A Day in the Life of a 30-Something Drama Queen

Birthdays!!

2011-03-09T16:09:00.000-05:00

My poor hubby, February and March are tough months for him. Why? Here's the breakdown!

Feb 14th - DUH, Valentines day
Feb 23rd - My birthday
Feb 27th - O's Birthday
March 3rd - C's Birthday
March 12th - Gotch-ya days for the both girls (yes we really got them just about on the same day a year apart so we split the differance and celebrate the 12th as a family day!)

So here are some highlights from this past weeks festivities! Enjoy!

Fun with Family!

2010-01-13T17:10:00.000-05:00

So When we moved Winston, we were sadly moving further away from some family but closer to others. We live the next town over from my oldest brother and his family. My nieces spent some time with me this summer and we had a BLAST! They played with the girls we chatted, ate lunch and it gave me an excuse to watch teeny bopper movies (well, whose kidding, I DON'T need an excuse to do that) but her is a little look into our time together we were doing some crafts and M was helping O do her craft!

Just too Cute

2010-01-13T17:04:00.000-05:00

Here is a post simply for your viewing pleasure of my absolutely DARLING daughters! ENJOY!

Exciting Day!

2009-12-23T14:10:00.000-05:00

One of the things we have loved here in E. City is being able to hang out with my oldest brother, sis-in-law and nieces (we loved hanging out with everyone in Raleigh too, but if your going to have to move it's nice to move near family). We were blessed with being able to be with the girls when they got baptized. Sadly, only the pics that my friend Cheryl took turned out, mine (of the actual baptism) did not turn out AT ALL! Some good pics of the girls w/the grammy and grandpa!

Snapshots of life!

2009-12-23T13:55:00.000-05:00

Took some sweet pics of the these sweet girls being Oh so sisterly! I loved it! They just sat there, talked to each other and played. To cute! It will be so fun to see them play and communicate even more (most of the time right?)

Beach Trip!

2009-12-22T15:50:00.003-05:00

LOOK I SEE WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were all excited about being close to the beach and still love the thought of throwing our things in the car and heading to the beach during the summer but we were reminded it might be a few more years before that is a true possibility. We did brave the beach and all the equiptment that comes with taking two little girls to the ocean. It was beautiful and we did have a good time and have some fun pics to show for it. There was a pop up shower and this sweet family lent us their extra beach umbrella (yes, we went to the beach w/o an umbrella, can you tell this was our first trip with BOTH girls, few things got left behind).

Oh yeah, living the dream!!!
Too SWEET, Snuggle time with daddy under the umbrella!
Clap Clap for the beach!! She finally warmed up to it!
This is the "I dont' get why this is supposed to be so great" face

Snapshots of life!

2009-12-22T15:38:00.005-05:00

Here are just a few random pictures of Life in the Roten house!

Here the girls are just after bath time - LOVE IT!! So cute!

Olivia doing her POPEYE impression, flexing those "musskles"

Big sis just being ADORABLE!!!

New Bern will never be the same

2009-12-18T11:22:00.004-05:00

Once the "Mattix" girls hit the town in New Bern, there was no turning back! I do believe we left our mark on that town. As you can see some of us came dressed in our finest! Over the summer we had a fun girls weekend in New Bern, NC. It is always a good time when we get a chance to hang out without kids, without husbands (no offence boys!) There was lots of eating out, shopping and girl talk, just as it should be!

Giggly girls!

2009-12-18T11:16:00.004-05:00

No big event here just some ABSOLUTELY adorable little girls laughing and happened to catch it on camera! LOVE IT!

Visit with friends

2009-12-18T11:03:00.003-05:00

Over the summer we took some time to hang with some dear friends and their kids. 4 adults, 5 kids - it was a blast, SERIOUSLY! We had a great time and our friends got to meet sweet Olivia! Their girls, ADORED her and loved playing with Celeste. A grand time was had by all!

BIG SURPRISE!!!

2009-12-18T06:48:00.005-05:00

My parents turned 60 this year and celebrated 40 years of marriage together, so in honor of that us "kids" got together and threw them a surprise party. It was fun seeing all of us sneak around and work together, the amount of emails and phone calls exchanged was staggering! So, here are a few pictoral highlights of this fun event!

Snapshots of life!

2009-10-13T10:42:00.003-04:00

Here are a few snapshots of daily life @ the Roten house!

Miss Priss, decided that she wanted to nap w/Miss O!

Happy Girls

LOOK AT THAT FACE!!!

2009-10-13T10:29:00.005-04:00

OK, OK so I am WOEFULLY behind on posting so here is my attempt to "catch up". After a few post you will see why there has been such a lack of updates. Here is Miss O back in May, just shy of three months old. What a blessing she and C continue to be in our lives - it's a bit wild at times but we LOVE IT! O has been a smiler since day one (not quite in these photos, but trust me) and she is such a "cheeser" and we thought C was the one to "ham it up" they will be competing for that title before long.

Some loved little girls!!!

2009-05-23T08:26:00.001-04:00

Michael and I consider ourselves blessed that our daughters are loved and cherished by so many amazing people! Our friends and family have showered our girls with love from day One! So I thought it would be fun to share little snapshots to that show just that!

One Cool Sunday!

2009-05-13T07:40:00.001-04:00

About a month or so ago Michael had the privilege of Baptizing 3 kids and 1 adult from our church. What a wonderful time is was to witness and be a part this public display of faith for these Brothers and sisters in Christ! How Sweet!

Party Girl!

