tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6402054326973884722024-03-18T17:04:41.711-04:00It's a Beautiful Life!It's a Beautiful Life!ChelsyReneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03847869006579825787noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-66682642095623318902024-03-06T18:00:00.001-05:002024-03-06T22:42:29.934-05:00Family Pictures 2023 <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDMLX6I97GJI6rPoTILUs7bfMJRV1iTxFC8TvZWTUq6f3_NkGV2QdCqdr1LdtlR8YRr8oDGON2XbDA2ABKN9OJiN8fzCPTgFdKt4Jx6eMeA4o6jCBfYiICZVhelZ4eP3RzhAcPHUXI5tsdAiWFudIG51JQiDpOLAebq5CcPcmUw3sxwUahHbMUj_u3g/s1801/IMG_4748.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1655" data-original-width="1801" height="588" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBDMLX6I97GJI6rPoTILUs7bfMJRV1iTxFC8TvZWTUq6f3_NkGV2QdCqdr1LdtlR8YRr8oDGON2XbDA2ABKN9OJiN8fzCPTgFdKt4Jx6eMeA4o6jCBfYiICZVhelZ4eP3RzhAcPHUXI5tsdAiWFudIG51JQiDpOLAebq5CcPcmUw3sxwUahHbMUj_u3g/w640-h588/IMG_4748.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We did a very short, laid-back little family photo shoot for our Christmas pictures 2023. I debated just using a random candid from the summer to send out as our Christmas card, but we've done a photo shoot of some kind every year since we've been married and I do love the tradition. John does not love it but bless his heart, he goes along with it since he knows it is important to me! I really love coordinating colors and outfits and then capturing our family each year as the kids grow older. I'm always so thankful afterwards too that we made it happen!<p></p><p>Here are a few of my favorites from this last year's photoshoot! <i>(shoutout to my <a href="https://christophermaxwell.com" target="_blank"><b>brother in law Chris</b></a> for taking these for us!)</i></p><p>Axton's and Elliot's Sweaters were Old Navy brand. I actually got them both used, at different times, but both were from my favorite consignment store here in town, <a href="https://www.littlestorysboutique.com" target="_blank"><b><i>Little Stories Boutique</i></b></a>. Jeans were <b><i><a href="https://www.childrensplace.com/us/p/Boys-Slim-Basic-Stretch-Skinny-Jeans-3010416-32NO" target="_blank">these</a> </i></b>from Children's Place. Axton's shoes are from Children's Place and Elliot's Converse are courtesy of goodwill. =)</p><p>Their little hats were <i style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="https://amzn.to/42VnueQ" target="_blank">these khaki ones</a> </i>and they are just.so.cute. Elliot has size 12-24m and Axton's is size 2-3T, and they still fit them, so I'd say they run large. I got these hats for the boys for Easter last year and they have gotten so much use out of them!</p><p>Madeline's dress was Old Navy brand, thrifted NWT from <a href="https://www.littlestorysboutique.com" target="_blank"><i><b>Little Stories Boutique</b></i></a>. Her little black booties were Cat & Jack and came from a garage sale or goodwill I think. And her hair bow is from <a href="https://amzn.to/3PddZlE" target="_blank"><b><i>this pack</i></b></a>-I've loved these for her!</p><p>John's shirt and vest were Eddie Bauer <i>(his favorite brand)</i> and my dress, sweater, and booties were thrifted.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OyDUkE_UkykqOX1SdQMX5MQza0lNIR6yRiDrvb3oDS0Jt5vMACqKT6sJMz37X3AATbfHJTCpL1WworcLPatygHb-bpV9HVc31qaAms3o3nmyRzSE1XWoppQaPCCxThBccSZ1MTSWD-kKv7wnk1KFt27st1pjBv1_8-DnxAXXG3U4zfSJyDaaLOu4UQ/s3391/IMG_6385.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3391" data-original-width="2293" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1OyDUkE_UkykqOX1SdQMX5MQza0lNIR6yRiDrvb3oDS0Jt5vMACqKT6sJMz37X3AATbfHJTCpL1WworcLPatygHb-bpV9HVc31qaAms3o3nmyRzSE1XWoppQaPCCxThBccSZ1MTSWD-kKv7wnk1KFt27st1pjBv1_8-DnxAXXG3U4zfSJyDaaLOu4UQ/w432-h640/IMG_6385.jpeg" width="432" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRztYXYShorWP30nxWjBL257In7Hu5XK17krdPU22voNmbLYPtsWKmf1Jy2ghUX7u3EhN3c74fX1dXwIWbFJstwqBVKMv0fxYKN8JH2eQ1pfTcHEoYpL1R-Z2mb0XwN6cXTdCffaeC3Ey9s2T7gTWobKjT2P8dX3QZgFXVEwH_FAdQUF7jBAF5ZIcDg/s4000/DSC_0162.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2661" data-original-width="4000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheRztYXYShorWP30nxWjBL257In7Hu5XK17krdPU22voNmbLYPtsWKmf1Jy2ghUX7u3EhN3c74fX1dXwIWbFJstwqBVKMv0fxYKN8JH2eQ1pfTcHEoYpL1R-Z2mb0XwN6cXTdCffaeC3Ey9s2T7gTWobKjT2P8dX3QZgFXVEwH_FAdQUF7jBAF5ZIcDg/w640-h426/DSC_0162.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYFheLXxQ6CI7kYAR60t6g5XvT6278iv9fqdG-mY5Ic8a-a_Bq8RdNOQ42bBclNcW89guPTcMVrlg3hUzRW914XZjLPV4Ef8OL1E-8JZQed_EnQeVyxvfejt4yB4hjcOVjJYCFwDws_A4gOvnswZNo9w6j_OTKC2j851VfBz04krZs9UQSpKDYBx7gw/s4000/IMG_4337.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2661" data-original-width="4000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYFheLXxQ6CI7kYAR60t6g5XvT6278iv9fqdG-mY5Ic8a-a_Bq8RdNOQ42bBclNcW89guPTcMVrlg3hUzRW914XZjLPV4Ef8OL1E-8JZQed_EnQeVyxvfejt4yB4hjcOVjJYCFwDws_A4gOvnswZNo9w6j_OTKC2j851VfBz04krZs9UQSpKDYBx7gw/w640-h426/IMG_4337.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hqb16egJyAWKfenk-oGIA4X7SKcgr2X75GJApooDrQPNIzgK7lXc7cKrOunRkOh-Y0h5epAoO1KJ9SahRLZsiJvOEKT-dTXo6e3KieewKtP1mS1wAxEl6CTBzeyzomQjFCdCZOqcCHO8iPnFItMz6WYgKcXyH9rduDdWJPbyigsjI-xUoIZ5b3vY6g/s4000/IMG_4333.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2661" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7hqb16egJyAWKfenk-oGIA4X7SKcgr2X75GJApooDrQPNIzgK7lXc7cKrOunRkOh-Y0h5epAoO1KJ9SahRLZsiJvOEKT-dTXo6e3KieewKtP1mS1wAxEl6CTBzeyzomQjFCdCZOqcCHO8iPnFItMz6WYgKcXyH9rduDdWJPbyigsjI-xUoIZ5b3vY6g/w426-h640/IMG_4333.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Axton John-4yrs<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oQiVUL4xw5PuAaJ8oIT0H4S7RAH-T84cpXlAvpBj6Zj-Fh789WS4cTBU1kjJ9spCxnWmPO9Sc07FmUWCcyUctPcit9rRrnuaF45YfkDWNIuS5RjRc_fO8J6kMIE_V2NoKI7ZDAZcarNBfaF9FCl-NPK0Pikno_z7akTf7Su6u6bmedPO4RYVJn5Skw/s4000/IMG_4334.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2661" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7oQiVUL4xw5PuAaJ8oIT0H4S7RAH-T84cpXlAvpBj6Zj-Fh789WS4cTBU1kjJ9spCxnWmPO9Sc07FmUWCcyUctPcit9rRrnuaF45YfkDWNIuS5RjRc_fO8J6kMIE_V2NoKI7ZDAZcarNBfaF9FCl-NPK0Pikno_z7akTf7Su6u6bmedPO4RYVJn5Skw/w426-h640/IMG_4334.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Elliot Rex-3 yrs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJd1vv9FVIiQQFngSb5silcEHoKN9sQ0XtxBlEa0SrUHMbXB-lZuAwx85cFJLRDl0OJSnscZtYfLWGH7iXsbR8AMAaJzwhMMy-NCVLAsPmlYgHssPzfeqfKf31hnqfhhqkh06QB_Vczspmh3EJ9jG1Xq7hhPYAahEDBfNHKB8N96vZVqPX-19Yh5RJ0g/s4000/IMG_4335.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2661" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJd1vv9FVIiQQFngSb5silcEHoKN9sQ0XtxBlEa0SrUHMbXB-lZuAwx85cFJLRDl0OJSnscZtYfLWGH7iXsbR8AMAaJzwhMMy-NCVLAsPmlYgHssPzfeqfKf31hnqfhhqkh06QB_Vczspmh3EJ9jG1Xq7hhPYAahEDBfNHKB8N96vZVqPX-19Yh5RJ0g/w426-h640/IMG_4335.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Madeline Sue-2yrs</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKP6BBjrFOcvU9h2zyuLWgf9ypXdWxyaA2Hw1D3Zc3yRXuJameDAnQquKN_gPmRTGbKhPbCIW9hYarzwAyBlvS4xgahqmvFYnAzP5mqupNtymcn6wLB7owzpoBYwXaQM3W_etOoUOMGepI0PVu8-dCbX-okqdzjX66S9VD88zLz3pxFcBMzmaNfS9yw/s3252/IMG_4332.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3252" data-original-width="2290" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMKP6BBjrFOcvU9h2zyuLWgf9ypXdWxyaA2Hw1D3Zc3yRXuJameDAnQquKN_gPmRTGbKhPbCIW9hYarzwAyBlvS4xgahqmvFYnAzP5mqupNtymcn6wLB7owzpoBYwXaQM3W_etOoUOMGepI0PVu8-dCbX-okqdzjX66S9VD88zLz3pxFcBMzmaNfS9yw/w450-h640/IMG_4332.jpeg" width="450" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruxRoUkXh_xNMXaNP8VWdDhmC3VgD1I_gaIucrFqdD8KXOWIvuYfqYhYr7PLiJNxMDuW1VxnbzydDF5WD49E5Rp8XR6bpIvNJvpmfKxoRT0rOZgK-NwtGhxHHvKqAexFHLG1b90ASYbE5W6qVcUySaWsATtP3oDrCAxDxARJuHIfS4mEWhjZWtRuPjA/s2956/IMG_4331.