boger blog

Pampered Chef Bamboo Items for Auction!

2009-02-14T09:41:00.014-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day! I am holding an auction this weekend to support the Tarapchak kids! You can click on the picture below to learn more about this family and see the other items up for auction.

Since I am a Pampered Chef Consultant, I wanted to auction some of my favorite bamboo items. Bamboo is one of our most popular lines now because it is beautiful, durable, and good for the environment. It is a sustainable and renewable resource.

Please bid on these items to support the Tarapchak kids. You will be helping a great family and will get some beautiful and functional bamboo items to use in your kitchen for food prep and serving.

bamboo salad tongs

bamboo spatula set
small bamboo spoon set

Opening Bid $12 (free shipping)

Auction is open Saturday 10 AM - Sunday 10 PM

You bid by writing a comment with your bid in the comments section. If you choose to not sign in, please be sure to sign your comment so I know who is bidding. Payment can be made with cash or check. You can also make a flat donation if you'd like. Please spread the word and let the bidding begin! If you have any questions, please contact Jen at jenfinh@yahoo.com or me at aliboger@hotmail.com.

I've been tagged!

2009-02-11T17:45:00.002-05:00

Jen tagged me to post the 4th picture in my 4th folder of pictures. Here's what I found...

This is an "after" picture when Lucas had his first haircut last February. He has so much more hair now. Every time we cut it, we think that he looks really grown up. Looking back at this makes me realize how much they change in a year. He was sitting in his highchair for this haircut and now he sits with us at the table on a booster and uses a fork to feed himself.

Thanks for the fun challenge, Jen! I'm going to tag Paul, Sharon, Meredith and Dave. Can't wait to see your pictures!

Josh's song

2009-01-17T08:13:00.003-05:00

We did a lot of driving over Christmas. We drove about 24 hours during the 2 weeks. I was surprised by how little time the boys spent watching movies. They were pretty content reading books, looking out the window, and just talking. Actually, during the first leg of the trip Josh spent a lot of time asking "how much longer?" "are we there yet?" "are we in Grandma and Papa's town?" On the drive from Mercer to Washington Josh started singing and since Richard was driving, I grabbed a pen and started writing down his song...

When I was a little boy
I didn't know what the world was about
I didn't know how to cross the street by myself
and that was so boring
I didn't eat much
and I just said no, no, no
I couldn't cross the street without my mom

When I was a little boy
I didn't know what the world was up to
I didn't know how they made signs or clothes
I didn't know how to work
I didn't know who God was
When I was a little boy

When I was a little boy
I couldn't do anything without my mommy or daddy
I didn't do any work
Wasn't I a lot of work?
You guys had to do everything...

Then he just started talking about all of the things that parents have to do to take care of their kids. He is really thoughtful and so funny. He is like a little grownup.

Tarapchak Family Blog Auctions

2009-01-16T07:03:00.007-05:00

I going to participate in the Tarapchak Family Blog Auction next month and wanted to let you know all about it now....

My friend, Jen, is organizing the auction as a way to raise money for a family in need. Jen and Dave met the Tarapchak family at their church a few years ago. Recently, the father died after a long battle with cancer. Jen asked me to help her with this project and I need your help to make it a success. Check out this link to read about what is going on.

I will be auctioning off a group of Pampered Chef bamboo products that are some of my best sellers and my favorites now. The items together have a retail value of $22.75. Please come back to my blog and put in a bid during Feb 14th or 15th to win them and help a family at the same time.

bamboo salad tongs

small bamboo spoon set

bamboo spatula set

Thanks for helping the Tarapchak family!

End of 2008

2009-01-05T14:50:00.013-05:00

I have to share some pictures from the end of 2008 before time gets away from me even more....

Josh started at a new preschool this year. He is in a mixed age class (3, 4, and 5 year olds) at Creekside Early Childhood School where he will also go for kindergarten and 1st grade. His class has 11 children and is called the monkey class. His teachers are Miss Cindy, Miss Meena, Miss Elizabeth and Miss April (a speech teacher). He goes to preschool on Monday, Tues, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings. He loves glueing, spinning on the tire swing, his friend Ryleigh and playing pirates with Ben.

Josh and his new orange backpack with his name on it.

