The Mother of All Rooms

I've been nesting. I guess there's no other word for it. It doesn't seem to involve any cleaning, however, just decorating. So, here are my latest babies, the two newly decorated childrens' rooms. It's a long way from sharing our room with the twins when we brought them home to our one-bedroom apartment in Virginia three years ago.

Here's the boys' room with their finished quilts! They've been in their big boy beds for about a month and they love it. After sleeping in there since September, Michael has finally started calling it his room. His old room is now officially "Anna's room." We are so glad he doesn't miss his crib or room or wonder why it's now pink. It will make things a lot easier when she comes.
Just about a month ago Sam told someone that his daddy painted his room blue - in August. He absolutely loves it. There's a picture of two docked sailboats by his bed that he helped pick out.I already wrote about the quilts here. Let me just say that I started making them last April and I don't think I'll ever make any others. Sam's already has a seam that's come undone. But, they are beautiful and bring me a lot of satisfaction every time I see them. The boys like snuggling up under them too which is very sweet. I made the valance years ago for our "study" in our Bloomington, Indiana townhouse

We've had these frames since we got married but they were light yellow. I painted them red and covered the yellow matting with some blue card stock. The three of us went to the bookstore to buy a sailing magazine, then picked these two pictures to frame.
Then there's Anna's room. It brings to mind Steel Magnolia's line, "Pink is my signature color. My colors are Blush and Bashful. I have chosen two shades of pink, one is much deeper than the other."

I ordered the bedding from Ta*rget and made the valances out of two curtain panels, cut down the center then sewed together length-wise. I had to line them in broadcloth first because they were as flimsy and thin as worn sheets, but I did it all in one day and hung them up with great love and pride!

The room will be very dusty by the time she's born. I don't know why I have set up already since I'll have to wash it all again just before she comes, but it's fun to go in there and look at it and imagine the sleepless nights I'll be spending in it soon and of course the sweet baby who will make it her own.
I like that the pattern has blue in it so I can use some of the boys' things. The recliner and some of the things on the wall are blue but they fit right in. I didn't have a good place to nurse the boys an am looking forward to doing it in relative comfort. The changing pad and hamper are both pink and I think if everything were pink it would "look like the whole place has been hosed down with Pepto Bismal." A little pink goes a long way.
So now I hardly know what to do with myself. I am going to put away the sewing machine and try to get out of the house more to let the boys enjoy the (pardon me if you don't live in California) nice spring weather outside. It's going to be 70 degrees this week and the trees are blossoming. Don't worry, I'll be envying you in May when it's already too hot to play outside here in the afternoons.

Crafty Me

In changing the nursery from blue to pink I've been pursuing a hot little number like this one, but cheaper. This lovely lamp shade can be yours for only $80.00, plus tax, shipping, and handling. I don't think I even want to pay that much for a stroller, so shelling that out for a lamp shade was out of the question. I checked Target and Wal-Mart and came up with absolutely nothing pink. There's a lot of red out there, but nothing "baby" looking in either pink or blue for that matter. Online, Wal-Mart has a lamp with a plain pink shade for $40, but I think that's still too much. When the boys were born I got a darling lamp with a star pull-chain and a blue gingham shade at Target for about $25 but am striking out finding something for baby Anna.

So, I took matters into my own hands. I realized I had two lamps just sitting in the guest room closet. Why not cover a lampshade and make my own pretty pink creation? This little lady cost me about $4.00 at Wal-Mart this afternoon. The instructions I found online were vague to say the least. I traced the brown lampshade onto paper to make a pattern, then pinned it to the fabric and cut it out. But it didn't fit the lampshade. It was WAY too big! It would have looked like an old-fashioned lamp with the huge vertical ruffles in it, at best.
At this point I should have quit and made dinner, but I am a compulsive, addictive of person and had to see it through and clean up the mess only once.
I tried again and traced the above. It fit! Hurray! The boys played in the yard until their cheeks were pink with cold and I handled two potty accidents with less than my usual thoroughness because I had to finish this thing before dinner!!!

A little tacky glue painted on with a sponge brush stuck the fabric in place, I hope. It's a rough pink twill and looks a lot like a skirt suit I bought five years ago. I hope it stays in style longer than the suit did.
At about this time I realized something. Why did I have those two spare lamps sitting on the closet shelf again? Oh yeah! They're supposed to go on the bookcase in the family room that has been looking very empty since I took down the Christmas decorations! I knew there was something missing there but at this point the one lampshade was torn apart, covered with tacky glue, and on its way to saving me money (except now I have no lamps for my bookcase and will either have to buy new ones or put something else up there). Blame it on the hormones. All I care about at 32 weeks is getting the nursery ready so I can spend the rest of my time sitting on the couch and folding tiny pink clothes.

