A NEW SISTER!!!

I'm getting a new sister! Brendon proposed to Kacee yesterday morning at a Kolache shop (so romantic!!) and she, to the relief of everyone, said YES! Kacee and Brendon are so good for each other. She motivates him and helps him when he is doubting himself like it's his job (haha!) And he makes her laugh and always sees the best in her, and in everyone. That's one of his super-powers. Both of them have a deep desire to improve and become the best version of themselves, and I can't wait to see how their life unfolds! Yesterday when I got these pictures on my phone, I squealed and jumped up and down in the kitchen. Jane asked why I was so happy. I told her, and she too started squealing with happiness. It's an emotional thing to me; it is sort of ridiculous how emotionally invested I am in Brendon's (and all my siblings') life!

So Brendon had one of her friends take a picture of them; while one of his best friends was behind the fence and he held up this sign right when the picture was taken. When they looked back at the picture she said "WHAAAAAT?" and then he got down and asked. Both of them say they have no idea what the other person said; isn't that always how it goes? 

We are so excited to go to their wedding on January 6th. Kacee fits in so well with our family and we are thrilled to have a new addition; one that will hopefully give us a few more additions later on down the line ;) (and those additions will be beautiful! I mean would you LOOK at this model couple??) I spent some time yesterday showing Jane some pictures of when "daddy got down on one knee and asked mommy to marry him!" and it was so fun to then show her the pictures of that very same thing happening with Brendon and Kacee. 

Also- she had NO idea this was happening so isn't it so impressive that she looks SO beautiful and her nails are perfect?

the difference between girls and boys.

being home with my mom, my brother william, and sister has been quite the change of pace.

i have other humans to entertain me. and sometimes annoy me, but that's a story for a different day.

my brother william and his "best friend" andrew were yelling at each other in our kitchen the other day.
literally.
yelling. screaming.
it ended with william yelling unabashedly
"andrew! JUST GO HOME!!"

my mom asked william what happened and he was too angry to speak.
all he was able to muster between gritted teeth was:
 "I'm never talking to andrew again."

the next day there was laughter in the basement.
the laughter of young man voices.
my mom went down and to her surprise, william, andrew, and another of his friends were playing video games.
wait, what??!

my mom was confused and called william upstairs.

"will, why is andrew here? what the heck?"
my brother just looked at my mom, rolled his eyes, and said
"mom, we're not girls"
then went back downstairs.

so, there's that.

my current life story.

disclaimer: objects in photo are even more orange than they appear

my view of my belly standing up. see ya in 2 months, toes. // "if only i had orange shorts" he says.

no jeff. that would be a lethal combo. i feel like it could potentially blind my fetus from inside the womb.

what my diet has {almost solely} consisted of lately. 

otter pops vs. heartburn // can never eat enough fruit

spoiler: the heartburn wins 99% of the time, but otter pops provide a 3 second relief. better than nothing.

oh no big deal, i was getting my blood drawn and the lady thought it would be cute to gash me with a needle on the way in. right when i thought i could overcome my fear of shots. cute. // i was so excited to get a good deal on a rocking chair online. well, when it comes in the mail i realize it was just the cushions. went from high fiving myself to a face palm in a matter of seconds.

i miss my brothers. one of them just turned 16 and is going on his first date.

"do you think $100 is enough for a date? do i need to like, hug her a lot?" he says.

 and the other one of them ditched me for 2 years to be Christ-like. 

2 year is just an absurd amount of time. stop it.

happy thing: i am going to enjoy a relaxing weekend with my love watching this.
i highly recommend it :)

last thing.

you see this girl?

just picture a little fetus doing this on my ribs 24/7.

and then you will have a pretty good picture of what is going inside of my body at any given moment.

this would also be an appropriate time to envision a fetus doing tae kwon do on said ribs.

i could also post a picture of my blood shot eyes which result from a lack of sleep.

but i will spare you.

can't wait to meet my little monkey. 

after all she has put me through, i still wouldn't change a thing and I'm happier than i've ever been.

the end.

ugly

i miss being on vacation with family already.

i miss my mom! all the time actually.

something about being pregnant makes you want to worship your mother. 

so it was great to spend some time with her and my dad and my siblings.

it was the most chill 3 day visit ever. and i loved it.

we mostly just watched movies, ate yummy food, sang songs

oh and did this beastly puzzle.

maybe a better adjective would be Christ-like

get it?

i might be a huge nerd, but i am very proud of this!

my mom helped a lot too, probably did more than me to be honest-

but it was stinkin' HARD! look at the border. 

all the pieces look the exact same.

my mom modge podged it together and is gonna hang it up in her work.

i mean why not right? it has a built in frame!

which alone took like 7 hours to put together....

my brother willy was complaining about never being in my blog.

so here is his moment of glory:

this is a unique boy.

he likes to golf, hunt, play basketball, and watch surviving in the wild shows.

he spent his christmas money on this.

and i bet my bottom dollar he can make you laugh any time of the day.

him and i are in an exclusive club together called "The Uglies"

we have jokingly yet legitimately dubbed each other as the ugly ones in the family.

seeing as the other two siblings {"the pretties"} are models. 

we have learned to embrace it.

let's compare.

the uglies:

the pretties:

see? it is quite obvious.

keep in mind my sister is 12 and still super gorgeous.

i won't even bother scarring you with a picture of me when i was 12.

further proof i am an ugly.

oh and just look at those luscious locks!

