Kids' Rooms

The kids rooms are very slowly coming along and I love them. Thankfully I don't like clutter because they are quite bare. ;)

We found the fans a few weeks ago and they are so funky but perfect. Very edgy and wild. Blake's room is a light grey and again, couldn't be happier with it. 

The crib. The crib he actually sleeps in. Love that kid. 

He's got some books and a few pictures so we need to find some shelves. The people who lived here before us left a pallet so maybe I'll make one? Just don't want it to look too rustic/mason jar/barnyard style. 

Emma's room is a soft pink although it looks super bright in these pictures. While Becky was painting, Emma would pop her head in the room and say "WOWWWWWWW" in a whisper voice. 

After doing lots of research, I decided on her Jenny Lind bed and it was worth every penny. Obviously the Sofia bedding was not my first choice but pick your battles. :-) And hey-- Emma is finally sleeping in her room in her bed. Boom. 

E has a bigger closet and her room is right outside her door. She loves having her shoes lined up like that-- she can hold onto the bar and slid her feet into her Uggs. Yup, in 80 degree weather. 

My in laws come this week so that means my FIL will be able to hang a few things. Yahoo!

House Tour

House Tour is reallllly stretching. More like "dark pictures of empty bedrooms". It sounds cliche but I really do love our house. It's got great bones, was move in ready, and while not everything is what I would have picked out, it's perfect for us in the most perfect location.

I think I mentioned this but we have lots of kids on our street. Lots. They knock almost every day asking if Emma can play. While it does get super annoying to have kids banging on the door, this is what we wanted-- a fun community for our family! And friends for our babies. 

One of my "must haves" (actually not a must have, just nice to have) was a kitchen that doesn't have a dungeon type feel. Nothing worse than doing the dishes in a dark corner. 

Luckily here I can be at the sink or counter and have this view (above) and can watch the TV (to the right), or see the front door (to the left). 

The green has got to go. It's really overwhelming, LOL. Luckily we have been in talks with a painter and hopefully he'll be starting later this month! 

Our kitchen is pretty average/normal. Wish we could find a cabinet to hide our trash can, but it's fine being tucked in the corner. A certain 2 year old I know loves to pull her plastic knives and bang on the trash can like a drum. 

Know anyone who can convert a cabinet into a trash can? ;) 

This is the view when you walk in. Again, the paint is cringe worthy. So is our chandelier. But, first world problems. :-) 

In the far left of the pic (above) is our little library room. I'm not sure what we'll do in there but I've got a few ideas.

This little nook is upstairs and perfect for the excess toys that can't fit in the kids' rooms. It's hidden by our linen closet and just the right amount of space. 

Seriously, my babies. God love them. 

New Digs

We are settled into our new house and absolutely love it! We are in a much better area of Northern Virginia and we should have moved here long ago. 

It's not really a townhouse, but not a single family home. I think our HOA calls it a carriage home. We have the size of a single family but the bonus of a town home-- people on each side to keep our utilities low. :-) Or so we hope.

I haven't taken a ton of pictures but I promise I'll get better! We've been busy getting organized but finally starting to feel normal here. I still don't know where we keep our silverware/plates/glasses but I'll learn. :) 

The house was pretty move in ready but we replaced a few lights, got a washer/dryer, and did a few minor repairs. Our master bathroom door doesn't shut. It's the strangest thing! So that is next on our list.

Which meant we've been at Lowe's a lot. Actually I have only been a few times because nothing is harder than bringing two kids to a home improvement store. Emma wants to be in one section the entire time-- halloween decor. "Weee--tch!!! Goooo-ssss-t!!" Over and over. It is precious.

I'll have to do a quick house tour next week. For now that's all I got! XO

Blake Birth & Newborn Pictures

Blake Wesley Boese was born on June 18, 2016. He was 7 pounds, 2 ounces and 20 1/4 inches long. He had a headful of dark hair just like his big sister Emma. I really thought he was going to come out bald and be blonde like me! 

Can you see the purple bracelet Emma made me? 

We found out Blake was indeed a boy and could not settle on a name for the life of us. We definitely didn't have a middle name until the hospital asked us for one, LOL. Nathan's grandpa is named Wesley and I liked the flow so we just went with it-- Blake Wesley. It fits him so well!

He nursed immediately which made my life much less stressful. He was also pretty alert and so snuggly. It was so fun to have 2 nights with him by myself in the hospital. The nurses just left us alone and would randomly come for our vitals.

The second night, oh my gosh the second night. My friend warned me he would eat all. night. long. I couldn't believe she was right. He nursed and nursed and nursed and cried when I had to go to the bathroom. 

Between him only wanting to eat and the contractions after delivery, I wanted to die. LOL I may slightly be exaggerating but I did ask for stronger pain meds. No shame. The contractions would come every 5 minutes or so and last about 1 minute. Insane. 

He also was really, really juicy. I don't know how else to describe it but that's what the nurse said. He spit up a lot, made a lot of gurgling/gagging noises, and had 1 scary choking episode. I leapt out of the bed with him and hollered for a nurse who helped me with the bulb syringe. 

And of course big sister & Daddy came to pick us up! I missed Emma so bad. I was so excited to see her and show her her new baby! She was immediately smitten. 

After we were home for a few days my sweet friend came and took pictures of him. I love them all and I'm so thankful we chose to do this! Only posting my favorites: 

Love my sweet boy. I am leaving out that we came home to Emma having a fever and some bizarre tummy bug, Blake being the gassiest child of my life, and buying a house without seeing it but that will come. :-)

Life Lately-- August 23rd

Because my life is not busy enough, I figured why not start blogging again? We are in the middle of a move to NOVA and are so excited. Packing boxes consumes me along with keeping my kids fed & (barely) happy.

So let's do a follow up on our family:

Emma will be 3 in October. She's been in speech for almost 18 months and we are seeing slow but amazing progress. If we're being completely honest, she's probably a good 9-12 months behind, but her therapist promises she will be caught up by kinder. I could do a whole post on her speech (and maybe I will), but the short is: we are seeing improvement and for that we are thankful.

She loves stuffed animals, picking out her own clothes, puffy stickers, puzzles, and any books that rhyme. She's bossy, very smart, and gets her own cereal every morning. Hopefully she will start contributing to our family in the form of cash very soon.

Blake is 2 months old and the snuggly-est, most smiley, and most easy going baby ever. His hobbies include staring at the ceiling fan, watching his sister play, and nursing. If he's awake and not doing one of those things, he's usually screaming. He surprisingly loves baths so we do lots of baths around here.

Nathan is busy with work and loves that he's on a better shift than midnights. Everyone asks if he hates commuting and I always say: He LOVES the quiet and being able to listen to podcasts and books! He started reading comic books about a year ago so in his free time (?), you can find him doing that. He's an expert baby burper.

Nothing is that exciting with me! I still love running whenever I can escape and I've been working on losing the last 20 lbs of baby weight. I love to read when the kids are asleep, spend my time constantly picking up, and strive to win Fit Bit challenges with my cousins.

We found mold in our apartment this morning and now I have a headache so badly I can't see straight. I'm sure it's killing me.