Friday Thoughts

Happy National Stripe Day! Yes, it's a real thing . It's no secret that I love stripes, and if you pay any attention to how I dress my kids, you've probably been able to decipher that fact. I decided to take advantage of this new holiday and declare it  reason for a mini photo shoot with all the kids. Brooke was of course ecstatic. Any reason to strike a pose.

Brooke has been practicing bike riding without training wheels for a few weeks now. This week she is officially training wheel free. She finally feels comfortable enough to go without training wheels all of the time, so she asked at the beginning of the week if we could take them off. It's been nonstop bicycle races up and down our street ever since. We live on a cul de sac and there are at least 10 elementary school aged kids on our street(H and B are the youngest), so there is always someone for them to ride bikes with.

Next weekend is my business's annual charity event. We put on a doggie Easter egg hunt each year for our local shelter. This year will be our Ninth Annual Easter Bone Hunt. Somehow every year the date sneaks up on me and I spend the two weeks before scrambling to get ready. Running multiple errands with 4 kids in tow is infinitely more difficult than when it was only 2. What I assumed would take 2 hours this morning wound up taking 3.5 hours. Bad planning on my part or does it really just take that much longer when you're trying to keep four children alive and happy while bouncing from store to store? I'm not sure, but I definitely practiced a lot of deep breathing exercise while out and about today.

One plus from our morning excursion is that I discovered carrot cake Hershey's Kisses. Do yourself a favor and grab a bag, now. Or grab 3, or more, no judging, and stock up. They are so good! They almost make me forget about how Hershey got rid of the raspberry kisses I loved so dearly. Almost.

On Monday Harrison told me he had a loose tooth. I looked at it, and it was really loose and the new tooth was already through his gums. What? How is he getting adult teeth already? He didn't want to do anything to help it come out, so we just waited. 

At 5am Thursday morning I was laying in bed, half asleep while nursing Clark, and in bounds Harrison telling me his tooth came out. Sure enough, he puts it in my hand and I send him back to bed. So there I lay, feeding a baby and holding a dead tooth in my hand. Not how I pictured my 5am, but motherhood happens. Thankfully I didn't drop the tooth and got it to safety. We made it to bedtime, wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy, and placed the note and tooth in a baggie under his pillow. I decorated a $5 bill with glitter markers and traded the cash for his tooth before I went to bed.

In the morning I was expecting him to come running out of his room super excited for his fairy money. Nope. He quietly came downstairs and said "She took it." I asked him if she left anything for him and he said no. Brooke went up to help him look, but still nothing. At this point he was really disappointed because he "missed his tooth." I go up to help him look, and sure enough there's nothing under his pillow or in his bed anywhere. He managed to knock it off his bed in the middle of the night. Thankfully we found it, but he was less than excited about his first Tooth Fairy experience. Maybe once his new tooth is in more he'll stop missing his old one. Brooke was excited enough for both of them, and now she can't wait to loose her first tooth.

Spring break kicked off today which means no school for the big kids next week. We can either stay in our pjs all week, or I need to come up with some fun stuff for us to do so we don't go stir crazy. I'm honestly not sure which one sounds better at this point. I know I said this in S and C's monthly update, but I really wish they didn't run for the street as soon as we step out the front door. Playing with bubbles or sidewalk chalk while the big kids ride their bikes sounds like a perfect way to spend our afternoons. Maybe next week will be the week they start listening.

That's all for this dose of Friday randomness. My weekend is sure to include work, more home projects, and the TWD finale. I'm making pretzel dogs and am already drooling with anticipation. I hope you all have a great weekend, and an awesome spring break if yours happens to fall this week too.

Scarlett and Clark - 15 Months

15 months has finally brought us sleep, glorious sleep. As in sleeping through the night, or at least until 6 am before waking for a morning snack. It's been so great to have both babies consistently sleeping through until morning. My body still hasn't quite adjusted to the not waking situation, but I'm getting there. With the time change this month, their entire schedule got pushed back an hour. I love DST because it means my kids go to bed later and wake up later. We don't have to be anywhere most mornings though. Ask me next year when Harrison and Brooke are in school full time and I may be singing a different tune.

