Horse Room

THIS IS A VERY OLD POST THAT I NEVER FINISHED TILL TODAY...OOPS..New year..new start?

When we decided to move last November (2009)we did everything in our power to make sure Sammy was excited about moving..no matter how hard it was going to be for all of us! We told her she could have a new room decorated however she wanted...she chose Horses! And she insisted she wanted a blue ceiling. So this became my obsession for a while. I kept trying to convince her that we would do her room in pink and brown (thinking that would be easy) and just buy some Horse pictures or accents to make it a horsey room... she was OK with that. Andy was already planning the half brown half light pink room... well I made the mistake one afternoon of searching on-line for bedding. I thought how hard could it be to find girly bedding that would match pink and brown... This was all before we even moved.. : ) Well I searched and searched all over on-line..every visit to a store I checked the bedding and I couldn't find ANYTHING I liked...so again one afternoon at work I googled horse bedding...it was killing to do it but I thought if I find something I liked that wasn't too cheesy maybe I would cave to Horse bedding...the first few sets that popped up where hideous...then I clicked on a cute picture that took me to The Company Store and I found the cutest quilt..and fell in love with it..remind you this is before we even moved and usually I am NOT a quilt person. But I loved it..it was EXPENSIVE...so then it became do I buy it and not tell Andy how much it was..do I wait...I finally asked him what he thought and he nodded..in the middle of a conversation about work...I briefly mentioned how much the set was including accent pillow covers and a valance etc..he just kept talking about work and again nodded..SO I BOUGHT IT. The bedding came in very shortly after moving. Sammy LOVED IT! Andy was still stuck on the brown and pink and I kept saying I am not sure..well things got crazy trying to get the house put together and the bedding sat in the dining room..and Sammy lived in a room that was dark grey and light grey with her toddler bed and miss matched dresser....

Here is the room before we moved in but it shows the walls the best.

I did not take good before pictures but here the girls are playing in Sam's room back in July...

Early August we decided school was starting and Sammy was nervous so we needed something to cheer her up. We started really talking about paint...I pulled out the bedding and knew brown was not going to work..Andy didn't want green as an accent color but also didn't want an all one color pink room...so I again went on google...girls room ideas...the website where I bought her bedding popped up and I saw it--it was PERFECT dark pink and light pink--with a white stripe in the middle...

The inspiration

The look on Andy's face was priceless. He liked it but that meant covering grey and getting a perfect stripe line... I said we should hire someone to do it but NO Andy was determined. We literally went to Menards to get paint and primer at 8:30 PM one night and the guy behind the paint desk even wished Andy luck on the white stripe...

Sammy helping Daddy with the dark pink at the bottom.

I apologize for the book I am writing just about decorating my daughter's room..well a weekend of hard work and laser lines and frog tape the pink with hot pink and blue ceiling was done!!!! White blinds went up and mattress was purchased...Andy even installed a fan in the room!

SO the furniture is a whole other drama story. The only thing I found that I liked was on-line and I found a company that had good delivery quoted and worked out a price and ordered it.... then we waited and waited and waited but it finally got here a few weeks late...Here was the happy camper the first night in her new "big-girl" bed and horsey room.


I found some great plaques for the wall and we still have to put up the valance but other than that things are so cute! I love how it turned out and Andy did a GREAT job on the stripe!

Sammy now has shelves and stuffed animal bins in pink..she loves her room and especially her view of the pond!
She has grown up so much just since this picture in August....

Swimming....PROGRESS! FROM August 2010...

This summer has definitely been filled with swimming for my girls. We call Ali little brown bear cause she is SO TAN and Sammy likes to show off her "Coppertone butt" ! : )

In the last few weeks our daycare has been telling me that Sam has been MUCH more confident in the water and actually putting her face in the water..not quiet going under but actually putting her face in while she "swims" in the very shallow part of the pool! PROGRESS!

This past Saturday morning I finally got to go to watch Ali's swim lesson. And Alaina is still living up to her FISH status. Her teacher is so impressed with her and recommended her to the last "baby" level already! Sam was a bit jealous of Ali getting so much praise in the water and said she now wants to take lessons..OH BOY last time we tried that she CRIED the whole time so I am a bit leery but yet don't want to shoot down her request...

