the perreault family

a new room for a new boy

Published on September 9, 2013 by kristenperreault1 Comment

It’s no secret that I like to decorate and change things up around our house. So after almost 4 years of living with the nursery the way it was I was ready for a change. I didn’t do anything drastic, just made some updates to things that I haven’t always loved and I spent less than $50 doing it (and most of that was used to purchase fabric etc for Luc’s quilt)!

I decorated the nursery before we had Jay and it had looked pretty much the same since; feel free to take a gander at the old nursery post here if you are interested. The fish theme was nice but I was ready for something a little lighter and I really wanted to change the window treatment. We didn’t have the toy chest below the window when I decided on black out curtains and since the panels were long and had to be behind the toys chest it was a pain to get them open and closed and I rarely opened them. Now with the fake roman shade I open them frequently to get the natural light in the room and I LOVE it.

Here are few of the before photos, sorry they aren’t super great but you get the idea…

And the updates…

one with the roman shade closed

Here’s a few of the details in case you are interested:
Roman Shade- I used a pintrest tutorial to make the fake roman shade; although the measurements/directions were really off on the tutorial so I am not going to link to it. Basically, I took an old set of mini blinds (I got them from my Mom for free- thanks Mom!) and pulled them apart to so I just had a few of the actual metal pieces and the skeleton for the shade and the cord. I used a piece of blackout material from the original curtain panels and sewed it to the teal fabric and then glued it all together.
Window Topper- It is made out of foam core board and then covered with batting and then fabric. My mom gifted me the fabric (thanks again Mom!) and I already had the board and batting so it didn’t cost us anything.
Fabric- I used Michael Millers Backyard Baby for everything aside from the teal on the roman shade which is Moda Solids Ice. The Backyard Baby line is a little harder to find these days since it has been out for a while but I loved it so I searched until I found it. The fabric was used to make Luc’s quilt and then I used the scraps to make: a pillow cover (we already had the pillow), the bunting (I used ribbon that we already had), to cover a canvas that is hanging above the dresser and to put in the frame above the chair.
Teal Mirror- This mirror was black and originally hanging in our foyer. I used some teal paint from when we painted the house (I think it’s the same color we used in the hallways) and then hung it alongside a frame I already had and the fabric covered canvas. The frame has this adorable Katie Daisy print in it, saying “We are all Magnificent Creatures” it which I love!

half birthday outtakes

Published on September 8, 2013 by kristenperreaultLeave a comment

Here are a few of the “outtakes” from the half birthday photo shoot just because they make me smile.

fly little bird fly

Published on September 7, 2013 by kristenperreault3 Comments

My baby, my first born turned three and a half at the end of last month and headed off to school two weeks ago. I will not lie, I cried big fat Momma tears when we had meet the teacher, a little bit on parent night, in the parking lot after dropping him off in his classroom and again when he was safely in the car after the first day. Okay and maybe a few here and there throughout the week too when I dropped him off and just randomly- what can I say I am a bit of a crier. I knew that this was coming and while I am excited for everything that “school” brings my Momma’s heart just wasn’t ready yet…

Jay Bird,

To say these last few months have been easy would be an understatement. People always mention the terrible two’s but three, the threes have been tough, definitely worse than the twos. You are wild with boundless energy to match. You don’t stop, talking or going, well- ever! There are times when you are literally running circles around me trying to explain something or telling me the plans of your “new game” or just running since I think it is impossible for you sit still these days. You are trying to find your own way and asserting your independence and sometimes that comes out as just plain defiant. It’s exhausting and frequently you leave me and your Daddy staring at each other wondering what we’re ever going to do with you. But for all the wild, crazy, make your head spin moments there are equally as many sane, sweet, melt a Mommy moments too. You’re tenderhearted and imaginative, you love to dress up and make believe and are frequently coming up with new things to play. At one moment we are in our boats (cardboard boxes) sailing away on trips, at other times we are riding our horses in a race. We wear wings, crazy hats, capes and masks here and there and every time they have a different purpose or reason whether it be dancing at the ball or flying away from the hunters. I adore watching your creativity come to life in these new games, the pictures you draw and the stories you tell. Speaking of stories you still LOVE to read. We have been reading chapter books with you for close to 6 months or more now along with the picture books and you love both equally. Jack and Annie books (the Magic Tree House) are probably your favorite in the Chapter book category and I would be hard pressed to name just a few of your picture book favorites, there are so many. I love watching you read with Daddy because I get to see you study each picture so intently while he reads; it’s like I am getting a glimpse at how you think.

