Kids room remix

So, having two kids in a little house means that you've got to learn to evolve.  The second bedroom is the one room of the house that has been reworked the most.  It started as an office/guest bedroom.  Then I got knocked up, and we put a crib in there.  And a recliner, a dresser/changing table, etc.  Then the tiny terrors learned to do this, and it was time to move to toddler beds.

So, my mom built two ground-level toddler beds.  My cousin gave us a fun shag rug as a crash surface.  My books got packed away and the toys went on the bookshelf.

A little explosive growth later, we had to upgrade.  The smalls were still too small to move to bunk beds (the overall plan) so we got a double bed for them to share.  It worked ok for a while.

 

 

 

But bedtime has been getting harder and harder to police because really, why would you sleep when your bff is RIGHT THERE next to you?  Also, we clearly don't have a play room.  The bedroom went through several little modifications- we added a toddler table, we moved the bookshelf out when my book storage ended.  My amazing mom and her fantastic students made bunk beds.  Out with the old bed, in with the new. 



 

 

I still want to switch out the rug because it eats vacuum cleaners for breakfast.  My mom is going to build the matching dresser for the kids, and the fish are going to a new home this spring-- a friend's koi pond.  They're getting too big for our tank, and deserve more space than we can give them.  Then I want to put a lamp and bean bag chair or two in that corner nook.  So, that's the space for now. 

 

All of the work was so totally worth it, just for seeing the kids able to do this today... play happily together in their room.

 

Then things happened.

We moved in May of 2007, just a couple of weeks after we got married.  We spent a lovely summer out on the lake, having bonfires in the yard, helping out a newly-divorced friend (who stayed with us for a few tense weeks), and generally enjoying life.

Maybe a bit too much, because then this happened.

And a few months later, this happened.

And so a little shy of a year after buying our little house, it became home to four people, a shepherd, and some goldfish.


 

In the beginning

In late 2006, a few months before getting married, Doug and I decided that maybe we should stop renting and buy a house.  We looked around the area at some real gems... houses next to the airport, houses with strange basement sewage lift stations, houses redone after fires, houses in slightly sketch neighborhoods, etc.  While driving through the area to check out a different house, we passed a little place with a for sale sign and stopped to grab a flyer.  The owner was outside, painting the flower boxes.  He invited us in to see the place and we loved it.  A few months later, it was ours and we moved in.

It's small-- only 728 square feet, all on one level.  But really, how much space did two people and their dog really need?  728 square feet seemed good enough for us.
It was cute and had a great fenced yard.


Adorable little trees!


A fun little patio!


A homey kitchen with adequate workspace!


A dining room, sort of, if you used your imagination!


A nice main bedroom!


A guest room/office!


Good natural light and closet space!



Next to the lake! 

We were in love.