The verdict is in...

It's a BOY!!
Miles Thomas should make his debut in February! We are very excited!!! :) He wasn't shy at showing us his male parts but he was NOT going to let us get a profile picture! He is measuring right on schedule - and the midwife told me that "he's going to be a tall one!" Thankfully we will be able to use Graham's clothes (praying that we won't need his preemie outfits though!!).
I'm going to be a mom to 2 boys...it's still sinking in. I know how close (most of the time) my sister and I were growing up and we were 2 1/2 years apart. These boys will be 2 years and 4 months-ish apart and I pray that they are able to share that special bond that Linz & I have!! Ok, ok...and I'm glad that they will be able to share a room eventually so that I can have a sewing room :) HA! Doubt that will happen, but one can dream!
So I'm seeing a future full of the following: forts, tents, balls, fighting (playful of course), balls, dirt, loud music, balls, broken limbs (it's bound to happen), and the list goes on!!
We feel truly blessed with the life that is growing inside of me!!! Thanks for all of the prayers!
Love,
Jeff, Lauren, Graham & Miles :)

Back to work! - pictures are up now!

Well, at 4:01AM the alarm went off and scared me half to death! I got up and got ready for my first day at the Eye Surgery Center. At 4:27 I loaded the car, came in and got Graham out of bed and loaded him into the car and off we went! At 5:15 we arrived at my parents' house and mom met us in the driveway. GRAHAM FREAKED OUT. Mom cut her hair yesterday and G didn't recognize her that early in the morning. :( I walked him in to the house and he saw mom and they were quickly reaquainted! I put Graham in his bed, closed the door, and left for my first day of orientation!
What a FABULOUS group of women that I'm working with! I prayed that Graham would head off to sleep and not decide that it was play time - and he did!! He didn't wake up until 8!!
I was finished at noon and went back to the house where the 3 of us, mom, Graham & I all took naps!
Here are a few pictures of Graham from the day. Mimi took Graham to the library where they sang songs, read books & made "sticker art" (so cute!)! Mom said that he did well! After the library, they got back to the house and Graham played with his food set while mom made lunch.
He's just so stinkin' cute!!! :) I love him so much! When I sat down to eat my lunch after we napped, Graham ate a snack while mom and I talked "baby" stuff. And Graham couldn't be left out of the conversation....all of the sudden he says "Avey. Myes" (Avery and Miles) It was hilarious!!!

Some more creations!

A new friend of mine is due to have her son, Mason, tomorrow - assuming the hospital has a bed for her induction.

Mason's room is done in Winnie-the-Pooh. I've had this fabric for a while and wasn't sure what I was going to do with it - so I made a diaper bag! I'm not big on character fabric, but it worked! Like all of my bags, there are 6 large pockets that line the inside!! VERY functional!! :)

Here is a close up of the embroidery!

Additionally, I did a quick bib with an "M" on it (and yes, it is supposed to be tilted!!)

And I couldn't leave out a "happy" for Big Sister Madison! Here is a shirt that I did for her!

















Let me know what you think!!

Some of my creations!

OK - I'm working on getting a website up for Belles & Beaus .... but I thought that I would post a few pictures here!!

Here is a "ribbon lovey". It is 13"X13" and can be appliqued with a letter or it can be monogrammed!!

You pick!

Here is a set of burp cloths that I made for a customer!! Dad was a pilot so we had to make a girly airplane!!

This was a set of "on the go" burps for another customer!

This is probably one of my favorite diaper bags that I have EVER made!!

There is just something about covered buttons!

So many functional pockets inside!!!

I guess that is it for tonight!!! Just wanted to share a few things!
We are all doing well! Counting down the days until we find out if we will have Avery or Miles joining our family!!

Check back soon for some more family pictures & some of my newest creations!!! Let me know what you think!

Dora & Diego....and a blushing momma!

Dora, Diego & Boots (Map, Swiper & Backpack, too!) are well-loved around the Rogers' home! Graham wakes up in the morning saying "Up, Please. Eat. Diaper. Diego/Dora". He knows what he wants!
To buy Jeff or I a peaceful shower, we will let Graham eat his banana in his chair and watch Dora or Diego.

Please hear me when I say: I HAD NO IDEA HOW INFLUENTIAL THESE 2 CHARACTERS COULD BE!

