Jackson's "Big Boy" Room

When I first found out that Brandon and I were going to have a baby, a million different things raced through my mind...

Would it be a boy or a girl?

Would he or she look more like Brandon or me?

What would we choose for a name?

How would we decorate the nursery?

Since we didn't know what we would be having until our 20-week appointment, I wanted to pick a gender neutral nursery theme that I could start working on right away... but what? One day, when I was out thrifting with my mom, I saw the CUTEST old painting of a kitten, which inspired me to create a vintage theme for Baby Sand's nursery.

And I LOVED it.

A few weeks after Jackson was born, Brandon accepted a network engineering position out in Denver, so we had to quickly pack up and move everything from our little rental house in Kansas. I was SO bummed to leave all of my hard work behind and came to terms with the fact that I would never be able to decorate another room for Jackson that I liked as much as his original vintage nursery.

I am happy to report that his new "big boy" room exceeded all my expectations and that I (and more importantly, Jax) couldn't love it any more!

The gallery wall is still a work in progress... but at least he can recognize the letter J! 

I lose track of the number of times each day Jax leads me into his room to read... and I couldn't love it anymore! (Though I am never allowed sit in this chair -- from Target -- I have to sit on the floor to read to him.)

My Aunt Cheryl made Jackson this quilt before he was born and it is still one of my favorite things in his room! One of Jax's favorite things to do is to stand on his changing table and point to the different scenes on the quilt.  

Ikea Spice racks (repainted white) and an Ikea Wall lamp.

The pièce de résistance is Jackson's new "big boy" bed, which was completely designed and crafted by Brandon! 

The making of the bed...

The finished product!! I'm not sure who's more proud of the bed -- Brandon or Jax! 

I can't help but feel happy anytime I step foot into Jackson's room... it feels like such a fun and colorful storybook oasis to me and I hope it is something that Jax will continue to enjoy for the next few years! (Or until I get the urge to redecorate again...)

Sandmeier Christmas Home Tour 2015

For those of you who don't know... I started this blog in early 2012 as a creative outlet/excuse to cook (hence the name). Another fun fact? My last post was more than 2 1/2 weeks ago, which is the LONGEST I have ever gone without posting. Instead of beating myself up for not doing everything at once (like I normally do), I have decided to enjoy these final weeks of 2015 and not stress out too much over every little thing... which, if you know me, is easier said than done.

Come 2016, I promise that I will be back here posting somewhat regularly... with all of our recent trips, it's been hard to entertain the babe, work, remember to sleep, and blog, but once the holiday season/upcoming anniversary trip to Mexico are both over, I will be back.

You've been warned.

Anyway, over the last three years, I have been sharing our Christmas home and had to do it again this year! Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday and I seriously look forward to the day when I can unpack my decorations and make our home cheery and bright!

Here's our 2015 Christmas home:

On our trip to KS last weekend, we FINALLY bought a nativity scene and I absolutely love it!

This kid... even when he isn't feeling well, he's hamming it up!

We bought a new tree after Christmas last year and it's pretty much the best thing ever! It's shorter than our previous tree AND is pre-lit! 

My favorite word :)

We have started a new tradition this year where we light the Advent candle(s), read from Fr. Robert Barron's daily reflections, and try to keep Jackson from blowing out the candle before we've finished. 

My sweet husband braved freezing cold temperatures to hang the lights -- they look great!!!

We are getting ready to bundle up and walk around the neighborhood to look at lights, so I better get this wrapped up. Hopefully I will have another post written by the end of the week with a recap of all our goings on!

Have a great week, mom (and anyone else who happens to read my blog)! :) 

Ups & Downs

This last week has been one roller coaster of emotions.. I'm not even sure how to put it into words but feel as though I need to (this blog = my therapy).

As I mentioned on Tuesday, my grandpa passed away last Thursday -- he had been sick and suffering for awhile so his passing was definitely a blessing (which was a comfort to his family). When I saw him for the first time at the rosary on Monday, I was surprised by how well I kept it together.. Maybe it was because he looked so peaceful? Maybe it was because I still had a toddler to chase around? Maybe it was the comfort of having our entire extended family together? A combination of the three? Who knows.

