Pretty in.... Blue?

After talking about it forever, we finally painted Piper's room last weekend. I LOVE the color! It is such a "fresh" hue (also a note to the color's name, "fresh water.") It is a vibrant light blue, with a little green in it, almost aqua. Here are a few pics:

BEFORE

AFTER

Do you see Piper hiding in her crib?

Isn't it pretty?! I think the first "after" photo is closer to the true color, at least on my computer. I haven't put anything on the walls yet. I have a few decorator friends who are going to give me some recommendations on how best to use the accent colors, pink and green. I may add a little brown too, but I'm wondering if that might be too much.

I have Piper's name letters. I think I might paint them with some leftover pink paint from Morgan's room and use the same green ribbon to hang them that I used for Morgan's name letters. I'm so happy with how the color turned out...now it looks like "Piper's Room" instead of used-to-be-guest-room.

Home Sweet Home

We are back in town and getting back to our routine. We've got lots of pictures from our trip...well, we think we do. Halfway through our second day I discovered the display screen on our camera had cracked, so we resorted to the old "look through the viewfinder and shoot" method. We're hoping the pics still transferred to the memory card.

More later today!

Dinner Outside

On Friday night we thought we'd have dinner outside in our newly completed backyard, using our new patio furniture. It turned out to be a lovely evening. We enjoyed some ravioli and Morgan enjoyed some butternut squash and green beans. Then she decided to pose for a few pictures with her beloved sippy cup. Sometimes she likes the water in the cup, but mostly she likes to chew on it.

First Day Home with Mommy (and Daddy)

Though I stopped working last Tuesday, I consider today my first day home with Morgan. We kept her in daycare last week as we had already paid for the full week. Then she had time to play with her "friends" and "say goodbye" to her teachers. Though the daycare center we chose was originally our second choice, it really turned out great for us. She was really happy there and all the teachers loved her. They even made a goodbye present for her with a few pictures on a sheet of paper that all the staff signed. I'll put it in her baby book. They said she was welcome back any time. This is nice to hear as who knows when we'll need childcare again...possibly not until she starts preschool, but if a great opportunity for me comes up sooner we have options.

Today we took a trip to my former workplace (boo). I had to go in to pick up my last paycheck and sign some paperwork that was not prepared for me on my last day (boo again). I will miss my co-workers though, and they were really happy to see Morgan. I felt bad for them as they are all pretty scared because they've heard that more lay-offs are coming. I'm glad I'm gone now and able to move on. It's so un-nerving to wonder if your head is on the chopping block.

Next we headed to the grocery store. This was Morgan's first big trip to the store where she got to sit in the shopping cart! She loved it!! Everyone commented on how cute and sweet she is. She was so good. This trip also cleared up a dilemma for me. I have one of those shopping cart covers, but when I was laid off I decided I was going to return it because it seemed somewhat unnecessary. Well...I changed my mind. Morgan was too interested in sucking on parts of the shopping cart. Yuck! I kept trying to get her to stop, but you can imagine how successful that was. Next time I'll bring the cover. It also has some spots you can place toys as well. Then maybe she'll play with the toys and not try to constantly grab (and eat) my shopping list. We did have a fun time there. I was proud of her for being so good.

She's actually napping in her crib right now (shocker!) and she's been there for about 45 minutes so far. I think this has something to do with being tired from a busy morning, and she has herself wedged in a corner with her WubbaNub in her mouth (see pic below). She's just at the right angle so it hasn't fallen out yet. Don't worry, I keep checking to make sure she's breathing. Tonight we're headed to the "Coach's (radio) Show" for the Shock as a local restaurant. Morgan will have fun seeing her buddy Elijah and we'll see our friends too.

One other great thing about today is that Morgan got to see her Daddy quite a bit. He fed her this morning and let Mommy sleep in a bit (can't seem to get rid of a lingering cold). Then when we got back from the grocery store he fed her some lunch, then he gave her kisses before her nap.

I promise you won't get a full synopsis of every day from now on (though I know the Grandparents would love that!). I just thought this was a significant day worth the details.

Our New Backyard

Our backyard landscaping is done!! We think it turned out really nice. We took these pictures yesterday before we put our new patio furniture together (you'll see a box or two on the patio in a few of these pictures). I tried to get all the angles of the yard and some photos are a little shadowy. It's not big, but it's just the right size for our little family. Morgan will be running around on the grass in no time! I'll add some more photos the patio furniture as soon as I can.

Now David's hankering for a gas barbecue...just show me the commission, honey...Momma doesn't bring home the bacon anymore (and that landscaping was not cheap). Hee hee!

A Backyard for Baby

When we bought our house it wasn't built yet. Only the front yard landscaping was included. So, for the past year and a half we've had an empty backyard without even a fence. We are finally making some progress on it! We now have a fence and a patio:

Since these photos the landscapers have now added the irrigation system, so we should have it mostly done this weekend. Maybe some shopping for patio furniture??? Fun! We can't wait to have friends over for a BBQ! We are also looking forward to having a place for Morgan to run and play as she grows.