2009-05-06T13:26:00.001-04:00

OK so like WAY behind on this one, but sleeping through the night has helpful in blogging again. Our sweet Celeste turned 1 at the beginning of March and was showered with love from friends and family. Celeste is a true joy to our lives and we are so blessed that God has entrusted her to us. She loves the outdoors, walking, watching praise baby (worship dvd for kids), running up and down the hall and using her vocal cords (she is a girl!). All that to say I can already see that she is a loving sweet and curious little toddler. What a gift and we are so blessed by all those who daily share in our joy and love on our daughter unashamedly!

We had some friends from church stop by and we had an impromptu mini birthday bash (any excuse for cake!!!).

Grammy and grandpa graciously agreed to host a family celebration at their place in Raleigh. Celeste was loved on with out ceasing by her cousins, aunts and uncles! So blessed!!!

Loved this outfit!!

2009-04-26T20:18:00.001-04:00

OK so basically this is a post to show you how adorable our oldest daughter is! Mom moment totally!

Celeste Gotchya Day Celebration

2009-04-25T21:42:00.001-04:00

Her whatchya day? Her Gotchya day, as in the day we got her. In honor of that day we took her to build a bear (she told me she wanted to go, seriously... ok she didn't, but I thought it would be fun!). God is so good, He gave us the idea to use this little bear to help introduce the idea of adoption to celeste, because we get a birth certificate with her little Koala and we can talk about it how she adopted her little bear on March 13th. She was adorable!

She was so excited when we walked in!

She picked it out all by herself - she loved it!

She practically took the box out of our hand! It was such a wonderful time with our sweet daughter!!

The day we met Olivia!

2009-03-19T08:49:00.001-04:00

Well - here we are the last picture as a family of Three on the morning we met our sweet Olivia. Let's back up about 24 hours earlier, and we were just going about our lives with no clue of what God had in store. Olivia's story starts even before that, in November when Michael and I decided that we would go ahead and start the adoption process for our second little blessing. We knew it could happen fast, as 38 hours notice for Celeste proved, but thought for sure it would not happen that quickly again (apparently naively, thinking). 3-4 months and a few phone calls from our adoption agency later we were talking and planning for another child, but at the same time busy with our increasingly mobile now 1 yr. old! On march 10th, while Michael is subbing at a school he calls and tells me we got a call from the executive director of our adoption agency and our minds immediately start racing but she left a message for him to call her back so they finally touch base and Michael calls me back and says that we can go tomorrow to meet our new daughter! I impatiently waited for Michael to get home literally walking in circles making phone calls and running though our shopping list! The moment we met her was beautiful and later that day she was welcomed by the rest of our family and we are settling into life as a family of four. Thank you to everyone for your love and support that you have offered our Family from the very beginning when it was just me and Michael.

Already smitten by our darling Olivia!

Daddy and his girls!!!

Details about Olivia Ruth Roten

2009-03-11T06:21:00.001-04:00

Well, God is amazing!!! Yesterday Michael received a call from our adoption agency and we were chosen to be the parents of a sweet little girl!!! She was born February 27th, 2009 and weighed 7lbs, 3oz.. Olivia is very healthy and quite the good eater I'm told. WE ARE THRILLED!! We were beyond blessed with the outpouring of baby items for Celeste that we are set with all our cute pink "girly" things, so Michael and I would like to present a "gift alternative". We are asking our friends and family to consider making a donation in our name (write it on the memo line of a check or ear-mark it for Michael and Emily Roten) to Amazing Grace Adoptions, www.agadoptions.org this would go towards our current adoption cost. Although if you have an item already picked out or just can't resist getting something for Olivia then that is wonderful we are, as always, humbled by the generosity of our friends and family. Thank you for sharing in our joy!!! Look for pictures soon!!!

Amazing Grace Adoptions
1215 Jones Franklin Rd.
Suite 202
Raleigh, NC 27606

Love,
Michael and Emily

Snow day IN MARCH!!

2009-03-02T14:00:00.001-05:00

We woke up to a winter wonderland this morning - after waiting and waiting for the snow all day yesterday it started falling around 7 pm and kept going until about 1am. Celeste was not so much a big fan of being bundled up, but we had fun tromping around in the cool, crisp, snowy morning.

I love snow in the early morning, all fresh and untarnished by the world - so magical!

All bundled up! Ready to brave the snow!

C is wondering why she can't move!

NOT AMUSED!! Maybe next year she will appreciate the snow a little more!

Amazing view out our backyard! We are so blessed!!!

Visit from Aunt Sarah and Cousins!

2009-03-02T13:43:00.001-05:00

My sister came for a visit and we had a wonderful time!

The two little girls had a blast playing around each other. It won't be long until these two are an unstoppable team!

Mr. C was such a great sport with all these girls in the house and had fun playing WII and joining C and A in playing around the house.

Since C birthday is close we had a little cupcake celebration (I.E excuse to eat cupcakes!!) C was a big fan!

Growing up fast

2009-03-02T13:26:00.001-05:00

Our little girl is growing up - here are a few pictures to show you the many faces of Celeste! Here is what we call the "ham and cheese" grin (because it's so much more than 'hamming' it up)

This is the 'I am playing here - it's very serious business'

And finally the 'are you just going to stand there or pick me up?'

Trip to Pilot Mountain

2009-02-28T08:41:00.001-05:00

One of the best things about Michael having a flexible schedule is that we can take little trips on the spur of the moment. That is what we did one monday morning, and we decided to head to Pilot Mountain for a family hike. It was great!

The views were amazing

We had a great time! It was a wonderful family outing!

Snapshot of Life!!

2009-02-28T08:15:00.001-05:00

No major story with this one, I just love her striped PJ's and the look on her face.

Snapshot of Life!

