master bedroom update

After finishing Brooke's room, I planned on moving on to Colby's room, but he informed me that white was "so boring" and that he wanted blue walls instead.  Until we had a solid plan for his room, and since we decided to hold off on the new carpet, I decided to move on to the master bedroom. 

I can't believe that I didn't take a decent before picture with my bed actually made, but this was better than nothing...

Again, this took forever because I had to tape off all the levels of the ceiling and molding, but it was most definitely worth it. 

Seeing the last of the tan disappear was a VERY welcome sight.  

We planned on painting the walls a light gray since all of our furniture is white, but it turns out that gray is a very tricky beast!  I bought 5 samples after the fiasco with Brooke's bathroom, but none of them looked good with our furniture.  No matter the shade of gray, our furniture (which I thought was a creamy white) looked yellow.  I began doing extensive research about which grays look good with creamy white, and despite the grays being the right LRV (Light Reflective Value) to be okay next to a creamy white, they were all wrong.  

So, I convinced Kevin that unless we wanted to get all new furniture, our best bet was to paint the walls a creamy white to not compete with the furniture.  Then I had to paint over all the areas I put sample paints on, haha.

The end result was absolutely perfect (in my opinion), and although Kevin thinks it's a little boring, I think he agrees that it was definitely the way to go for our current furniture. 

Peeling off all this painters tape for the final reveal was so satisfying...

Once the bedroom was put back together, I realized how much I wanted to change up the bedding as well.  These projects always snowball, right?  I kind of knew this would happen, and since we've had the plum duvet for nearly 13 years, I felt justified in wanting a new one.

Finding the right replacement was no easy task, but I absolutely loved how the inky blue just updated the whole bedroom. I found drapes that tied in perfectly, and a lumbar pillow as well. 

We've never had drapes in this space, and they made ALL the difference.  I originally hung them too low, but Kevin was super helpful when I decided that they needed to be raised.  It meant ordering new drapes and a longer drapery rod to hide the seams, but he was such a good sport. 

I was worried how the white frames would look against the white walls, but since they all had accents in gray and wood tones, they looked beautiful against a crisp, clean wall. 

I don't want to toot my own horn, but I really was so pleased with how everything turned out.  I loved all the details and I was just so happy every single time I walked into our room. 

I especially loved how the blue bedding tied into the blue stenciling on the bathroom tiles and the blue rugs and towels throughout. 

I definitely needed a break after this big project, but it was so rewarding to see the fruits of my hard work and vision. 

start of summer

The first day of summer was also Claire's birthday party, so it was off to a good start!  I didn't stick around like I usually do, but I am very confident in Brooke's swimming abilities and I knew that Brooke was old enough to be there without me.  

Brooke had SO many wonderful things to say about the party, but the highlights definitely included swimming, a visit from the Kona Ice truck, and an epic water balloon fight. 

I took Colby to Chicken-N-Pickle while Brooke was at the party and he loved everything about that place.  We spent time playing foosball, yard games, and finally seized an open table to play ping pong.   I honestly don't remember the last time we played ping pong, but Colby surprised me with his good reflexes and coordination. 

Can you tell that he was a little excited about that ice cream cone? 

Brooke was hired to make cookies (and buy the rest) for Rafaella Ghio's graduation party the Saturday after school got out.  Rafi (and her family) love my chocolate chip cookies, so it was sweet that she wanted them at her party.  Brooke and I had fun making the cookies together, but she was most excited about the prospect of making some money. 

Sister Ghio "hired" Brooke to man the table during the party, but it really wasn't too labor intensive. When she wasn't checking and restocking the cookie table, she was simply enjoying the party! Brother Ghio joked that it was his "Bankruptcy Starter Package" because they had a bounce house, face painting, a mariachi band, a taco truck, and a snow cone machine. But the guests all had a great time!

Brooke even helped make a few snow cones :)

As we were about to leave, Sister Ghio tried to pay Brooke more money.  She had already paid us $300, which was more than we spent on the cookies. I assured her that we didn't need any more money, but she insisted and paid Brooke another $100.  Brooke was thrilled and was very eager to buy herself the new watch/step counter she had been wanting. 

While Brooke and I were at the party (for hours), Colby enjoyed some one-on-one time with Kevin.  He's been asking to go golfing, so that was their first adventure, followed by dinner, walking around Academy Sports, buying books at Half Price books, taking a dip at the pool, and eventually making it home for showers and a movie.  When I asked Colby about his date, he announced that it was EPIC!

Sunday with the littles!  Brooke is majorly loving this dress right now, I think because she feels "like a teenager."  Several of the teenage girls at church have even complimented her on it :)

We went to another graduation party that evening and one of our friends walked the kids down to the lake.  They loved the adventure and I loved the pic!  They even found  the skull of a cow!

Colby's hair was too good not to document after his ride on the OG of knee boards! Kevin thinks he got that board when he was about 11, so it's pushing 30 years old. 

They named themselves "Double Trouble" and were having themselves a great time.  The 20 mph winds were a little crazy, but not as crazy as having a dead battery when you try to head into the marina.  Thankfully, the marina sent some guys out to rescue us!

Since our lake time was cut short, we headed over to the pool.  I'm glad Brooke used the larger tube because after Colby asked me to blow it up, he only played with it for like 2 minutes.  He underestimated how much work it was to blow up, haha. 

One or two days in to summer,  I was already dealing with sibling squabbles.  I decided to get the kids outside and put them to work, which was just what we all needed.  There's a lot of power in working and playing together!  And it was especially fun to have a water balloon fight with Colby when it was all over. I definitely won, but he claims he was "just wet from washing the car."