Both Scarlett and Clark are walking EVERYWHERE. Last month they were still crawling most of the time, but that is no longer the case. They are practically running around the house. It's so funny to see them chasing after each other or the dogs. We tell them their "so big" when they are walking around, and they think it's hilarious.

They love spending time outside and get upset when it's too cold for them to play outside. I honestly don't mind spending some days inside, because chasing the two of them all over the front yard is a lot of work. I'm excited for them to have their first zoo trip in April, but I'm hoping they're willing to hold a hand and listen a little better by then. Right now they want to do what they want and do it on their own. Holding hands with mom while walking is a big no no in their book.

Favorite foods right now include yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, hummus, sausage, avocado, freeze dried fruits and veggies, carrots, and Garden Lites muffins. They are still nursing, but also drink whole milk in a sippy cup at least once a day. We are startling to let them use utensils. The get a fork or spoon with most meals, and we'll give them a preloaded spoon with hummus or cottage cheese. They are pretty good about getting it into their mouths and not all over the floor.

They are slowly moving away from their bedtime nursing session. Some days they only nurse for 30 seconds at bedtime before they're ready to move on to stories. They are still very much into their early am and nap time nursing sessions. We are planning to nurse until about 18  months, but I wouldn't be disappointed if they stopped sooner. They are very distracted and sometimes toothy while nursing. They play a "game" where they both shake their heads while latched on and then giggle uncontrollably. It's really cute, but super annoying and sometimes painful. Things like this have created my indifference as to whether we continue or not.

I love this age and the months to come. Looking back on H and B's younger days the months where they were learning to talk are some of my favorite. Right now of course we are still in the "I know what I want to say but can't actually say it," phase. Which means we have days like today when I can't do anything without someone getting upset about something, which I have no idea what they're upset about and why they're crying, but I definitely know they're mad because they're screaming at me while I try to refill their sippy cup. It's ok though, because I know in a few short months they won't ever stop talking.

Clark

• is holding strong at 8 teeth
• has chubby wide feet just like his big brother had. He is already wearing a size 6
• is already transitioning into 18-24 and 24 month clothes
• loves to be read to and gets a huge smile on his face when you read his favorite parts
• loves bubbles
• has figured out how to open the toilet lids. yuck!

Scarlett

• has the smallest feet of any of my kids at this age. She's rocking size 4s
• likes to play in the trash. We now have to keep it locked all the time
• points at things and says "this" all day long
• is quickly outgrowing 18 month clothes
• is starting to imitate things she sees us do. She's been painting the walls a lot and if she has a paper towel she will go around wiping up invisible messes on the floor
• is finally enjoying reading books instead of eating them
• still like to eat crayons, but is also starting to try coloring on paper

This month was a good one, and I know the next one will be even better. Easter and the first zoo trip of the year will be highlights for sure. There are so many exciting things in their near future, and I wish they understood that. Their big brother and sister are excited enough for both of them. 

Happy 15 months babies! Maybe it's time to start calling you toddlers? I am not sure that I can bring myself to do that quite yet, so you're still babies for now. 

Hello, Friday!

It's Friday, yay!, and spring decided to show up for the weekend. As I type this, all of my kids are napping, I'm drinking an iced coffee, and the windows are open. The weekend is off to a good start. Now for some Friday randomness.

Everyone loves the movie Office Space, right? I liked the movie long before I worked an office job, but once I worked in an office setting it took on a whole  new meaning. There was a guy in our office who we referred to as Lumbergh, and I had visions of going to town on many office machines with a baseball bat. Mainly the mail machine. It was the bane of my existence.

I came across this photo shoot and couldn't love it more. I feel these moms frustrations. I'm so glad to be past the point of needing to pump. Put on some gangsta rap, give me a baseball bat, and I'm ready to let loose on my pump.

