No Sew Curtains

Earlier this summer I was playing around on websites trying to get ideas on curtains and some other ideas for Harpers nursery. I had the bedding, I had already picked out the furniture, I knew what paint colors I wanted. But I had not idea about curtains, and decor.

I had searched EVERY where for full length curtains, but found nothing that either matched or that I liked. Luckily I ran across this awesome blog. I looked at it for hours..(this is before I took a nap everyday and totally skipped out on making my family dinner that night!)

Anyway, I researched this before we went on vacation. And the boys and I went to a local fabric store ( I see many trips to said store in the future... not with kids!) I had a hard time deciding on my own between fabric, so I went to my backup selectors.... my three boys. YEP, between texting my mom pictures and having the boys pick out completely random fabric's.. we decided on a pink fabric with white polka dots. And it just so happens to match her crib sheet, and the piping on her bumper and quilt! PERFECT!!!

Anyway, I knew coming home from vacation that this was going to be the first project I tackled. It only took me about a half hour and the best part..... NO SEWING!!! They look great and I can't wait to make more curtains for the boy's room, the windows downstairs, the sliding glass door down stairs, and eventually our room... once we redecorate.

I would have typed more of a tutorial about the curtains, but if you click on the blog link above, they give step by step instructions and seriously, they are super easy to make! YAY!

After much deliberation, this is the fabric the boys and I picked out.

Here is the final product!  I'll have to take a better picture.  I also need to trim up the bottom... I wanted them flowy, but it's a little too much for my taste!

Splish Splash We Had a Blast

Day 2 of vacation was Day 1 of relaxation. We "slept'' in until 9ish and then lounged around the room until we heard from Heather. They came over and we headed to one of the seven pools to choose from. We spent a couple of hours swimming and enjoying the sun, before heading back to the room for some lunch. It started to pour while we were enjoying our yummy pizza, so we let the kids play around in the condo before deciding to head out to IKEA for a while.

We all got ready and loaded up ( this sounds simple, but between our families we have six kids and four adults to get ready and load into two cars) and finally got on the road to IKEA. I had been waiting for this trip since the day after I booked the vacation. I LOVE LOVE LOVE IKEA! I knew that I couldn't buy anything, but I just wanted to take Brandon and show him how cool of a store it was- plus I thought that the boys would enjoy looking around. If you've never been to an IKEA, I highly recommend going to one, but plan on staying at while. We were there for a little over two hours, and we went through it very quickly.

After IKEA we were all starving! Shopping can wear a group out! We headed across the street to the first thing we could find, one of my personal favorites.. TGI Fridays. This could be a post in itself. If you have kids, have you ever had one of those dinners from hell? Well, this could very well be the worst meal experience that Brandon and I have ever had. We had the worse server.. EVER. We had kids that were starving. We had a kitchen staff that was slower than molasses. We had a baby that, bless her heart just couldn't get comfortable. We had four parents who were exhausted and were trying to hold it all together, but no matter how hard we tried it just wasn't working! All in all, this dinner should have taken a hour. Hour and a half tops. We were in Fridays for over two and a half hours. Seriously. No special orders or requests. Just some burgers and grilled chicken and a few simple kids meals. It was INSANE!!

Anyway, after dinner we headed back to Kissimmee to turn in for the night. On the way, we past a fancy car dealership, that sold Masseratti's, Jaguars, and Lamborghini's. We tried to stop and get a picture with them, but they had them all inside and the "cheaper" cars outside. It was still cool to see such expensive cars.

We finally made it back to our condo and just collapsed on the couch. We lounged around and watched some wonderful Billy the Exterminator before calling it a night!

32 Weeks

I was a complete slacker and took no pictures this week.  I think I am still trying to get in the groove, since getting back from vacation.
Let's start with the survey though:!

how far along  32 weeks

total weight gain  12 lbs

maternity clothes  Everything I wear is maternity.  I try to mostly hang out in dresses or skirts... and I am loving wearing Brandon's shirts!  He is not loving it so much!

stretch marks  I have twins, so of course I have stretch marks.  YUCK.

sleep  It's progressively getting worse.  I'm tossing and turning during the night.  Hot flashes and sometimes having to go pee.  It's nice that the boys let me sleep in in the mornings... and by sleeping in, I mean Brandon starts a cartoon, and they wake me up when it's over.

best moment  I'll have to think on this

food cravings  Not craving too much.  I'm not saying that I'll turn food away, but I am really just wanting light weight foods.. I could eat a salad from Cheddars or McAlister's for every meal.

movement looking forward to  hmmm. I guess getting the nursery done

Vacation Day 1



Lincoln is all smiles in Branson!