Sept 2008 - 14 plants transplanted from a patch in Grand Rapids give their fall crop

Josh picking berries

Our small but delicious fall raspberry crop

Sept 14th wind storm damage

Our new red front door

Josh and Papa Box stirring Applebutter in Grand Rapids

Josh and Leah dipped some candles
A Grand weekend in October - we went to Athens for a last minute trip when we heard that ALL of Richard's grandparents were coming for a visit

Josh, Lucas, and Bradley in matching sweaters from Gram and Pap Filer - We took so many pictures. Here is one of the goofy ones.

Halloween 2008 - a knight and his pet dragon ready to get some candy!

The little dragon was tired and decided to come home early, but the knight had his heart set on getting more candy!

My birthday morning - I don't remember why we are hiding under the wrapping paper, but the kids liked it.

Thanksgiving tradition of raking GG Boger's leaves

A Thanksgiving wrestling match - Josh (4), Bradley (3), and Lucas (20 months)

Chicago Pics

2008-10-30T16:30:00.010-04:00

We went on two vacations this fall. The first was to Chicago on the week after Labor Day. Richard did some work in Schaumburg, IL and the kids and I went with him. We were able to visit with Marianne and her family while we were there. Then we spent the weekend with Angie in Chicago and did some touristy things.

Here is the list of what I wanted to do while on this trip...

1. visit Marianne

2. visit Angie

3. Lincoln Park Zoo

4. Natural History Museum to see dinosaur bones

5. Navy Pier

6. Boat Tour of Chicago

7. eat a Chicago Hot Dog

8. eat some real Deep Dish Chicago Style Pizza

I knew I had high hopes and would be traveling with a preschooler and a toddler, but we were able to do all of that and more. It really was a great vacation! Here are some pictures...

Josh and Lucas hanging out in the hotel

Lucas developed a fear of shiny floors and wouldn't walk on any floor that was not carpeted

Josh at Legoland near a sculpture of Chicago's Navy Pier

Marianne and her kids - Elly (8) and Isaac (11)

Marianne and Ali at Rainforest Cafe

A couple of monkeys at the Lincoln Park Zoo

Josh checking the map - he wanted to go back and see the Naked Mole Rats

Angie and Lucas at a park in Oak Park

Ali and Josh - self portrait while riding the BIG ferris wheel on Navy Pier

Angie, Richard and Lucas stayed on the ground

Our brave boy enjoying the view

Boat tour on the Chicago River - totally worth the insanely high prices!

And finally, the Chicago Hot Dog!!!

Applebutter Fest

2008-10-13T21:21:00.002-04:00

We went to the Applebutter Fest in Grand Rapids over the weekend. I went every year when I lived at home, but it has been awhile since the last time. I took Josh and Lucas for the first time and it was great to see this fun tradition through their eyes. Josh loved the magician in the children's area and couldn't wait to get some kettle corn. Lucas loved seeing the birds of prey from a nature rehab center.

We spent most of the time in the village park. It was the place to be... that's where they make the applebutter. Josh helped my dad stir and had his picture taken for The Blade. Check out the article and Josh and Dad's picture in Monday's paper.

little bean embroidery

2008-10-07T16:05:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to let you all know about my friend's new business adventure. I am sure you all have heard me talk about Jen... she's the crafty one... Lilly's mom...the Jen who was so kind that she let me and Josh live with her for about 6 weeks when we moved and I was still teaching in Hilliard.

Well, her newest business adventure is an embroidery business called Little Bean Embroidery. Some of you may have already seen her work. I have given many of her items for gifts this year (hand towels for Brian and Heather's cottage at the lake, onesie and burb cloth when Elliott was born, and bath towels for Anna's graduation). Jen does a great job! Her specialty is custom made baby gifts. Check out her work and place an order! Click here to see her website.

Good luck Jen!

to wii or not to wii...

2008-09-21T22:52:00.002-04:00

We are starting to make our Christmas lists here in the Boger house. We shop super early so that we can transport gifts to where they need to be while we aren't dragging 2 weeks worth of clothes (that is a whole other blog entry...) One of our family gift ideas is a Nintendo Wii. Josh is even able to play some of the games and I love making Wii people! We wondering if any of you boger blog readers have any advice for us...

Do you have a Wii? Do you like it?

If have have even played Wii games at a friend's house... What are great games to get? Any that our 4 year old can play?

We would love your input while we make this fun decision! Thanks!

what happened to the summer?!?!!!

