My Favorite DIY

16 months from the day that Bryan and I got engaged we knocked a lot of "firsts" off of our list. Bryan moved to Minnesota and began a new job, we rented our first place together, married & honeymooned, got pregnant, bought a house, moved into and painted our home, and to wrap things up...became a family of three by welcoming our sweet girl into the world.  All of this to say, my decorating budget was non existent.  

So since owning a home, decorating and filling it has been about 95% time and 5% money.  I enjoy making something of my own but more often than not, my DIY's come about because I want something but don't want to spend the money on it. My "projects" as Bryan likes to refer to them as, have a success rate of around 50%. But every once in a while I complete a project that beats my expectations. I prefer to call them "gems". 

My most favorite DIY to date, and a "gem" by my definition, is the end of our hallway. Check it out:

 

 I love rounding the corner at the top of the stairs and seeing some herringbone + a pop of color.

 Of course I didn't take any progress pictures, but I painted using the two shades of gray that we already had on hand. I simply taped two stripes down the wall, then several small strips in each column. I cut a piece of paper to create the angle that I wanted, and relined it up each time I went to add a piece of tape.  I love the look of the uneven spacing between the stripes, in a sense it makes the wall seem more natural. Herringbone has always caught my eye, for some reason it reminds me of a tree. And I love my trees.

The phrase "wear out the words I love you" is from the lyrics of Bryan and I's wedding song. I find myself reading the phrase, humming the song, and taking myself back to that special day. It is absolutely lovely.

So there you have it!  A simple and successful DIY from the house of the Pearsons. Now I've got the itch to paint something...I'm thinking maybe the bathroom cabinet?

Our Addie

*I wrote this post about 8 weeks ago and forgot to hit "publish". Oops! Since I refer back to these posts when working in the kiddos scrapbooks, I wanted to submit it regardless.

Addie is entering this stage in toddlerhood that is absolutely hilarious. At any given moment, you can bet she is making me laugh or driving me absolutely nuts.  Though I'm not doing monthly posts on our sweet girl anymore, I thought it would be fun to share some recent happenings.

She's talking!  One day, we are nervous about her speech development and the next, she is willing to repeat any word that we say.  She has especially mastered "pease" but she will repeat most things.  

Addie loves to exercise with mommy. Without any encouragement to do so, when I start doing lunges in the living room she will come next to me and do squats.  Mommy does leg lifts, Addie does leg lifts.  Of course being in the health industry, I LOVE it!  Mommy does crunches, Addie does crunches  sits on mom....so we haven't mastered all of our exercises yet..

This girl can eat.  She isn't particularly skilled in taking small bites but she could win a contest for stockpiling crackers in her cheeks.  When picking Addie up from sunday school last week, we were looking to hear how well she sat and listened, but the teachers comments gravitated towards our child's ability to eat, "Wow, she eats crackers awfully fast!  I gave her 2!"  Yup, that's our girl.

While Addie will pound crackers and fruits like there is no tomorrow, she is picky when it comes to meat and veggies.  The other day I went as far as to put a pea in each macaroni shell (tedious!).  And Addie took her chubby little fingers and removed each pea from the shell before eating.  Though I was annoyed beyond words, lunch time took a full 45 minutes and I was able to get the entire kitchen scrubbed!

A future mother, Lord willing, Addie loves her little brother.  The other day she ripped the blanket off his body and put it on his face. She then raised her arms and did the "where did baby go" face.  Well Addie, the baby is being smothered under his blanket.

Addie is the happiest outdoors. She is able to open closet doors on her own and by the end of the day, she will have every pair of shoes drug out. "Pease! Pease!" she will say, while pointing at the door.

Our sweet girl has the most beautiful eyes. They are the sweetest things when she is happy. They get big and round when she's asking for something.  And more recently, they hold the most jaw-dropping scowl.  Don't give the girl what she wants or put her in front of a group of strange people and the most terrifying look overtakes that innocent looking face.  It gets me chuckling every time.

Lets talk mullets for a minute. Or better yet, let this picture do all of the talking.

