Memorial Day & new Friends!

This Memorial Day was the BEST yet! There is NOTHING better than spending holidays with good friends and close family, and that's just what we did!!! We had a lunch BBQ with Darrens parents and played in the pool, played in the slip n slide and played on their new tire swing horse named Bullseye! I could kick myself for forgetting to grab the camera as we left our house, but the boys had sooooooo much fun! Kaiden is now a Grandma's Boy! In fact just last week Gpa & Gpa Romriell came over to our house for dinner and a movie and as they were leaving, Kaiden grabbed his Diego Backpack and followed them out of our house screaming "Don't Leave Me!" lol. He just loves them sooooo much! Of course this act melted their hearts and they asked if he could spend the night with them, and HE DID! And from what we were told he did really well! lol. He is such a big boy! I can't get over how much he has grown!
So later on Memorial Day we had a fun neighborhood BBQ for dinner! I say "neighborhood" but really it's all of us LDS families! Not that we single the other families out, it's just that we're usually the ones outside all day socializing with each other and thus all really good friends that organize things together like BBQs! I made some adorable mini Bundt Cakes and away we went! Thankfully my friend Dahlia grabbed some photos and posted them!

Have I mentioned how much I just LOVE the girls here!? Well they are ALWAYS up to something, wether going out somewhere together, hanging out around 1 of our many neighborhood parks or having a CRAFTING PARTY! Last week we had a crafting party and etched glass! It was sooooo great! You pretty much "frost" you name on to your glass pans. I didn't much care to do my pans since I deliver all my meals with a cute card and address info and *cross my fingers* I always get them back, BUT I did have in mind my Trifle Bowl! Only because I have it setting out on display in my kitchen and it needed some PIZAZZ!

And voila! I L-O-V-E it soooooooooooo much! It just turned out perfectly! I love the font and the side details and everything! Darren's words were "Oh thats gorgeous!" lol

We are LOVING Omaha! We're so excited to live here for the next 3 years!

Our New Home!

So we moved in 6 weeks ago, and time had FLOWN by! I've been meaning to publish this post for a LONG time, but we keep adding changes so I keep waiting to take pictures. We have done A LOT of work and are very happy/ proud of our home!!! And I know alot of you wanted to see some "before" photos but I was sooo busy I forgot most of the time. SORRY!

Front Yard

 I just LOVE this photo! It's bright and colorful and "welcoming!"  I even like the ivy creeping up the sides. Unfortunately soon after this photo, we chopped the ivy out!

 The oh so HAPPY family who lives here!

This flower bed was COVERED in weeds, and ivy! I had a BLAST picking out flowers and getting a little dirty! You can't tell but I choose pink and yellow flowers! I seriously LOVE it!

Back Yard

 Probably the ONLY time I remembered to take a "before" photo! It was WORSE on the other side of our stairs! I don't have a photo, so you're just gonna have to trust me! ;)

 AFTER! Looks so GREAT! Darren did a fantastic job! The right side (checkered) is for the boy's outdoor toys, power wheel, and other ride on toys!

The neighbor liked Darren's work so much that she paid him to do her side! Now it looks even better AND our neighbor is gone ALL the time so she said we could buy an outdoor table set and put it on her side! So we scored double patio space!!!

Living Room

Our luxurious living room! I won't lie, the hardwood floors aren't in the best of conditions, but the other day we bought some product to "renew" our floors and now they look AMAZING! Now to explain what we (Darren) did! We painted walls, ceiling, trim, replaced old outlets, added the lighting and added the lighting fixture above the window! We also added all new lighting fixtures in the entry way and 2 in the hallway upstairs!

 The paint I chose to use throughout the house is a cream color. Since we have a small townhome, we wanted a nice light, neutral color to make the rooms look bigger. And it worked! (At least our neighbor has told us that we made it look a ton bigger than the last owner!)

These stairs were COVERED in wallpaper! Yuck! And not cute wallpaper like I've seen on pinterest but wallpaper I'd imagine a 70 year old psychiatrist would have in his office! We scraped it all of and painted the stairs white!

