No Ordinary Family

Hope yours was fun--- this was the longest halloween weekend ever!... SO fun--- but after three different trick-or-treat "experiences"... I'm very ready to dump some candy and move on. Phew!

Before and After so far...

A Before:

So it's a little like a body-for-life before-and-after where during their before photo, they stick out their gut and avoid the sun for weeks prior.... pictures on ground, unfinished paint in corner, but it's the only picture I could find of my family room "before" since I've never loved this room and therefore ONLY took a picture once to show my paint job.

Here are some more afters---

With the new sectional from Sofacraft, the new bamboo shades from overstock, and two options for rugs.... the first, the Isola Bella rug half off!! at Anthro. Sorry just looked.... think they're gone.

The second, a zebra hide from ebay! I searched for one of these forever finding nothing that looked decent for less than 400.... and then finally tried ebay... tons for like 200. And it's beautiful. I love it. But I love both.... they both have an alternate home in the new girls or baby's room...

which looks best in the family room???

And this was a craigslist find that I put new gold ring pulls on.... I think I plan on putting them on all of the drawers even thought it only came with pulls down the middle three. Jenny shared these pulls on the Little Green Notebook... I LOVE them. Did you see this post for the ikea "hack of all hacks"--- gorgeous. I kind of want them on every drawer in my house now.

Still plenty of work to do... something over the tv.... I planned on cheap ikea bookshelves on both sides of the dresser for storage, decor, baskets, ugly tv stuff... but not sure how that will fit with the plant.

Speaking of plant, still need to paint the pot white or buy a new one at Ikea.

Wish I had hard wood floors--- don't we all. But I decided even while completely unnecessary, I'm going for rugs over carpet--- because the patterns make me oh so happy. Even atop ugly cheap, stained, carpet. And maybe they'll hide some stains.

AND--- I'm dying to build some simple white mantel over mine to cover all the tile... I love these: The top left seems the most realistic... and then I might have to paint my mirror white... I LOVE the one on the top right if you look close---and of course I love the bottom left that my sister had built... hmm....

Just him and his girls

We'd had it on the calendar for a couple of weeks. We wanted to get in before Halloween passed to see the big caterpillar eating the giant candy corn.

We love Disneyland during the holidays.

When we go, Ross works a half day and we leave at 1 or so. Both my girls had school and I ended up booking a baby shoot that morning. And we planned on loading up and taking off afterwards. But just like most things that require more than a safe upright walk, all of the bending over and squatting and getting up required during the shoot... after rushing around cleaning up my house before the shoot--- left my back WORKED. I felt the pressure of a thousand pounds in a three inch radius in my lower back. And the distinct sensation of a knife up and down my left leg. It was nice. I walked like an old, overweight penguin.

I was so bummed that I was going to be so uncomfortable walking around Disneyland, and hopeful that the drive there would give it a rest. Possibly considering a wheel chair? Then Ross said... "why don't you just stay home and take the day to yourself and I'll take the girls?"

I didn't take him seriously at first. Felt too guilty. And then he insisted.

I love him. I love him I love him I love him I love him.*

(*Remember that diamond commercial? I always liked that part.)

And here's a tiny video... nothing really happens. I think Ross told them to dance--- Sophia dances and then asks if she can stop because she's obedient like that. Mila doesn't really choose to humor her dad except for one booty-shake that makes the whole video worth saving to me. :)

Sectional for sale!

(This was from our old house if you're confused... I already had it so it was easier than tidying up and taking a new one.)

10ft x 10ft Pottery Barn Velvet Sectional- $500- OBO

Still super comfy-- down pillows--- it's the ultimate snuggly couch.

Sophia took a highlighter to the back of one pillow when she was two, so it's easy to hide, but there's a highlighter stain. There are other normal signs of wear. But it still looks great!

If you're local and interested--- let me know!

The Pumpkin Patch!

It's our fourth year going to Live Oak out in Banning. We always hope we'll get something resembling Fall weather when we go... but are not always so lucky.

This year, we got ready in our hot house... and it was hard for me to even grab layers "just in case".... but the 45 minute drive took us straight into a fabulous, big, dark cloud. It was wonderful... cloudy, chilly, dim... all of the pumpkins looked extra orange and I didn't have to take off my cardigan and worry about love-handle exposure.

