Feeding Time at the Zoo...

In this Video Clip Charlotte-Amélie practises Animal Noises.

(www.beingyellow.blogspot.com)

Best Friends

Papa's little helper...

Merry Christmas from Naperville, IL

Charlotte-Amélie Rose Royle
18 months

More Snow

Santa

Clearly Santa wasn't a big hit! But Mummy & Daddy had fun nonetheless ...

Snow

The snow was not as huge a hit as I had anticipated... She was annoyed when it got on her gloves... so I took her gloves off.... but then she was annoyed when it got on her hands! So the whole venture lasted about 5 minutes. Hamlet seemed to have fun though! Maybe round two will be better :)

Breakfasts

Breakfast-time is not particularly exciting in our house... but for anyone that is interested... here (beingyellow.blogspot.com) is a clip of the usual long drawn-out affair! Charlotte-Amélie recently decided to take a strike from eating regular cheerios with milk from a bowl for breakfast, and enjoys a selection of fruit instead.

She has many words now... which are hard to catch on video.... but one of her favourites is "Nyuma-Nyuma" which means any type of food (or drink) that she decides she wants. Sometimes it means water, sometimes milky-milk, sometimes cheerios, etc.

Other favourite words include "Bad Dog" (usually directed at Hamlet), "All Done," "Hi" (which she continues to say to random strangers everywhere), "Bye", "Chip," "Pasta," "Cream cheese," "Pooh Bear," "Bird," "Tree," "Chicken," "Papa"and "Dadee." "Mama" is still her most frequently used word, and tends to mean "I want that." "Mamamamama" usually translates as "Get me that," but can also mean "I want mummy" or "somebody pick me up."

... I just found this older video clip of Charlotte-Amélie having Breakfast a few months ago, right before we moved... thought I'd post it along with the other "Breafasts" one!

Granny & Grandpa . . .

Grandpa & Charlotte-Amélie in her new room Grandpa painted- it was totally beige before - even the window & trim!

Granny & Grandpa Part II . . .

We had a great Thanksgiving Dinner... Montana Ted did a great job cooking! Mum & I had the turkey dinner & Dan & Dad had bison pot roast ;o)

Thanskgiving Parade

We took Granny & Grandpa to see the Naperville Thanksgiving Parade... culminating in Santa's visit and the turning-on-of-the-lights. Fun was had by all!

Thanksgiving

Grampa's Handywork

Grampa & Granny are here from Northern Ireland this week, and thankfully Grampa doesn't mind painting... so we set him to work on Charlotte-Amélie's room. She still needs some new furniture... but in the meantime, I am glad to see it starting to take shape!

The Kitchen

Hammie's Favourite Room.

Fun in the yard... more leaves.

Charlotte-Amélie & the mites enjoy playing in their new backyard. Dan meanwhile enjoys his new leaf-blower. The previous owner very kindly left him some manly things.... which he was very excited about, such as a garden hose, ladder, the blower and a rake & some other treasures. We got a new fence up this week, as I was tired climbing under bushes to find Hammie in the neighbour's garden. I think he has a thing for their German Shepherd. Yay for Classic Fence company! We have all the tribe enclosed now, which means no more bush hopping for me.

Ophelia Belia tries her hand at being a pumpkin for October 31st.
Charlotte-Amélie is quite amused!

Bye Bye Prairie Avenue . . .

We took some time before we moved last week to say goodbye
to our favourite neighbourhood hangouts.
We'll miss you South Loop!

Little Pumpkin & Lotsa Leaves!

Charlotte-Amélie's outfit from last year still fit (actually much better than before!!) So she enjoyed this year's October 31st as a Little Pumpkin again. We took her trick or treating to a few neighbours' homes. [I think Dan just wanted some candy for himself!]. Hamlet & Ophelia came too, dressed as Eskimos.

Family

Charlotte-Amélie - 16 months

Hamlet Cuddles

Best Friends! I think Hamlet is a good sport. He lets Charlotte-Amélie hug him. Meanwhile, Ophelia runs in the opposite direction when it's cuddle time!

