3 D Sonogram

We were able to get our 3D sonogram last night. We had originally tried a few days ago but Maya was not cooperating at all. She was facing my back and fell completely asleep during the sono. We tried again last night and she cooperated a little bit more. When we first saw the 3D turn on and show us our little baby, we were both in awe. She looked so cute. She loves to cover her face with her arms and we watched her play with her feet. The pictures aren't as clear as we would have liked but I'm glad we were able to experience it anyways. We were so amazed at how much more you see with the 3D but its funny how all babies sort of look the same too. We think she may have my mom's lips but Terrance's nose. A few more weeks and we'll know for sure. I can't wait to meet her!

Play Room Almost Done!!

I can't believe what I've accomplished with this room from the last post a few weeks ago. It looks so darn cute that I find myself walking by it all the time and looking in with a huge smile.

The pink futon cover is bright and cheerful! I found the perfect Ralph Lauren decorative pillows at Home Goods. I totally lucked out with the ruffly white curtains from Target. The wall above the futon will showcase all of the kids artwork and will continue to grow.

The forward facing bookshelves are actually Ikea spice racks that Terrance painted white. The fitting Dr. Seus saying was ordered from Etsy, my favorite site in the world that I spend all my free time on.

I love the new desk/Elfa system. Everything has a place. The clear bins are large shoe boxes from The Container Store and are perfect for all the small toys and craft tools and keeps everything super organized. I found smaller sized ones from Target with colorful hearts. The combination of the two is perfect! To the left of the desk, there is plenty of space for Kayla to paint and color on her easel and create all her little masterpieces.

Another wall has a nother Elfa storage system with shelves and drawers for toys. We still need to buy a TV for the wall and that's what is going to fill in the space you see in the wall.

I still have a bare wall that needs a touch. I'm thinking a photo gallery of the girls. And I'm still searching for the perfect small play table with a bit of storage.

My favorite thing in the room has to be the "Keep Calm and Carry On" print that will now serve as the RULE of the ROOM.

What do you think?

Play Room slash Guest Room slash Miscellaneous Room

Just like many people with limited space issues, we found ourselves wondering how we were going to house our new baby and all her stuff. We had a messy office/junk room/guest room that was really plain, boring and uninteresting to say the least. So, we decided to turn the space into a fun & colorful playroom/guest room. I'm not fully ready to reveal the room just yet as it is a work in progress but here's what we've done so far:

• We had an oversized desk that was clearly too large for the space and we were able to sell it on Craigslist. After weeks of shopping around for a sleek, space saving work space for all of my scrapbooking and to help Kayla with her homework, we found the perfect solution for our needs. We bought an elfa system from The Container Store that serves as a double desk with shelving all they way up to the ceiling. We loved it so much that we bought another system for another wall in the room to store all of the toys. Its amazing how much bigger the room feels with that monstrocity of a desk replaced.
  


• We chose Robin's Nest by Benjamin Moore for the paint. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT! What a difference a fresh coat of paint makes!



• We decided to keep the futon in there for now because it is duo purpose and I'm sure we are going to have lots of visitors when baby Maya arrives. However, we ordered a hot pink organic futon cover from Canadian based tonicliving.com to brighten up the room. The cover is still being made and I'll post pics as soon as it arrives.



• The hot pink desk chair is a cheapy from Ikea. It is the exact same color as the futon cover. I have to admit its not that comfy but it really is cute. I'm still searching for the perfect chair for me but this works for now.
  

There is still lots to do and every day we are making progress. I'll keep updating!

The Jet Lag is Finally Over

We recently returned from our dream family vacation to the islands of Oahu & Maui. We had such a wonderful time and are already daydreaming about when we will have the chance to go back. The weather was perfect with no humidity and cool evenings. I will never forget the most stunning sunsets I have ever seen. They were breathtaking and I was in awe of the beauty that I was able to witness. We had a jam packed trip with plenty of time for lazy days on the beach as well. Kayla had an opportunity to surf, snorkel and swim with sea turtles. She took hula & lei-making classes and learned about the history and cultures of the Polynesian islands at the Polynesian Cultural Center. In Maui, we drove the road to Hana and saw the beautiful coastline & amazing waterfalls. The local food was awesome and we loved eating Loco Moco for breakfast, a salisbury steak type of meat served with rice and a fried egg. Yes, very strange to us but, OH, so good. We tried the local pork cooked in an Imu, poi, local breads, coconut pudding, spam, shave ice and lots of lots of pineapples. But the highlight of our trip was taking a family portrait in Ko Olina's Secret Beach by Anthony Calleja of Anthony Calleja Photography . The pictures turned out so nice despite us being hot and sweaty from standing directly in the sun. I had hugely swollen ankles from our long flight there and that was pretty funny. Our photographer was a little impatient with us. He was sort of a perfectionist and took his work just a tad too seriously, but overall we are so pleased with his work and will definitely use him again when we are back in Hawaii.

Oh, Hawaii, how I long to be back!!! All I've been able to do since I've been back is daydream of buying a small house in Maui and selling pineapple smoothies, coconut pudding and banana bread off my front porch to tourists driving to Hana. Now that is SOME dream, isn't it?