Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from the Rogers' family!

It's been a long time since I have posted.  Life with three little kids is busy.  Life with three little kids, the holiday season, visiting family, & a full schedule is just crazy!  So today, I am taking some time during a quieter moment in this house to share a little Happy New Year letter for whoever may still be reading this!

This year has been a wild and crazy ride, but definitely a little calmer than last year.  No moves.  No new babies.  No pregnancies.  (Which have always been the norm in the past five years!)  It's a little odd to say that there is NO big news as this may be the first time in a long time that  I am not pregnant or with a newborn & we aren't moving (although a moving plan will be in the works soon!).  I almost don't even know what to do with myself, but then I am quickly reminded by the sounds and noises of my three little kids that I have plenty to do.  These three kids are so sweet, but yet some of the most energetic kids you could see.  Our day starts bright and early & the quiet moments never happen until their heads hit their pillows and they finally fall fast asleep (which with Aiden can mean close to 10 pm!).  This mom who thrives on activity & life is in full thrive mode as there isn't many moments that one can quietly rest & relax with these three kids full of life.  Our short nights as a couple are spent recovering & preparing for the next day.  Days with these kids can be repetitive & exhausting, but I would have to say that Chris and I know that we are so blessed to be the parent to these sweet souls & be on this short step in the journey of our lives.  

Chris has continued his Professional Accounting fellowship at the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, DC.  He has continued to grow & learn in this position as well as meeting several great friends & people in his new role.  I have to admit that he is looking forward to the summer when the fellowship ends & taking on a new role wherever & whatever it may be.  This will be a big step in his career and he is looking forward to seeing where the future may take him (as is I!).    With a busy career and a house full of little ones, Chris' free time is very limited although he sneaks away for a few moments of exercise & some Hawkeye football games whenever he can manage.

It's crazy to think that we have already lived in Vienna, VA for 1 1/2 years.  Time really does fly, especially as the mom of three little kids.  Somehow, we managed to finally unpack after a full 18 months has passed by & I have adjusted to the life around here.  I still feel like a newbie in the area, but have really enjoyed meeting some great new people and developing some friendships with several other moms in the area.  I continue to spend my days completely engulfed in my children's world (like most moms of young children) but I do try to take some time away to have an outlet away from my children.  I joined a gym this past year (with childcare, which is amazing!) & am just starting to train for a half marathon in March.  I continue to blog over at The Chirping Moms & love having the creative outlet and staying connected with my dear friend and old NJ neighbor, Courtney.  And with my other few moments of free time, I am either cleaning/organizing, doing crafts, or you will find me curled up in my bed catching up on  reality tv shows or reading about five pages of a book before I fall quickly asleep!

This next year, we will be completing our sixth move in nine years but it is still an open road of where we may be.  We are excited to hopefully be at a place that will be home for more than a few years & establish our roots for ourselves and for our family.  We have a few options on the table as we are working on future career options for Chris & I know that all of the options have some great benefits to what they may be & any of them will be a great place to call home.  So as we sit in this slightly calmer moment in our life (for just a short few months), it's time to take a moment to reflect upon each of the children this year...

Aiden.  Just turned six.  It's really hard to believe that he is growing up.  He started his first year of kindergarten where he goes for seven hours a day.  Although I am sad to not have him at home with me during the day, he was so ready for school & thrives in the school environment.  He is like a little sponge who just loves the structure and routine of his classroom.  He is attending the local elementary & he adjusted with great ease.  He is getting used to new schools as this is his fourth school in four years (and another new one next year!).  He seems to enjoy his classmates (all 25 of them) & his teacher.  It's amazing how much he has learned & taught himself this year.  He has become quite the little reader & his favorite books right now are the Magic Treehouse series which he is zooming through & anything Minion.  He is also a little geography buff, often studying maps & can probably tell you the location of all 50 states as well as many countries.  He loves math, science, & really anything they do in school.  He loves school so much that he comes home many days and plays school for 1-2 hours.  Not surprisingly, he wants to be a teacher when he grows up.  When he does play, he isn't a huge toy kid, but you will find him & Andrew off in another "pretend" world.  As I type, they have been playing Santa and reindeer for at least two hours.  In his "very rare" quiet time, he loves movies, Minions, Rescue Bots, playing on his Leappad, and playing on the computer.  This little boy is definitely petite, weighing in at 34 pounds this month, but you will not miss him as he NEVER stops making noise and talking!  

