38 Weeks...

Me and MAK at 38 weeks... 

 

I look/feel... Still pretty ok. Miracle of miracles all my rings still fit which means I am not swolled (whoop.) and I've been sleeping pretty well, too. It is much more difficult to get up and down from the ground which makes playing with the kids hard. I mean really playing and being engaged and pretending - I think if there was one thing I missed the most it's really just playing with them. 

I'm craving... back to nothing. I have been a completely boring pregnant lady. 

 

I am... feeling much less stressed. I have been able to get some home projects done and I'm feeling really good about being "ready" for MAK. Staying a little late at work this week to finish up some things for while I'm away and then it will be "smooth sailing", right? ;)

Ryan is... A great daddy and husband. I'm nervous about having 3 kids for sure - but I am extremely lucky to have him by my side. It may have taken him forever to paint furniture, but when it comes to NB duties - he is exemplary! 

Kids are... In the midst of a hand, foot, mouth disease break out at school. Awesome. I called my doctor and I'm not supposed to be around HFM, so GiGi is coming to watch the kids so that we can hopefully miss catching it. Fingers crossed and prayers appreciated! 

Radley is really ready for MAK to be here - he kisses my tummy every morning and every night and talks to the baby. Emmy is still clueless, BHH, but I think she is going to be a great big sister! 

 

MAK is... waiting to arrive. If he/she is anything like Radley and Emmy then we should be welcoming a baby into our world right around Monday!!!!!! 

We are... READY! 

And just for fun... we got a sneak peek of some of my maternity pics. Isn't this amazing?!?!? The one time in my life when a wide angle lens was welcomed!

Coming up....

What you've all been waiting for....

The BIG reveal.... 

MAKs room!!!

(I can't settle on what goes above the crib - I only have until Saturday to decide!!)

AHHHHHHH!

Happy Birthday to Me...

I'm not going to lie. I'm pretty high maintenance when it comes to birthdays. Through no fault of my own, of course...I completely blame it on my mom who would wake us up with our favorite breakfast, let us skip school, send us on scavenger hunts for gifts and then find 15 wrapped gifts on our 15th birthday. 

(Thanks Mom and Dad). 

Well, today I was spoiled from sun up until sun down and the best part? I was loved on by my three favorite people in the whole world. 

They had this waiting for me this morning (which was an extra feat since I sleep on the couch these days and am the worlds lightest sleeper). And yes - that's a giant homemade card - the best kind!

The 2.5 greatest gifts Ryan has ever given me...

And if all that wasn't enough - I got presents, too! 

And this is what was waiting for me...

AHHH-MAZING!

I'm using it right now and I LOVE love LOVE it! MAK meet Mac. :)

Emmy was really more excited about the butter on her bagel than anything else...

She was seriously licking it off. She gets that from Ryan.

;)

After such a special start to the day Ryan surprised me by staying home with me. We spent the day together getting projects done on my list and letting me rest up from my tough work week last week. 

It really was all I needed. Him. Me. Together. 

But, the fun didn't stop there. After we grabbed the kids from school we headed to eat with some of our nearest and dearest and just sat and enjoyed the company of friends.

And of course, I got to go home with these cuties. 

Thanks, Ryan, for making this day and every day a gift. 

I love you.

Better After...

Anyone read/scan/stalk this blog... well I do and love it. It's one of those places that you go and say to yourself, "I could totally do that". And you are probably correct - a lot of projects are pretty simple - the question is just "WILL I do that?". 

The answer today is yes!! 

Years ago one of my besties (Charis of the RaRas) kidnapped my parents' house while they were out of town for a weekend and gave it an upgrade. Painted the wood paneling in their living room, the hallway, the entry, rearranged furniture, etc... This led my mom to wanting more so Charis and I upgraded some of her older furniture for one of her guest rooms. 

I knew I wanted to do the same for Emersyn with Ryan's grandmother's chest. 

I was a complete negligent blogger and forgot to snap a pic of the entire chest pre-makeover but here is glimpse of the drawers. 

Even if we were not going to paint the piece, it still needed some major work. We (well I) wanted it painted and distressed, so here is what we did...

1. Remove all hardware (including key holes)

2. Sand piece to the wood

3. Apply a decent coat of Kilz 

 (this can be done with a roller because brush strokes don't matter as much and it saves time)

4. Select paint color and begin painting 

(we used some creamish/white that we had on hand)

5. Rough up areas that you want to look distressed 

(use a grittier sand paper for more exaggerated effects)

6. Apply stain of choice with damp cotton cloth and then quickly remove

7. Let dry

8. ENJOY!

Here is another shot of the finished product... 

I mean...I am obsessed! 

Now go garage sale-ing, buy some cheap stuff and paint away!!

Big Girl Details...

Remember what Emmy's room used to look like?

Well, let me take you on a tour of her new space! 

We thought very hard about putting her in a big girl bed so young. Radley stayed in his crib until he was almost three and we were hoping to do the same with Emersyn but also knew we didn't want to purchase new nursery furniture for MAK. Luckily, the Munsons just transitioned Anna into her big girl bed, so they let us borrow their crib! 

I just love this crib and the way it looks up against the green wall. 

A close up of her sweet new pillows that she is obsessed with

(and a side view of Abby the dog - her obsession since NYC).

Her new big girl bed/spot for GiGi to sleep/Radley to nap/stories to be told/changing table. This was my bed from the time I was a little girl until my senior year in college. The wicker bin belonged to my grandmother - her room is the perfect combination of loved on items from our lives. 

We kept the same pictures above the bed - I love what they say was much today as the day we bought them. 

A newly matching swag for the window...

And Ryan's grandma's hat boxes below. 