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2956" data-original-width="2117" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgruxRoUkXh_xNMXaNP8VWdDhmC3VgD1I_gaIucrFqdD8KXOWIvuYfqYhYr7PLiJNxMDuW1VxnbzydDF5WD49E5Rp8XR6bpIvNJvpmfKxoRT0rOZgK-NwtGhxHHvKqAexFHLG1b90ASYbE5W6qVcUySaWsATtP3oDrCAxDxARJuHIfS4mEWhjZWtRuPjA/w458-h640/IMG_4331.jpeg" width="458" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURK211YBKbhVoTvpocTKOWjNBiPIh_L6IgtJEPk3p58iQo8FRKdTy5xDOJ_-vgWVkHJwkwC8nmBdIiBdzwjNHO339_3hALvaa_aclPVFPJcseFCfJn7t5pdlth9M6XSw8E1PRgLhIQDHchBq5WgK2dk-UBnwY02IBkprzfIS7BVcyk_ySnnDZEDU7vA/s3564/IMG_4070.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3564" data-original-width="2428" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiURK211YBKbhVoTvpocTKOWjNBiPIh_L6IgtJEPk3p58iQo8FRKdTy5xDOJ_-vgWVkHJwkwC8nmBdIiBdzwjNHO339_3hALvaa_aclPVFPJcseFCfJn7t5pdlth9M6XSw8E1PRgLhIQDHchBq5WgK2dk-UBnwY02IBkprzfIS7BVcyk_ySnnDZEDU7vA/w436-h640/IMG_4070.jpeg" width="436" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxFHs17Di8SbtRPctIyYbKPJA-mcGyZO1vIzlIaiPOFhRLv1HZs-bZbkov9Nu2pdvE1ZQIoDoorTczxZ-jVlkcL-2BBThYuVcEaqqcKQbwXrebxBAwkwzNEV1JjfJ79U7wXepySVKEu-Eo-c78OU2ejD56kIudywWdZPF6hwoIpLkAgT4OWDqqWcvUg/s4000/DSC_0106.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2661" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVxFHs17Di8SbtRPctIyYbKPJA-mcGyZO1vIzlIaiPOFhRLv1HZs-bZbkov9Nu2pdvE1ZQIoDoorTczxZ-jVlkcL-2BBThYuVcEaqqcKQbwXrebxBAwkwzNEV1JjfJ79U7wXepySVKEu-Eo-c78OU2ejD56kIudywWdZPF6hwoIpLkAgT4OWDqqWcvUg/w426-h640/DSC_0106.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LYWgbI9xY2aK-P39h3Q_1Pk7dJocTC5BKKYEkKxJXeJ6WR1I7POYSUslKHcRLa-H-KxmI1-VHGadqX4kzH_N3S8QprpFYCCmpjl0DPOpaknsQXWvTlEcXHxvK4nFdCCscXNZKanCCWMTf7SgBURPHcYG_4lwTy8t9xQyftfFIwYtzhze4EeZk9mEgQ/s2230/DSC_0099.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2230" data-original-width="1484" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_LYWgbI9xY2aK-P39h3Q_1Pk7dJocTC5BKKYEkKxJXeJ6WR1I7POYSUslKHcRLa-H-KxmI1-VHGadqX4kzH_N3S8QprpFYCCmpjl0DPOpaknsQXWvTlEcXHxvK4nFdCCscXNZKanCCWMTf7SgBURPHcYG_4lwTy8t9xQyftfFIwYtzhze4EeZk9mEgQ/w426-h640/DSC_0099.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIy4aUrfFts-FJWYSZdX4O9EiWR6c1Zw7Nzx4zcxhe2-NDBx3l28vZE45GQHCh7vtdaT8yoqWhsGu7jNV-LxSNz4G1-mxgdcFpSGRJgkbsJ5q-frjpWJHFKYKQCoUBBQYTX0Zn5oSWBv26daAQGiFztu4GS59SwT3PaaFgqCzyYg-b6x1nwRbm0hoAg/s2661/IMG_4068.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2470" data-original-width="2661" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIy4aUrfFts-FJWYSZdX4O9EiWR6c1Zw7Nzx4zcxhe2-NDBx3l28vZE45GQHCh7vtdaT8yoqWhsGu7jNV-LxSNz4G1-mxgdcFpSGRJgkbsJ5q-frjpWJHFKYKQCoUBBQYTX0Zn5oSWBv26daAQGiFztu4GS59SwT3PaaFgqCzyYg-b6x1nwRbm0hoAg/w640-h594/IMG_4068.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>When I look at this picture, I think I can read the kids' little thought bubbles:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Axton: "I guess I can attempt to crank out one last half smile."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Elliot: "I'm here for it-let's use adorable expression #5123."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Madeline: "Not even gonna try to fake it."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Do you take family pictures or send out Christmas cards each year? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Wednesday! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-Chels</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(Note: all of the items linked in this post, unless otherwise noted, are items that I own and love. Amazon links are affiliate links. Please read my <a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/p/info.html" target="_blank"><b>affiliate disclosure here</b></a>)</i></span></div>ChelsyReneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03847869006579825787noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-43351832264397653072023-12-13T16:34:00.004-05:002023-12-13T16:34:46.853-05:00Favorite Christmas Books & Traditions for Toddlers<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hPU7sQp5mum5gndy5dODUYOmP0BkpHlLdi2LppXM0Gx_0iq_Lk-oNc3ShWmtPB39QuWaGm43-vbr6ovnBRGGQDz8TrrpCuwgxf0gNdosfRY5clQYL-6uOaE0fXaXQ3riQkWMl_4vFfQWKSOQ-KRBSA40EbslrHCkgqHYXKEfw0o8E8RgD-7Bd6aOtA/s5712/IMG_4818.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hPU7sQp5mum5gndy5dODUYOmP0BkpHlLdi2LppXM0Gx_0iq_Lk-oNc3ShWmtPB39QuWaGm43-vbr6ovnBRGGQDz8TrrpCuwgxf0gNdosfRY5clQYL-6uOaE0fXaXQ3riQkWMl_4vFfQWKSOQ-KRBSA40EbslrHCkgqHYXKEfw0o8E8RgD-7Bd6aOtA/w480-h640/IMG_4818.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>This time of year is a favorite at our house!! Going to the tree farm and picking out a tree, bringing out our tubs of Christmas decor and setting everything up, and starting in on our little list of family Christmas traditions...these memories are priceless from year to year with the start of December! Elliot just remembers last Christmas so he refers to last Christmas as "the first Christmas" which is so adorable. =)<p></p><p>Today I wanted to share with you all one of my favorite Christmas traditions to do with littles. A couple years ago, I heard about this tradition of doing a book a day opening countdown until Christmas Day. It has become one of the kids favorite things! We love books and reading here at our house, but even if your kids aren't into books as much as ours are, this would be a great way to get them more excited about reading and books in general.</p><p>For this tradition, you wrap Christmas themed books <i>(or any books, really; I just do Christmas/winter theme)</i> and let the kids unwrap a new one everyday. You can do this with books you already have, books you have purchased to add this year, or even books from the library! I put away our Christmas/winter kids books along with the Christmas decor, every January, so they are new and exciting when Christmas rolls around again. Last year, I got the idea from one of my cousins to use my leftover wrapping paper to wrap up the Christmas books before putting them away. BEST IDEA EVER. It was a great way to use up my leftover wrapping paper from 2022, and then this year I just pulled them out of the box and set them under the tree on December 1st and they were ready to go! Voila! So genius.</p><p>Don’t worry that we are past December 1st; you can start this whenever you want! The first year that I did it I only had a couple of Christmas books and I just started it like a week before Christmas. You can do it for as long or as short as you like! </p><p>I always check <a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/share/?code=LZOeLuTau1jwZd1ZKTRYtw%253d%253d" target="_blank"><i><b>thrift books</b></i></a> first for new titles on my "want" list, and usually I have really good success getting classics and such there. Thrift Books almost always has free shipping as well, and their orders come fast! But last year, I found that for kids Christmas books specifically, most of them were the same price or even cheaper on Amazon. With prime, they came in just a day or two, and then if there was something in it that I didn’t like or want, I could easily return it right away. I still keep my eye open at thrift stores and garage sales, and I check my "want" list on thrift books first, but I will say my overall success with Christmas books specifically has been Amazon. <i>(Note: when you <a href="https://www.thriftbooks.com/share/?code=LZOeLuTau1jwZd1ZKTRYtw%253d%253d" target="_blank"><b>use my link here</b></a> for Thrift Books, make an account, and spend your first $30, we will both get a free book credit!)</i></p><p>If you are short on cash, or have too many books <i>(although can anyone ever have too many books??)</i> going to the library and getting Christmas titles there, for the month, is an awesome option as well! This is also a great way to try out new titles and decide which ones you might like to then purchase for yourself to have as some of your Christmas staples. