The Switching of the Rooms

One of our spring/summer projects was moving Jacob and Lydia out of the same room.  They had shared a room since Lydia was a few months old, and we had planned on it staying that way for a few more years.  We knew this switch would come - just didn't expect it to be so soon.  The third bedroom upstairs is adjacent to the kitchen and a wonderful space for a playroom...space that I was hesitant to give up.

As she came into her own more and more, we found out Lydia is a bit of a night owl...and/or a social butterfly.  She was excited to talk to Jacob every night when they were both supposed to be going to bed, and he - having just dropped his daily nap - was ready to go to sleep.  She tends to sleep in in the mornings, and he is an early riser, so it wasn't working on the other end, either.

It was amazing to me how much this switch disrupted the whole house, and as a result, my own state of mind.  The process was fairly easy and relatively quick, but the transition time was difficult, nonetheless.  There were a lot of moving pieces - adding a door, painting, new furniture, separating/purging/moving alllll the toys, etc. - and it weighed on me till everything was in its place...right up to the last wall hanging - haha.  So, you can imagine how good it feels to have it done, now!

An added benefit of this transition is Jacob having his own space.  Lydia had reached an age of curiosity and physical ability to really get into things.  Jacob has really done pretty well to tolerate her, but trying to keep his things/her safe was definitely making him anxious, as was his lack of space to "escape" to or call his own.  

So, while I was worried about losing the play room, the switch has really been a blessing.  Jacob has his own space to store his special things and to feel free to spend time in when he needs a minute alone.  Lydia's room is still connected to the kitchen, and most of the time, she does not mind Jacob joining her to play.  She thrives on playing independently sometimes, too, though, and even occasionally closes her doors on her own to play by herself.

Of course, I forgot to get a good picture of the "before" of this room - when it was a beige playroom - but at least this shows it before furnishings.  We were thankful to have had Aunt Roo's help painting and thinking through the layout of the space!

The relocation of her bow collection was a joint brainstorm, and I was (and am) so pleased with it!

The print on the right is an illustration from a book we've had since Jacob was little.  I had always loved it and was thrilled to find out the artist sells prints of a lot of the illustrations she has done (this one is from Anne of Green Gables in the BabyLit series)!  This was one of very few things I bought for "baby girl"'s section of the nursery before she arrived.

The piece on the left is something I have had since before we were married...I don't even remember where it came from.  The other two are garage sale finds that I made our own.  ☺

Nanny Byers made the beautiful, functional curtains - they are exactly what I'd envisioned and really make the space!
Aunt Roo contributed the super-cozy, perfectly-sized rug!

Here's the nursery-turned-Jacob's-room!  We still have the changing table/station on his dresser and Lydia's hanging clothes in his closet, but we'll get there.  His new bed has drawers underneath for all his things, and he was thrilled about it!  He sometimes permits Lydia to play Legos, but he still wants to be able to regulate that while keeping his door open, hence the baby fence.

This room transition also affected our homeschool area, and subsequently, my state of mind surrounding that journey.  Jacob's Lego table occupied the space we planned to use for school.  We could not move it into his room till the furniture was moved around.  We could not move the furniture around till there was a door on Lydia's new room.  And on and on it went.  Somehow, I found it very difficult to wrap my mind around how homeschooling itself was going to go without things being in place in the physical space we were planning to utilize.  

Here's an glimpse of what the space looked like "before."  Check out the homeschool post to see how it was transformed once the Lego table found its place upstairs in Jacob's room...and to read about how my state of mind (thankfully) came to a place of peace, confidence, and delight.

Transformatively,

Kensy

 Favorites of the day:

Jacob's rest time routine (that affords me some breathing room in the middle of the day)

IKEA storage solutions

these two (and those curtains!)

Summer '22

When asked how our summer was, my answer was often "unexpectedly chaotic."  Chaotic seems to carry a negative connotation, but I do not mean for it to in this context.  We just had a lot of things going on - every day was different, as was every week!

These pictures are not in chronological order.  I don't quite know how they got out of order, but at this point, it doesn't really matter and is not really worth correcting.  Hope you don't mind.  😉

Jacob was invited to attend VBS through my piano student's church.  The theme was "Food Truck Party," and we've been singing the theme song for months, now.

