Presenting Carter Roberts as he sings his classics!
He followed these performances of "Dada" "Mama" with some of his newer work: "Papa" "Amma" and his latest single "Kiki"
Watch for his album due out next week!
(Excuse the filming, I had to hide the camera for him to keep singing)
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Before and after
We've done quite a bit of rearranging in our house over the last couple of months. One of the biggest changes was moving the buffet hutch to the dining area (excuse the missing drawers, they had already been moved downstairs) from our master bedroom.
I know, you're wondering why the heck it was in our bedroom. I don't know. We had no where else to put it, but I insisted we keep it. I just love this piece. The new nursery is too small and as Carter grew, the piece was too small. At the time, we had another buffet piece in the dining area so... into our room it went.
You might remember it better as the changing table when Carter was a newborn. Remember the green? We then changed it to blue for the nursery.
Finally, after more than a year in our new home, it made it to the dining room, but the blue had to go. Luckily, I had the right shade of cream/white in the garage as well as some black.
I just love how it turned out!
I know, you're wondering why the heck it was in our bedroom. I don't know. We had no where else to put it, but I insisted we keep it. I just love this piece. The new nursery is too small and as Carter grew, the piece was too small. At the time, we had another buffet piece in the dining area so... into our room it went.
You might remember it better as the changing table when Carter was a newborn. Remember the green? We then changed it to blue for the nursery.
Finally, after more than a year in our new home, it made it to the dining room, but the blue had to go. Luckily, I had the right shade of cream/white in the garage as well as some black.
I just love how it turned out!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Feeling at home at chuch
Prior to Carter's arrival, Chris and I attended a local Catholic church. We really enjoyed it and did our premarital counseling there as well as some other classes that I think have really helped us in our marriage. Fast forward a bit and we have a 2 year old who does not quite get the whole sitting quietly through mass. Sure, we can bribe him and make it through OK, but we really weren't able to fully participate in mass and constantly were taking turns keeping Carter occupied.
The only other option at the church was the understaffed nursery where they just keep an eye on your child and they are not equipped to contact you if you are needed for your child. Apparently there used to be a system in place with pagers, but it doesn't work any more. To know how child-friendly this church was, all you had to do was need a place to change a diaper. There are no changing tables!
So... we got to talking about what we wanted out of a church. Top on my list was somewhere that all 3 of us could feel fulfilled after a service. I wanted a place that Carter could have fun, but all learn about our religious beliefs while Chris and I enjoyed a service that got us excited each week. We tried a few different churches and each one seemed to have either something great for Carter or something great for us. Never both.
We finally tried another church a couple weeks ago and really like it! Chris and I enjoy the service and Carter LOVES his "school". Their Sunday School program is amazing as is their tracking system. There are computer terminals all over and when you arrive, you just type in your phone number, select the child, and print his name badge sticker. From their he gets checked in for some fun.
He enjoys it so much that we looked into their preschool program (they have a private school up through middle school). I personally am not ready for him to be in preschool, but I thought it would be good to get him started in something so that when Coen gets home, he has a routine and a break from his little brother 2 mornings each week. We loved the school and Carter had a 2 year old tantrum when we had to leave after our tour. Unfortunately, they don't have room for him now, but he will get registered to start in September.
It is such a great feeling knowing that he is excited to go to church. We don't have to worry about any meltdowns when it is time for us to leave him. So, we freaked out a little bit when we saw his number flash on the screen during service today. We both bolted to his classroom. On the way we tried to figure out why they would be calling us to get him.
*There were quite a few kids there this morning.
*He is pretty sensitive... maybe one of the kids took a toy from him and he started crying?
I then jokingly said, "maybe he is so comfortable he pooped and they want me to change him." We laughed at this thought.
What you need to know is that Carter does NOT poo poo outside of our house. If we go to Grandma's house or the lake house, we start to get concerned about his lack of regularity. He finally gives in and lets loose about 24 hours into being somewhere else.
I ran into the room and saw Carter happily playing. I looked at one of the caretakers, perplexed by this... She just said, "oh, Carter needs his pants changed."
We got his pants changed and he went right back to playing. Wow, he really does feel at home at church. ;)
The only other option at the church was the understaffed nursery where they just keep an eye on your child and they are not equipped to contact you if you are needed for your child. Apparently there used to be a system in place with pagers, but it doesn't work any more. To know how child-friendly this church was, all you had to do was need a place to change a diaper. There are no changing tables!
So... we got to talking about what we wanted out of a church. Top on my list was somewhere that all 3 of us could feel fulfilled after a service. I wanted a place that Carter could have fun, but all learn about our religious beliefs while Chris and I enjoyed a service that got us excited each week. We tried a few different churches and each one seemed to have either something great for Carter or something great for us. Never both.
