Poem for Sophie written by Amy Rogers

Butterflies and apple trees for my Sophie Ruth to be!

As I look out the window, above piled up dishes
I stare at your tree with so many wishes

Your butterfly comes through our yard each day,
I know it's a sign and a time I pray

I pray that you're warm, snuggled up with care
I pray that you're looked after, and that someone is always there

I pray God's Angels are whispering in your ear,
that Mommy, Daddy and Charlie all long for you here

I pray that this spring, when your apple tree blossoms,
when the pink flowers appear
and your butterfly is near

That you Sophie Ruth know we're on our way,
that we've waited so long and each day we pray

We've prayed for you, and loved you this whole time through

And God has whispered You are for us
And we are for you!


Charlie, Jeff and I have really been feeling Sophie so strong on our minds the last month, so I felt led to write to our sweet girl and this is the poem I came up with from my heart!
I love you so much already Sophie Ruth Rogers, words can't express how much we hold you dear and want you here!!!!!!!!
Love, Mommy

Yet Another Butterfly

Yet Another Butterfly
Originally uploaded by Straw6erry Gir1

Okay, I don't even know how to write my butterfly story in a "nutshell", b/c it's pretty long, and most of you will think I'm crazy(except for Kearston and my mom), BUT...for almost a month now, I've had "a" butterfly, or numerous different butterflies, following me around EVERYWHERE, and when I say everywhere, I mean it...even different states, and this is on a DAILY basis!
This all started a month ago when I began praying and asking God to send me some sort of signal that our Sophie girl was okay and on her way to us.....that's when all these butterflies, started showing up in my life. Anytime I am outside, whether at my house or a local park, or in KY or in CA a butterfly will appear and fly around my head!
So I began telling my dear friend Kearston all about this and she had someone look up the theory behind butterflies showing up in ones life and I couldn't believe it!
This is not word for word, but basically it says that it is very good luck to have a butterfly continue to appear in your life and it represents that there is a time you are going through that you have to "wait"...and during the wait, something wonderful is being made to happen in your life, and after this long wait, as a catapiller waits to turn into a butterfly, the beauty in your life will emerge.......the beauty for us will be our Sophie girl!!!!
Anyway, again, I don't have the story entirely correct, but that is the just of it!
So when you see a butterfly, think of our Sophia Ruth and say a prayer for her!
I know Lord, this is you, showing yourself to me, and reminding us to trust in you and hang in there, and have faith.....
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" -Hebrews 11:1

Our baby is growing up, Charlie's first offical day at Preschool -September 12, 2007

Well, I did it! Or I should say, our Charlie boy did it! Preschool today was a HUGE success! No tears I am happy to report from Charlie or mommy!
Charlie is so excited that his best buddy Caden is right in the classroom next door to him, and I think that gives them both a bit of a sense of security!
I adore this school and am so happy we chose it for him.
Both his teachers said they would have never guessed that he hadn't already been at school previously, b/c he was so secure and well adjusted......I admit, I had a proud mommy moment upon hearing that!
As much as my heart broke when I walked into my lonely house this morning after dropping him off, I also felt so much joy in my heart and happiness for Charlie that he is off to a great start, begining his little life journey away from home and from me! Praise God for a great start to school and prayers for many, many more to come!
And Sophie girl, as always, we think of you and pray for you each and every day!
Love, Mommy

Charlies First visit at Preschool -September 2007

The next batch of baby referrals....thru November 25 2005...

Well, I wasn't going to post this, just b/c I am so sick of hearing that they are STILL matching folks that were logged in, in November....BUT everyone keeps asking(and I do appreciate how much everyone cares!)So....yes they only sent baby referrals to people logged into the adoption program through November 25 2005...meaning they still have five more days in that month of November to match people and then they can move onto the month of December.....
Remember we are logged in on March 15 2006....not much later than December, and the word out there is that December 05 and January and February 2006 do not have that many people logged into the adoption program, so things SHOULD start moving a bit faster bringing them to us in March 06.....We Pray, please pray with us!
On another note, our dear friends, Tressa and Alan, are in China right now as I write, on their way to get their sweet baby Mattie! Their blog is: www.tressanalan.blogspot.com if you want to follow their journey! They are going to get her on Sunday! Please pray along with us for them too! Some day our Sophie Ruth and their Mattie girl will be pals!

