Simon & Talya's Youer Than You Room

Here are our Craig's List bunk beds, decked out in Ikea bedding... Talya has been doing a pretty good job of sleeping in the bottom bunk.

Rain gutter bookshelves, which I LOVE. The kids love them too. They are already smarter. (I hope you know me well enough to know I'm kidding.) Oh, and that's Charlie showing off his love for all things dangerous and electrical. Don't worry, he's safe, disciplined, and currently asleep.

I created this piece of "artwork" using some great photo transfer techniques I found at nonphotography.com/blog. It's a crappy picture, but it says "Siblings make the sweetest friends." I am loving how good of friends my kids are becoming.

Here's the little corner that shows off their heritage... Cimon Appachan who Sy is named after, and my mom, Grandma, and Auntie Kay who Talya is named after. Oh, and the Indian flag. I have yet to feel a need to showcase Buchanan Plaid, but whatev.

So, that's it... really bad pictures of a really cute room that is, are you ready for it? DONE!

(See Simon being smart.)

It seems like just yesterday that I spent a LOT of time and energy preparing a new boys' room for Charlie and Simon to share.

Well, that was fun, but sure didn't last long. Charlie and Simon did not make good roommates, and Simon ended up spending a couple of months on the air mattress - first in our closet, and then on the floor in Talya's room next to her crib.

Turns out, Simon and Talya make great roommates. I've had to adjust to them taking A LOT longer to go to sleep, but they are enjoying themselves, and their friendship during the day has really benefited from the extra bonding time post-bedtime.

So, we decided to turn Talya's pretty pretty girly nursery into a fun big kid room that both kids could enjoy. We also made the potentially stupid decision to coincide this makeover with Talya's transition to a big girl bed. Normally, I don't rush into these kinds of things, but we've got vacation coming up, and it would be a whole lot easier for us if we didn't have to cart around 2 pack n plays. (Isn't it great to base major parenting decisions on your own personal convenience?)

Since we'd just spent time and money on the boys' room, the goal was not to spend too much cash on this one. I think we did pretty good. There's a few little projects I still want to do, but I'm really happy with the results. Oh, and the white walls need another coat of paint, but I couldn't let that slow me down. So we're just kind of rolling with the bluish tint.

Here are some pics.

I based the room on this great decal from Single Stone Studios on etsy. It says, "Today you are You. That is truer than true. There is no one alive that is youer than you." (Dr. Seuss) Perfect for my very different boy and girl and their shared space.