Nursery Inspiration

Now that Madi has moved into Kaitlyn's room, it is time to start setting up the nursery.  I am so excited to be planning a boy nursery.  As soon as we started trying to get pregnant, I began looking for nursery ideas in hopes that baby #3 would be a boy.  There would have been a few minor changes if we were having another girl, but a boy calls for a total nursery makeover.  After 5 1/2 years of purple, blue and gray (or maybe blue and white with hints of black) will be a nice change.  The furniture will be the only thing that stays the same.  


Here are a few of my ideas for our little guys room.

Hello wall hanging | Weathered arrow wall hanging | diy or Hobby Lobby |
Modern Burlap arrow crib sheet and changing pad cover |Wire milk crate | 
Abstract Mountain Art | baby stats (Etsy or diy) | 
Be Strong and Courageous | Ladies love a gentleman


The walls will be changed from purple to cream and I would kind of like to paint the wall behind the crib blue (I really like this color.).  I am planning to do a gallery wall either above the crib or the changing table.  I'll include his first initial (perhaps this one) somewhere on that wall too.  

My mom bought me this rocking chair right before Kaitlyn was born.  I thought that it would be okay, but it was really uncomfortable.  When Madi was born, I never could find a cushion that I liked that wasn't super expensive.  I'd really like to get a new glider, but I can't quite justify it since this will most likely be our last baby.  Also, I'm not sure if there is space for anything bigger.  So this time I'm going to look harder for a cushion because there is no way that I can use it without one.  I have seen several options on Etsy, so hopefully I can find one that coordinates with his room.

We're reusing our existing nursery furniture.

It kind of feels like I'm a first time mom all over again since I get to plan a new nursery.  So far, I have only made a few impulse purchases for him.  I'm sure that will changes as it gets closer to his due date.  I can't wait to see the transformation of his room.  I promise I will post with the finished product, but it might not happen until after he arrives.

3 Things (January)

I've seen this idea a few times on some of the blogs that I follow and thought it might be fun to do.  We'll see if I'm able to keep this up all year.  January has been a very busy month for our family.  This should have been easy, but I had trouble coming up with three things for each of us.

David
One | Top Coat Cash was officially released on most digital platforms.  The red carpet premiere was a success and we had a great time in LA.  I am proud of all of the hard work that he put into this project.

Two| Even though the film is finished, it is still keeping him super busy.  Marketing is a full time job. Add that to his full time job as a teacher and you get a very busy man.

Three| He really wanted to lose some weight this year.  He did great for the first two weeks (before the premiere) with going to the gym more and eating smaller portions.  Our trip to LA threw him off a little, but he is working hard to get back on track.

Kaitlyn
One| She was so excited to change beds in her room.  She thinks she's hot stuff because she sleeps on the top bunk.

Two| I have been working with her on learning to read.  She's not a big fan of the flash cards for sight words, but they seem to be working.  She can now recognize about 18 words.

Three | Kaitlyn (and Madi) spent a week with her aunt, uncle, and cousin while we were in LA.  Her excitement about staying with them made it much easier to leave her.  She's still talking about it two weeks later.

Madi
One| Her personality has really started to blossom.  She is extremely intelligent (her doctor agrees), but with that comes stubbornness.  I love and hate this quality.  I've read that strong willed children grow up to be very successful adults.  I hope we can make it through this stage of life to find out. (JK.   I know we'll survive.)

Two| She is so excited to be sharing a room with Kaitlyn.  Unfortunately, this has made bedtime struggles worse.  Often she is still awake when we go to bed at 10 or 10:30.  It's also keeping Kaitlyn up later, which makes for rough mornings for preschool.

Three| It has taken a few months (like 3 or 4), but Madi is finally excited about dance.  For the first few months she would go into the room, but wouldn't dance the first half of class.  I have really enjoyed watching her excitement about learning their recital dances grow.

Hannah
One | I feel like I'm entering the uncomfortable part of pregnancy early.  At least this last week has been.  I'm trying my best not to complain too much, especially since I know several who would love to be in my position.

Two| I have been on a purging and organizing kick.  It started when we decided to move Madi into Kaitlyn's room and has continued throughout the house.  Knowing that this is most likely my last baby, I've been feeling the urge to get to rid of stuff.  I really love the way the house looks without all the clutter.

Three| I really want to grow my blog.  Now that the holidays and the red carpet premiere are over, I hope I can continue to come up with ideas for blog posts (and actually get them written).

4 Months Pregnant with Baby K#3

This has been an exciting month!  Not only did we celebrate Christmas four times, but it also marked the long awaited release of Top Coat Cash and our trip to LA.  Thanks to the predicted ice storm, our four day trip turned into six days.  Though I really missed the girls, I enjoyed getting away for a few days and seeing the beach.  

How Far Along: 18 weeks 4 days

Size of Baby: A can of pop or a sweet potato

Gender: Boy!

Weight Gain: 9 pounds total, but I gained 6 in the last month.  Yikes!!!  I guess that's what happens when you celebrate Christmas four times and take a week long vacation.