The Rogers Go Hollywood

Well, I can finally say, "I went to Hollywood!!" And boy did I EVER fit right in!!!(just kidding) I'll have to say it's not exactly what I pictured it to be, but we sure had lots of fun!
In the first picture, that's us at the famous Grauman's Chinese Theater were all the stars put their hand and/or footprints in cement...and their names on the stars in the sidewalks.
Then we went inside the Kodak Theater, where in just a few weeks, the Emmy's will take place and all the stars will walk the red carpet and staircase, so that's us on the actual staircase!
The third picture down is me at.....BRAD and ANGELINA's.....yeah, I was just stopping by for coffee....until I peered into that little hole in their driveway gate and was sent screaming back to my car after their dog started charging the gate(you can only imagine that scene, Jeff and Kevin were mortified and wanted to leave me there I'm sure!) So although I missed the coffee(haha), I did peer in enough to see they own a Toyota SUV and of course a red little beemer right next to it! And some outside toys laying around for the little ones!
The next pic down is us driving down Rodeo Drive.....we tried to call and book an apt with LV or Chanel, but too bad for them, they were full!
And lastly, we got to watch a live taping of the show "10 Years Younger" which is one of TLC's popular reality shows. I couldn't believe how fake reality TV REALLY is.....it was interesting watching how it is acutally produced.....and let me just say the producer was anything but sweet.....totally HOLLYWOOD!
So, if you scroll down more after this post I put two different slide shows of the rest of our trip, we visited Venice Beach and the Santa Moncia Pier too! It was a great time, but it made us appreciate our little homestate of OHIO! You couldn't pay us to move there....cool to visit, but cooler to come home!
We miss and love ya Uncle Kevin! Stay sweet in L.A.!
And Sophie girl...some day, you and me will go back to Hollywood and tear up Rodeo Drive!!!
We love you Sophia Ruth!
Love, Mommy

The Santa Monica Pier

Venice Beach, California 2007

Charlie and Gang summer 2007

Sorry if this doesnt' turn out, I am amazing myself that I was even able to post a slide show at all! These are some of my most recent summer pics of all my children! Addison Ann is the baby, and newest addition to my crew! Most people think I am nuts caring for all six of these children in my home(and I guess if I did it full time, they'd be right!)BUT...I absolutely adore these children and would not feel whole without them all. Each one of them is special to me and of course to Charlie too. They fill my days with lots of laughter and fun, and I wouldn't rather be doing anything else than this. I can't wait for Sophie Ruth to join our crew, and Sophie girl, Addie is waiting here for you too! You are her are going to be two peas in a pod, just like your siblings, I just know it! Love, Mommy

Check out my Slide Show!