2009-02-28T08:11:00.001-05:00

So, a month or so ago we had our footstool/storage box open and Priscilla thought it was the perfect place to take a rest! So hilarious, then she had some technical difficulties! Finally she decided that inside the footstool was the best

Making the Rounds at Christmas!

2009-02-28T08:00:00.001-05:00

Here we are with My Family and Michael's Family at Christmas, we had a great time with everyone!

Family Christmas Pictures!

2009-02-16T07:24:00.001-05:00

Here we are in front of all the pointsetta's at church the sunday before Christmas.

Christmas Eve Service at Church - Celeste was not amused that mommy put her in yet another "fancy" dress!

All Done!!!

2009-02-16T07:18:00.001-05:00

Here are pictures of how all the decorations turned out!!

Decorating!!

2009-01-14T12:43:00.000-05:00

Once we got the tree set up we moved on to the business of decorating!

Yes - we are addicted to lights!! The more the merrier!

Here is the finished product. Our theme this year .... (wait for it!) SNOW AND ICE!

Celeste likes to help! She's a busy girl!!

Mattix Thanksgiving

2009-01-13T17:08:00.001-05:00

With 10 grandkids and 10 adults it is a wild time when the whole crew gets together - wild but fun! Never a dull moment. Mom had a great meal ready for everyone and my siblings (and even their kids) made some yummy treats and sides for the meal.

The best part was just hanging out and mom and dad graciously watched the grandkids while the parents enjoyed a night away.

We wrapped up the weekend with a trip to our favorite tree place in glendale springs!

Celeste did not like the texture of the tree! She would just grab on to me like nobody's business.

Thanksgiving with "Mamaw"

2009-01-02T21:53:00.001-05:00

My mother-in-law came up for Thanksgiving, and we had such a great time. Marie enjoyed extended time hanging out with Celeste (and us). Michael's Brother, sister-in-law and niece joined us Thanksgiving day and we had a great time hanging out and eating lots of course

Snow day!!!

2009-01-02T21:44:00.001-05:00

We had a fun surprise in November with a little dusting of snow - being first time parents we woke up our daughter for a photo op. Clearly she is not seeing the significance of the event. She'll appreciate it when she's older I'm sure (YEAH RIGHT!).

Sweet Stuff!!!

2009-01-02T21:20:00.002-05:00

Quick Post - I came a across this picture Michael snapped on a Sunday morning. Celeste is wearing a darling sweater dress from her cousin Adison and the crowning gory is the striped tights. I just want to eat her she's so cute! Anyway, had to be a proud mamma! Thanks for indulging me!

The Hair!

2008-12-17T21:51:00.001-05:00

My daughters hair has been a learning curve but what a blessing to be able to meet my neighbors and get the low-down on her particular type of hair texture. It's a little challenging but the key is Baby Einstien and toys, but as you can see she still does her best to escape!

Me trying to focus!!! Get it done - quickly!

Bath Time!

2008-12-17T21:43:00.001-05:00

Bath time is always a little stressful because I typically wait until Sunday morning and that's a pretty busy morning in the Roten house but this particular morning we were ahead of the game (not sure how that happened!) and had a fun bath time!

Snapshot of Life!

2008-12-17T21:37:00.001-05:00

Our little girl is so brilliant! We were working away on church stuff and heard this sound coming from her pack n' play. We looked over and celeste was trying to chew through the mesh. She was apparently trying to escape!

Halloween 2008!

2008-12-17T21:32:00.001-05:00

Here is Celeste in a sweet little pumpkin outfit!

All dressed up! Not sure about the pumpkin and lights! TOO scary for little girls! HA HA!

Visiting the Neighbors! They even invited us in! Who wouldn't with our little kitty cat all cute and stuff!

Blueridge Parkway!

2008-12-09T08:45:00.001-05:00

On a slight whim Michael and I decided to leave extra early on a visit to his Mom's and take a ride on the blue ridge parkway on our way there. How beautiful it was! Here we are - tired but enjoying the spectacular view!

There were so many incredible views it was difficult to choose pictures to share, but here are a few of our favorites! God's creation and creativity is breathtaking!

Catalyst 2008

2008-12-09T08:04:00.001-05:00

Michael and I had the blessing of going to a leadership conference in Atlanta, Ga back in the beginning of October. So amazing to be with 12,000 fellow believers and coming together despite varied backgrounds and seeking to serve and honor God.

One of the highlights for me was being lead in worship by Daraja Childrens Choir from Africa. These are a group of Orphans that through 410 bridge have been given the opportunity to learn about God through song and then share that message of what a mighty God we serve through song. This was moving and one of the purest moments of worship I believe I have experienced. Check out more about them and 410 bridge at www.410bridge.com

A Snapshot of life!

2008-12-05T07:19:00.001-05:00

As the youngest and last one to leave home at the ripe old age of 28, Mom and I got into the habit of having a little time together each morning. All snuggled up in our bathrobes, coffee in hand - good times were had by all. And thanks to our Mac's we can still get in a morning chat from time to time. Michael caught this one on camera!

The Dixie Classic Fair!

2008-12-05T07:13:00.001-05:00

This is our third year going to the Dixie Classic Fair in W-S! Such a fun time, especially showing Celeste around (showing her off - can't tell you how many comments she received, mamma may be a little jealous!). So, Here are some pics of us just having a good time i.e. eating our way through the fair!

It is not a complete trip to the fair without some fried candy bars. As if they are not fattening enough, let's deep fat fry them!!! SOUNDS GOOD TO ME!

KIngfest (no not a tribute to Elvis!)

2008-12-05T07:06:00.001-05:00

So I have to say I love the feel of smaller communities. The church Michael and I are serving in resides in the town of King, NC and it is a beautiful town surrounded by mountains. Every fall they have a celebration called KIngfest. Basically, it's a small fair with vendors, booths, music, games and competitions. Our church secured a booth at the event and had a great time meeting people in the community!

