Potty Makeover 2.0

Two of the potties in the house are about to undergo a makeover.  Nothing major - just a little sprucing to tide us over while we save our pennies for a major renovation.  And really, who doesn't love a makeover.  I know I do...and could use one these days, but that is another story. :)

You may remember that we started working on our master bathroom last Fall but weren't able to do all the renovations we had hoped to do.  Lucy's knee surgery took priority and that is where the funds went.  We were able to make some small upgrades ~ a new paint job, added a new light fixture and replaced the boring old mirror with a medicine cabinet.  It just still feels blah.  We never really loved the shower curtain and the paint color against the white fixtues makes it feel very washed out.

While we save up for the big reno job, we decided that it is time to make the bathroom feel like a true master - well, as much as it can.  Here is what we currently have:

The long term goal is to bring in a medicine cabinet and vanity made of dark wood...similar to this:



The dark woods will help the wall color pop. And speaking of color, the color pallete will also be different with these as inspiration:

We are hoping that the small, suttle changes will tide us over until we can afford the big reno.  Stay tuned for the reveal!

But that is just one of the makeovers that the potties are undergoing in casa de Mangiaracina.  We are also looking to spruce up the upstairs hall bath and make it a little more James-friendly.  He is now old enough to take baths in the big boy tub (with some assistance from Daddy), so it's time to bring some big fun into the bathroom. Here it is now:

We painted the room this beachy blue color when we first moved in and still love it so it is going to stick. Plus it matches the new theme which is a double bonus. The makeover is going to include a shower curtain change and some decor upgrades to make it a bathroom that any kid would LOVE to spend time in. Behind the curtain are some clues as to the direction we are going in...can you guess?

And let me interrupt this regularly scheduled program to tell you how much we LOVE the bath products from Skip Hop.  From our Moby spout cover to the Tubby bath toy organizer to the Dunck stacking rinse cups, we are HUGE FANS!!  Don't be surprised if the makeover will include a few more Skip Hop products.  But I digress...We can't wait to put this room together - it is SO much fun to decorate kid areas and this one will not disappoint.  Stay tuned!!

Rice, Rice Baby

We hit a HUGE milestone on our little man's life last night and of course, we had to share it.  Rather than talk about it, how about some visuals.  :)

That's right people ~ we officially ate our first "solid" food!!  The recipe: 1 TBSP rice cereal and 1 oz formula.  Mix and serve.  The first few bites were a bit rocky as he tried to figure out what the heck Mommy was giving him on this strange instrument (aka: a spoon), but after a few tries, he got the hang of it and was wanting more and more!

This opens the door to a whole new world of eats for him, but its a baby steps process.  We'll be introducing all kinds of new stuff over the next few weeks and months and we'll have to see what he likes.  Hopefully he won't be like his Daddy and actually eat his vegetables!!

Stupid Summer Cold

There is nothing worse then having cold in the summer.  The itchy eyes, runny nose, annoying cough all while it is 98 degrees out.  Blah!  What's worse is being a 4 1/2 month old baby with a cold.  That's right ~ the germs of daycare have struck and our little guy is now experiencing his first full on cold.

He's got the runny nose...the hacking cough...the watery eyes and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.  Poor kid is too young to take meds so we have to work with the old fashioned remedies.  And let me tell you ~ he LOVES them. We have the humidifier running...we sit in a steamy bathroom with him to help loosen up the snot.  And his ultimate favorite - when I stick the bulb thing up his nose and suck the snot out.   He's a BIG fan of that one.  Can you sense the sarcasm?!

But at this point, we will try anything to help the kid breathe.  Luckily, he is taking it like a champ and is still the happy go lucky kid we have come to know and love.  We still even manage to get him to giggle despite the snot. :)

Evolution of a Smile

James is not really into photos.  When the camera is aimed at him, he usually turns his head or squints or puts his hands up to his face.  He's not into the paparazzi and because of that, we have to take about 57 photos before we get one with a smile on his face.  I'm telling you, this kid smiles.  A lot.  We just have a hard time capturing it on film!  It doesn't help that the shutter speed of our camera is slower than molasses but that is an entirely different issue in itself.  So here, I give you, the evolution of a smile.

Here we are, sitting in our chair, playing with our new toy.  We are inspecting it for it's level of fun/will- this-fit-into-my-mouth ability...

... we find the piece of toy that we like but notice the camera hovering over us...

... so we give a wink which says "Mommy, there ain't no way I'm cracking a smile for you!"...

... so we focus back on the task at hand ~ getting this toy in our mouth...

... we continue to tease Mommy by giving her a kiss face ~ but nope, not ready to crack a smile until....

NOW!!

It's a good thing he is cute. :)

Parson Me Update

If you remember, we finally took the plunge and got ourselves the West Elm Parsons Desk that we had been lusting over for months.

Well, over the weekend, we decided to dress up the wall that Ed faces when working.  Ta Da!

We LOVE how finished this little office nook now feels with the addition of some wall art.  So what did we hang you ask?  Well, our babies of course!

For Ed's birthday, I commissioned a sketch of Lucy from our good friend Alison Hunt.  He LOVED it so I knew the perfect spot for it would be above the desk.  With the addition of the "I Love My Dog" wooden sign I snagged from Home Goods, Lucy looks pretty awesome on the wall.

Keeping Lucy company is our month by month photo log of our little James.  We decided to hang this one fairly low since we will have to add photos on a monthly basis.

The third element is the Anniversary gift that I gave Ed - the timeline of our life together.

This little desk area has really been a huge asset to the overall space - Ed sits here on a daily basis to work and it is a great spot to store all those office supply must-haves.  We have a feeling that James will make use of the space in years to come, and now there are some great wall hangings to gaze at.  :)

Some Monday Fun

Since James started daycare, he has been introduced to some new toys.  One of them being the always fun, ever popular Exersaucer.

We, sadly, do not have an Exersaucer, but we do have a Jumperoo.  We decided that it was time to pack up the baby swing and put together the big boy Jumperoo so that he could play at home like he does as school.  The Jumperoo is a little bigger than the Exersaucer - his little feet don't quite touch the floor, but with the Bumbo underneath to act as a booster, he does just fine.

They grow up so fast. :)

Tanjoubi Omedetou!

Thank God for Google or else I would not have been able to say Happy Birthday in Japanese.  Why am I saying Happy Birthday in Japanese?  Well, earlier this week, our friend Chris Newland celebrated his birthday and let us share it with him at Sakura - an awesome Japanese Steakhouse out here in Fair Lakes.

We were joined by the whole neighborhood crowd and had a fantastic time.  We managed to squeeze 14 chairs around the hibachi table and were entertained by our chef who cooked us a delicious meal. The kids were in awe of the skills of the chef and even James got into all the action!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids LOVED the part when the chef tossed food into the air at them and they had to catch it in their mouths. James' favorite part was when he got to gnaw on Sophie...as usual!

I have mentioned before how lucky we are live next to such wonderful people.  We had a great time and can't wait until our next outing with our new friends.  And I think next year, Chris, you are going to have to share your cake with our little guy.  Happy Birthday!!