Cruz's Room

Since my post of Mila's nursery just days before she was born, I've had the itch to capture her big brother's nest and document some of my favorite parts of his little upstairs nook.  His room is easily my favorite place in our house and I had dreams of tucking little babies in their beds in that room when we bought our house in 2008 --- long before we had babies to tuck in.  I dreamed of filling that built-in book shelf with books that would become favorites, arranging stuffed animals on quilted beds, hanging lights from the window, and filling the walls with homemade masterpieces.  The slanted ceilings and dormer window gave the room so much character and it reminded me of Peter Pan - a room with so much potential for magic. 

Fast forward six years later and the room is just that.  A vast collection of treasured books are arranged by color, almost spilling off the built-in book shelves.  Colorful pictures of monsters, rocket ships, and aliens fill the light blue walls.  Drawers are stuffed with pirate and police costumes.  Plastic tubs are filled with our favorite toys - wooden blocks, paint supplies, and race cars, and a custom window seat has become home to Curious George, Pet the Cat, and Lightning McQueen.  It's Cruz's very own special space, a perfect palette of who our boy is and what he loves. 

1. While we should try to frequent the library more often, if there's one 'toy' or gift I'm okay with Cruz getting a lot of, it's books.  I treasure each story, each adventure they take us on.
2. Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar, was the inspiration for his room.  Lots of color, lots of art, lots of things to explore.
3. Mila's newborn pictures - we sang her the Itsy Bitsy Spider from the window seat.
4. Beau built Cruz a wonderful window seat with a big drawer on the bottom for toys and blankets.  It also serves as a perfect home to Cruz's furry friends -- his monkey from Grandma Kelly, George, and his gator friend, straight from the bayou in New Orleans 
5. Cruz as the hungry caterpillar himself, Halloween 2011, and his piggy bank from Uncle Taylor and Katie
6. Apple art and my DIY chalk and magnet board - one of my favorite DIYs to date
7. More furry friends and a growing art collection.  Nothing makes a boy and his dad prouder than displaying their artwork for all to see
8. Cruz's street sign from his Sesame Street birthday party.
9. More furry friends
10. And more books, including Cruz's year photo books from Shutterfly
11. An Eric Carle print with a wooden pallet frame, made from scrap wood straight from our backyard
12. More art.  Some of my favorites.
13. I bought some white frames from Ikea (I should buy stock) and used spray adhesive to stick fabric right to the glass.  Pop it back in the frame and use double-stick tape to interchange art pieces.
14. Nemo the fish just living in his yellow submarine
15. One of my favorite books.  It's the best big brother book I've found.