A friend shared this link on Facebook and it really got me to thinking. I've never really thought about emergency situations like this, but this article made me think. I know the likeliness of us ever being in a situation where the van goes into a body of water are slim to none. Getting all 4 kids safely out of the van is an even slimmer posibility, but we now have a plan of action in case we ever have an accident and find ourselves trapped. I ordered two SafeTHammers. One to keep in the van, and the other to put in my apocalypse survival kit. ;)

I know we are still months away from switch up the kids' sleeping arrangements, but I can't stop thinking about decorating a little girl's room. We purchased this swan ballerina a few weeks ago at Target. On another Target trip I saw these stuffed ballerinas and immediately ordered two of them online. (Yes I order things from target.com while shopping in the store) Then the Pottery Barn Kids ad showed up in the mail, and I fell in love with the Emily & Meritt Collection. Specifically this tulle bed skirt. I think it's safe to say the girls are going to be having a ballet inspired room.

At the beginning of the school year, we had every intention of sending Harrison and Brooke to kindergarten this year. We would still like them to start this year, but now we are weighing the possibility of waiting one more year. I started kindergarten the month I turned 5, and I never felt like I was behind. I'm glad I was one of the youngest in my class and not one of the oldest. Lately though I've been seeing research that indicates it's better to wait until the calendar year that your child turns 6 as opposed to 5, and that has me thinking. After parent teacher conferences I am still on the fence about which option is best, so the plan right now is to register them for both and wait to see what happens over the next few months. If you have experience with waiting or not waiting, I'd love to hear your input. I know they'll be ok with whichever route we choose, I just want to set them up for success as much as possible.

We have an exciting weekend planned, but first it's off to work for a few hours this afternoon. I really wish I could stay at home with the kids and enjoy the sun, but business calls, and thankfully business involves spending a few hours with a ton of dogs. I hope you all have a great weekend!

St. Patrick's Day Weekend

I have been spending almost all of my baby free time working on home updates. Right now our front entry and stair well are getting a face lift. I managed to get the stair railing and trim work all painted out last week, so I took a break to enjoy the weekend with the kids. 

Friday morning we all ate our Lucky Charms and put on our green clothes. all hand me downs or last year's St. Paddy's outfits, and then we were out the door to run errands. Target and work were on the agenda, and amazingly we made it out of Target with only what we went in for, shoes. The babies have only worn their moccasins before this weekend. Now that we have two big time walkers and lots of park trips in our near future, we needed to get them some real shoes. Scareltt and Clark aren't quite sure how they feel about "real shoes."

The rest of Friday was pretty quiet. Long naps, lots of playtime in the basement, everyone in bed by 8. :) Saturday morning we were out the door first thing and headed to the library for a donut and play date. We were there when they opened, so the kids got a chance to run free before the morning crowd showed up. We haven't been to the library for a couple months, so this experience was completely new for the babies. So many things to check out that they couldn't access before due to their limited mobility. We all had a great time.

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After naps for all 4 kids, we headed to my parents house for our annual corned beef and cabbage dinner, followed by creme de menthe cake. It was Scarlett and Clark's first time having the meal, and they had mixed reviews. they loved the carrots. Clark liked the corned beef and cabbage, and Scarlett liked the cake. Clark refused the cake, so Scarlett got seconds. Mostly though, they ate carrots. All the carrots. 

Rob was off early on Saturday night and he took the kids to the monster truck show. The babies and I stayed at home, which meant that I had almost 3 hours of time to myself after the babies were in bed. It was a seriously quiet night, until 10:30 when Harrison and Brooke busted in the door and started telling me all about the monster trucks and motorcycles they saw.

Sunday was spent at home, but we had quite a few visitors. Rob's brother and his two boys came over for the afternoon. Then we had our weekly TWD dinner with friends. We also managed to squeeze in a brief visit to our neighborhood playground, where S and C practiced walking in their new shoes and balancing on pea gravel. It's more challenging than you might think. ;)

Overall it was a great weekend, and definitely ended winter on a good note. We've been spending so much time at home lately. Harrison and Brooke will often choose to stay home if given the option. I'm ready for some spring weather to entice them to want to leave the house more. It would probably also help if I stopped starting a new home project each week. After this one I vow to take a break for a couple weeks. For now though, it's time for a second coat of primer.

