Kids Rooms

I love decorating on a dime! I think it is fun making old things new again. I also think there is big satisfaction in being creative with what I have or what has been handed down or given to me. What I enjoy the most from doing the kiddos rooms is hearing my 2 year old say, "I like my pink room, Mommy!" She has also said, "Mommy, thank you for my room!"--Although I think that statement was after she got her little kitchen set :) I also loved hearing Madison's big, loud "WOW!" after she saw the shelves of books in Ethan's room! I like the kids rooms, but I LOVE that my kids like their rooms and want to play in them.

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My amazing, wonderful, incredible husband made these magazine shelves!--Honey, I hope you are reading this ;)  I fell in love with a picture of these shelves on Pinterest.   They are a nice display, but also practical because I can put up to 7 or 8 books behind one of these books!  It is perfect for keeping books in sets, and keeps books from getting banged up in the basket or bookcase!

I wanted to paint these shelves in a week, but it took me 3 months to get all the sanding and painting done!  I guess there was a little bit of procrastinating too :)  It turned out to be a bigger job than I intended, but it was totally worth it to see the smile on Ethan's face!

The bottom shelf is Emily's!  It is all board books.

I used my Cricut and cut out some paper to update some pictures for the girls room.

The little kitchen set I from Craigslist.  It came with the tent, and Melissa and Doug kitchen accessories!!!

My girls are growing up too fast!  They are one and two today, but tomorrow 21 and 22...

I bought the wooden letters 50% off, and painted.  The shelf was free, and just needed a little paint, and a 97 cent Princess decal.  The bookcase was a hand me down which I stained espresso.
 

We had a piece of trim in our shed.  I stained it, and painted some clothespins which I hot glued to the trim. (Another pinterest idea!)  Ethan is very proud of his art pieces that get pinned up :)  I love the Mr. Potato Head picture so much that I might frame it.  He purposely tried to pick colors that matched his toys.

This little art desk has some nice storage.  I bought it for 3.99, and it was filthy.  But some bleach, magic erasers, and a little black spray paint made it look new again.  I marvel at how good God is.  This very desk (in different colors) was on my Amazon wish list!

This book case is from Target, but I got it for $15 brand new at Goodwill!  It had a small crack, but wood glue fixed it.

I feel blessed that both of my kids rooms have two full-sized closets.  I never knew how much I would need them!

The pink room!

She is a great little Mommy to her dolls!

One, two, and three!

My girls love their little tent house!

Peek-a-boo!

I had to laugh when Ethan was outside the tent vigorously trying to blow the tent down! He was scaring the girls, and doing a great job playing the big, bad wolf!  Jon and I had a hard time not laughing, but we realized that the two piggies inside the tent didn't find it funny at all.

This crib was a gift from Jon's parents.  It was a cherry wood, and I painted it espresso to match the room.  I love the character of this crib. 

Ethan's first drawing of himself.  I kept asking him to put the paper down so I could see his face.  I finally figured out that he wanted the picture to be his head!

These kiddos love markers, and markers love them :)

This was the unhappy face. 

She has her Bible, and she is ready to go to church!

Emily has really surprised us, and the cranky baby has turned into a very, happy toddler!!!

It can be miserable to get pictures taken when it is hot outside :(

I found this cabinet for $10.  I had to paint the doors white and we had to find a pin for the door from a cabinet shop.  Now the girls have a special place for their tea set!

I had a hard time deciding how to space the shelves, but I'm happy with how they turned out!

A Little Update

Days are flying by! I haven't been very faithful with my blogging, but I've had some very good reasons.--Three in fact!! I find it hard to find time for anything and everything these days! I am hoping to get back to some blogging updates now that I have Jon's computer to work on. The summer seems to be flying by. The kids are growing up too fast! Jon has had a busy schedule with church and work, and between the kids and my health I have felt a little overwhelmed. However I praise the Lord for how He has upheld us, and for the many blessings He has given us along the way. Three of those blessings are: Jon was able to go on a 9 day missions trip to Mexico, my Mom was able to be here for the time Jon was gone, and my parents have bought a house and are moving here! We have never had the opportunity to live close to either of our parents. So this is huge! We are so thrilled for so many reasons. I am so thankful for how God has brought it all about. God knows just what we need, and when we need it! I've seen God answer prayer in HIS timing, and it has shown me again that His timing is better than mine :)

Ethan and Madison love playing dress up.  Their dress up clothes are put on over and over again.  Normally their outfits are pretty wacky, but this time I helped them get dressed :)  They were so proud to go stand outside and get a picture taken!

These two are best pals.  I can't even imagine what it would be like if they didn't have each other to play with all day long.

Puzzle Boy

Drama,

Drama,

Drama,

DRAMA,

and even MORE

Drama!!!
 (Every family usually has one drama queen.  Madison is definitely ours!)