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqntAxwJ6-2B_TPdiSX9Ci7fFi-ZLTaw61pSiCg7J7ATR5GdXLOD9ZjDUZqsyzL2LHpHHF6BqFvqssg1nQGBVYHtqCKNQW3F0gKTb3F-BHnfsZZqXQmooS30Mb0-QWyCjJR2HxRMojKv7PE1BRhuWtI9TyTiG9-gDvnXbQt7Bn_g5uj475KijNGzFd3w/s5712/IMG_4811.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqntAxwJ6-2B_TPdiSX9Ci7fFi-ZLTaw61pSiCg7J7ATR5GdXLOD9ZjDUZqsyzL2LHpHHF6BqFvqssg1nQGBVYHtqCKNQW3F0gKTb3F-BHnfsZZqXQmooS30Mb0-QWyCjJR2HxRMojKv7PE1BRhuWtI9TyTiG9-gDvnXbQt7Bn_g5uj475KijNGzFd3w/w480-h640/IMG_4811.jpeg" width="480" /></a></p><p>Now for a few of our favorite Christmas books to start or add to your collections! These are our favorite titles that we have collected over the past few years. I would say most of these books are great for kids ages 1-10, although there are a couple longer ones that even older children will enjoy.</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/47UDDmo" target="_blank"><b><i>The Giving Manger Christmas Family Tradition Book Set</i></b></a></p><p>This one is a bit of an investment but has been my favorite Christmas purchase so far! I got this one just a week or two before Christmas last year and it was an absolute highlight for the boys. They were so excited to do it again this year! The book comes with a kit-a little wooden manger, a packet of straw, and a little ceramic baby Jesus. Every time your child does an act of kindness, they get to put a piece of straw in the manger. The goal is that on Christmas morning the manger is full and they get to add baby Jesus. Last year the boys were constantly coming to me and asking “what can I do for an act of kindness?” But this year they are older and figuring out things on their own and so they come up with their own ideas of what an act of kindness is. It is just the cutest. I love the symbolism and the sweetness and just every single thing about this little Christmas project! The actual book tells the story of a family who practiced this for the month of December, so there are plenty of helpful ideas there to get your kids thinking of things!</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3RNrudz" target="_blank"><b><i>The Legend of the Christmas Candy Cane</i></b></a></p><p>As I was linking this one, I saw that there is also a movie made from the book! Has anyone seen it?</p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3REtPr9" target="_blank">The Miracle of Jonathan Toomey</a></i></b></p><p>This one is a bit over Elliot's and Madeline's heads at this point but all three kiddos sit quietly and seem to love it! </p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3Nsf0VV" target="_blank">Mortimer's Christmas Manger</a></i></b></p><p>Our kids have this one basically memorized. =)</p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/4aac4qR" target="_blank">Humphrey's First Christmas</a></i></b></p><p>This is a funny one. =)</p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3TepWKC" target="_blank">Construction Site on Christmas Night</a></i></b></p><p>Another favorite with the boys especially. </p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/4ads9Mr" target="_blank">The Puppy Who Wanted A Boy</a></i></b></p><p>An adorable old classic.</p><p><b><a href="https://amzn.to/47TyQ4v" target="_blank"><i>Room For A Little One</i></a> </b></p><p>Sweet artwork and storyline.</p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3tcpAto" target="_blank">Brambly Hedge Winter Story</a></i></b></p><p>Brambly Hedge stories are so cute and this one is no exception!</p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/48dFxOJ" target="_blank">Tractor Mac Saves Christmas</a></i></b></p><p>Tractor Mac is always a favorite for anything. </p><p><i><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3Rhr6Cj" target="_blank">The Crippled Lamb</a></b></i></p><p>I grew up with this one and it is such a sweet little story.</p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/41hVGk5" target="_blank">The Tale of Three Trees</a></i></b></p><p>Old folktale.</p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3Nnf1ug" target="_blank">Little Blue Truck's Christmas</a></i></b></p><p>Typically Little Blue Truck fashion-rhyming and fun!</p><p><b><i><a href="https://remnantministriesonline.com/product/the-christmas-story" target="_blank">The Christmas Story</a></i></b></p><p>This book is literally the original Christmas story with scriptures taken straight from the Bible! The accompanying artwork is lovely and my children LOVE it! it serves as dual purpose-we are not only reading Christmas stories together but they are also memorizing God's word when we read this book. I had wanted something like this for a long time and was thrilled when my friends of mine released this book last year. It also comes with a corresponding coloring book. This book is coffee-table quality and literally a work of art. I highly highly recommend!! </p><p><i><b><a href="https://amzn.to/3RGHCxa" target="_blank">A Snowy Surprise</a></b></i></p><p>This is a really fun but simple little story about baking and Christmastime! </p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3RnIOEd" target="_blank">The Last Straw</a></i></b></p><p>A bit ridiculous....but the kids love Hashmakaka (the main character camel) and it is a good story overall.</p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3uVCPyZ" target="_blank">Katy and the Big Snow</a></i></b></p><p>I think anything by Virginia Lee Burton is good. This one is no exception! </p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/4auW5Uu" target="_blank">The Mitten</a></i></b></p><p>Sweet little story of a boy and his grandmother and a whole lot of animals. Oh, and a mitten. =)</p><p><b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/47S5UKg" target="_blank">Tonight You Are My Baby</a></i></b></p><p>This is a new one I just got this year. It feels extra sentimental to me because I very much feel like I can relate to the "tonight you are my baby but tomorrow you are all grown up" feeling. The kiddos are growing so fast and I'm just treasuring each day I get with them being little! </p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEgs5n0QC1fMEduWQSILA5wnxA-3RLEHOk6Q5CnAoTb4XrNbCG3h6ISyOHIepX34SIQ0UXYWjtXrlMZwVIVZMpmcIF64oxS_eTG4N7iWR9Orm5T1GOspjsddTCFJVTyB1V6kmfQ9IaSzZHk3JKwZ852vD8HmkuRvuHN5vLGaxnCEGOxjsU6Lu7kZQQw/s4032/IMG_4615.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifEgs5n0QC1fMEduWQSILA5wnxA-3RLEHOk6Q5CnAoTb4XrNbCG3h6ISyOHIepX34SIQ0UXYWjtXrlMZwVIVZMpmcIF64oxS_eTG4N7iWR9Orm5T1GOspjsddTCFJVTyB1V6kmfQ9IaSzZHk3JKwZ852vD8HmkuRvuHN5vLGaxnCEGOxjsU6Lu7kZQQw/w640-h480/IMG_4615.jpeg" width="640" /></a></p><p>Lastly...this isn't a book, but I wanted to share about it because it has sure been SO FUN for the kids this Christmas season! I got the kids <a href="https://amzn.to/46WNK8P" target="_blank"><i><b>their own nativity set </b></i></a>for their room and wow, do they love it. I knew it would be a hit but it is THE hit of the season so far for them! They set it up in their room and bring it off the shelf to play with it every day. So cute. It is called the Fisher-Price Little People Deluxe Christmas Story Nativity Playset and you <a href="https://amzn.to/46WNK8P" target="_blank"><b><i>can purchase it here</i></b></a>! </p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHeudFz_P2fhLQ7xbfcrT7JL1WOBBuDJ6mc32ED81narSnOYsJEF_YTSz-kL8vQDLGmJldzLsKFuFVKTMH5Jfg2UoTcftdihRfCZnTfTmhLEKQ12EfMvFYlcz2Tk1Ofk2vkUE-a9_F-zAbiXJfBzOFfYufoApdMKt8yLWAF1aEpwrVbC6GAlMSzuPHQ/s5712/IMG_4604.