6 months...

things i adore...

james spader
*all* my nieces and nephews... they really are gems
eggnog ice-cream from baskin robbins
long talks with the dude
singing at the top of my lungs
kids that learn new ways to express frustration
my rocking chair
the idea that one day i will take james spader with me wherever i go
crafting for a cause
wednesday date nights
believing i'm a superstar
the fact that my father-in-law has the same twinkle in his eyes that my dude does
making someone's dreams come true
skateboarding
did i mention james spader?

from one child to another...

our daughter is super sweet... as a gift for us this year, she wrote this:

we wait and wait and wait.
while we wait mommy starts to paint.
and daddy tapes.
and the kids play games.
but we still wait and wait and wait.
we wait to hear your laugh,
and we wait to see your smile,
we wait to hold you in our arms and make it all worthwhile.
we wait to see your tiny toes,
and wait to tag your little nose.
we wait to give you hugs that never end,
and to lay gentle kisses upon your head.
and of all the things we wait for,
you certainly are the best,
so for now, we wait and wait and wait.

isn't it funny how kids just get it sometimes...

5 months...

from our family to yours...

nursery update in progress...

i think i've mentioned i'm not a very patient person. my husband really wants to relax while i have this seemingly never ending list of things to fill my time with... top of the list for awhile has been a nursery update. don't get me wrong, i love the night pirates. if you haven't read this awesome book to your kids, you totally should. when we dreamed of a finn or a sawyer in our nursery, we saw night pirates... it was fun and sweet and cute. it's still fun and sweet and cute, but it no longer feels quite right for our future lovebug and so while we aren't finished yet, i'll give you a sneak peek...

the space is not huge by any stretch of the imagination, but it's cozy and close, while still giving us some privacy (privacy? yeah we still maintain a smidge of that) and we love it. this was cay's room for four years, and i'll admit that when he moved out to a "real bedroom", i totally missed him. i'm also that hippie tree hugger mom that co-slept with each child, uses only cloth diapers (fuzzi bunz for the win!) and makes my own baby food... live and let live i say (i often ponder how incredibly powerful those six little words are).

first the before photos:

due to the small space, we thought, hey man, let's brighten this up... and so i dreamed up this lovely little idea and convinced the dude to go to lowes with me for picking out colors. this dude who used to think he wasn't creative at all is actually a huge help in the color area. a lot of dollars in paint later, and we headed home to make my vision a reality. we aren't done yet. i mentioned that, right? ok, we aren't done yet, but we're getting there... and i am *loving* how it is turning out! here are some photos...

first we needed a blank slate to start over (never mind that crib we refused to take apart and move out):

 then we started with winter haven, which is the prettiest off white i've ever seen, with just a touch of purple in it, and japanese koi for the lower half (because it is oh so perfect to complete my master plan!):

i worked into the wee hours of the morning, and then was up again painting after coffee and a few wrestling rounds with cay (his new fave game... crazy cayden wrestles maniacal mommy and somehow he always wins). as you can see, i had no time for snazzing myself up, that's just how i roll:

next comes the field and awesome tree... and i added a few leaves at the base of the tree:

so me being me, i hated the leaves at the base of the tree... ditch those and add river and giraffe:

my favorite taper of all time... the one and only dude that will do anything for me:

that tape? that was nothing... wait till you see what i have in store next:

those eyes up there? they say i love you, even though what follows can surely be considered some form of torture:

the very beginning, and just think, you are here to witness it:

have i mentioned i love hexagons? no? well... yeah:

it is turning out just how i pictured it in my head:

oh, and here's our template... i made a perfect hexagon with a compass on the back of a cheerios box:

the process... it involves me cutting tape, the dude taping the wall, and then i go in and fill in any gaps or holes, smooth and push down all the tape again (because it's not as sticky as we think it should be):

then i paint:

then i pull off all the tape, knowing that i have to go fill in those little hexagon tops oh so perfectly, but that's fine... i have tons of time while i wait:

it's coming along... i'm going to add another tree on the other side of the river, add elephants and hippos, and touch up all my current missing spots:

oh, and here's my cliff with a lion:

 i still need to make my way around several other walls, but i'm getting closer. it feels bright and fresh and warm. it feels a bit like love...

4 months...