Fathers Day and Blessings

    This Fathers day is a little extra special this year. Though our little bouncing bundle of joy won't be here for another 5 months, it's nice knowing that we will be parents THIS YEAR! Michael is especially excited to be a daddy. He is constantly telling me that whether we have a little boy that he teaches to throw a ball or a little girl that he has tea parties with every day, he doesn't care. He looks forward to spending precious moments with our little one and teaching them the things that he or she needs to know. He will be an incredible daddy at that. He loves children and is very good with them. He is patient, kind, fun, loving, and very child like himself! He talks about cuddling with the little one on his chest. He likes that we can go to a restaurant and we will be able to say Browns party of 3! We are constantly thinking of the every day errands and chores that we will have to do with baby B in our mists. Most of all I can not wait to see our first born in my husbands arms for the first time. That is the moment I am waiting for the very most.
     My dad actually talks a lot about what it was like when I was born and how he felt. He has shard his thoughts and feelings about the day he became a dad and I cherish each and every word. He is an incredibly sensitive, loving, and incredible man. He has taught me more than I could spend in a lifetime explaining. He is that daddy that my Father in Heaven knew that I needed. I hope that Michael writes down how he felt and his experiences of that day for when our first born is older. These little talks I had with my dad is what I cherished the most. 
   On this note, my heart it full today. I can not but help and think about all the little but significant blessings that are in my life. I love the beauty of the earth and the way that the Colorado scenery makes me feel. The colors and the majesties of the mountains takes my breath away each day. How thankful I am for the relationships in my life. From those who simply put a smile on my face, to my best friends who are always there for me in good times and in bad. Those friends who let me vent and then find ways to life me back up when I am down is what makes a difference in my every day life; I often think of them all as my sisters. Then to my family who cares to love me in the simple ways by service and simple acts of love. Ending with my sweet husband who loves me unconditionally, forever, and always. He is my best friend, my confidant, my comic relief, the love of my life, and the father of baby B that is growing inside of me. How lucky I am for the little things in my life!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL THOSE FATHER FIGURES IN MY LIFE!

Today was a great day!

Our new adventures!

I have to say that many MANY prayers have been answered over the past few months and we have been blessed TRAMENDOUSLY! Here is what has been going on in our fun little lives…. sorry in advance for such a long post!

             Well we have been trying to get into our own place for QUITE some time now. We started looking back in the first part of May all over the Springs. We looked around quite a bit at MANY apartment complexes and well…. I forgot how expensive it is! We would really LOVE to get into a house; unfortunately we are not sure what lies ahead of us in life so we decided that renting an apartment would be our best option!

It is funny how when we found the right complex, everything fell right into place! The apartment was available at any time, it was on the second floor (first floor apartments have garages and are more expensive) and we got lucky because it is a corner apartment and no one is above us so our ceilings are vaulted! Then our building is in a perfect spot in the complex, we have a great view and lots of parking by our building. Sorry If I am bugging you with some of the details but I am always interested in hearing the specks on my friends place! Our place is a 2 bed 2 bath, just over 1250 square feet, wood/tile floors, nice carpet, large deck (we got a FREE grill from a neighbor that was giving it away!), large bathrooms with archways above the shower, grand windows, large walk in closets, washer and dryer, and all the every days amenities that come with a nice place like this. The club house is AMAZING and they have a grand pool area and work out facility! We moved in over Memorial Day weekend and we LOVE IT! It honestly feels and looks more like a condo than an apartment, it is just so well kept and pretty!

Our move in day went extremely smooth. We were moved out of my parents place, had the storage unit packed up (that is where all our stuff has been for the past year) and had moved EVERYTHING into our new place in 2 hours! We had just the right amount of people come and help so it went fast and smooth. My family was nice to stay and help us unpack so we had my kitchen and bedroom set up and unpacked in about an hours and a half! Well by the end of the weekend I was pretty much unpacked and had decorated the place. I just couldn’t help getting everything out and unpacked because it had been so long since I had seen all my stuff! It was almost like Christmas!   

We are so thankful and excited to have our own little place again. Those blessings that we sometimes want or need can come at very unexpecting times! I am sorry I don’t have pictures yet, I have been at girls camp over the last week and will take some this week for those friends and family who are far away and can’t come visit!

Okay this is a much longer post then I expected! I guess I have lots going on finally!