2008-07-31T19:08:00.005-04:00

It's the last day of July! Where have we been? Why no blogs? I really don't know myself! We have been camping a few times and have been around the state visiting friends and family.
Here are the highlights...

June -
Bradley turned 3 and we camped at East Harbor State Park
the water guns were a hit...so was t-ball
This is also when we became obsessed with getting a kid trailer for our bike. That is our newest family toy. We found a used Trek trailer on Craig's List for a great price the next week and went to Mason to pick it up. We have used it at least once a week since then. It is a great Saturday or late evening activity for the whole family.

We spent a weekend at Devils Lake with my whole family. My cousin, Brian, and his wife, Heather have a second home there and we enjoyed jet skiing, kayaking, and just hanging out with the family. Enjoy the many pictures from that weekend...

Cheri (Neil's girlfriend) and my sister, Leslie

Grandma and Papa Box with Lucas
Richard kayaking with Josh
Leah, Josh, Connor, and Ethan in the pool...playing with bubbles
I stayed up with Mom and Dad after the lake trip because Richard was scheduled to be out of town for work. He didn't end up going, but I had already promised Josh a week of play with his cousins, Tristan and Leah, so the boys and I had a week in Grand Rapids. We had a great time going on walks to see the cows. My brother has 20 cows and 2 more babies due this summer! It is an exciting field trip for my guys. Lucas especially LOVES them! He can say Moo! which is sooooo cute. Josh went to Vacation Bible School while we were there and Josh and Leah gave me daily concerts of the new songs they learned.

We were home for 2 nights and went to an outdoor wedding where it POURED!!!! The rain didn't start until the reception, but we listened to the wind pick up and the thunder start while we hoped and prayed that it would hold off until the ceremony was over. We were under a tent for the reception, but still got wet.

July -
We went camping in Indiana with my parents, Leslie, Leah, and Tristan. We canoed 2 days. Lucas even canoed for about an hour. He was fine, but really didn't like it when I had to get out of the canoe to pull us over a fallen tree. Richard was like a camp counselor there. He taught Leah, Tristan, and Josh how to collect and cut firewood, took them on a hike and played Capture the Flag with them.

Leah and Josh - canoeing buddies
(Richard was a brave man and took the kids in his canoe.)
Hot chocolate -YUMMY!!

We went to Cleveland for the 4th of July and went swimming in Lake Erie. While we were there a dead rat washed up on the shore and a little toddler girl started petting it! YUCK! It was so gross.

The next week I went to Lakeside with Kate, Liz and Tamara. We all brought our kids so there were 4 adults and 6 kids. Josh is the oldest of the bunch at just over 4. We took the golfcart around with all 10 of us and probably looked pretty crazy. While we were there we went to a puppet show which was Josh's favorite thing of the week. We also went to God Squad, got ice cream, and swam in Lake Erie again. It was great spending a few days with some of my best friends from college.

Josh is 4!!!

2008-06-04T12:03:00.006-04:00

Josh turned 4 on May 18th!

We celebrated with 2 birthday parties. The first party was in Grand Rapids on Mother's Day and was shared with his cousin Tristan who turned 10 that week. We had chicken barbeque and some ice cream brownie cakes with M & Ms. Yummy! His most anticipated present was a scooter which he got from Great Gram Heitzman.

The next Saturday we had a Birthday Safari with the Boger side of the family. We met Grandma, Papa, Melissa and Bradley at The Wilds between Zanesville and Cambridge, Ohio for a picnic and a bus tour that afternoon. We saw many types of deer, Rhinos, Giraffes, Cheetas, African Wild Dogs, and Camels. Josh loved being on safari and having such a special event mark his 4th birthday. We looked forward to this day for a long time and I'm sure he will remember it for even longer.

Then, on his actual birthday we celebrated in Athens. Josh woke up to a house filled with birthday balloons, signs, and streamers. He loved all of the balloons! He feels that a birthday celebration isn't complete unless it has cake, presents, and party hats so he was very excited about all of the extra decorations. Grandma even bought him coordinating plates, cups, and party favors!

One of his favorite presents was the Splash Rocket from Grandma and Papa Boger.

I let Josh look through my cake book and pick out his own cake. He picked a rainbow cake (probably because it was covered with jelly beans...don't ask me how much I spent on those jelly beans)

Lucas's birthday - March 9

2008-05-23T16:16:00.006-04:00

Lucas's 1st Birthday
happy birthday hug from Josh

all dressed up with Mom and Dad... ready for the party!!!
Mom made me a kitty cake - yummy!
I loved the cake!!! I ate 2 pieces and some ice cream too!
Thanks to Aunt Leslie for spoiling me! :) There was a blizzard the day before so after the party we went out to play in the snow.