PLEASE refrain from comparing them to my scraggly lion mane.

you win some, you lose some.

unfortunately for my parents, their genes only won 50% of the time.

next time i see willy, you can guarantee that at some point

we will high five each other and proudly proclaim:

"ugliessss!"

rewind and fast forward: 2012

it was one year ago. 

i was sitting at a table with close friends getting ready to ring in the new year.

we were talking about all the cool things that would happen in the year 2012.

and boy oh boy, did i underestimate the amount of cool things that really did happen.

it was the best year of my life, easily.

and if you had asked me then if i thought i would be married AND pregnant by the end of it,

i would've LAUGHED IN YOUR FACE.

but, here i am.

pregnant, and madly in love with my husband.

you just never know what life will throw at you!

here is a little review of this awesome, crazy year!

lets start at the very beginning 

{its a very good place to start}

JANUARY: 

started off as single as could be. chillin with the girlfriends 24/7

i started fundraising for my trip to africa

towards the middle, jeff and i started hanging out and studying together all the time!

FEBRUARY:

+ i turned 20

+ we took our first {semi-awkward} picture together. we saw each other every day.

+ i got a little scared, but decided to be brave and just let myself fall for him

+ went on LOTS of dates

+ he asked me to be his official girlfriend

 MARCH:

+ first and foremost, national free pancake day at iHop

 + he came to colorado with me and met my family

+ we fell in <3

+ he proposed to me :)

APRIL:

+ we reveled in our love, and couldn't focus on many other things...

like school for example.

+ we went on a bunch of roadtrips to visit each others' family

MAY:

+ the long separation began.

+ he left for DC

+ i left for uganda, and spent my first 3 weeks there.

my soul was stretched further than i knew it was capable of.

but my experiences there were priceless and unforgettable.

 JUNE

+ i emailed jeff, and skyped a few precious times

+ i rafted the nile and almost drown

+ my soul was stretched further, but i grew to love the people in uganda and love the experience

+ i came home to america at the end of the month

{after the longest string of plane rides known to man}

yes, it was still hard.

yes i got a parasite, and the whole works.

but it sure was humbling.

i adapted a new sense of gratitude that i never had before.

JULY:

+ i started really counting down the days

+ wedding planning craziness

+ talking to jeff on the phone all the time

+ my good friend Lauren got married

i was happy for her, but also a little bit jealous :)

 AUGUST:

+ my brother got his mission call to NY, NY south mission

+after 104 days, i was finally reunited with my love!

+ we got married!

+ went on a honeymoon cruise

{and  milked the room service for all it was worth}

 SEPTEMBER

+started school

+ moved into our new apartment which we are now moving out of

+ didn't take any pictures...lame.

+ went on lots of fun dates!

+ i became all domesticated...and stuff

OCTOBER:

+ found out we are having a baby

+ got really excited about it

+ then the symptoms started popping up.

 i got sick.

 and stayed sick.

NOVEMBER: 

+ was still sick

+ brother left on his mission. 

i cried.

+ we had our first thanksgiving together with some of my extended family

+ still didn't take any pictures. {bullet 1 may be a contributing factor}

DECEMBER:
+ yes. you guess right. still sick
+ but its ok because my belly started growing :)

+ listened to christmas music

+ took finals. jeff dominated and i got dominated

+ packed up our apartment

+ left to texas for christmas

+ then drove to colorado

+ had a wonderful time NOT stressing about anything, and just relaxing.

and now this whirlwind of a year is over. 

and by next year, our family of 2 will be 3.

im thinkin' this year will be just as crazy awesome!

happy new year!

repressed emotions coming at ya.

as some of you may know from this rant a little bit ago,
my brother is going on a mission.
scratch that. my brother is ON a mission.
as of today.
i remember a year ago whenever id think of him leaving i would bawl.
but ever since he got his call, I've tried to focus on being happy for him.
and push away the emotions that were bubbling up inside of me.
trying to let my joy for him be the glue that stopped my heart from falling into pieces.
he really is my life long best friend.
he is the only person who knows exactly what i've gone through in my life.
i know most people say that about their siblings,
but this is the real deal sibling best friends forever kind of thing.
so this- the whole him leaving for two years?
it is a big, fat, monumental, permanent-punch-in-the gut deal to me.
i went to lunch with him today. right before he was dropped off at the mtc.
of course, i pretended it wasn't really happening and kept my emotions in check.
went home, took a nap. then i saw pictures of him my grandparents took when they dropped him off.
my repressed emotions and my mind were starting to meet up and make sense of the situation.
i saw the last picture that was taken of him, walking into the mtc.
words can't describe how that made me feel, i wish they could.
i decided to say a prayer for him.
and boom. it hit me.
mental break down at its finest.
this sounds silly, but this will be one of the hardest trials ever for me.
i don't know how so many siblings and parents can handle this.
because i don't know if i can.
i do have faith that he is going out to do the most important work there is,
and that is definitely a consolation.
but I'm still feeling torn up- like a part of me is gone-
and not going to be here when i have my first child might i add.
i promise you I'm not intentionally making this the most dramatic blog post known to man.
i'm married. all grown up...
i should have a grip on these types of things.
thats just how i roll. and how i feel.