The best news that I could possibly tell anyone right now though is that I AM EXPECTING!!!!!!! We found out a few months ago and after MANY doctors’ visits and some stressful weeks, we are doing great and all is well! I am 4 months along, we find out Jusy 6^th what the gender is and I am due November 26^th which is Thanksgiving weekend! Not many people understand this. The fact that I am due during Thanksgiving means the world to us. We have been trying for so long and have been through a lot emotionally, physically, and mentally that being due around the holidays, especially THANKSGIVING, is a little tender mercy that we have been given.

We did have an ultrasound early on when I found out that I was expecting and there was only one baby which I was a little sad for lol. Yes I am one of those crazy people that would love twins! The sadness only lasted but a second because I JUST FOUND OUT THAT I WAS FOR SURE PREGNANT! Here is the crazy thing. I had gone off all fertility meds the month before and we were saving up for artificial incemination. Well naturally that next month we VERY unexpectantly got pregnant. The specialist was laughing when he came into the room. He was a little perplexed but said that he “jump started” my body somehow!

It has been an interesting ride. I was very emotional and confused at first. I wanted a baby for so long. I had literally dreamt of taking a test and seeing the word PREGNANT on the test. I can’t tell how bad I wanted to have morning sickness not just nausea from my meds. Well I realized once I found out that I was expecting, I was very much stressed. I realized that I had come to accept that it was not our time. I had accepted that the Lord had a different plan in store for us. We were still in my parents place and we were trying to get financially ready for whatever was set in our path. Well I was flustered that I had come to these terms and not everything changed and I was not ready for it. I was not ONCE angry or upset, I was overcome with gratitude, thankfulness, happiness, and love from my Father in Heaven. I just had to aligne my plan once again with my Father in Heavens. Once we changed our 9 month plan and saw where our future was going, we have been living on cloud 9 just knowing that we are going to be blessed with a little one!

I did have some nausea in the beginning, I never threw up but I was VERY sensitive to smells and textures and my gag reflex was unreal! Then about a month ago I caught a cold that kicked my trash and once I got better, EVERYTHING got better and I have felt pretty good ever sense! Naturally, nothing is ever simple for me. About a month ago, my grandma on my mom’s side tested positive for Factor 5 (a blood disorder) and her doctor told her that all her daughters and granddaughters should be tested for it as well. As far as I understand it and what my grandma was told by her nurse, it is a blood clotting disorder where the blood clots too easily and can cause massive blood clots, miscarriages, problems getting pregnant and more. So I was tested and I am positive as well! When we talked to my doctor about this he said that usually he does not have problems with patients that have factor 5 and have NOT had any problems with clots. Those who have factor 5 run the risk of placenta previa, blood clots in the mother as well as in the umbilical cord. Luckily my doctor is not very worried about me and these injections are more preventive than necessary. He would feel better doing this because of my history and we would rather be safe than sorry. He also said that it would help him feel better and he knows that I would sleep better at night knowing that we are taking all precautions possible. Therefore he has placed me on Lovenox injections every day for the rest of my pregnancy! This is not really a problem, just another thing to worry about. I am so thankful for my awesome doctor and for his awareness of how I fell! He is truly the best. He told me at my first appointment that If I was ever worried and needed to hear the baby’s heartbeat that I could come in in-between my appointments and he would let me hear it!

So at this point we are going out of our minds waiting for our ultrasound appointment in July and are checking and looking for movement of the baby daily (I know it is a little early but we are just so excited)! Mike is so excited and that brings so much joy to me. He cares so much and is very brave giving me my injections every night. In the beginning he was so good to help find what I could eat and he was honestly excited that I was so nauseous because he felt that meant that the pregnancy was going well! He constantly talks to the baby, rubs and kisses my belly daily, and talks about what he will do when he is a daddy. Mike would love a baby boy and I would love a baby girl but really and truly we could care less what the gender is as long as we are having a healthy baby! We have had 2 names picked out for each gender and we will not decide what he or she will be named until they are born.

These were taken on mothers day!

 

So now I should have lots to blog about and our computer is back so it will be easy for me to blog! We wanted to take a moment and thank all those who have had us in their thoughts and prayers. I know it is something small and simple, but because of the small and simple things, great things are brought to pass! Life is not quite perfect, Michael is still looking for full time work with benefits so your prayers in that area is appreciated but it is because of faith that we have been given the blessings of having our own place and expecting our first little one! Thank you to all our friends and family for your excitement in our behalf. We are thrilled to share these special times with you ALL so please, those of you who are far away, we invite you to come visit us this summer/fall or early next year once baby B is here!