Camping out at the Rogers

Well, since summer is almost done....(which I can't get over), and we never made it out to Alum Creek or Hocking Hills yet to offically camp, we decided to do it in our own backyard!
Caden and Maylie got to stay over night for a sleepover and we did it out back in our tent!
It ended up being a perfect night to sleep outdoors, the weather was beautiful and we all(or I should say, the kids)slept like rocks! Unfortunately, due to our yard being on a slop, Jeff and I did not have the most comfortable conditions for sleeping! Oh well, it was worth it to see how much fun Charlie, Caden and Maylie had!
As we approach the end of August, the rumors about the next batch of babies arriving next month are starting. So far I am hearing China may have only matched 3 days worth.....PLEASE, PLEASE pray with us that that is not the case. I know what will be, will be, but it will be hard to accept if they do that b/c it just lengthens the wait for us.......
Time will only tell, but we want our sweet daughter to be, our Sophie Ruth, to know that no matter how much longer it takes to get to you, we will wait patiently and stay strong for you!
It is only time now, and it can't get any worse...only more close to you!
One more thing I wanted to share, is how sweet and ready your big brother to be is for you. On almost a nightly basis, he prays for you, his sister to be, at dinner time prayers and again at bedtime prayers.
Then, the other night while filming him and daddy playing baseball in the backyard, he took it upon himself to candidly leave you a message on the video camera, wait till you see it. It was so precious it brought tears to my eyes. He said, "hi sophie, I can't wait for you to come home and I can teach you to play baseball with me. I am always going to protect you and care for you and feed you your bottles, I love you so much"
How sweet is that? I have learned so much patience through Charlie alone during this process. He has never complained, only questioned, why this wait is so long, and he has never given up hope or a positive spirit in waiting for his sister! And he finally helped us pick her name: Sophia Ruth Rogers!!!!
We love you Sophie Ruth
Love, Mommy

Summer fun at Cedar Point August 07

Daddy's summer family event with work this year was at Cedar Point! We had soooo much fun, and hadn't been there in 10 years or more. It was especially fun b/c daddy and I grew up going here every summer when we were small, so it was great reliving all the fun through Charlie. And boy was Charlie a dare devil! He rode any ride that he could, and LOVED the roller coasters(He is Poppies boy)! I could barely handle the choo-choo roller coaster pictured above, and while on it, it went soooo fast I thought for sure Charlie would freak out, but no, just me freaking out, he LOVED it!!!! I was shaking when we got off!(I know, I've become a wimp in my old age, but it really was FAST!) If the line was not so long he would have rode it again and again.

Gramma Jean, Auntie Kim, Uncle John, Ashley, Austin, Scott, Aunt Emily and her friend Natalie all joined us for a day of fun in the sun, thanks guys for coming along, it wouldn't have been as fun without you all!

My Sophie girl I can't wait for you to experience Cedar Point with us to some day. We saw so many different families with children from China there, most through adoption, and some not, and I could not help thinking it was not a coincidence, but a sign from God that you will be with us some day soon, and hopefully next year at Cedar Point when we go again.

I love you so much already Sophia Ruth Rogers.....Charlie and daddy too.

Summer fun at the Columbus Clippers game

Two weeks ago we took Charlie to his first baseball game, The Columbus Clippers! I wasn't sure if Charlie would get bored or not, but much to my surprise he LOVED it! He sat through the entire game and was so interested in each play....maybe we have a future baseball player in the family!

August baby matches in!

Well, it's that time of the month again, the next set of matches have been made and are being delivered to families as I speak......Once again, as happy as I am for all those families, the Chinese Gov. did not do cover that many days again, only 7 days.....they are STILL on November of 2005, and only got to people logged into the adoption program up to Nov. 21st 2005. So since there are only 30 days in the month of November, that means in order for them to finally finish that month up, they need to match 9 days worth of families on September 1st....PLEASE PRAY with us that that happens. I just can't imagine them going into October of this year, still matching families in that NOV of 2005

I know, this is soooo confusing for most reading this, hopefully those of you close enough to me understand all this! And if you don't, just keep in mind we are logged into the program March 15 2006......only four months later from where they are now!

Okay, and one more thing, CONGRATS, CONGRATS to our dear friends Tressa and Alan, who will be seeing their precious babys face today if not Monday!!! Their log in date was November 16th 2005!!! This is their first child and they have been waiting two years or more since the day they started this journey. Their little girls name is Mattie! Please say a pray for them and sweet Mattie girl as well, I am sure they are out of their minds right now with a flood of diff. emotions!!! We are soo happy for them and can't wait to see Matties picture!!!!!

