the trog blog

for rent

2013-05-17T11:57:00.000-04:00

ratatouille

2012-10-22T14:26:00.000-04:00

couldn't you just eat them up? all so precious and sweet! happy halloween everyone. we are off to stir up some smiles.

take a little walk in the country with me

2012-10-11T08:51:00.000-04:00

don't let them fool you. they actually do get along. caught this picture sunday afternoon. it made my heart glad. gosh, i wish i could hear their conversation.

god help us all.

2012-09-28T14:45:00.001-04:00

preaching to the choir.

2012-09-25T20:12:00.001-04:00

sprouting up.

2012-09-17T09:37:00.001-04:00

okay, when did this happen? do you see that sticker on allison that says she's 5 years old? do you agree with me that she could pass for seven or eight in that picture? my past, present and future flashes before my eyes. by my sleep deprivation and exhaustion, I know all this to be true. but my heart and mind are having a hard time catching up.

allison is five and started kindergarten. she's the youngest and maybe one of the brightest in her class. at least she thinks so. and you will not hear me or zach tell her differently.

davis started first grade and lead us straight to the cub scout registration table. not sure i'm ready for that jump either but how can i hold him back from something that would be fantastic for him that he is super excited about? be prepared? now that's funny. prepared to accept chaos and whirling out the door is now normal? backpacks, papers, diapers and blankets flying. prepared to accepted we will never again be prepared for anything in our schedule until last minute? maybe this boy scout motto isn't such a bad thing. maybe this mom could use a little more preparation in my life too.

be prepared to never be prepared again.

be prepared to watch your children grow overnight. just add water.

be prepared to to be out-numbered.

be prepared to realize they are quickly becoming smarter than you are...and faster too.

be prepared to learn that hugging them tighter doesn't slow down this growing up process.

james is, quite frankly, the happiest baby on the block. since he's the only baby on the block, this is a true statement.

they are my sunshine.

amazing grace!

2012-09-11T14:32:00.000-04:00

this flag makes me happy. i remember seeing it as i passed a school one time. and today i wish i had a chain link fence in my yard so i could do this. i wish my neighbor had a chain link fence and i would do it in their yard too. we do have fences, but the gaps are too big for the cups. i've already tried.

2012-08-27T10:28:00.000-04:00

- under Boiling Spring's guardian landmark -

Greetings from Quinton, VA! It's our last week of summer. Though it does feel like much of a summer break with no break in the chaos of a long distance move and land of never-ending boxes. And maybe by some godly miracle I will get everything together in these last few days before the start of the school year. Wishful thinking.

We are all thinking of our friends in Boiling Springs today. It's their first day of school and I can't help but wonder what class Davis would have been in and which friends would also greet him in the same room. Even though we are far away, our thoughts and prayers are still with you for a great, successful year. Reed, Brye, Maggie, Cristian, Becca, Payton, Kensley, Emily, Carson, Trae, Kayla, Liza, Stella Heidi, Downey, Darlene, Kristin and Diane.

-precious ponderings -

- leaving our mark -

- refueling at a local favorite, The Snack Shop, with our favorite server, Kim -

back to the future

2012-06-27T16:49:00.002-04:00

no hover boards around. but we got close with texting, 360 holographic images, facetime & skype.

a sneak peek

2012-06-24T13:05:00.001-04:00

a friend had a cancellation for a photo session on saturday. i scooped up the available spot as soon as i could. here are two shots from the kids' session. i'd say the early bird caught the worm.

tweet.

shiver me timbers

2012-05-26T10:31:00.000-04:00

is this not the best, most handsome & scariest pirate you have ever seen? move over will turner! davis trogdon is now commandeering this ship.

i believe kindergarten is the most magical school year! especially with a teacher like miss mathis. who wouldn't love school and want to get there every day as early as possible with days like "pirate day"? avast, the kindergarten classes have aboarded the school and taken over. here are some pictures at the beginning of the day....

