Sunday, September 19, 2010











Have any of you ever seen "While you were out" on HGTV? Well, I'm a HGTV junkie, so I love that show... it's a makeover shoe where one family member or friend chooses a special home makeover project for a loved one and surprises them while they are away. Upon their return, they are usually overjoyed by the fact that they have a new bedroom or bathroom or whatever room. Well, picture this at the Stover house this weekend. The boys were at Grammy and Pa's and Mommy and Daddy did a "while you were out" project. We transformed their room from a frog-themed nursery to a BIG BOY superhero room...complete with bunk beds. Billy and I worked our little tails off yesterday. Originally, I'd asked Billy if he was up for a road trip to Columbus Ohio to go to the Pottery Barn outlet. I'm a self-proclaimed Pottery Barn junkie and an outlet... oh my. But, Billy wasn't on board, so we switched gears and decided to go into Louisville "just to look for ideas" for the boys room. Our day started with an innocent trip to Louisville where we enjoyed a quiet lunch. We got the idea to go to USA baby to check out the bunk beds. We've been looking around, but honestly dragging our heals for some reason. We had found some we were getting ready to order online, but wanted to double check a few stores just to make sure. Well, the ones we liked there originally - several months ago - were.on.clearance. And then an extra 10% off for a one day sale. So, we bought them. Fully expecting them to say "thanks for your purchase, it'll be ready for pick up in 6-8 weeks" - we were pleasantly surprised when they told us it was all in stock. Holy moly - the wheels started turning. It wasn't until then that our "While you were out" plans started taking on a life of their own. We scrambled to make a plan - first we needed a truck to pick them up. Second we needed mattresses. (USA baby also had those on sale!!!!!). Third we needed bedding. So I batted my eyes and casually suggested Pottery Barn Kids. :-) :-) :-) We got some great deals on some really cute bedding and picked up a couple of Batman accessories (those weren't on sale, but I just couldn't resist) and ran to Macy's for a couple of sets of twin sheets and we were off. While we were zooming around the mall, we were anxiously awaiting a call from our friend Chris B (THANK YOU!!!!!!) to tell us he was on his way with his truck. So we finished our business at the mall and met him at the store to get our loot. And then the madness ensued. We got home and worked for 9 hours straight putting together the beds, a dresser, bookshelf and night stand, which I found at Target all for $130 - SCORE!!! Our little thumbs were so tired from all the screws, bolts, nuts and whatever else those tool and pieces are called. When we finally crawled into bed, our project was nearly complete. Oh - forgot to mention that we also painted two walls in their room at some point during the craziness. We had to wait until today, when the walls were dry to put everything in place. And it looks amazing. And the best part is this..... the boys were so excited! Jacob even said, "this is the best surprise ever!" There's still a couple of things I have planned for the room - I want to create some little superhero pieces of art for the wall above the dresser and there's a huge Batman Decal at Pottery Barn that I think I will get Jacob for his birthday and I'd like to have a cute little lamp. Oh and I need to change the window treatment. So finishing touches will be forthcoming. BUT, it's close and we felt like we'd run a marathon. We were so proud that we did it all.by.ourselves. We are not the handy-man type of couple, so we were oh so proud!

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

"I had the best day in the world"


Here's my big boy with his cool Batman back pack... (I have no idea who that mystery guy is in the background...weird)


Contemplating the world ahead of him... on the way to preschool!



Oh my, I love this one. Jacob, your daddy is the best role model. Thank you Jesus for such a Godly father and husband!

Welcome to Preschool big boy!




That's Jacob and his teacher, Mrs. Boyd. We already know she's going to be a blessing to our family!

And at the end of his first day of preschool - here's what Jacob had to say... "I HAD THE BEST DAY IN THE WORLD MOMMY!"





Wednesday, September 08, 2010

Twas the night before preschool


Twas the night before Preschool in the Stover House,
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The boys were all snuggled in their beds with care,
With hopes of tomorrow in the late summer air.
Baby Jonathan won’t know exactly what to do,
When his best friend “Bubup” goes off to preschool .
Baby, oh baby, how can it be?
My first born munchkin is getting big you see.
Tomorrow is the first day of Jacob’s new preschool.
He’s so excited because he knows it will be cool.
He will play, learn and grow
And make lots of great friends, I know.
Then why, oh why, do I still feel sad?
Because my baby’s no longer a baby for his mom and dad.
He’s growing so big, so strong and so smart.
I love him, I love him with all of my heart.
Now, go. Go Jacob Go. Be who you are.
Love Jesus, Love others and you will go far.
Always know how much you are loved.
I love you forever I love you for always my little bug. :-)