Lyla's First Pedicure

During Liam's last week of school, I realized my one-on-one time with Lyla would be far less during the summer so we went on one last special mommy/daughter date to get her first pedicure! I thought for sure she would pick her favorite color (pink) but the moment she walked over to the many rows of nail polish choices, she picked the first one she saw ... a sparkly red one!

Despite being offered her own chair, most of the time she sat with me on my lap. I'll admit, it wasn't my most comfortable and relaxing pedicure I've ever gotten in my life with a big baby belly and a toddler in my lap but I loved snuggling her as she asked question after question while watching me get my toes done. She took a bit to warm up and was nervous by some of the tools they used on my feet that it would hurt but then I showed her the chair had massage buttons and it was game over. She moved on to her own chair and had a grand old time changing all the settings and squealing away as it massaged her back. haha

We had the sweetest nail technician who was incredible with kids! Lyla wanted to be closer to me than her chair would allow while she got her nails painted so the lady gave up her swivel stool for Lyla to sit on and let her hold my hand while the lady sat on the floor with Lyla's foot propped up on her knee. It was so kind. Of course there was a moment of rubbing her first two toes together too where they got smudged and needed to be redone and a few rough spots on the big toes by the time we made it home but ... the cutest sparkly red toes!

I feel so blessed to have a daughter to do these special things with and love her so much!!

Deck the Halls

 There are few things I love more than decorating our home for the holidays! I love that our kids love doing it with me too and that it makes our whole family smile spending the season together in a place we love to call home. 

Here's how our front porch looked this year ... 

I always like to add a few new things each season to grow our collection and love that new gingerbread house doormat! 

Decking the halls ...

I always swoon over draped greenery down staircases at Christmas time. We don't have a really long railing but I had to try it on ours this year and loved how it turned out with the ribbons and bells. The only thing I would change for next year is to shop early for a real looking faux version. I bought the real deal and you should have seen Nic's face when he came down from his office and found a forest of pine needles all over the main floor of our house. haha Bless the vacuum! 

Here' a look into our living room! It's where we spent most of our time during the holidays. Our churched does created something called Light the World at Christmas time where each day we focus on spreading light and love to others. In unison with those efforts, they also released the most beautiful version of the nativity story.

Another addition this year was that little nativity above our stockings. It's a wooden one from Hobby Lobby that I wanted the kids to be able to hold and play with and I wouldn't worry about it getting broken. I let Lyla paint it and she chose black. At first I was surprised but now I really love it. 

Also these sweet little ornaments making a mini tree on our entry table ... favorite!!

When it was all cozy and lit up at night ...

And my favorite place to decorate of all ... my kitchen shelves with cute Santa mugs, striped bowls, bottle brush trees, and twinkle lights!

A couple of the spaces I really wanted to add a little holiday cheer in this year were the play room and our kids' rooms. We added these book shelves in the play room under the stairs at the end of November so I could have them filled with all of our favorite Christmas stories the first day of December ...

Last year our Christmas tree was a hodge podge of ornaments and tinsel. I loved it because our kids helped us decorate it and it made me think of them and how much I'll miss them at these ages someday. This year I decided it would be special for them to have their own little trees in their rooms to decorate with their own ornaments. It's just a start ... they need tree toppers and garlands added next year but they loved decorating them and having the extra night light through the holiday season! How cute did they turn out?!

Liam's tree ... he even made a paper reindeer ornament for it ...

Lyla girl's tree ...

Merry Christmas from our cozy house to yours!

Girl's Weekend 2020

 Despite Covid, we made our annual girl's weekend happen again this year and it was just what we all needed. We stayed local and rented a room at the Grove Hotel in downtown Boise. It was filled with late night girl talk where we tried to solve all the problems of the world (haha!), dinner at a restaurant (Fork!) where we only had to worry about eating our own hot plate of food, the best junk food in-between, pedicures and shopping at the Village, a long walk around the greenbelt, and so much laughter. Thankfully this time there weren't any random run-ins with complete strangers in the deserted mountains or almost falling off a waterfall cliff! Good for my sanity's sake. haha 

We even had a fifth wheel tag along and he was the cutest, happiest, most quiet baby I've ever seen! We all took turns snuggling him and getting our baby fix, that sweet little Jamie.

The hotel's hot tub is located just enough floors up that you have a beautiful view overlooking downtown Boise. There was even a terrace up there that was covered in string lights. We picked up Chick-fil-A for dinner one night and ate it up there. 