Andrew.  This kid is now four.  Crazy stuff.  He now attends preschool three mornings a week & again, he is onto a new school that is closer to our house (although we do miss the one the boys were at last year!).  This year, he is at Andrew Chapel which is fitting for our little Andrew.  He loves school & has had no problem adjusting & making new friends.  This kid loves dress-up.  Like seriously.  He is known around town is the boy in costume and always keeps us wondering what costume he will wear for the day:  Batman, Superman, fireman, Ironman, policeman, or one of his several other costumes.  He has a huge imagination & loves to play different characters as well as with many of his toys.  His favorite toys include:  superheroes, Rescue Bots, jumping in the bounce house, Paw Patrol, & of course his costumes.  He also loves to be outside riding his bike, digging in the sandbox, & running around.  He did say good-bye to naps this year & he will be saying good-bye to a beloved pacifier VERY soon.  He is another petite little boy, weighing in at 30 pounds, but seems to obtain enough calories each day (probably for his love of chocolate milk, cereal, & cereal bars!).

Now our sweet little Abby.  Or should I say our spitfire little Abby.  This girl definitely has a sweet & spice side to her.  Now, Abby is 21 months old & it's hard to believe that she will be two this spring.  She is really blossoming into her own little self  and knows how to keep us on our toes.  Abby loves, loves, loves her brothers and follows them around everywhere (even when they are trying to run away from her!).  She has no fear, climbing on top of the couch, jumped out of her crib, & can be on top of any platform at the playground.  She is petite as well, weighing a little over 20 pounds, but keeps up with any and all.  She has long, blonde hair that grows straight in her face & if it is not pulled or clipped back, she looks like a little wild cave girl (and acts like one too). She is starting to talk quite a bit with demands for "mama", "milk", & "baby" some of her favorites.  As much as she loves playing with her brothers, she loves her baby dolls, pushing her doll stroller, & has a small love for changing clothes whenever possible.  She does great when put in the gym childcare or the nursery room at church, but again spends most of her time with mama & her family!

Looking back on 2014, we are thankful and blessed with another great year.  In addition to the everyday life as a family, we also got to travel as a family together to several great places.  We spent time in North Carolina at my mom's house, visiting the beach house in North Carolina with family, a couple weekend trips to New Jersey to see friends, a special trip back to Iowa to see family and friends, a Thanksgiving trip to Chicago for Uncle Jason & Aunt Kelly's wedding, trips up to Pennsylvania to see Aunt Jill & a special reunion with our friends the Nixons in Lancaster, PA.  Also, thanks to Chris' parents, Chris & I managed to get away for the first time in several years and headed south to Naples, FL with another couple for a great weekend getaway!  We also have enjoyed the sights & stops of the DC area as much as you can with three little ones.  It's funny as I am looking at last year's "yearly update" post and I said we were looking forward to a more "boring" year.  No moving, no new children, no job change.  And sometimes, I look at my daily life and one could call it boring from an outsider:  reading books, doing laundry, making dinner, running errands.  So yes, I guess if that defines boring, we have mastered a "boring" year, but from this mom's eyes, the year has been far from boring.  The kids have grown so much this year & everyday brings new challenges & moments that keep life fun, exciting, and interesting.  As we enter 2015, I am looking forward to the great changes that lie ahead, but I also look forward to the small moments that lie in the everyday that truly make a joy-filled & special life.

We wish you all a wonderful & happy 2015!