Playroom Ideas

I finally printed and framed our family photo- only 8 months later... but at least it got done before the kids graduated. My most recent addition to the playroom, and what inspired drastic makeover ASAP. I've just been letting this room sit, but once the photo went up... I decided we're getting this done.

This is the 2nd home I've had a bonus room in that I just can't figure out what to do with. The angles are weird, there's no door...it leads to the kitchen... it's kind of a bizarre place. And with kids, there's no point in trying to have a formal sitting area, so my first thoughts go to playroom. In the past, I've wanted it to be a "Bonus" room, meaning toys/tv/video games/big comfy couch. But with my goal of squashing tv addiction in mind, I've decided to ex that idea and create a playroom that inspires creativity, and leads the children away from the TV. I can't tell you how much I can't stand couch potatoes, and I refuse to let my boys become obsessed with video games. 

We will have imaginations in my home, and we will play outside.

^ Family Rules. 

If I chant it enough, it will happen... right?

To the right of the fireplace is a long wall where this will go: 

^ Found on Etsy. Ordering this next weekend! Can't wait for it's glorious arrival on my doorstep.

^ Don't mind floating balloon. We buy dollar store balloons on occasion because they are hours of fun...this one was given to us at the last Relief Society Activity. It was still floating, a week later.

^ Crate bookshelves found 

My next project.  This will go on the wall to the right of "couch" (that is non existent as of yet) so that we can create a comfy place to read and cuddle :)

^^ All of this will go in this area: 

Batter up!

I never would've pegged Tristan for a baseball man. From day one, people have been constantly telling me he's going to be a little football player, and I have eagerly agreed. He's short, stocky, carries his cup under his arm just like a football-- he's a natural.

But this little man has a few more skills up his sleeve. 

He got this sweet T-Ball set "from his little brother" for his birthday this year, and we finally pulled it out to play with it, and it was love at first sight! 

This first picture here is literally the first swing-- look at the excitement on his face! 

I love it. I love this kid. 

There is nothing like watching the man you love play with your children. These are the kind of things we grow up and remember about our parents...the things they taught us.

I feel incredibly lucky to have found such a great Dad in this man :)

Summertime & the livin's easy...

Okay, I decided that the kiddie pool was WELL worth the 20 bucks.

The first day, Tristan screamed his face off when I put him in the pool, while Ryan enthusiastically kept trying to crawl from his pool into the big pool.

Tristan stuck to the well known- the sand box and the water table, which is exactly how he is. You have to give him a big push in the adventurous direction and then he's all for it. With food, I sometimes literally have to shove the food in his mouth- once he gets a taste, he digs in. He's a skeptic. I don't know where he got this, but we're going to overcome it.

The 2nd day, I didn't just put Tristan's feet in... I basically threw him in, got him all wet in one go and Eric and I got in and played with him for about 2 hours while Ryan napped. Just that one day has made the 20 bucks and chasing it down the street well worth it, despite the fact that I spent my entire time trying to pick out all of the grass spears and tree particles from it.

I love these kinds of days. Lazy, relaxing summer days. Sure, with kids nothing is truly relaxing, but this is as close as it's ever gonna get. Good friends, good food, sun, entertained kids. I can't get enough.

Thanks summer for stopping by, hopefully you'll stick around awhile. Gotta soak up enough Vitamin D to last the winter months. You know how us Seattlites get in the winter ;)

Bailie & Ryan in the baby pool. Bailey was so sweet to Ryan :)

Little Ryan loving his pool.

The boys

Jessica helping the boys sort out the car sharing method.

Success!

4th of July

Yes! The 4th of July has finally come and gone and now it can officially be summer in Washington!