Our last morning together we we walked to breakfast and took pictures in Freak Alley.

On our greenbelt walk we passed the Boise zoo and saw Melman peeking over the fence. ;)

It was so much fun!! I love these girls; they mean so much to me. I am grateful for their friendship. The best part about it is that no matter how much time goes by between seeing each other, we pick up right where we left off. 

Meanwhile back at home Nic was holding down the fort perfectly. Liam earned his first reading challenge reward and got the lego he had been working so hard for! His face says it all. They ate pizza for every meal and had the best time bonding together!

Then I came home to this and my heart melted ...

It feels good to be missed sometimes and boy did I miss them! 

Lyla's Dollhouse

I can't tell you how old I was or what daycare exactly but I have this vivid moment as a child when I saw my very first Victorian style dollhouse. It was something that had been passed down in that family and I could tell, was very special to them. At this daycare, we weren't allowed in the bedrooms of the children who lived there. All the toys we played with were in the living room or outside but one day she made an exception long enough for her daughters to show me their dollhouse. I remember it sitting on top of a small night stand, the outside painted pink with white shutters. It had intricate staircases of the swirling nature leading to different bedrooms on different floors. The beds were adored with the perfect amount of floral and while I didn't touch a thing, it was the most incredible thing I'd ever seen.  

When I had Lyla I dreamed of making her one for Christmas someday and this was the year! My creative side reveled in every moment I spent on this special keepsake for her. I bought a kit from Hobby Lobby at the beginning of November and finished it on December 21st, just days before giving it to her. It came in a thousands pieces of raw wood that needed to be labeled, organized in phases for assembly, sanded, painted, and wood glued together. I learned the true art of how long it takes for wood glue to cure and dry, it took the most amount of patience I'd say. But it all resulted in this and it was exactly as I had dreamed ...

The original had a second tiered porch which explains the side door from the master bedroom but an open balcony just fit what I imagined so much better. 

And what says Christmas time more than tiny little wreaths on every window and a "baby it's cold outside" front door mat! 

I covered the chimney and front porch steps with tiny bricks I made out of a painted egg carton. 

A view of the inside from the back ...

The cutest mommy and daddy mice ...

I made all the rugs out of velvet paper and sewed the bedding so it would have sheets the mice could slip underneath when they go to sleep ...

While I wanted her dollhouse to be unique, I also wanted it to be special and reflect the things she not only loves but that are in her own childhood home a little bit. The living room had to have a mini version of our family picture on the wall and a tiny blanket ladder!

I also designed the fireplace for the perfect tv stand and sewed curtains for the window in this room.

I love the two toned staircase so much!

This is the master bedroom ... I made the canopy bed and found the sweetest print of an angel bunny to remind her of Rue in heaven that I turned into wallpaper from this room. The fluffy white pillows were sewn from the same fabric I made our living room pillows in our real house and painted the nightstand pink just like her pink dresser in her own bedroom. 

The wallpaper is my favorite!

That tiny picture of her and Liam ...

This is the kitchen with the most adorable floating shelves filled with everything the mice need to have a dinner party. ;)

One side has the cutest hatch to play in the back of the bathroom or dining room ...

Everything is cuter tiny!! Like that little wooden stool for a piano bench, a tiny mirror, and the light fixtures. 

This is the hodgepodge room. haha It has a spot for the piano, a washer and dryer, and the bathroom in the back. The herringbone floor is my favorite part!! All of the floors were incredibly time consuming but so worth it in the end ... I made them all out of stained or painted popsicle sticks to create wood floors. 

The sweetest scalloped wallpaper in the bathroom ...

The attic is the most played with and loved part of the whole house ... I made it with the baby mice in mind ...

I can't get over how darling they are!!

There is another bed up there and a tiny little dollhouse that opens and can fit things inside. 

I also adore the attic wallpaper. The tiny little snowflakes in the winter floral pattern will always remind me of this special Christmas, when I gave Lyla her dollhouse. 

There were a few dollhouse pieces that survived our house flood back in the day that I was able to use and it made it extra special having some pieces to include from my childhood. The piano for example which I painted black and the forest green bed in the attic. The rocking chair was also mine and was broken but I glued it back together and it doesn't look too shabby after I covered it in a coat of white paint.

Next to having my children (haha), it was my favorite labor of love. I hope she cherishes it for years to come and that one day I can pass it on to my grandkids.