Addie's Playroom Turned Bedroom

When I started designing Addie's playroom, I knew I would eventually be turning it into her bedroom once Eric and I decided to try for Baby #2. With that in mind, I tried to stick with a garden theme and use similar colors so that all of her nursery decor could easily transition into the new room. Here is a look at what Addie's Nursery looked like...

So cute isn't it? I think this room makes one sweet nursery, which is another reason I decided to use it for baby #2. Anyway, I wanted to be sure to reuse as much as I could in the playroom and aside from buying new furniture, I was able to reuse just about everything!

Here is Addie hopping around her new crib...

I added some hot pink ribbon to Addie's letters to give it a nice pop and tie in with the rest of the room. I also like how the hot pink makes the room less soft and more big-girl like :-)

And here is a view from her door...

The crib fits in that cubby like a glove. I think it is so cozy for her.

And here is the new dresser with plenty of hooks behind the door for Addie's million bags and purses. Like mother, like daughter :-)

I think the best part about this bedroom is the size. I was able to keep Addie's tea table set up and it goes perfectly with the rest of the room.

I used the extra wall in the room for her special, hand-painted dollhouse bookshelf. I know we really didn't need another bookshelf in her room (considering all the beautiful shelves my dad put in) but it just matched so perfectly...I figured one more shelf couldn't hurt. As you can see, we found plenty of toys to fill it :-)

Overall, I am THRILLED with how well everything transitioned from the nursery to Addie's big girl room. I now have everything organized and in its place and after only one night of confusion, Addie is perfectly content in her new bed. Here is a picture of the happy customer...

Now...in 2 1/2 weeks when we find out the sex of baby #2...it will be on to the next project!! 

A Creepy Glitch

Now that Addie is in her new room, I thought it was time to upgrade to a new monitor. Thanks to lots of awesome reviews (and a great coupon), I finally bit the bullet and bought the Summer Infant Day & Night Video Monitor.

I have wanted a video monitor for a long time and since Addie is approaching the age where she might start escaping from the crib, I thought it would be nice to be able to see what she is doing in her room, instead of just hearing. 

Anyway, the first night we used the monitor, Eric and I couldn't stop watching her. It was SO fun to be able to see her sleep and know what she is doing. But when we moved the monitor from the family room to our bedroom, the screen got very fuzzy and then the picture cleared up. But...the picture was NOT OF ADDIE'S CRIB! It was some other baby's crib in our neighborhood. We could see it clear as day. We moved the monitor around the room and the picture finally switched back to Addie's room. Needless to say, Eric and I were pretty freaked out that not only could we see into some other baby's room, but someone might be able to see into Addie's room!

The next day, I switched to the only other channel on the monitor to see if that helped but when I did, I could see ANOTHER crib! I know it is possible for monitors to cross paths every once and a while and even though I can get over someone being able to hear into my baby's room, I can NOT get over someone being able to see into my baby's room. So...I returned the monitor today :-( I am actually very sad because I was really happy with this monitor when I got it and if it weren't for that one creepy glitch, I would definitely keep it and give it 5 out of 5 stars. But...I am now on a search for a new digital video monitor that offers a little more privacy. I will be sure to let you know what I find.

Does anyone else own this or any other video monitor? Have you had problems or have you found a different one that you love? Any advice would be much appreciated :-)

Just Peachy

I am just days away from officially entering my second trimester! Woohoo! I am finally getting some energy back and my appetite has returned to normal. Yes...I used to be hungry 24/7 even when I wasn't pregnant so nothing has changed :-) I guess that explains why the baby is the size of a peach this week...

But my belly is at least triple that. 

Oh well...what baby wants...baby gets. Even if that means reduced-fat Oreos and a glass of milk each night :-)

Everybody Loves a Wedding

Especially when the weather is sunny and 80 degrees with a light breeze. Outdoor weddings are always a gamble (I should know...I had one) so when the heat wave struck this past week, I was worried that we would all be roasting at my cousin Jeff's wedding this weekend. Luckily, the weather Gods were with us and it ended up being a BEAUTIFUL night. Speaking of the night...let's do a little recap shall we?