Daddy put together my new car from Great Gram Heitzman! Thanks for all of my new toys!

i've been stampin'

2008-05-22T13:41:00.004-04:00

I just wanted to show off some of my latest cards that I made with my newest Stampin' Up! set called All in the Family. I went to a workshop in April and got started on them. I had to stamp heads, bodies, clothes and accessories separately. Now that I have started giving the cards away, I can share them with you...

a new baby congratulations card...made for the Fuhr family

a cute kid birthday card... made for Cohen

the Boger family card...check us all out!

mother's day

2008-05-08T17:25:00.011-04:00

I attended the Mother's Day Tea at Josh's preschool on Thursday. It was great event that must have taken so much planning by the teachers. They even had babysitting available for the siblings!

Here are some of the things we did...

*played with the parachute in the gym
*danced the chicken dance
*played dress up (the kids dressed us up in prom dresses, feather boas, tiaras, beads and sunglasses
*ate a snack (fruit salad, teddy grahams, tea, and ice cream)
*kids sang songs to us...I'm a Little Tea Pot, M-O-M-M-Y (like BINGO), The More We Get Together, Mommy is the One I Love

The teachers asked the kids some questions about their mommy. Here are Josh's answers to questions...

My Mommy is 1o years old.
My Mommy's favorite food is chicken.
My Mommy's favorite TV show is cooking show.
My Mommy's favorite color is blue.
My Mommy's eyes are blue.
My Mommy smells like peanut butter.
My Mommy likes to do cooking at home.
My Mommy is as pretty as a flower.
I would like to give my Mommy a new remote.
I love my Mommy because she helps me get my favorite movies out.

Josh giving me a present...

a new marriage and a new baby

2008-04-29T18:26:00.005-04:00

the new marriage is really a joke and the new baby is not ours in case you were wondering...

It recently became official - Josh and Lilly are getting married! I was team teaching with Lilly's mom, Jen, when I was pregnant with Josh and she was pregnant with Lilly. They were born about 7 weeks apart and we joked that Lilly was Josh's first girlfriend. We went to Lilly's brother, Cohen's birthday party two weekends ago. Josh and Lilly played outside on the swingset for a long time. I don't know who proposed because Richard actually witnessed it, but they finally decided to "get married". They would swing back and forth singing, "We're getting married! We're getting married!" Then Lilly kept trying to kiss Josh. She suggested to Josh that if they wanted to be "real married" they would need to kiss. Josh was not too sure about that and said he wanted to just be "pretend married". The four parents thought it was hilarious! We are all for this marriage as long as they wait about 20 years!

Last week Carrie and Paul had their new baby, Elliott Steven. He was born on Tuesday, April 29th and was 6 lbs 12 oz, 19 1/2 inches. I get to meet him tomorrow and I can't wait! Here is a picture of him at the hospital in the middle of the cutest baby yawn.

our nature bug

2008-04-23T15:56:00.004-04:00

I had a good start to the year with my blog and then I dropped off the face of the earth..... so sorry. I still don't have those pictures up, but we'll try again soon.

Josh, our little nature bug, is really into plants and bugs right now. We planted some seeds 2 weeks ago and they are starting to sprout. Josh and Lucas helped me with the project. We have 2 flower beds at the back of our yard. We didn't really water them much last year and they are really far back so I thought that would be the perfect place for Josh's flower garden. We had lots of seeds - marigolds, sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, and sweet peas. I made little maps of our garden and planned where to put each thing. Josh wanted to put in all of the seeds himself. I tried to sneak as many as I could to even things out and keep things moving. Lucas entertained himself and tried to eat mulch when I wasn't looking. It was quite a project! By the end I was just roughing up the soil, tossing seeds on and covering them quickly with dirt. The funny thing is those seeds are doing the best. Josh also has a mini greenhouse starting seeds in the bathroom with more zinnias and sunflowers. They are doing awesome and I think I should have started everything inside. Maybe next year...

Josh is also impatiently waiting for raspberries to grow on his raspberries bushes. He checks them out everytime we go outside. Richard and I call them the raspberry sticks when we aren't around Josh because they looked so small and sad all winter. They are doing better now with lots of green leaves. We also have 3 blueberry bushes ready to go in the ground. Can't wait to eat all of those berries!

