Reid's Nursery

Well, I can officially say we are ready for baby Reid! The nursery is for sure...our level of readiness is still arguable. ;)

I have never been much for "themes," so when it came to decorating for a boy I thought it would be safe to just stick with colors and patterns. I also wanted to stray from baby blue and brown, so I decided on navy blue, yellow and grey. When we I (let's be honest) decorated Madison's nursery we went ALL out...like painting stripes on the wall. Thank you, Pa for your help with that vision, you'll be happy to know I'm likely to never stray down that path again! You're welcome. So for Reid's wall, I just wanted to paint it a simple grey. It turned out looking blue-ish grey, but I still love it!

With the help of my mother-in-law, Janet (thank you, thank you, thank you!) the bedding- bed skirt, bumpers and quilt were all hand-made with lots of frustration love! I was super proud because this was my first BIG sewing project. I mostly helped Janet, but I get to take FULL credit for doing the quilt all. by. my. self! "I'm a big kid now!" :) I also made Reid's letters like I did Madison's. The bunting was sooo easy, and I just love how I was able to use left over fabric so it all matches!! No, I don't have an obsession with matching, how dare you ask! Oh, and before we move on to the next wall...another shout out to Brain a.k.a. Paw (my father-in-law) for humoring me with another hand-made toy organizer!

I ordered the valence and pillow off of etsy- don't you just LOVE that fabric! The ABC 123 blocks were one of the quickest projects I've ever done because I wasn't striving for perfection. I can almost hear the GASPS from all of you who know me! ;) But seriously, I'm talking like 20 minutes, maybe.

The adorable changing pad cover was another etsy purchase, for all of you keeping count (read: Brent). And where did the fabulous "Reid" sign come from? Oh, that would be from my amazing friend I have in Ohio- Lisa. It looks so perfect in his room! Thanks buddy!!

The last wall is mostly taken up by the two doors, but of course I couldn't let it go bare! I made the "Child of God" shelf using inspiration from etsy (See, Brent, I don't buy everything I see on there!) The signs are hard to read, but if you'd like to purchase uh, I mean, see an upclose version of them click here and here. They make wonderful gifts for baby showers, baby homecomings, baptisms, christenings, etc. ;) Couldn't help myself...

So there it is, and now we just wait! Anxious and eager to meet our SON! And it shouldn't be long- I'm almost at 38 weeks, so get your phone ringers on LOUD!

Foto Friday

Before I get to the pictures, I just want to verify that I do know how to spell "photo." I just get this wonderful happiness whenever I get to use alliteration. It's the teacher in me. Almost as good a feeling as a jar of freshly sharpened pencils!! ;)

Ok, ok...now onto our fun Friday! I had the day off, yay, so I took Maddie to the library for Storytime. Turned out that we also got to see the Easter Bunny and do an Easter egg hunt, so fun!! And the row of funny faces you see- that's Maddie telling me about the "little bug" she saw. So funny!

Then Grandma stopped by to give Maddie her Easter basket (notice it's Elmo- props to Grandma!) Needless to say, Good Friday was very good!!

Sesame Street Live

Today has been one of my favorite family days to date! Each day Maddie gets older I cry a little she gets more and more fun. She's able to do and communicate so much these days, and her darling personality is really starting to shine!

Due to her obsession love of Elmo, we thought she would enjoying seeing Sesame Street Live. (See, every now and then Waco gets visited!) This is one of those times as a parent when you realize you made the completely RIGHT decision! She. had. a. BLAST!! They had a Play Zone set up where the kids could press buttons and Mommies could take pictures- and yes, this Mommy took a LOT of pictures!!

I love where she is making her Elmo push the buttons...so cute!

 

Excitement- the show is about to begin...

 

This is basically how she spent the entire time- either like this or dancing!

 

After the show, we hit up Freebirds for lunch. We ate great, came home for a nap and then headed to the park for more fun!