Saturday afternoon Andy and I were trying desperately to get Samantha's room at least primed so my Dad came over and took my girls to my Aunt Janet's to swim with my Mom. I didn't get to witness it but my Mom claims Sam actually doggie paddled and jumped in from the second step! Ali also decided to do cannon balls..well she would yell it and just step off the edge. She actually gets herself to the surface on her own with no floatation devices which just amazes me for a 2 year old! I tried once or twice putting a floatation device of some sort on Ali and she hates it cause she already understands the water and it slows her down so I want her to be safer but I don't want to deter her learning either...so for now we just have to be right with her 100% of the time when she is in the water.

I have video somewhere of Ali swimming from that class I watched...

And I am so excited to announce that in August we finally went to our pool in our new subdivision! It was so nice. There is a kiddie pool and the girls splashed around and even went in the big pool. Sammy has been awesome in the water now (again thanks to my Aunt Janet). Sammy even finally let go of me in Nana and Papa's pool with floaties on her arms! She did it! I just hope it continues next summer.

Change...personality & emotions...

I have been sort of sentimental lately and it just amazes me how kids grow.

Sammy has been sleeping in the guest bedroom the last 3 days while we finally redo her room to a big girl horsey room. I love that last night I could snuggle with her at a normal "height/level" while she went to sleep. She has been in a toddler bed...
She is so "big" at times and yet so not others.... I have been hearing from more and more people that the oldest can be a little clingy. I thought the oldest was independent and strong..and the baby was clingy..that is how my sister and I were... or still are. : )
Sam insists on having someone with her in every room or at all times. I cracked up watching my 5 year old beg the 2 year to go downstairs with her to watch a movie the other morning. She couldn't just go and do it herself. And Ali didn't want to get out of our bed so she just told Sam no and Sam melted down... the dynamics are funny! Meltdowns.. does anyone else have a child that has meltdowns that embarrass you.... in the last few weeks Sam has been so emotional and anxious and cautious etc. That is her personality and a lot is changing in her world lately but yikes. Andy's mom always said he was very cautious and anxious as a kid and I am VERY emotional so I guess she just got all that bundled into one... As some of you saw on my post on facebook Sam obsesses about the weather. This is partially because we have had to rush down to the basement a few times already since moving to our new house. The storms are crazy by us now and we back a pond and a corn field so the wind is nuts. The back of our house is a lot of windows as well so the sound and the visual scares her so much. (And me too but I try to be strong.) And on top of all that has changed I have had surgery again.... but she claims that doesn't bother her... back to meltdowns..last Friday we got to dance company rehearsal (which Sammy usually loves, and ASKED me to put her in) and Sam realized that Ali, Daddy and I were going to go run to the store and she freaked out and wouldn't dance and screamed and cried and kicked..I had to take her out in the parking lot and have Andy talk to her..she finally went in the room but didn't dance until almost the end.. she claimed she wanted her Mommy... she honestly never wants Mommy..she is a Daddy's girl 80% of the time. Then Saturday in the midst of Ali's swim lesson Sam started causing "trouble" and wanted to get in the pool but I told her no. She was wearing a leotard and tights for dance class...as you can guess..a kicking screaming meltdown induced that caused me to have to physically carry her to the car after rounding up her flip flops that she kicked across the entrance. I had to pull the car over twice before she would calm down and I would let her go to dance class. (She also admitted that night she was jealous of the attention Ali was getting...sibling love)
As I write this I am realizing how much really is changing in her life lately..how to teach a 5 year old coping skills????...and the biggest CHANGE hasn't even happened yet...SCHOOL.
In less than 2 weeks my "big girl" will be starting Kindergarten and a new daycare all at once... I used to think she was so confident and social and would have no problems making friends and would love the change.. she used to run into a class and not look back..and come out talking everyone's ear off....lately I am scared to death! I DO NOT tell her that.. and we have been reading fun back to school books etc but I am worried. I pray we meet a little girl at the daycare open house next week that will be going to school with Sam on the same little bus so I can stop worrying so much.. I am a freak. I really should not wonder where Sammy gets her personality traits. Between Andy Me and our parents wow... we all choose to procreate? he he. So this is obviously my venting of fear and emotions so lets hope Sammy finds some positive way to vent hers too.... We have a few family days planned in the days before school starts and her new bedroom should be done in the next week or so--just waiting for furniture to come in now--so these are fun things..RIGHT?

Swimming update...

Wed. was obviously a wash since we felt like we were in the wizard of oz...the playhouse flew across the yard..never made it over the fence but that was a scary night! We had water coming in a few of the windows on the back of the house..not something you want when you just bought the house but it was a very weird blowing storm and hopefully we won't be replacing windows... Sorry tangent there.

