Big Boy Bedroom Inspiration.

1. Target Arrow Curtain Rods
2. Land of Nod Half-Dot Garland
3. Target Crocodile Crossing Sheet Set
4. Target Hanging Terracotta Planter
5. Target Fox Throw Pillow
6. Ikea Hemnes 8-Drawer Dresser
7. Target Alligator Throw Pillow
8. Land of Nod United States Banner
9. Target Bear Throw Pillow
10. Target Alligator Print Twill Light Blocking Curtains

Over the past few weekends, we have been working on getting Everett's big boy room ready. We are going to move him out of his nursery and into a new bedroom - his "big boy" bedroom. And you guys, he is so excited. I was a little nervous that he would feel like he was getting kicked out of his room - I mean, to be honest, I didn't want to buy another crib for Baby Boy #2 (coming in December!) if I didn't have to. And since Everett has practically been launching himself out of his bed in the mornings (check out my instagram story if you don't believe me!), I knew it would be the right time to transition him out of the sweet nursery and into a room that is more "boy" - with a place to store all his books, toys and stuffed animals. We never kept any toys in his nursery, because I wanted the space to feel peaceful and soothing, in hopes of luring him to sleep in a distraction-free zone. But now that he is over 2, we are putting him in a twin-size trundle bed with a toddler rail and letting him keep toys in his bedroom to play with. Fingers crossed that my strategy to keep him in his bedroom in the mornings will pan out :)

I took him on a little shopping date to Target where we picked out some really fun decor and bedding from the Pillowfort line - have you seen how cute this collection is? I had serious inspiration swoon. We are going with an animal theme and lots of yellow, green and orange pops of color. He's been "helping" me as I prep the room - while I clean and move his books over, etc., he is playing with his trains and getting excited about sleeping in his "big boy bed". We haven't put up his toddler rail yet, and I want to get another baby gate up at the top of the stairs before we let him officially start sleeping in there, but we are very close to finishing all the last-minute projects that will land him in his room at last. It's so cute, every day at nap time he asks to sleep in his big boy bed. He is so excited! And it's helping me be able to talk to him more about his little baby bro that will be sleeping in his current crib and wearing his old clothes and all that good stuff - I'm trying to frame the whole life change as a promotion for Everett, so he feels really special and included in everything.

I'm excited to share the final room photos once everything is complete! In the mean time, mamas of multiples, got any advice for how you transitioned your kiddos into bigger beds and different rooms?

The 6 Vegetables in Our Autumn Garden.

On my 29th birthday, I lounged in the back yard with my feet propped up on a chair and sipped my lemon water. 

And watched.

Watched Stevie work in our garden.

Watched Everett pound some snacks.

Watched my flowers and vegetables and herbs come together in a green-thumbs-up autumnal harmony.

My sister thought this was a very strange way to willingly spend a birthday, but it was actually really very perfect to me.

I'll admit, it was difficult just to sit there, watching him do the work, because I have grown to love the therapeutic activity of gardening. I feel like God speaks so clearly to me while my hands are deep in the soil and I'm planting seeds, watering flowers, and troubleshooting with the dratted caterpillars that try to infest. It all feels like a metaphor for life, and there is something about the quiet of the garden that makes me feel very, very close to my creator.

That being said, I didn't have that same euphoric experience for our fall garden installation this season. Because I am trying to take is extra easy until this baby makes his arrival, I had to let Stevie do everything for our fall garden overhaul. And my friends, it was an overhaul! Since we had been gone for the previous 5 weeks traveling, our garden had become a jungle-y mess of weeds, overgrown zinnias, and sun-scorched herbs. He pulled out every single weed from the root, freshened up the beds with soil and fertilizer, and planted my carefully-chosen fall plants.

Oh, and we decided to go ahead and plant some blueberry bushes, too. And some knockout roses. And move some hostas to a shadier location.

He's my knight in shining armor.

Or my farm boy. Actually yeah, that's more accurate. "Farm boy, fetch me that pitcher?" (what movie?!)

So as I sipped my water (I'm trying to reach a daily quota of 100 oz. and it's hard) and took endless videos of Everett jumping and playing in the yard, Stevie bucketed sweat while he slaved in my beloved patch of Earth. That man is such, such a keeper :)

Even though the installation was a ton of work for him, we decided to go easy on ourselves this year by only planting a few things that would hopefully do well and not require much maintenance (thanks to Pike's Nursery, who answer my endless supply of questions every time I'm in there, they are just the nicest):

Plants:
8 Purple Cabbage
8 Brussels Sprouts
8 Red Lettuce
8 Swiss Chard

Seeds: (because I already had them and it's fun to intersperse veggies for heartier soil)
Carrots
Kale (okay, I planted two types of kale... I had the seeds already and couldn't resist)
Cilantro

We lined the front of the beds with a variety of colorful pansies, which should keep things colorful until the weather truly turns to frost. I've actually never planted pansies before, so I am curious to see if the rumors are true about how weather-resistant they are.

I also couldn't help but plant a few violas and mums in some pots on my porch, along with a transfer of chives from the garden to some pots. They (supposedly) should keep doing their thing for a while longer, and chives are just soooo tasty in mashed potatoes. I wish I could lend all of you my herbs. It's so much fun to garden and cook with your own goods.