Little Celeste was a trooper and finally gave in to naptime!

Our Crazy Crew! So blessed to have such servant minded believers to minster and share God's love with!

Trip to the Farmer's Market

2008-11-11T08:01:00.001-05:00

Late September we made a spur of the moment trip to the farmers market in Greensboro. It's huge! Here are some beautiful flowers among many gorgeous displays that we saw.

Little girl got all bundled up in her hat and sweater and enjoyed being the center of attention wherever we went.

More displays of fabulous fruits and veggies (almost makes you want to eat them! HA HA).

Here is Michael with celeste, who got a little tired of being in her stroller and most likely passing along his secrets to growing plants (he's the one in the family with the green thumb).

MVBC Homecoming

2008-11-06T08:21:00.001-05:00

Little Girl - all dressed up and ready for church!

A few pictures of the church hanging out and sharing a meal after our Homecoming service.

September Visit to Grammy and Grandpa!

2008-11-06T08:13:00.001-05:00

Grammy Loving on the youngest of her 10 grandkids.

Grandpa spending some quality time with Celeste and Rocky (a puppet he has had since I was child -so fun!)

As if all this love was not enough - Celeste cousin made a beautiful blanket and gave her some pretty bows for her hair! Thanks - Celeste loves them!

PS - yes I know it's November and I'm posting from September! Little behind!

Our First Baptism

2008-10-05T18:58:00.001-04:00

Well - in September we had our first baptism at Mountain View and Michael's first officiating of a baptism. It was such a wonderful time and sweet moment to share with everyone.

Already growing up too fast!

2008-10-05T18:33:00.001-04:00

The other day we delved into the world of denim jumpers and she looked liked such a little lady with her shoes and little jumper. Had to share the cuteness!

Snapshot of Life!

2008-10-05T18:27:00.001-04:00

While we were at the beach one morning - "little bit" decided to get up a little earlier that michael and I deemed appropriate to get up so he went and got her so she could lay in bed with us a little 15 min. later both little girl and dad were back asleep! Too adorable!

The (long overdue) Final beach pictures

2008-09-21T18:28:00.001-04:00

Ya, I know I'm a slacker - I haven't blogged in forever! Here are some final pics from our Oceanfront place we spent the last day at!

The bathing beauties! When did Buddha bellies become - NOT cute!

The View! I say again - We are SO getting oceanfront next time!

The Beach Bumming Couple!

Continued Adventures on Vacation

2008-09-04T20:26:00.002-04:00

Well, we were just enjoying our next to last morning on vacation and we get a knock on our door saying we needed to call the rental agency. Apparently there was some confusion about the house being rented out to the owners family for the weekend starting friday afternoon. So after some debate and apologies from the agency we settled on their offer of oceanfront property for our last 24 hours there. They sent someone to help us pack up and settle in the new place. We went from this

http://holdenbeachproperties.com/Dunes/IdleAWhihle.htm
To THIS

http://holdenbeachproperties.com/OceanFront/DealsBillet.htm

Needless to say - we will be getting oceanfront next vacation! Anyway - had to share the story! All that to say we walked in and felt immediately relaxed and enjoyed the last bit of our vacation tremendously!

Day 2

2008-08-28T20:02:00.001-04:00

Here was our 2nd day at the beach and all the prep work for getting out the door just wore little girl out.

Sadly days 3, 4 and 5 were plagued with sickness so unless you want to see pictures of us having a touch of stomach bug, I'd say you didn't miss much. We are feeling a bit better so hopefully more cute pictures tomorrow (I still have one more swimsuit for her to wear!) The final picture is of a little tent we got at Target shaped like a zebra!!! Adorable right?

Day one at Holden Beach

2008-08-27T07:10:00.001-04:00

We are spending the week at Holden Beach! What a blessing - it came at such a perfect time for a little get away. The first day was spent getting here (takes longer with children - I should have known this!) Celeste was a champ on the car ride so we were very grateful. After getting settled and grabbing some dinner we headed out to the beach for an evening walk. So fun!

Whew - What a week!

2008-08-12T09:59:00.002-04:00

Happy!

Sad ( I mean seriously, where IS my Tiara?)

NOT SURE WHAT IS GOING ON!!!!

Well, as some of you know we have had a month of ups and downs. A little over a week ago Michael's dad went to be with the Lord, we are thrilled for him to be in the presence of the Lord but sad that he is no longer with us here. All that to say that I thought these pictures of Celeste would help capture the emotions that we have been going through this past Month. Unfortunately Michael's dad had been ill and steadily getting worse for the past year so we are also glad his suffering has stopped. Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and prayers with us through this time.

Just hanging around!!

2008-08-01T09:49:00.001-04:00

So Michael and I were just miding our own business and most likely playing/working on our computers and I look up to see our sweet kitty attempting to get to the birds on the bird-feeder.

Once she was up there the tough part was figuring out how to get down.

Never a dull moment!!!

Cute in Hats!!!

2008-07-23T13:43:00.001-04:00

Some friends of ours passed along some clothes from thier little girls and along with two boxes of clothes came an abundance of hats - little did I know how adorable she would look in them!

Snapshot of Life

2008-07-20T15:02:00.001-04:00

WHERE'S MY DADDY?

THERE HE IS!!!!

Way too cute how she just perks up the second you talk to her!! Our little girl is such a joy!

39 years!!!

