A Big Boy's Room

This past weekend, Joe and I tackled a big project: switching the boys' room. Right now, Maddox still is in his "nursery" and Joey has his own bedroom. The nursery was bigger than Joey's bedroom and we know that 6 months from now, Maddox will be out of his crib. So, in preparation, we thought we'd switch rooms now.

It was a little sad for me in this odd sort of way. When Joe and I moved into this house, the "nursery" was a guest room. It was pink and green and had pictures of all of my best friends and cute girly decorations. I loved it. Joey's bedroom was an office at the time. It was a perfect office- small and cozy and it was nice to get away somewhere to do your work. Then, when Joey came along- bam, no more guest room. It became a nursery. Then Maddox came along, Joey stole the office from us again! It's like our house keeps getting smaller, yet more people keep coming to live with us! And, it makes me sad knowing Maddox will be out of his crib sooner than later. He already wants out of his high chair. He's growing up and it makes me long for another baby (just a little bit!). But, out with the old, on with the new.

Let's just say- the day started out rough. As Joe and I were moving furniture out and prepping the rooms, Joey and Maddox were doing "nothing" as they told me themselves. Here's what your kids are doing when they tell you "nothing":

They are stomping on marshmallows in the kitchen- getting it all over your floor, their shoes and everywhere they walk. How did I handle it: I ran and grabbed my camera and THEN I let them have it. I think it's important to have your priorities straight like that and all, you know what I mean?

We were lucky because Joe's dad is a great painter so he painted the yellow nursery a nice taupe color. And, my parents happened to be in town so they helped too! Dad picked up the new furniture and helped Joe put it together. And, mom folded clothes, vacuumed, played with the boys and helped clean! We wouldn't have been able to get it all done without them! But,the biggest helpers were these little boys below. They had to take their shirts off- they were working so hard, it got hot (that's what Joey said anyway).




So, here are a few photos of the new room! Don't you love looking at other people's houses? I do. I've enjoyed that since I was little. My dad worked as an electrician when we were young and I remember asking him what so-and-so's house was like. You can tell a lot about a person by how they care for their house, or how they decorate or how you feel the moment you step in their door. My mom tells the story that one time when I was little, I went with her to some house, walked in and called out, "What smells in here?" I have a keen sense of smell, as well- but I think the smell of your house says a lot too. Anyway, I'm not sure what Joey's room says about me but I'm sure you can draw some conclusions! The theme to Joey's room is kind of a outdoors/camper/fishing/woodsy theme!

We got the bed at Homemakers furniture. Since we don't have a guest room, the full bed on the bottom will be nice to have. The pillow on Joey's bed has a hand-painted pillowcase on it. It has a little camping scene and his name- Kelly and Ali gave that to Joey for his third birthday- I LOVE it!

Splurged for a matching dresser, as well! And, here are a few of my favorite things (sing it Julie Andrews!)...in Joey's room!

This is a globe that I've had my eye on since I was little. It used to sit in my Grandpa Cecil and Grandma Phyllis' house, and one day, I told them how much I loved it. A month later, it appeared at my house. Grandma told me: If you love it that much, I want you to have it. And, then she point out a crack right down the middle and said to me, "I like to pretend that was an earthquake!" That "cracked" me up. And, the little chalkboard next to the globe is a gift from my sister-in-law, Ali. She's crafty like that and all. She made it with chalkboard paint. I usually write something adorable on it, and Joey erases it and draws spiders on it. Whatever.Here are Joey's buddies in the papazan chair. There are three mooses (seriously, is that a word? mooses?)- one is Maddox's from Cary and Ali; and one is Joey's from Cary and Ali; and one is from Grandma Bobbi- all came from Ely, Minnesota (which fits the theme of the room perfectly!). The little puppy is from Hospice when Grandpa was sick. SpiderBear is from Uncle Kyle. Dinosaur is from an outing with my cousin Jenny and her family to T.Rex cafe. Paddington was my bear when I was little- my mom gave him to me. I'm not a huge fan of a ton of stuffed animals so I like to think these are his favorite. As I did when I was little, I still sometimes think they might come alive when we're not in there.The wooden skiis, hanging fish and little evergreen are my sister's. She donated them to my room when she heard about my theme, with the promise that if she ever wanted them back, she could have them. The little bears up on top are also from Ely, Minnesota from GG and Great Aunt Bobbye! I love the canoe oar that says "Summer Camp" - I got it at a flea market-type thing for $10! What a steal! And, the mini canoe oar is from Ely, Minnesota, too. The bulletin board is a tin magnetic board and keeps all of the photos of his cousins! The dresser came from an antique store in town- Joe painted it red for me. Grandma Taylor helped me pick it out!I love this sign. It reads: Brother will you build forts, shoot hoops, teach me to skip rocks, tell me stories in the dark, always be my friend? Bobbi got it for me before Maddox was born. She claims she knew it was going to be a boy. She just wants the same misery for me as she had herself. That's how mother-in-laws are, don't you know? This star is made out of tree branches from my parents' farm- my mom made it (talented little lady she is!). It goes on the Christmas tree in December but hangs out in Joey's room throughout the rest of the year!As you can see, most of the cute stuff in Joey's room was donated, given as gifts, or made by someone! That's the best part about it!

Pictures of Maddox's nursery will be coming soon! And, in the meantime, I encourage all of my fellow bloggers to put up photos of their kids' rooms! It's great to share ideas!