Oh, and did you see those pumpkins? I got some dreamy pumpkins for the porch this year.

Thankfully, we got our watering system to work over the summer, so I don't have to hand-water all these plants this fall! I can just sit on my back porch and enjoy the beauty of my fall garden, and friends, even though all this sitting gets a little infuriating (I have so many things I want to do!), it's actually making me realize that I need the rest. Although I wish I could deposit the rest into a sleep bank and make a withdrawal later, when I have a newborn. Wouldn't that be a treat?

There you have it, friends! Our fall garden situation. I absolutely love it and I can already tell that the purple cabbage is going to be gorgeous as it grows. Do you garden? What did you plant for the fall?

An Elmo Breakfast Birthday Party!

My sweet angel turned two last week. I keep pinching myself about it, because it's super emotional to think back over the past two years of his life. But he's so funny, you guys, because he asked for an Elmo birthday party. With an Elmo cake. How does he know to ask about these things?! We weren't going to do a party for him this year, because honestly, we threw a big shindig last year and it was tons of fun (please tell me you remember my hand-made fruit pirate ship) - but also tons of work. And I wanted to just give myself a pass on this one. However, when Everett asked about his birthday party (we've been to several birthday celebrations lately), and said, "want Elmo cake", everything in my mama heart said, "You got it!"

Thank goodness Publix makes a mean Elmo cake. Twenty balloons, a carton of Starbucks coffee, and a bag of Panera bagels later, we were in business. This was a great, eeeeeasy birthday party. We just invited our families over for a 9am breakfast (because we are a big family!), let the kids run through the sprinklers and it was the perfect amount of hoopla and celebration.

Oh, and the birthday boy got to pick a special donut for breakfast. Because apparently you can't eat healthy on your birthday around here...

Cousins table!!! Many thanks to Travis & Liz for gifting us this amazing kid's picnic table.

I was a tiiiiiiny bit nervous about having him blow out the candles. I mean, that fire was close to his face. Thankfully, his cousin Wynn helped him out with the task. And Everett couldn't have cared less, because he was super enamored with the birthday song. He is still asking me to sing it to him, every day when he wakes up. "Bird-day song, mom?"

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to"

People ask me all the time, "Why did you guys move from NYC?? Don't you miss it?" and of course I do. But when I see these photos of my son tumbling in the grass with his cousins and getting loved on by his grandparents and getting affirmed by his aunts and uncles, I am more sure than ever that we made the right choice. Everett is the happiest boy, so loved by everyone around him, and it's such an honor and a hilarious joy to be his mom every day. Happy 2nd birthday to my bright, beautiful boy!

The 3 Plants That Are Killing it in My Summer Garden.

And by killing it, I mean rocking. And by rocking, I mean growing like crazy and producing all over the place. All this Georgia heat has caused a lot of my herbs to bolt and go to flower too quickly (sad day, I know), but there are a few things that are absolutely on fire, in terms of production and growth.

1. Cherry Tomatoes.
These bad boys are so stinkin' cute. Their process of turning from green to red is really striking, and for some reason they have just gone to town, producing so so much. Next year I know to add a few more of these plants (and buy taller stakes for them, because holy cow.)

2. Zinnias.
I added these to the back border of my garden, in hopes of adding a pop of color to the vegetable garden. I wasn't sure how well they would do, since I was planting them from seeds, and I've had very mixed success rates with growing flowers from seeds. But these are popping up in reds, golds, oranges, pinks and yellows! They are so gorgeous and big that I feel like a regular grocery store flower department. I've been cutting these and putting them in tall vases around the house and I feel so farm girl. Sigh. If you come over, I'll send you home with one :)

3. Celebrity Tomatoes.
These are the fattest, juiciest tomatoes ever. I can't believe how satisfying it is to look out my window and see these gigantic tomatoes growing in my own little garden box. It's a strangely wonderful feeling, knowing my soil and water grew such healthy, vigorous tomatoes. And you guys - they taste so good. Stevie has been making these sliced skillet-fried tomatoes coated in a bread crumb/flour situation and they are seriously savory.

In case you're wondering what my child does while I tend to the garden. I'll be honest, it's turned into a weedy jungle out there, because I've been pregnant and it's been hot. etc., but I am finally feeling energetic and able to get back at it! Everett throws the frisbee at my head every time. It's scary how accurate this kid has gotten with a disk.

My basil should get an honorable mention, because this particular batch is actually doing quite well. I had one purple batch that grew like crazy and then went bitter really early in the season.

And the you have it! Any suggestions for what I should try in my fall garden? Because I am already making lists of new vegetables and flowers I want to plant...

Happy Birthday, Stevie!!!

You are so wonderful! And so worthy of celebrating.

You are a gift to our family and truly the person I most admire. You live your life, both the big and small circumstances, with consistent integrity, optimism and belief. You've brought my life an overwhelming series of joy and love. And our little boy is a reflection of you, both literally (!!!) and in his thoughtful, energetic spirit of strength. You are a rock. You are funny. You are easy to be with. I love you and am so happy to celebrate another year of STEVIE!!! Happy Birthday, my love! xox