THIS HURTS.

but it hurts so good.
i'm way more proud of him than i can say.
and happy that he wants to sacrifice two years to serve God's children.

pray for my brother please. i know everyone and their dog is going on missions nowadays.
and that is overwhelmingly wonderful.
i pray for all the missionaries, and am so grateful for all of them.
they are all amazing.
but only one of them is my baby brother, and my best friend.

{im gonna go ahead and blame being pregnant on me looking like death.}

love you brother. see you in two.

brother

my brother is leaving in two weeks to go on a mission to new york. ok yea this may sound so cliche and normal for a mormon, but this is a big stinking deal to me. he is my little brother. i will miss him so much. but at the same time i am so proud of him i feel like my heart might burst out of my chest and break out into a hallelujah chorus. he is my best friend and I'm not just saying that because he is my brother and your brothers are supposed to be your best friends. people say our faces are the same, little do they know that our insides are even more the same. our souls are made of the same stuff, our brains think the same thoughts and when we are together wordless conversations come with ease. i remember when i first started dating jeff and i was trying to figure out if i loved him or not. i would always say to myself "do i care about him as much as brendon?" "does my heart ache for his well being?" for awhile it was a no, but it was when i could finally answer those questions affirmatively that i knew i loved jeff. obviously the love i have for my brother and for my husband are drastically different, but the base of it is the same. those are two people i truly love more than myself.
my brother is leaving to new york for 2 years, and he is taking a part of my soul with him. this will not be an easy thing for me, because who likes living without the part of them that validates every aspect of who they are?

Day of Spontaneity

Monday went a little bit like this.

So right when Im about to drive away to work I get a phone call...

Only to find out that work is cancelled. 

I then proceeded to sing Hallelujah in my most exaggerated operatic voice.

I texted Becca and asked if she wanted to meet me in Denver since we were supposed to meet on saturday but my stinky bosses wouldn't allow me to take that day off.

Of course she said yes. She has never said no to one of my ideas. 

Because they are always awesome, obviously.

I brought my brother along. And we had no game plan. So we went to Denver...

Becca, Brendon, and I all have the same sense of humor so we get along GREAT and are 99.9% of the time laughing. 

Take a little gander at our spontaneous and random adventures for yourself. 

We visited my dad at his work. (Rehabilitation Center). He introduced us to lots of people. We met a lady who said "I was the youngest person to EVER have a stroke." Becca's reply? "WOW! Thats AWESOME!" uhhhhm. I think there could have been some better adjectives there Becca. Haha. That lady did NOT consider it awesome.

Cafe Rio- I got a FREE tres leches. If I didn't know spanish I would guess it means "insanely delicious". But I do know spanish. And it doesn't mean that. But it should.

We called Claire and sang her a song on her message machine. I'm sure she was impressed

We found a random gushing pond. And sat by it. Obviously.

The bang strip pic. Attractive.

Well. There you have it. I hope you enjoyed my regurgitated version of this day.


PS. WATCH THIS VIDEO!!! IT IS AMAZING!

LATER.

Not a wannabe spinster.

 "Kerri. One day your name won't be Kerri Rogers anymore. That's weird. Well...unless you don't get married." - my brother willy. 

Funny. Except for if he is right.

FYI: I  really don't want to be a lonely spinster doomed to have this last name (which I'm not highly fond of) forever. That would be quite depressing.

...Because then I would have to resort to cats like this poor lady to my left.

And let it be known---> I really don't like cats. I've always preferred men.

This is what I had in mind.

Love

A Pretty Ring

And a Temple. {link to learn more about this place}

NOW. Is that so much to ask?

Oh and by the way. I'm not saying I want this to happen in the near future, just SOMEtime in the future. Preferably in this life.

K. that's all. Who knew one little quote could spark such a pathetic picture rant?

LATER.

My Music Family!

So you know those music families that we've all known? Well I've always been secretly envious of families like that. I'm kind of a musical person and so is my mom but the rest of my siblings have always seemed uninterested. Well I come home from college and guess what! I have a music family. Brendon and Willy can play the guitar now and Brendon has finally admitted to himself that singing is not womanly. So they start playing the guitar, I naturally start singing and Brendon starts harmonizing? What?! Anyways, we like to sit down and learn songs together now and I love it. We did one on Easter, it made me happy :) Obviously we are completely amateur. You can tell by the quality, the way we were constantly looking at the computer to see the lyrics {that most of the time i was making up anyways}, and the way the camera just decides to stop recording even though we weren't done. Alright camera, I guess you are the boss. Maybe it had some premonition that a really bad note or chord was about to be hit. So, if that's the case- thanks little guy. Well anyways, here ya go! Enjoy :) Love my family. My brothers are studs!

So there you have it :)

LATER