Just PLANE fun!

If you've been reading, you know that Justin and I picked out some model airplanes to assemble, paint, and hang from the ceiling in Karson's room.

What you may not know is how long we spent on these crazy things.  "Assembly required" is an understatement.  These little guys were complicated.  And painting them took lots and lots of coats, especially since we had to cover up the excessive amounts of glue it took to put them together.

Dee Dee (Mima) spotted them in Harbor Freight before we knew whether we were having a boy or a girl.  Being a bit superstitious I decided not  to buy them until we knew.  But not long after hearing "it's a boy", we started working on these.  Last night, our hard work finally paid off we as hung the little suckers from the ceiling.

The final verdict...totally worth it!  I will say they look a lot cooler in person than they do in these photos.  But nonetheless...here are the long awaited planes!



Getting ready to hang.




Up they go!




(Cords hidden) and a green and yellow guy hanging out in the upper right hand corner!




Can you spot four in this photo?




Our favorite plane!



Dear Karson - Your room is ready!

Dear Karson,

Your room is ready!  Your daddy and I are proud to present to you what we hope you will find to be a fun, loving, and welcoming environment. 

In it, you will see little bits and pieces of lots of family, friends, and other loved ones.  The crib and bedding were picked out with lots of thought and love by your daddy and me.  The rocker and ottoman where we will spend lots of time napping and reading came from Nana and Papaw.  The mattress from Grandma and Grandad.  The mobile and airplane night light from Mima and Mipa.  The crib light from Uncle Kevin and Aunt Auburn.  The coat/hat rack was made by Pop.  Your closet and drawers are also stuffed with clothes, diapers, wipes, bath supplies, blankets, and other items from your Grandparents, Great Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, other relatives, and friends of your mama and daddy from school, work, and church.  In short, there have been a lot of people who helped us celebrate and prepare for your arrival.  You are truly blessed and loved, and I pray that we help you feel that love instantly.





Your bed!  We hope you'll love the zooming airplanes!

   


The changing table.  A dresser that used to belong to my grandparents, and a propeller from a WWII target drone.

 




The "fun" corner!

  


A very special item made by Pop. 

 




Books we can't wait to read with you!

  


A warm comfy bed awaiting your arrival!

 



The photo wall.  We can't wait to replace these with pictures that have YOU in them!

 

Welcome home!

Love - Mama

Great things come in...somewhat large awkward packages!

Squuueeeeee! 

What was that?  That was the squealing sound I made last night when I came home and found a large cardboard box on our front steps...my baby's bedding had arrived!   If you had been within a half mile radius you would have known that already.   We loved it online, and thankfully we LOVE LOVE LOVE it in person!

I'm a little behind on blogging, so I also need to add that we had visitors this past weekend as Buck and Sudie came out for a few days.  It was great spending time with them, and hearing Buck and Justin exchange pilot stories.  Of course...we also did a little (ok a lot of) shopping, so thanks to their recent purchases, including but not limited to a mattress and car seat, we can now bring Karson home, and put him to bed!  Not a bad start if I do say so myself! 

Other projects:
Justin and I have been busy assembling and painting planes to hang from the ceiling.  I am attempting to teach myself to crochet a blanket (gulp), and we're starting to think about where we want to stick things on the walls. 

Photos below show the bedding, a curtain stretched over the chair, and the makings of a momma made baby blanket.  (What's that?  It looks like a big string for now?  You are correct.)  There's a close up of his comforter, and a look at his name for the wall.  I've also included one shot of a plane.  Lots of fun going on in the Rinker house these days! 

Karson is also now incredibly active.  He rolls, kicks, and flat out dances on a regular basis.  Justin has gotten to feel all of the above multiple times, and I enjoy evenings when we can sit together to feel and giggle about our kickboxer.  (Ok, I giggle, Justin mostly just smiles.)

We're also looking forward to an upcoming trip to Lexington to catch up with old friends and teammates, and attend a football game, (GO CATS).  Karson will get a shout out...more on that next week!

Nursery Update

Mom and Dad, (aka Nana and Papaw) were up to visit this weekend.  We did some shopping Friday night, enjoyed some pizza and picture time, then hit the ground running today with work on the nursery!  Ok, so we didn't get started until we had scarfed down some pancakes and slept in a little...but once we got moving...we were so fast!

I'm excited to show you the updates!  Mommy and Daddy bought Karson his crib.  We LOVE it, and are hoping it can be used for all the kiddos as a crib, and for someone as a toddler bed and eventually a full bed.  We also hope it has magical powers that help any babies in it sleep soundly through the night.  ;-)

Nana and Papaw bought an awesome glider and ottoman set.  It's super comfy, and seems like a lovely place to hold a sweet little baby!

My favorite purchase may be the ceiling fan.  IT LOOKS LIKE A PROPELLER! How cool is that?  It also has a dimmer and a remote! 

Nana and I also assembled a storage unit, and sorted and put away lots of awesome clothes from Auburn, shared by cousins Gavin and Winston.  Lots of cute items in there!  (Even a WVU jersey for the WV crew!)

The bedding is ordered, and should be in in a few weeks.  We also have frames, his name, and decals to hang.  And a few crafts to make.  Plus lots of supplies to get and organize.  I'm tired just thinking about it.  But we got off to a great start this weekend!  Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go nap in the glider...

Let me know what you think so far!

Patience is not one of my strong points...

I am officially in to the second trimester! We celebrated a little early by registering for a few of our main items on Saturday. I know…it’s early. You know it’s early. The guy at the store who gave me that weird look when I said the due date was February 14th knows it’s early… But I’m determined to enjoy this process as much as possible, and make the most of every milestone and every step along the way. So if that means I pick out a high chair at 13 weeks…so be it! True to form, we also settled on bedding a couple weeks ago. Here are a few pictures to let you know what we have in mind for Baby Rinker:

We chose a coordinating carseat and stroller, high chair, pack n play, and swing/bouncer. We think the colors are neutral and can be used for baby #1…as well as any that follow! AND…I’m hoping the pattern will be forgiving of stains.

For baby Karson, we wanted to do planes, trains, and automobiles, but fell in love with this plane themed bedding by Lambs and Ivy. AND – what a perfect tribute to Justin’s new hobby! It’s also currently on sale! If only we knew the gender now!!!

For baby girl, I thought I would try something trendy, geometric, and definitely pink. Instead – I fell in love with this purple jungle theme! If we have a boy, I might still need this bedding…can I get this for our master bedroom? ;-)

Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts on what we've picked thus far!

I thought starting early might help alleviate the anxiousness, but instead, I’m ready for the next step! I’ll have to put the brakes on a bit and try to just enjoy the second trimester at a leisurely pace. …HA!

Our next appointment is one week from today. I’ll be sure to post an update then!  Thank you for your continued prayers and support!