Speaking of, I know what you're thinking in my photo with just Ross.... I wasn't kidding right...I'm HUGE! And I cropped off the bottom of the photo ( I NEVER take time to crop photos)... because I looked even huger.

(And my hair is three-barrelled for the halloween party later that night where I attempted some sort of super-hero look.... poofy hair was the least I could do since I couldn't fit into anything but a superman t-shirt and work-out pants.)

But I did hit 30 weeks today!! There's something about entering the 30's in pregnancy weeks that makes me breath a little sigh of relief. It's still a long leg, but the last leg. I am COUNTING down.

A new shoot--

Oops... sized for the other blog, too lazy to fix them.... More over there.

My Dad

Today would have been his 63rd birthday. For anyone who doesn't know, he passed away on May 9th of this year. My 29th birthday.

I've thought of him every day since. Some days more than others. But every day.

I still can't bare to erase his number from my phone, or his email from my contacts.

There seems to suddenly be unlimited reasons to call him, or email him--- stories to tell him, questions to ask him... even if it's just because I know it would make him feel good... he liked to share his opinion. :)

I'm pretty sure I think of him more now than I did when he was here with us, which makes me sad.

Every time I see a man about his age, bouncing around in this life, without a care, I feel cheated. Especially when I see one who's loud and barrel chested and confident, like my dad. Somehow they're still invincible, like he always was.

Every time I see a little, old, fragile grandpa, I feel cheated for my kids. They were supposed to know him--- good and bad, and watch him get old and kooky. And gain that much more insight into where they came from-- and that much more perspective on people. They were supposed to hear all the stories I heard, but all the more exaggerated with time and age.

I think of how PROUD my dad was of everything good that I did, and everything good that my children did. And as I watch them grow-- even a day at a time-- I realize that we were just barely getting started. It almost kills me that he can't read or hear the things they say and do these days. I just hope he's allowed glimpses sometimes.

Sophia still prays almost every night, that Grandpa Randy will be safe in heaven. With the seal.

I wonder what he's doing. I've never felt so tangled up in thoughts about the afterlife as I have after my dad's passing. I just hope he's happy and reunited with family, and that he knows how much he's missed. And that his regrets are few with his new perspective.

I did Body Pump the other day and there was a white-haired gentleman right behind me. He got to out-lift most of the class (since he was one of 2 men there), and I found myself distracted and choked up a couple of times if I let my mind wander. It's just such a strange thing--- that he could be healthy and happy and ALL things that represent my dad.... in all of his strength and charisma and intensity... and that in 8 short weeks all of those same things could be sucked out of him, leaving him so empty that the fight had to end.

I meant to write more positively... but he's been on my mind so much lately... and today I just really really miss him--- and wish he could have celebrated so many more birthdays.

Love you dad.

Birthday Kitchen!

It's a good thing Mila can't read yet.... because I'm spilling her birthday secret on my blog.

Ever since Sophia was in preschool last year, and there was a play kitchen there, Mila has consistently LOVED play kitchens. She went to it every day when we picked up her big sister.

Now they have an ugly old one at the gym, and she makes a b-line for it each morning---

I thought about getting her one for Christmas last year... (or telling Santa), but we were in Utah, and it was too big to fit in the car, so we thought we'd wait 'till later and say Santa left it in our garage (like he did Sophia's bike) because we weren't here, but then we never did.

SO--- with her birthday just a month away... I ordered her this pink retro one from costco... doesn't it look an awful lot like the Pottery Barn option? With a less-cute ad of course.

Costco set- $150 including shipping and handling.- PB- $750 for the whole set. Holy Moly. Couldn't I get a new REAL oven for that? maybe not--- no idea.

I kept thinking I would do something cute and crafty like those homemade kitchens out of side-tables with cute fabric, or a doctored up ikea one, but this seems MUCH easier.... and I think I need to shorten my list of projects these days.

Anyway--- I'm so excited.

Even Mila is feeling it

It's supposed to be 82 today. A wonderfully WELCOME temp after all of these triple digit FALL days.

Mila came downstairs this morning dressed like this. And I couldn't blame her... I feel the same. Anxious to wear something seasonal... but it IS still 82--- and that's a COOL day. So you've got to compensate somewhere. I usually opt for a cardigan with short sleeves rather than long. But if I had a booty like hers....

well I guess we'll never know...

