Back to School

Lil'bub had a great first day of school this week. She was a bit tentative at first, but came around pretty fast. A fantastic first day outfit always helps of course!

One of Avery's very favorite parts of school is "circle time," where all the kids sit together and the teachers lead them in songs and silly games. Recently a photographer came in and took some photos of the class and I just love this one...

There's lil'bub in the middle and you can tell how enthusiastic she is...makes my heart melt a little :)

Meanwhile, we are still working on the sisterly affection...

and Bub the hub and I are still pretty much in heaven with this sweet preciousness:

New Arrival!

Sweet, precious Madeline Brynn arrived on Monday night at 8:08pm. It was a smooth delivery and we are all doing very well! She was a little bit of an earlybird, but we certainly don't mind, and she is as healthy as can be. Madeline is just a tiny bub at 6 pounds and 2 ounces. I am pretty surprised that she doesn't look anything at all like Avery did. She has blond hair, dark blue eyes and she's a lot rounder than her sister looked, despite weighing more than a pound less! We are having so much fun getting to know her and cuddle and kiss...here are a few photos to share!!

proud daddy

after nursery bath and check-up

family time

little kisses

my precious new bundle of joy!! 

36 Weeks and allllmost ready

I can't believe we are so close to meeting this sweet girl! Sometime in the next four weeks (please, please come by your due date little one :) we will finally get to cuddle with Baby Bub, and if all goes well, even be able to bring her home from the hospital right away! What a thrill that will be.

Meanwhile, we continue to work on the nursery, which has taken a little bit more time than I anticipated, but is still lookin super cute already. It's been kinda tricky since I decided to put a daybed in there so we can still have guests over. The room is not exactly huge, or large, or....let's just call it cozy!  We finally figured out how to arrange the furniture, and now we are just finishing some final touches and waiting on the new glider to come in. AND I finally packed a bag for the hospital, which is very important in order not to race around the house like a nutball if it's time to go to the hospital!

Here is the bump photo and info:

How far along?  a day shy of 36 weeks 
Total weight gain/loss? 20 lbs at my appointment two weeks ago...good lord
Maternity clothes? it's so hot, I just wear flowy dresses every day, and flats or flip flops of course
Sleep? oh gosh, where do I begin...I'm up almost every night for hours. And I officially can't eat past about 7:30pm, or I regret it...AND there's a certain 3 year old munchkin who has been having a party in her bed almost every night for reasons currently unknown...
Movement? Lots of squirming and tons of hiccups, but not much room for anything else at this point!
Food cravings? My portion sizes are so small now I feel like I'm on Jenny Craig or something ha!
What I miss: sleeping. and sleeping.
Milestones: She is around 6 pounds now-- we'll find out a more exact weight at my ultrasound this week-- and she's gaining about an ounce a day :)

Home Improvement

You all might have noticed these posts are getting fewer and farther between. Sorry, but getting ready for a second new baby is no small feat! It's a little crazy around here. I am glad to say that Bub the hub and I have finally completed the carpentry and painting projects in the nursery, and are currently arranging furniture and decorating, so that hopefully I can share photos next week! I am a master at run-on sentences.

Meanwhile, you can call it nesting, or home improvement, or upgrading or whatever! but for the last of couple months, I've been making small changes around the house. Mostly painting, which has made a BIG difference. So I am going to share a few before and after photos with you, because I always love seeing how other people are redoing/redecorating their houses too. 

So, to start, we painted the big window wall downstairs "Heavenly Blue." And I love it! Before, every wall was the same gray color, which I do like, but it needed a little something extra. The blue also picks up the colors in the new rug I got a few months back:

much better, don't you think??

We had our bedroom painted as well. This time it was "Waterfall." Yes, it's actually a different blue ha! We changed around the furniture, added dark blue drawers from the former guest room and most importantly, got a new gorgeous comforter that I absolutely A-dore!! The whole room is more soothing...which is exactly what a bedroom should be! See if you agree:



and just to give you an even better idea of the soothing blue...

isn't the new bedspread lovely? it lightens the whole room!

We also painted the half bath...that's right you guessed it, "French Blue." What can I say? I'm in a blue phase. Sorry no before photo for this one!

And last but not least, we had the new nursery painted as well....NOT blue :) a bright, fresh YELLOW-

that's all I can show you for now! but I don't want to leave you hangin' too bad, so here is another nursery hint:

we are doing love birds!!!

NEXT UP...replacing the breakfast room light fixture with this beauty:

And let's not forget the upcoming frog themed bathroom for the girls!