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpHeudFz_P2fhLQ7xbfcrT7JL1WOBBuDJ6mc32ED81narSnOYsJEF_YTSz-kL8vQDLGmJldzLsKFuFVKTMH5Jfg2UoTcftdihRfCZnTfTmhLEKQ12EfMvFYlcz2Tk1Ofk2vkUE-a9_F-zAbiXJfBzOFfYufoApdMKt8yLWAF1aEpwrVbC6GAlMSzuPHQ/w480-h640/IMG_4604.jpeg" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Let me know in the comments below what books I missed that you would add to my list! </p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"> I am always on the lookout for new titles! </span></p><p style="text-align: center;">Happy Wednesday!</p><p style="text-align: center;"> Chels</p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Note: All of the items linked in this post, unless otherwise noted, are items that I own and love. Amazon links are affiliate links. Please read <a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/p/info.html" target="_blank">my affiliate disclosure here</a>)</span></i></p>ChelsyReneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03847869006579825787noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-50403032989545772942023-09-25T16:46:00.001-04:002023-09-25T16:46:26.244-04:00Taylor & Susanna's Wedding & Weekend Celebrations Recap<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQ7vm5Gy0cXka-Zy5ZSn3Xk6rIjs86hAVoitllxsKLIfINI6EdLD52m66u_bVcxDmhr0nx25hdtwmOw6qcwetQtWyIHPNeaG9r5bPTFF1k_u-q3yxBGLnvbzFvIvFai7Lict879OlIOtTfjm-eP0a2pJ58TdyYCxA3NheCyClOopmbGxAseZ46_OVuQ/s1600/1977CC9D-6418-4820-9398-106D6B0C4E57.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQ7vm5Gy0cXka-Zy5ZSn3Xk6rIjs86hAVoitllxsKLIfINI6EdLD52m66u_bVcxDmhr0nx25hdtwmOw6qcwetQtWyIHPNeaG9r5bPTFF1k_u-q3yxBGLnvbzFvIvFai7Lict879OlIOtTfjm-eP0a2pJ58TdyYCxA3NheCyClOopmbGxAseZ46_OVuQ/w426-h640/1977CC9D-6418-4820-9398-106D6B0C4E57.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">The second weekend of August, we drove down to south central Missouri for my brother's wedding! Taylor and Susanna had a beautiful day and it was such a joy to celebrate them!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The wedding photographer was my <a href="https://www.instagram.com/psalm374photography/" target="_blank"><b><i>sister in law Sarah Bollinger</i></b></a> and she did an amazing job with of the photography. All of the professional pictures in this post are courtesy of her, and I highly recommend her as a capable and talented wedding photographer! <i>(<a href="https://www.instagram.com/psalm374photography/" target="_blank"><b>Book her here</b></a> for shooting your wedding! =)) </i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: left;">The other random phone snapshots are all mine. =)</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTBZjkJhr-hQUE3IW72ALkdl7J3AhFtmiDx3Z_2rPQlLTDOO40s1k0piDh2sS5TiqL2q-3xihxsUUuJvdW-fq07-B5OoFfCQoqwN6UrJTLyW_xk8asNPiZT9tG_1Qmue3fLIDICOJduOGBL8eX_8dKJYUfsFzWHmbZPfZviF2qGWKzpo3H7D26OQvqw/s4032/7DF4D0E3-A186-43ED-A96D-45C505DB539D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOTBZjkJhr-hQUE3IW72ALkdl7J3AhFtmiDx3Z_2rPQlLTDOO40s1k0piDh2sS5TiqL2q-3xihxsUUuJvdW-fq07-B5OoFfCQoqwN6UrJTLyW_xk8asNPiZT9tG_1Qmue3fLIDICOJduOGBL8eX_8dKJYUfsFzWHmbZPfZviF2qGWKzpo3H7D26OQvqw/w640-h480/7DF4D0E3-A186-43ED-A96D-45C505DB539D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: left;">This was the first Bontrager wedding that wasn’t held in Iowa, so that was different, but a fun experience to have a wedding “out of the hometown town” on the B side of the family! John and I recently purchased a camper, so we took that down and stayed in it while we were there. Needless to say, we love the camper life! =)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Above, we have three happy little kiddos ready to go with snacks and more snacks! =)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We left home Thursday early afternoon and arrived at our Missouri destination that evening, in time for the bachelor/bachelorette parties. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdm2P2-UscSq_Dsr3iweoBBXEtGMLuSfnJlDBEPUXxivijRQcWgLR5_kLgS4X_he7Lkyd3GvZzIpOeHA5ih-O0sZnQWaPYxz1nWGETKWc_GP2b9Lc8D78ez1fAlnKosE3bxEyOkeqlsxhfpMcUZhRn7kXyTQeMmdQcsEcNHX35Qp953ZnH8dHUk6zpRA/s3088/F03162E1-E8F9-4EE7-B681-D12ED298865E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdm2P2-UscSq_Dsr3iweoBBXEtGMLuSfnJlDBEPUXxivijRQcWgLR5_kLgS4X_he7Lkyd3GvZzIpOeHA5ih-O0sZnQWaPYxz1nWGETKWc_GP2b9Lc8D78ez1fAlnKosE3bxEyOkeqlsxhfpMcUZhRn7kXyTQeMmdQcsEcNHX35Qp953ZnH8dHUk6zpRA/w480-h640/F03162E1-E8F9-4EE7-B681-D12ED298865E.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was the only picture I got that night, with my youngest sis! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I don't have a full length picture of <a href="https://amzn.to/466Z3eY" target="_blank"><b><i>my red </i></b></a><span style="color: #0000ee;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 238);"><b><i><u>dress</u></i></b></span></span> that I wore that night but it is my current favorite and I've gotten multiple compliments on it so I wanted to link it here. It's flattering, breathable, and summery! It also comes in lots of colors and needed no alterations!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4W-E9tRtxf47flq8WHEt75TA5ZEeofQwNEjdOwzbT_29tdkOPX-HVuH6zReLILzgikwxaadFTKAH-PF1o0yJdV_Ii6qioG6ilF1_3kFX7Gn3dFbFRfSxK6nc9A8iQ-s_3CGLKjQB6nk157-G2dCXclVEvBWnsqPZBzjbEP8_At14rPqj3RxIAMTrwuA/s4032/E72DD0C3-A642-4B78-B031-62D2C1B7FDC7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4W-E9tRtxf47flq8WHEt75TA5ZEeofQwNEjdOwzbT_29tdkOPX-HVuH6zReLILzgikwxaadFTKAH-PF1o0yJdV_Ii6qioG6ilF1_3kFX7Gn3dFbFRfSxK6nc9A8iQ-s_3CGLKjQB6nk157-G2dCXclVEvBWnsqPZBzjbEP8_At14rPqj3RxIAMTrwuA/w640-h480/E72DD0C3-A642-4B78-B031-62D2C1B7FDC7.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">My sis and her husband invited everyone to stay with them, so we had most of the family on their property for the weekend! They have a large house with multiple guest rooms and we also had four campers in their driveway. =) We all really enjoyed the extra time that gave us to hang out together! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv1QKBdDT3DbtWZyH17mPf8KNrDQ_oVE2EMMWTTJDLUumrQ4b75X6cfq4fFypXo_UXPiSnTT_ONon7kDw33EiB9KlIB3cBKX9cbM5jmuLA2M5lJMSc7TUNTAm704sLTvlJKiydxn73-CWDLn6h7Zd9ZwRfdSOac0cFf_ceQpN0spbUZKZkJsp3WrdXg/s4032/1DE2A812-EAC5-49D1-95B3-AFE71D15F0AF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv1QKBdDT3DbtWZyH17mPf8KNrDQ_oVE2EMMWTTJDLUumrQ4b75X6cfq4fFypXo_UXPiSnTT_ONon7kDw33EiB9KlIB3cBKX9cbM5jmuLA2M5lJMSc7TUNTAm704sLTvlJKiydxn73-CWDLn6h7Zd9ZwRfdSOac0cFf_ceQpN0spbUZKZkJsp3WrdXg/w480-h640/1DE2A812-EAC5-49D1-95B3-AFE71D15F0AF.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There's nothing like waking up in the morning and then starting the day with all your family around! Best of times! Here we have Maddy snuggling with Uncle Huds. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzs271rQcIYC6SPSMTT2afJ8pGwOiVaDKnrBrjchASGgDzgoIkcWINOIy4eNGsQ_F9grIfavLXq-CrBjyJjp8qakpaXxqX6gxyVMn6car4gIxoeegk6UCTwUQnTErhhN5APmy6MpzhN4f3lKbS7UynUR4P7Fyl6DNuhdDR-5i6EV4yempsfXdOeA5_kA/s4032/D2F713FD-A739-4EFF-85BD-655B64FCDF9D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzs271rQcIYC6SPSMTT2afJ8pGwOiVaDKnrBrjchASGgDzgoIkcWINOIy4eNGsQ_F9grIfavLXq-CrBjyJjp8qakpaXxqX6gxyVMn6car4gIxoeegk6UCTwUQnTErhhN5APmy6MpzhN4f3lKbS7UynUR4P7Fyl6DNuhdDR-5i6EV4yempsfXdOeA5_kA/w640-h480/D2F713FD-A739-4EFF-85BD-655B64FCDF9D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Just a couple of the many kids =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirA6gbJgq3dyGCBypLhEJ_FQ4A9HdUIlYw5Mc7BtohA4pka77EB6VEYLu-0LZwh-c-bDARedVVWRovM8-UGoqOGsGQn59q1ZOZ1IbOfu44tpuXMBEWHFFT2qrl_s8f8XwIIZRB8ZHH3qRqIrPndfBqrA0FOZa_lzKGhX4Jq1d3Lu_QEnKAZdz7hC8PBg/s4032/6A3BB4BB-B1C1-4997-A66B-4B92FD18F5D7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirA6gbJgq3dyGCBypLhEJ_FQ4A9HdUIlYw5Mc7BtohA4pka77EB6VEYLu-0LZwh-c-bDARedVVWRovM8-UGoqOGsGQn59q1ZOZ1IbOfu44tpuXMBEWHFFT2qrl_s8f8XwIIZRB8ZHH3qRqIrPndfBqrA0FOZa_lzKGhX4Jq1d3Lu_QEnKAZdz7hC8PBg/w640-h480/6A3BB4BB-B1C1-4997-A66B-4B92FD18F5D7.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Game time with Gramps. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4twZtJbxjuRIx5xvAprrJqfOhMlnrh7Q0MgBMtX_fCaPtR5sJFB5JaFs8_sq1-4rnk_xLYNCIX4RwI2zzzxn1jwynkpPhBUcxcGlNFv2xvmnHz2Tv7CZ2BXguUwZEPuQV2YOYKua3RWdt983SPNM8hK7XkeekNtceHPNBzF7dMalPENn7P88ImTjSQ/s4032/7D268139-FF4B-40D9-A4C6-5E7AFC32B75F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif4twZtJbxjuRIx5xvAprrJqfOhMlnrh7Q0MgBMtX_fCaPtR5sJFB5JaFs8_sq1-4rnk_xLYNCIX4RwI2zzzxn1jwynkpPhBUcxcGlNFv2xvmnHz2Tv7CZ2BXguUwZEPuQV2YOYKua3RWdt983SPNM8hK7XkeekNtceHPNBzF7dMalPENn7P88ImTjSQ/w480-h640/7D268139-FF4B-40D9-A4C6-5E7AFC32B75F.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I already mentioned, it was so fun that Sarah was the wedding photographer! She did an amazing job and it was really lovely to see her and her husband again and get to be with them here and there over the weekend! We accidentally matched the night of the rehearsal so we had to get a picture. =) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My outfit: <a href="https://amzn.to/450O45A" target="_blank"><b><i>Bracelet, this one</i></b></a>. White jeans, Old Navy white pixie style, thrifted. <a href="https://amzn.to/44YNh5b" target="_blank"><b><i>Black tank, this one</i></b></a>. I'm not going to link the shoes because I have tripped in them all three times I have worn them including a massive wipeout on the stage rehearsal night! They are cute but I realized that night as I was trying to think how I tripped so badly, that it had to have been the shoes! The front part just seems to catch on things. Anyhow, I threw them out after that night and haven't tripped since!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have the black tank in two different colors and I really love it! It is flowy in all the right places but still slimming. I also have the pants in two different colors and I love the thicker texture material but also the extreme stretch. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSkkLp0Bljme3aiyxG0QY1yv9haNgCcnFicjJoIOMU3x_zpWXdj_OcClTUjPZ7m0yxzKL59304UGHPEK-RdLKUokam11gCPe6d2Jjwy34vVx-dmSX6q4VgnnhhRqXXMjfN0UcsaYOaJPzmgmjnsonZuTBxkdT2YCFFdt2QwWC-n1ohAydjU6PmWKSiw/s4032/D542B37F-E8A7-48BD-AE53-85546D1F889D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlSkkLp0Bljme3aiyxG0QY1yv9haNgCcnFicjJoIOMU3x_zpWXdj_OcClTUjPZ7m0yxzKL59304UGHPEK-RdLKUokam11gCPe6d2Jjwy34vVx-dmSX6q4VgnnhhRqXXMjfN0UcsaYOaJPzmgmjnsonZuTBxkdT2YCFFdt2QwWC-n1ohAydjU6PmWKSiw/w480-h640/D542B37F-E8A7-48BD-AE53-85546D1F889D.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The boys enjoyed hanging out with Uncle Kory during the rehearsal! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj444-BomtR9K7zgg5NqwX5me15DKsHm7ex-8yL44ozUfNyhiZSh-wns0FICI-Jvf-IVCMBcVNWjo1dF8VbQxSt16MXh7kL8lMXYj5aO0hn1sR3ywzwWnY0zW9C_FVrJfScfKFPHv8YuYGopUhhL1Ix0PE_XiAlwWc11YsrX9rWzjGtHDVD6nX80vIYHw/s1200/7CAADAB1-5365-456B-B089-535981D54D90.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="798" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj444-BomtR9K7zgg5NqwX5me15DKsHm7ex-8yL44ozUfNyhiZSh-wns0FICI-Jvf-IVCMBcVNWjo1dF8VbQxSt16MXh7kL8lMXYj5aO0hn1sR3ywzwWnY0zW9C_FVrJfScfKFPHv8YuYGopUhhL1Ix0PE_XiAlwWc11YsrX9rWzjGtHDVD6nX80vIYHw/w426-h640/7CAADAB1-5365-456B-B089-535981D54D90.tiff" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Axton and Elliot were just delighted to be ring bearers for the wedding. They became fast friends with Susanna's nieces, who were the flower girls. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9qgOZYnLYeALmgQJlsFsx_C5MNI3mEDYYR1oTZqIAeHGD-rH69au8QH65jfsXUeeLPBcD4w-g3ehpPT-sOSjFzjiP2BJoAOWmLzt1HEQuZOxDcQ4-zPiXJPzEfRGZ3QiR123ZOaaAxqJr6wJh66vu9iBewJf1tZ-UvvJmoTt3ULMtHn3x7QlJh8n6Q/s4032/356151BF-C3A9-40D6-AA89-24B6409050E2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv9qgOZYnLYeALmgQJlsFsx_C5MNI3mEDYYR1oTZqIAeHGD-rH69au8QH65jfsXUeeLPBcD4w-g3ehpPT-sOSjFzjiP2BJoAOWmLzt1HEQuZOxDcQ4-zPiXJPzEfRGZ3QiR123ZOaaAxqJr6wJh66vu9iBewJf1tZ-UvvJmoTt3ULMtHn3x7QlJh8n6Q/w480-h640/356151BF-C3A9-40D6-AA89-24B6409050E2.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maddy looking at pictures with Uncle Joshua during the rehearsal. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQJAwD0hDwn6SsHg2gMIyrm4S25xT7c7KiHB4v_bXLm5tkK_PWSyeQbT0PLrVPxAlsUvv3-3oZmrWHRHfkhS8g9a4pkUmp7BacopWNvUiBgyeqjUH2hfb4QCm8gIVDe64-EqcoYfzNL2cPxNkbMcLdSK8ucHeP4LEX7e4YM1UPrbTQ1Va-Alzzk_6iA/s4032/3BD71E22-DE13-49B9-947E-9F82172B92D4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHQJAwD0hDwn6SsHg2gMIyrm4S25xT7c7KiHB4v_bXLm5tkK_PWSyeQbT0PLrVPxAlsUvv3-3oZmrWHRHfkhS8g9a4pkUmp7BacopWNvUiBgyeqjUH2hfb4QCm8gIVDe64-EqcoYfzNL2cPxNkbMcLdSK8ucHeP4LEX7e4YM1UPrbTQ1Va-Alzzk_6iA/w640-h480/3BD71E22-DE13-49B9-947E-9F82172B92D4.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Wedding day! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Behind the scenes of the bridal party pictures.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbob_5jz0DsXTWCO3_TWul5kpJX4urr4AKp_g_lnnHdqSf65U47VjQfwobEX4i9D_OE0gg7wANwd4ZxM1OaSnOBBDh8XfHSQG2IJclesg3Yb7tkH7ejCsK8pkSgPl4CYq1_3Ds-BRMMFdVnJ_tOWsmS-G3rv6gkAk18gFxQq9h_z0284dfQxDrVLlMhw/s4032/A9829D89-46A2-4EDF-BFFC-389CB3ED6FC5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbob_5jz0DsXTWCO3_TWul5kpJX4urr4AKp_g_lnnHdqSf65U47VjQfwobEX4i9D_OE0gg7wANwd4ZxM1OaSnOBBDh8XfHSQG2IJclesg3Yb7tkH7ejCsK8pkSgPl4CYq1_3Ds-BRMMFdVnJ_tOWsmS-G3rv6gkAk18gFxQq9h_z0284dfQxDrVLlMhw/w480-h640/A9829D89-46A2-4EDF-BFFC-389CB3ED6FC5.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It was so fun to reconnect again with this dear friend who was also a bridesmaid! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">She was one of my personal attendants for my wedding almost six years ago!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqnvJXal-YHVyemrgcyw6i42qFg0JFfvwjH_2MdAIAqBgVEpLIzzz4XNXm_hAKAcFODwRLKElEd0-KKcoBbqEZq8M74Av4MLe7IOWeoKAMnE1kCiy_-WapdOmuKftRjBocrCQLYBgA52LvDECW8uf4kE-BqzpX9VT0synihzBFxDUlMJgG7WmuwiJAQ/s1600/517BA4FC-A68F-40B3-899E-1F7CB9220E80.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqnvJXal-YHVyemrgcyw6i42qFg0JFfvwjH_2MdAIAqBgVEpLIzzz4XNXm_hAKAcFODwRLKElEd0-KKcoBbqEZq8M74Av4MLe7IOWeoKAMnE1kCiy_-WapdOmuKftRjBocrCQLYBgA52LvDECW8uf4kE-BqzpX9VT0synihzBFxDUlMJgG7WmuwiJAQ/w426-h640/517BA4FC-A68F-40B3-899E-1F7CB9220E80.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My handsome baby brother! I am so proud of Taylor and the man he has become. I have seen him grow and mature and become more like Jesus so much through this past year! Susanna is a gem of a girl and we all love her so much. I say it every time I get a new sister in law, but seriously, with each of them, I could not ask for better!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslfWFwWjuVdhBjLaVGX3uA-p4Az37zPNk4xbUPO-0KPeyb6sAIEjNoUSktmDhv6KzVKEEmQ6QK_haagHyvTzeVwgcJmfdrie-wLJoMDBmsKWImKJL2cNjUtFf5rqzP0TnajwOnKe3kuNz6KPg2Jb8iSqldyh8zvQ2VVRekRe7XFEO3p33ehJ-u6nMuA/s4032/1DB2A126-551B-4ABF-8D9E-70B769918634.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhslfWFwWjuVdhBjLaVGX3uA-p4Az37zPNk4xbUPO-0KPeyb6sAIEjNoUSktmDhv6KzVKEEmQ6QK_haagHyvTzeVwgcJmfdrie-wLJoMDBmsKWImKJL2cNjUtFf5rqzP0TnajwOnKe3kuNz6KPg2Jb8iSqldyh8zvQ2VVRekRe7XFEO3p33ehJ-u6nMuA/w480-h640/1DB2A126-551B-4ABF-8D9E-70B769918634.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ready to go!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpXZhvvDU6MMrFEfFV8ylXgtP1fS3GRmrEJmftpvL0z5YcI_u1J4E2F0weCitxUTCiN3R8CNljR21gtjVtxzMFz1cnDc4sPWKxmBd729x34uunQ1Hk-2ThndlNbKB6f9sArxbc_JEyO99nJuQxIzJFEcrBFAK4oUqCftIXpDhuX69dP8Qp6gMirOPmw/s1600/E22424E0-596C-4C86-A575-AA69E72CD1E3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzpXZhvvDU6MMrFEfFV8ylXgtP1fS3GRmrEJmftpvL0z5YcI_u1J4E2F0weCitxUTCiN3R8CNljR21gtjVtxzMFz1cnDc4sPWKxmBd729x34uunQ1Hk-2ThndlNbKB6f9sArxbc_JEyO99nJuQxIzJFEcrBFAK4oUqCftIXpDhuX69dP8Qp6gMirOPmw/w640-h426/E22424E0-596C-4C86-A575-AA69E72CD1E3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So sweet!