Landon, Apt. 8

So, I finished Landon's room! Actually, there's one project left to do, but it's not urgent and we're calling it done because if we have another weekend where I present James with a 27 item to do list and then yell at him anytime he strays off task, I'm going to leave myself. I seriously underestimated the amount of work involved in switching around/replacing 100% of the things in two rooms between three children. But I love LOVE the results and it was totally worth it. James will agree with me in a few more project-less weekends.

Landon is now in Cora's old nursery, which was our former guestroom. We think it's the former master bedroom from when our house was a 2-bedroom bungalow in the 40's. The room isn't very big, but it has it's own en suite bathroom which is perfect for guests and will be great for a big brother escaping from the hall bath shared by his two sisters.

At 8 Landon is WAY into animals. Real animals. He spouts facts and habitats and endangered status for all jungle, safari, and plains animals and he walks around holding open National Geographic Kids magazines reading to you all the FASCINATING pieces of information while I chop onions and half-listen to the child-rearing habits of the loggerhead sea turtle. Big cats are his favorite- cougars, jaguars, leopards, etc. and it is a big deal to him that his animals be accurate. No cartoons, no stylized drawings, and no camo print (we're not hunting them mom). Just animals.

And so.

I went with colors of olive, khaki, and brown, with pops of orange. My favorite part is this set of canvas prints I had made from photos a friend and law school classmate took on an African safari after the bar. I remembered her facebook post from a million years ago and emailed her to see if she minded my using some of her images in Lanman's room. She enthusiastically agreed and sent me several favorites- all of which I immediately printed out for Landon (and then he immediately made research posters for, just for fun), and three of which I printed up as a surprise. I love them and I love that it's my friend who took them.

I shopped around for a long time for his room. I didn't want to get stuck too narrowly in my chosen colors and I wanted the animal theme to be very present, but also easily switched out later when he likes something else. I found this 5x7 rag rug at Ross for $15 (!) and the elephant print on clearance for $35. I love the color and texture they add to the room.

The desk with hutch was a neighborhood buy/sell page find for $30 that I scrubbed with a magic eraser and wood conditioner. Landon loves it. The animal storage hanger and desk chair are from Ikea for $4 and $30 respectively. The bulletin board gives him a place to hang his current research projects and favorite animal pictures, and then to-be-completed project will be a peg board mounted above his desk to hang his swimming ribbons and other treasures.

I switched out the curtains, bedside lamp, linens, bathroom towels, bathroom rug, bathroom wall art (more pictures from my friend, with Cora's old nursery frames), and all the rest of the bathroom details.

The dresser is from his old room, the one hand-me-down (this one, from my parent's old lake house) remaining after my big furniture switch out. The mirror with drawer was mine in high school and picked up in an antique shop in Wisconsin.

He picked out his favorite of our vacation pictures for his frames and the elephant hanger is for his backpack.

I loved getting to pick out little animal details, and he loves having his own space. I mean, I think he'd still prefer to sleep in the girls' room with them, but he enjoys that his room is his and he takes its theme and bulletin board decor very seriously.

I made a little frame with his birth announcement and NICU pics and I can't believe that little guy is now 8.25, reading like crazy, making the spelling bee, and climbing trees like a long lanky monkey.

He's a special kid, an atypical oldest child who's crazy smart but super mellow. An incredible big brother who shares everything and delights in his sisters' and genuinely wants them to do everything he does and play with everything he owns.

If it were up to him, we'd have a dozen babies. And also eat pizza for dinner every night. It was fun making a room just for him.