Fall

Pumpkin

15 Months

Last month we got to visit the Doc's Office for Charlotte-Amélie's 15 month appointment. She spent most of the time running round the examine room... in fact the Doctor was 'impressed' with the fact she didn't actually stop the entire time she was in there :o) She said 'she just doesn't stop, does she?!!'

When asked whether Charlotte-Amélie could say any words (they look for about 3 at this age)... I explained how she can say a number of words, but the ones she uses consistently include: Mummy, Ginga (Milky-milk), Uh-Oh, and, she can sing Baa-Baa Black Sheep. The Doctor looked a bit surprised when I said she can sing, so I started singing Baa baa Black sheep, and Charlotte-Amélie began singing along. She wasn't really expecting that yet! Anyway, here's a few pics to show that Charlotte-Amélie had fun, while mummy got a bit bored waiting so resorted to snapping some random photos! Charlotte-Amélie doesn't usually get to run around in her nappy (Dr. Seuss cover for Dan), but she was ready to get examined, annnnd get a dose of vaccines!

12th Street Beach

Inspired by the nice Chicago weather we've had lately, last weekend we dandered over to 12th St. Beach for a picnic & some fun in the sand and water. Charlotte-Amélie Rose had great fun, as you can see!

One Cool Chick...

Little Miss Sunshine

So the latest thing is pretending she is mama talking on the phone. She uses either my old cell-phone, her toy phone, or the real phone (If she can get a hold of it). She has my mannerisms all down, from walking around nodding at the phone, to grunting short replies to the imaginary person on the other end! Oh, and when there's no phone available, she will hold up other objects to her ear and carry on conversations, including chunks of melon, a strawberry, or cup. I think she's gonna be a real chatterbox!

She also enjoys trying on her hats and sunglasses... and mommie's shirts too. It seems she already likes playing dress-up!! Just wait until she's asking for designer clothes!

Daddy's Spa . . .

Charlotte-Amélie really enjoys it whenever Daddy gives her the Spa Treatment... just like Ophelia. On the other hand, Hamlet runs behind Mummy whenever he sees Daddy coming with the comb and shampoo! I guess it must be a girl thing.

1st Ponytail . . .

She kind of looks like The Flinstones' baby...
but it was fun attempting a little top ponytail.
It didn't stay in long though...
so maybe we'll wait another few months :o)

Picnic in Grant Park

We really enjoy picnics this weather!
Our favorite spots we can walk to are Grant Park
and 12th Street Beach.

Charlotte-Amélie really enjoys waving at everyone who goes by. When I started taking the bus on little trips in the city with her, I would whisper "Wave Hi"... and she'd wave at the people who came on the bus, or who were sitting smiling at her. I think the habit caught, and now she just waves at anyone and everyone!
She is quite the friendly baby!

August . . .

Some of these pics were from our Anniversary weekend, Aug 2nd.

Big City Baby . . .

Charlotte-Amélie & mummy went for a walk in the city.

Playing with Big Sister Ophelia. . .

This video clip is actually from July... quite a while ago... but Charlotte-Amélie enjoys watching it over & over on the computer - it makes her giggle. She really enjoys playing ball with Ophelia. Hamlet isn't too interested, but does still enjoy running off with her cuddly toys!

Kentucky . . .

Dan had to be in Kentucky last week, as WMBI was broadcasting from the Creation Museum. Charlotte-Amélie & I went along for the ride... and as you can see Charlotte-Amélie got to check out the museum!

Exploring the museum!

Turtles!





She walked right past Moses and the 10 commandements!

Kentucky... PART II

Hanging out with Papa . . .

Helping Papa set up for the broadcast.

With Mummy.

More Turtles!

Kentucky... PART III

Charlotte-Amélie's head got pretty close to his teeth!
Charlotte-Amélie inside Noah's Ark

Charlotte-Amélie in the Garden of Eden . . .

Animals . . .

Pointing at the Giraffes!

Feeding Time at the Zoo...

These pics are actually from last month, when we took an impromptu trip to the zoo! Charlotte-Amélie had a lot of fun. It was the Monday after July 4th, and the weather was great!


Penguins!
Charlotte-Amélie and Papa enjoyed seeing the jeep - just like the ones they had in Africa!

Happy Anniversary . . .

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY US!

5 years ago today we were married!

6 years ago today Dan proposed on the Eiffel Tower!

7 years ago today we began dating in Ecuador (Canoa)!

Sleeping Beauty

We walked to the store the other day....
and this little sleeping beauty fell asleep on the way home! So we stopped in the little park by our home for a rest :o) Charlotte-Amélie doesn't fall asleep in her buggy very often...

so it was a nice chance to visit the park too!

Balloon!

Charlotte-Amélie really likes Balloons! Especially Helium ones!
When she sees one she points and says "Bawwwoom."
We found one for a dollar at the dollar store the other day,
so she's been enjoying it all weekend! She traipses all around the place with it :o)

Monday Stroll...

Charlotte-Amélie & Mummy went on a little walk to Millenium Park, and checked out The Bean & Fountains. We enjoy living downtown and having so much to see & do!

Here we are waving at ourselves in the Bean :o)

The Lelands

Mummy & Charlotte-Amélie enjoyed a walk to the beach
this week with The Leland family.
Hamlet & Pheelia Beelia were excited they were able to come too.

walking

A few weeks ago we tried to capture Charlotte-Amélie's
first steps on Dan's phone, but the sound didn't work!
So the next time we used my camera!

(We were waiting on her GI Doc at the time, so had time to spare!)

Another Wee Mite...

And we thought little Hammie was the cutest dog in the world!....
Check out this cute wee mite

[above: Hamlet pictured in June 05, first night at home in Oak Park]

July 5th

Taste of Chicago . . .

I am finally getting around to putting up some pictures from our past two weeks. On July 3rd, we ventured up the Road with the Bugaboo, sans Mites, to Grant Park and Taste of Chicago. It was a bit crowded, but I think Charlotte-Amélie enjoyed seeing everyone, and, having her supper at the Buckingham Fountain! We made it back home just in time for bedtime! Daniel had a great bbq pulled pork sandwich, and mummy enjoyed a big Polish hot dog. We topped off with some wonderful Chicagoan Cheesecake. yum.

There were lots of pigeons flying round the fountain. Probably getting their own taste of Chicago :o)

I mentioned she likes pointing... This is her answer to:

"Where's the bird?"


Dan thinks this double-finger pointing pose makes her look like a rapper. She uses both fingers when she is particularly excited.

Ikea...

One of our fav. places to go for a drive on a rainy day is to Ikea... we feel quite at home there... maybe it's because it's one of the few stores they have here and also in the UK.

We also like that it is kid-friendly... but unfortunately Charlotte-Amélie is not quite tall enough to drop off in the child playzone. Daniel wanted to, but I think she is a bit young, even if she was taller! We tried to take Hammie to Ikea once, but they wouldn't let him in. Too bad they're not mite-friendly too.

Chalotte-Amélie had a good time. Her favourite things right now are pointing, and clapping her hands when I sing "If you're happy and you know it..." It's pretty cute!

Picnic

We went to Geneva, and had a little picnic in front of the courthouse. We usually bring the mites... but they stayed at home this time. Poor mites - they don't get to go as many places as they used to!

The Stakes...

Charlotte-Amélie with Auntie Paula . . .

We were able to catch up with our good friends The Stakes this past weekend, as they are on HMA in Indiana. They invited us to Ty's grad party... it was hard to believe he is already graduating, as I remember babysitting for him and his brother when we all lived in Ecuador (I think I babysat for their hamster, Houdini, once too!) It was fun to see all the Scrapbooks & pictures, which included pictures of their work with HCJB in Ecuador, Australia & Singapore. I recognised quite a few faces ;o) It was great to be able to catch up with old friends, and find out more about their new life in Singapore.

Culvers . . .

On the 4th of July weekend... we enjoyed a little fair out in the suburbs... but of course had to stop for some Culvers on the way! Charlotte-Amélie enjoyed her milky-milk... even if it wasn't a butterscotch raspberry shake like Momma's ;o)

"Please Sir... Can I have some More?"

Happy Fourth of July!

Charlotte-Amélie was given this little outfit at one of our Baby Showers...
she got to wear it for the 1st time this weekend :o)

"Where's Papa?"
Charlotte-Amélie's latest thing is pointing. We name people/objects & she points at them. She lets us know what she wants by pointing too!

