The teepee is a happy place.

Growing up in a house the size of a small trailer with literally three rooms where the shower was outside you learned to just accept your living conditions, be grateful, humble, and make do with what you have. 

My mother, sister and I all shared one room with two beds until I was about ten. I didn't see anything wrong with it until I got older & realized that privacy was an issue. 

When my stepfather moved in it became extra crowded, but we all managed to make the sleeping arrangements work. Without adding any sadness to this story in regards to my stepdad the purpose of this post is to let y'all know that no matter how small or big your house is everyone can be happy with the little things (even sleeping inside a teepee.) 

Ever since Jon & I got married we've always lived in apartments. We started out living in a studio apartment down on south temple in Salt Lake City & the most interesting part of that studio was the Murphy bed that came out of the wall & the cutest little stove. I felt as if I was living in a small loft in NYC. We were pregnant at the time with our firstborn, & eventually knew that we'd need a bigger place once Sierra was born.

We then upgraded to a one bedroom & when Sierra became a toddler we had the privilege of living in a nice two bedroom basement apartment just a few blocks away from the home that President Monson grew up in (we were in his ward for almost two years.) 

Then the moving from state to state began & then we became a family of four in San Antonio where Lexie was born. The girls managed to share a room for almost five years, & because of it they are extremely close & get along so well. 

We transferred yet again this time to North  Carolina where we managed to score a really nice three bedroom apartment (which is very rare near Pinehurst.) That is when Sierra finally got her own bedroom. Not that she wanted it, but it was nice for her being a tween & all to have her own privacy. 

That's when Lexie & Chelsea began sharing a room & they have been pretty good roommates since then. 

After all those years of apartment living we managed to find a house in New Jersey, and have been living here now for almost six years. It was quite an adjustment having our own home, with no neighbors stomping above us, or having late night parties. We got so used to apartment living, sharing bedrooms, & neighbors just being neighbors. While our house isn't very big, it's quaint and cozy.   

Chelsea & Lexie had been sharing a room up until Sierra left for college. Now that Sierra is attending college out west both Noah & Chelsea have taken over her room. Lexie has her own space now upstairs, & I think deep down she enjoys her privacy (except when Sierra used to come home on weekends.)

We are grateful & humble for the experiences that our kids have learned all these years with all the moving around & living in different places which brings me to my favorite part of this story. 

Chelsea & Noah...although they bicker constantly were so excited when I assembled this teepee this teepee for them. It was a late "valentine" gift (due to the stupid snowstorm.) They wanted it to stay in the living room so that they could sit in it while watching cartoons, but I then moved it into their bedroom right next to Chelsea's bed.

This is Noah's happy place & I can see why. It looks so cozy & fun. A little piece of heaven where he can nap, read, & play their guitar. 

Noah slept in it last night & look how comfortable he looks. Makes me want to be tiny enough to climb in & sleep in it too. 

I have taught my kids that you don't need your own room, or a big bed to be fulfilled. I grew up in a small house where four of us slept in the same room with only two beds . I mean...back then my mom did what she had to do. I dealt with my upbringing & living conditions as a child, learned from them, & changed them a bit with how I married & raised my kids. 

I'm just so thankful that we have managed to keep a roof over our head where the kids are happy & resilient as to where they're going to sleep every night.

Having a boy has been so much fun, and I'm sure glad I invested in getting this teepee for him. So glad I did because he is loving it! 

Happy Friday everyone!