Scarlett and Clark's Nursery

I was 33 weeks pregnant with Scarlett and Clark when we moved into our house. Our to do list was and still is rather large, and I've been slowly checking things off one project at a time. The one thing I knew we weren't willing to wait on was painting the nursery. Even though the babies weren't going to be sleeping in their room for a few months, I wasn't willing to let their room go unchanged. The picture below was taken on the day of our inspection. Possibly the worst brown color ever. So the first weekend we were in the house, my bestie and her hubby helped me paint Scarlett and Clark's room a much prettier, subtle green.

After that, the room sat mostly unchanged for a couple months while we were in the haze of life with two newborns. I slowly pieced together items we planned to use for their room, and when they were almost 5 months old and ready to move to their own beds, I finally put it all together. Then it only took me another 11 months to get around to photographing and sharing it.

My favorite piece in the whole room is the flower garland that hangs over Scarlett's bed. I got it before I knew if we were going to be having boys, girls, or one of each. It was purchased as part of an auction to benefit a wonderful little boy who was battling a pediatric brain tumor. He has since left this world for a better place, but his story and witnessing his journey has made me a better parent and person. Each time I look at the garland I smile and am reminded of this boy and his amazing parents.

The penguin and bookshelf were both recent additions to their room. Santa brought them the rocking penguin and my most recent trip to Ikea resulted in an unplanned bookshelf purchase. The truth is we needed it though because Harrison and Brooke's bookshelves had run out of places for books.

 

Right now the plan is for Scarlett and Clark to share a room until they move out of their cribs. Brooke and Harrison are so excited to each share a room with their baby brother and sister that we may end up moving them sooner, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to finally decorate a girls' room and a boys' room. That is many months off in the future though. For now I love this sweet little space for our babies to share.

Sources
cribs
rug
bookcase
ABC print
heart mirror similar
miracles print
rain print
dinosaur print
dinosaur block
flower garland
star garland
ball garland
do all things with love
hello sign
book ledges
Frenchie lamp
star globe
white noise machine
ceramic flower
faux fur poof
curtains
heart crib sheets
ABC crib sheets
side table - Tuesday Morning

Powder Room Makeover Inspiration

A few weeks ago I shared my list of home improvement projects I want to get done this year. First up is our downstairs powder room. It's a small room, but it needs a lot of TLC. We aren't changing the floors, the cabinets, or the toilet, and we don't plan to rewire or replumb anything. Basically all cosmetic. The cabinets, trim, and door are all oak and will all be painted. That is probably the most time consuming part of the project. I love how our dinning room looks after painting the trim white, but it was a bitch. So many coats of paint!

So we are giving our little bathroom a face lift, and I would like to keep the cost under $1000.00, which it tough considering the faucet I like is $390. I may be rethinking that purchase. I will also be making the mirror frame and shelves myself, or finding less expensive options. With such a long to do list, I have to cut costs where I can.

The wall color I chose, BM Angelica, is one I tested for our kitchen, and it was way too mauve, not enough grey. Even though it didn't work for the kitchen, I love the color and decided I wanted to use it in the bathroom. The trim color is the same white as we are using throughout the rest of the house, BM white. I am not yet 100% sold on the cabinet color, but according to Benjamin Moore's website, BM silent night will complement the other color choices.

When it came to the overall design, I wanted light with rustic touches and straight lines. White quartz counter top, brushed nickel finishes and accessories, dark natural wood mirror and floating shelves. I need to see the vanity top in person to make sure it is as white as it appears online, and once that's confirmed, it will be time to start painting. I am hoping I can get this done in a week from start to finish, but two weeks is probably more realistic. Also, if you have any fabulous tips on painting oak trim white, I'm all ears. 

SOURCES

floating shelf
soap dispenser
wire basket
starburst
mirror
faucet
vanity top
light fixture
trim color
wall color
cabinet color