I've been meaning to start decorating the house for the longest time. We had IKEA clip frames on the wall for awhile, and that just felt really cheap looking. We upgraded frames (still IKEA) and I ordered this personalized vinyl off of etsy. Now we just need new family pics to put in them!
We recently bought a new rug and I upgraded our old storage baskets for table under the TV. I've been searching for some kid-friendly decorations for the empty shelves above the baskets, and found the family sign at Ross for $4. it was an ugly red, so I just repainted it the blue that's in the rug. Now I need to figure out what the whoozie to put in the other spot?
Finally, when ordering the vinyl for the family picture wall, I came across this family rules one. I knew it would be perfect for the huge empty wall above the stairs.
We still have a lot to do, but I've finally got the ball rolling...3 years after we moved in. Hey, better late than never, right?!
*Tif, I hope you aren't sad I didn't have you make these for me. It would have ended up saving me money, but I was lazy and just wanted to avoid the extra steps. I appreciate that you were willing to do it for me, though :D
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Upgrades
Posted by Jason and Crystal at 10:24 PM 1 comments
funnies
out running errands, mama opens the car door for boomer
B: "thank you gentleman"
mama: "ahem...excuse me?!"
B: "OH! sorry. (sheepish grin) thank you gentle ma'am"
he's so witty. just like his daddy.
Posted by Jason and Crystal at 9:09 PM 0 comments
Sunday, April 1, 2012
trendsetter?!
Boomer loves when I ask him to pick Ellie and himself out clothes for the day.
*basketball shorts/tie combo
*4th of july shirt in march+teal+pink and purple striped leggings.
Posted by Jason and Crystal at 9:58 PM 1 comments
Monday, March 26, 2012
On the homefront
Today we sat down with Larry, the guy who drew our house plans, to discuss an addition to our house. We were told to bring in a sketch of what we were thinking for him to jump off of. We pretty much planned it ourselves and he fiddled with it so everything could be built to code and whatnot. Sooo... the first step in the process is done! Next step is taking some precise measurements to send him, then he'll make the official blueprint plans, then all we'll have to worry about is how to pay for it! aside from actually building it, that is! Pretty exciting!! We will be adding a big dining room off of the back of the house and a decent sized mudroom. Which will mean no more tracking dirt through the house and dirty hands can be washed in the utility sink!!! maybe, just maybe, my bathroom will be clean for more than half a day! And above all that will be a big bedroom. We'll have to switch around the upstairs bathroom a bit to make room for a hallway to the new room, but it's all doable!
In other equally exciting news, for the past few weeks I've been taking Ellie to the potty on a regular basis. I even bought her a potty seat for the toilet last week because she was on the pot so often. The girl is pretty regular, so most the time I can anticipate when she needs to #2 it. Almost every morning she goes. obviously she still goes in her diaper throughout the day, but I make sure to take her to the potty everytime she gets a diaper change and most the time she tinkles while there. Tonight she surprised me and Jason by getting this really panicked look on her face. Jason said to her, "What? Did you just see an alien?!" she was pooping and realized that's not the place for it! We ran to the bathroom and she finished the job there. She was so proud of herself, but we were even prouder. Our baby is turning into a big girl and it's bittersweet.
Posted by Jason and Crystal at 8:26 PM 2 comments
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Little Miss Sassafrass

Just in the past week or so, our sweet daughter has really been finding her voice. At first it was just singing and babbling in her own little language, that turned into her starting to expect you to decipher said language. Which in turn has resulted in a whole lot of tears and most recently... SCREAMING. It is surprising how many more decibels she has in her little lungs compared to boys. The boys never screamed like that. The poor dear is so frustrated with not being able to communicate. I'm getting frustrated too! I think it's time to start teaching her some signs. I never really felt like the boys needed signs. Jax talked really early and Boomer was just totally chill.
Please, for the love of Pete, if you see us out in public and witness the shrieking... DO NOT REACT!!
Posted by Jason and Crystal at 7:51 PM 2 comments
Monday, February 27, 2012
random
we've been up to a lot in the last month, but it's all pretty random stuff.
i made the kids heart shaped pancakes for valentines day breakfast.
we've always known jax was smart, but recently he proved it to the everyone else. his teacher called me in to the class one day while i was at the school doing PTO stuff. i was nervous but she told me it was good news. she wanted to share with me his test scores-he tested at mid to end of second grade level in math and reading! that's a grade to a grade and a half ahead of where he's supposed to be!
jax had his last basketball game and finally made his first basket with 5 minutes to spare. his coach was so awesome and made sure the other kids passed him the ball often that last game. he was the only kid who hadn't gotten a basket yet. he's just very considerate and passed the ball whenever a kid would ask him to. he learned so much and we're so proud of how much he progressed and that he pushed through frustrating times. we're excited for what's next...he's deciding between baseball and soccer.
jax also lost his first top tooth yesterday. he looks so dang cute when he smiles. he's been practicing with all the different things he can fit in his gap. last night it was a carrot stick. too funny.
boomer had his last hip hop dance class complete with recital of the dance he learned. it was super cute and he's a natural. he's such a cool little man, so open to and excited about new experiences. that's where he's just like his daddy ;)
ellie said "jax" for the first time this month, is so close to jumping, is at the stage where she has her own language that noone understands. she's a petite little miss, in size 18month clothes, she's still the only kid of mine who has ever worn the "right" size clothes. she's VERY much a great-grandpa's girl, is an awesome eater, loves shoes, builds lego towers with her bubbas, swimming, anything frilly and pretty. she hates clips in her hair and having her hair washed. she loves looking at books but don't you dare make her sit on your lap through an entire story. she's a sassy little thing and has recently perfected the art of "mean-muggin'".
the other day helpful little boomer decided to unbuckle ellie in the time it took jason to get out and open her door. she tumbled right out and took a headfirst dive into the driveway. she had a HUGE goose egg on her forehead and i was terrified she had a skull fracture or internal bleeding or something. of course, i overreact while jason is mr.cucumber. i hate that. but i'm glad for it too. i don't know how it would work having two drama queens in one marriage.
jason and i are still going strong with bootcamp. he's smoking hot already, i'm more of a tortoise when it comes to results. but i'm okay with that. i've been slowly changing bad habits. one at a time. i gave up soda over a year ago, didn't have one sip of eggnog over the holidays, and this season, i'm giving up cadbury mini eggs. i LOVE those things, but end up eating way too many. i don't think this one will be so hard because i'm not giving up chocolate all together. i'm not really sure what will be next yet. there aren't too many more vices to give up. i need to start adding healthy habits into my routine. like ab workouts on my off days. i keep saying i'm going to do it, but haven't followed through. also, i need to add more veggies to my diet and actually take the vitamins i'm supposed to. i recently bought a bottle of apple cider vinegar because dr.oz said adding a shot of it to a large glass of icewater will increase your metabolism by 30%. i haven't tried it yet. i'm a bit scared to. it sounds really gross!
Posted by Jason and Crystal at 8:07 AM 1 comments
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
potty talk
i'll start by saying i totally know that my baby will not be potty trained for probably years, BUT... she totally pooped on the toilet tonight! we were letting her have some nakey girl time and she started showing signs of needing to poo. so i stuck her on the toilet and we talked a bit and then she did it! i thought for a split second after she went that maybe that was a bad idea and she could have been traumatized by it, but she thought it was pretty neat. anyway, just had to write down ellie pooped on the potty at 14months because i have a terrible memory.
Posted by Jason and Crystal at 10:50 PM 0 comments