big kid bed and childish antics

Okay, so the newness of Susie’s nursery has worn off. Here is the reveal and here is a recent update. The original plan was to keep the walls gender-neutral so Mark wouldn’t have to be in a pink princess palace when he was playing in there, but I still wanted it colorful. I should have gone a tad more muted on the walls but I got over it. It was lively – I figured I needed to live a little. We rocked it for a while but it is time to change. I know, already. The kicker for me was really when Mark had a couple sleep-walking episodes and had to start sleeping on the floor in Susie’s room(he had been sleeping upstairs and dangerously close to sleep-walking down them). Moving things out of the way and putting his bed on the floor seemed to put the room over the top, from fun and lively to cramped and chaotic; see for yourself…

Pretty crazy, huh? Especially when it is messy. Can I just be a boring control freak mom for a minute and tell you that I detest toys that are sets of lots of and/or small pieces? They are horrendously messy and the kids end up spreading them all over the house but not so much playing with them as a set. Case in point; the kitchen. I have packed it up and am giving it a rest in the attic for a while. I shot some delicious pictures first…

I assure you the food she was ‘cooking’ was not delicious, but… Those might be the most adorable thighs I have ever seen. She loves her boots. With any outfit.

Susie has been lots of fun lately, in between our moments of intense fellowship. Have you heard of those? You have had some, you just don’t know it. In the words of Christian comedian, Anita Renfroe, “…we don't ever say ‘fight’; we prefer to say ‘intense fellowship’ or ‘spontaneous conversational-growth opportunity’…” See? You have had some, yes? Well me and Susie have lots. She has lately become quite the helper though, which is great, because asking her to help me with something makes her feel useful and she loves it and I love it when she is not screaming…

Look at Mark dinking around while Susie hauls in the slats for their bunk bed! One time she came in hauling two! She may have carried more than Mark. She was down to business, hauling them right to the pile and going out for more. And she was wearing a headlamp as a necklace.

She is already a little diva, and has also discovered bracelets…

Her favorite bracelets are those links for hooking baby toys to car seats and strollers. She discovered them all by herself and I don’t even wear bracelets so I don’t know what compelled her. You can see above, she likes the bangle look. =)

Oops! How did that handsome guy get in there? Notice that white strap around his neck? It is the apron I made for their kitchen, only he wears it backwards, as a cape. =)

Anyway, Susie has also discovered belts (don’t worry, Leah, these ugly ones were headed to the Goodwill pile)…

And shoes…

She loves anyone else’s shoes that don’t fit her and might cause her to trip or break her ankle (my new big-girl heels, for example), those are her favorite kind.

And she thought her Easter egg basket was the perfect purse…

Between being such a girly girl and having such an attitude… I am afraid she might end up on a Real Housewives show when she grows up!

But, she has also discovered dirt…

And she loves loud things; she’ll try to chase after dad when he is running the weed eater (of course I don’t let her) and won’t stop yelling and pointing at him on the mower until I put her on it…

So maybe she has enough Tom-boy in her to become a dirt bike racing champion! I’m not sure yet!

Anyway, this turned into a huge Susie update! That is my life these days though, so there you have it! As far as the big-kid bed goes, it is a low bunk bed, and as for design; it is certainly not ideal, but I have some painting and re-arranging coming up to try to make the best of it, and will certainly show you what I come up with!