2008-07-19T08:29:00.001-04:00

Ok so they may look 39 years old, but actually they celebrated 39 years of marriage in May! To protect the parties involved the names and ages have been kept confidential (HA HA). Seriously though, I got this picture when Michael and I borrowed my parents camara and thought it was such a great picture I had to show it off and say thank you for exemplifying to all us kids what a Christ centered marriage and life is about. I am told (by my parents) that there were plenty of mistakes along the way, but I am truly blessed to have parents who are honest about the struggles and victories of a life with Christ! Plus, they are so darn cute!!!!

Snapshot of life!

2008-07-19T08:15:00.001-04:00

So much love, so little personal space! The family that works on Mac's together stays together!

Three Month Photo's

2008-07-19T08:11:00.001-04:00

Here is a glimpse of Celeste's Three month photo's. Where is her birth announcement you say? Well... I'm working on it! They are combined announcements and thank you notes for all the wonderful love and baby gifts Michael and I recieved for Celeste. A friend of ours has a little studio in her home so we had good time taking pictures and Celeste was in awe of the camara, so much so we had difficulty getting her to smile.

Snapshot of life

2008-07-19T08:02:00.001-04:00

Well, here you have it. Just a little glimpse into our life and what it's like to have a "lap kitty" and 4 month old. Priscilla (our cat) get's a little jealous during feeding time and thinks she needs to be in my lap too! Often if I'm not carrying Celeste around, priscilla is in my arms or attacking my feet! Too fun!

Father"s Day

2008-07-19T07:54:00.001-04:00

Well, I have to say it was fun to spoil Michael on this Father's day. He is such a wonderful, father, friend and husband. He often will be "on duty" when I need to run errands or just have a quick get away during the day. I went a little crazy and bought him a IPod Classic and during the three weeks prior I tried to give it to him at least twice! I was so excited. So the night befor father's day I got his present all ready and had it besides the bed ready for the next morning. It was all I could do to not wake him up at 5am ( I waited until 6:30 I think - we had to get up for church anyway). The look on his face was exactly what I was hoping for. His only regret, he had to get ready for church and go over his sermon so he didn't have time to play with it. Needless to say they have been inseperable ever since. It won't be such a big gift every year, but not for lack of being an amazing father who takes so much love and care with his daughter and wife.

Happy Fathers day!! We love you!

Celeste first BigGirl Meal

2008-07-07T10:17:00.002-04:00

Please check out Michael's blog to see some video footage of our first attempt on rice cereal. She is growing up so fast!!

www.godspotters.blogspot.com

Out on the Town!

2008-07-02T09:43:00.004-04:00

During our trip to New Bern, NC we did some serious walking about town! It was great! The first day we hit the historic downtown and then the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola (actually started as a medicine in pharmacy) On our way to the Pepsi birthplace my dear husband noticed a 25-50% off sale at local Boutique so we entered with gusto only to see the prices even 1/2 off way out of our range, until we got to the shoes... I was in love!!! Not only with my husband who suggested we visit the boutique, but with a fabulous pair of beautiful black and silver striped wedges - beat still my heart! Originally $44 I got them for 22 - can we say SOLD!!! I have been looking for excuses to wear them ever since! Enjoy the pictures and try not to envy the shoes too much (HA HAHA!).

Historic Homes and Churches

2008-07-01T08:19:00.005-04:00

Here are some pictures of some historic homes and churches in the area (see New Bern post below). We stopped by the visitor center and picked up some walking tours of local attractions. We had a great time checking out these beautiful structures.

New Bern!

2008-07-01T08:05:00.004-04:00

Michael and I took a little overnight getaway to New Bern, NC and if you have never been I highly recommend you go - we loved it!!!! So here are some pictures of the area.

Here is the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at - it was fabulous!!!!

A look down the street where we stayed - lined with historic homes and countless Bed and Breakfast homes

Just down the street was the Neuse River - it was beautiful!
Across the street was a quaint delicatessen - I felt like Rachel Ray on "tasty Travels" or "$40 a day". The food was great and it was just a simple local restaurant. So much fun (but FYI don't ask for Coke products in New Bern, it's the birthplace of Pepsi).

Meeting the great grandparents!

2008-06-11T13:48:00.001-04:00

We had wonderful time with my grandma Ruth and Grandpa Del! Celeste met her great grandparents and we were thrilled that they made the trip all the way from Spokane, Washington to Raleigh, NC. Having a not so mini (12 adults and 10 grandkids) family reunion was fantastic and such a blessing to hang out with everyone! Enjoy the pictures of the ever growing Mattix (Spillman, and Roten) clan.

Three month photo's!

2008-06-10T11:50:00.001-04:00

Here's just a few recent pictures of Celeste! She changes a little more every day it seems. She is really getting strong now holding her head up and loves to discover new sounds to make (so cute!). Enjoy!

Call us Crazy!!

2008-06-02T13:40:00.001-04:00

Well - I guess we are still just a little baby crazy around here because we adopted a little kitten last Wednesday! I know one little one should be enough right now. Her name is Pricilla and she is adorable! Bounding around and playing with anyone and anything she can. There's certainly no lack of activity in the Roten-House! Enjoy the pictures.

She played

And Played...

But finally wore herself out!

Celeste's Room!

2008-06-01T20:57:00.001-04:00

We are not completely done with Celeste's room but we have the basics. Just a few pictures on the wall and I think we will be all set! Such a blessing that the only thing we bought in this room was the crib. God is so good, we are still blown away at the love shown to us before and after her arrival. Don't worry birth announcements and thank you notes are coming in the works!

Fun House Stuff!

2008-06-01T20:41:00.001-04:00

Just a few little things we did to the house! So nice to be settling in - even though it's been a year, it seems we are getting a few projects done and it feels good! We added a copper ceiling fan up in the living room and added a china cabinet in the dinning room (to accomidate my growing dishes collection - MOM would be so proud!)

