Nursery

When I married Dustin I had no idea that he was good at do it yourself projects. He built our deck (with a lot of skepticism from me) and it turned out beautiful. He also built retention walls in front of our house (with a lot of skepticism from me) and it turned out wonderful. Are we seeing a pattern here? Yep, if you answered something about me not trusting, having faith in, or believing in Dustin or that Dustin is really good at home improvement you are right. I have come to realize that you don't have to be trained in construction to be able to do it, you just have to be willing to do the job right. In fact, when Dustin and I toured the Parade of  Homes I realized that he did an excellent job. In fact, a lot of his work was better than the work I was seeing in a lot of the homes. I have changed my thinking about DIY projects and am excited to help Dustin with some of our upcoming projects.

The most recent project has been Naomi's nursery. The wainscoting, painting, trim, and flooring are done! I couldn't be more proud of my amazing husband. He worked incredibly hard and learned how to do much of it as he went.
Here is what is left to do:
-crown molding
-painting the doors white
-buy a rug
-buy accessories
-paint the existing changing table
-make a pillow for the rocking chair
-hang artwork
-make curtains for window
-change out light fixture
-put outlet covers, switch plates, water main cover, and vent back on

before

after

ONE!

"Love it now, because she will grow up so fast!" After hearing this from countless friends, family, and complete strangers we still did not understand how fast she would grow up. Our baby is one, and she is thriving. This year has been a complete whirlwind and joy. We have absolutely loved watching Naomi grow and develop. She is a fun, energetic, smart baby with plenty of personality. Noni always says that she got in the personality line twice. She has brought joy to countless people, especially her Papa, Noni, and Auntie M.

We had a fun party for her and I was really excited for the smash cake. It totally backfired. This requires an explanation. When Naomi started eating solid foods we taught her to wipe her hands clean when she was done. Apparently, this created a child that hates having anything on her hands. Needless to say, she had no interest in touching the cake. We had to put her hands on the cake and she would promptly wipe them on her shirt.

A few days after her birthday party, we had her one year pictures taken. I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Naomi's photographer, April Bladh. Naomi loves her and in a little over half and hour we finished Naomi's photo shoot. Here are some of our favorites.

Ladybug Release

Every year Daybreak holds a ladybug release at one of it's community gardens. Although we don't have a garden this year, we went and picked up a few hundred ladybugs for Papa. These little critters eat the aphids that like to reside in gardens and flower beds so we figured they would be a perfect addition to Papa's garden. After we bought the ladybugs we couldn't resist letting Naomi play with a few of them. She loved watching them crawl on her hands, pants, and in the grass, and helped release them into Papa's garden a few days later.

Denver

When I don't post for a while, it seems really hard to write a post. It feels like really bad writers block that won't go away. However, I do remember Denver. We got a call that Dustin's uncle* who is fighting cancer was not doing well so the family decided to gather in Denver. I called Delta and booked a flight that was supposed to leave in three hours. We feverishly started packing and getting ready to leave. Not more than twenty minutes after I booked the flight, Delta called and told us our flight was canceled. Seriously?! It was already four o'clock in the afternoon so we bit the bullet and drove through the night. We arrived in Denver at six in the morning and got a three hour nap in before Naomi woke up for the day.

We spent a lot of time at the hospital visiting with family and also enjoyed time sight seeing in Denver. Here is our Denver adventure in pictures.

 

Denver Zoo

Denver Children's Museum

Downtown Aquarium

Wings Over Denver

Saying Goodbye to Family

*Dustin's uncle is doing well as he fights cancer. We are grateful for the Doctor's, Nurses, and other medical personnel who have and continue to take such good care of him.

Cloth Dipes

When I was pregnant with Naomi I became really interested in cloth diapering. I don't necessarily fall for the argument that it is better for the environment. With disposables you use up room in a landfill and with cloth diapers you use a lot of water. In reality, both leave a footprint. The money we would save was what peaked my interest. The last straw for me was about a month ago when I spent 50 dollars on a box of 160 diapers...50 dollars! What am I thinking spending 50 dollars a month on diapers? This began my search for cloth.

     There are so many types of cloth diapers out there. The information about what kind, style, and brand you should buy is overwhelming. Every time I would go online to research diapers, I would walk away more frustrated than satisfied. I finally settled on a brand and style I liked and fit Naomi well.

     I have now been cloth diapering for two weeks and I love it. It has taken Dustin some getting used to, but when I told him the money we will save will pay for a vacation he took right to it. We are thinking Chicago would be a fun getaway. In the meantime, Naomi's diaper rash is gone and we are finished spending money on diapers.

101 Years Young

Happy Birthday Grandma

Love-Dustin, Libby, and Naomi

59 Years Young

Happy Birthday Papa!

 

Love-Dustin, Libby, and Naomi

Dear Uncle Rico

 

Dear Uncle Rico-

Naomi absolutely LOVES chewy.  The same can't be said about Chewy loving Naomi, but that is easily solved with Cheerios. As soon as we get to Noni and Papa's house Naomi looks out the back window and starts talking to Chewy. We hope you like the video.

Naomi had her nine month checkup with Dr. Fox last week. Here are her stats:

-16 pounds 9 ounces

-27.75 inches long

and some thing she likes:

-clapping

-blowing raspberries

-books (especially books with babies or animals in them)

-Auntie M

-walks

-giving kisses

-doing a fish face (Auntie M taught her how)

-baths

We miss you more than you know. We are proud of you for serving a mission and are grateful you love Seattle. Hope you have a good week.

Love,

Libby, Dustin, and Naomi

Happy Birthday D!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

TO THE MOST WONDERFUL HUSBAND

A GIRL COULD ASK FOR.

Dustin's Gluten Free Birthday Cake

LOVE ALWAYS,

LIBBY

Nursery Update

Dustin and I have made several improvements to our house since we moved in two years ago. We built a deck, retaining walls (planters) in front of the house, and purchased a new front door. The biggest project by far is Naomi's nursery. We literally have to do her room from the ground up. New floors, wainscoting, paint, and trim. We are forever grateful to Auntie M for her willingness to be our interior designer. She has helped us choose furniture, artwork, paint, and hopefully a stuffed chair. I really want to post a picture of the progress, but Dustin is adamant that we take a picture once the nursery is finished. For now, I will post a before picture.

 

Naomi's nursery before remodel 

I have never really loved shopping, but shopping for art, furniture, and accessories for Naomi's nursery has been really fun. Here is a peek of what Auntie M has helped me choose.

Italian ABC poster

Wall Shelf for books

Side table

wall shelf

Mirror

I will post new pictures as soon as the nursery is finished.