As always, lots of love to all!

Catch Up...

Once again I am playing catch up. The good thing is we got our computer fixed so I should be back on a regular basis! I am not going to say much about the last 4 months because to be honest, not too much has happened!

- Basketball ended in February. Mike loved coaching the boys and he even got to coach a varsity game! He also looked so dashing on the bench and was a great advocate to the boys :)

- Our good friends Alan, Lexi, and their little Lindy surprised us and came out in February for 10 days! We had such a blast and enjoyed having them here! We played lots of games, visited, and just relaxed! It was good to spend some good quality time with them!

- Mike got a job at the Hampton Inn that I helped open back in 2006! It is very close to my parents and  is a great place to work; it has been such a small yet great blessing. He started out part time and was able to move up to part time a few weeks ago which was another great blessing!

- Mike and I made a 11 hour one way visit to Utah for Grandpa Brown's surprise birthday party! We were unfortunately there only about 36 hours but it was so good to see mom and dad Brown, Michelle and the kids, as well as Mikes grandparents and extended family.

- As a family home evening activity we went to a Rockies game and had a BLAST! It was a lot more fun then I anticipated! We ate lots of baseball treats, sang, and Mike got a very nice Rockies jacket! It was something we will for sure do again soon!

- Every year our stake and a few other surrounding stakes puts on a Easter Cantada musical program on Easter weekend. My mom has played the piano for it for the past 11 years and she just loves it! A lady by the name of Sally Deford writes these AMAZING programs (as well as a lot of other music for the LDS church) that are all about Christ and his life. She has an amazing gift for music! Well this year Mike, Logan, Landon, and Madison, and I all had the opportunity to participate and sing in this beautiful program. There were about 140 in the choir and we had about 6 musical instruments. What a blessing that was!

- The best news yet?! Well we are moving into our own place! We are so excited! We are thrilled that we have the opportunity to stay here in the Springs, we will just be moving about 15 minutes south of where my family lives into an apartment complex. It has been a huge blessing that my parents have let us stay with them over the past year and we will never be able to completely repay them for all that they have given us. We have had a great time and are glad that we will still be close to them! I have been joking that it will be like getting married all over again because all of our stuff has been in storage for the past year so it will be so fun to get all of our stuff back out!

Lastly I have to say how blessed I am. When life gets hard you really notice the little things that you take for granted every day. I am so blessed to have a family who loves me and my husband so much that they have shared their home with us over the past year. I have a marriage that is stronger than ever and a husband who loves me and shows me his love each and every day. He does more for and with me than I think most husbands do with their wives. I have a Heavenly Father who loves me and hears my prayers each and every day. I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later days Saints and that in and of itself gives me a reason each and every day to put a smith on my face. I am thankful for the stunning and beautiful scenery that surrounds me each and every day. Yes. There is a lot to be thankful for and each day there is something new!

Long over due

So I am so happy to shout Logan's home! I can not believe that glorious day arrived! So here is the story!

Tuesday January 11th - Logan's homecoming eve- we were just about done with the cleaning of the house, the shopping, and all the other fun stuff! Landon had a game at PC that night and we were out the door when we got a very devastating phone call. I answered the phone, saw that it was Connecticut and got very excited. I answered expecting it to be Logan and on the other end of the line came a deep voice that asked for Sister Rogers... It was Logan's mission president! I knew that could not be good. Well long story short was there was a huge snow storm on its way out east and they had shut down the airport in Heartford and had canceled all the flights for the next day... THE DAY LOG WAS SUPPOSE TO COME HOME! Log would be coming home Thursday if not Friday depending on when flights were up and running again. It was an intense night for everyone. many tears and phone calls later we worked everything out. So now Log was coming home (we were hoping at this point) on Thursday .The minor problem with that was my dad and I were going to be in Alamosa seeing patients all day so we would miss him homecoming! Well naturally my dad missed his son very much and reassured us all that he would reschedule patients for another day. He was not going to miss his sons homecoming.