Brandon and I woke up bright and early Friday August 26, for different reasons. He had to go to work for a phone trial and last minute end of the month work, and I had to wake up to finish packing the family up for our flight to ORLANDO!!!

We were so excited about this day for many reasons. It was the start to our first ever family vacation, the boys were getting to see and fly on an airplane for the first time ever, Brandon and I were headed back to the same resort that we went to for our honeymoon, we were possibly taking the boys to Disney World, and most importantly... RELAXATION!!!

Lincoln and Momma hanging out before boarding the plane



Somewhere between Missouri and Georgia!



Anyway, Greyson was up and dressed before my feet hit the floor. He was so excited about the day. They had known about vacation and flying since the day I booked the trip. Soon there after the twins were up and before I realized it my dad was here with breakfast. I finished getting ready, making sure everything was taken care of and then Brandon came in and did a second check, changed into his travel clothes and then we loaded up the car. It was an exciting trip to Branson, and even more exciting as we pulled into the airport. The part that I thought would be the most stressful ( security and check in) only took us about 20 minutes. I was shocked! The airport wasn't that full, so we didn't even have to be that stressed about the boys looking around and asking a million questions like they do. We waited anxiously for our turn to board the plane. Once we were finally on board, we were hit with a little bit of disappointment. We were seated in the very back row. It doesn't bother Brandon or I where we sit, but on the very last row- there were no windows. No way for our boys to see what the world looks like from 30,000 feet up in the air. Luckily, the sweet flight attendant overheard us telling the boys maybe next time, and she took it upon herself to ask people to switch us seats. Five people were sweet enough to switch us seats so that the boys could see and experience their first flight. We were all elated.



Daniel and his puppy waiting to board



The flight went well. I had packed snacks since we would be landing in Atlanta for a layover a little bit after our normal lunch time. But that didn't hold the boys over and Brandon and myself were both starving. We navigated our way to a food place and grabbed a quick bite of lunch and then headed back to the gate for round 2. We switched up who sat where and crossed our fingers that the boys would take a short nap on the plane.



Greyson and Giraffey



We finally landed in Orlando, and after a little bit of a wait on the runway we were finally taxied to our gate. We made our way with the massive amount of people to get our luggage and then to the tram to take us to the rental car place. It seriously felt like we were in a massive school of fish. The boys did EXCELLENT. They were great listeners and great travelers. I couldn't have asked for better behaved kiddos.

After getting the rental van and getting on the highway, we made our 30 minute drive to Kissimmee to our AWESOME condo. When I called and booked the vacation, I was lucky enough to be able to book the same resort that Brandon and I stayed at for our honeymoon. This resort is awesome, and I was so excited to get to go back. We finally got checked in at the resort, got to our room, unpacked and rested for 45 minutes, and then headed out to grab a bite of dinner. This is where we all started to hit a wall. It was almost 7 pm in Orlando, which is WAY past dinner time for us. We were tired and hungry and it seemed like dinner was taking forever. The worse part is Brandon and I knew that we still needed to make a quick stop at the grocery store before going back to the room. Luckily the restaurant and the grocery store were both at the entrance to the condo, so we literally drove less than a mile from the room.

We finally got back, got our jammies on, and settled in to watch a little bit of tv. Heather and her family (Brandon's sister), were on there way from Southern Georgia to meet us and spend the day with us. We checked in to see where they were, and headed to bed. All in all is was a great way to start out our first vacation!

Brandon and Daniel

Greyson and his giraffe

Lincon got a window seat!

31 weeks

Look at that belly!

Jealous much?!  Ha!  I spent week 30 and part of 31 in Orlando Florida (Vacation posts and pictures are soon to follow.)  We headed north from Orlando to Daytona Beach for an afternoon and evening of swimming and playing in the ocean.  This was the most exciting day of vacation for me.  I can't believe that I let Brandon take a picture of me in a swimsuit.. but I was trying to be a good sport! 
While I've had a blast in Florida, my mind is overwhelmed by all the things I have to get done in the next nineish weeks before Harper comes.  While I think she will arrive early ( the twins arrived one day shy of 37 weeks and Greyson at 38), I have my fingers crossed that I can go longer.  I totally feel like Jessie Spano, " there's just never enough time!" You gotta love Saved by the Bell quotes!

First Day of Preschool

AT LAST!!!!!

While I was sad to see the school year end in May, by the beginning of June I was ready to send the boys away to bootcamp! We had a lot of fun this summer, but completely lost any type of routine that we've always had. We ran errands at the drop of a hat or made completely unexpected trips to Springfield to wander around stores just to beat the horrible heat of the summer. So while we had fun, this momma was beyond ready to get back to a schedule and routine.