Thursday I picked up the girls from the pool with daycare where they told me Sammy actually put her face under the water! I watched Ali just go under going after a ring too..she is NUTS. We then headed to the pool at Aunt Janet's. I knew we needed to go cause Sam hadn't been in the water at all on Wed. and I didn't want her to loose the momentum we were gaining on Tuesday...but she did..she fell asleep on the way there so I almost just went home but she eventually "woke up" and got ready to swim... Sam hesitated a bit to even get in and wanted the life jacket on again..finally Aunt Janet came out and said NO LIFE JACKET! Then Sam was whining and only would walk the wall..then finally she got in the middle of the shallow end with Aunt Janet and she made her jump up and down until she finally went under!!!!and came up OK! Then by the end of the night she walked (reluctantly) to me in the middle of the pool without holding on and then jumped in off the side to me! Aunt Janet had to kind of throw her in but she didn't cry so I hope we are making progress. She has her recital and a lot going on this weekend so I am afraid we won't go again until Monday...and we will be starting over. I hope not... It is also exhausting all of us too but I need her to be more comfortable with the water!
ENJOY this wonderful summer weather everyone! Happy Friday.

SWIMMING.....

I am compelled to write about Sam's progress with "swimming" this week. AND THANK YOU TO MY AUNT JANET FOR MAKING IT HER MISSION TO GET SAMMY IN THE WATER!
In 2005 & 2006 Sam was only an infant but had no real problems going in the water with Mommy or Daddy or Grandma and would even go under a little if we blew in her face etc...she was always cautious but OK.
January 2007 We started Samantha in swim lessons with Mommy and Daddy (she was about 20 months old). During the 6 week swim class they progressively made us put her under more and more. The first time she didn't love it but no problems...the second and third attempts..YIKES... We just thought she is young she will get over this. Well the summer came in 2007 and we would again take her to Nana and Papa's pool or Aunt Janet's pool or even Auntie Laurie's lake she would barely go in the water past her ankles with us and was VERY reluctant...she would always play in the zero depth areas but nothing deeper. We thought we better keep trying to get her in the water and trying to make her go under or she will never learn to swim. The next January 2008 (she was almost 3) we signed her up again for Daddy daughter swim lessons (I was pregnant with Ali and didn't want to put on a bathing suit). The first week she wouldn't even get in the pool..she remembered the "crazy torture" from the year before and SCREAMED and SCREAMED and clawed Andy once he forced the issue and carried her into the water...she was disrupting the class no matter what the teacher did to help ease the anxiety..Finally I told Andy just to get out...we tried one more week with no difference in behavior--no matter what we bribed her with...I let her quit...I know I couldn't believe I did it either but it was not worth the misery.
So that summer of 2008 was WORSE torture she wouldn't get in the water at all except to sit on the stairs..wouldn't put on a floaty NOTHING. She would go to the zero depth entry pool with daycare and would show me how she would put her face in and would "swim" but she was just laying in 4 inches of water and put her face down for 2 seconds...I though it was progress but she wouldn't even like to get in deeper if we held her--SHE WOULD SCREAM like we were ripping her arms off. At this point we obviously had Ali and I wasn't in the water much due to surgeries etc but Andy made it a point to try to get Ali in the water and she was a baby so she didn't seem to mind..daycare made a comment about how much Ali loved the water too but we were so focused on getting Sam in that we didn't really make a big deal over getting Ali in the water...
So this past fall Andy decided we batter start Ali in lessons ASAP so we don't have the same issue as Sam.. Ali is a FISH..she is now in her 3rd level of lessons and almost swimming on her own--jumps off the wall goes under comes up laughing. Andy said in one of her lessons the other babies are crying and Ali is saying AGAIN AGAIN!
Back to our issues with Sam.. Sammy goes with her daycare to the pool almost everyday but just sits in the SHALLOW beachy area and splashes around.. we tried to got to Nana and Papa's pool over Memorial Day but she wouldn't even get in..even with her cousin the same age swimming around her on the stairs with floaties on..it didn't matter. Andy and Uncle Brian finally bribed her into the water with floaties on her arms and tricked her into floating by herself for about 3 seconds..she just screamed though as it was happening. So this week the we went to play at Auntie Kelly's house on Saturday and Sam put on a life jacket but wouldn't even step 2 stairs down....then we got invited to my Aunt Janet's for Fathers Day dinner. She has an in ground pool. I got the girls ready to swim and again put a life jacket on Sam...she just stood on the stairs with water to her ankles..Ali was jumping in right next to her and playing in the water with G'ma but Sam wouldn't budge. I was trying to show her that he water is only 3.5 feet deep in the shallow end and finally grabbed her and walked out in the water.. She screamed so loud I thought the neighbors would call the police... So here is where Aunt Janet came to the rescue...she told me to "go away". She helped Sam learn new calming techniques..and by the end of the night had Samantha walking down the wall holding on and stopping to clap and starting to walk away from the wall a few steps--in her life jacket but--OH MY GOODNESS! WOO HOO! We ended up not eating dinner till 8:30 pm cause Aunt Janet was determined! Aunt Janet told me to get her back all week if we could so she doesn't forget! My cousin Jesse is a swimmer and we even talked about maybe doing a regular swim lesson there with Jesse. Sammy LOVES Jesse--maybe this will work to get her actually swimming byt he end of sumemr. Monday after work we headed back to swim again. Sammy had been playing at the pool at daycare that day as well but we needed to keep up on the progress....on the way to my Aunts she kept saying Mommy my belly is excited. I said good you are excited about swimming by yourself..she said NO I am nervous...but she did it..got her life jacket on right away and walked in and grabbed the wall and started walking..by the end of the night--NO LIFE JACKET and walked to Andy in the middle of the shallow section!!!!!!!!!! She even let Andy swirl her around in the water..AMAZING! In the meantime Ali is mad cause I won't let her go down the slide into the 9 foot water. : ) Sammy was even not wanting to get out! So much better.... we went yesterday too and she was very tired..she hadn't taken any nap and had again been at the pool with daycare. She did get a little more adventurous at the pool with daycare but nothing too exciting yet.. At Aunt Janet's Sammy didn't even put on her life jacket and hesitated a little but finally walked in and right to the wall! She did a few lengths of the shallow end and then we told her to try to go under and stand up on her own at the wall...she got so close but just couldn't get all the way under..I even bribed but it didn't work..she got very tired pretty quick but I am so proud of her and so exited. I keep explaining how mush more fun it is when you are able to get in and walk and play..and if she would just go under and push herself back up she could even jump in ..like her 2 year old sister. : ) Daycare even told me she is now going to make Ali wear a vest at the pool cause she just jumps and goes under and doesn't care... everyone that watches her is AMAZED at how fearless she is..great but SCARY!
Looks like today will be a wash out but I hope Sammy keeps up the great progress!
THANK YOU AUNT JANET!