After the rosary, everyone headed to my Uncle Paul & Aunt Kathy's for dinner -- it was a full house (my dad has 7 living brothers and they were all there with their families) and I was too busy visiting and keeping an eye on Jax to dwell on the fact that neither my Grandpa nor Grandma were physically there. Upon our arrival at the hotel, Brandon made a quick Sonic run for everyone, mom & I gave Jax his bath, and then we all turned in early (which allowed for little time to dwell).

During the funeral, Jackson "sang", read, and prayed (cutest thing ever), and then crawled from headstone to headstone to smell all the artificial flowers during the burial. Again, I was too busy watching him and making sure he was staying out of trouble to fully grasp what was happening.. which made the drive home really, really hard. After we finished lunch, said our goodbyes, and started the trip home, it finally hit me.

Grandpa was gone.

I had a good, long cry on the way home from the funeral and have had a few breakdowns when I'm alone but am comforted by the fact that grandpa is no longer suffering and has been reunited with the love of his life (my grandma). Please continue to pray for my family (especially my dad and his brothers) during this difficult time -- to say that grandpa will be missed is an understatement. 

As the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi states: Where there is sadness, there is joy -- so here's a look back at some of the happier times from this past week.

I was so glad that my parents came down for Mother's Day weekend -- they didn't think they'd be able to because of my grandpa but decided to come after he'd passed and all the arrangements had been made (both my grandpa and grandma would have thrown a fit if they hadn't come because of them). I think Jackson may take over my parent's engineering company once my dad retires!

Mom, Dad, Brandon, Aunt Millie (my grandpa's sister), and I went through pictures on Saturday night for the funeral -- it was extremely nostalgic but everyone really seemed to enjoy the time together laughing and reminiscing.

Brandon had to work on Mother's Day (his scheduled just switched -- he now works Sun-Wed but has Thurs, Fri, & Sat off!) so my mom helped me host Mother's Day brunch! We made a delicious casserole, my pecan sticky buns, a fruit bowl, and served several little appetizers. It was great hosting family and friends -- I hope it's a tradition we can continue for years to come!

My Aunt Nancy brought me these gorgeous peonies for Mother's Day -- they now reside on my nightstand and I can't help but smile every time I see them.

We had a Sonic down the street from our hotel and ate there 3 separate times in an 18 hour period.

This week reminded me again of how blessed I am to be married to Brandon -- he worked 8 straight hours on my grandpa's memorial video and it couldn't have been more perfect (he was also the resident military expert who helped my uncles adorn my grandpa's WWII uniform).

Jackson thought that Leah (my cousin's adorable little girl) was pretty fun & hilarious! I'm so glad they got to play together -- their great grandparents would have gotten a pretty big kick out of them!

Yesterday Brandon and Jackson took me to the zoo for a late Mother's Day outing -- Jax wasn't sure what to think about everything but enjoyed walking around and watching all the kids.

I hope that everyone has a fun and relaxing weekend! I'll be back next week with some fun posts (for real this time)! 

Christmas 2014

Words cannot express just how joyous and wonderful Christmas 2014 was for our family.

Headed to Mass with my little munchkin

I'm not sure where he learned this, but this is Jax's new fake "smile" (he squints and says "mmm" while he does it--hilariously adorable!)..

It isn't Christmas Eve until Aunt Nancy and I take our annual crown picture!

2009-2014

We took our first ever family picture on Christmas Eve last year so I felt we had to remake it.. it didn't turn out quite the same.

On Christmas Eve (pictured above), I ran around like mad in search of our sold out party crackers/crowns, met my parents at my Aunt Nancy & Uncle Rolf's house, attended mass, awaited Brandon & my brothers post-work arrivals, ate delicious pizza, and opened stockings. It was perfection and reminded me again of why Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the entire year!

Merry Christmas! We're going to the Avs game for our wedding anniversary next weekend!

My husband (the comedian) wrapped my gift in duct tape which took me a good 10 minutes to open.. but it was worth it in the end!

Typical baby--given several beautiful gifts and only wanted to play with the wrapping paper and boxes.

Again with the face (and is it just me or does Jax look a little Bob Hope-ish here?).

On Christmas morning, we all slowly woke up and got ready (we all stayed the night at my aunts), began opening gifts a little after 10, sat around and visited, and indulged in a wonderful dinner prepared by my Aunt & Uncle--we were blessed beyond measure by thoughtful and generous family members and received way more than we deserved. It was such an amazing and peaceful day (despite almost dying multiple times during the drive home--dang blizzard!) that we won't soon forget!