The Boys Playroom

 What we did: Painted! The basement was entirely painted the dark brown color, which we thought was too dark for a basement, even though we really liked the color. So we painted most of the walls cream and left a few brown accent walls! We painted the door white, it was a natural wood color. We replaced all the outlets with kid proof ones! There was an outlet way below the t.v., but Darren moved it all the way up so he could hide it behind the t.v. He also designed the t.v. wires to go through the wall so the kids couldn't play in them! It's a 100% Kid Friendly Room!

 I love how big and open it is for the boys to play...... or make a GIANT mess of! lol On the other side of the door is the "unfinished" side of the basement. I saved your eyes from the messiness of it all! It's mostly storage, my craft room and the laundry room!

 I still havent hung any pictures on the wall, but it's coming soon! We found a great deal on this "click clack" couch via my fave store, Target!

I really wanted BRIGHT colors in this basement, even though there is lots of natural light coming through that small window! Ic an't wait to finally get things hung on the walls!

Kaiden's Room

Kaiden's room will be redecorated in a Monster Theme soon! So his walls and everything are pretty bare, but I wanted you to get the idea! I didn't get a picture of Jaxton's room, but it's a little smaller and Dalmatian themed right now, but I may turn it into a Fireman theme soon! That way I can still use the Dalmatian bedding I made!
What we did to both boy's rooms: Painted the ceiling, walls, trim, door, closets and closet door.

Bathroom

We only have 1 bathroom in our whole 3 bedrrom house! It actually hasn't been a problem, but then again we haven't had any overnight visitors yet either! We are considering installing a half bath on the unfinished side of the basement. It would be amazing but isn't a top priority right now.

We will be tiling the floor probably sometime this week!! What we did: Painted ceiling, walls, trim and door. Replaced the moulding around the mirror.

Our Room

I just LOVE my Tiffany Blue wall! It's so fun and bright! We only did the 1 accent wall.

What we did: Painted the walls, ceiling, trim, door, closet door and accent wall.

A PERFECT match!!!

The Kitchen

I purposely saved the kitchen for last! I'm so in love with it! Yesterday Darren tiled my kitchen flooe and it has completley changed it! I'll show you a few pictures of the old floor and then the new flooring!

Notice the old white tile you remember seeing in your school as a kid! Oh yes, this is the original 1970 flooring! And if you couldn't guess, white is incredibly HARD to keep clean. 

 Ta Da!!! Our new flooring! Doesn't it make a HUGE difference!? It's soooo beautiful!

This kitchen ahd been remodeled by the previous owner 2 years ago. And she installed the island!! What we did: Painted ceiling, walls, trim, shelves, cupboards, pantry, island (was bright red and we painted it cream. I'm thinking I'd prefer it the brown color so I'll probably paint it soon!) and shelves (you'll see them in a pic in a minute!) Darren added oak trim above the cabinets and along the pantry. (Previously there were just BIG gaps between the wall and cupboards.) The only other project Darren has left is to install a new light fixture!

And now for a brief "before and after" picture montage!!!

Didn't the floors just change it so much!? I just LOOOOOOOVE IT!

A fun project idea I got from pinterest! It's my kitchen command center! It inclides my menu board, key holders, a white board for notes and a mail holder! Now, maybe my island won't get so junked up all the time!

 I have the damask pattern throughout my kitchen and even on my plates so I wanted to incorporate it a little more. So I bought some fabric ($3) and hot glued it around a piece of cardboard that fit snuggly in the cubby! So easy, so cheap and sooooo fun! My mother in law surprised me with the vinyl decal above. You can't really see it from the glare but it says "Chelsea's Cupcake Cafe"! How awesome is that!?

 These shelves were originally red and I wanted them to be put in the basement for movies, but Darren talked me out of it and I'm soooo glad he did! I just love these shelves now! The glass jars hold my flour and sugar and have pink vinyl decals that label them! (My favorite part has to be the spirnkles stored in the small glass jars!!!! Too cute!)

 Our unit is at an AWESOME location! We have a nice BIG tree in our front yard that gives shade to our cars, our front yard and our home. I imagine our home is easier to keep cool than others because of our beloved tree! Also in the back we a forest! Of course it's gated so the kids can't go out there but it's so nice to have the privacy. The way most of these townhomes are laid out, people can just see into each others homes! We got lucky!!!