Yesterday evening, Jeff & I went to the gym to work-out. We told Graham that he was going to play in Playland and then we would be back to get him to go to the pool. Of course, all Graham heard was pool. (he's part fish you know!) We get changed and head to the pool. The 3 of us are playing with some bathtoys made pooltoys and a little boy swims past. Graham says something, but I'm not sure what it was so we go back to playing. Next thing I know, the little boy swims past again (he was tormenting Graham...but that's a different story) and Graham says "Hi Gaygo". I looked at Jeff and thought, whatever. As we are drying off, Graham says "Bye Gaygo. Bye Ora.". Graham thinks that the little boy and his younger sister are Diego & Dora. Why? you may ask? Because they were Hispanic. Jeff & I laughed hysterically when we realized what he had been saying. I know it's not the best parental response but we couldn't help it! After I laughed, I was PRAYING that the mom didn't hear Graham's comment. I was a little pink, and it wasn't sunburn!

So yes, that was our excitement yesterday evening!
We headed off to the gym this morning; we had the same agreement that Graham would play in Playland and we would go to the pool. Graham picks up on "pool" again. We workout, get Graham & head to the pool...well the big pool was open, but the "water area/kiddie pool" is closed during the day - it's open from 4-8 when the big kids are out of school....what about us stay at home moms who like to wear their kids out at the pool, then race home to put them in bed for the LOVELY 2-3 hour nap?? I might have to bring that one up! We had fun in the big pool....and there were some VERY well behaved kids that were interested in playing with Graham('s toys).

Alright, Graham is sleeping and I think I'm going to go do the same!

Don't forget to post your vote on whether Peanut is a boy or girl!!!

Love,
Jeff, Lauren, Graham & Peanut

Bloglift & Recent Pictures

I'm so proud of myself...after, what will remain an undisclosed amount of time, I am happy to show off my Blog-lift!! I am very pleased with how it turned out!!! :) Let me know what you guys think!

You will also notice that I've put up a poll to see what you guys think we are having! We'll find out on Sept. 29!!

Last weekend we went to Homosassa Springs with my parents & my brother. We saw manatees (which Graham can say pretty well!) which are being raised in a protected environment. Graham was fascinated...but NOT impressed with the Manatee Statue in the lobby...

There were lots of wildlife there and we really had a wonderful time, despite the rain. There were bald eagles, spoon-billed birds, hippos, alligators, snakes, bears, and the list goes on! Graham enjoyed telling us what each animal was, along with the noise that they make. I was especially fond of the snakes that go "ssssssssssssssss".....but it's not the "ssssssssss" that get me...it's the full body shake that he does EVERY time he tells you what a snake says. Not sure where he picked up on that!

Well, that's about all I have for tonight.

Here are a few more pictures to enjoy: Hopefully I will have some more recent pictures up in a day or so!!!

We pray that you all are doing well!!!

Love,

Jeff, Lauren, Graham & Peanut

Proud Aunt!!!

I am proud to announce, that my dog-niece, Sadie, was named Dog of the Week at her Doggie Daycare!!!

My sister has talks with Sadie every morning before being dropped off, and I understand the conversation to go something like this:

"Sadie, you be a good girl today, ok? Give all of your friends kisses, share your toys, and be respectful of the staff. If you misbehave then you won't become Dog of the Week. Mommy loves you!"

Yeah -- it's crazy!!
I talked to my BIL last night, and he said that he has strict instructions to take pictures of Sadie today when he drops her off. Apparently they make a big deal of the Dog of the Week, and her name will be written on a bulletin board and decorated. For the staff at Happy Tails, they should count their blessings that Linz is out of town this week! I'm sure she would find a way to bring in Dog Cupcakes for all of Sadie's friends - so that they all could partake in this event!!

Hop on over to Happy Tails and check out the Dog of the Week column, on the left hand side of the page, where you can read all about Sadie!!

Sadie, we are proud of you girl!!!

Love,
Jeff, Lauren, Graham & peanut

Micralite Toro/Trevi Twin Stroller

OK - I'm new to these blog-contests. And I want a new stroller (free of course!) so badly that I'm entering all over the place! You can hop on over to Micralite and check out their super cool, strollers -- specifically the Micralite Toro Stroller. MomDot is the site hosting this contest.

You can also check MomDot out for a cool chance to win this awesome Chicco Trevi Twin Stroller!! Good luck!!