Fall Beach Trip

In October we spent several days at the beach.  It was heavenly.  :) Do you see how beautiful the water is?  It was that beautiful every single day.

This sweet thing was only 8 weeks old.  I don't know if I would have ventured to the beach when Nate was that young.  Everything went smoothly, thankfully.  She slept the entire ride there and home.  She was easy peasy, just like at home. :) 

This guy was so happy to finally be at the beach.  We usually go to the beach every May.  We skipped our May trip because Darren had just started a new job in March.  We were also preparing for Cora's arrival. 

My parents came down for a couple of days.  It was nice to have some extra help and enjoy time with Darren and Nate  on the beach while Cora stayed upstairs with my mom.  My dad enjoyed a nap on the beach. :)

This little crab was a stinker.  It would not let go of Nate's shovel.  

Nate loved riding the waves. 

One of my favorite pics of the week.

Cora did get to enjoy a couple of hours on the beach.  She slept almost the entire time. 

How sweet is that face and those lips? 

The Best Bubs :)

When Cora was about a month old I walked into her room to check on her and noticed a dandelion in her crib.  When Nate was outside feeding the bunnies and cats, he picked this flower for her.  Without me knowing, he came inside and quietly laid it beside her.  It was all his idea.  How sweet is that??? He is the very best big brother, or "bubs" as we call him. :)

Nate loves Cora so much - more than I imagined he could love a baby sister.  He loves to hold and kiss her.  Most of all, he loves to make her smile and laugh.  He will tease me and say that Cora is giving him all of her smiles.

He is very protective of her and eager to check on her.  He is always quick to grab pacis, bottles, or diapers for me when needed.  He is just the best and Darren and I are very thankful the transition to big brother has gone smoothly. :)

Newborn Photo Shoot

These were taken when Cora was 5 days old.  We did not do a newborn shoot with Nate so I wasn't sure what to expect.  The photographer was patient and sweet.  Cora was a little trooper and slept through all of the many different poses and wardrobe changes.

I love the photos.  She's so sweet in all of them. :)

These last photos were taken by me at home.  They are sweet too. :)

Silly Boy

A few weeks ago I was cleaning the bathroom with my back to the door.  I hear "Put your hands up!" I turn around and see this.  All I could do was laugh.  

Nate said he didn't have a bandit costume so he would just draw one.  The funniest part is that in Nate's seven years of life he has never intentionally written on himself.  After about two minutes he was ready to get it off.  The markers weren't washable so getting if off wasn't fun.  It actually took the red a few days to fade.  I don't think he will draw his own costume again any time soon. He was pretty cute though. :)

Field Trip: Desoto Caverns

In September Nate visited Desoto Caverns. 

I remember visiting Desoto Caverns as a child.  They have added a lot of other things to do as well as tour the cave.  Nate enjoyed the maze.

His favorite activity was panning for gems. :)

The Nursery

I am so pleased with Cora's nursery.  It is an eclectic blend of fabrics, textures, (mostly) old and new. Almost every piece in the room has some sort of story.  I wanted her room to be beautiful, but I also needed to do it on a limited budget.  

My mom had the great idea of using the drapes and bedding from our old guest bedroom in the nursery.  The fabrics and colors from those pieces were my decorating starting point.  I used them to find coordinating fabrics for the crib bedding and pillows.  

Here are the pillows from our old guest-room.  I took them apart and used pieces of them to create new pillows.

Here's the finished product.  I absolutely love how all of the fabrics and colors blend together perfectly.

I mentioned that almost every piece has a story.  My parents found the chandelier at a yard sale for seven dollars.  We just had to clean it and add new candle covers and bulbs.  The rocking chair came from my parents' and the crib came from a thrift store.  I originally planned to paint the crib, but it matched the furniture perfectly so I decided to leave it natural.

This piece and the bed are part of a set that belonged to Darren's grandparents.  

My talented cousin painted this beautiful abstract.  

 

This shelf looks old, but is actually one of the new pieces.  It's a Hobby Lobby special. :)

My mom found this ballerina picture at a yard sale several years ago. I love how delicate and feminine it is.

 A little girl's room would not be complete without bows.  Two sweet friends made these for Cora.  :)

The most challenging part of the room was the paint color.  Pink is hard.  You can choose a super light color on the color chart/card and it looks so much brighter on the wall.  The first color I chose looked like pepto bismol.  I tried to talk myself into living with it but just couldn't do it.  The room still needed one more coat so I decided we should just start over.  The second time I went with an extremely pale pink - like white with a pink tint.  It ended up being perfect.  It has plenty of color without being overwhelming.

These guys worked so hard prepping the room for paint.  We had a leak in this room a while back.  They had to get that repaired before we could paint.

We finished the room in just the nick of time.  Cora ended up arriving about two weeks early.  That story is coming soon. :)