Lydia got glasses this summer!

It has not been easy to document her sweet hand-me-down outfits, because she doesn't typically have patience for pictures, but this one was a win.  ☺

Family date!

Sweet time spent with CO cousins.

We attended a family reunion - one I've attended biannually in the same church my entire life (with a handful of years missed here and there).

A baby deer spotting while I was mowing.

The kids and I have hiked this trail several times, and Jacob was so thrilled to get to show Daddy the teepee (he pronounces is tee-PEE...maybe likening it to tee-VEE...?).

We made a trip to OK for a special birthday celebration and got to do a little sight-seeing while there.  The Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve was very interesting - lots of cool things to see!

Her first pressed penny!

While in OK, we also fully enjoyed the neighborhood splash pad!  I so appreciate photographers more talented than myself who capture these sweet moments so beautifully.

Isn't a trip to Nanny's without a tea party breakfast.

Daddy made "fish biscuits" for them to enjoy while watching Octonauts (a show on which they make/eat fish biscuits).

We spent lots and lots of time at the pool this summer, and were so thankful for friends who generously shared their neighborhood pool passes!  Jacob began the season being hesitant to jump in by himself - even with a floatie on.  He ended the season proudly jumping in on his own - in shallow water without a floatie AND in the deep end with his floatie - without being asked to do so.  Lydia has no hesitancy and delighted in any and all water activities this summer.

The kids and I took a short trip to visit "the girls" in Omaha.  We enjoyed lots of quality time, yummy food (including Runza, of course!), and a trip to the Wildlife Safari Park (a drive-through zoo)!  Though long-distance friendship is not always easy, I am thankful to have these friends close enough to easily make the solo drive up during naptime.  (Also thankful for Marco Polo!)   

This picture still makes my heart swell months later.  It's the sweetest thing to see your friends love your kids and your kids love your friends.  ♥

This one, too.  ♥

Lots of baseball to be watched and fetch to be played!

The garden was mostly fruitful this year - esp. these potatoes grown from unintentionally sprouted store-bought ones!  These three were a lot of help, and the smallest one initiated pulling weeds on more than one occasion.  (She also immediately ate about half of every cucumber she picked...which was nearly a daily occurrence.)

Not all moments are this idyllic, but we sure do soak up the ones that are. ♥

She refused the baby umbrella in favor of the "big one."

The church parking lot makes for excellent bike-riding(striding) practice!

My whole side of the family took a trip to Omaha for a first family vacation!  We spent two days at the zoo and two nights at a hotel (with a pool, of course).  The kids did pretty well at the zoo (watching the train go by was a highlight), but mostly loved the pool, breakfast, and adjoining rooms at the hotel.

Obviously the highlight of his trip.

♥

And this was the highlight of hers!  Haha - kidding.  It was delicious, though!

I wasn't much older than them the last time I visited this rainforest.

There was a (ridiculous, amazing, insane, overwhelming) candy store across the street from our hotel.  Everyone got to pick one piece.  😉

How is this look innate to glasses wearers?  She figured it out all on her own, and declared, "Look at me!"

Attended one last library Storytime with these sweet friends (whom we met at library story time) before they started kindergarten; a full-circle moment that brought a tear to my eye.

Our thoughtful neighbors took Bryant and the kids fishing and showed up with a new fishing pole for each kid!

He has spent lots of time practicing casting in the yard since this trip.

Bryant and I got some lake (and tube!) time with his boss and several coworkers.  On-the-water is one of my very favorite places to be, so this evening was such a treat.

 

This summer may have been a crazy whirlwind, but it was all so fun and special.  There were several playdates, pool dates, garden work times, and plenty of other activities dispersed between these "bigger ticket" items.  (Speaking of big ticket items, check out my post about our trip to California!)  While we were sad to see the warm weather go, the routine and slower pace of the fall and winter seasons on the horizon were welcome.

Sunkissedly,

Kensy

Favorites of the day:

mowing the lawn (Yep. An hour+ of uninterrupted time during which I can listen to a podcast and complete a task start to finish - what could be better?!😉)

Jacob's progress in the pool

meeting new people and making new friends