The Beach

There's a beach just 20 mins walk from where we live... so we ventured out with our little Strawberry, for Charlotte-Amélie's 1st trip to the beach. She was very excited about the grass, sticks, stones and sand.... we think she is going to be a gardener like Grandpa Alan.

(Top Pic: you can see her 1st 2 teeth that popped out on her birthday weekend! )

Banana . . .

I used to try and cut up banana for Charlotte-Amélie...
but I guess she wants to eat it just like Mummy!

Ducky. . .

Here she is with her favourite ducky...
and her little Ecuadorian Sundress!

(Oh, and she's now graduated to the big girl car seat!)

Hidey Hole

Look where I found
Charlotte-Amélie
the other day!

I guess it has become her new favourite spot.

It keeps her occupied for a good few minutes ;o)




I think she was trying to get through to the other side!

Maybe it leads to Narnia...

Hamlet wants to go too.

Birthday Presents

Charlotte-Amélie,
my little Sunflower
is enjoying her new birthday presents!

Charlotte-Amélie in June . . .

We recently had a visit from Auntie Dorothy and Uncle Ken from Northern Ireland... who took a few pics of Charlotte-Amélie. It was just a few days before her 1st Birthday.

One Year Old

More of the Birthday Girl!

Charlotte-Amélie is ONE YEAR OLD

In honour of Charlotte-Amélie's first birthday
we compiled a little picture montage of her life thus far...

It is hard to believe this little darling girl is already a year old!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY Charlotte-Amélie !

We are so proud of
our little girl!

We love you
Charlotte-Amélie Rose Royle

The Mites & The Lelands . . .

Hamlet & Ophelia of course invited their favorite babysitters to the "Pups in Paris" party they hosted for Charlotte-Amélie.

Uncle Arthur and Auntie Tara . . .

Uncle Arthur and Auntie Tara came to the party too. Hamlet was very excited as when Auntie Tara wasn't looking he managed to steal the ham off her croissant... and then later we caught him drinking her coffee! No wonder the mites like auntie Tara so much!!

Meanwhile Uncle Arthur enjoyed the sweets that Ophelia made for the party. Ophelia also got to nibble the rest of Auntie Tara's cake.

Birthday Girl!

Charlotte-Amélie had a very fun FIRST Birthday Party! She even managed to keep her party hat on almost the whole time ;o)

For the Parisian Puppies party, Ophelia made some special Hamlet cupcakes... with little frosted hammies on them and 'smarties' eyes. Unfortunately Daddy squished a lid down on them, and when mummy found them she thought the poor little hammies looked more like Yetis!
The sunken eyes made them look like alien yetis at that... but they tasted pretty good nonetheless!

Puppies in Paris . . .

PUPPIES IN PARIS PARTY .... For a Birthday Girl who's ONE!

Hamlet and Ophelia Royle are hosting a "Puppies in Paris" Party for their little sister Charlotte-Amélie,
who turns ONE this weekend!
They are quite excited, and already awaiting the guests!

Grass and Sticks

Charlotte-Amélie in the little garden park near our home!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA ALAN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA ALAN!

Charlotte-Amélie & Papa . . .

Mmmmm . . . . Toes

Swing Swing

Here's a few more pictures of our visit to the little park :o)

Charlotte-Amélie and Becca ...

Here's me last month with my friend Becca.
She's the one who knit me the lovely woolly hat a while back!


We all went for a stroll near our home, over the bridge and past Soldier Field. It was the start of the nice Springy Chicago weather!

Charlotte-Amélie

We found a little park near our home, and Charlotte-Amélie and the mites enjoy little walks there. We have discovered that Charlotte-Amélie enjoys the swing!

Charlotte-Amélie is 11 months!

tip toe through the tulips

April Strolls....

Donna, April & Rachel all celebrated birthdays this month!
We are glad the weather has got a bit better in Chicago :o)
We can enjoy our lakefront strolls once again.

Al Fresco . . .

Zoom Zoom Zoom

Charlotte-Amélie's first Driving Lesson...