We had a pretty fun 4th this year- kept it simple because I had to work the day of AND the following morning at 5am. We still didn't get to blow too many things up but I foresee years of this in our future so I can be patient on this. I worked in the morning and then we headed to the Green's for a nice BBQ...although we realized when we were eating that we can't really call it a BBQ if nothing gets BBQ'ed... because we had Ribs for dinner. But they were far tastier than any BBQ so all was well. The boys played in the sun and bounced around in the bouncy house all day and nobody got hurt so it was a glorious day :)

After dinner, we headed to another BBQ event at our friends Felicia & Brian's house for some fireworks. The boys were in total awe of the fireworks! Tristan would say "WOAH.... WOAH....WOAH" after each firework and Ryan was clapping after all the pretty ones! He wouldn't even let me cover his ears. This boy is growing up too fast, I sometimes force him to cuddle with me for long amounts of time so that he knows he is going to have to stay my baby for awhile.

Tristan even did his first Sparkler-- which I was VERY surprised about. Tristan is not the toughest little kid out there and he tends to be a bit on the sensitive side, so I thought he would freak out about it but he totally loved it. This is a good sign for his future because I have every intention of getting him riding a dirtbike by age 4 so he might as well give up on being a wimpy kid.

The adventures of buying our 1st Kiddie Pool

It was hot today. Like, really hot.

For Seattlites at least.

Each summer, I have passed these cheap little kiddie pools and thought briefly about owning one but never really had an extreme desire to because my experiences have been that they get all sorts of nasty in them.

Now that I have 2 boys, I have learned that the nastier the kids can make something, the more fun they seem to have with it.

We had invited one of my coworkers and her family over for a BBQ playdate today, so I went to Fred Meyer after work to pick up the makings. I stopped at home to pick up Ryan so that Eric could mow the lawn while Tristan was napping. As I'm pulling in to the parking lot, I see the sign. $9.99. For a pool? 10 bucks for hours of entertainment? I'm in.

(Turns out the small one is 9.99 and the big one is $20. BUT STILL- 20 bucks is a steal, even if you only use it one summer)

I get what I need and find my way to the customer service desk to inquire about how I get one of these bad boys-- and most importantly how do I transport it home in my economy friendly little car. Apparently it's illegal for them to help you tie the sucker down, but they could hoist it up on the roof for you. So I think I jimmy rig the thing on top of my car pretty good and a couple of guys ended up helping me anyway which was good because I was still in my work clothes (which are all black) and I was drowning in my own sweat and I get ready to leave when I suddenly realize that I have tied my door shut and will now have to climb in via the window with all these people watching.

Alright, I can live with that.

I climb in and take off.

I get about 3 minutes away when the sucker blows off the top of my car and I have to pull over, climb out of my car window on the side of the road with people buzzing by me, chase down my kiddie pool, carry it back and try to figure out a better method for tying this thing down, and then climb back in through the car window again. I'm sure I was quite a spectacle.

I'm still debating whether 20 bucks is a steal...





....All in a day's work.

My Honey-DORIGHTNOW List

I use to wonder why my mom would say that I made her nag. She'd say something to the tune of, "Please don't make me nag" and I'd think... ummm, then don't. Ya know? Like, how do I make you nag? I never got it.

And then I got married. And now I'm singing that tune.

50% of our conversations go like this:

"Eric, will you take out the trash when you're done with that"
"Uh huh"

10 minutes later...

"Eric...can you please take the trash out"
"I will, I just have to beat this level first"

20 minutes later...

"Hey, can you make Ryan a bottle and then take the trash out"
"Uh, yeah. Sure"

Makes bottle. (Because said child is screaming on floor)
Goes back to video game.

"Eric. TRASH."
"Dude, first you tell me to make Ryan a bottle and now you're telling me to take the trash out!"
"I asked you to take the trash out first, 30 minutes ago"
"It's only been 10"
"Eric, just do it"
"Ashley, calm down. I'm doing it"


I really, really thought my mom was crazy. Which is terrifying, because I still do. Does this mean I'm going to be crazy my whole life? Or does it mean my children/husband are going to think I'm crazy my whole life and put me in a nursing home because they don't want to deal with my demands?

Word to the wise... when your wife asks you to do something, it's because she wants it done right now. RIGHT THEN AND NOW. Not tomorrow, not in 10 minutes, not next week. NOW.

My life lately via Instagram

An array of Instagram-ers over the last few weeks: