8.6.11

So tonight's post is long, and a bit of a two-parter. 


My mom flew in for Will's birthday, and with her she brought my new family room curtains, which I think have completely changed the feel of our family room.


It feels finished. Grown up. 


It only required one trip to the hardware store for a dowel rod to give the curtain rod a little extra support. Turns out my $5 clearance fabric (pictured here) is of a decent quality and therefore, heavy! 

So let's remind you of the art set up, as well as the Target valance we had before.


Left side (I left it messy à la HGTV shows, for a more dramatic before and after...so don't judge the "before" shots when you see our show. They purposely messed up our bed and pulled clothes to hang out of our drawers! We don't live like that!)

Right side.

Here's the new completed look.

Left side.

Right side.

The art hanging on either side of the window are prints my dad did in design school. We have several things he did hanging around our house. They make me smile. 


I think my favorite part is that the subtle green stripe in the fabric makes you notice our chairs. They aren't just a green afterthought now. Who would have thought a tiny stripe of color could make such an impact? And yet, front a distance, the curtains appear to be neutral and unassuming. I just love them!


I was so excited to have this finished (just Will's room left to put some finishing touches on). I felt ready to host our families for Will's big birthday bash. 

It really is hard to put in to words how fast time goes unless you have a kid. That's not meant to discredit the lives of people who don't have kids--not at all. It's just a different form of measurement. You stop measuring time in your own age, or your own milestones. Everything becomes measured in first foods, first words, first steps, first everything! In the truest of statements, life really isn't about you anymore. 


Greg and I woke up the birthday boy at 6:45 to sing him a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" (and yes, we actually woke him up, so we must be nuts). We picked up Grandma at the airport, played with our new blocks (thank you Lucas!), and had our favorite lunch: Skyline. 


When the guests (and cousins and aunts and uncles) arrived, it was non-stop play. Running and kicking soccer balls and swinging and throwing frisbees and I thought for sure he would collapse in a big puddle of sweaty two-year old exhaustion.


But he kept going.


He stopped long enough to eat his second hot dog of the day (I know, the parental shame I feel but...it was his birthday). 


I had put aside a dog-licked cupcake, and in the middle of hot dog bites, I heard from behind me, "Mmmmmm." He found the dog-licked cupcake and was halfway through it before I could object. 


It was his birthday. 


We had asked our friends and family to not buy any new gifts. It just seemed...excessive. But we know his cousins and Aunt Olivia have lots of toys in the basement they don't play with, so we suggested they bring us their "recycled" toys. Will was so excited to get a Dorothy the Dinosaur, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head, lots of puzzles, and his own set of real golf clubs (thanks Grandad!).


Mom and Dad went with the recycled theme too...our neighbors were selling a Monster Truck Power Wheels at a garage sale. We scored it for $20, and the $80 I spent on the new battery and charger made this a steal (since new Power Wheels are well over $300!!).


My favorite photo of the night is the entire party trying to get Will to ride in the truck. Totally freaked him out. Something tells me he'll get the hang of it soon enough.

After a second rendition of "Happy Birthday," Will ate his second cupcake of the night (it was his birthday), and soon after, he crashed. No sugar high was any kind of match for the exhausted fun he had. 

I know there will come a time when Will won't want family parties, when he won't think it's fun to run around in the backyard with his cousins. 


I feel lucky--grateful--that we have him, that we have such wonderful families, that we have this lovely house. And even though time is flying, I am so lucky to be remembering such warm moments.