Picture Credit to ginazeidler.com

Of course each day brings new things and adventures of its own. We are doing our best to soak it all up!

Fall Happenings

This past fall has been relaxing, at least about as relaxing as things can be with 2 under 2. We've enjoying having family visit and going out of town a few weekends, otherwise we've slowly done some house projects and have made a lot of memories around home.

We kicked things off with a weekend trip to Fargo. Cayden got to meet some of his aunts, uncles and cousins. We got to meet our youngest nephew and celebrate his baptism.

In September, the Bock side came up for family pictures. During their short 48 hour stay, we also managed to blow insulation in the attic ("we" being used very loosely here), celebrate Grandma's birthday, and can a heck-of-a-lot of salsa and marinara. Not to mention we united to watch the Cyclones vs Hawks football game. Which of course the Hawkeyes won.

In October, we dedicated Cayden at church and celebrated with some family and friends for the day.

And fall wouldn't be complete without some costumes and pumpkin carving!

Between festivities we've watched a lot of football and made memories around home.

Adventure Seeking

Today my toddler has been challenging me.  In fact, she challenges me every day. Some days (like yesterday) it was challenging my self control and patience levels.  Feeding the dog an entire box of treats while tag-teaming naptime with the brother will do that to any mother. Today she has me learning a different lesson.

Seek Adventure. Don't live in fear of failing or falling. Get out there!  Leave your comfort zone behind to explore, get your hands dirty, and experience something new. 

I'm quick to think of excuses.  Supporting kids, a mortgage, 401K, limited energy and resources, not enough hours in the day...you name it.  One thing that I've caught onto is that there will always be excuses. But there may not always be tomorrow.

Be an adventure seeker and start today. Share the gospel with that neighbor. Make the career change you've been contemplating. Paint your living room that gutsy color.  Plan that trip!  Reinvent the status quo for stay-at-home mothers, in your career, or wherever you are. Break out of the mold you've made for yourself and make. it. happen. 

You will encounter road blocks and you may fail. But it will be worth it. The excitement, joy, adrenaline, purpose and character built will be worth it. When you need a little encouragement, seek out the nearest toddler.

It may be that I'm sleep deprived and hopped up on coffee but I'm EXCITED.  Thanks little lady, this momma loves learning from you.

Little Man Turns 3 Months

 Parents always say that kids grow so fast, one day your baby is a newborn and the next she is an older sister shooting at a basketball hoop.  I remember that feeling with Addie and its happening again.  One day we are hanging out with babies that are 6-7 months old and Cayden seems so little, then the next day we meet a sweet 11 day old and he seems huge!

Our little guy is so handsome. Seriously. I know I'm biased, but that little smile with a dimple is impossible to beat.  He's catching on that if I sit next to him, it doesn't mean I'm giving him all my attention. Now he waits for me to put the book down and the phone away. Once I'm 100% there, he's all smiles.

His hand-eye cordination has a lot of growing to do, but Cade has started batting at things and often grasps his hands together.  When having a bottle or nursing, he'll grasp for my shirt. Seeing his little fist gripping melts my heart every time. It gets me thinking about how those small fingers grasping will change over the years.

Despite his sister occasionally being a little too rough, our little man loves Addie. He will watch her move around the room and when she approaches he gets a look of preparedness knowing that something is headed his way.

Cayden has started saying "mama" between his babbles.  Ok, maybe not, but I'm starting early with this one.  He is full of grunts, coos, and enjoys riveting conversation while on the changing table :) I continued to be amazed at the rolls accumulating on his little neck and legs. Cayden is fitting well in 3-6 month clothing now with some 6 month clothes in the mix.

Nursing continues to go well. CP (a nickname we are trying out) eats about every 3 hours throughout the day, 90 minutes in the evening, and heads to bed at 8:30. He will almost always sleep until at least 2AM and has sometimes gone all the way until 5AM. Though it is nice that he is sleeping more, his mother still gets up every few hours to pump. I LOVE nursing in the days and evenings but I'm reminded of the kind of sacrifices it requires throughout the night. Thankfully I feel a little less like a zombie these days, though my husband and co-workers may still have their doubt.