So, the project must go on. I glued on the hot-pink ribbon along the bottom edge. This was annoying. I should have gotten binding tape which is cut on the bias, because the ribbon doesn't lay flat when in a circle. I attached it with more tacky glue and I don't have a lot of faith in it's permanence. That's how most of my crafts are!
So, out came the glue gun. I put on the top ribbon with hot glue and it looks a little more secure, although it won't lie flat either.

The last step was to glue on the lace. If you can look closely you'll see it's tiny white butterflies and very girlie and it kind of covers up the bumpy ribbon.So, if you're still reading, here it is in it's place. I now need to spray paint the lamp base white, but that should be cheap and fast! When I turned it on it had a red hue. I don't know what I think about that.
As for dinner, thank goodness for frozen pizza!

Exercise TV

On a rainy morning, we decided to pep things up with a little exercise TV! It's was more fun for me to watch than it will be for you, but the grandparents might enjoy it!

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Lazy Days

We've been sick again and whenever I walk around or even go up and down the stairs too many times in a day I get Braxton Hicks contractions to the point of stopping my activities for a while, so we've been hanging out at home a lot. I was surprised how hard this was. I don't have much to do at home and was bored playing with the boys, maybe I was just tired, but somehow three weeks have gone by since we've really been out together. We may venture to Michael's today for a new picture for their room, but that may even be too much if I have to push them in the cart. How do people have six or seven pregnancies without their bodies completely falling apart? Maybe they do fall apart. I am in awe. Sam got a new motorcycle toy which says, "Ninja wheelie time" and goes across the floor on one wheel. Then it plays a song that sounds like Blondie's "Heart of Glass" so that has been the soundtrack in our home for the last little while.
Here's the boys playing in the toy closet. Josh's ingenious invention. We put the toys in there a few months ago and then put their new table and chairs in it. They actually play in there, when the toys are organized, and we can put everything away at night. It's the next best thing to a basement. Here's Sam drinking his milk. He practically lives on it.
This is the boys holding up their pennies. It's the first money they've earned. One night Josh paid them to clean up their toys and they were so excited, but they didn't really think the pennies were money. They tried swiping them like debit cards since that's the only "money" they ever see. What an age we live in! And then there are the big boy beds. At last. They're three and it's about time. They absolutely love them and haven't had any trouble sleeping in them. Josh tucks them in tightly since Sam has fallen out a couple of times, but they like to go look at them and sit on them and feel like big stuff. I finished their quilts too and will post a picture of their room when all of the baby stuff is off the walls and some little boy pictures have taken its place. I didn't want to finish the quilts but couldn't face spending more money on bedding, so I did a week long blitz, more like three days, and finished them up. Let's hope and pray they survive their first machine washing!
Sam has taken to wearing his pajamas all day, sometimes with a jacket to keep warm. He can go to the bathroom all by himself when he's wearing elastic waistbands, so I'm all for it.
Here's his "Death Star" block creation. We've also been reading about an hour each day and watching "Milo and Otis," "Blue's Clues," and lots of other goodies. I don't know if this is all good preparation for being housebound after the baby is born, or if I will officially lose my mind by then for lack of getting out. The boys are content to play all day, now that they're feeling better. I'm the one who is desperate for a diversion and conversation, but I am learning to embrace this special time and these teeny men who keep me company. Nine weeks to go.

Free Time

I've heard working moms ask stay at home moms, "What do you do all day?"

Well, sometimes we do this:
Making gingerbread men! After Christmas, but still a fun wintertime activity.

We had just watched an episode of "Little B*ear" where he made them with his friend and her grandmother. When they weren't looking, the gingerbread men got up and ran away! Good thing ours didn't!
They were fun to decorate . . .

and eat!
(Michael is in his "Fireman S*am" outfit from Aunt Debbie.)
Then there's the dress-up obsession. The latest is Batman and Robin.
The Dynamic Duo.
That nickname might just stick to these guys!
Come play with us any time! You never know what we'll be up to!

Christmas in California

I almost entitled this post "Mele Kalikima*ka" to wish you a Merry Christmas "from a land where palm trees sway!" This was a different Christmas for me, but a wonderful one. No snow, no visitors, but full of joy and excitement and gratitude! We just slowed down and enjoyed being home and well together. A much needed break!

