A sneak peek...

Almost 6 months in the making, we have finally put this boy in his big boy room!  It is still a work in progress (decorating wise), so I am only giving a sneak peek until it is completely done.  I guess I forgot that it is a lot of work and $$ to re-do a room!  Despite the our fears, he did WONDERFUL his first night in a big bed.  He is so thrilled about his new room and is in love with it.  I must say, I did get a little misty eyed taking that crib down, but once it was out of the room I was over it and excited to get the new furniture in.  We bought an old dresser off Craig's List for $25.  It needed re-finishing, so we sanded it down and painted it black.  The handles on the dresser were pretty old, but we liked the look of them with the black paint, so we decided to keep them.  Here is a look at the finished dresser:

As for the bed, we were able to find someone that was getting rid of the same platform bed that we wanted to buy from Big Lots.  The only problem was, it was white...so we painted it black to match the dresser.  It has 2 great storage drawers in the bed...love!  Here is a finished picture of the bed with his new comforter.  Excuse the wrinkles, it is fresh out of the bag :)

Here is the color inspiration for his room...2 canvases I painted a few months back.  These 2 lovelies hang at the head of little man's bed.  As soon as he saw them he started naming all the colors, "bloos, geen, orangey!" HA.  I love the big canvas, it was probably the most challenging thing I have ever painted, and I am quite surprised it turned out so well.  Unfortunately, I didn't come up with the idea for the painting myself...I found one online that is similar and I tried my best to freehand it.

Next up, I created Carter his very own cork board.  I bought the initial letters at Michaels, and that is also where I found the four 12' by 12' cork panels for $12.99.  I painted the letters the same blue paint found in his canvases, and I sponge painted the orange polka dots around the edges.  I had an old sponge paint brush in my craft box, so I just ripped it off the handle and cut me a nice circle and went to town : )

I laid the four peices of cork on the floor and hot glued the letters in the middle to hold them together.  I found the giant green push pins at Wal-Mart for only $3!  Now I can start hanging his creations.

 We had this shelf already hanging in his nursery for his diaper bags. The plan was to go ahead and take it down, and it would go with the nursery furniture for the next little one. Well, the screws were stripped out and we couldn't get it off the wall, so plan B was put into action and we painted it to match the furniture. I am really glad we did because we can hang coats and his bookbags on it. All we have on it for now is books and a 'C' painted black. I am planning on decorating this a lot more, so I will have to repost pictures soon.

The room is not finished, so I will have to re-post when I have decorated everything (which won't be too long because I can't stand and unfinished project).  But here are some pictures below of Carter enjoying his new room!

 Looking at his canvases

 Jumping!

Practicing "night, night"

(How ugly is that safety rail, right? Luckily its easily removable.)

 #1

 Reading before bed

 Right before bedtime the first night



Smarty Pants

These pictures are of our recent trip to the beach, we had a great time, and it was fun to go in May before it got too hot! 
Carter's language skills are blossoming at a rapid rate, and we love hearing him talk...even though he has learned "hush" and " stop it"....wonder where he heard those ; )
He also knows almost all of his basic colors and announces them proudly whenever he sees them.  His favorite color is green and he makes sure I know when something is any shade of green.  Orange is "orangey", yellow is "yellos", and blue is "bloos". 
We are working on counting to 10 and he counts 2, 5, 7, 8, and 9 with you.  He also knows that 5 is your 5 fingers on one hand held up.
He can talk in sentences now, although some of them are pretty choppy, but we know what he means!  The poor guy gets in "trouble" for whining now, because we know he can now tell us what he actually wants instead of whining for it ; )
For some reason he talks about apples all day long, and I have no idea why!  I just nod and agree with him. 
He can point out circles, and I think I heard him today talking about a square.

My prayer lately has been for the Lord to show me little ways of how I can teach my 2 year old about Him.  I know he is young, and I'm really not sure how much of what I'm saying makes sense, but I'm praying some of it sticks : ) While the matters of what school he attends, what sports he may play, and what degree he may choose are all important, I have decided my number one priority as a parent will be to teach him of Christ.  If I keep those things secondary, I know they will fall into place as long as I teach him Christ first.

All Things BUZZ...