Ethan thought this up on his own. I thought he was pretty innovative to lean the legos up against the door trim, and put the bucket on the piano bench.  Not very safe, but he did get the tower pretty high!

My two girls and two guys :)  So thankful for my family!

Madison and the Bugs

 Family devotions the other night was about the 10 plagues.  Jon couldn't get through reading the story without Madison pointing to the pictures and shrieking "Ick the bugs, ick the bugs!"  That poor girl has no hope :)  She just can't get over the bugs!  It has been an ongoing saga with her and the bugs since she was able to say the word "bug."  And if you are around to witness an unlucky bug flying on her arm, around her face, or anywhere remotely near her than you will see hysteria in every sense of the word!  Flailing, crying, and screaming like the mortally wounded are all things that may be a part of the scene.  I don't condone my 2 year olds shrieks.  However I do remember my own terror of bugs and I have a sympathetic heart for her fear of them.  Lately in an attempt to help Madison I have tried to get her interested in watching them.  I've even let an ant crawl on me, told her about how "cute" they can be, and said SO many times "It is JUST a bug!"  But no matter how I try to downplay the existence of bugs there always seems to be a repeat of her uncontrolled frenzy when one is around.  Madison is such a girly kind of girl.  She loves "pretty" things, and apparently bugs just don't fall into that category.

I had a good laugh a while back.  I asked Madison if her shirt (which was a little too big) was bugging her.  I was doing her hair at the time, and I couldn't figure out why she started crying, wailing, and carrying on after that.  Finally she started sobbing "buggies, buggies" and pulling at her shirt.  I realized then that her interpretation of what I said was that bugs were on her shirt!  Weeks later she was STILL calling bugs "buggies" because of that one question.  I don't laugh at her fear, but I do see the humor in it all!  I love my "bug-icky" little girl, and someday I know that she will arise to the occasion and learn to calmly deal with the bugs.  Until then we will deal with the drama one bug at a time!

In Short: I'm Thankful!

When Ethan is playing on the couch and he wants Madison to move out of his way he very kindly says, "Excuse you Sissy."  Madison does the same for Ethan, but she calls him "Ithin" instead of brother.  It's all very nice unless one of them won't move then the "excuse you" tends to become a little bit louder and a lot more demanding.  There was something that struck my funny bone the one (and only one!) time Ethan calmly said "Excuse you Sissy" and then shoved her to the floor!   Politeness doesn't mean much if the actions do not follow :)  Ethan and Madison are like peanut butter and jelly.  They love doing everything together, but sometimes things between them can become a little sticky!  Seeing my 2 and 3 year old communicate provides me with a whole lot of entertainment and humor.  Life is never boring, and I feel totally blessed!!  I'm a thankful Mommy of a one, two, and three year old. 

It has been a while since I've posted anything.  Ethan has taken off and become a puzzle maniac, Madison loves to jabber about everything at home, and Emily has 6 teeth and is cruising all over the house!  

Madison is proud of her brother.  She loves to see his puzzles when they are all done.

"Little Miss Sunshine" clapping. 

Going on a walk.  Ethan walks a mile with me.  P.S. We are still in the process of teaching Madison to pull that skirt down!  Yes, we are trying to teach at the tender age of 2.  Kids have to be taught because they don't magically understand modesty on their own!

Ethan has a gift for organization.  It shows in how fast he can put a puzzle together.  I'm starting to think he needs to get some 50 piece puzzles.  I'm assuming there are 50 piece puzzles?

Showing me the puzzle on the box.

This boy loves his puzzles!  He can do them in record speed. - Faster than me anyway!

Watching the ipad in the closet!  I have to admit the house was pretty quiet when they closed that door :) For some reason they love hiding in that closet.  You will not find me protesting!--hehe

Putting the last piece in is always the best part of doing a puzzle. 

Jon says this is how I sleep -- ha ha!

Ethan is not quite ready to give up nap time :)

Baby is adored by her brother and sis. 

My "Peanut"

Both Ethan and Madison LOVE playing doctor!

I'm not sure it is proper to be so happy about giving someone their shot! :)

Our life is not perfect.  It can be hectic, and some days my kids are running around in just a shirt and diaper. But I've learned that not every day has to have kids perfectly coordinated with a matching bow in a house that is spotless and in perfect order.  I highly recommend that you don't have 3 kids if that is your goal!  I've set aside my perfectionism to do something that is greater: motherhood.  I still find some time to do the organizing that I love, but in smaller ways that help out as I take care of our little one's and function in our home.  There are some things that I used to consider important that I now realize are not.  God is molding me and shaping me.  I'm thankful for that.  I am thankful for my husband, children, church, and home.  There is just so much to be thankful about!