You adore your brothers and frequently shower them with affection, most of the time this leads to tears but your intentions are always good. You love playing with Charlie and I can’t count the number of times that I hear you say, “Come on Charlie”, “Charlie, let’s…” etc during the day. You really are each others best friend right now and I can’t wait to see your relationship continue to grow. When it comes to Luc, we have to put limits on how many hugs, kisses, cuddles you can give him. You are frequently asking to hold him, asking where he is and trying to make him quiet when he is fussy. It’s adorable and so precious and I love to watch you help out and “take care” of him. As for Mommy I never limit the amount of kisses and cuddles I get from you; as long as you will give them I will take them. I love that you will be running circles around me one minute and the next stopping for a mid lap smooch. I love that I sometimes I find you wrapped around my legs giving the best bear hugs around. I love that out of the blue you will tell me that you love me. I love when you ask me to stay and cuddle awhile before bed; hearing about your day and talking about the things you love during these times are some of my favorite moments with you. These are the moments I live for, these are the moments that I stop and thank God for; how blessed are we to have YOU in our lives? So while I wasn’t quite ready to kick you out of the nest I know that it is time and I am so anxious to see you fly. So fly my little Jay Bird fly…

I love you,

Momma

half birthday celebrations

photos from the first day of school

happiest baby ever :)

Published on September 6, 2013 by kristenperreault2 Comments

His smiles are big and frequent. We are so lucky!

today I am…

Published on September 3, 2013 by kristenperreault3 Comments

*While I wrote this update and took the pictures when Luc was really and truly a month old I hadn’t had the time to post it until now…

One month, say it isn’t so! I know you are probably tired of hearing me say how I can’t believe that they are already- fill in blank age here- but it’s true, I can’t. While the days are frequently long around here the weeks and months fly by so, so quickly. I have been trying to drink this little one in as much as humanly possible this past month since I know that all I have to do is blink and he will be grown.

A little bit of an update on our little guy (in no official manor) because I know if I don’t write it down I will forget it…

Luc continues to maintain true to his fabulous 3rd child status. He is laid back, go with the flow and generally pretty easy. I sincerely hope that I am not jinxing myself by saying this but he is usually easy to please. He eats, he enjoys a little awake time and then he snoozes. He does have times that he is fussier than usual (about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours after he eats and late afternoon and late evening) but nothing that a little cuddling and walking won’t cure.

Luc had some difficulty eating to begin with and wasn’t gaining weight the way his doctor would have hoped so we took him in for a few extra visits and met with a lactation consultant. He had a pretty weak latch, something that is pretty common in babies that are born early, and when you couple that with him being so sleepy (also something associated with early babies) it makes for a bad combo. However, he has been getting better and he is gaining weight, he weighed in at 7lbs 14oz at 3 weeks old, but is still pretty squishy and tiny.

He is pretty much the most fantastic cuddle bug ever. He snuggles right in to your chest and snoozes away in the most peaceful and sweetest manner. Like I said, I am drinking him in right now since I know this won’t last. So while the laundry piles up around us I sit and ignore it because if there is one thing I have learned with the other two it’s that babies don’t keep.

Again, I hope I am not jinxing myself when I say this but Luc is a pretty fantastic sleeper for his age. I feed him late at night before I go to bed (between 11:30 and 12) am up once a night with him and then again in the morning. He usually goes right back to sleep in the middle of the night, no pacing for us! Yahoo! So while we have had an few long nights here and there these are the norm and we are very thankful for it.

I suppose the only other thing of note is that Luc prefers to be warm. He’s a tried and true Florida boy and likes things warm and will tell you if he feels otherwise. We swaddle him at night after his nightly bath and feeding and during the day he loves to have a blanket on his legs or be snuggled up tight in my carrier.

That covers the highlights on our little guy for sure and since I had fun looking back at the other two One Month posts I though you might to as well-

Jay’s One Month Post

Charlie’s One Month Post