Remembering Michael

April 7 marked the one year anniversary of when we lost Chris' brother, Mike.  We had a really nice family day together.  The weather was perfectly sunny. Judy did a beautiful job decorating the gravesite and Claire and I purchased flowers that matched perfectly.  We had no idea Judy already had a yellow theme -- they just looked like Mike to us.  After the gravesite, we took a leisurely drive through Manitou Springs (one of Mike's favorite places here in Colorado).  Mom picked out an awesome Italian restaurant (Savelli's) for lunch.  We reminisced that Mike would have loved the food there.  After the restaurant, I took the younger children home with me (Joe and Claire).  Meanwhile, Amanda and Hallie went with Chris and Judy for a drive through the Garden of the Gods (another one of Mike's favorites).  It was a pleasant day filled with love and good memories.

Changes around our home

I think it is safe to say that decorating little girl's rooms is my favorite hobby. 

Thank goodness we have been blessed with two girls so far.

As you may recall, Hallie for one year had a very pink room.

She has moved into a big-girl purple room. 

The pink room is Claire's new nursery.

Here are those changes:

Claire's New Room

I love this sweet canopy even more over a crib.

Can you believe the baby face in that frame? 

Everyone needs that framed picture in their home.

When Hallie changed rooms, we moved her curtains with her.

At first these new frilly ones were too much for me.

But now . . . I just love them.

The frames have been updated with our Clairey baby.

This little cradle was mine as a little girl.  At first, I wanted to paint it white.  But I actually like the contrast of it.  And I especially like that it looks just like it did in my room as a child.  We put throw pillows from Hallie's old bed in the cradle to make it extra comfy.  It is intended for Claire to put her babies in.  But most of the time, Claire just lays in it with her feet hanging down.  She loves it.

This trunk was a clearance find at Hobby Lobby.  It is a perfect meeting place for all her little friends.

Do you think this baby likes Minnie Mouse?

Claire's Closet

We modified it for the baby girl. 

Since Claire's clothes are much smaller, they accomodate this space much better.

This print is an Anne of Green Gables painting my Grandma Allen bought me.

Since our home is modest size and this particular room is smaller, closet space is valuable play space.  This is Clairey's "house."  The box with a ribbon pull is filled with play dishes and play food.  Claire loves her house.  You will see soon that Hallie has a "closet house" of her own as well.  The poster is another gift from my Grandma Allen.  In this case, it's supposed to be a window looking at the view outside the kitchen.

Hallie's New Room

Call me cliché for using pink and purple for girl's rooms. 

I CAN'T HELP MYSELF.

Besides, the girls adore them.

We needed a place to store some of Hallie's great artwork.  The fridge surface gets a tad overrun.  This has been the best solution.  We found drawer pulls we liked and Chris attached them to the wall so we could clip up our favorite art and her favorite drawings.  We love this!

A little beadboard accent wall was just what this wall needed.

This IKEA kitchen armoir has served us well over the years. 

We painted it white three years ago and it is perfect for Hallie's clothes.

We love work by the artist Claire Keane.  We had a Rapunzel book that we adored the pictures in.  So, we purchased a duplicate book on amazon so we could mat and frame them.  Custom art on the cheap!  The white Empire State Building was just destiny.  Hallie loves New York City.  She tells us all about the shows there.  She can identify landmarks from all around the city.  When we are driving at night and she sees lights on in far away buildings she asks if it is New York.  She frequently tells us how someday she'll go to "the new york of cities."  When Chris and I found this building our jaws dropped and Chris whispered "Get it!"  I turned to Hallie and asked her if she knew what it was.  She responded breathlessly "It's New York City!"  Love it.

This flower arrangement (with pencils and paint brushes) is our not so subtle way of reminding Hallie to enjoy art.

We love this picture of Hallie.  We want to add text to it that says "A dream is a wish your heart makes . . ."

I've been wanting to use a paper lantern in a room for such a long time.  This was the perfect opprtunity.  It reminds me of a cloud.

The square pillow is from Claire and Hallie's old nursery bedding.  I am so glad we still have these to cherish.

Chris painted the chair to match the wall.  This is where "Pretty" the kitty reigns supreme.

The purpose of these bunks are so Claire can move in when we have our next baby.  We'll keep the ladder away until that time (too many visions in my head of girls trying to fly like fairies).

Hallie's Closet

Ever wonder where all those bows are stored?  This over the door shoe hanger has been a lifesaver for bows, hair ties, socks, mittens, bibs, lotion and other baby supplies.  It's very handy.