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRZkkM5v54efX6W0CmIzD0kmro0gWYQydHSQb8L0EPcIy6WNIjxUyK8yoqyPiwXhjIMpJ7rmtd-00YdyFa1oARc3ZFG8Cp6kOgeAyHneW4Ycib6L2_pCflyRx_ovX2QB2KdQrIhMYNR67hqmiWHV5IyO93XbbPYFfwE39R_PNqwSvictzbfzW62cxAg/s4032/594F3AC1-A655-4028-889E-B3F7AD0AB28D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTRZkkM5v54efX6W0CmIzD0kmro0gWYQydHSQb8L0EPcIy6WNIjxUyK8yoqyPiwXhjIMpJ7rmtd-00YdyFa1oARc3ZFG8Cp6kOgeAyHneW4Ycib6L2_pCflyRx_ovX2QB2KdQrIhMYNR67hqmiWHV5IyO93XbbPYFfwE39R_PNqwSvictzbfzW62cxAg/w480-h640/594F3AC1-A655-4028-889E-B3F7AD0AB28D.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">During the ceremony, there was a bit of a situation with the unity candles. They were burning very fast and the flames were super tall. As the speakers waxed eloquent, the whole little fire show that was happening kept me highly entertained. <i>(I had a great view from across the stage) </i>Thanks to John and Ike, who kept trimming the candles down without putting them out, the church did not go up in flames, and I don’t think the bride and groom had a clue what was going on. The unity candle was lit later on and all was well. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuggnYBb7JGQ_0RWQNnXODydxuzKAleFhqhvJkLnIS6ORWsw_Q1yTHMiSrNp_qkNorH6nU48gvAAB4BdWgSMxQ4X9oC7yj0EEfH-L7AD_1wQ4M6uLcxRlBOok3V1D8HiJ-CA50C7t754RBPWRsn45BRZO3_4omIA_GFfFXZagWi09LaoAzr3n9f9CWA/s1200/58704F28-F84C-4072-B7A9-8EBE08CB32DA.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeuggnYBb7JGQ_0RWQNnXODydxuzKAleFhqhvJkLnIS6ORWsw_Q1yTHMiSrNp_qkNorH6nU48gvAAB4BdWgSMxQ4X9oC7yj0EEfH-L7AD_1wQ4M6uLcxRlBOok3V1D8HiJ-CA50C7t754RBPWRsn45BRZO3_4omIA_GFfFXZagWi09LaoAzr3n9f9CWA/w640-h426/58704F28-F84C-4072-B7A9-8EBE08CB32DA.tiff" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Kinda pretty cool to get to kiss the hottest groomsman. =)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlKmFY7hboMoqpMrwgzUz4V1sy3GkUIkypfyqgFDGxBeIxR_O4JH_mDO9wnCPDJYvu5Pr3bGVY1BeJdlYigMgnFrhSDwPLFCbNehxFjj08_rWhXk47SZs42X7758D9oXRAnIeyNIe3lVPE0ibBQhP4X2wwV66iHNkWYab7tkIXpbFobPeG0guu98TwQ/s1200/5BB5DFC2-19C8-40AD-A38F-EB49C8FDE981.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjlKmFY7hboMoqpMrwgzUz4V1sy3GkUIkypfyqgFDGxBeIxR_O4JH_mDO9wnCPDJYvu5Pr3bGVY1BeJdlYigMgnFrhSDwPLFCbNehxFjj08_rWhXk47SZs42X7758D9oXRAnIeyNIe3lVPE0ibBQhP4X2wwV66iHNkWYab7tkIXpbFobPeG0guu98TwQ/w640-h426/5BB5DFC2-19C8-40AD-A38F-EB49C8FDE981.tiff" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPvw0GF8vBgbk2WJ-iQBttgifUOWEjbkGK2HnOYNV3kKl4M5L3JUqb7pb929h8zFqlQQ1r0QYedmR3-UityN_IpHOjjEP-AFn0_D8UY2EX3RO12mHyFEM4M4rgt2Tbnqj_AXGtEgMyyAmM_hq9nabWvnJDpmTEBarMmd3r3szd_EXIdUOKrqOxnDOqQ/s1200/3526E7B0-5307-4BF4-8F4F-7D8F5E97EA6D.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPvw0GF8vBgbk2WJ-iQBttgifUOWEjbkGK2HnOYNV3kKl4M5L3JUqb7pb929h8zFqlQQ1r0QYedmR3-UityN_IpHOjjEP-AFn0_D8UY2EX3RO12mHyFEM4M4rgt2Tbnqj_AXGtEgMyyAmM_hq9nabWvnJDpmTEBarMmd3r3szd_EXIdUOKrqOxnDOqQ/w640-h426/3526E7B0-5307-4BF4-8F4F-7D8F5E97EA6D.tiff" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Elliot and his little girl were just so cute!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DDa4wjl6N76FNp9zUgh1qmRHRCfwMpGHbW11yh1Jw2vxQO9eB-PJfehcW2T_OJHSzWEaAlYVa7ovRV1MmJV9mdx9CSbALY1dztfF0WGSJdGy-QWIyaHrAXtj6hnqaGx3QhqGu4mKsPMHBUmTT9U9faHwiCBhgBrQ3EVI50aXfWK9r-airy_ZlscZlg/s1600/4C0CEF78-8A0B-4BFA-90A2-A6B80A24FC69.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8DDa4wjl6N76FNp9zUgh1qmRHRCfwMpGHbW11yh1Jw2vxQO9eB-PJfehcW2T_OJHSzWEaAlYVa7ovRV1MmJV9mdx9CSbALY1dztfF0WGSJdGy-QWIyaHrAXtj6hnqaGx3QhqGu4mKsPMHBUmTT9U9faHwiCBhgBrQ3EVI50aXfWK9r-airy_ZlscZlg/w640-h426/4C0CEF78-8A0B-4BFA-90A2-A6B80A24FC69.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">After the ceremony we did full bridal party and family pictures.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PBCLIUUKXvoMVXE0mg3baz9ThNFutqWWXZsS56ZAgBJabc9my7ncQ5-BzdFzphkHmFsL7AWVDckEBmuesxoYqGvrLyMRprnudx9sb0PMfYQe-7PRzUtk_tlNk2_TZfAieY2aH5DHUfi_X3mwqgZbs1jFFIztf_OrrQma9oI6xS5bqdkOsE35FMPZmw/s1600/29718C81-DB59-4643-8F6B-1F41712399DE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-PBCLIUUKXvoMVXE0mg3baz9ThNFutqWWXZsS56ZAgBJabc9my7ncQ5-BzdFzphkHmFsL7AWVDckEBmuesxoYqGvrLyMRprnudx9sb0PMfYQe-7PRzUtk_tlNk2_TZfAieY2aH5DHUfi_X3mwqgZbs1jFFIztf_OrrQma9oI6xS5bqdkOsE35FMPZmw/w640-h426/29718C81-DB59-4643-8F6B-1F41712399DE.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Really really love my amazing siblings. Each one of them is such a gift in my life!</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFpxEwuCR2_PG9E7msrqeVrvPgbNPYVK-BaGgdvOLoJDglBBIG7AGfBDl2jtLgPf7YXf6aDzLfh5ElTryaB8pegEKnZ-_zBvc8hmXvFipVVdvRnhAk2fUZr3F7-vNzPMcFWrJipMDo5L9ZgSfBQ0iUDF5_xoJKmDBWb3gNX8qQQGDwJ8QkYgxT2gkfQ/s4032/F43F6634-F61A-4FDC-98EA-CB7663E87C77.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFpxEwuCR2_PG9E7msrqeVrvPgbNPYVK-BaGgdvOLoJDglBBIG7AGfBDl2jtLgPf7YXf6aDzLfh5ElTryaB8pegEKnZ-_zBvc8hmXvFipVVdvRnhAk2fUZr3F7-vNzPMcFWrJipMDo5L9ZgSfBQ0iUDF5_xoJKmDBWb3gNX8qQQGDwJ8QkYgxT2gkfQ/w480-h640/F43F6634-F61A-4FDC-98EA-CB7663E87C77.jpeg" width="480" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Story of the dresses....I’ve had my eye on this dress for my mom for a long time. So when she told me she was looking for a dress for the wedding, I sent her this link immediately. <a href="https://amzn.to/3ODNZhZ" target="_blank"><b><i>This is a gorgeous dress</i></b></a> and is sold in multiple colors. <i>(navy, cream, etc) </i>It runs true to size; my mom was wearing a size 6 in the color Cassis. I think originally it was sold at Macys and Dillards, but now you can find it on Amazon as well as the brand website, Adrianna Pappell. And it is currently on sale on Amazon! I personally think it would make a stunning bridesmaid dress too! It would also be a perfect formal dress to have on hand for those few and far between events where you want to have a formal dress in your closet!</div><div style="text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0bv1Haxmm6K6KCNuql9lSllfAzrsb5lf2BD3IHjFj6vP3HNr4WgrnNw6PNKqfa6OOptTBfa6oy7U9daxuyaUD9sMzhrNDS4Qr6GfaZyXykVPnKwDUtciGLJ_6cgqVAsGdDrVKVmIbuQaCoDSRLK-fBIhGHGTRlBiT6yvKQ0qlRV96E7zI2BjNYWayA/s3633/D221E697-467E-4B71-9E01-707A93790548.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3633" data-original-width="2533" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0bv1Haxmm6K6KCNuql9lSllfAzrsb5lf2BD3IHjFj6vP3HNr4WgrnNw6PNKqfa6OOptTBfa6oy7U9daxuyaUD9sMzhrNDS4Qr6GfaZyXykVPnKwDUtciGLJ_6cgqVAsGdDrVKVmIbuQaCoDSRLK-fBIhGHGTRlBiT6yvKQ0qlRV96E7zI2BjNYWayA/w446-h640/D221E697-467E-4B71-9E01-707A93790548.jpeg" width="446" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The bridesmaid dresses were<b><i> <a href="https://amzn.to/44hnm8t" target="_blank">these dresses</a> </i></b>in the champagne color. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pros: they were fully lined, the neckline was adjustable. <i>(there was a little snap to close it but if you wanted to adjust higher or lower you could just use a safety pin and that worked fine)</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I liked how they had sparkle, flutter sleeves, etc and a more formal look than traditional maxi dresses, but were quite comfortable as well. There were quite a few nursing mamas in the bridal party so the nursing-friendly fit was nice!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Cons: they weren’t super flattering. I wore shape wear and that helped but it was still hard to get a slimming look with where the waistband landed. My dress also kept snagging on my bracelet so that was a bit of an issue.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Still, they were the perfect bridesmaid dress for Susanna and she loved them and we all felt beautiful in them as well! It was also super handy that they were amazon dresses so we could order and return to get the correct sizes etc. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Note: Pros and cons are listed as I feel it important to give them when I'm writing a review/linking to a product!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My earrings were <a href="https://m.shein.com/us/SHEIN-SXY-Rhinestone-Tassel-Drop-Earrings-p-10025425-cat-1757.html" target="_blank"><b><i>these earrings from Shein</i></b></a>, for just $3! I was thrilled with them. I don't usually wear big glitzy earrings but since the style for this wedding was more on the formal side of things, I decided to step out of my box a bit. I loved them, =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bracelets were gifts from the bride!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">My shoes were <a href="https://amzn.to/44kk4kF" target="_blank"><b><i>these suede ones</i></b></a> in the nude color; however, I do not recommend them at all as I had a huge blister by the end of the day plus the suede material just soaked up any dirt it touched. They ended up being cute but super impractical and uncomfortable, so this link is not a recommend from me. =) I always forget to read the reviews before ordering stuff and I probably should've read those first with this purchase. Oh well, they served the purpose and worked for the day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJRLdN46Cx0nyi4dD1iT-sjE43PNrzu1ofYNiPFtJdkPrmAyBN1miG3_ZooLHawX0T8_AkRTwF8c9_wrnq-hQW69tyPNXk50qlluxdkZsKJSBbZcKanfdB2V8xjIK3CeBHF51fgIqBkKREQmjFw0o3ot86xWwvtVkwAOGLLFzxJ227C-LWjm34Py4aQ/s4032/81F3F9F0-1349-4456-836B-E7DFC8A907D7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJRLdN46Cx0nyi4dD1iT-sjE43PNrzu1ofYNiPFtJdkPrmAyBN1miG3_ZooLHawX0T8_AkRTwF8c9_wrnq-hQW69tyPNXk50qlluxdkZsKJSBbZcKanfdB2V8xjIK3CeBHF51fgIqBkKREQmjFw0o3ot86xWwvtVkwAOGLLFzxJ227C-LWjm34Py4aQ/w480-h640/81F3F9F0-1349-4456-836B-E7DFC8A907D7.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>Getting a good family picture afterwards was a bit of a process but at least we got all five of us in the frame, mostly. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0cpO_oTheIRioh0XdLx34aVCyqp2GAK-cnNiZbho_EMWl1q9fy-Qy_oyJx50ODgMxiRjD7JU_stEC-TLe5cn5CClHiIDM2I8FrD9zVqAJiDfkvZq4aPWRXygybxeJGyGwFWT42rkz1cfwbB_FUI_bYc35aGp9n2O5iI4YYPf-mHwYNWArG2R2KExrQ/s3345/C824EA21-5D8F-4CDC-AF04-7C23836F0364.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3345" data-original-width="2560" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW0cpO_oTheIRioh0XdLx34aVCyqp2GAK-cnNiZbho_EMWl1q9fy-Qy_oyJx50ODgMxiRjD7JU_stEC-TLe5cn5CClHiIDM2I8FrD9zVqAJiDfkvZq4aPWRXygybxeJGyGwFWT42rkz1cfwbB_FUI_bYc35aGp9n2O5iI4YYPf-mHwYNWArG2R2KExrQ/w490-h640/C824EA21-5D8F-4CDC-AF04-7C23836F0364.jpeg" width="490" /></a><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5iIraDL1QfdZ9xOwFlvErPLaOpgIXiT6UAhJ7FXEAl_fJoFn_uM1wemm3xsKWawyGJQp9LmmRHbqpuKHgN5lPf94Dm749En6FdNrwauTn0qVe7OWcKMOZG58wcU2lraqWzZ3SV1KIe4BxA-imaYnipmHiV4KSNnu6b40PBq6HP3ALtZMkDnjHMW5NYQ/s2221/860EA007-5CD6-441D-8F8A-1615871D4C64.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2221" data-original-width="1619" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5iIraDL1QfdZ9xOwFlvErPLaOpgIXiT6UAhJ7FXEAl_fJoFn_uM1wemm3xsKWawyGJQp9LmmRHbqpuKHgN5lPf94Dm749En6FdNrwauTn0qVe7OWcKMOZG58wcU2lraqWzZ3SV1KIe4BxA-imaYnipmHiV4KSNnu6b40PBq6HP3ALtZMkDnjHMW5NYQ/w466-h640/860EA007-5CD6-441D-8F8A-1615871D4C64.jpeg" width="466" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">With my favorite. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLY-5rrOwW1yeiur7sJSD7-gLZCsI64O6nlnzAw_YNR2__leBFT815xikAcR9evpYXdXl_ujV91eXOLHfsm4sno2nGCTyzokCKpZCSiq-woGRSWAAIa182uxdcFpGsdKFPMlx2knCBTn9_h4wivxQp-uhK6K4Kw9-6ysDSwm8DmCM8rPEKpqtBCoWaQ/s4019/B0B6FDB8-8C8E-4FE5-AEAE-4833B11F63A8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4019" data-original-width="2692" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLY-5rrOwW1yeiur7sJSD7-gLZCsI64O6nlnzAw_YNR2__leBFT815xikAcR9evpYXdXl_ujV91eXOLHfsm4sno2nGCTyzokCKpZCSiq-woGRSWAAIa182uxdcFpGsdKFPMlx2knCBTn9_h4wivxQp-uhK6K4Kw9-6ysDSwm8DmCM8rPEKpqtBCoWaQ/w428-h640/B0B6FDB8-8C8E-4FE5-AEAE-4833B11F63A8.jpeg" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bmiH0kGU7Pt7sVYaZxj0flj2AVO0KIZD8niX13gy-hqgfJOzsZ4kHkDwBhmJqtF6w_3GC9SIb6F-stZPYHZjtcs6AB4pr4jYCcttMvkDdMeHzNI8FIfbKDgktPrXX92XBc_c11mn6xNhTZGMeglPQ6tBexNO_tnVu3qrYEqJkf38RYuFIbCzaJ63FA/s3088/2179427B-D2A1-43A0-9250-8DFEF1651915.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bmiH0kGU7Pt7sVYaZxj0flj2AVO0KIZD8niX13gy-hqgfJOzsZ4kHkDwBhmJqtF6w_3GC9SIb6F-stZPYHZjtcs6AB4pr4jYCcttMvkDdMeHzNI8FIfbKDgktPrXX92XBc_c11mn6xNhTZGMeglPQ6tBexNO_tnVu3qrYEqJkf38RYuFIbCzaJ63FA/w480-h640/2179427B-D2A1-43A0-9250-8DFEF1651915.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Madeline with auntie Liz</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Madeline's dress set <i>(comes with matching bloomers)</i> is <a href="https://www.walmart.com/ip/easy-peasy-Baby-Girls-Print-Dress-Sizes-0-24-Months/1899136772" target="_blank"><b><i>this one from Walmart,</i></b></a> and her hair bow is <a href="https://amzn.to/3Zk2NYe" target="_blank"><b><i>this one</i></b></a>. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3EJGwJY" target="_blank"><b><i>Her shoes are these</i></b></a>. <i>(You can see them a bit in the pic below, above Axtons head)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">She already had the shoes and hair bow before the wedding, and has worn the dress many times since! I don't often buy Walmart clothes for my kids just because the quality tends to not be great; however, this little dress had actually popped up on instagram in an ad and I fell in love with it! When I was picking her clothes for the wedding, I went with it because it was muted enough that I felt it would coordinate well with our other colors. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1lQ4eGteZGFDqA2fkF466cokktHus09Yig-8zNqe7gFdMywcsoJ8teUqnnT8y42xCCpnOT2Yb3zc7H0O283Co3KVAI5jEuiWovjbIw9OshBHRm2DXWbvQEfvzjD65G9k9lQoHBUnpIljn8OERVru4MAvyWx0JWPL-dC5J6fXDYN2HN1nfsObXkxvbdA/s1801/2231763F-FD6B-4828-948B-67DD64562E8F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1801" data-original-width="1357" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1lQ4eGteZGFDqA2fkF466cokktHus09Yig-8zNqe7gFdMywcsoJ8teUqnnT8y42xCCpnOT2Yb3zc7H0O283Co3KVAI5jEuiWovjbIw9OshBHRm2DXWbvQEfvzjD65G9k9lQoHBUnpIljn8OERVru4MAvyWx0JWPL-dC5J6fXDYN2HN1nfsObXkxvbdA/w482-h640/2231763F-FD6B-4828-948B-67DD64562E8F.jpeg" width="482" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These little outfits for the boys were so adorable! The church that we attend is pretty casual, so their typical "dress clothes" are shorts and polos, and I am so not used to seeing them in formal wear. They just looked totally different in their little wedding outfits and they were super proud of themselves! The cutest!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3rmq2nK" target="_blank"><b><i>Grey dress pants link</i></b></a>. I searched high and low for dark grey pants that weren’t like tents, as I like more fitted pants for my boys.These were still a little wider than my preference but they were better then any of the others I found! They definitely ran large; I sized down for each of the boys. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3RlDEdJ" target="_blank"><b><i>White button shirt link</i></b></a>. Axton already had his that I thrifted so I only had to buy one. I tried to find one at a thrift store for Elliot but had no success so I finally got the best deal I could find on Amazon.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3Zih0VD" target="_blank"><b><i>Brown shoe link</i></b></a>. I bought Axton's new for him about a year ago and then thrifted the very same ones for Elliot this summer! I love these shoes because they work great for dressy or casual. The boys could wear them with this dressy outfit, but they can also wear them barefoot with their shorts and polos on Sunday. Another plus of these little shoes is that they don't seem to scuff and tear like other regular dress shoes. Highly recommend!