Wednesday January 12th - the day Log was suppose to come home but even better.... OUR 3rd ANNIVERSARY! We were going to very nicely share our special day with Log but we ended up having the night to ourselves ( for the most part). We went to dinner and just hung out together which was much needed. We decided that we are going to celebrate some more when life calms down a little. We did exchange a few gifts and I was tickled that Mike had gotten me a necklace from Jane Seymour's open heart collection! I just love it! I guess this part is a little anti climatic... we are still madly in love and that is what matters most!

Later that evening my mom, Madi, and I made all of Logan's signs to take to the airport. We found out that Log was in face coming Thursday at the same time and all... just one day late. It was funny because it felt a lot like groundhog day! We were saying the same things we had said the day before "can you believe Log will eat dinner with us tomorrow?" "can you believe that we will be able to hug Log in 16 hours?" Yes... that went on all day long!

Thursday January 13th- the day Log ACTUALLY comes home! Well there is not much to say beside we could hardly stand it... Log came in around 1:30 and we were ready. There were lots of cheering, emotions, tears and laughter. Log came walking our with camera in hand videoing US! It was quite funny. We then went from the airport and went to lunch, then straight to Madi's first bball game of the season, then straight to the church where Log was released, spoke to the high council, then finished the night at Chick-Fil-a where we had dinner. Log got to "go home" at 9:30 that night and we promptly listened to all the up-to-date- music and unpacked our very tired and emotional return missionary. I'll finish with pictures because they speak 1000 words :) Log... it is AWESOME to have you home. I have missed you!

3 more days...

AND LOGAN COMES HOME!!!!  
and
It's our 3 year wedding anniversary! I'm so excited!

So I had to blog just because I am so stinking excited! My brother is coming home from his mission Wednesday afternoon! He was in the Hartford Connecticut mission I can hardly stand how excited I am! Not to mention it will be our anniversary. Because of all the festivities on the 12th, we will celebrate in a few weeks. Any who, It seems like all we can talk about the past week is about Log coming home! He has just loved his mission and has been so faithful. He has been saying "I'm livin' the dream!". I am so proud of him and just am thrilled to spend some with him! I will for sure post about the homecoming and his party later in the week. In the mean time...

New Years was wonderful. Mike, Madison, and I went over to our good friends the Johnson's house for new years eve and we had a blast. It was kinda funny because my mom and dad went to the New Years Eve dance at the church and chaperoned... therefore Madi would have spent the night alone at home! So she came with Mike and I and we had a lot of fun! We played WII for awhile, talked for a long time, and naturally ate LOTS!

Other than that... still moving forward! More will come later this week!!

Christmas 2010

Christmas this year was wonderful! The best was spending time as a family! We did lots of cooking, shopping, family games, and watched lots of movies! It has been a relaxing vacation and I am so thankful for this time of the year. The only disappointment was the weather. Not a snowflake in sight! I can not believer the lack of snow we have had this year! I hope that it comes soon! Okay so here are a few picts from Christmas Eve!

 For breakfast we went to the Egg and I with my aunt and uncle and their family!

Then the Taylors came for dinner and  we played lots of games!

Us all playing BINGO and there were GREAT prizes when you won... GIFT CARDS!

So many of you probably know about Michaels stocking... well here it is and IT WAS DONE BY CHRISTMAS MORNING! I will admit that I was up putting the last finishing touches on until 5:30am on the 25th but none the less it was done by the time Michael got up! I loved doing it, I think it turned out great, and I can not wait to start another!

I was not able to send out as many Christmas cards as I wanted so here it is for those of you who were not able to receive one!

 

 

Basketball season has begun and it’s extra special this year because Michael is the varsity assistant coach for my alma matter Pine Creek! Landon is on varsity so it naturally has become a family affair! I have to say that I am their LOUDEST fan!

Rogers family has 7 in the house once again! We moved to Colorado Springs back in the summer and have been living with my parents until we can get on our feet!

Once and for all, Michael is done with school! He graduated from Utah Valley University back in May with a bachelor’s degree in Aviation – Professional Pilot! We are so happy he is done and hope that a job comes along soon!

Working with my dad has been a blessing. I’m his right hand girl and love being with him!

Nursery is where Michael is meant to be! He is a nursery leader in our ward and he just loves it! The little ones have really taken to him and it is really fun to see him interact with them all! One little boy tell his mom that he likes the “big strong guy” in his class!

Sewing has become a new love and hobby of mine. I am currently attempting to start up my own business and hope to get it off and running soon! Michael and I have also begun a little photography business taking family photos. He is the photographer and I am the stager, we have a lot of fun working together and hope to do lots more in the future!