My First Mothers Day

2008-05-26T12:35:00.001-04:00

Well, this was a very special day for me - I had been thinking about this day for a while and even sometimes wondering if it would ever come! Then God brought a wonderful man into my life whose heart was open to building a family through adoption. Michael made it truly a special day and our little daughter was dedicated. Michael bought me a beautiful necklace and made me a fabulous picture frame with some pictures of me and Celeste with one frame with "Emily's first mothers day - may 11th, 2008". I loved it!! He also gave me a gift certificate for a Mani-Pedi at my fav Nail Salon. Anyway, it was a wonderful day and my Dad did the dedication as well as gave the sermon (I will get taped copies if possible to the syblins - it was fabulous!). What an incredible day -I am truly a blessed woman!

Outdoor Worship Service

2008-05-24T17:02:00.001-04:00

Recently, our church had it's first outdoor worship service under our picnic shelter. It was a great time. Here's some fun pictures.

Celeste loved her first outdoor service, too!

2008-05-08T08:09:00.000-04:00

Couldn't resist posting these!

GOING....
GOING.....
GONE!!!!!!

Celeste is TWO!!

2008-05-02T20:53:00.002-04:00

Ok - well time does not fly by that quickly, but it is hard to believe that Celeste is two months old already. She is smiling, cooing and so much fun to play with and talk too - she loves being talked to and giving her two cents worth (she get's that from both sides!!). Anyway - here is a little comparison between two weeks and two months. She already has grown so fast!! On a side note, "thank you" does not even seem to express how we feel about all the love, support (and fun baby stuff) that we have received from all our friends and family. Enjoy the pictures, I put in some of her smiling and one of her "Cheesy Grin" as we call it!

Easter 2008!

2008-03-29T10:09:00.003-04:00

So we had a wonderful Easter! So much to celebrate! We had a sunrise service (inside due to the cold weather) and Michael talked about where would we be without the Resurrection, without Christ in our life. It is often too easy to take for granted the grace and mercy that is poured out on us as fellow heirs with Christ! A few people at the service shared where they might be without Christ and it is humbling to think the kind of life we all might have if it were not for our Lord and Saviour. Anyway, also it was Celeste debut at church and she slept through the whole thing but did manage to wake up for a few photo ops! Enjoy!

Our little girl!

2008-03-20T08:02:00.005-04:00

WOW! God is so good and he works amazing ways. A week ago we picked up our prescious daughter Celeste Marie. We recieved a call on Tuesday of last week that we could pick up our daughter on thurseday. Talk about shock!! We were overwhelmed with love and support from our family and friends (near and far). We were even blessed with some baby basics by some friends in town the day after we found out about little Celeste's arrival. So enjoy some of the pictures of our first day with our baby girl!

Our Mr. Titus

2008-02-02T07:12:00.001-05:00

Sadly, this is a tribute to our sweet kitty Titus who last Sunday got very sick and was unable to return home with us. He was at the Emergency vet and our regular vet for a few days, but he was just too sick to get better. We are grateful for the joy he brought to our lives We will not quickly forget the way he would "attack" as we came down the stairs, or hiss at strangers and growl (he even ran a grown man out of our den because Titus refused to share the space and growled at our guest until he left!). Despite his tendency to be "Anti-social" he was always there to comfort us and make us laugh.

SNOW DAY!!!!

2008-01-17T09:24:00.000-05:00

Well, I'm like a giddy school girl today because we had a few inches of snow, followed by some freezing rain and sleet so work was a "NO GO" for today! Anyway, I fixed Michael and I some pancakes and we are enjoying a little extra time together. Enjoy the pictures!!!

It's looking a lot like Christmas!!!

2007-12-08T14:55:00.000-05:00

Well, Christmas is always a big time here at the Roten house! Michael and I both love the "bling, bling" of the holidays, so we throw on the sparkly garland and blinking lights, then call it Christmas. We got even more "in to the spirit" of the season by placing the animated reindeer outside, along with some candy cane lights and a wreath. Way too much fun! Anyway - enjoy the pictures!

My tall dark and handsome husband hanging the lights

Me Supervising (no seriously - I did help!!)
Titus providing his input on the tree
SEE I did help!!! I put the candy canes and ornaments on the tree!
Our front yard! Complete with lighted reindeer and candy canes.

Around the House (finally posted from earlier)

2007-11-12T21:06:00.000-05:00

Well - below is a post I started in November and never posted so enjoy!

Life has slowed down just enough that we were able to get a few things done around the house.

The leaves are so beautiful this time of year and when we aren't working around the house I love to sit on the couch and enjoy the view.

We (I mean Michael) planted some mums out front and a few new bushes and trees

We (I did actually help out and plant these - I leave the heavy lifting for my big strong man!) also planted some mums in our planter boxes out back.

Road Trip!

2007-11-10T18:12:00.001-05:00

Michael and took a little trip to Hanging rock state park and saw some beautiful waterfalls and some amazing scenery. It was a fabulous day, slightly cool, but sunny and Michael packed us a pic-nic lunch. We went to the first set of waterfalls and then stopped to eat our lunch (you work up quite an appetite hiking a whole 3/10 of a mile - HAHA!) Anyway, then we hoped in the car (the only way to hike) and drove down to another Set of falls where we did hike some more (1/2 mile this time). The falls were unbelievable and we had a great time. A sweet couple even offered to take our picture - I guess we had that look about us (please take our picture!!). So, my suggestion is that if you can make it up to hanging rock around november it is pretty impressive.