Josh is really intrigued by dandelions. He thinks they are beautiful. I was torn between letting him enjoy the childhood pleasure of blowing off the white fluffy seeds and yelling, "Stop, you're ruining our yard!" He was so confused about why I wouldn't want my whole yard filled with them!

what a week!!!

2008-03-10T13:29:00.003-04:00

What a week for the Bogers!

we had a computer hard drive problem...

then a blizzard...

and Lucas turned one!

First, the hard drive problem... I am not the computer expert in the family, but I can tell you that we thought we had lost all of our pictures and whatever else was on there. The only important things for me were the pictures. Now that we have a digital camera we don't print as many or as often so I knew there would be huge gaps. Richard and I were so upset! But, thanks to some anwered prayers, some freeware, and some magical skills Richard has with computers we have most everything back. Don't ask me how! We are now going to be extra careful with our pictures! All I can say is back up, back up, back up! Richard had already finished the taxes, but hadn't checked everything and sent them in yet, so he has to do them again.

The blizzard... It started snowing on Friday morning around 8 or 9 and it didn't stop until Saturday at 3 or 4. The inches of snow just piled up to about a foot. There was a lot of drifting so taking an accurate measurement was difficult! Richard shoveled the driveway 3 times and I must say our driveway was the best on the block! Richard's parents drove through the worst of the snow on Saturday and it took them 5 1/2 hours to get here instead of their usual 2 hrs. 45 minutes. It was some crazy snow in March! I went out to the grocery store Saturday night and really couldn't see much of the roads. The ramps were the worst! I even had to have someone help me pull my grocery cart to the car!

Lucas's birthday... He turned one on Sunday and we had a nice party with family, friends, and neighbors. He loved his cake and got lots of nice presents. There will be another post with pictures and details soon!

naughty words and more questions from a 3 year old

2008-02-20T15:55:00.003-05:00

We have been lucky so far and Josh hasn't learned any truly naughty words, but he says some that he thinks are naughty. A while back Josh was calling us "Baby Bottom" and we decided to bring up the subject of naughty words. We told him that wasn't a nice thing to call another person and we weren't going to use it. He eventually forgot about baby bottom, but it has resurfaced. I don't know why, but he has started using it again. Last night while I was changing Lucas's diaper I said something like "Lucas, you have a very stinky baby bottom!" and Josh just chose to hear "Baby Bottom". He said, "Awww, Mom! You said baby bottom!!!" Then today in the car after a nice lunch at First Watch with Richard where people actually complimented us on our cute kids, Josh starts with baby bottom again. We are saying goodbye to Richard and dropping him off at work while Josh is saying baby bottom, baby bottom, baby bottom over and over again! Argh!

more questions from a 3 year old...
How do frogs hear? (he is very observant and has noticed that frogs don't have ears)
How come my eyes can't see my face? (think about explaining that one for a second)

As you can see, with Josh around I am challenged with my teaching skills every day. I don't really think I am taking time off from my career. I am getting full-time continuing education!

happy heart day!

2008-02-14T20:26:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone! The Bogers had a lovely casserole dinner with bread and jam along with a spinach salad. Many people probably went out with their significant other, but we stayed in and ate at home.

We went out last weekend with a group from church and are going out again next Friday with a group from Richard's work. Last weekend we went to a vineyard, next weekend it is bowling. This is a lot for us, so I must also tell you that we found a babysitter. An actual teenage babysitter who we will have to pay. This is a good thing. Up until now we have usually relied upon our parents and other family members to watch the kids. Lucas will be one soon so it is time for us to occasionally go out by ourselves. So I am celebrating Valentine's Day by thinking of all of the dates yet to come!!!

Other exciting news... Lucas is starting to walk!! He took some steps from Richard to me last night and some more today. His longest "run" has been about 4 steps. Josh was totally amazed when he saw his little brother "walking" tonight! He still needs some help getting steady before he takes off, but we will keep you posted.

Josh news... When were were at gymnastics this week a photographer came in to take pictures for the local paper. Josh didn't make to front cover, but you can see him in the extra pictures that are online. check him out! He is in a couple of pictures so look through them all. He is incorrectly labeled as Michael in one picture, but you'll figure it out...

the boys are growing up

2008-02-10T21:20:00.000-05:00

Well, I have recently been reminded over and over again how much my boys are growing up. All of my boys... Even my biggest boy, Richard.