Greyson was excited all summer because he would finally get to attend preschool and be in Ms Tracy's class, instead of just dropping bubba's off twice a week. We didn't know who would be in his class, but he was excited to meet new friends and see one of his favorite ladies, Ms Tracy.

The twins were excited to start back to school too. All the of the kids that were in their class last year, changed to go three times a week instead of twice a week, so they'll have all new kids to get to know and luckily a couple of kids from church will be in their class. They are excited to get to meet and get to know Ms Judy. (We accidentally skipped the orientation night, so we didn't get to meet Ms Judy before the first day! opps!)

The night before school, the boys opted to take a shower together (it's the new cool thing to them), so I bathed three boys, cute thirty fingernails and toenails, and brushed three sets of teeth. We then picked out our outfits for the first day, and put on our jammies and said our night prayers. They were so excited, it took awhile to fall asleep, but were up bright and early the next morning. Greyson came into our room, before I was even awake and he was already completely dressed!

Brandon and I aren't used to having to share the bathroom in the morning, and the boys aren't used to having to be up at 7:30 and out the door by 8:15, so we were running a few minutes behind. We rushed to take first day pictures, load in the car and drive to school. I tried to get a couple of pictures of them walking inside and with their teachers, but they were ready to play and get to look around their new rooms.

I pray that this year goes smoothly for them. I can't believe that this time next year two of my sweet baby boys will be starting preschool. It seems like just yesterday, they were being handed to me after delivery. I pray that Greyson gets to know the kids in his class and really gets a chance to shine on his own!

The Great Room Rearrange

Ever since moving into our house, we've been racking our brains on how to rearrange the boys and make way for baby. I threw out the idea of putting Greyson on a trundle and having it slide under the boys bunk beds during the day, putting the twins into one level of the bunk bed, and Greyson on the other bed, (Promise it's not bad parenting... the twins sleep together 5 out of 7 nights anyway.) Not to sound like a negative nelly or anything, but for every idea I had, Brandon had problems with it. He didn't want G to feel like he didn't have a bed (trundle), and when the time comes that the twins no longer want to snuggle at night (tear) he didn't want to have to come up with a whole other plan on what to do. In the long run, we will eventually move the twins down into the basement, but they are only 4 1/2, and neither of us are comfortable with the idea of them being downstairs any time soon.
I've brainstormed with Brandon, my mom, and Carrie, and none of us could really come up with a "Great" idea. So one day when cleaning both of the rooms that the boys sleep in, I came to the realization that all we were trying to do, was put G into the twins room. We never... err... I never thought about putting the twins into G's room. (G's room has a vaulted ceiling and shares a wall with our room, so I always just thought that we would put the baby in there for practicality reasons.) After measuring the room about ten times, and then measuring out the bunkbeds and Greyson's bed frame, I discovered that it would fit, with two inches to spare. It would be cramped, but it would fit!!

I immediately called Brandon, and explained the layout to him, and then called my dad, because we always need his help! Brandon was relieved that I finally decided on what to do, and the boys were excited because they'll all get to share a room. (How long that excitement will last, I do not know, but we are taking advantage of it for now!) I asked my dad if he would come and help Brandon rearrange later that evening, before we changed our minds, and he agreed to come after dinner. What we thought would take about twenty minutes ended up taking a little bit longer, due to the corners in the hall, but we finally did it!

Hopefully the boys don't drive me nuts in all of their excitement!

A New Toy

Back in July, our neighbors across the street were having a garage sale. I'm not a huge garage sale person,I wish I was, but I can't get up early enough to get any good deals. But I noticed that our neighbor had a stack of silver poles infront of their garage door. In my mind I immediately knew that they were getting rid of their trampoline. I have been 'mentioning' or nagging Brandon for the past year, that the boys really need a trampoline. But more importantly, I needed it to wear out three little boys!

I happened to be leaving to run errands while my neighbor was setting up her tables and pricing, so I rolled down the window and yelled, "can we buy that!?" It took us a couple of days to actually bring the trampoline over and set it up, but now we can barely keep the boys off of it. While I was a little hesitant to let them on it without me being around at first, I now treasure that hour break, that I get while they go out and jump! Dont' worry, I check on them constantly!!


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Dad checked out everything first.. and then Lincoln went to town jumping!



Greyson is a little more reserved on the "jumperline"



This is right up Daniel's alley.. he loves ALL things jumping and climbing

29 Weeks

okay, normally I wouldn't be wearing a skin tight tank top at 29 weeks pregnant.  I swear there was a cute flowy shirt that I had on for church... why it didn't make it into the pictures I don't remember! Luckily, I've not gained any weight this week.. I'm saving that all for vacation in a couple of weeks.  I can't wait to place my big pregnant belly into a pool everyday.. and then my toes in the sand!  I can't wait for Florida!