Nice Picture

2007-10-07T21:38:00.000-04:00

Some friends of ours took this picture at a wedding we went to over the summer and I just wanted to share it - so hard to take a good picture of the two of us when one of us ends up holding the camera. More to pictures to come. Have a great day!

A Beautiful Thing!!!

2007-09-22T18:12:00.000-04:00

A girlfriend of mine got married last weekend and it was a beautiful thing! I have known Leslie since high school when we hung out in Church youth group together. We ended up at the same college for a year and kept in touch after college. It's one of those relationships that has stood time and distance. I have to say I have been part of many weddings but this one was especially sweet for me. Leslie, we wish you and Brian a fabulous first year and wonderful life together! Thanks for letting me be a part of it. The first picture is of the bride an hour before the wedding and then one of us ladies watching the sunrise at her bachelorette weekend, and then our luncheon out with the girls the day before the wedding. What a great time we had! I also ended up calling some family members and thanking them for all they did at my wedding that made my day so special! What a sweet reminder that a wedding is not about the bouquet, cake, decorations or food but about the covenant and commitment between a couple made before God, family and friends. Sorry if this seems random - but I took Benadryl and have felt foggy all day ( or at least that's my excuse and I'm sticking too it!)

Kitten in a Bag

2007-09-05T20:47:00.000-04:00

So how cute it Titus!! Michael and I were working in the office and came across a paper bag, then well the rest is history. He did not want to come out - I started to leave the room and he came out of the bag and then ran back in when I came back in the room. In the other picture he is playing king of his castle on some mattresses we had in our hall. He was actually sleeping on the top of it for a while. He is still a little lacking on the social skills (hisses and growls-yes growls). Anyway, there's our little Titus update. He's still Mr. Bigstuff around here!

Per Request!

2007-09-02T08:51:00.000-04:00

Well, I was given a gentle hint to update my blog. So as of now Michael and I are at Concord, NC for the weekend. Why Concord? Two words. HUGE MALL!!! I apparently married very well, what husband willingly takes his wife into shoppers paradise and gives her cold hard cash to spend! He's so fabulous! We left out Saturday morning and headed straight to the mall (no time to waist!) and were amazed at all shopping possibilities. I bought some clothes at the gap outlet and Old Navy (my favorite places!) found some shoes for a wedding I'm in Sept. 15th and we had some yummy food at a Chili's in the mall (that's right Chili's in the mall - I started to fell a little light-headed, but maybe it was the 10 laps around the mall!). I also found a fabulous red purse! In other news Micheal and I have been busy teaching Sunday school at church visiting family and have found ourselves in Raleigh for haircuts, bridal showers and time with family. We have recently put up ceiling fans, Garage doors, and outdoor storage sheds for the house. The house is coming together slowly but surely - we've picked out paint colors so hopefully the actual painting will be soon to follow! We are getting more settled here in Winston it's taken a bit longer than expected but we are really enjoying Winston and are already looking forward to spending the Holiday's here.

Our 2nd Anniversary

2007-06-25T18:37:00.000-04:00

Here we are on shores of Myrtle Beach for our 2nd Anniversary! It has been a wonderful 2yrs - It is amazing how God has blessed us over the past few years. There have been some changes in location and jobs, but God has drawn Michael and I closer together through it all. Mostly we have fun together and love hanging out - I am truly blessed with a fabulous husband!
While in Myrtle we went to the aquarium and had a blast - it was so cool!!!
As if all of that was not enough my sweet Michael had dinner ready for me when I got home from work on the day of our Anniversary. He also had two dozen roses - pink and white, my favorite! Anyway - no doubt I've made some those reading this go into sugar shock, so I'll quit before any of you go into a sweetness overload!

A Good Day!!!!

2007-05-26T16:58:00.000-04:00

Michael and I branched out of our normal North Carolina touring and headed up to VA. Beach to see my brother and Sister-in-law along with their three darling daughters! We had a fabulous day of garage sales in the morning and a fantastic afternoon at the beach! What a day, I think I'll do it all over again tomorrow! Enjoy the pics!

My blond bombshells having fun in the Sun

Watching my handsome hubby play in the ocean!

Hanging out with one of my wonderful nieces!!!

Me doing what comes most naturally to me at the beach - Nothing!!!

Our new place!

2007-04-30T20:06:00.000-04:00

Here is a picture of our new place in Winston-Salem. We are so blessed that God has provided such a beautiful home. We are slowly but surely getting settled and getting pictures up on the wall and out of the garage (our goal is to actually park our cars in there sometime in the future - I'll keep you posted on how that goes). Pretty self-explanatory the first picture is our living room, second is our kitchen and last is our living room. I'll post some more pictures soon!

A little encouragement!

2007-04-16T07:51:00.000-04:00

I found on www.backtothebible.org some great words of encouragement from the bible (great place to get encouraged right?!). Below is a selection from a book called "Streams in the Desert" and then a selection from Elizabeth Elliot - a fabulous woman who lives a life seeking to glorify Christ in all she does. Enjoy and I pray we all take time out today to see that life is more than just the day to day is a personal relationship with Christ that makes all the difference!

http://www.backtothebible.org/custom/executequery-12.html

http://www.backtothebible.org/custom/executequery-17.html

The big 30!!!

2007-03-05T19:06:00.000-05:00

That's right, the darling 20-something drama queen actually is now 30! Hard to believe, but it's true. So in the spirit of not wanting to grow up I had my birthday party at a local inflatable toy arena. Ages young and old had a great time and in the words of some of my nieces "this is the best birthday party ever!". Anyway, thanks those who came or were there in spirit! Thirty is not so bad I still feel "twenty-something", but the name of my blog will be changed to "a day in the life of a 30 year old drama queen" - maybe by 40 I'll ignore all the drama in my life and just move on!!! Not likely though. HAHA!