One for the girls, one for the boy

Filling my brain with all sorts of ideas for the shared "big girl room" coming up. If only I didn't love like a billion different styles. Did you see this cute one from the new Lonny? I did Sophia's nursery in orange and pink forever ago, so I thought I was over that--- but I'm loving it here.

But on a completely different track, this is a super simple version of something I made after I fell in love with the turquoise wall room in this post. I've got two OLD headboards I bought for 5 bucks each when Ross and I FIRST got married... at a garage sale. They've been sitting in our backyard for um--- over 2 years... and I keep meaning to have Ross throw them away. But now I'm thinking... maybe I'll paint 'em? They don't look quite like the one's above-- just a fill-in shape. But I did already get the rug and shams on sale at Anthro.... knowing I could return them if I change my mind (which I do often) since we have one in town now!!!! That cute print is somewhere on etsy. I think it's the same girl who does the boy walking the lion. I love her stuff.

Have I blogged this one yet? I love this pretty natural color palette. I did buy a big map from costco like a year ago that's still rolled up and tucked away.... Now if only that crib were not like a billion dollars. I'm going to need to make some decisions soon---- I feel like the weekends between now and the baby are going to fly by with all of the bustle. And Ross said if I got the paint, he'd paint the baby's room and the girl's room on a Saturday....

But at my rate, I'll lose steam and the little guy will just sleep in Mila's nursery and Mila will sleep on Sophia's floor.

Why am I so bad at making decisions?!

Can you tell I'm nesting? All I want to do is reorganize and decorate this place. Everything else just keeps getting in the way. Sheesh.

You Just Never Know

(Doesn't she look excited to play? ha)

I played soccer when I was young. I LOVED it. I loved the uniforms, and the capri suns, and practices, and the oranges, and the whistle, and the smell of the grass.... I loved the competition and the community and all of it.

Some moms dread becoming a "soccer mom" ---- I've been waiting for this day. Counting down the time until Sophia was old enough to wear her over sized jersey and run around aimlessly with a soccer ball while Ross and Mila and I cheered her on from the sidelines. I envisioned her using all of that natural athletic ability and coordination I've always seen to blow us all away--- weaving in and out of the other girls, focused on the goal. It would be the start of something great. The beginning of her athletic journey as a little girl with parents that are 6'3 and 5'10. The one perk that comes from large genes.

This is how it really went.

We signed her up and Ross was all but forced into becoming the coach. He was happy to do it--- but just a little disappointed that we couldn't enjoy our first experience as AYSO parents on the sidelines, observing it all first. He hasn't played since he was like 6 --- so it was all a bit--- hazy. But they're 4 and 5-- how hard can it be?

This last Saturday was a pretty accurate depiction of what it's been so far.

Sophia told me the whole day before that she didn't want to play soccer anymore. We happily and casually tried to talk her back into it and by Friday night she was on to her "just kidding... I DO want to play soccer." (that's what she says when she changes her mind--- she was kidding all along.) So we woke up early and got her ready-- She and Ross went early since their team had pictures at 7:50. in the AM. Yikes.

Mila and I stayed back an hour and got ready. By the time we arrived and were HUNTING for a parking spot, I got the phone call from Ross that she had indeed changed her mind again after not "winning" the dribbling race, and did NOT want to play. She also wanted to cling to his leg and cry deliriously while he tried to coach the rest of the girls. It was super fun.

So Mila and I found a spot, a mere mile or so from the field (not really, but it was at least the equivalent of a mile for a 2-year-old and a back-spasming-pregnant-woman.) We booked it--- and I ended up carrying Mila for the last stretch. We got there sweaty and ready to encourage and convince Sophia just how FUN soccer was. Ross dragged her to us, and then turned around to accidentally trample an unsuspecting Mila. Nice timing. Now we had two screaming children. Now I had two screaming children. Ross has a team to coach. A team of other people's children. Lame.

I desperately console and hush and try my best to sooth and then finally bribe Mila with a luna bar and the one chair we have since she's the squeakiest wheel--- she's quiet. I move on to Sophia.

I tell her how much her team needs her and how much fun they're all having and how it's all about fun and keeping the ball away from the pink team, and how mommy played soccer when she was little, and look! Brinley's playing soccer over there-- look how happy she is.... I tell her how fast she is and how I want to see her run super fast and kick the ball in the goal--- but really... just to go play with her team and have fun---- nothin.