First off, because my mother-in-law is still recuperating from her surgery and because my parents were attending the same wedding...Addie got to spend the evening with my Grandma and her boyfriend Richard! As you can see...Addie and Richard were like two peas in a pod.

I am always sad to leave peanut, even when I am excited to have a night alone with Eric. But she was anything but sad. She had a BALL with Great Grandma and Richard. Word is she got to have ice cream and stayed up way past her bedtime. I bet she wishes they would baby sit every night :-)

Being at a wedding always makes me think of our wedding day. Eric says he still remembers what he was thinking as he waited for me to come down the isle. I am sure my cousin Jeff was thinking about the same thing at this very moment...

And I know Jessica was thinking the same thing as me as she walked down the isle with her Dad. Isn't she beautiful?

I always love getting a picture of the back of bride's dresses. You can't really see the beading in this picture, but it was beautiful.

A picture perfect moment.

And here is the groom....my fantastic cousin Jeff. Jeff and I are so much alike it isn't even funny. He has always been my dance partner at every wedding (except his own...he had a beautiful bride to dance with all night).

And here are my two awesome brothers. The three of us are NEVER dressed up and in the same place at the same time, so I took advantage of the moment.

And here are the bride and groom to be!! Being at the wedding last night made me SO excited for Ryan and Meagan's wedding this November. It will be here before we know it!

And no Mueller wedding would be complete without 3 things. Booze, Polka, and Uncle Jimmy playing the accordion. 

Here is the happy new couple showing off their polka for the rest of the crowd. Jess...you are one of us now honey!!

I can honestly say that Jeff and Jess had the perfect wedding night. Beautiful weather, great food and a room full of family and friends. Can you really ask for anything more? Well...I guess maybe a honeymoon in Mexico. I am so jealous right now :)

Too Busy

Too busy to come up with a good post today, friends. Addie and I got to spend a good part of the day in Great Aunt Sue's pool with Katie and Audrey and tonight, Mommy and Daddy get a night alone! We are going to a wedding, but I still look at it as "dinner out" in a pretty dress. But I promise to recap our day in pictures tomorrow. Hope everyone has a fantastic Friday!!

I Heart Tori & Dean

I think when it comes to Tori Spelling...you either love her or you hate her. But I just have to say...I LOVE Tori. Is she spoiled? Completely. Is she sometimes a little annoying? Absolutely. Is she a bit overdramatic at times? Of course. So I guess that is why I love her. I am all of those things too (except I don't have millions of dollars). I have watched Tori & Dean's show since it first aired as Inn Love and I think every season gets better and better. I think that has something to do with the addition of Stella and Liam.

Also, in light of the whole sad and depressing Jon & Kate drama, I think I finally realized why I love this show. It is funny, sweet and as real as a reality show is ever going to get. Tori hides nothing. She walks around without make-up, she farts, she cries, she admits her faults, she makes fun of herself AND best of all...she acts like a real mom. Yes, she has a full-time baby nurse and she has more money than I will ever see in a lifetime...but she does struggle with all the same mommy issues as everyone else. Is she working too much, how should she handle liam's tantrums, what happens when both parents have to work at the same time, what should she cook for dinner, etc. And she never tries to pretend like her life is so normal. Her and Dean are actors, they are in the Hollywood spotlight and there is a lot of pressure. I guess I just like that they both own up to that, instead of trying to say "oh we are just like everyone else" even though you can see that they are like every other new set of parents just trying to figure things out. Anyway, I am going to get off my soap box now. I guess I just wanted to say that if you are sick of sad/depressing reality shows about family and want something to lighten the mood...check out the next episode of Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood.

And on the subject of Tori, if you are looking for an interesting summer-read, I say pick of sTORI Telling. 

I thought the book was funny and honest and gives you a lot of insight into her fantastic (and not so fantastic) life. Also, she recently published her second book, Mommywood, and I hear that is pretty funny too. I haven't read it yet, but I did pick it up at Target and I will let you all know what I think when I am done :-)

So...anyone else a Tori Spelling fan?