Another fun feature in my kitchen is the pull out drawers!!! Jaxton loves them too! And when he's not in THIS drawer, he's in the drawer under my stove! lol
Whew! We did some MAJOR work! But it was ALLworth it. For some reason on paper it doesn't sound like we did much but trust me, we DID! Okay, Darren did most of it while I played with the kids at the zoo! lol. I just love having a handy man for a husband!!!
Our home is soooo beautiful!!! I feel truly blessed to live here! I'm also having a great time meeting all the neighbors! Our townhome community is 75% LDS families! It's also divided into 3 different wards, so I still have PLANTY of people to meet! Kaiden especially loves our new home because of the playroom downstairs and the fact that I play with him outside for the majority of the day!
Well, now that you've had the tour, ya'll need to come out and visit us!!!!!!!!
See ya soon!!!

 

Father & Son Campout

Last friday night Darren and Kaiden went on their very FIRST Father & Son Campout! Darren said Kaiden had a blast, which I wouldn't doubt! My boys L-O-V-E being outside! Kaiden really liked hiking in the forest, playing by the lake and eating hot dogs by the campfire!

 Kaiden really thought his tent was super cool! He tried to show EVERYONE his tent! And he loved looking for firewood with his daddy! But the highlight was a trip to the Port a Potty! Darren and Kaiden walked in to use the potty and the "poo nasty" was on FIRE! So they quickly walked out and alerted someone. After that, when Kaiden would walk by a Port a Potty he would yell "Fire in there!" lol.

Jaxton and I had a fun date night while Darren and Kaiden were away! We ordered pizza, watched Netflix and ate some yummy chocolate candy! We may have to plan a family camping trip soon!

Did I mention Darren and I get to be Youth Conference "Parents!?" Yaaaa! I'm STOKED to be working with the youth and Darren and I get to "camp" for 2 nights! Dena and Farrell are nice enough to watch our kiddos for 2.5 days in June! We had our first meeting tonight about it and I'm ecstatic!!! Also, today was our first "real" day as Nursery Leaders and it went REALLY well! We got lots of compliments on our ideas and schedules! I can't wait to get to know these sweet children!!!

My Marvelous Mother's Day!

First of all, Darren is sooo awesome! He totally spoils me as a wife and mother! I always look forward to holidays, because he really goes ALL OUT  for me! I just love that man! Which is good, because I'm pretty much stuck with him for FOREVER! =D







Being a mom has been fun and challenging. Everyday I think I get a little better at it. lol. I feel so lucky to have my 2 wonderful boys. I often wonder what Darren and I did to deserve the best boys ever! They really are the greatest! Kaiden is so kind and helpful and nurturing, I know he is going to make a great husband and father one day! He is always the first one over to a child who gets hurt and to smother them in kisses and hugs and ask "are you okay!?" He is such a sweetheart! and Jaxton is just our little doll! He is getting alot more "busy" and is even choosing to walk more and more everday. lol. He gets everyone to fall in love with him immediatley. I think it's his soft eyes and big smile that really ropes the people in! I can't wait to see his little personality develop! I just love being a mom! It's the best job ever!

And now, on to my Mother's Day Weekend!!!!

When I was 16 I lived in Dallas! Dallas, being a BIG city, always has really cool faires and carnivals and things to do. It also helps the weather is super nice practically year round! Anyways, my friend took my to a Renaissance Faire. I know, kinda dorky, but it was ALOT of fun, and those memories have stuck with me! So a few days ago I thought, "Omaha is a big city! I wonder if they ever get a Renaissance Faire!" So I looked it up and they did and coincidentally it was for that weekend ONLY! (Mother's Day weekend!) So I somehow talked Darren into going on saturday. He really didn't want to go, and I thought he might turn around and make a run for it as soon as the parking attendent said "Good Marrow! How faire thee?" haha! That's actually why I kinda like this stuff! The actors! I guess it's the thespian in me! lol.

(I want this SOOOOOOO BAD! It's a tire horse on a zip line! Kaiden had soooo mcuh funn!)

What exactly is a Renaissance Fair you ask!? Well there are a ton of actors/ actresses who dress up and walk around the park in character, there are booths of delicious fair foods, there are booths where people try to sell you all kinds of nick nacks, there are several stages with tons of shows going on, and there are games! The shows were pretty awesome and kept us entertained for the 6 hours we were there. They had a magician show, they had a few scripted theater shows, they had a few different dancing shows, they had a real blacksmith there,  and woodcarvers, but my faves were a tie between the Jousting show and the Juggler!!