Our Christmas

2007-02-06T19:40:00.000-05:00

Michael and I had a great Christmas! We are truly blessed - it was a crazy busy month but it was so good to hang out with each other and our family! Here we are opening some of our gifts and even Titus got into the act! Had a great time!

Washington DC trip - Part Three!

2007-01-21T18:57:00.000-05:00

Here we are at the National Cathedral - so georgous!

The Back of the White house. Thought it ws the front (shows what I know!!
We went up to the Washington monument - I had always seen it when I was in DC and I finally went up to it and saw it close up - so amazing!
Well, sorry it took me so long to blog all this!! Anyway, enjoy!

Washington DC trip - Part Two!

2007-01-09T18:26:00.000-05:00

On our Second day in DC we went to the Zoo and had a great time. It was cold but we still got to see some animals. A baby panda fell asleep in this tree and mama was pacing around until he woke up from his nap.
This beaver was so cute! I had forgotten that beavers have poor eye-sight and so he was hunting around for his food. He was also much bigger than I thought (so clearly he had no problem finding the food despite the bad eyes!).
Here we got our own special show of a trainer working with a baby seal (1 yr old). It was cool to see him follow her commands and await anxiously for his treat, which he ate a ton of by the way!

Here is a gorilla (I think - the are so many different kinds of primates). They were in this house for the winter so we went in there and watched them run around and play. It was a great zoo and it was exciting to see a small sampling of the different animals God created.

Our DC Trip part 1

2007-01-09T06:04:00.000-05:00

Michael and I headed up to Washington, DC in December and had a fabulous time! Michael's former room-mate from Seminary let us use the the guest room he and his wife have at there place right outside DC. We could walk underground through a "mall" to the metro and get where we needed to go - it was so cool just to ride the metro. Anyway the first night we headed out to Ben's Chilibowl. It was fabulous chili place with a fun atmosphere!
The next day we headed to the Washington Mall and headed to the National Air and Space Museum. You can see Michael with an astronaut and me with Kermit the frog. The American History Museum is closed for almost 2 years for renovations so they brought some of the "Treasures" over to the Air and space museum, so you get two museums in one.

Oh Christmas Tree!!!

2006-12-10T08:14:00.000-05:00

One of our first traditions it seems as married couple started before we were even married. While we were dating we went to pick out a Christmas tree after Thanksgiving dinner at his parents house in the mountains. This tradition has lasted for the past three years and we love it!! To walk off the food induced coma after a large Thanksgiving meal and we go out to Mountain Memories Christmas farm and pick out our tree. It really is a beautiful place and we love going up there. They remember us from years past and we end up chatting with "the guys" a little before we leave. It's so much fun! Above is my very handsome (and rather lumber jack looking husband!) and below is the finished product!
Enjoy our fun and funky-looking tree! We thought the silver garland was a nice touch! Merry Christmas everyone!

Giving Thanks

2006-12-09T19:09:00.000-05:00

This past Thanksgiving we went up to my in-laws and cooked up a storm! I had so much fun and was very thankful that everything turned out so tasty! Or at least "my friends tell me" I'm a good cook (only Jane Austin fans will get that reference to Sense and Sensibility). His brothers also joined us so we had a nice time chatting and playing with our little niece Kaitlyn.

I don't mean to sound cliche' but Michael and I are so thankful for all the Lord has done for us this year. There is the many blessings that He provides for us like a house, food clothes and then He goes above and beyond and allows us to deepen our relationship with Him through those un-expected situations in life (trips to the hospital, job changes, etc). I was just thinking today how sweet it is that God uses all things for His glory and our good. No matter what our take on the situation is! I often think of my favorite verse that has gotten me through many situations in my life - "And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love Him and for those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28. So all that to say we are very blessed and thankful for all that God brings us through.
Sorry for the late post of Thanksgiving but look for more adventures with the Rotens soon!!!

Girl Time!

2006-11-24T07:41:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago us girls got together for some totally girly indulgences. We went to Homewood Nursery in Raleigh and looked at all the Poinsettias they have for the holidays. After about an hour of wondering around (and a few purchases we could not live without!!) we graced the local Starbucks Coffee shop with our presence and chatted for another hour. Let me just say how blessed I am to have my sister and mom as my closest friends as well. We talked about how God had used so many situations (not all the most fun) to grow us closer to Him and each other! I am so thankful to God for the family He has blessed me with.

Good Cause, fabulous evening

2006-11-19T22:00:00.000-05:00

All dressed up and some place to go! Michael and I had the privilege of going to the North Ridge Country Club the other night. Not to hob-nob with the upper crust of "Raleigh's Finest" , but to hear about all God was doing through the Pregnancy Support services of Wake Forest. So actually we think we were surrounded by "Raleigh's finest". This non-profit organization helps women through crisis pregnancies. They also offer counseling for the mothers and fathers on parenting, communication and life skills. I could go on and on about how God is using them in our community. It was a wonderful evening and very encouraging to see God as work so clearly. They were able to raise $75,000 that night through the generosity of the 350 people that attended. How sweet it was to see God move the hearts of those there to be so giving of what he has blessed them with. For more information you can check out their website at www.pregnancywf.org.

Proud Aunty Em

2006-11-03T07:43:00.000-05:00

We had the pleasure of welcoming our neice, Adison into the world on october 12th. She is a sweet little girl and I was in love the second I laid eyes on her. My sister and brother-in-law are fabulous parents and are doing very well keeping up with a very good but very active 2yr old and a newborn. Children truly are a blessing and I adore every single one of my 9 neices and nephews.