Wish you were here! A Christmas Eve dinner complete with pretzel jello and sparkling cranberry juice for just the four of us. Josh took the boys for the day while I made dinner and rested. I had been having some contractions the week before and had to seriously slow down and spend a lot of time on the couch! It was great to have a quiet house and take my time making our simple meal.
Here are our wise men. I thought one would be a shepherd, but they had to be the same thing, so wise men it was. I made the costumes in October before the Thanksgiving rush began! Sam is holding his baseball hat, but they loved being dressed up and walked around solemnly, taking their parts very seriously. They are still worried about King "Jarrod" as they call him, who wanted to hurt baby Jesus. Maybe they're not ready for the entire story yet!

We opened our gifts from Josh's grandparents, the Christmas Eve tradition. Granny made us all these slippers which we've been wearing a lot! Michael loved having his very own pint-sized ones. I think he looks like a little Elf in them!
The boys wrote letters to Santa and left them out with some cookies and a carrot. Josh said Santa didn't want too many cookies, since he would be having some at each house that night. I think Sam looks a little apprehensive. He was a little troubled that Santa would actually be in our house. I guess it does sound a little strange.
In the morning the boys were excited to see their presents sitting out. They didn't think Santa had come though, because they didn't see him in our house. The whole idea that he comes while we're sleeping was lost on them, but they did love their presents and we are loving them playing with them all day long! The hits: a pirate ship, a castle with knights and a dragon, Star Wars action figures, and a police car, fire truck and "Don't Brea*k the Ice" from Aunt Stephanie and cousins.

We've been living in a galaxy far, far away since finding these Star Wars guys in their stockings.

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Sam still explains that Darth Va*dar is really Anakin Sky*walker and so he's not scary once he takes off his mask but we've also moved on to more advanced sub-plots like Han Solo, Bubba Fet and Jaba the Hut. I can't believe I even know how these people (creatures?) are connected, but that's being a mother of boys for you!
Here are the Dala horses from Grandma and Grandpa, along with a Jan Bre*tt book about them. The boys love having their own that they can play with.
The train set is old, but they got a new rail road crossing station to spice it up a little bit. And, here they are after their first day of Sunbeams. I asked Sam what he learned about in primary and he said, "I have to sit in my chair. There are no toys." That's a good lesson for the first week, don't you think? (He and Michael also came home with life-sized posters of themselves traced on butcher paper that say "I Am a Child of God" on top.) I kept looking through the peep-hole into their classroom and once saw them sharing a chair with each other. I can't believe they're three and in Sunbeams. They certainly bring sunshine into our home daily!

I hope you all had merry Christmases too!

"How Old Are You Today?" "I'm Good"

Guess who turned three years old this month?

We had a small family party at home because Josh had the flu. They each picked out their birthday cake mixes at the grocery store; Michael chose chocolate and Sam chose fun-fetti. They were sooo excited about the cakes! I don't think they understood that they would be getting presents until the moment came and then they were absolutely besides themselves with excitement! It was so fun to watch them open each package and squeal and shout! They have been in love the the movie "Cars" since they got it for potty training achievements this summer but haven't had any toys to go along with it. We decided to make it a "Cars" birthday and gave them models of the characters from the movie and a couple of action toys.

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Our favorite part is when Michael squeals upon opening the present. The joy was tangible. We were sad to see that he fell off of the bench while we were singing to Sam. We didn't even notice it until we watched the video! Michael didn't understand the "How old are you" question and kept telling us he was "good" instead of "three." It cracked us up.

They share the toys and play with them together, all day long. In the morning they skip coming to find me and head straight for their new toys. They ask me once a day if they get to keep them forever!

Something snapped on that very day and they've had some accomplishments since turning three. Sam decided he didn't need to sleep in a diaper and woke up dry for three nights. Michael has started dressing and undressing himself as much as he can and they have both ditched the sippie cups. I told them we were giving them to the sippie cup fairy who would give them to babies who needed them, but they were in the cabinet until yesterday and they never asked for them.

There are more milestones that seem to coincide with this birthday, but I can't think of them right now. I am loving my three year olds. They are so helpful, funny, and loving. They are kind to each other, bright, eager, and endearing. We are looking forward to a very exciting Christmas and Sunbeams in the new year!

Happy birthday to my miracle boys. You continue to bring joy and light into our home and hearts daily!