me matey brye

party grub

deckhands arrival

all crew must sign in

ahoy salty dog colt

look here lad, miss mathis still be the captain of this ship!

pirates of an ally ship

first-mates carson & davis in the galley

even scurvy siblings ready to swab the deck

geniuses & push-overs

2012-05-25T00:40:00.001-04:00

this past week needs to be marked in the history books. davis told the family that "my dad gives him everything he wants" when zach bypassed the vegetable consumption rule before serving a 2nd hot dog.

but most importantly!!!! allison proclaimed to me "Mom, You're a Genius!" for what? i can't remember anymore. that's just how smart i am.

i really wonder what this one wants to say.......

a full quiver

2012-05-19T16:33:00.005-04:00

love x 3

big and little.

2012-04-12T20:07:00.001-04:00

davis is so proud to be a big brother again. this kid has always loved babies. and he REALLY loves his own baby. davis and james get to know each other over a saturday afternoon movie watching shrek. james eventually falls asleep and davis sits still with him for over an hour. a marathon baby holder for 5 years old.

pleased as punch.

sweet kisses from a sweet boy.

davis listed all family members on easter eve for the easter bunny to know who lived here.

and more sidewalk chalk proclamations on easter afternoon.

the time has come. the time is near. little james is now here!

2012-04-09T10:20:00.009-04:00

photo credit: allison trogdon

welcome baby brother!

james winslett trogdon

april 3, 2012

at 5:18 p.m.

9 lbs. 1 oz. and 21.5 in.

shelby, north carolina

Every good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

who does not change like shifting shadows.

- James 1:17

the good, the bad and the ugly.

2012-03-17T12:32:00.000-04:00

good: thursday afternoon was early dismissal day for davis' school for parent/teacher conferences. they were supposed to get out at 1:00 p.m. allison's playschool also dismisses at 1:00 p.m. so i left early and picked allison up at 12:45. we would get home by 1:00 p.m. and have 5-10 minutes to spare by the time davis walked home.

bad: davis' school translates 1:00 p.m. to be earlier that 1:00 p.m. allison and i get stuck behind a wide load transport on the route home. allison and i pass a school bus 1/4 mile from our house. i know that walkers are dismissed after the buses pull out. davis gets home early and we are not there.

good: davis lets himself in through the garage and closes it behind him. realizing we are not home, he calls my cell phone and tells me "i'm home." we are pulling in the neighborhood at 1:03 p.m.

good: davis receives an excellent report from his teacher. she recommends that he start reading from 1st grade level books to challenge him a bit more.

bad: mom slips on wet grass on the way home.

ugly: my ankle snaps and has a bad sprain. waddling around at 37 weeks is hard enough. now i'm hobbling around on crutches with extra baby weight and one good foot. zach has to take over chauffer, chef and housekeeping duties. how is this going to work?

the devil came up from georgia to north carolina to see what we're made of. over course, any other time would be much better to test us, but i don't have that choice. so i guess we'll just gear up and give it a go. round 1 goes to the trogdons for stepping into the ring.

catch me if you can

2012-03-12T09:39:00.001-04:00

a little leprechaun has taken over davis' kindergarten classroom! leaving green footprints and even forgetting to flush in the class bathroom! miss mathis has charged the class to make leprechaun traps to catch this mischievous creature by the end of the week.

davis worked really hard on his trap. he researched the internet and picked the best model for his project.

here's what you need to make a leprechaun trap:

1. green object

2. wee ladder

3. trap door

4. lucky charms
we added....

