So long 2011

2011 was a great year and we ended it with a wonderful day spent with family and friends. This morning we got to meet the newest addition to the Rogers family, Owen Andrew. Owen is a perfect and beautiful baby, and I'm sure he's going to have lots of fun with his 20-something cousins.
This evening we enjoyed a New Years Eve celebration with great friends and great food. And really, what more do you need than that?



With the ending of this year, I actually have some resolutions for the year to come. I'm not typically a resolution setter, but I figured this year I'd give it a shot. So, here are a few of my resolutions/goals/hopes for 2012, in no particular order:

1- Ok, this one definitely is the resolution that I'm hoping will be the most successful. I have GOT to kick (again) my addiction to soda. It's been a dear friend, sometimes the only thing to get me to the end of the day. I have so enjoyed it's syrupy goodness. I kicked it once in 2011, but Sonic pulled me back in. They know beverages, with their styrofoam cups, perfect ice-to-soda ratio, crunchy ice, and extra syrup. But in all honesty, I feel myself dying a little as I drink ridiculous quantities of it every day. It's not going to be easy, but I'm gonna give it another shot. Goodbye my love.

2- Really this isn't something I have control over, but I'm hoping this year I can convince God that if he will give me one more baby, I wouldn't screw it up....too badly. That's right folks, we're looking to expand our already average-sized brood. I mean, seriously, doesn't this look like a boy who is ready to be a big brother?


3- Resume regular meal planning and execution. I kinda fell off the wagon a bit since Paul was away for so many weeks in the last few months. But I have a whole notebook full of delicious meal ideas and I'm hoping to try out some new ones and put old favorites back into the rotation.

4- Sam and I recently looked through a dessert recipe magazine and together we came up with the delicious idea to bake our way through them all. So, our goal is to bake one item each weekend.

Here's to a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2012!

Christmas Day

This year Christmas Day varied slightly from the last 5 years. Per tradition, we typically enjoy (if I dare to use that word) a whirlwind tour of family members' homes which doesn't end until well after the sun has set on Christmas night. This year, however, since Christmas fell on Sunday and we partook of our regularly scheduled church meeting (though only 1 hour instead of the usual 3), we were just too pooped by evening and decided to sit out our usual stop at my Mema's house. So, it went a little something like this: Boys woke up and discovered their stockings that were left, ever so quietly, at the foot of their beds by Santa's elves. The boys discovered their letter from Santa and their gifts. We went to church and then headed over to Mimi and Pop Pop's house for our big Christmas hurrah. This year all of my siblings were there, so all 4 grandsons were together for the first time on Christmas. As usual, Sam and I were the Christmas elves, but this year Pop Pop provided us with costumes! Let's just say I've never felt more unattractive as the elf before this year! Sam sure enjoyed his costume, however.

Nathanael enjoyed some cuddle time with Pop Pop and Uncle Ben.

And I just love this picture of my sweet baby.
We knew it was time to move on to the other set of grandparents' house when Max tried to pack Nathanael up with the Christmas trash:-).
After spending some time at the Rogers grandparents' house, where I never seem to take any pictures, I loaded up for home and Nathanael, straightway, fell asleep at 6:30 for the night.

Christmas Eve

As in years past, on Christmas Eve we gathered with the rest of the Rogers family in Honea Path. Traditionally, this has always been the day reserved for Paul's mom and step dad to host their Christmas celebration for the family. This year the theme was breakfast. Now, I'm not really a breakfast food eater. My breakfasts typically consist of something like a cheese stick and crackers. So, since the gathering was at noon, I decided to take myself some leftover salad I had from dinner on Christmas Eve Eve (or Christmas Adam, according to my sister-in-law). Well, apparently my decision didn't sit well with some folks, but ya know what? I sure enjoyed that salad!!! I love my salad so much, I've made it three times this month for different gatherings and still plan to make it once more before the year ends. And since everyone I've made it for seems to enjoy it too, I'm going to share the recipe. Next time you're invited to breakfast at lunchtime, take some salad!
Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad
Recipe from Our Best Bites
8 oz. (1/2 bag) of baby spinach
1/2-1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped
1/2 thinly sliced medium red onion
1 large avocado, cubed
8 oz. mozzarella or Swiss cheese, shredded
1 12-oz. package bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 large can Mandarin oranges, drained
Poppy Seed Dressing, to taste

Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss with desired amount of salad dressing and serve immediately. If you anticipate leftovers, just let your eaters dress their own salads because the dressing will make the greens wilt.

Poppy Seed Dressing
Recipe from Our Best Bites
1/3 c. white vinegar
1 tsp. Kosher salt
A few turns of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp. mustard
1 green onion, ends removed (both the “hairy” end and where the green part starts to get floppy)
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. poppy seeds

In a blender, combine vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, and mustard. While the blender is running, add the green onion. Continue running the blender and add the oil in a steady stream and is fully incorporated into the dressing.

Pour the dressing into a serving or storage container and whisk in poppy seeds. Serve over leafy greens.