The summer is off to a good start, but I'm still trying to find the balance between low-key and carefree summer days and the structure of a routine/schedule to help with fighting.  I'll let you know if I find the perfect ratio :) 

life in may

When we arrived home from our "backpacking" trip (previous post), we unloaded the truck and headed to the pool with a tiny little stowaway (lizard).

We finished off the day with a trip to Top Golf. The kids wanted to stay forever, but man, that place is pricey!! 

Kevin gave the kids a few pointers, but mostly just let them have fun. I clearly needed more pointers, as evidenced by my swing and miss, haha.  And Kevin looked like a champ and had an impressively high score. 

Some of the best moments with Kevin the week he took off were the simple ones.  The kids both loved having Kevin walk them in to school and pick them up in the afternoon. 

We spent some time at the docks one afternoon and I had to take a pic of Miss Texas.  She loves those boots (passed down from Maddy Sturgill) and is still rocking the dress she got in preschool from my friend that runs Dot Dot Smile. 

"May the 4th be with you!!"  Colby was all over this dress-up day at school. 

Kevin and I went back to the dock one day while the kids were in school to hang up rope lights.  Kevin has had this project on his list for a few years now, so it felt good to finally follow through. 

We were a little short on lights around the base of the dock, but overall, we were happy with the end result. 

Kevin stopped by that evening with Brooke to show her the full effect.

I referenced the fact that we bought Brooke an early birthday bike, but never posted a picture of the two of them together.  It's crazy to me that she can ride a woman's bike, but she loves it so much and it was perfect for a mid-week family bike ride. 

Have I mentioned how much this guy loves the lake? He went surfing with a few friends that morning, then picked me up so we could grab brunch and head back out on the water.  

We played a card game together...

Then worked on the sound system to get all the speakers functioning properly. So many little projects to do when you have time off work!

The weather didn't cooperate for very long, but I always love to see him in his element. 

We were back at the lake the next day and it was absolute glass.  

Kevin had high hopes of teaching the kids to ski, but they weren't eager to learn.  So, he took a turn instead. 

I adore Brooke's smile in this picture...

She is getting more and more grown up every day, but she still loves to snuggle her daddy!  And pick songs on his phone :)

Crazy kids...

This after-school pool date felt like summer.  Only two more weeks!!

Claire and Brooke twinning on the first day of STAAR testing.  Brooke kept telling me she was nervous, but came out of school and announced that she thought she got 100 percent.  Way to be confident, little girl!  (And she actually did get a near-perfect score!)

Also pictured is her friend, Eden. 

One night, Kevin helped Brooke learn Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star on her ukulele and she was SO proud of herself. I can't wait to see what she learns next. 

I went with my friend Catie to the Dallas Arboretum one day and the weather was surprisingly pleasant.  I was pretty worried because we'd had an insanely hot week, but I was so grateful for a reprieve from the heat. I thoroughly enjoyed our time chatting and observing.  If only I had my Grandma's green thumb and could grow a beautiful flower garden!

We headed to the lake with cousins one Saturday and I loved watching these two together.

 To say that Brooke adores Emery would be a huge understatement. I think the feeling is very mutual. 

What's better than riding the kneeboard?  Riding doubles with your cousin...

Or riding the Zup with your dad...

The lake is definitely our happy place with SO many wonderful memories.

More cousin fun...

We played hard from 10 until nearly 4, grabbed an early dinner with cousins, then the four of us headed back out to enjoy the afternoon. We floated for a while as we listened to our audiobook and I may have even caught a little catnap as I sunbathed. 

Boat snuggles with my boy.  He is getting so big, but he still loves to sit on my lap and assures me that he wants me to hold him forever. 

Brookie drove us back to the marina as the sun was setting and it was the perfect ending to our day!

House Pep Rally Day...

They never sold shirts this year so Colby doesn't have an official Daulton house t-shirt and Brooke has been rocking the same one since Kindergarten (which covers her belly when her hand is down), but I'd say we nailed the "head to toe" color vibe. 

Date night with friends (Petersens, us, Smiths) to see a comedy act called The Johnson Files. 

We met for dinner at 400 Gradi before the show, but were completely rushed to get to the venue on time.  We laughed because Kevin grabbed one last piece of pizza to eat "on the go."  The food was that delicious!

A week before school was out, we met up with the Lundeens at the pool across the street.  We don't see them much since they moved to a different ward, but Colby and Jones definitely had a blast together. 

The Hawkins came as well and these girls got right to work setting up all the things.  Being neighbors with one of your best friends is seriously the best. 

Thank heavens for pizza/movie night on Fridays! We were all exhausted after a busy week, so we binged several episodes of Ruby and the Well on BYU TV.  Side note: I saw a random reel about using the apple icon on the back of your phone as a button, so we had to try it out. I chose to make it my camera, but I had no idea Colby was gonna make this kissy face when the flash went off. 

A sweet woman named Beryl was baptized mid-month and Catie and I made sure to attend.  I nearly forgot about it, so I was so thankful for the reminder text from Catie. 

Hawaiian Falls with my crew.  I got in a bit of an argument with a guy because he was being a punk about waiting in line, but thankfully it all turned out okay.  

I had the cutest chat with Brooke while we waited nearly an hour for the boys to ride the toilet bowl.  They came out backwards, but Colby loved every second. 

Nothing makes your kids look more gigantic than sitting on the toddler things at the park.  I'm sure I could do a whole timeline of pics on this airplane...

After school fun...

Putting Brooke's stroller to good use :) Gertie is such a patient puppy...

May was super busy, so I'm looking forward to the looser demands of summer!