Tuesday, June 27, 2017

Como Zoo!

Last month we met up with Goan at Como Zoo for her birthday.  We hadn't been there since Sis was a baby, so neither of them really remembered it.  We accidentally parked by Como Town, which is where they have all the rides, and if there's one thing to know about these girls, they LOVE rides.

We eventually made it to the animals, but had to finish with a few more rides and accidentally got involved in a foam party.  We skipped naps and ate lunch there, saw lots of monkeys and a seal and ended our day on the carousel just outside the zoo...which Evie made clear to everyone within earshot she did not care to leave.  Sometimes I think 3 yr olds should come with straight jackets, just for emergencies.  ;)

The day was so much fun, Sis screams and all.  Pretty sure all of us slept VERY well that night.  :)

Here are some photos!

- K

















Monday, June 26, 2017

Lyla's Room!

We did it!!  We finally finished the rooms and it feels so good!  A lot of blood, sweat and tears went into these babies, and I'm pretty sure I'm never painting anything ever, ever again, so I sure hope they like them forever!  ;)

It really was fun putting together each room that represents each of their little personalities.  Both girls were so excited about the process and getting to pick some of the details themselves.  Lyla nailed it with her wallpaper choice, and the pink walls are her dream come true.  She loves her room every bit as much as I hoped she would, making all those weeks of work totally worth it!

Here are some photos!

- K













This shelf is a personal favorite - Those Betsy-Tacy books were mine when I was little, with "Kassi Rose Kennedy" written in cute bubbly little kid writing on the box.  And that doll was something my mom made while pregnant with me.


Friday, June 16, 2017

Beach Party!

Last week the local lake threw a beach party so the girls and I packed up for a little fun in the sun!  I'll be honest, waddling around the beach in the heat is not exactly my favorite thing at 8+ months pregnant, but I'm trying to sneak in as many fun outings as we can before this baby comes and we're in home lockdown mode.  And we did have fun!  I was ill prepared in the beach toy department, but the girls were surprisingly content with their mini rugby balls I brought and pretending to run away from crocodiles and sharks.

Loving every moment of this summer break so far!  Here are some photos from the "beach"!  :)

- K








Tuesday, June 13, 2017

Nursery Design


I have to give my husband some major love for his help with all these bedroom projects I've signed us up for.  I seem to have an allergy to keeping anything simple and rather than just setup a nursery I decided we just had to completely redecorate all three of the kids' rooms.  I mean, we have so much spare time and all.
 
The big debate once we got pregnant again was do we have the girls share a room, freeing up a room for baby and keeping the extra bedroom a play room OR do we let them keep their space and turn the play room into the nursery.  I was envisioning bunk beds in the girls' shared room, but that eventually turned into visions of Lyla jumping from the top bunk and attempting to swing from her chandelier...and the bunk beds were nixed.  It's not often I can be proactive enough to anticipate her wild antics, but I feel like I saved us from a real catastrophe with that one.
 
So, for the past couple of months we've been working non-stop on updating the rooms, starting with Lyla's.  What do you mean by updating, you ask??  Maybe some paint?  Maybe a couple new decorations?  Nope.  I'm talking wallpaper, paint, painting trim, building new storage units.  The whole shebang.  And while I've questioned my own sanity at times, and wanted to quit at other times, my lovely dear of a husband hasn't complained a single darn time.  Even when he's gotten up at 3AM to fly home from a work trip on a Saturday and has to come home to immediately paint trim...no complaints.  Every once in a while the man is a real saint.  ;)
 
I should also give a big huge shout out to Goan, our wonder nanny, do-it-yourself expert, emergency save-the-day-er, friend, and adopted family member.  Mary Poppins ain't got nothing on that lady.
 
The girls' rooms are SO CLOSE to being done, and the boy's room is finally underway and n the next couple of weeks we'll finally be able to share some pics of the transformations!  In the meantime I wanted to share these photos of a nursery I designed for some friends from church when they had their third boy.  It was the first boy space I ever got to do, and I had so much fun!  Decorating in general is probably my favorite hobby, but doing kids' rooms is the ultimate.  It's so fun to be able to get a little more whimsical and add pops of color you wouldn't do in other spaces in your home.
 
For this particular family, the dad was from Texas and the boys' names were Ranger and Duke, with baby Boone getting his nursery updated.  They let me surprise them with the look, which was a little daunting, but making any space feel personal is so important to me and with those names I knew immediately we had to go for a Western theme.  When the dad showed me his painting of a cow he wanted to have incorporated, the theme was solidified.
 
Over the next couple of months I had a blast researching and collecting fun, unique pieces to add to the nursery.  I was lucky the room had good bones, with a neutral wall color, white trim, and hardwood floors.  Everything else just came together perfectly.
 
Here are the photos!
 
- K
 
 
 
I bought those curtains from Ikea and dip-dyed them myself for a pop of color.

 
The rocking chair was theirs already, and it fit in perfectly.  And how cute is that tiny hide?!  One of my favorite things for sure.


 
I was able to find these vintage Western comic books and the plaster skull with bright green horns on Etsy.  Love the pops of color and uniqueness!

 
I used books they already had at home - luckily their were plenty with a Western theme.  :)

 
Had to incorporate this book for little Boone.  ;)

 
Probably my favorite part of the whole nursery!



 
There's the cow painting!  The dad had painted it years earlier and added the barnwood frame for this project.  It turned out perfectly!



 
OK, another favorite find.  How COOL is this mobile?!

 
That pillow cover was another Ikea find that I added some pom poms to for a fun accent.



One of my favorite verses, and just perfect for a baby's room!