Richard turned 30 last month on Jan 24th and we had a party for him that weekend. It wasn't a surprise party because I don't think that ever could have worked. Richard is my biggest helper and I never would have been able to get the house "party ready" without his help. Plus, how would I have explained all the food... beer, chips, and 15 pounds of pulled pork!!!! He's too smart to miss that clue!!! He loved the party. Thanks to everyone who was able to come. Sometime the next week he thanked me and said that I knew him better than he knew himself. He never would have asked for a party, but he really had a good time! Richard's mom put together a wonder photo album filled with pictures of Richard growing up. The best part of the present was the captions that explained what was happening in each picture. I noticed one that showed Richard at his Eagle Scout ceremony and commented that Richard looked sooooo young. They said, "Yeah. He was 15 - that's half a lifetime ago!"

The whole family at Richard's party (photo by Gordon's Photo Booth)

Now for news about the little boys (or Small and Medium as we call them when we talk about them in their presence...)

Josh started going to gymnastics at The Little Gym in January. I had been thinking about sending him to gymnastics since he started bouncing from the coffee table to the couch into a handstand. He would stay upside down with his back leaning against the couch to watch his TV shows. He is a fun kid. He is so light and just jumps all over the house and us. Since we are inside a lot in the winter, it is a good opportunity to get the crazies out and burn off some energy. We are not pushing him to be the next Olympian, so we picked a gym that is noncompetitive. His teachers, Miss Page and Mr. Kevin, are married and are the owners of the gym. We went for a trial and they got us hooked. I look forward to it almost as much as Josh. He asks me almost every day if he is going to gymnastics.

Josh's other big news is that he started preschool! He goes to Cornerstone Christian Preschool which is located in a Methodist church about 5 minutes from our house. He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoon for 2 1/2 hours. He just started last week and his teachers say that it seems like he has been there from the beginning. They are having their Valentine party on Tuesday and we have been working on writing his name on a dozen valentines. The only letter that is legible is o. We have 4 more to sign before the party!

Josh - fingerpainting

Lucas is as wonderful as ever! He just turned 11 months old this weekend. He recently learned to clap and can climb up an entire flight of stairs! He now has 4 teeth and ate his first complete meal with the family (turkey meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and green beans) last Thursday.

Lucas - first haircut

(BEFORE)

(AFTER)

Does all of this growing up mean that I am growing up too?

Christmas Pictures

2008-01-20T15:22:00.000-05:00

The kids were soooo cute at Christmas! I can't believe how fun they made it for me. You have already read about Josh and his questions. Well, he had a million questions about Santa. He wanted to know how to get to the North Pole, why wouldn't we see Santa when he stopped at our house, and all about the naughty/nice lists. I think he wanted to know exactly how good he needed to be to guarantee presents.

Christmas morning was the best. Our kids are early risers - usually up around 6:30 AM. We had a late night at Gram's on Christmas Eve after the service at church, eating cookies, drinking punch and opening presents. Josh called it the "cookie party" and it was definitely his kind of party...juice with ice cream and as many cookies as he could ever want. Lucas slept right through the "cookie party" and was up before 6:30 as usual. Josh kept sleeping until Richard started nudging him around 8 because we were anxious to get things started. Josh and Richard called down the stairs to me, "Did Santa come?" Josh's face was full of wonder as he looked around my parents' living room and saw all of the presents and the stockings that Santa had left for him and Lucas.

This is the toy I was most excited to give to Lucas...Parents Block Party!!!! He and Josh have had sooooo much fun climbing on and rolling down these giant wedges and cubes.

Richard reading Josh a dinosaur pop-up book

Josh and Ethan playing with pirate ship from Carrie. Josh couldn't believe that she knew just what he wanted... He kept saying, "How did you KNOW?"

Our niece Leah and her Christmas morning surprise...Sunny, the adorable grey striped kitten

The whole family or at least as many as I could get in one picture... I think we had 25 people at mom and dad's house on Christmas! The most ever and the family is still growing!

