Sunday, July 19, 2009

Happy Birthday to Me!

I turned 36 today. We enjoyed a morning of sleeping in (since we attend Sat. night services at our church now - we just love it!), until Ally and Sophie ran in around 8:30 to smother me in sweet happy birthday wishes. Ray got up and cooked an amazing breakfast, and then I opened my gifts.

Our incredibly resourceful girls had found several things around the house that they were sure I could use so they wrapped them up, graced them with homemade cards, and lined them up in front of the fireplace...









This was my favorite, especially since it was so creatively wrapped...





My final present was 4 movie tickets to see the 3-D version of Ice Age 3. Complete with 4 sets of 3-D glasses, of course!



So off we headed to the theater. What a blast we had!!

When we got home, we all shared an ice cream cake that the girls had picked out themselves.





Leave it to my wonderful family to make me feel so special on my birthday!!

Monday, July 13, 2009

Makeover...bedroom edition

As our gift to Ally for her birthday in March, we gave her a total bedroom makeover. We originally thought that it would take about 4 days and we could surprise her with it on her actual b-day. (We had her move out of her room into a guest room; she was so excited that she even made her own "keep out" sign for her bedroom door to remind herself not to go in there!)

Anyway, we ran into several issues (such as discovering the entire room had been previously painted in oil-based paint!), so the overall project took us just over 3 weeks. It became impossible to hide what we were doing, so we decided to have the girls help us paint, and then we surprised Ally with the final touches (comforter, decor, etc).

This was the room before...







Fun - but chipped, very dirty, and not at all what Ally had in mind. She specifically requested a "stylish striped pink and purple Hannah Montana room".

Here are some pics of the painting process...














And...drum roll please...the finished room!







(My favorite part - nylon flowers hanging over the bed)





Ok, so it's a little bright. BUT it is exactly what Ally wanted and she absolutely loves it. This summer we plan to re-paint her dresser white, along with the four-post bed frame that matches it. I think that will give the whole room a nice, clean contrast to all of the pink!

The best part of the whole room makeover was Ally's reaction, which we caught on video:

To the Video!

Who wouldn't want to go all out for such a sweet, grateful kiddo?!

AND more than anything she wanted Sophie to partake in the fun of her first night in her new room...

Friday, July 10, 2009

Getting Sentimental

Ok, so the purchase of this wonderful chair inspired me last week to clear out the closet in the baby's room, which was mostly full of baby things that I needed to pull out for sorting and cleaning. The girls helped me, and we had most of it cleared out within the afternoon. In the process, we came across a couple of boxes that we had packed into the back of that closet when we moved into the house last year. One of them was one that Ally had packed and labeled completely by herself...



In it we discovered all kinds of treasures - barbies, doodle pads, and several other favorite toys that had been greatly missed since our move. We also found Ally's jewelry box and alarm clock, both of which I had been going crazy trying to find for months!

But it was the writing on the box that tugged at my heart. That was the writing of my little kindergartener. Now, just one year later, she seems so grown up. It was almost like uncovering a time capsule.


One other sentimental moment that I have been meaning to post about for over a month is this one...



On May 5th Ally FINALLY lost her first tooth! She had been anxiously awaiting this milestone since the start of kindergarten, so we were very excited for her. And it was before school let out, so she was able to show all of her school friends (extremely important!).

Of course, we only got to see that cute toothless space for about a week or so before her adult tooth had grown in almost completely. Another sentimental moment that I am glad we took the time to enjoy while it was happening, because it was over all too soon...

Thursday, July 2, 2009

A few of my favorite things...

With each one of my babies, there has been an item we have acquired that quickly became one of my all-time favorite things. You know, one of those items that brings a smile to your face whenever you see it, and fills your day with just a little more joy for having the opportunity to use it!

With Allysa, it was the Baby Bjorn carrier that good friends of ours gave to us.

With Sophia, it was a brand new Boppy with a velvety-soft removable pink cover.

Yesterday, I found my new favorite item for Baby #3...



An amazing bargain that I found on Craigslist, I am IN LOVE with this chair! I prayed for wisdom as I drove great lengths to meet with the seller, and tried to keep my expectations low. Wow, was I surprised - I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it in person! It is a GORGEOUS chair, well-made, in excellent condition, upholstered completely in super-soft chenille, and is truly the MOST comfortable rocker I have ever had the joy of sitting in!

I snuck away early from the dinner table last night so that I could just spend time rocking in it, fully enjoying my new favorite luxury. Dreaming a little, and thanking God for the baby girl that will soon be snuggling with me in this chair.