All Hallows Eve 2012

Who knows me?

Halloween - not my fave.

But with these two adorable superheroes, it's tolerable.

Okay, it was actually awesome!  Miles and Knox had a blast being Captain America and Superman, which means it was really fun for Jeremy and me too.  Seriously, how many times in this life can you wear tights and undies and be told you're awesome?  Not many.  Thankfully.  

I DIY'd the costumes, and if it weren't for Captain America's mask and shield I could have done both for less than ten bucks (I bought the mask and shield at Target, for the sake of durability in years to come).  Most of the rest of it you can find in your craft supplies or your kid's closet.

Miles loves Captain America.

And Knox has informed me that he doesn't want to go on the airplane next week when we go to Maui. Instead, he wants to wear his Superman cape and fly there by himself.  Wish he'd told me that before we bought his plane ticket.

I remember being so shy to trick or treat as a kid.  Not these two.

The boys got their treats early enough to come home and pass out candy to other ghosts and goblins, or superheroes as the case may be.  Apparently Superman had some trouble with the whole giving concept at first. 

But then he would peek around the corner and scout for incoming trick-or-treaters so that he could be ready...

...to give them only one piece of candy (if he even noticed a ghoul at all as he was stuffing his own face).  Captain America of course was happy to give out handfuls, although he too stopped for a few nibbles before throwing the half eaten candy bar into the bushes.

I think the fun of the night was evident by the sugar crash that DIDN'T happen until 9:30 p.m.  Oh, and also in these photos captured as C & S shot out their powers.

What?  You think Spidey is the only one that can cast webs?  Not so!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Let's Get Together, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!

Remember my big plan to build Knox a twin platform bed to match the one we built for Miles a few months ago?  Well, MISSION COMPLETE!

Actually, the bed was complete nearly 4 weeks ago.  But the mission was more than just finishing the bed.  I needed to completely transition Miles and Knox into a shared room.  Like I've mentioned before, little M will get her own room (odd gender out).  We decided that her room will be Knox's old room, and the boys' new room together would be Miles' old room. 

If you have or have had toddlers, then you know that big changes can summon meltdowns bigger than the nuclear reactors of Fukushima.  Since we've got two of them (toddlers), I planted the seed of a shared room months ago to get the boys used to the idea.  Then, I decided to completely redo Miles' nursery in hopes that the boys' "new room" would feel... well, new...and not like Knox was trampling on Miles' turf, you know?  

In order for the room to feel new, I needed to transform it all at once which meant that they were not allowed to sleep in it until it was complete.  Over the course of about a week, the room went from this (sorry for the lack of good pics)...   

    



To this...

The black headboard wall is chalkboard paint, and I wrote the words to You Are My Sunshine because it has always been one of the boys' most requested lullabies since they were really little (and I also sang it a lot when I was pregnant).  I made the curtains out of a 12x9 canvas drop cloth from Lowes.  With the leftovers I made the Euro pillow shams.  After all that, I still had some cloth left over and we've done a few art projects that I've yet to hang in here.  All that for 25 beans - not too shabby.

The book shelves going up the center of the wall are picture ledges from IKEA.  And yes, I am now fully aware that in a toddler boy's eyes this looks like a ladder.  I caught Knox on the third rung within the first 48 hours, but I am proud to say that the shelves didn't rip out of the wall and that it has never happened again.  Now that the law has been laid of course.

This is the wall opposite the beds.  The shelving unit was previously used in Miles & Knox's school.  The school recently invested in new ones, and they offered the old ones to any parents who wanted them.  Jeremy didn't even ask me and just came home with it one day.  He knows I'm a sucker for both freebies and a potential DIY project.  This fit the bill for both.  So I sanded it down and painted it blue and yellow.  It's a good storage solution since the closet in this room is so small. 

I feel like I need more height over the taller chest of drawers, so I'll probably be on the lookout for some cheap or DIY art.



I have to include a picture of this hand-carved buffalo that my Grandpa Ernie made for each of the boys.  I'm a sentimental girl, so this means a lot to me.

So, that's it.  I have to say that this was a fun room to make over.  I still have a few finishing touches by way of art and such, but I'd say this is a good start.  And, I'm sure you're wondering how a 3 year old and a 4 year old are faring in the shared space.  They LOVE it.  Every single night they ask me if they can talk and giggle after we leave the room.  Of course they can, and they do.  They talk, laugh, sing, and talk each other into mischief.  They have been in the room together for nearly a month now, and they are still averaging over an hour of bonding each night before they finally drift off to dreamland.  I have to say that this is where the video monitor has become a source of entertainment for Jeremy and me.  Oh, and check back with me on how that chalkboard wall is gelling with my type A personality.  Here's a clue:  I hid the chalk.

Next up, little M's room!  You can be sure that my wheels are turning and Pinterest has been seeing plenty of action from me.  Now, if only we can get an LSC to kick me into high gear!

Bedtime Stories

Remember the twin platform bed we started building for Miles birthday?

Well, here it is in all it's DIY glory.

For now, we just put it right where Miles' crib-turned-toddler-bed was.  That's the reason for lack of art on this big blank wall (well, besides the No More Monkeys sign that went above the old bed).  This bed is certainly not perfect.  Note the dullness on the corner of the bed in the above picture.  This is what happens when you don't sand well enough.  I'm still proud of it though.  And more importantly, Miles absolutely loves it!  When he saw it he shouted, "A big boy bed!" and danced a little jig.  Love that.  Also, just minutes after revealing the new bed, Miles and Knox went into the room and shut the door.  After about 15 minutes of unexplained quietness, I finally went to check on them.  They were both on the bed with about 30 books and 25 "friends" (stuffed animals) spread out - each boy reading his own book quietly.  Double love!  Miles also asked Knox if he wanted to sleep with him that night.  Sometimes the cuteness around here is hard to handle I tell ya. 

I got the plans for the bed from the awesome Ana White.  It was so easy to build (I've never built anything in my life), and it cost us around $60.  Not bad, right?  There are also plans for a really cool headboard that I might eventually make as well.  The plan right now is for Knox to share a room with Miles when we bring our new baby home.  Therefore,  I will be building another twin bed just like this one when that happens.  Since I'm not sure how the layout of the furniture will be just yet, I'm waiting on the headboard for now.  I'm even tossing around the idea of putting the two beds head to head on adjacent walls and building a square storage table for the corner, so that it will also serve as a "headboard" for both beds.  We will see where we end up.