On Christmas Eve night, we always get new pajamas. This year all three boys got pirate themed ones! What could be more masculine than that?! And after we were all ready for bed, the boys received a sneaky visit from their personal elves, Buddy and Peter. Those two elves, who have never been caught, always leave fun surprises on the doorstep. My boys sure love those elves!

'Tis the season to party!

This year the Christmas season seemed a bit more overwhelming than years past. It seemed like there was so much to do, and so little time. Adding an extra complication, Paul spent the 3 weeks after Thanksgiving in Seattle on business. Nonetheless, we made the most of our December, and celebrated the season the best we could.
Kicking off our series of parties was Sam's kindergarten shindig. The class party was held on the last day of school before Christmas break (Dec. 16th) and was preceded by their Christmas program. Sam was asked to participate alongside his 5-year-old crush, Katie, as a poor boy named Pablo, hence the ratty clothing.
In keeping with what seems to be the school tradition, the Christmas party was certainly not lacking in sweets and treats! Children, would you like a slice of apple to go with your snowman donut? To add a bit of variety, they played Christmas bingo....using gumdrops as place markers.
The next day, Paul arrived home from Seattle and we dragged him along as we attended a gingerbread cookie decorating party. We all got to visit with friends and the boys got to decorate a cookie with all the candies their little hearts desired.


This year, having found what I thought were really cute holiday ideas, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to host a Christmas party for Sam (and Nathanael) and his friends. First, we made an ornament. By painting the kids' hands with a little bit of white acrylic paint, their hand prints made 5 perfect little snowmen!

Next the kids made some treats to deliver to someone of their choosing. They made Rolo pretzels, Candy Cane Kiss pretzels, and candy cane hearts filled with white chocolate.

And lastly, the boys had a little gift exchange to conclude the whirlwind party.
I hope the kids had as much fun as I did! I love any opportunity to get these boys together. I'm so happy for Sam that he has such good friends. Good friends are important. And I'm grateful to have their moms as friends too.

Kiddo, I think you're pretty awesome!

I guess you wouldn't be a mother if you didn't think your own kids were the greatest little people to ever walk the earth, but still, I do think it's true of mine. Now, I'll admit, I have passed along some definite quirks in my genes to my children. We have a tendency to be a little lacking in the patience department, a little obsessive, and perhaps a hair temperamental. But I am so grateful for how tender and loving my boys are. I'm sure that as they age they will probably learn to pick on their peers and be a little unkind from time to time, but I love that for now their innocent sweetness is still intact.
Today at Sam's school it was Cozy Christmas day, which meant that they were to wear their pajamas to school. Last night before bedtime I had Sam pick which pair he wanted to wear. His "coolest pajamas", a red and black pirate themed set, he already wore earlier in the year on pajama day, so he didn't want to wear those again. Of the other sets that were clean, two of them he deemed too warm, and so he settled on a set with Thomas the train. It wouldn't have been his first choice; he doesn't even really care for Thomas, but he didn't want to get too hot. So, I sent my little pajama-clad cutie off to school this morning, happy as could be.
So, imagine my heartache for him when, as soon as he got in the van after school, he reported that two other kids laughed at him, one saying "that's hilarious! You're pajamas are for babies!"
I take particular offense to anyone being unkind to my children. It probably hurts my feelings worse than it hurts theirs. And I know that it is going to happen time and again because kids can be mean. But it just surprises me that it has already started, in kindergarten. Now, I'm not trying to pretend that through some sort of superior parenting I have managed to raise a 5 year old who is incapable of being mean. Sam will hit his friends without blinking an eye. However, I'm grateful that his thoughts are still sweet and pure, and the thought would never cross his mind to laugh at or make fun of a friend. If only it could stay that way forever....

We have a believer!

Finally, Sam believes in Santa. Or so he says. His faith returned a couple weeks ago. When I questioned him about why he suddenly changed his mind that Santa isn't pretend he said it was because he saw Santa. Perhaps you wonder where, as I did. It was at a football game Sam was watching on TV. If Santa was at a football game, he must be real, of course! Whatever, I'll take it.
So today, after a particularly cheerful morning in our home {insert sarcasm}, we headed down to the neighborhood cabana for breakfast with Santa. The boys were super excited for a chance to see the old guy.
Don't they look like a pair of happy chaps? Perhaps in actuality Sam tried to refuse to even go with us, but after I told him that if he stayed home he would get kidnapped, he conceded. Atleast Max was happy.
Breakfast, just like last year, was Chick-Fil-A chicken minis, donut holes, and the most divine hot chocolate. Let's be honest; that's the real reason we go. Don't these faces just scream "Mmmmmmm"? The jury is still out on who consumed the most: Sam, Nathanael, or Max?

Once their bellies were full, the boys truly were anxiously anticipating Santa's arrival. Nathanael was the first one to sit upon his knee.

And to my amazement, when Nathanael was done, Sam popped right up to take his turn! He was a bit disappointed, though, when Santa incorrectly read from his list that Sam wanted a Clemson tee shirt when he really wants a jersey. Silly Santa.