Little Drummer Girl . . .

Culvers

Once in a while we enjoy heading out to the Western Suburbs for a drive. It is also a good way to enjoy some of the restaurants we don't have in the city.

Pre-Baby, Daniel & I used to always enjoy stopping at Culvers for Fish & Chips and Frozen Custard Shakes! It is also a great place to stop on long road trips too :o)

This was our first visit with Charlotte-Amélie!

April

Lunchtime Entertainment

Since Charlotte-Amélie suffers from GERD... we often have to think creatively in order to encourage her to eat. Hamlet sometimes comes to the rescue and takes her mind off her discomfort. I am thankful to have such good mites to help :o) As I have mentioned before, they are also good vacuum cleaners!

Cruising

Great Aunt Margaret

Dear Aunt Margaret passed away today.
We are sad, but know we will see her again one day.
We are also thankful that Charlotte-Amélie got the opportunity to meet her at Christmas.

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Josh. 24:15).

Mummy's Birthday . . .

We all had fun on Mummy's Birthday!


Daddy arranged a Surprise Party with the Lelands.
Donna's Birthday is the same day, so it was a double celebration :o)


Charlotte-Amélie enjoyed showing off her latest tricks & chasing after the mites.

She also enjoyed chewing on mummy's new necklace! Guess it looks like a good teething toy.

for Mummy . . .

THE EASTER BUNNY

(Thanks Uncle Dennis for my Despereaux ears!!)

looks like both bunny ears and daddy ears are under attack!

Charlotte-Amélie in April

Charlotte-Amélie is sporting her Maltese sweater :o)
I call it her "Ophelia Sweater." She has matching hat, bib, socks, trousers, blankie... and a few other Ophelia outfits. Quite a lucky find if you ask me!
If they came in bigger sizes, I'd probably have to get more for her - for the years to come. Unfortunately I think it just came in a baby range.

HAPPY EASTER!

We made ham for Easter... It turned out a little bigger than planned...
so we'll probably be enjoying Easter Ham for a few weeks :O)
It had alll our mouths watering though. Just ask the mites!

Cheese!

In order to fatten up our little princess...
she sometimes gets a nice bit of toast with cream cheese!
She also likes cubes of chedder and grated cheese.

Cheeeese~

We have some really good vacuum cleaners!

March . . .

Wave Bye-Bye~

Look at Me!

The Trusty Ophelia is never far!

An "outing" in Chicago!

Charlotte-Amélie on the bus on Michigan Avenue.

Charlotte-Amélie on the go!


Charlotte-Amélie talking with UberBear.

Mummy & Charlotte-Amélie!

Rainy evening in Chicago

Just when we thought it was Spring . . .
:o)
That was before the snow this week!

My Woolly Hat

My friend Rebecca knit me this lovely hat! Here I am modelling it, on one of our walks around the neighbourhood! How kind of her to make sure my wee head didn't get too cold in these cold Chicago months!! ;o)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAMLET!

Our little Maltese turns FOUR today!

Happy Birthday Hammie :o)

Ballerina . . .

Charlotte-Amélie is starting to really enjoy standing and balancing! Hammie likes to help of course :o) She can now do the "one handed" balancing act.

Charlotte-Amélie is 9 months!

Our Little Darling turned 9 months old today! Hooray!
Here's a short clip of Charlotte-Amélie and her latest antics!

9 months!

We haven't had a chance to update the blog recently, as little Charlotte-Amélie had a stomach virus... and was not feeling at all well for a week or so. Good news is that she's on the mend and back to her happy little self. She loves playing with the mites... We think she calls Hamlet "BaBa," and she can also say PaPa and MaMa. She is our pride and joy!
She enjoys "outings" ... whether shopping or to the Dr's Office... and always seems to enjoy meeting new people.
We cannot believe she is already 9 months!

Charlotte-Amélie & Papa . . .

Charlotte-Amélie's Bows

One of the nice ladies that daddy works with (Kendra Smiley) gave me some cute hair bows when I was born! Mummy is excited that I now have enough hair to wear them :)



Here I am modeling them!

Birthday Fun!