Food Cravings: My cravings have lessened this month.  Maybe it was because there have been so many yummy foods available or maybe I'm just not really craving anything.

Food Aversions: I'm happy to say that I currently don't have any!  I can enjoy my morning cup of coffee once again.

Movement: They are becoming more frequent, but still aren't very strong.

Sleep: Sleeping hasn't been going well lately.  I usually wake up once or twice to pee and then it takes FOREVER to fall back asleep.  I've also started having carpal tunnel symptoms.  I never had them during pregnancy with the girls, only after they were born so I wasn't expecting this to happen yet.

Clothing:  Maternity clothes, especially pants, have been making a regular appearance lately.  None of my regular jeans button.  I can still wear them, but need a hair tie and this won't work for very much longer.  Several of my regular shirts still fit, but not for long.

Other Pregnancy Symptoms: I had some constipation issues earlier this month.  I think they may have been caused by the antibiotic and probiotic I had to take for strep.  Either way, once I upped my fiber, I felt much better.  Side note:  My body requires lots of fiber with both of my previous pregnancies, but hasn't with this one.  I have also been having issue with acid reflux... especially when we traveled last week.  The stop and go LA traffic seemed to exacerbate my symptoms.

What I Miss: I didn't really miss anything this month, except maybe riding in the car without feeling sick.

Best Moment: Seeing the final product of David's hard work and celebrating in LA.

Worst Moment(s):  I have flown during all three pregnancies, but this was the first one that has made me nauseous.  I seriously thought I was going to lose it one the decent of our flight on Thursday.  The stop and go LA traffic weren't nice to my stomach either.

Looking Forward To: My 20 weeks ultrasound and setting up the nursery.

Red Carpet Premiere

Friday the 13th is typically considered as one of the unluckiest days of the year.  For the cast and crew of Top Coat Coat, Friday January 13th will be remembered as one of the luckiest days of the year (or lives).  At 8:55pm, we gathered to walk the red carpet, give interviews, and watch the Hollywood premiere of Top Coat Cash.  

Now showing at Arena Cinema

David with Linda Nelson of Indie Rights Movies

The film would have never happened without these men.

Live from the red carpet

Red Carpet Interviews

The cast and crew of Top Coat Cash. 

At 9:55 pm, everyone headed inside for the first showing of Top Coat Cash.

Inside Arena Cinema Hollywood.  David with Rocco Fonzarelli from AM 830 KLAA ESPN Radio

Speeches with producers and executive producers after the showing.

I want to thank everyone that has supported this journey.  I truly believe that great things are to come!

Top Coat Cash...How it all began.

Six years ago, David took me by complete surprise and told me that he wanted to make a movie.  He said that he had always dreamed of writing a script, directing it, and staring in it.  I will admit that I thought he was a bit crazy and that it would never really happen.  Nonetheless,  I supported him and agreed to purchase a camera.  In just over a month, he had the script written and had hopes of getting it filmed. Shortly after Kaitlyn was born, David began looking for actors, actresses, and a production team.  Within two years of beginning this crazy ride, David's first full feature film was completely done.  Although, it didn't win at any festivals or get distributed,  Subdued opened many doors for David's film career.

Almost immediately after Subdued was finished, David and his dad began writing another script.  Writing a script with his dad was another dream of his.  This time they wrote a script that would target a certain audience in hopes of increasing their odds of distribution.  A couple ideas later (and several months)Top Coat Cash was born.  Pre-production began in January 2014 and filming began on our fifth wedding anniversary (June 27th).  Filming was expected to be completed by the end of the summer, but took a little longer than expected.  The final scenes were filmed in January 2015.

After a short break, a post production team was put together and editing began in August 2015.  The trailer was released in October 2015.  Picture lock was complete in early 2016 and the film moved into the final stages of post production, sound, coloring, and visual effects.  In September 2016, just two and a half years later, Top Coat Cash was completely finished and ready for distribution.

Top Coat Cash was submitted to several film festivals and distributors in late September and early October.  On October 11, 2016 , David's dream became a reality.  After receiving offers from three different distributors, Top Coat Cash signed with a Los Angeles based distributor, Indie Rights Movies.  Indie Rights was so excited about Top Coat Cash that they wanted to take it to the American Film Market for International Distribution, even though they had already picked all ten movies they would be submitting.  For four days in November, Top Coat Cash was on display for international distributors and it was one of the most popular movies.

Top Coat Cash has won three prestigious film awards.  Both the movie and trailer were awarded with the Award of Recognition in the Accolade Global Film Competition.   The movie was also awarded with the Award of Merit by The Indie Fest Film Awards.  Beginning Friday, January 13th, Top Coat Cash will be screened at the Arena Cinema Hollywood for one week.  The week will begin with a red carpet premiere Friday night and will be reviewed by the LA Times.  Top Coat Cash will be available for viewing on various video on the demand platforms including (but not limited to) Amazon Prime, Fandago, and Google Fiber.  It will also be in select theaters throughout the country, including Kansas City.