The last day of the month is when I get a bit more personal in my Monthly Miscellanea series. I’m going to keep it real here… April was a bit of a tough month for me, and I’m really glad to be moving into May. In March I got slammed with strep throat, which went undiagnosed for three weeks, and spread into my ear and sinuses. I also had influenza on top of that. Somehow in March I kept my attitude up and optimistically knew I would feel better any day. And then it didn’t happen. As April rolled around, and I started to wonder if I would ever feel better. I won’t bore you with the details of how miserable I was, but suffice it to say, I am so thankful that I finally turned a corner last week and was able to get through a day without mad amounts of ibuprofen and caffeine and napping. I’m still on the mend, but my optimism has returned and I expect to be back to 100% any day now! So onto the more fun stuff…

Birthday

Arabella turned six this month! My BABY is six. I know she’s not a baby anymore, but I’m sure all of you mamas out there can relate to this… She will always be my baby.

Speaking of which, wasn’t she a pretty baby?! I do understand that I might be slightly biased by my maternal connection. 😉 But look at her cute little feet! They’re still cute, BTW.

And here I am checking into the hospital the day she was born, via unscheduled but not emergency C-section. That girl was breach and was NOT going to turn. Spunky and opinionated from the beginning. 😉

If you want to see Arabella’s room, check it out here.

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Trip to Florida

The biggest blessing in my month of sickness was being able to take a trip with the kids to Florida to check out my parents’ new beach house. While I was still popping ibuprofen and a host of other supplements trying to get through the day, the ability to sleep in and rest up in warm weather was a huge mood brightener. Especially when the Saturday we were there, MN had 20 inches of snowfall. In April. Mid April. I can’t even tell you how glad I was to miss that storm!

Highlights of the trip included the kids learning to boogie board when we met some great friends at the beach one day (Kaden really took to it and spent hours on the boogie board!), visiting the Mote Marine Aquarium in Sarasota on a rainy day, and eating at the beach club in the community my parents’ home is in.

The decorating is coming along a bit slower than expected, as there have been tons of damaged furniture delays and having to return and reorder furniture or make new selections all together. So I probably won’t have much to report on the design front until the fall when I go back down, but I will post a brief update sometime soon.

Music

We’ve reached a new era in our family’s musical journey. Last week, Kaden asked me to find the song “Army” from Dude Perfect. You know those videos where a bunch of Christian guys try to flip water bottles and land them and do a bunch of other random tricks? Kaden is obsessed with them, and I know Adam enjoys them a lot too. Every once in a while when I play a new song, Kaden will say, “Oh yeah, I heard that on Dude Perfect.” But this is the first time he asked me to find a specific song. Like I said, it’s a new era!

After googling it, I discovered that Kaden’s request is by an artist named Zayde Wolf. Turns out the song “Army” and another of his called “Gladiator” were both on Dude Perfect, so we’ve been rocking out to those for the last few days. As a music lover, it’s so fun for me that Kaden had a request. Hopefully I’m raising a new generation of music and book lovers!

Other favorites this month have been “Come Together” by Gary Clark Jr. from the Justice League soundtrack and “Impossible” by James Arthur, which I just discovered, years late (single released when he won the X Factor). I’ve never watched the show, but I absolutely loved his album “Back from the Edge” and listened to it on repeat last year when I painted my fireplace, so I had to check out some of his older music. Disclaimer: The James Arthur albums do have a few bad words throughout, so it’s more of an adult album. There are only certain songs I allow my kids to listen to.

Design News

On a more interior design related note, I’m making a few updates to my living room. Nothing is photo ready yet, but there is a certain element of this living room by 47 Park Avenue that influenced one of my design decisions. Any guesses what it is?

Stay tuned and sign up for emails so you don’t miss the reveal!

What did your April look like? Any fun plans for May? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below, or feel free to shoot me an email at Kristen@arieandco.com any time!