And she's off!

The 3 cousins had so much fun....so many eggs, such little baskets!

Lyla slept though the entire thing...

Elsa chasing Zion, the llama.

Daddy and Elsa strolling in the pasture. He taught her the term "cow pie". I figure that's a pretty important lesson to be learned.

Day to Day at Home

2007-04-10T14:11:00.000-07:00

Lyla and Daddy having a snug.

Still loving bath time...but nearly out-growing the tub!

Giggling with her new little stuffed llama, a gift from my uncle and aunt.

Haven't dyed eggs since I was a kid...

Note to self: A 2-year-old isn't quite ready to dye easter eggs! (at least not without making a big, big mess..)

A Few Spring Days at the Ranch

2007-04-10T14:09:00.000-07:00

I decided spur-of-the-moment to take the girls to the ranch for a visit and to go to my cousin's baby shower.

What a gorgeous day!

Pink tulips and a chippy-paint fence...my bizarre idea of beauty.

Elsa in the hay wagon with her daffodile (she nearly cleaned Susan's flower bed out by the time we left!).

Gorgeous red tulips a-la-Susan.

Susan and Elsa feeding the pheasants their wheat treat.

Lyla and the Birthday Boy after our celebratory feast.

Elsa picked this hat out of Dad's stash in the back porch. She wore it in the car when we left, and fell asleep with it on. Eventually it fell clear over her eyes....a cute vision in the rear-view-mirror.

Fishing in the Coast Range

2007-04-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Scotter wanted to take us to a special river he discovered up in the coast range. We did a little fishing and had a picnic with the girls. What a beautiful drive and what gorgeous trees, moss, waterfalls....

We saw a huge bald eagle trying to dry his feathers out..all fluffed up on a tree limb.

Enjoying a picnic on the tail gate. Elsa took full advantage of the opportunity to eat chips and drink "bubble drink".

Munch mouth...

A neat old mossy tree...

Elsa helping Daddy drive on the gravel road.

Fan of the fan

2007-03-26T12:48:00.000-07:00

Little Lyla was laying on our bed last night coo-ing at the ceiling fan. She was looking so sweet so I had to take a pic.

Lyla, Lyla, Lyla

2007-03-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

She's started to smile and coo...and yesterday she started a little giggle!

Elsa's on wheels! and more...

2007-03-07T15:22:00.000-08:00

Elsa got her first little tricycle and has been working hard at learning to peddle. She hasn't quite gotten it down yet. Maybe it's the coaching?

Practice, practice, practice...

Went out to Grama and Grampa Rogers' house to see the new batch of lambs. Elsa wasn't too sure about it this year and wouldn't go anywhere near them.

Lyla hanging out in her bouncy seat.

...and in her swing.

Day to Day with the Girls

2007-02-26T20:39:00.000-08:00

Got the girls loaded up for our first trip in the double jogger. Lyla slept through the entire thing...It felt great to get out and get some fresh air.

Lyla loves to lay on our bed and watch the fan.

Mom and the girls...

Elsa putting sunglasses on her dolly.

Broccolli. She just couldn't wait for me to cut it or cook it!

Lyla hanging out in her chair.

Our little artist LOVES to paint.

Elsa playing in the in-progress bathroom with her "jump rope" (pink party streamer). She's wearing Mom's pajama shirt with owls on it that she likes to put on herself and wear around.

Playing with her dangle toys.

Trip to Pendleton

2007-02-26T15:36:00.000-08:00

We headed over to Pendleton for the weekend. Our friend Schabahn hosted a little open house for Lyla at Dad and Susan's. It was really nice to see so many family and friends, and introduce them to our new little babe. We had wonderful food and it was just a great, memorable day!

Elsa helping Daddy drive on the gravel road to Papa and Grandma's house.

Elsa partakes in the legendary huckleberry pancakes...

Little Lyla gets a bath in Grandma's antique graniteware baby tub. Gotta be fresh for the big party!

Little Miss getting cozy on Papa's lap.

Napping on Great Grampa Whitbread's lap.

Childhood friends Schabahn, Amy and Jennifer with our kids.

Elsa loving time with Grandma Susan.

The Girls

2007-01-29T19:48:00.000-08:00

Lyla gets bigger every day!

Tiny little hands.

Big Sister and Baby Sister.

Miss Piggy Tails.

Lyla is 1 Month Old Already!

2007-01-11T21:49:00.000-08:00

Tiny as she is, little Lyla is growing well and is such a sweet baby.

It's difficult to see how tiny Lyla is from a photo. Here she's showing her little chicken legs.

When she's awake, she's incredibly alert and has all sort of expressions. I think she knows more than she's letting on...

She seems to enjoy bathtime. It's a little tricky for Mom...there's not a lot to hold on to! Look at those skinny little arms and legs!

2007-01-04T20:02:00.000-08:00

Lyla at 3 weeks.

Welcome Lyla Rose!

2006-12-27T17:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas came early this year, as our second baby girl entered the world on the night of December 15th, weighing in at 5lbs 6oz and 18.5 inches. Not too bad for being over 5 weeks early.

We finally brought her home from the hospital today, a full two weeks after delivery. She's still small, 5lbs 3 oz, but she looks great and it is wonderful to have the positive energy around the house.

Fortunately for us, Aunt Heather and Cousin Bridget are visiting to help out and chase Elsa around...

Oh, and Grandma Susan and Papa gave Elsa a piano for Christmas! I am sure she'll be able to play Lyla a song in no time...