Sorry for the long post. I will keep updating and will hopefully get a chance to take pictures..I am always too busy chasing Ali and making sure she doesn't just jump in on her own. : )

Toy Story 1 (not 3)

Sammy has been talking about Toy Story 3 with all the hype out there so I decided we needed to watch Toy Story 1 first so she knew at least some of the characters. Last Friday I was still flying solo with Andy in China again for work and it was so stormy outside...I figured it would be a good Mommy daughters activity for the night. I picked the girls up from daycare and we talked all the way home about watching Toy Story after we had pizza! Then I realized I have no idea where the box is after moving with my Disney movies in it..on VHS..wow I am old.. : )
I ran down to the basement and dug a bit and found the box...Toy Story was on top..thank you God! Then I get upstairs and realize we no longer have a VCR hooked up..I know we have one but where is it and can I hook it up if I even find it...luckily the girls played well without me for the time I was running around the house like a crazy woman... I finally find the VCR in a box and luckily there were component cables in the box as well. So Mommy did it..I just plugged the VCR right into the front of the TV and left it sitting on the floor ghetto style! We had fruit snacks and watched Toy Story 1! I forgot how much adult humor is in those movies..Sammy liked it but didn't really seem to get attached to it at all. But I think she understood it more than I realized--before bed she looked at me and said "Mom, I sleep with different animals all the time..not just one." I told her that was OK..then she said "then there shouldn't be one that gets sad right?" It was cute to see her concern... I am a little nervous that she is now never going to want to get rid of any toys cause they have feelings...

Skipping a year or so...HOUSE CRAZINESS

I have been reading the Shannon Family blog daily and caught up on Mandy's blog today..so I am in the mood to blog..totally shouldn't be but oh well...

Our old house...