A Bunch of Boys

I think I've said it before...we have lots of boys in my extended family. Luckily, we have three cousins that live only ten minutes away that my boys get to play with. My mom decided that before all six boys headed back to school that she would have them over to play and spend the night. That's right all six boys. We started the afternoon off with lunch and playing at the church for a bit, and then all six boys headed back to our house for the afternoon to play. I love my cousins. They are such well behaved boys and are GREAT with my boys. So while I sent all the guys outside to jump on the trampoline and have nurf gun wars in the basement, I was able to pick up a little bit and work on a project for Harper's room.

Around dinner time, we loaded up and headed over to my parents house for bbq hotdogs and all the fixin's. It was actually a pretty gorgeous evening, so we all headed out side to watch the boys play ball, chase and play on the swingset. Brandon came over after getting in a quick work out at the gym, and then all the 'big boys' headed downstairs to watch the Chiefs preseason game.

Mom and I stayed up stairs and attempted to continue working on the project for Harper's room, but got frustrated and continually interuppted so..we quit! Brandon and I headed home around 9:30 and left all the boys watching a late movie!

As soon as we walked in the door, I went straight to bed. I was EXHAUSTED! I am so ready not to feel so tired all the time. Having three kids and being pregnant really wears you out! Thanks mom and dad for watching the boys, so this momma could sleep in!!!

A Name and a Room

Ever since I was in high school, I've known the names that I wanted to name my kids. Luckily, when Brandon and I started seriously dating, he agreed with the names! Shockingly, with every pregnancy, I've started out liking the names but ended up hating them by the time the big ultrasound came around. Somehow we came up with Lincoln Grant instead of Grady Lane, Daniel Lane instead of Jonathan Scott, Greyson Ford instead of ??? ( I never thought I would have three boys), and for a girl I had always wanted the name Mckenzie Rae.
For some reason in January, I started really liking the name Harper. I have no idea where it came from or why it even crossed my mind. Then when Brandon's maga passed away, I really started liking the name Harper Dell, after his maga's maiden name. But as soon as it came into my mind, it left. We went on with our life, moving, a trip to Chicago, and then looking into buying a house.
When we found out we were pregnant, we didn't even discuss names until the ultrasound, but as usual... I no longer like the name Mckenzie Rae. After tossing around names for a few days the only names we could agree on were Harper and Claire. We asked the boys their opinions so they could feel included. Daniel thought she should be named Anna or Clarabell (his two favorite trains off of Thomas the Train), Lincoln liked Harper and Greyson liked Claire. We were torn. We really liked both hames and hated to choose, so we as a family agreed on the name.... drumroll please..... Haper Claire Howard.

Now on to completely figuring out how to create her room. I know I want to use a paisley pattern, but so far I have yet to find one that I am completely in love with. Brandon is being such a champ, and letting me pick pretty much whatever I want. He knows how excited I am (as is he), but he knows that I have dreamed of this day for a long time! I can't wait until we can post some updated pictures!

28 Weeks

Preggers update: I've only gained 8lbs, with one pound being during this past month.  Hopefully I can stay at a slow gaining pace... the more I gaine the more I have to lose! 

This week Brandon and I celebrated our six year wedding anniversary.  I was so worn out we didn't do much.  Being preggers in the summer... is exhausting.  It might be even more exhausting having three little boys that are constantly wanting your attention!  We celebrated with a peaceful dinner at Nona's and took a walk around downtown Springfield.  We even stopped in at a local cupcake store and shared a oreo flavored cupcake.  It was so yummy.  Mom and dad had the boys over for the night, but we called it an early evening with a movie and popcorn in the basement, so that this momma could get in her comfy clothes!  It was a nice relaxing evening.

A Day on the Lake

Growing up in Southwest Missouri and having a best friend who's dad had a boat, I practically grew up on the lake. (okay, not really, but that's how it felt!) Anyway, the older I got the less I went to the lake. It makes me sad, and Brandon and I both agree that we want our kiddo's comfortable on the water and with boats.

Luckily, my best friend Carrie and her family came down for a week long vacation to SW Missouri, and invited us to spend a day on the lake with them. We didn't know how Daniel and Greyson would handle it, since they aren't super crazy about the water. But we did know that Lincoln would be in heaven.

Brian and Carrie rented a pontoon and a tube, so we were set for the day. Between our two families, we had four adults, one teenager and six kids under the age of six, and three loaded down coolers. We were a sight to see! We had a blast tubing, swimming, and just hanging out with our great friends. We can't wait to do it again!