We hope that your holiday season is full of laughter and cheer. We love and miss you all!

Michael and Megan Brown

Here are the family picts we took for my mom's Christmas card (plus our 2 handsome missionaries)! 

Being Greatful

Life is interesting. Through our recent trials I have been looking for new ways to "distract" myself or fix some of the craziness in my life. Therefore I have been trying VERY hard to look for all the "unordinary" blessings in my life. Here are some of the good things that have been going on.

Michael is an assistant coach for the boys varsity basketball team at Pine Creek (my old high school!) and he is LOVING every moment of it.  He still has yet to find a job but in the mean time he has been keeping very busy with all them high school boys! Not only is he coaching at the best high school but he is coaching Landon (my brother) who is a senior this year! The head coach is actually my high school coach's husband and he was helping the girls team when I was there! He is a wonderful man and an uplifting and hardworking coach and we appreciate his time and willingness to let Mike help! I think Michael has brought a lot to the program as well. He has put a lot of time into the boys, helping each out individually and being their advocates in showing them their potential! I have had a couple of parents come up to me and tell me what a calming yet encouraging presence he has on the court! I am so glad that the boys have taken to him so well!]

We have entered the photography world! Actually we started a few years ago doing a friends wedding (thanks Em and Rob!) and engagements of Mike's 2 best friends! But lately we have started doing more and more family pictures for friends and neighbors! Michael gets better with every shoot and I am constantly coming up with fun, new poses and prop ideas! We are still VERY new at this but we have had a lot of fun "working" together again. I think that I am going to name the business M&M Photography! Do you like it? Any who we make a pretty good team if I say so myself! We are hoping to get a few new photography gadgets such as a flash, photoshop, and some little props; as well as expand our photo shoots in doing more than just family photo's!  

Basketball games. Need I say more? Nothing gets my blood pumping and my heart racing like a good basketball game! My brother Landon's games are so exhilarating! I don't think that many people know this but I AM A CRAZY FAN! You can ask my husband (who try's to ignores me while he is on the bench concentrating) and my family who sometimes has literally held me back! I try to be an encouraging voice most of the time to our boys and coaches thought I know that once in awhile I get a little flustered with a few gentlemen on the court who have quite a bit of control on the game! One thing I do not tolerate and it gets my blood boiling is when the other teams players begin playing dirty! .......... but luckily that does not happen very often. I mostly love the rush of being by the court and hearing all the sounds of a good basketball game!

My brother comes home off his mission in 27 days! I am going out of my mind! Logan and I were very close in high school and we have grown apart somewhat since I left for college but I am so excited to be here at home when he gets back! It seems that that is all we can talk about lately at our house! He has been an incredible missionary and I just can't wait to have one of my best friends home!!!!

A simple hello in the hall at church, hug from a friend, text from someone far away, and a telephone call just to say I care has been the things that have meant the most to me the past few months. Hoe often do I forget these simple yet powerful mannerisms? I am trying to do more of these in my life as I have seen the difference It makes to me!

Making new friends is something that I cherish. Being in a "new" area has open a new doors for new friendships. I am amazed at all the amazing faithful, sweet, gentle, caring women who are out there! Old friends can never be replaced yet new ones are so fun! I love getting to know girls, hearing their stories, and serving them! I am thankful for those new doors that have been opened to me!


How blessed I am to know so many wonderful girls who are bring little lives into this world! I can not believe how many of the ones that I love are pregnant! I love hearing stories of their pregnancy's, the births, and the journey of being a mom! I had a friend who was here a few weeks ago and she is about 36 weeks along and she let me feel the baby move and kick for MANY hours (I even put my head on her belly for a short time... I know I am kind of odd)! What a simple joy that was for me! I was so excited and was asking all sorts of annoying questions! I see the change in each of my friends when they are pregnant, the glow that they have is something that I can not wait to share! They are so in tune with the Lord and are just beautiful! I know many of them at times feel like they look like a balloon at times but I believe that there is noting more beautiful than a woman who has a pregnant belly which is holding a new little baby! It truly brings a smile to my face!

Okay, I think I am done for the night though I keep coming up with more and more things that have made me smile lately! I know I am by far a great writer but I hope everything made sense! Thank you to all those who have had us in their prayers, they are felt and appreciated. Hopefully new pictures will come soon when we get our computer back!
I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season!