      We have entered into the age of movie/character obsession!  "BUZZ" is what I hear at least 2 to 3 times an hour.  Can you guess which movie Buzz is from?....You got it, Toy Story...all 3 of them.  Chad and I can now quote the majority of Toy Story.  Currently we have Toy Story and Toy Story 2 recorded on DVR and Grandma and Grandpa are getting Toy Story 3 for his Easter basket from them.  He received the full size Buzz doll (or action figure) at his 2nd birthday party from Chad's Aunt.  He wasn't too interested in it at first, he just liked to push the buttons and that was about the extent of it....well I decided to introduce him to the Toy Story movies and Buzz became an instant favorite.  When it's time to go bye bye, Carter immediately grabs Buzz by the arm and heads for the door.  We drag him down the sidewalk and into the car where he proceeds to pitch a fit while I remove it from his grasp to buckle him up.  He quickly receives Buzz back in his arms for the ride, and Carter greets him with an ecstatic "Buzz!".  Buzz goes to Wal-Mart, the mall, restaurants, Mom and Pop's house, etc.  Let me tell you, this toy has THE life! He is starting to become more interested in Woody and is working on saying his name.  Right now it just sounds like "woooyie", but we know what he means : )
So, the Easter Bunny might be surprising us with a Woody doll in a few short weeks.

Here Carter is getting Buzz at his 2 year old birthday Party...

Here is a picture of Carter loving all things Buzz...hat, shirt, and action figure!
(excuse the poor quality, this was taken with my phone)

Elmo, or "Elpo" as Carter calls him, is also a favorite and he loves Sesame Street.  I love that because I LOVED Sesame Street when I was little!  I remember watching it at home everyday while my Mom stayed at home with me, so I'm glad to watch it at home with my little one while I stay at home with him : )

I love strolling through the store and hearing an occasional "Elpo" or "Buzz" come out of Carter's mouth...that usually means he has spotted them somewhere.

Although it is bittersweet to watch your baby grow up, it is so much fun to go through all these stages with him! I wouldn't have it any other way.

Big Boy room in progress...

 I am beginning the process of transforming Carter's nursery into a Big Boy room!  I am so excited about it, but of course it's bitter sweet...as it is for any Mommy.  Before I inform you on the details, I haven't done an update on what little man has been doing.  As you know, he is now my big 2 year old now...we had his checkup and he is a whopping 25lbs : ) and 34 inches long.  He is in the 15th percentile for weight and over 40th percentile for height.  She was quite pleased with his weight gain because he used to be in the 9th percentile! My sweet little skinny boy.  When we got to the pediatrician I was surprised with all new paperwork to fill out (always fun with a toddler in tow) and a sheet I had to fill out that quizes me on how he is developing (language, motor skills, etc.).  I'm ashamed to admit, I reverted back to my college days and got a little nervous before I started, ha!  Dr. Webster graded my paper and said he was right on track with all of his development.  Here are a few newer things he has picked up in the last month:

Says:
What you doin'?
Owey
KK
Let's Go!
Alright!
Elmo (sounds like Elpo)

He also has to say "Hey" to everyone he sees in the store, and he continues to say hey until you say hey back.  So if you see us in the store, PLEASE say HEY to my toddler!  He has now started to ask strangers "What you doin'?"...and they have to explain what they are doing to him...then he is satisfied.  Sorry to the lady in KFC that had to explain to him that she was in line waiting to order, ha!  He is a mess. I love him.

Anyways, back to the Big Boy room.  Now, this is a work in progress...meaning I am gathering items over the next month or so, that way I can complete it all at once.  An unfinished project drives me nuts, I need immediate satisfaction when I am putting new decor together.  I can't handle the unfinishedness of it and having to wait to see what the outcome will look like.
Okay, here is my theme: "Snips, and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of".
After looking around on the internet a little I realized that a lot of people do their little boy's nursery in this, but I have also seen some big boy rooms with this same nursery rhyme as the focal point.  Along with the nursery rhyme, snails and puppies will accent.  I painted this canvas today as a guide for the colors I want to use.  The canvas will have a place on the wall when I am finished.

I am going to give credit to the original artist on this one.  It is so cute.  I got the idea for this painting from a print from Kate Mawdsley.  I thought I could easily re-create it for Carter's bedroom and I think it came out pretty cute.

This is the spread I am looking at getting for his bed.  It is from Target and only $17.99 for a twin size.  I am quite certain this will be what we end up with.  I like the idea of just a solid color.

Here is the bed we are getting.  It is a platform bed and I like the idea because it is low to the ground and has the storage drawers underneath.  It also only requires a matress and not a box spring and Daddy likes that idea because less $$ for him!  I am planning on pushing it up against a wall and using a toddler rail at first.  This way I am hoping it won't be so traumatic for the little guy and he will still feel safe and enclosed.  If you know my child, you know he LOVES his crib.  He goes straight to it when he is sleepy and looks through the bars waiting on me to lift him in....so you can imagine I am a little bit nervous to eventually move him.

