It's a...

It's a girl, y'all!

As you can imagine, we are totally shocked and totally over the moon.

After having two of the same gender I truly, honestly just expected another boy. I had no reason to think otherwise- I've had the same type of pregnancy for all three kids, in fact I felt the worst when pregnant with Benjamin (which the old wives tales tell you means it's a girl, but now that I know him I know the real reason). And, odds said so anyhow!

However, there was one small part of me that thought that maybe it was a girl.

Why you may ask? Because my oldest son Cooper told me so, that same day he told me I had a baby in my belly. Remember that strange part of the story? During that conversation he told me "Mom, you have a baby in your belly. Like Ben, but it's a girl. We won't get to meet her for awhile, but we will when she's ready to come out." And he didn't stop there. He called her "Alex" and anytime we would read books where he saw a baby girl, he would say, "Look mom! A baby like Alex in your tummy!" Again, this all happened before we even knew we were expecting.

And since we are on the subject, can we talk about Cooper for a second? This child is such a blessing to our family. He is unbelievably kind, caring and loving. There is not one ounce of meanness in him and I'm incredibly proud of who he is becoming. So, of course an angel gave him a heads up to this baby! What perfect planning that he was the steward of this wonderful news, even though I didn't believe him at the time.

In closing, I will obviously need all your favorite shops for bows and dresses and any other information I need to know about where to get her the cutest clothing items of all times. Because that's all I've been doing, shopping for her.

*All photos courtesy of Hillary Wheat Photography.

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Party of...FIVE!

About four months ago, out of the blue, Cooper told me that I had a baby in my belly. HYSTERICAL, right? Three year olds say the craziest things! 

Cooper was right.

And now that I've caught my breath again, I can now share the news here on the blog:

 It's happening y'all. 

We are expecting our third kiddo this winter, Christmas Eve, to be exact. Yes, yes, that is my actual due date- December 24th, 2015. And yes, Cooper has demonstrated either psychic abilities or a lucky guess, which one I'm not sure. If you're trying to do the math here, I am 18-weeks along. YES, further along than most that share their news but see aforementioned about catching breath.

So let me answer your questions: was this planned?
Nope. But no one worry, we wanted three children eventually. So, now works great!

Will you find out what you are having?
Yup!  But let's be real, it's a boy.

How far apart will the baby and Ben be?
17-months. Barely.

So as you can see, it's about to get busy around here. Scratch that, busier. 

With the new addition on the way and entering life of three children under three, I know that blogging will take an even further backseat than it already has. First of all, I find it hard to allot the time to sit down and write. Second (and truth be told), where I want to spend my time has changed. I plan to keep the Happy Haven Blog name active and post from time to time. Maybe one day, when the kids are slightly older and out of the "need-you-at-every-second" stage, I will consistently fire it back up; but I imagine when that happens, the blog will be less of a mommy-blog, and more of a home blog- decorating and so forth.

In the meantime you can catch our family updates on Instagram and I will continue to guest blog over at Denver Metro Moms Blog and Her View From Home.

We found out what we are having just this week, I'll share soon! Crazy town over here, party of FIVE!

Lots of love, friends!

Baby's first birthday.

I have a three year old and one year old. 

My baby celebrated his first birthday over the weekend, which makes him one. This was an emotional day for me. Because really, as any mom will tell you, the first birthday is about the kid SURE, but mainly it's about us. The moms and dads. Mainly the moms.

We had a backyard water party to celebrate our main man, and the kids came in their suits and had a blast! 

Summer birthdays rock.

It meant so much to have our family and friends with us to celebrate. People that have supported me through this first year and who have loved Ben all together in one place is pretty special. 

Happy birthday to my toothless, handsome, fearless and happy little boy. Ben, you are such a fun personality and bring a bright, new light into this home.

We love you.

Keep in touch! Follow along on Happy Haven Blog's Facebook page.

Our Staircase: Reno Series Vol. 3

Greetings and happy Friday!

Today I'm continuing our Renovation Series, i.e.  the never-ending project that is our house. Luckily we have made a lot of progress, even just over the past few months.

Other than the kitchen, the renovation of our staircase probably makes the second biggest difference in the overall appearance of the home. The stairs are the first thing you see when you walk in, and they were bad. The spindles were thick and far apart, Cooper could fit right between them and there were gaps between each stair. Super safe. The carpet was brown shag. Need I say more?

As I began research on how to remedy our situation, I was surprised to find that I could literally, replace our staircase; my husband was thrilled! And that's what we did. Take a look at the before and after pictures:

Right when you walked in the front door BEFORE:

AFTER:

BEFORE view from office:

AFTER view:

Who's sad I didn't keep the lovely yellow paint? 

I love the end-result, regardless of the huge headache it was doing this project while living in the house with a toddler and a newborn. Chew on that for a bit.

Paint colors used:

Benjamin Moore Clay Beige (Walls) - Note: we darkened the paint 50% because we have a ton of natural light come in the front of the house.  

Benjamin Moore Alabaster (Trim/stair spindles and risers).  

Here are 5 sources of some of what you saw in the pictures:

Chandelier / Sconces / Paintings / Gold Decor / Rug

Thanks for stopping by! We have a few more projects to do around the house, but in the meantime, I am just trying to finish one room at at a time in - I'll share pictures as I complete them.

You can check out other posts in my Renovation Series here (the kitchen reno) and here (the simple front door reno).

Have a great weekend!

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