Josh and his cousin, Bradley, at Richard's parents' house. Aren't boys in jammies too cute!?!?!!

questions of a 3 year old

2008-01-16T16:22:00.000-05:00

Josh is 3 and full of questions. I know this is very normal, but his questions aren't the normal why? questions. They are interesting/difficult questions. His favorite topics to ask about are God, animals, and bodies (his and the bodies of others). For awhile we were dealing with lots of Santa questions too. His favorites times to ask these questions are while he is sitting on the potty or in the car (especially when I am backing out of a parking space).

Here are some of the more memorable questions...
Why do we have 2 ears?
What are cheeks for?
What color is my brain?
Did the fake god make the real God?
What is Santa doing right now?
What part of the reindeer makes them fly?
Why is Florida so far away?
What does the sky feel like?
How do giraffes poop?

There have been many other good questions. It is so funny to watch Richard try to answer these questions. I'm sure he enjoys listening to me stumble through the answers too. Josh's curiosity is one of the best parts of the 3 year old stage. I love it because I know exactly what he is thinking about and wondering. I know when he gets older he may still be curious, but he probably won't ask as much. I really love his questions and hope you do too. This may become a regular post topic. Let me know what you think...

fall pics

2008-01-04T18:56:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from this fall...

Bathtime with the boys

(Sorry, I don't know how to turn this picture. If anyone knows... Help!)

Josh loves taking baths. If anyone takes a bath at our house, Josh is sure to knock on the door and ask if he can join. He sometimes takes 3 baths a day. Once he was even "grounded" from the bath for a few days when he dumped out so much water that it leaked into our kitchen on the floor below the bathroom. When he was finally allowed to bathe again after The Flood of 2007, he had limited water privileges.

Lucas loves baths too. Last weekend he pulled himself into an empty bathtub at Gram and Pap Filer's house where Aunt Wendy's gigantic white cat was getting a drink. The cat was so surprised and hissed at poor Lucas. I scooped him up quickly and saved the day.

Thanksgiving at GG Boger's house
Josh and his cousin Bradley have a love/hate relationship. They were like little wolf pups. They picked and poked at each other the whole visit. Here is a quiet moment while Richard reads all 3 boys a Dora bedtime story.

Grumpy Josh

Josh has recently become less cooperative in front of a camera. Here is his grumpy, I'm not going to smile face that he uses when we get the camera out. It usually just makes us laugh and then sometimes he laughs.

Halloween... Josh and Lucas were frogs for Halloween. Some clever neighbors called them a frog and a tadpole. They made it all the way up and down our street. Josh got extra candy this year because our neighbors insisted that they give candy for Lucas too.

Vacation

2007-11-05T21:10:00.000-05:00

The Boger family went on vacation to Fort Walton Beach, Florida (near Destin) in October. Richard's dad's company has a condo there that they loan out to the emplyees. Richard's parents, Keith and Cindy, were going and we went with them. This was our first vacation (besides camping and family visits) since kids and with kids. We found out that it is a lot different to travel with kids, but I would not trade the memories for a kidfree vacation.

We spent a few days on the beach (my favorite!!) and ate out almost every night (yummy!) We went to Pensacola for a day to visit the Naval Aviation Museum where we saw LOTS of airplanes and watched an IMAX movie called Hurricane on the Bayou. Lucas loved taking walks on the beach in the front pack. He would start bouncing and kicking as soon as he felt the ocean breeze. Josh loved getting the attention of 4 adults!!! He was so fun and full of questions on his first plane ride and his first time at the ocean.

Here are some pictures...

baptism

2007-08-06T10:30:00.000-04:00

Lucas was baptized on Sunday, July 22nd at our new church, Crestview Presbyterian Church, in Cincinnati. We also joined the church that day too. They have new member classes about 4 times a year and we missed the last two. It was very special to join the church and have Lucas baptized on the same day.

Josh was ornery while we were sitting in the pews. He took off his shoes which is one of his signature naughty tricks that he usually performs at restaurants. He was very good when it was time for the baptism. He even answered the minister's questions very loudly after everyone else did which made the whole congregation laugh. Lucas was unaffected when the water was rubbed on his head. He was almost asleep as the minister took him from my arms and walked him around to show everyone. He didn't protest when he was held by the minister. When we got back to our seats he quickly cuddled in and fell fast asleep for the rest of the service.

We were so happy to have family with us that day. We had a full house, but it was lots of fun!!! Thanks to Richard's parents (Keith and Cindy), Melissa, Jason, and Bradley, and my parents (Randy and Gloria) for making the long drive to help us celebrate the special occassion.