We finally tried another church a couple weeks ago and really like it! Chris and I enjoy the service and Carter LOVES his "school". Their Sunday School program is amazing as is their tracking system. There are computer terminals all over and when you arrive, you just type in your phone number, select the child, and print his name badge sticker. From their he gets checked in for some fun.
He enjoys it so much that we looked into their preschool program (they have a private school up through middle school). I personally am not ready for him to be in preschool, but I thought it would be good to get him started in something so that when Coen gets home, he has a routine and a break from his little brother 2 mornings each week. We loved the school and Carter had a 2 year old tantrum when we had to leave after our tour. Unfortunately, they don't have room for him now, but he will get registered to start in September.
It is such a great feeling knowing that he is excited to go to church. We don't have to worry about any meltdowns when it is time for us to leave him. So, we freaked out a little bit when we saw his number flash on the screen during service today. We both bolted to his classroom. On the way we tried to figure out why they would be calling us to get him.
*There were quite a few kids there this morning.
*He is pretty sensitive... maybe one of the kids took a toy from him and he started crying?
I then jokingly said, "maybe he is so comfortable he pooped and they want me to change him." We laughed at this thought.
What you need to know is that Carter does NOT poo poo outside of our house. If we go to Grandma's house or the lake house, we start to get concerned about his lack of regularity. He finally gives in and lets loose about 24 hours into being somewhere else.
I ran into the room and saw Carter happily playing. I looked at one of the caretakers, perplexed by this... She just said, "oh, Carter needs his pants changed."
We got his pants changed and he went right back to playing. Wow, he really does feel at home at church. ;)
Monday, March 21, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Introducing...
We can finally share all the details about our little man, Coen Kwasi Roberts. He just turned 1 on January 31st.
You can see photos and video of him from my recent trip below!
You can see photos and video of him from my recent trip below!
Friday, March 18, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
It may sound like bragging...
but I really do have the best husband and have for 3 years now.
We met way back when we were both just 20 and 6 months later knew we were going to get married. Good thing we didn't. We still had a lot of growing up to do which included a few years of dating and a *break* during which time I moved to another state. Subsequently, we realized that we couldn't live without one another and I had to move back to the NW. We were married 5 months later (5 years after we started dating).
Of all the fun memories we have together of the past 8 years, I can honestly say that the last 3 years have been the best of my life. Some aren't surprised, after all, we have Carter thanks to our marriage. But, we were also dealt a couple of huge blows in the past 2 years. Each time we would question why, but knew that God had a reason for it all. Looking back now, I know one of the reasons was help us grow together. To show us so early in our marriage that we can make it through anything together.
As we move through our adoption process and anticipate growing our family, we know that we will have difficult times. We don't anticipate the adjustment or transition to be exceptionally smooth, but we do know that we can get through it together.
For now, for today, I get to focus on how blessed I am to have found my match. He gets me. He puts up with me. And....
*He will do anything for our son. He did newborn middle-of-the-night feedings and to this day, if Carter wakes up for some reason, he will offer to check on him. I don't always take him up on it, but just the offer makes him amazing.
*He chooses to spend his free time with us. He does have a guys night here and there, but he honestly wants to be with his family when he can.
*He's the accountant who can build just about anything. All I have to do is mention needing a counter top and he's on it!
*He respects me for what I do for our family. I get a thank you for dinner. He notices that I've done 3 loads of laundry that day and he appreciates it.
*He respects me for my mind/education. We make all financial decisions together and my opinion matters. Yes, I'm a stay-at-home-mom, but I also have a MBA and he acknowledges that! In fact, I'm the one in charge of implementing all of our decisions :)
*He works hard. He works very long, mentally-draining hours and he does it for us.
*He supports me. It never entered my mind that when I said I wanted to adopt that he wouldn't be onboard. I realize now how blessed I am that he supported my desire to adopt and made it his own desire.
*He loves my family. You know that some of you can be a handful, but he loves you anyway. :)
To the most amazing husband: I love you. Thank you for the best years of my life!
We met way back when we were both just 20 and 6 months later knew we were going to get married. Good thing we didn't. We still had a lot of growing up to do which included a few years of dating and a *break* during which time I moved to another state. Subsequently, we realized that we couldn't live without one another and I had to move back to the NW. We were married 5 months later (5 years after we started dating).
Of all the fun memories we have together of the past 8 years, I can honestly say that the last 3 years have been the best of my life. Some aren't surprised, after all, we have Carter thanks to our marriage. But, we were also dealt a couple of huge blows in the past 2 years. Each time we would question why, but knew that God had a reason for it all. Looking back now, I know one of the reasons was help us grow together. To show us so early in our marriage that we can make it through anything together.
As we move through our adoption process and anticipate growing our family, we know that we will have difficult times. We don't anticipate the adjustment or transition to be exceptionally smooth, but we do know that we can get through it together.