And what we have all been waiting for... the FINISHED piece of painted furniture. This was also Ryan's grandmother's and ever since I have known them I have LOVED it. I knew that one day it would be his and I wanted it so badly for our little girl.  

It is just perfect!

Didn't he do a fantastic job at distressing it? 

Way to go, babe! It is my favorite favorite piece in the house at the moment!

And we found this side table at an antique store that he painted to match. 

$30 (thanks GiGi) and some paint we had in the garage paired with some wood stain =

combined total cost of furniture in her entire room of $38. 

We converted her bow holders into just regular "letters" and organized the chaos a bit more into her drawers. I just need one small(ish) container for the middle. 

And a look at the entire room... 

I LOVE IT! I just smile when I walk in her room and hope that she does too....for many years to come!

BIG surprise...

Emmy got a big surprise when she arrived home from her vacation with GiGi and Pops...

A NEW ROOM!

She was pretty excited and knew exactly what to do... 

She headed straight for her step stool (which my PaPaw made YEARS ago)...

And climbed into the bed...

And just thought she was soooooo BIG! 

Radley was also pretty excited for his little sister. 

We have read about 7845 books in this spot since Saturday evening. It's fun to lay and snuggle with her in her own bed. 

Radley was so excited for Emersyn that he took a nap in her room on Sunday so he could be next to her.

And she was sound asleep, too! 

Can't believe she is growing so fast! She will be a BIG sister so soon and I could not be more proud of this little tiny human that she is! 

Shiner Week...

It was Shiner Week at the King's Casa - kinda like shark week, but really more kids with black eyes than anything. 

On Tuesday Emmy came home with a beauty. She had fallen down on the playground and came up to teachers with a bruised/scraped eye. They hadn't realized that she even hurt herself because she never cried. 

She clearly looks upset about it... 

Sadly, that night her tummy got upset so she spent a little time on the couch. (Note: that's two weeks in a row that a trip from Chick Fil A left someone feeling icky... probably avoiding it for awhile).

Then on Thursday, Radley comes home with this... 

He ran into a "friend" on the playground. He was very proud of his shiner.

Look, Mommy! I got a shiner just like Emmy! Shiners are fun, right?!!? 

Well, at least he was laughing! Hope your week was full of just as much as excitement and a little less pain!

37 Weeks...

Me and MAK at 37 weeks...

I look/feel... like I'm about to have a baby soon! :) After a heavy/long work week, the swollen feet have begin to appear and I'm moving a bit slower. I'm waking up more in the night and I think my body is just prepping itself to meet this little one! Which is completely exciting and super scary all at once! 

I'm craving... wait for it. I had a HUGE craving last week...chicken fried steak. OMG - it was DEE-licious! I ate it all. Every last bite. And I MAY talk my husband into going and getting another one. Super glad this craving appeared in week 37 and not week 7!

I am... finishing up some work projects, getting lists ready for my colleagues that will be taking over my assignments, packing my office (our department will be moving back into a newly renovated student center while I am on leave - good timing, eh?) and just nesting around the house. 

Ryan is... finished with the furniture! Spoiler: MAK room pics coming soon

Kids are... At GiGi and Pops. I missed them from the moment they pulled out of the driveway but I am thankful for 48 hours of quiet time to get items taken care of around the house and really to spend with just Ryan. I kinda like that guy. 

MAK is... MOVING a lot still. My stomach is like  giant roller coaster all day. I have an appointment this afternoon so we will see if any progress is being made. 

We are... Ready to meet this littlest King. Aren't you?!?!

Tiny Tales Thursday...

Watch out, fearless readers... this week I've got two tales for you... First up, Miss Emmy:

She has been showing some interest in the potty for a while now. She will happily tell us when she needs to do her business and then about 3 seconds later go ahead and do it. We've been working on just getting her "potty aware" because we don't want to force her to do anything that she isn't ready for.

The other day she starts saying "Poop, poop!"

Ryan: You need to poop, Emmy?
Emmy: Poop!
Ryan: You want to go sit on the potty?
Emmy: No. Diaper.

Maybe we she be a little bit more persuasive in our approach to potty training.


Tale number 2 (pun intended)...

GiGi and Pops are watching the kids a couple of nights so we can flip rooms and get everything in place for MAK. One on hand I'm excited about the peace and quiet this will mean but on the other I cried as they backed out of our driveway.

As I was giving Radley a hug and kiss goodbye I asked him if he would miss me...

"Sure, Mom. See you Saturday!"

Wow. Try not to be too tough for me, kid!

Happy Birthday, GiGi...

You've been Mom for 30+ years

You've watched us succeed and wiped away our tears

You've given tough love but are also our friend 

You've taught us to love until the very end

And over the years as we grew and changed

One thing has remained the same

Your love and support are always high

Even in times when we don't  see eye to eye

So thanks, Mom for all that you do!

Happy Birthday indeed, Happy Birthday to YOU!!

Petite Picassos...

Radley and Emersyn got to do a project for MAK this weekend, too. 

They created some personalized artwork just for the closet. 

Radley was very meticulous and wanted to get every inch of the canvas blue. 

I love the faces he makes when he concentrates. 

Emmy was a bit more sporadic with her work. I kept rotating the canvas so she would get all the corners. 

But then once she got to mix colors she didn't want to stop. I had to distract her to be finished because I was afraid the paint was never going to dry! 

Both kids had so much fun and Radley really loved that he got to contribute to MAKs space. Can you guess which one belongs to which kid?

Emmy... great use of motion. 

;)

Radley...notice the giant "R" (he thought we were hanging the other way). He wrote all the letters of his name throughout the picture - I thought that was adorable. And we wanted a heart on there, so I helped him draw one. 

MAK is a lucky little one to have such loving older siblings!