This Disney Princess vanity (that someone was cool enough to give us) turns into a piano.  Hallie can put on shows for all her friends.  Claire and Hallie love to spend time in here.  They love to close the closet door and lock me out.

We keep a small stash of books at the top of her closet.  That way I can pull some down for her at the begininng of her "quiet time."  We used to have two chairs, but one met a tragic death.  The girls will be surprised by something new (I'm not telling) on Easter Sunday though.

This "H" was from her nursery and I wanted to show you where her bath towel hangs.

And there you have it.  I have two little bedrooms that I can dream my little girl heart away in anytime I want to.  I have to say how humbled I am that we finally own a home where I can make these rooms my palette.  And for the record, these rooms are trashed not once but twice a day.  But, I've learned that a mark of good organization means you can clean up a room in seven minutes-- tops.  And we can.  And Hallie especially knows where everything goes.  Two happy children and two happy parents.

Saturday in the Park

Last Saturday was just about the best Saturday ever.  We started the day with birthday brunch at our favorite diner to celebrate Claire's second birthday.  It's no secret that we love food.  And we really loved the food this morning.  After a little window shopping at JC Penney, we stopped at home for snacks and water and went to a favorite local park.  I was so impressed with how well Claire was doing going up and down hills all by herself.  The girls were thrilled because there was water and dogs.  It doesn't take much to keep them happy.  After our little hike, we snacked on granola bars and fruit snacks on a little picnic table by our car.  When we went home that night, we finished Harry Potter 7 after the kids went to bed.  We kept saying how much we loved this Saturday.

Four kids

Chris and I had the opportunity to parent four kids, ages 5, 4, 3, and 2 (almost) for nine days!  Mark and Karen went to Europe and we helped them by watching Amanda and Joe while they were away.  It was such a great learning experience for us as a couple.  We learned so much about accomplishing challenging tasks, the importance of organization, and parenting as one.  The first couple days all four kids were super excited and it was honestly a little chaotic.  I thought it was going to be a fun but long nine days.  But we met together with a family meeting and established our rules.  Let me be clear, Amanda and Joe weren't the only ones that needed the rules.  Our children (namely Hallie) really needed to know what was expected.  Once we eased into our expectations, all of the kids did beautifully!  Our kitchen table (which seats six) was full for nine days and it was fun.  Mark and Karen's kids are so gracious.  I really miss hearing "I love you, Shell!" and "You're the best, Shell!" and "You my best friend, Shell."  They were just as cute to Chris too.  Claire misses having someone other than Mom and Dad who could pick her up whenever she wanted it.  She asked me yesterday "Where Manda?"  When the kids missed their parents (and boy did they) it was special because I got to tell them how much their parents loved them.  I also got to tell them all about their parents as children.  Mark, obviously, is my brother.  But Karen is literally my oldest friend.  We had countless slumber parties from the time we were toddlers on up.  I loved that Hallie and Amanda were getting what Karen and I had when we were little.  One side effect of having a niece and nephew stay with you is your kids start calling you by your first name.  Claire thought it was awesome to refer to me as "Miss-sell."  When Mark and Karen were on their way home Mark asked if I was over it yet.  The answer was "no!"  It was a lot of work but it was really pleasant.  And Mark and Karen will return the favor this summer as Chris and I celebrate our ten year anniversary!  Yay for cousins!

Joe and Claire in their "assigned seats."  This really helped avoid fighting about "that's my spot!"

We loved going places and playing in the backyard.  But sometimes a movie was just what Mom needed.

Coloring was another good go-to activity.

Joe handled being the only boy perfectly.  He always had a car stuffed in his pocket.

Hallie still had preschool while the kids were with us.  Here they wait for her ride.

This is classic Joe.  He is actually feigning sadness though.

That is the Joe we know!

They really get along well.

It looks like Amanda is doing the "Thriller" dance.

It is so great that this group of grandkids is so close in age.

I can't get enough of all those bows!

When Joe arrived, it took him all of two minutes to sort out our "boy toys." 

Our Buzz and Woody were his best friends throughout his stay.

Costco is even more brilliant when you have four kids. 

Although, I did feel fleeting tinges of guilt when I took four samples instead of just two.

Minnie was our fifth child that day.

We spent hours at Chick-Fil-A one day so they could play.

Thank goodness for play lands and backyards!

We're gonna miss that bundle of kids.