For now, for today, I get to focus on how blessed I am to have found my match. He gets me. He puts up with me. And....
*He will do anything for our son. He did newborn middle-of-the-night feedings and to this day, if Carter wakes up for some reason, he will offer to check on him. I don't always take him up on it, but just the offer makes him amazing.
*He chooses to spend his free time with us. He does have a guys night here and there, but he honestly wants to be with his family when he can.
*He's the accountant who can build just about anything. All I have to do is mention needing a counter top and he's on it!
*He respects me for what I do for our family. I get a thank you for dinner. He notices that I've done 3 loads of laundry that day and he appreciates it.
*He respects me for my mind/education. We make all financial decisions together and my opinion matters. Yes, I'm a stay-at-home-mom, but I also have a MBA and he acknowledges that! In fact, I'm the one in charge of implementing all of our decisions :)
*He works hard. He works very long, mentally-draining hours and he does it for us.
*He supports me. It never entered my mind that when I said I wanted to adopt that he wouldn't be onboard. I realize now how blessed I am that he supported my desire to adopt and made it his own desire.
*He loves my family. You know that some of you can be a handful, but he loves you anyway. :)
To the most amazing husband: I love you. Thank you for the best years of my life!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
He's a big boy now
**Sorry the video is so dark. The electricity was out so, we had to go in with a flashlight and open the blinds.
Following Carter's interest in sleeping in mommy's bed lately, we offered him the chance to sleep in the "big boy" room in his very own big boy bed at nap time today. He liked the idea and after 20 minutes of getting the bed rails into place, he snuggled right in and fell asleep.
We made a really big deal out of his being a big boy in hopes that he will continue sleeping in the big boy room. The plan has always been for Carter to move to this room when he is done with the crib so, we decided it is best to move him to his permanent room before the big change in our house. He'll have a lot of adjusting to do so, getting this adjustment out of the way now should help a little.
Following Carter's interest in sleeping in mommy's bed lately, we offered him the chance to sleep in the "big boy" room in his very own big boy bed at nap time today. He liked the idea and after 20 minutes of getting the bed rails into place, he snuggled right in and fell asleep.
We made a really big deal out of his being a big boy in hopes that he will continue sleeping in the big boy room. The plan has always been for Carter to move to this room when he is done with the crib so, we decided it is best to move him to his permanent room before the big change in our house. He'll have a lot of adjusting to do so, getting this adjustment out of the way now should help a little.
Getting ready
I just ordered the cutest pillows, one for each of my children!
No, Noah is the not the name of any of our children. This is just a photo of her example. I can't wait until they arrive and I am able to share what names are on the pillows.
Bonus: I got 25% off by entering 320Friends at check out AND she was kind enough to combine shipping for me.
Bonus bonus: 25% of the proceeds go to a local foster/adoption agency!
So much great stuff. Check it out here.
No, Noah is the not the name of any of our children. This is just a photo of her example. I can't wait until they arrive and I am able to share what names are on the pillows.
Bonus: I got 25% off by entering 320Friends at check out AND she was kind enough to combine shipping for me.
Bonus bonus: 25% of the proceeds go to a local foster/adoption agency!
So much great stuff. Check it out here.
Friday, March 11, 2011
'cause sometimes, he wants his mama
Carter adores Daddy. He follows him, watches him, copies EVERYTHING daddy does. I'd say 8 times out of 10, Carter will choose daddy when we give him the choice between the two of us. I'm fine with it. I get him all day everyday to myself and I think it is pretty darn cute to watch Chris and his little mini me no matter what they are doing together.
But sometimes... he just wants his mama and it makes my heart melt!
Night 1:
Shortly after getting back from Ghana, I was taking Carter to bed and said something like, "I wish you could just sleep with mama" (Side note: Carter does NOT like to sleep in our bed. Never has. The only time he might is if he is really sick and then, we don't get any sleep because he plays a game of Twister throughout the night.) I was still jet-lagged and was happy to go to bed with him at 8pm. Usually, he wouldn't have understood me completely, but now he is talking up a storm and understands everything so.. he started pointing to my room and saying "CaCa Night,night". I decided to give it a shot.
We hopped into our bed and my little grown-up got himself all situated, pulled the covers up, put his head on his pillow and settled in. We then had a little slumber party full of whispering and giggling (he whispered, I giggled at how cute he was and the fact that I had no idea what he was saying). We drifted off and about 2 hours later, I woke and took him to his crib. It was the best 2 hour slumber party I've ever had.
Night 2:
The next night he started right in at bed time, pointing to our room saying "CaCa Night-Night." Nope. No can do buddy. We don't want to make a habit of this and have a kindergardener sleeping with us.