Lucas - 4 months

2007-07-16T22:00:00.000-04:00

Lucas is 4 months now...well actually last Monday. He is just as happy as this picture shows. I must admit this picture was taken back in June, but it's a good one. He went to the doctor for his 4 month check up and shots (so fun!) and he is really a big boy! He is already 27 inches long and 17 lbs. He is about the size that Josh was at 6 months! Watch out, Josh! You might end up being the little big brother.

Lucas is so much more alert now. He can grab his toes and swing his legs when he lays on his back. He is a mover! He is already using an exersaucer to play in for a few minutes at a time. (Thanks to Ethan and Connor for sharing their toy.) He takes good naps in the afternoon and always sleeps with his arms up, elbows bent, and hands behind his head. He "talks" a lot and makes some crazy sounds. His hair is so fuzzy and soft... good for kissing! We love him like crazy and will keep you updated on his new tricks.

I've been tagged

2007-07-10T15:29:00.000-04:00

These are the rules…. each player starts with 7 random facts about themselves on their Blog. People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves and post the rules as well. At the end of their blog list 7 people you are tagging. Let them know that they are tagged by leaving them a comment. (not sure if i'll get to that!) So, time for my 7 random facts:

1. I love to do the laundry. I know I am weird... I have a certain way that I fold each type of clothing and this may vary depending whose clothes I am folding. Richard can't figure out my system, but he tries.

2. I love to watch Ellen. She is my news provider. It has been difficult for me to know what has been going on in the world this summer since they are all reruns.
3. I can fall asleep anywhere (examples: in a closet during hide and seek, during a Chicago concert, and during labor)

4. I love Will Ferrell. We watched Elf 3 times in the theater. I laughed so hard that I snorted then laughed some more and cried. I have Stranger Than Fiction from the library to watch tonight. I can't wait!!

5. We are a Mazda family. I don't know how this happened since I grew up a Ford girl. I drive Big Zoom and Richard drives Little Zoom (fka Zoom Zoom)

6. I love to plan parties. I am the organizer in my family. I am currently working on a family camping weekend where I plan to have a bocce ball tournament, card making workshop, and singalong.

7. I prefer low pulp or no pulp orange juice

Now I get to tag people...
Paul, Meredith, and anyone else who wants to play

Kings Island

2007-07-02T22:47:00.000-04:00

I said I wasn't going to go this year... taking an infant would be crazy. I changed my mind when Leslie got us all free tickets.

Mom and Dad drove down with Leah and Tristan on Friday afternoon and Leslie drove over from Indianapolis where she is doing her internship. Saturday turned out to be a great day to be there. The sun was shining but it wasn't too hot. We only got a little toasted from the sun

I rode along with Josh when he went on his first rollercoaster (Little Bill's Giggle Coaster). He is 36" tall so he can go on a lot more rides this year. He loved all of the Dora and Diego rides again. The Nickelodeon area is so great for the kids!!!

The highlight of my day was when the whole family went to see Dora's Sing-Along Adventure. Earlier in the week, Tristan looked up Kings Island online and told Leslie he thought Josh would like to see the Dora show. Isn't he an awesome big cousin?!?!! The Dora show turned out to be great and I've got pictures of Leslie and Tristan doing the Silly Chicken Dance. (If anyone else has seen this show, what did you think of that Don guy hanging out with Dora and Boots? Where did he come from?) Hope you enjoy these pictures of the day...

family picture

2007-06-28T14:57:00.000-04:00

We had family pictures taken on June 8th. It was relatively uneventful...sometimes getting kids pictures taken can be traumatic or disappointing. We had a great time and walked out of there with actual pictures in our hands in under an hour and a half. We looked good and the kids looked great in most pictures. Here's our favorite...

my first post

2007-06-27T15:18:00.000-04:00

ok. I have been talking about this for awhile so here goes... my first post.

I love reading my friends' blogs and want to share all of my cute stories and pictures too. I can't promise that I will post daily or even weekly, but I will try my best. Thanks to all of my friends who have inspired me with their blogs... Jen, Erin, Meredith, Paul, and more. Let me know what you want to hear about and I will see what I can do.

Here is what is going on with the Bogers today... after Richard's work today we are going over to Richard's coworker's house. Uday and Sri are having us over for a dinner of Indian food and then the guys are going to play tennis against each other for the first time. Richard predicts that he will lose terribly so it should be fun!