It was time...

...to change things up around the house.

I had gotten to my breaking point with the way things were arranged in our family room and was ready for a change. Up till now the bulk of the kids toys were stored in half of the family room. However, due to the narrowness and the depth of the room the kids toys were really starting to take over everything. Everything. And this is with me rotating toys in and out of the attic on a frequent basis. So, we got to thinking about things...

Another problem we were starting to look to problem solving was what to do about transitioning Avi-Kate to a big girl bed. She hadn't tried to climb out but it was bound to happen in the near future. Transitioning with AG was SO EASY because his room has a built in niche that a twin mattress fits in to perfectly. We only bought one bed rail and he never fell out of the bed because he was walled in on all four sides. It was amazing. In Avi-Kate's room we have the queen size guest bed with girl themed bedding. I wasn't crazy about sticking her in this bed yet just because it is so high off the ground and she wouldn't be able to get in/out of it by herself...plus I didn't want to have buy more bed rails! I really just wanted to stick her in AG's twin bed but I didn't want to buy twin girl bedding when I just bought her queen size bedding a year ago. And then it dawned on me. All of my twin college bedding is in perfect condition and just hanging out in the attic. So...we've taken the plunge and flipped the kids bedrooms! AG was not excited at first and Avi-Kate was confused because she was still happy in her crib. The biggest reasons we went ahead and did it were 1.) We were going to the beach for a week and Avi-Kate was going to sleep on a twin bed all week. We didn't want to come home after a week in a bed and move back to the crib. Let's just keep moving forward. 2.) We wanted to do it before AG starts back to school so that he has time to adjust and we can get the house ready for the upcoming year. Due to the insane amount of rain we got the week of July 4th we spent the holiday flipping the kids rooms and then went on vacation. Now that we are back I've got a little less than three weeks to get everything situated the way I want it. AG starts school August 5th! We need to figure out bedding for AG but at the moment he's content with clean sheets and the down comforter. Buying bedding for him wasn't a big deal to me because we figured when we moved to the next house he'd most likely end up in a bigger bed...not like spending money for twin girl bedding that she may use for a year or two at the most. I'm currently mulling several different possibilities for him. The only thing we know for sure is that we have to buy him a set of Grinch flannel sheets this fall from Pottery Barn Kids since Avi-Kate has inherited his twin Grinch sheets. And that will be a problem if she gets the twin ones and he doesn't have a new set because he loves sleeping on them. Last winter I  had to wash them and then put them straight back on the bed because he insisted on sleeping on them till well after Christmas.

By moving the kids rooms and taking down the crib we were able to move their toys in to their rooms. With plenty of space for them to play and spread out without overtaking the family room. Hallelujah! Ideally, in the next house we'll have a designated play space room/nook. The family room is much more spacious now and doesn't make me claustrophobic. We rearranged a few pieces in it and I have some ideas for new art on the walls. Andy wants to paint the kids rooms and I'm thinking about painting some of our common living spaces. We've been in this house now for over six years and I'm ready for a new color palate. The only room that is guaranteed not to be touched is the dining room. The cranberry red isn't going anywhere! Which is a good thing...I think Andy would flip if I suggested painting over it since red is such a hard color to paint. ;)

So, while I'm flipping, cleaning, reorganizing, and purging I'm also mulling paint ideas and decor. I'll start posting pictures once I get things back in order but I am really, really happy with how things are turning out at the moment.

I'm also sorting clothes and looking to do a massive purge of baby gear/clothes. We have several consignment sales coming up in August/September and I'm seriously mulling putting stuff in both sales to clear stuff out. We only have so much room and because the kids are not the same sex there are very few things that we save for AKs to wear that were AG's. It's kind of sad to me to think about getting rid of the baby stuff but I'm really content with our lives right now and the season that God has us in. Looking forward to moving ahead to see what all he has in store for us.