The wall color will be a neutral Khaki color, so hopefully everything with bright colors will POP.  I am also planning on doing another larger canvas with the "What Little Boys are Made of" nursery Rhyme painted on it.
He will have his own cork board, possibly custom made by Mommy, for him to hang his creations on.

That is about as far as I have gotten in the process...so stay tuned for updates and pictures of the finished product!

A House Based on Grace

My Mom bought me this book for Christmas when I was 9 months pregnant with Carter.  I am ashamed to say I have just now started it.  I am so NOT a reader, so it has taken some motivation to get started.  But, last night I could not put it down!  If anyone out there is looking for a parenting book to read, then this is the one.  I am not even to the 4th chapter and I can already tell you that Chad and I will raise our children with this method which is based on Grace...God's Grace.

The basic idea of the book is to treat and raise our children the same way our heavenly Father treats (and raises) us.  I know I have written a recent blog that talked about the parallel between parenting and our relationship with Christ, well this is just another parallel that will point our kids to Christ.  I am just going to say I AM LOVIN' these parallels that Christ is revealing to me!  He has such a perfect road map to life.

Here is just a little bit from the book:

"What does a grace-based family look like?  Grace-based parents spend their time entrusting themselves to Christ.  They live to know God more.  Their children are the daily recipients of the  grace these parents are enjoying from the Lord.  If you watch them in action, they appear to be peaceful and very much in love with God.  They are especiallyy graceful when their children are hardest to love.  Their advice to their children would be a mixture of :

- You are a gift from God; go make a difference

-You may struggle doing the right thing sometimes, but you're forgiven"

" The key characteristic of grace-based families is that they aren't afraid.  They are especially unafraid of all the evil around them"

Basically, we are raising our children the way Christ raises His.  Our goal in life is to ultimately become more and more Christ-like, so why not mix that same goal into our parenting styles?

Now, one thing to clear up about this book...Grace does NOT exclude obedience, respect, boundaries, or discipline...but it does determine the climate in which these important parts of parenting are carried out. 

So far from reading, what I have read thus far, is it is getting away from a legalistic way of parenting (list of rules), but it is also NOT one of these weird things where we aren't going to have any boundaries or discipline in our household.  It is almost like finding a good medium, but having it tailored to your child and their personality and what works best for them.  It is trusting God to lead you in the direction of what matters and what doesn't while parenting your child.

One last thing, the author guides you through the Grace based style of parenting using 3 things...and that is your child's three driving needs that are etched into his/her DNA.  Those being:

1. A need for security

2. A need for significance

3. A need for strength

Throughout the rest of the book the author will teach you how to meet these 3 basic needs in your child through 3 valuable gifts you can give them: Love, Purpose, and Hope.

If we do our jobs, our children will leave our homes with a love that is secure, a purpose that is significant, and a hope that is strong.

Also, he leads us to understand if we as parents don't fill our children's basic needs, then they will find it elsewhere in the world...and Satan knows about these needs he will always be working to try to fill our children's needs in counterfeit ways.  We've got to beat him to the punch.

The book is scriptually based, and the author backs himself up all throughout the book with scripture verses.

I feel like this parenting style is going to set my children free to choose Christ.  It will not be a style that will cause children to want to be rebellious, but it will point them straight to Christ by the way they are raised.

I feel refreshed knowing that we are going to choose this parenting style to raise our children.  I always knew I wanted to be a mother but until I became one I never felt how much of a calling mother's have on their lives to raise a Godly child.  Mothers...think about it, Christ is using us to mold this human into a God-loving, God-fearing individual that will ultimately make a difference for His Kingdom...now tell me that is not purpose!  Wow, what a task we have! With Christ's direction and help I am working towards that "Well done good and faithful servant"!  What a thrill it is to serve Him!

SO, if you haven't read this book yet...go get it!

2!

So we (we as in Carter) have officially been 2 for a week today!  On his birthday he got to open his birthday present from Mommy and Daddy, which was a keyboard that he loved, and then that evening we went to his favorite place for dinner, Chickfila.  Real original, right??  Chad's parents met us there and we ate, had a cake, and sang Happy Birthday...it was sweet. 
Saturday was his birthday party, which was themed after the Freshbeat Band.  He looooooooves the Freshbeat Band.  We even had Freshbeat Band music playing..which he was confused about because he didn't understand why he couldn't see them, but he could hear them.
All in all the party went great and was much less stressful than his 1st birthday party.  We had it at my sister's neighborhood clubhouse in Springville. It is a perfect spot for a party, it has a huge room with a kitchen...and that is all I needed!  Throw some balloons down and the kids had a BLAST.

