Everleigh's Big Girl Bed - SUCCESS

For those of you who've actually met our bear Everleigh... you know just how incredibly TALL this girl is.  At 28 months she's at least 36" tall and in the 98th percentile in both height and weight for her age.  With that being said, a couple months ago, Chad and I began to talk about when and how we would eventually transition her over to a big girl bed.  She hadn't QUITE grown out of her crib yet and had never given us issues climbing out so IMMEDIATELY this Momma Bear had reservations on making this transition at all.  It seemed silly to mess with a good thing...am I right?  Chad on the other hand, had a glimmer in his eye and an idea growing in his head.  There was no stopping him now.  ;)  

With a spare FULL sized bed in one of our guest rooms, we immediately thought that the smart, and most cost effective option would be to take that bed and BUILD Everleigh her own day bed.  Finding inspiration on Pinterest, Chad and I put our heads together to come up with a plan that would be the easiest for us to implement.  And when I say US, I mean HIM.  ;)  

I couldn't be more proud of my handy dandy husband and his first real build.  It turned out AMAZING and after four full nights of sleeping in her very own "Big Girl Bed", I think it's safe to say that this transition has been SUCCESSFUL!  (At least until she figures out that she can actually climb out of bed whenever she wants.  ;)  

For posterity sake, (and so Everleigh will hopefully one day truly appreciate the bed her dad made her with his own two hands), here's a quick glance of how it all came together.  

Boards cut.

Some assembly required ;)

The day bed "arms"

Double checking the fit

Decisions, decisions...

Painting in progress

Time for the headboard

Used a jig saw to cut out the curves

And we used a sparkly pink fabric over a mattress pad and some batting that we used to cover the board.  

Unfortunately, you can't truly appreciate the sparkle affect of the headboard unless you see this in person.  

We used the same process to "pad" this headboard as we did on our master headboard project.  You can see more on that project by following the link HERE.

We chose not to tuft this particular headboard like we did in our master bedroom because we were afraid our bear would just mess with the buttons, eventually pulling them off and causing a choking hazard???  (Paranoid mom I know..but better safe than sorry).  We might add that element later on as she gets older because I definitely think it would look cuter with a tufted look.  

For at least a week we talked constantly about her "Big Girl Bed" and how exciting it was that daddy made this for her.  

When it finally came time to ACTUALLY put it in her room, she was thrilled!

There are a couple of items on the list that STILL need to be done: 

We need to find a way to finish those arm edges...she needs a new bold print/fun comforter (can't seem to find one I'm completely in love with yet) and I'd like to get her some big pillows to line the back..  BUT, so far, SUCCESS!  

Fall Fun at the Dallas Arboretum - 2014

Ever since I was a little kid, Fall has been my favorite season.  Even growing up in deep, deep, DEEP South Texas, where the leaves didn't change color, the weather was a constant degree of HOT or HOTTER almost all year long.. (read: yuck, or yuckier) there was still something about the Fall that appealed to me.  So when I moved to Dallas 8 years ago.. and I realized that you could, in fact, experience all four SEASONS in Texas, I was ECSTATIC.  The leaves change color, the weather changes and pumpkins come out in mass.  Especially at the Dallas Arboretum! It really is a sight to see.  I can't imagine the shear amount of truckloads that must filter in for days to have the number of pumpkins they have there each year.   According to their website, there are over 65,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash!  

This year, Chad surprised us with some time off of work so we could take our bear to join in the festivities...and officially welcome Fall to Dallas.  She LOVED every second.  :) 

 Excited about the new squirrel friend she made.  :)

Really was the friendliest Squirrel around.. 

Everleigh and that squirrel "chatted" for a good 10 minutes :)

Happy Fall Ya'll!!

Kelley's Go Camping - Broken Bow, OK

I usually don't pay much attention to my birthday as it comes and goes each year.  Other than wanting to spend the day with my family and possibly close friends (if given the chance)... the day usually comes without much fanfare or production.  And that's usually the way I like it.  This year though, the day hit me like a rock.  And NOT in a good way.  It WANTED me to remember it.  Late Monday evening, right before my birthday on Tuesday the 14th, the countdown began on 36 miserable hours of the worst stomach bug I have ever remembered having.  Worst BIRTHDAY EVER.  I was miserable and I hated every second of it.  

Luckily for me, the timing was right (if there ever really is a right time to get a stomach bug) and it came and went before it had a chance to ruin our weekend camping plans to Broken Bow, OK  :)  Thank you baby Jesus!  Our trip was still on and we were MORE than a little excited to get out of town for a couple days.  

It was such an amazing Birthday redemption weekend.  Perfect weather.  A very cooperative bear.  An amazingly beautiful drive....and nature for miles.  :)  We can't wait to do it again.  

Let the (Cabin) Camping Adventure BEGIN!  

So we didn't rough it or anything.  Cause who has time for that kind of tent camping non-sense.  ;)  

We did go without cell service and a wifi connection though.  That's "Roughing It"...right?  ;) 

Our home away from home for the weekend.. :)

Hidden amongst the trees.. 

Our very own BEAR to welcome us!  :)

 

 

After a 3 hour trek, Momma Bear and Baby Bear were happy to be out of that car! 

Silly Selfie time :)

The next day.. (Saturday, October 18, 2014) after a leisurely morning, we attempted a hike :)

(Everleigh was NOT a fan of the pack we tried to put her in...so daddy came to the rescue and carried her most of the way ;)  She really did enjoy it though.. so it was worth the back ache.  ;)

 

She was easily entertained by throwing rocks in the water.  :)

Peter Toth Indian Sculpture - Forest Heritage Center

Located near the main entrance of the Forest Heritage Center, this Indian Sculpture is one in a 50 state series known as the "Trail of Tears" sculptures by Hungarian artist, Peter Toth. Mr.Toth came to Oklahoma to sculpt Oklahoma's Indian monuments. Mr. Toth's goal in life was to complete at least one sculpture in each of the fifty states. To date, he has done 67 monuments. All of his monuments are his own concept of the North American Indian and bear many similarities, except for certain characteristics, which pertain to the Indians of that region, such as feathers, headbands, or other decorations.

 

She spent least 30 minutes just throwing rocks into the lake.  :)

Dinner Time at this quaint little Southern Spot - The Blue Rooster 

With these cuties.  :)

Sunday - October 19th, 2014

One last hike before heading back home.  

Our new little Mud Bug friend.  

What a fabulous birthday it turned out to be :) :)