And then I tell her I passed a snow cone truck on my mile trek in and that she'll get one if she plays. And then she smiles... and goes in for the first time during the game.

She looks over at me every 10 seconds or so to make sure I'm proud and loud. And so I am. For about 3 minutes until Mila's screaming--- "I need to go potty I need to go potty!"

Anyone know where the nearest potty is?

Of course--- back at the entrance, that white trailer with the line out the side. So we book it to the trailer, Mila on my back, (my ACHING back) for part of it, as I keep picturing Sophia's spiral downward when she sees I'm not there to cheer her on.

I'm dripping sweat with a cheerful Mila perched over my shoulder when we get back to the huddle. It's over. We WON. Not that they keep score. But we do. 1-0..... first game yet. I think the other 3 we've lost (and I'm not kidding) about 10-1. Where do these girls come from?

BIG DEEP SIGH. It's all of 10 am. And we're both worked. I tell Ross, "soccer's SUPER fun."

I'm realizing lately that parenting just doesn't always turn out like I expected. Every week Sophia doesn't want to go--- then she puts on her good attitude for it--- then it all goes out the window and we see her most emotional 2 year old side come back out. It's wild. And we're stuck-- because Ross is coaching. And it's supposed to be fun.

I think we'll wait a couple of years before we try again---

If we try again.

I suffer from major buyer's remorse---

On MOST things. It makes it very hard for me to shop somewhere that isn't realistic to return (like online rugs that will cost more to ship back than they're worth). However, THIS rug is one of my favorite purchases EVER.

It's in my dining room... and I've moved it around a couple of times only to discover that it makes me happy in ANY room. I sort of wish I could buy one for several rooms... but would that be boring?

My point is, I saw it on Little Green Notebook (I think) ages ago, and it sold out right after I bought it.

But it's BACK! They have almost every size, but the 8x10 is close to selling out. It's such a good price, just thought I'd share, in case anyone shares my la-la-love.

Last minute shoot for any locals???

I just had a cancellation for a session this afternoon. I know it's a stretch with so little time to figure out outfits and schedules.... but JUST IN CASE, I thought I'd put a snippet out there if anyone was really desperate for a Saturday photo-session.

All of my Saturday sessions before the holidays are full, and I don't work Sundays. So if you were really hoping for a Saturday, and you're the spontaneous type, let me know if you're interested in squeezing your family in this afternoon! Email me at lillie_biesinger at yahoo dot com.

Happy Saturday. Off to Sophia's soccer game! We're so grown up.

Some image inspiration- warning, I'm all over the place

I want to live there. Too much to ask?

I've been committed to growing my hair out for the past several months... which is why I'm DYING at it's length and shape right now. I have images like this girl above that keep me motivated. Since I'll look JUST like her if my hair is long.

This is the problem--- there's all these gorgeous heads of long hair floating around in magazines and blogs and real life--- but will I just waste all of this time suffering medium hair just to end up looking like I did when I was 13?

Nice. Someone put it on facebook. I wish I still had those jeans. Lacy, is that you in back with your hair on top of your head? I wish I had those jeans too. :)

And then I see photos like this one and think---- forget it--- short hair can be SOOO cute too... and it's SO much easier for me to do and actually wear down...

I have a hair appointment TODAY. Pretty sure I'm going to suffer it a bit longer and see how I feel after some of the baby weight comes off. What's the point right now anyway?

That's my attitude. Poor Ross.

And on a totally different note--- I swore to myself I wouldn't paint another ounce of blue in the this house.... and then I painted my family room blue and swore it again. And now I'm thinking maybe the girls should have this accent wall in their coming-soon big-girl room. Don't worry, I would get rid of the purple.

But maybe without the perfect wrought iron bed frame and perfectly textured white bedding it will just look like a fiesta. Who knows.

Oh um.... I ordered a new custom sectional from this place yesterday. With that, these new bamboo shades, my new craigslist dresser-turned-media, a couple of book shelves from ikea, and one of these fiddle leaf figs (the big green plant):

I ordered it (never could find one and just thought of that option!) and am picking it up today at Home Depot!

I plan on having some good before-and-afters here in 3-6 weeks!