I hope you all had a great day with your family and friends! I pray this Christmas season continues to give you peace in your hearts and joy in your lives--it truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

Easter 2014

Sunday was Jackson's first ever Easter and it couldn't have been better!

I absolutely love Easter--it's such a joyous time of the year and I'm so happy that we were able to share it with such wonderful family and church community! Jax was spoiled rotten by his extended family and by the Easter Bunny which was really fun for us, but I'm looking forward to when he gets a little older and can comprehend the true meaning of Easter season and why it's so special (though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see him Easter morning when he finds his basket--seeing that joy is always fun).

Here's a recap of our Easter weekend!

Thursday

• Brandon, Jax, and I woke up early to go to the DMV to get our Colorado plates and tags--I figured it'd be a really unpleasant experience and that we'd be waiting forever but we didn't have to wait at all to talk to someone and were in and out within a half hour (when we left, the waiting room was packed)! 
• Jax and I headed to my parents early in the afternoon so we could go to Holy Thursday mass with my family. 
• Dinner, visiting, and relaxing before church. 
• Church. 
• Greeted Brandon a little after 9pm (he gets off work at 7 and left right after).
• Bed.

Friday

• Brandon and I woke up and headed to my hometown DMV to get our driver's licenses (the place we'd gone the previous day only did tags and plates, not licenses) while Mimi Carol babysat Jax.
• Rested and kicked back.
• Enjoyed seeing my dad's side of the family at my Grandpa Julius' 92nd birthday party.
• Back to my parents to watch the end of the Rockies game.
• Bed. 

Nana (Brandon's mom or "Mamma Nancy") sent Jackson three new shirts for Easter!

Jax and I sat in the car and nursed, played, and Snapchat'd while daddy and Mimi Carol picked up a few things at Walmart.

More on my Grandpa's birthday dinner tomorrow.

Dad is so much fun to play with!

Saturday

• Slept in, played, and watched cartoons.
• Met the Easter Bunny (Jax was not amused)! 
• Had lunch at a benefit for my parent's neighbor (she's a really neat lady who was diagnosed with terminal cancer--the thing I love about small towns is how tight knit everyone is and how the community comes together to help their neighbor and friend. Please pray for Laurie and her family!). 
• Naps. 
• Holy Saturday mass.
• Chinese dinner with my family and Auntie Sharon, Ross, Turin (one of my besties & Jax's godmother), Peter (her fiance), and Reid--can't wait for the big wedding in June!! It'll be our first road trip as a family of three! 
• Bed. 

All smiles before meeting the Easter Bunny!

The face of pure terror.

My gang before church.

Sunday

• Woke up early to help my mom with last minute Easter preparations (which included making my famous fruit pizza). 
• Visited, ate hors d'oeuvres, and drank wine (on my folks' gorgeous patio) with my family, Aunt Nancy, Uncle Rolf, and family friends Jim & Ilsa. 
• Delicious dinner of steak and chicken kabobs, rice, grilled pineapple & veggies, deviled eggs, and homemade rolls.
• Fruit pizza, lemon bars, and coffee on the patio. 
• Long country walk with my mom and Jax (thank you, Ergo!). 
• Call the Midwife.
• Bed.

Jack's basket from the Easter Bunny (the three books were from Papa Tony & Mimi Carol--Jax also received three new outfits from his Nana, a radio & stuffed bunny from Papa Bryan & Gramma, a knitted bunny from Great Aunt Nancy, and two cute outfits from Ilsa)--such a blessed boy!

Pretty table with Jax's Easter goodies, chips & salsa, and flowers.

My bunny and me.

Since I haven't blogged about it yet.. I got Jax's Easter outfit at Kohls for $.83 (I had a $10 gift card that came in the mail and then I got an additional 20% for starting a charge card)!

Good food..

..good company..

..and good desserts!

Brandon headed home after the Rockies game on Sunday night and Jax and I left first thing Monday morning (Jax travels much better in the morning). We had such a wonderful weekend and will always remember this beautiful Easter--we are so blessed to have a Father who loves us so much and to have such wonderful family and friends (on both Brandon's and my sides).

I hope all of your Easter's were just as blessed!