In this economy and market everyone said the hard part was going to be selling..well for us the hard part was buying.....In early January we accepted an offer on our house which for this market we felt was a decent price. We got more than we paid for it in 2002 and only had it on the market for 42 days! We also figured we got out of it almost exactly what we had put into it..almost.. We were very excited! But that also meant I was mentally going crazy trying to find a house. We went out day after day starting in November looking at SO MANY HOUSES from Naperville to Bolingbrook to Plainfield and back again... On MLK day we went out without the girls thank you Jesse for watching them and literally looked at 18 more houses..and the one we kept comparing everything to was one house we saw back in early December..it was all trade offs but we took my Mom and Dad with us the next night and decided to put an offer on a house that had only been on the market for 4 days and had another offer already which is unheard of in this economy. We figured it was a long shot but we ended getting our offer accepted..crazy...beautiful house..huge garage..but further than I wanted to live..5 days later the sellers backed out...so on to house #2. Much Smaller garage but immaculate (cause they didn't have kids), closer to where I wanted to live..same schools as a friend of mine that could have taken Sam to school with her son..finished basement that had a unfinished 21'x13' workout room in the back that Andy agreed could be finished as my dance studio as soon as we moved in! I was pumped...we negotiated for over a week which again was a little strange but we got it..pool table and all...did the home inspection only found a few minor things... realized it had no linen closet..anyway... 4 days later they backed out on us..long crazy story but they sold it to a cash offer even though we told them we could have cleared our sale contingency or we only had a few weeks before we were closing...but the crazy people backed out.... so we were so upset...I kept having to tell myself everything happens for a reason..(and still on Redfin.com it still says this house hasn't actually closed...hmmm) We had to move onto house #3--we put an offer in..this was the first house we liked back in early December. It was priced a little high cause the guy had just gotten divorced and paid more for the house in 2006 than he even listed it for--we needed him to come down..but we also needed a house in only a few weeks so the games began...we negotiated and got the house. It is smaller than the others (and less$$) but had everything we wanted except brick on the front and the girls rooms weren't as big as I would have liked them to have..everything finally worked out... Andy and I love that it is in a pool community with a clubhouse etc. We back a pond which at first I was nervous about but it has been so fun to see the wildlife and Sammy actually picked the smallest bedroom just so she could face the pond. I find myself just standing at the patio door just zoned in on watching the egrets and the herons and the different varieties of ducks and the muskrats..its like living in front of an episode of national geographic!

We laugh about how in 2002 when we decided to move out of our townhouse we HAD to have a yard with a fence for Slater and really wanted at least 3 bedrooms and a finished basement would be great. I wanted a space that if I was coaching I could have all the girls over to watch film...these things are important to a recently married 26 year old dancer... So the house we chose in 2002 had a fenced yard with a great patio a finished basement with an office and 3 bedrooms plus a loft upstairs...Well this time we needed better schools, first and foremost, but we really wanted at least 4 bedrooms, a bigger family room, and a 3 car garage. Oh how the priorities change. We feel we accomplished our most important need and even most of our wants! 4 bedrooms plus a den/office 3 car garage wonderful family room etc.. However, we bought a house with no fence, a tiny builder issued deck, and an unfinished basement...I am excited to have a clean slate to make the basement what WE want but like I said how the priorities change. I should maybe not say WE cause I already have claimed an area in the basement that will someday be a dance studio for my girls and I and another area that will be a craft room..and an area for the girls dress up closet etc...we will see when that actually gets done...

Our new house

We are very fortunate that we were able to do all this right now and we were also able to take advantage of the $6500 tax credit.

We are getting things together day by day and last weekend met a ton of our neighbors when it was so nice out and I already got invited to play Bunco! yeah! I played (still do for now) in my old neighborhood and it is just a fun night out! I obviously should have been inside unpacking and organizing but it was nice to meet people!!! We got a new fence this week which is so nice to not have to worry about Slater on a tie out which he has never had to have and when we were in the yard I was always so paranoid my little fish (Alaina) would jump in the pond... : )


SO in the end we are so happy to be in a new place where we hope our kids will be very happy!


It was hard on me though for the last few weeks in our old house to think how we not only brought both our babies to that house after they were born but we are pretty sure we conceived both girls in that house too. I know TMI. And Alaina will not even remember that house. I would sit in the girls rooms and cry. I took so many pictures in the old house..

Ali and Sam in the old "Nursery"

It was Sam's then Ali's room

Sam in her old Mermaid Room

We had done so much to make it ours and upgrade things etc. It was hard to move. But I know we needed to make a change and now I have a new space to make ours.. now if I only could find some time to accomplish that it would be even better..and to all my decorating friends I need your help! : )