5. rainbows

6. gold

and this is his finished work!

the trick is on us

2012-02-26T19:58:00.001-05:00

let's back up to halloween 2011. usually, i LOVE making the kids' costumes. however, this past year they decide (well, mostly allison) they want to wear different costumes to all 5 different parties. my reply? "well, y'all better wear something you already have because I. Will. Not. be making 10 different costumes."

and they did. well allison did. not one costume was bought. not one costume was worn twice. i think davis got stuck on costume number 2 and called it a winner.

looking back on fall pictures, i ran across these:

i love davis's puffy chest and allison's best puppy impersonation.

but WHAT GETS ME.......is what allison does with the eye black once we get back home.....

other costumes revealed were:

1. ariel the mermaid

2. gardner-webb cheerleader

3. captain america girl

4. ballerina

time marches on

2012-02-14T10:18:00.004-05:00

this is what i do instead of cleaning my house and putting away the laundry.

oh well. tomorrow's another day and it sure won't look like it did today.

happy valentine's day

2012-02-13T17:38:00.000-05:00

rewind

2012-02-10T20:15:00.004-05:00

2011 was such a crazy year for us. if you've seen us at all in the past 10 months, you'll remember why. if not, well, here's a brief summary: trip to london & paris for spring break. trip to hospitals in london after zach gets hit by car. surgery. make it home. recover. oh, hello! trogdon child #3 on the way.

life goes on. only now, in full speed ahead. quite honestly, we're often out of steam. and our blog is living proof.

i ran across this picture tonight and fell in love with them all over again for the hundredth time today. this is from davis's kindergarten pet parade. all classes were learning about animals that week and teachers asked students to dress up, bring a picture of their favorite animal or bring a favorite stuffed animal. teachers also asked for us to use what we already had and get creative. wait....did you say use what we have? check. do you need extras? i ask? because we have that too!

now as i look back on 2011 and allison's change of hair texture- i realize one sums up the other in one word...."huh?"

and yes, allison did walk davis to school on the leash. and the costume was not complete until our dog had a yellow ball in his possession.

welcome to our noisy life.

2012-02-09T12:31:00.001-05:00

here's a five minute sample of our life soundtrack. i love it. but, boy do i look forward to my quiet mornings!

davis got a haircut.

wait, what?! yes, you read it right. davis got a haircut a few weeks ago. i wish now i would have taken a picture of the mess it made on the salon floor. here's a sneak peek from pajama day:

inflation, our new reality.

2012-01-07T21:30:00.003-05:00

it all started with an innocent game of father-son-daughter frisbee the day after christmas. it ended with a wailing 5 year old, a loose tooth and a little bit of blood. two and half weeks later, a little wiggling goes a long way.

the tooth fairy will be making her first visit to the trogdon home tonight.

last month at davis's class christmas party, one of his classmates told me he had just lost his first tooth. 'did the tooth fairy come to visit you?' i asked....oh yes was the reply. then i made the mistake of asking what did the tooth fairy leave you?.....'twenty dollars.' was his reply.

what! who are your parents? and what is their number? i would like to know exactly who is to blame for ridiculously inflating the cost of these little pieces of calcium.

how many teeth does one child loose? multiplied by $20 each....that will come out to about a $400 nest egg for buying more cavity filling, sticky, messy, sugary goodies.

so i dare ask davis how much he thinks the tooth fairy will give him. his answer? fifteen.

fifteen what dollars or cents?

'cents.'

sigh of relief. my son has very low expectations. maybe we can handle this teeth financial plan after all, exceed his expectations and make a little toothless wonder very happy.

p.s. - allison insisted the tooth fairy not to come in our house until i told her the tooth fairy was the same size of her friend, tinkerbell.

dogs, pigs and dragons, oh my!

2012-01-03T11:32:00.000-05:00

2006 - the year of the dog. very appropriate.
2007 - the year of the pig. huh?
2012 - the year of the dragon. ummmmm, okay?

all the years my children were/will be born. well, at least they are not rats or snakes. this kind of makes me a wee bit nervous of what to expect from our baby dragon due in april. are pigs stubborn? independent? i'm trying to find a similarity between a pig and allison..... pink! that's better. on to decipher this dragon-thing.....

2011-10-28T20:24:00.002-04:00