Cute Ways to Spice up a Ponytail

Since the ponytail is my hairstyle of choice these days, I started looking for ways to spice it up. I have found some great hair pins and ties at Target, and I also found a few awesome headbands and clips at JCrew. But after browsing though my new Anthropologie catalog, I have a new wishlist of must-have hair accessories. I think these would turn any pony tail from drab, to fab. 

Cute Headbands

You really can't go wrong with a cute headband. And since they are totally in style this season, you can find them everywhere. Although, there is something special about this Grecian style headband. I must have it.

Flower Clips

I love flower clips. I use to make my own with silk flowers from Michael's and a glue gun. But if you don't feel like getting that crafty, here is an adorable flower clip. I might have to get it in every color :-)

Embellished Hair Pins

I know...I have a little thing for flowers right now. But aren't these sweet? If flowers aren't your thing, I found some adorable pins at Target for under $2 a set.

Scrunchies

That's right friends...according to Anthrolpologie...scrunchies are back!!!! I could just kick myself for getting rid of my scrunchie collection from high school. Although, I am not sure sequined scrunchies are back in. Maybe I will stick with this paisley one for now :-)

Does anyone else have some great ponytail tricks or accessories? Someone mentioned the "bump it" once and told me my pony tail would never be the same. Does anyone own one yet? Do you agree? If so...I may be running to Walgreens tonight to get one :-)

Be Careful What You Wish For

For weeks, Addie and I have been looking out the window at the rain wishing for a warm, sunny summer day. We have had a few this year, but I can count them all on one hand. So when the weather man said it was finally going to be warm and sunny this week, we were thrilled! That meant time at the beach, pool, park...anywhere but the house. But like every other season in Illinois, there is no such thing as a happy-medium. It is either cold and rainy, or hotter than a mother *&%$#@. Last night, I sadly watched Tom Skilling announce that there was a heat advisory in effect for most of the Midwest. Sweet. These were the temperatures at 12:00 today...before they had reached their max. And we were already in the 90s! 

Needless to say, the heat index of 105 ruined our beach plans today :-( Boo! But...it did give me a reason to stay home and start a new project!!! Last week, thanks to some awesome coupons, I was able to pick up Addie's new convertible crib and dresser from Babies R Us. I knew I wanted to get started on the transition from playroom to bedroom sometime this summer, and since my parents were nice enough to come over and set up BOTH pieces of furniture for Eric and I while we were out of town this past weekend (did I mention how awesome my parents are?), the room was ready for me to get started! Here is the set I picked out... 

This is the Casual White set by Carter's and I LOVE it! It is so cute and looks just perfect in her new bedroom (disregard the bedding in the picture). I also love how cute the crib looks as a toddler bed, which is important since we will be switching to a toddler bed eventually.

And since I did bring up the big question of where to place the new baby, I thought I should let you all know that we decided to put the new baby in the bedroom next to ours (Addie's current nursery). I thought everyone offered wonderful suggestions, but in the end I know that Addie is a light sleeper and if I have the opportunity to keep the babies separated for at least the first year or two...I think it is a good idea. Plus, this just means that I will get to redecorate another room down the road in a year or two. Ha!

Anyway, the big playroom/bedroom transition is underway and I can't WAIT to show pictures. I still have some work to do but I will post pictures as soon as I am finished. And considering there is ANOTHER heat advisory for tomorrow, I may be done sooner than later :-) 

I Swear This is the Last Time...

That I will blog about Jon and Kate. I just got done watching the new episode where they shared their"big announcement" and I have to say...I am a little surprised. Not that they are getting separated (because that was pretty obvious) but that they STILL plan to do the show!!!! Seriously? If you are that sick of paparazzi and tabloids airing your family's dirty laundry, why would you EVER want to continue that? They both talk about wanting a normal, happy life for their kids and obviously...things have been anything but normal for them. I know that Kate said they are continuing the show to "provide for the kids" and "record memories", but is it really worth it at this point? I mean, does America really want to watch a family go through a divorce? Do they really want to watch Kate all sad and mopey because she is doing everything on her own? I have to say...the past two episodes have been really uncomfortable. And I know they are going to try extra hard to put on a happy face and make everything seem peachy keen. And maybe in time things will run like clockwork. There are lots of divorced families in the world that make it work. But really...do they need to show this process on TV? I have to be honest...I don't think I want to watch the show anymore. I just don't feel right about it. My belief is that they need to quit and if I continue to watch (and blog) about the show...I am participating in the whole mess. What do you all think? Did tonight's episode turn you off at all? Do you still plan to watch the show in the future?