 

Since the weather was so beautiful, we decided to eat dinner outside, and then start up a fire. And where there is fire, there must be marshmallows! No worries, she was not left unattended like it appears in the picture. ;)

So, yes...today was a fabulous day. In Brent's word, "Days like today make working hard during the week totally worth it!"

Most agreed!

Goodnight sleepy Madison, we love you more than you'll ever know!



Foto Friday

After a long week, nothing makes me happier than to spend a little play time with my beautiful baby girl. How did we get so lucky?! Adorable- check. Personality- check. Sweet and Loving- check, check. We are sooo blessed!!

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

Were you wearing your GREEN today?? Maddie was...thank you Walmart for a cheap and adorable St. Patrick's Day dress! You never let me down! ;)

Spring Break

1 week off from work? Yes, please! I've always loved Spring Break, but getting to spend the whole week with my baby girl makes it an even greater love!

We didn't venture out anywhere this year since Reid's arrival is so close, but we still had tons of fun! My dad came into town as a surprise, and my BF from Ohio came down with her adorable little "Bowbie"! (Her name is Colbie, but Maddie calls her Bowbie- it's super cute.)

Please don't take too long to realize that Madison is eating a lollipop while still in her PJ's. It was the first day...I was trying to earn some Mommy Brownie Points! The weather turned out to be pretty nice so after a short shopping trip we stopped by and got some yogurt, and then headed home for some backyard play (which you will see repeated over and over again throughout the week because I'm not very creative it's free!) She's a bit obsessed with "ice" (her word for outside and ice cream, ice, and ice water...we sometimes have confusion meltdowns.)

Lisa and Colbie came to visit us on Tuesday, and Maddie was sooo sweet with her. I love this picture of the two girls- you can just see all their future plans and shenanigans forming! Lisa- we might have some double-trouble on our hands! ;) You'll notice more outside play- this time with Grandpa, and some pre-bedtime cuddling with Mommy! I HEART cuddle time with my girl!

On Wednesday, I found a short (and FREE) library time less than a mile away. Madison enjoyed most of it until Toddler ADHD kicked in. Then it was time to head to McDonald's. While there, Maddie and Grandpa thought it would be a good idea for Maddie to venture the tunnels alone. That worked well until she got to the top, couldn't find the slide, had a meltdown, and Grandpa had to go to the rescue! Classic!

Ok, do you see that ridiculously cute face that Madison is doing?! She likes to whip out that look when she's been caught up-to-no-good or while I'm trying to get her to sleep. And yes- the adorableness usually leads to a Maddie win and Mommy loss.

To end a fun and relaxing week, we met "the girls" for lunch, Maddie and Colbie did so well eating and playing together while the rest of us got to catch up a bit. And yet another adorable picture of the future besties! Love!

All in all, though we stayed in Waco, we had a wonderful week!! I was thrilled to get to chillax with Madison, my dad, Lisa and Colbie...couldn't have asked for more!!

Entering the World of Etsy!

If you haven't discovered Etsy yet, and you either love to DIY or you love to buy DIY, you are missing out!! It is basically a place for regular 'ole people like me and you to sell the things we make to people who can't find our stuff in stores or like things customized. I decided that since I love making things on the computer, I might as well try my hand out at selling some of it.

I started up my shop a couple weeks ago, and I had my first sale on Monday!! Whoo hoo! Now, my hopes are high, but I don't anticipate becoming a millionaire off of a few invitations and baby signs. (cue sad face) However, I am always down for some "play money!" After chatting last night, Brent has finally realized that my play money is mine and his play money is mine....we should be smooth sailing from here on out! ;)

So, if you or someone you know ever has a birthday (haha) or attends a baby shower or just wants to donate money to me and my spending habits, feel free to visit my shop called Nikki's Nifty Nest at https://www.etsy.com/shop/NikkisNiftyNest?ref=si_shop. You can also search for "Nikki's Nifty Nest " from the etsy.com homepage.

If you see this, you are at the right place!

Happy shopping! :)