14???

How is this even possible that Mitchell is 14???  Such a fine young man he is turning into.  :)

For the feet that just keep growing...

EEEEEK! A Teenager!

As of December 31st, we are the proud owners of our very own teenager (I know, the word brings chills to even the bravest parent).  Mitchell celebrated by having 3 of his buddies spend the night.  He is so blessed to have great friends!

And Afternoon at the Nutcracker

For Grandma B's birthday, Aunt Ruth and I took her to the Nutcracker, only the role of Ruth was played by her understudy, Lucy Jane.  😉

It was a wonderful show! 

A Decade in the Making

Owen turned 10 this year!  There was no shortage of friends, fun, or noise when we got the chance to celebrate. 

 The final present was wrapped with extra care... In a bag, 

under balloons,

in bubble wrap,

and finally in a box he found a furry friend!

8 is Gr8!!!

Lucy Lou turned 8 on October 8, and what a grand event it was!  One of the first items on her list was celebrated by pulling her booster seat out of the car. 🚘

The next method of celebration was the sharing of cupcakes--tie-dye cupcakes--with her third grade class.

After school, Grandma B stopped by with treasures-- including a big chair for the desk in her room.

The hardest part was waiting until Friday to celebrate with her friends. It was so worth the wait!  They had pizza, opened presents, had cake, and played, played, played.

What a gr8 day!

A Dozen

Mitchell turned 12 this year!  That means this is the last teenager-free year in the Rogers' household for a long time.

He chose to have a friend come over, then I took he kids bowling.

 After playtime, presents, and cake, Mitchell and his friend rang in the new year before being herded off to bed.

Owen's HaPpY HaPpY BiRThDaY

Owen's 9th Birthday took place this week-- marked by hosting a party this weekend.  After opening presents and eating dirt cake, he and his buddies went outside to make and run in obstacle courses and fight with silly string.

11!

Mitchell enjoyed the "extended version" of birthday celebrations this year.  We started by having a small sledding birthday party for his friends before school got out.  Then we celebrated with Grammy R, then with Grammy B, with the family, and then we finally capped off with a birthday dinner at the restaurant of his choosing.  He chose Dad's restaurant!  Yum!  We all enjoyed a nice dinner, then Dad surprised the kids with S'more Brownies.  Needless to say he scored Cool Dad points for that!
Here are some of the finer points of the celebrations:

The Percy Jackson inspired cake.