A Day With Connor

When I told Addie we were going to visit her boyfriend Connor this past weekend, she was soooooo excited!

And so was I. I haven't seen my friend Tara (or precious Connor) since February and I have been counting down the days until our long-awaited visit.

It was amazing to see how much the kids have grown in just a few short months.

We decided that it would be fun to take the kids to the town festival for some lunch so we loaded them up in the wagon and ventured out.

The kids loved riding in the wagon and the Daddies had fun bonding too :-)

Even though the festival was a great idea in theory, the 102 degree heat and 90% humidity put a little damper on our fun. The kids got cranky very easily so we decided to head back to the house for some AC. Look at those rosy little cheeks!

While the kids cooled off, Pat decided he would blow up the pool so that kids could take a little dip. We bet Pat he couldn't blow up the pool by himself and he gladly accepted.

The kids played while we waited.....and waited....and waited.

After admitting defeat and heading out to the garage for the air pump, Pat and Eric got the pool and water table set up for the kids. Connor liked having the table all to himself.

Whereas Addie liked having the pool all to herself. I think it was only because she could drink buckets full of hose water :-)

After tiring the kids out with some sun and fun, we brought them back in...gave them their blankies...and attempted a nap.

It was SO great seeing Pat and Tara this weekend and I know Addie had so much fun seeing her boyfriend. I am already excited for our next visit :-)

Thanks for everything Tara!!! Miss you guys!!!

For My Daddy-O On Father's Day

If someone asked me to list the 5 traits that describe you the best, I would say:

Loving

Being a loving father...

and Grandfather...

Seems to come so naturally for you. You have always cared more about me (and Ryan and Adam), than you do about yourself. You always put our wants and needs above your own and never ask for anything in return. This alone would make you Father of the Year in my book, Pop.

Stylish

No one in this world can rock a fro, retro-striped, fitted polo shirt and Wrangler jeans like you can Daddy-O. And I must say, my sundress and pig tails are quite cute too :-)

Talented

"Talented" isn't even a good enough word to describe what you are, but it will have to do for now. Over the years, I have kept you pretty busy with projects. Like...fixing my car (about 20 times due to accidents that were NOT my fault...okay...maybe one or two), fixing up my first townhouse, building me not one...but two fireplace mantles, and as of late...spoiling my baby girl with creations you came up with on your own. Like...

Her bassinet...

Her first sled...

And her playroom/soon-to-be bedroom. 

And what I think is most special about these projects is the fact that you  made them and I will get to cherish them forever.

Silly

And I mean silly in the most fantastic way. Dad, you are the most fun-loving guy I know. You always know how to have a good time. I mean, it was your idea for the whole family to jump in Diana's pool with our clothes on (since no one brought a bathing suit).

It was also your idea to start wearing fun PJ's to Christmas Eve every year. I don't know who's idea it was to make goofy faces in this picture, but I have a pretty good idea it was you...since you are the only one that looks normal. Jokes on us I guess :-)

I like to think I got my sense of humor from you Pop, especially since we always love the same jokes and movies. I think being silly is one of your best qualities :-)

Friendly

And I don't just mean "friendly" with people, even though you are an incredibly friendly guy. I mean this more in the sense that you are like a friend to me. You go above and beyond the role of "Dad" when it comes to me and the boys. You listen to us, talk to us, give us advice, take an interest in the things we love and most of all...you genuinely make an effort to be a part of our lives. That's what friends do...and that's what every Father should do. But not all kids are as lucky as I am to have a father like you.

So Daddy-O, this is where I need to say Thank You. Thank You for being the loving, stylish, talented, silly, friendly father you are. I honestly don't know what I would do without you. I love you with all my heart :-)

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!!