So, with Irene getting bigger and being more "interactive", we decided she needed to move out of our room and into the girls' room. The only problem was that there weren't enough beds for the three of them. And if we were going to do something about their room, we probably should do the boys' as well. Their rooms also needed insulation so, last fall, we decided to just redo the kids' bedrooms with insulation, new paint and custom-built bunk beds. We packed up their rooms and moved everyone up to the classroom to camp for a couple of weeks (which turned into 2 months!). I cut holes in the walls to pump insulation in. I patched those gaping holes and managed to make them disappear pretty well (if I do say so myself :). Rebecca picked out the paint colors and I slapped them on the walls. Finally, I bought some triple bunk bed plans online and got to work. They had two versions of the beds and it just so happens that only one of each would work in each of their rooms. The girls' room had a long wall that allowed me to build them staggered.
These things are built with 2x4s and 2x8s and are lag-bolted into the studs. They aren't going anywhere.
Irene's bed doesn't have a mattress yet because she's still sleeping in the Pack N Play. If we were to let her out, she'd never sleep at night for all the playing she'd do with Emma. :) But her bed does await her when the day comes.
The boys didn't have a wall long enough for the layout in the girls' room, but fortunately the plans had this corner setup that looked like it might work and it did! There's still a spare bed for any guests who might come to visit.
I can't tell you how excited the kids are to have their new beds. They just love them!