Now, onto our averted disaster.  The clubhouse also has a pool outside which we can enjoy in the summertime...all you have to do is walk out the clubhouse door, step down off the patio and there is a beautiful pool with a small waterfall.  Well, folks were coming in and out and I guess somehow the door didn't get closed all the way or my child knew how to open it.  Either way, the Birthday Boy somehow made his way outside and was contemplating a nice little dip in the uncovered pool.  So, you're wondering, where is this kid's parents, right?  Well, it was slightly chaotic inside and I had my back turned to the door and was putting ice in glasses, Chad had been chatting with family and friends and we were just letting all the kids play...I mean it was one big room so what could go wrong? 
Chad said he happened to see the door open and went to close it and just happened to see Carter standing right at the edge of the pool, just looking at it.  He said he looked around for me because he thought "surely she is out here"...NOPE!  Chad ran straight at him and just hoped he didn't take a dive for it!  Luckily he did not become part of the Polar Bear club that evening.  But in all seriousness I laugh to keep from crying...though, I did burst into tears once all was said and done and we got home from the party, I just sat there and squeezed him so tight.  I'm sure he was wondering what the big fuss was about!
So, moral of the story is this...don't think the Lord doesn't hear your prayers...especially when they are consistent.  He hears them.  I think I have blogged before about the prayers I say for Carter for who he will grow up to be and how Christ will form his heart...well I also pray for the Lord's eyes to be on Carter when mine are not.  None of us are perfect parents and there are times when our eyes are just not on our children. 
So, His eyes were on Carter when mine were not and I have thanked the Lord a million times plus for that.  I keep wondering why it almost happened and I really think it was the Lord's way of showing me that He is hearing my prayers and reminding me to pray more.
HE is also reminding me to focus on what DIDN'T happen rather than what COULD have happened.  My mind likes to wander, so I usually like to come up with unproductive thoughts throughout the day.
So this is just one of the other thousands of reasons I praise my Lord.  HE is good.  All the time.

SO, after all of that we are now over-run with toys, and I am working on organizing everything since our house is back on the market (that's another prayer we're working on).  I will have to post again once our new toybox gets here and show you the before and after of our Toys R Us corner in the living room.
I know I have missed important posts like Christmas and snow days, but I am doing good to post this one!
Hopefully I will update my blog decor soon too, ha.
Below are a few pics of the party...

Symbolism in life...coincidence...I think not.

A couple of weeks ago I realized that our yard was FULL of leaves and I had just gotten a cute shirt made for Carter, so I decided to take some fall pictures.  I ended up getting some really good pictures made of him, and even a couple I could blow up to give to the grandparents to frame. 
Taking pictures of an almost 2 year old is a different experience than last year.  Our mobility status has changed quite a bit so it pretty much ends up being me chasing Carter around our yard with a camera.  I took about 80 shots and ended up with about 15 good ones and 3 framable ones.  Not too bad for a free sitting fee (I didn't charge myself), and $10 to print at Sam's.

On to the point of this post...as I was following Carter around the yard letting him do as he pleased (pretty much), I realized that this picture taking session was much like our walk with Christ.  We, being the child, and Christ being the parent.  I followed Carter all around the back yard, letting him run and walk as he pleased, jump up on rocks and play with sticks as I closely stayed behind.  I got such joy from watching him be who he is...

There were moments when he would come across a hole in our yard and stumble into it, unable to get out himself, he would reach up that little hand for some help. Warmed that he asked for my help, I would gladly reach out my hand to his.  I helped him down steps, over rocks, around the fence, and in the flowerbeds.
I followed close behind him as I saw him running for the ditch in our back yard, which is lined with huge rocks.  I scooped him up just before he got to them and pointed him in another direction.  Then it hit me...the symbolism in parenting, that is.  I realized that our backyard was much like life, filled with different paths, dangers, and uncertainty.  And my relationship with Carter was much like Christ's relationship with us.  Staying close behind us, guiding us in the right direction, keeping us close and saving us from danger.  I thought to myself about how this symbolism was no coincidence but an absolute intentional approach Christ took to show me just a tid bit of how much He really loves me.  It was like He was saying "Kim, you see how much you love Carter, long the best for him, strive to keep him safe and on the right path?  Well that is exactly what I do for you." 
A few days later, in my Bible study I came across this verse, which I love.



"The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:16-18

I love that two of the most important relationships we have on earth, marriage and children, are symbolism of Christ and his love for us.  What a wonderful God we serve, that He makes every effort to display his love for us.  How could we worship any other?