 Kaiden thought it was pretty cool to see to knights on horseback run at each other with sticks! They told you who the knight you should cheer is and we got really into it! lol. Sadly, our knight, Sir Mathew, lost. But only because he was pulling illegal moves, such as this, and losing points! lol

We also thought the juggler was pretty good too! On top of him having some pretty funny jokes, he had a great act and even breathed/ ate fire! (Look him up on youtube! Crazy Boy Coy!)

The actors would also just walk through the streets and perform shows right in front of you! It was great!

On top of all THAT they had a HUGE pirate ship (see photo above! Does that attractive man on the pirate ship look familar!? Its Darren! Watching the show from a pirate ship! Haha!) the kids could play on and a HUMONGO play area with about 6 different jungle gyms! Kaiden was in HEAVEN! It's no surprise really that we stayed for a good 6 hours! The weather was so perfect! It was actually a touch chilly so I was pretty excited to have Kaiden wear his long sleeve shirt that says "I'd rather be a dragon!" All the actors got a kick out of his shirt!
After our really fun, but really long day, we got back and I started getting the desserts ready! We were planning on having a fun dinner party at Dena's house and his brother and his family came down for weekend so it was going to be a big shin dig! I thought it would be fun to make all of the mom's their favorite dessert, so Darren and I were up until midnight baking! =D
On sunday, Mothers Day, it was Darren and I's first day as Nursery Leaders! Yup, we now officially belong and contribute to our ward! Most people tell us "sorry" or "that sucks" but I think we're pretty excited for the opportunity! And I love that it is a couple's calling! Darren also mentioned he will be thankful for the calling and the extra time he will get to spend with Kaiden as soon as school starts and his schedule gets more strict. I already have sooo many ideas I can't wait to try out with these adorable kids!
Mother's Day dinner was a huge success, and the "dessert buffet" went over really well! When we got home Darren gave me my gift, on top of the Renaissance Fair, he got me a gift card to a spa!!! EEK! I'm soooooo excited to go! Now I just have to decide if I want a facial, manicure, pedicure or massage!!! Oh decisions, decisions!!!

Hanging with the cousins!

With all our bussy-ness I totally forgot about being with Farrah's family until I was going through pictures. And I can't believe we FORGOT because it was SOOOOOOO MUCH FUN!

First off,  I thought it was so funny that the kids paired off! Trenton and Jaxton hit it off SUPER well! They were BFFs! Mostly because Jaxton is such an easy going kid, that he didn't mind getting toys takin from him. He just LOVES being around other kids!

And Kaiden and Addy hung out alot. Sometimes they clashed, Kaiden doesn't do so well when he gets bossed around, and Addy didn't like him not doing what she told him. Haha. But their favorite thing to do was wrestle! lol. It was hilarious to watch. Kaiden can be so aggressive! We want to sign him up for wrestling and/ or boxing asap! (on a side story, Kaiden LOVES wearing his daddy's boxing gloves. And it's such a cute thing to see him running out the door with the boxing gloves on, like he is the COOLEST kid in the world!)
One of the funnest things we did was go to the Amazing Pizza Machine! I know I've talked about the Zoo and the Children's Museum and the Botanical Gardens, but I totally skipped out on telling you about this little gem! It's like a Chuck E. Cheeses but a THOUSAND times bigger and better! The food is better (it's a buffet style AND they have slurpee machines), they have 4 completely different dining areas, they have games, they've got bumper cars, race cars, mini golf, but the COOLEST thing ever were the mini carnival rides! Have I mentioned Kaiden is a bit of an adrenaine junkie!? Well, he loved. every. bit!
I've been meaning to talk Darren into going with me again soon! He stayed at home and painted while I was out having fun with HIS family!

 These Bumper Cars were my top 3 fave thing to do here!!!! Kaiden and I had a constant grin on!

But I also loved the race track! I won this race and scored Kaiden and I a Blue Ribbon! Turns out Addy is pretty competitive herself! She had grandma drive her on another race in the white car (because thats what I used when I won) and told grandma, very seriously, that she had better win! Haha. She is soooo funny! And grandma got Addy a Blue Ribbon too!