I love you so much already my Sophie girl(still her name, hee-hee)....I can't tell you enough how real you are to me already, and each day that I feel down about having to wait so long for you to join us, I just close my eyes and see what I imagine your face to be and I am filled with such love and peace and I know without a doubt you will be ours some day soon!!!!

Love, Mommy!

Mommy having fun with her brothers/summer 2007

Well, Aunt Krista and I took Grandy up on her offer to stay home with the kiddos one night, so we could go hang with the guys! We had so much fun going out with "the bachelors" (dougie and corey), and all of Dougies friends from home!
And lastly, a family photo shot before we all had to head back home! And what a great photo it turned out to be!
I thank God everynight for this family he has blessed me with!
And our sweet Sophie Ruth, I can see you standing there with us already!!! It won't be long!
Love, Mommy

Charlie and his cousins in Ky

We had a long get away weekend in Ky with all my family! Uncle Chris/Aunt Krista, Charlie's cousins, Emi/Abi/Owen, Uncle Corey and Uncle Dougie, all met at Poppie and Grandys! as always, Charlie had so much fun with them! We did lots of swimming in their pool and also went to the Louisville Slugger museum and learned all about baseball bats!
Oh Sophie girl, I can't wait for you to be tagging along with the whole gang next year! I just know you are going to fit right in! Love, Mommy

Vacation Bible School 2007

Well, I can't believe another year of VBS is here and gone! Last night was Charlie's recital for Vacation Bible School and boy was he ever a star! Both, Jeff, Grandy and I sat there and watched him take the stage, and sing and dance his heart out, no fear whatsoever, such a little ham! And then the three of us said, "hmmm who does Charlie take after getting up on that stage and being such a little show off????" And we all had one answer: UNCLE CHRIS!!!!! And now most of you will know why that is so funny!! He's all you Uncle Chris, hee-hee!!!!!!
And once again I have to post, you better be here with us watching your big brother next year at VBS my sweet baby girl.....oh, and I think we have finally found a name that all three of us absolutely agree on.......Sophia Ruth Rogers....and Charlie said he wants to call her baby Sophie.....
We'll see, as you all know me, nothing's set in stone yet!

Adoption poem for our daughter to be

I found another poem, and again no author known, but loved it and wanted to journal it for our little girl! Also, the pic posted is from a wedding we attended last weekend, July 14th 2007. So here's the poem:

Once there were two women, who never knew each other.

One you do not remember

the other you call mother.

Two different lives, shaped to make yours one.

One became your guiding star, the other became your sun.

The first gave you life, the second taught you to live it.

The first gave you a need for love, and the second was there to give it.

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name.

One gave you the seed of talent, the other gave you aim.

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears.

One saw your first sweet smile, the other will dry your tears.

One gave you up......

It was all she could do.

The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me through your tears, the age old question through the years-

Heredity or Environment...which are you a product of?

Neither my darling daugther, just two different kinds of love!

We love you so much our baby girl to be!!! Love, Mommy

The July Stork has arrived

Congrats to all the precious waiting families that are seeing their babies faces for the first time this week! The November families that were logged into China through November 14th 2005 have been matched! Although I am a bit sad that they are STILL on Nov 05....at least they are still moving along and matching families. So all those families have waited 20 months....I feel for each and every one of them, we've been waiting 16 months since we were logged into the Chinese Gov. Match Dept.(and actually 20 months since the day we applied to adopt)

So right now, the "rumor" is that this wait will probably reach two or more years...meaning we are not expecting anything until late winter/early spring. Unless, there is a miracle and China starts matching the months quicker(which is not out of the question, it CAN happen so please pray with us), then maybe we will hear something sooner than winter.....

So for now Gods blessings to all those families that can say they are FINALLY done waiting and can now start their journey home with their new babies!!!

And to our sweet girl, we know that stork will be carrying you home to us one day very, very soon....we will wait patiently with open arms, and we know without a doubt this wait is going to be worth every second just to get to you! We love you! Mommy, Daddy and Charlie