Night 3:
Chris was supposed to put Carter to bed but they somehow both ended up in our bed. Carter kept saying "night-night" and pointing to our bedroom door so, we finally put him in his own bed so we could get some sleep. I thought it was odd that he wanted to be with us, but then wouldn't go to sleep. Upon bringing it up to Chris the truth came out.. Chris had initiated the whole thing. He wanted to cuddle with Carter the way I had gotten to a couple nights before. Too cute.
Tonight:
After his bath I was putting on his PJs when he started saying "CaCa, Mama, Baby, Ah ha, Night-Night". (Side note: Baby is his brown baby doll that is supposed to prepare him for any siblings :) and Ah ha is his monkey - imagine the sound a monkey makes, this is what Carter calls his Monkey). So, he wanted all of us to sleep in mama's bed again. I asked if Daddy could sleep with us and he just repeated more loudly "CaCa, Mama, Baby, Ah ha, Night-Night".
I couldn't keep from laughing and called Chris into the room. Carter filled him in so he had to ask "Bud, where should daddy sleep?" Carter thought about it for all of about 2 seconds and pointed to what we call the "big boy room" which has 2 twin beds.
We got a good laugh out of the whole thing. Apparently, his ideal situation is Mama, Carter, Baby and Monkey all tucked-in to our queen size bed. He doesn't care too much where daddy sleeps as long as he is not crowding us in the bed.
He adores his daddy, but it feels good to know that sometimes he just wants his mama.
But sometimes... he just wants his mama and it makes my heart melt!
Night 1:
Shortly after getting back from Ghana, I was taking Carter to bed and said something like, "I wish you could just sleep with mama" (Side note: Carter does NOT like to sleep in our bed. Never has. The only time he might is if he is really sick and then, we don't get any sleep because he plays a game of Twister throughout the night.) I was still jet-lagged and was happy to go to bed with him at 8pm. Usually, he wouldn't have understood me completely, but now he is talking up a storm and understands everything so.. he started pointing to my room and saying "CaCa Night,night". I decided to give it a shot.
We hopped into our bed and my little grown-up got himself all situated, pulled the covers up, put his head on his pillow and settled in. We then had a little slumber party full of whispering and giggling (he whispered, I giggled at how cute he was and the fact that I had no idea what he was saying). We drifted off and about 2 hours later, I woke and took him to his crib. It was the best 2 hour slumber party I've ever had.
Night 2:
The next night he started right in at bed time, pointing to our room saying "CaCa Night-Night." Nope. No can do buddy. We don't want to make a habit of this and have a kindergardener sleeping with us.
Night 3:
Chris was supposed to put Carter to bed but they somehow both ended up in our bed. Carter kept saying "night-night" and pointing to our bedroom door so, we finally put him in his own bed so we could get some sleep. I thought it was odd that he wanted to be with us, but then wouldn't go to sleep. Upon bringing it up to Chris the truth came out.. Chris had initiated the whole thing. He wanted to cuddle with Carter the way I had gotten to a couple nights before. Too cute.
Tonight:
After his bath I was putting on his PJs when he started saying "CaCa, Mama, Baby, Ah ha, Night-Night". (Side note: Baby is his brown baby doll that is supposed to prepare him for any siblings :) and Ah ha is his monkey - imagine the sound a monkey makes, this is what Carter calls his Monkey). So, he wanted all of us to sleep in mama's bed again. I asked if Daddy could sleep with us and he just repeated more loudly "CaCa, Mama, Baby, Ah ha, Night-Night".
I couldn't keep from laughing and called Chris into the room. Carter filled him in so he had to ask "Bud, where should daddy sleep?" Carter thought about it for all of about 2 seconds and pointed to what we call the "big boy room" which has 2 twin beds.
We got a good laugh out of the whole thing. Apparently, his ideal situation is Mama, Carter, Baby and Monkey all tucked-in to our queen size bed. He doesn't care too much where daddy sleeps as long as he is not crowding us in the bed.
He adores his daddy, but it feels good to know that sometimes he just wants his mama.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Fun with auntie
Auntie took Carter out for some fun yesterday morning. She found this great place (of course I've forgotten the name) where for $5 kids can paint on anything and everything. He even brought home a few projects that he created. All the money supports a children's hospital.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
1 week's worth of change
I'm back from Ghana and well rested thanks to my amazing husband. I cannot believe how much Carter has changed in just one week! Some examples:
Instead of his baby "bye bye", he now says a simple "bye"
He sometimes says "mom" instead of "mama"
He has been saying two words together "mama eat" "dada hoop (daddy move the hoop for me)" "mo juice peaz"
More to come about Ghana!
Instead of his baby "bye bye", he now says a simple "bye"
He sometimes says "mom" instead of "mama"
He has been saying two words together "mama eat" "dada hoop (daddy move the hoop for me)" "mo juice peaz"
More to come about Ghana!
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