Well it seems Dan enjoyed his 28th Birthday!
Between Car shows and Brazillian Steakhouses... I
think he got to do some of his favorite things.
Oh, and he took Monday off to hang out with his two fav girls!

Birthday Dinner!

Dan enjoys his Churrasqueira Brasileira dinner!

Meanwhile...

Charlotte-Amélie enjoys her rice-cake!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAN!

Charlotte-Amélie & Daddy got to go to the Chicago Auto Show for Daddy's Birthday :o)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

(I think Dan's lucky it seems to fall on his birthday every year).

Here's a short clip of Charlotte-Amélie at the show.

Chicago Auto Show

...posted by dan ;o)

Charlotte-Amélie enjoyed the Auto show.... but after lunch she fell asleep, so didn't get a chance to see the yellow Miata mummy wanted to buy! Maybe it's just as well, as earlier in the day she was already checking out other yellow wheels herself, for when she graduates from her bugaboo!

Roses

Hamlet & Charlotte-Amélie enjoy mummy's roses!

Happy Valentine's Day . . .

Happy Valentine's Day . . .

I guess Charlotte-Amélie got tired out
helping daddy make mummy breakfast!

Rainy Wednesday

Charlotte-Amélie is 8 months!

8 months...

Charlotte-Amélie turned 8 months today! She tried on her Chicago Police outfit from the Lelands... and went on patrol with Ophelia.
Oh, and she's also crawling forwards as well as
backwards now! I think she has fun imitating the mites on 'all fours'!

Some recent pics. . .

Dinnertime!


Charlotte-Amélie fell asleep in her bugaboo on the way home one day.
She was nice and cuddly warm in her little duck-suit.

Always having fun with the mites. We have a new game called "dog" - where basically I hold her and run after the mites chasing them saying "dog.... dog... dog....dog." Charlotte-Amélie thinks it is very funny, and laughs every time! The mites put up with it, but just try & keep their fur out of her grasp, as she's getting good at tugging it. Hamlet's favourite thing is stealing her teddies and toys. He's gnawed two teething rings so far (and punctured them!) ... and has recently taken to climbing up to her crib and pulling überbear (Charlotte-Amélie's night-time/nap-time bear) out by his little foot. Poor Überbear.

When daddy got stuck in the elevator...

... he began to shout!









Fortunately, two old ladies were walking by and heard him - stuck between the 5th and 6th floor. When I heard the news, Charlotte-Amélie and I quickly arrived on scene and gave him and the mites some moral support. Poor Hammie and Ophelia were stuck in the elevator also, and when they heard my voice they were very anxious to get out. Dan, being the kind of guy who knows how everything works, came up with a cunning escape plan, facilitated by our curtain pole. The lift still stayed stuck - but the emergency forces soon came to remedy the problem.


The mites were just pleased to get out... and I was glad the elevator was "stuck" rather than broken in a way that would have caused it to plummet to the ground (I had visions of the movie Speed when I heard of his entrapment).

The Mites Escape...



Finally... after his heroic rescue of the mites... daddy also escapes unharmed!

When I'd heard the late night knock on the door, I have to admit I was very anxious. Dan had been out for a loooong time, and when I saw the solemn old ladies through the peep-hole, I immediately feared "something had happened to him." The old ladies were quite adamant that "something had happened to him" ... I don't think they quite got the point that I was just happy he was alive, that they had heard his voice... and my husband and doggies were just stuck between the 5th & 6th floors... rather than some place a little more bleak!

Little Cow

"Look Mummy... We're playing cows!"

Fresian Cow

Little cow and her brother hammy.

January . . .

Sneeze. . . Manicure . . .

fun wiv daddy and da mites.

Playing With Ophelia

Mummy & Charlotte-Amélie

Here we are checking email.

Daddy had to get up at 3am today to run the board for the Mornings show. Unfortunately he forgot to take out the mites!! Now this wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't -22 degrees C (-7 F). Luckily we all survived to make it out and back without getting frost-bitten. Ophelia DID take her time about it though!

Daddy was nice and came back at lunch bringing pizza... to warm us all up!

New Years . . .

Charlotte-Amélie accompanied us to a special "Fondue" party on New Year's Eve.
It was a lot of fun t