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://amzn.to/3RqQ8kf" target="_blank"><b><i>Grey suspender/bow tie set link</i></b></a>. Again, I tried multiple different sets, but these were the best fit, color match, and price! The boys were SO proud of them!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tan dress socks link. I knew I had to get them dress socks but also wanted to get the most “bang for my buck” so I found these in a pack of two brown pair with the rest being white that they can wear other times.Perfect.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBLRQfOS1j0OzLk39-qZbYM5y3Y9FRdBWR7RNHujEihisTXOj_U0A-xY75UCTJcHKe21oowvh6FVl-pxtCjZBgkTnlHdYOxX7ZYNxrURekaJUpUq7b5FGMs5bJmIJvdW1fffj8dVApgdUvQUd1NOIZTqjkWEFDtkJcRS8DhTG48VHiPc5JI7iXG_yvA/s1200/29FAE167-0312-4DB5-B788-D72EA8F415CC.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBLRQfOS1j0OzLk39-qZbYM5y3Y9FRdBWR7RNHujEihisTXOj_U0A-xY75UCTJcHKe21oowvh6FVl-pxtCjZBgkTnlHdYOxX7ZYNxrURekaJUpUq7b5FGMs5bJmIJvdW1fffj8dVApgdUvQUd1NOIZTqjkWEFDtkJcRS8DhTG48VHiPc5JI7iXG_yvA/w640-h426/29FAE167-0312-4DB5-B788-D72EA8F415CC.tiff" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The whole tribe. We keep expanding from wedding to wedding! Our last family wedding over two years ago had us numbering 26 and now we are at 33! Each of these people hold such a special place in my heart! </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZCaq3jSHej8WqDk1xJMnYPB8YUrwWsWKD0zn4MWXwj8gSXmftWOz_HfzbUTt2OR91EhyavyGxnbKZP0rBtFhM49OenfbuaiIMzXDdnM6y26JsMc8TCrStol02_yIjSFcCFjkbPAUSN7R8-T5jPlKFfrV4yp9ee_tsm9Rlimx0sN8YPLojO1lHYXIpw/s4032/F300A719-5C61-4F37-9D24-FA0873F1784B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZCaq3jSHej8WqDk1xJMnYPB8YUrwWsWKD0zn4MWXwj8gSXmftWOz_HfzbUTt2OR91EhyavyGxnbKZP0rBtFhM49OenfbuaiIMzXDdnM6y26JsMc8TCrStol02_yIjSFcCFjkbPAUSN7R8-T5jPlKFfrV4yp9ee_tsm9Rlimx0sN8YPLojO1lHYXIpw/w640-h480/F300A719-5C61-4F37-9D24-FA0873F1784B.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>The reception was beautifully decorated and such a laid-back, relaxed party! <div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAt_eS-Ypl2bxKS5AjXh4IoRSpQjkr8TDtEp2ZwQUPtO_p2s4V79Zkw3E7-yQ58nh8kJcOzeiQqNv8zO6yEN6k0SghLLZDhwyhulsFnunnbR4rrNe8t1VEzeKe3F4Pax-WbB81r5vNzFOXCUFOe3w-kwqlXTiRLriSUaZ-VBbiIOv_eiLi9MEtMJTyxg/s1200/5D34F669-BA4E-4B5C-9CED-F30B9CBD48C2.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="798" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAt_eS-Ypl2bxKS5AjXh4IoRSpQjkr8TDtEp2ZwQUPtO_p2s4V79Zkw3E7-yQ58nh8kJcOzeiQqNv8zO6yEN6k0SghLLZDhwyhulsFnunnbR4rrNe8t1VEzeKe3F4Pax-WbB81r5vNzFOXCUFOe3w-kwqlXTiRLriSUaZ-VBbiIOv_eiLi9MEtMJTyxg/w426-h640/5D34F669-BA4E-4B5C-9CED-F30B9CBD48C2.tiff" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Maddy enjoying herself at the reception. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYhVRVOiPYvZDUh8ZUa7RhXz61ZE5d_5tEmUMa0IRKO0dHdGWeEUbHy82P0YqCQNXWMzME5WUB7EERk9A1u-G2QRtYI8NFjMrFVYGRjGMEULrhoTfY7mDJBoskUoqdhmE849H5AP_74WQUmm3JmCl96aoyaE7x3u4n2CsWqJhKJlFavgGX1N2mT_NPA/s4032/7F73BC68-186F-4BB4-B150-20D1AFEFC0E8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXYhVRVOiPYvZDUh8ZUa7RhXz61ZE5d_5tEmUMa0IRKO0dHdGWeEUbHy82P0YqCQNXWMzME5WUB7EERk9A1u-G2QRtYI8NFjMrFVYGRjGMEULrhoTfY7mDJBoskUoqdhmE849H5AP_74WQUmm3JmCl96aoyaE7x3u4n2CsWqJhKJlFavgGX1N2mT_NPA/w480-h640/7F73BC68-186F-4BB4-B150-20D1AFEFC0E8.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KDI0hJJ-0FGqG5jUtIEXZ3yCyGFGvY4KARngCYYSIFLVW6mX6kKB8Ecj9ilTmyOvVjUoakR2aJtSaHAUWMSkpWpXEZ4j_31zd1N5tsFpabRIMyVkAe7WkeWvcrqcPSb2wLq9asGiA36Z-naklbDYHo8WzwlGqAhBkDpgYuUXsTgooGBUgKuu64f5cw/s4032/AD316FF7-5C93-4B9D-BA13-ACDFEAD2C8CE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_KDI0hJJ-0FGqG5jUtIEXZ3yCyGFGvY4KARngCYYSIFLVW6mX6kKB8Ecj9ilTmyOvVjUoakR2aJtSaHAUWMSkpWpXEZ4j_31zd1N5tsFpabRIMyVkAe7WkeWvcrqcPSb2wLq9asGiA36Z-naklbDYHo8WzwlGqAhBkDpgYuUXsTgooGBUgKuu64f5cw/w480-h640/AD316FF7-5C93-4B9D-BA13-ACDFEAD2C8CE.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkeNZ7tnC8JGdI3hZx5HKmGJXaFvND8uaNeBehyY4_syK-1ZQmBAUg6A7LBiAaWXPBQra_pXFyA9BxcerspLj_FsEzvuQQOK5IPmCYH8VgVCPl9XRTZLamzjZyNrxiA_S1-47KQ814gVWhiX0ktX6sSO0SMSytQOccSf9jQOKbNJCmohYPVdNGoRBcHA/s1200/F86F5C60-89EB-491B-81E0-6B127BE5A795.tiff" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkeNZ7tnC8JGdI3hZx5HKmGJXaFvND8uaNeBehyY4_syK-1ZQmBAUg6A7LBiAaWXPBQra_pXFyA9BxcerspLj_FsEzvuQQOK5IPmCYH8VgVCPl9XRTZLamzjZyNrxiA_S1-47KQ814gVWhiX0ktX6sSO0SMSytQOccSf9jQOKbNJCmohYPVdNGoRBcHA/w640-h426/F86F5C60-89EB-491B-81E0-6B127BE5A795.tiff" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanging out with one of my dear cousins. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As always, a highlight of family weddings is all the friends and family one gets to connect with again!</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrs98Uv_L1QZELTaeInEfKnqtFUzFKPo41Cu1mDE_msEXtB4Z7IfzWBy3XW2ukgmlL8hMYLQ6BT42Hc0vFbo01LM08VKvu1PQDqhpvPMZUSoFjhN_irasEg62ujOxGQuQr3eldaFFqOIUdKm5mSIUo03wg46ax9RVk-8SBQ95Eym4aG1mXafOWUSTTuw/s3088/CC037B90-4563-4BBD-8B4C-A65AF7F6E25F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrs98Uv_L1QZELTaeInEfKnqtFUzFKPo41Cu1mDE_msEXtB4Z7IfzWBy3XW2ukgmlL8hMYLQ6BT42Hc0vFbo01LM08VKvu1PQDqhpvPMZUSoFjhN_irasEg62ujOxGQuQr3eldaFFqOIUdKm5mSIUo03wg46ax9RVk-8SBQ95Eym4aG1mXafOWUSTTuw/w480-h640/CC037B90-4563-4BBD-8B4C-A65AF7F6E25F.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">The last picture I got before my phone died. =)</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u5CS_WHoKmsSgY6Sv9pJmsxHlapddMOydgOItN_WT1kn-E4Dcp3WMW8vZD3yZE_-lUlyAsARLp671QsOyV8ZqzGxPKJVvnbmjEgYx0TvfQlmZsRk8FJK-bsLIu8XDw0RxJIqCtkIHXpYh_rv_OLqM-8k6R7JsTqRWSHDjlSOLeg0vAKAF94foBvEzA/s4032/B9AF786D-FB53-499F-9308-CB41ADF873AD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1u5CS_WHoKmsSgY6Sv9pJmsxHlapddMOydgOItN_WT1kn-E4Dcp3WMW8vZD3yZE_-lUlyAsARLp671QsOyV8ZqzGxPKJVvnbmjEgYx0TvfQlmZsRk8FJK-bsLIu8XDw0RxJIqCtkIHXpYh_rv_OLqM-8k6R7JsTqRWSHDjlSOLeg0vAKAF94foBvEzA/w640-h480/B9AF786D-FB53-499F-9308-CB41ADF873AD.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">This was the ride back to the house after the reception. =) It was a little crowded but we managed! For the four of us in the backseat, our spouses had already taken our vehicles and our kids back to bed quite a while earlier <i>(BLESS their hearts!)</i> so we could stay longer. </div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">We haven't had this set of people in a car ride for quite some time, if ever, and we had just a great time laughing and getting lost. =) Someone mentioned that we all had something in common with dad and mom: all of us currently have three kids in our homes. =) Haha!</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDKOMkUKJP_grfyYnsOCEBWGdwwcfzgd6NhPIceKu4JSkBGz1yukK_lxDvMOlAzgnVGuYHf6V4NX3Shko4dSSCubuw3GtIVo68YVRnpLy4PaTg4eAuyxrP901J6SK4l6pby4Fu98Id8qNoohcshAkSU9iErp15rZI3LnedG0-R2nI7juJC9QAqabqBQ/s4032/D06C5241-2270-4A12-B538-A135F36ED4F2.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGDKOMkUKJP_grfyYnsOCEBWGdwwcfzgd6NhPIceKu4JSkBGz1yukK_lxDvMOlAzgnVGuYHf6V4NX3Shko4dSSCubuw3GtIVo68YVRnpLy4PaTg4eAuyxrP901J6SK4l6pby4Fu98Id8qNoohcshAkSU9iErp15rZI3LnedG0-R2nI7juJC9QAqabqBQ/w480-h640/D06C5241-2270-4A12-B538-A135F36ED4F2.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">Madeline kept making this face at John when he told her she needed to take a nap.</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">As one of my friends told me recently, "that girl has got some SASS." =)</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">That she does. =)</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OqPTq3ij-f6lrckPvufFGU3bnFAkyTyPLg4EwNsvEy-uKMMpXWbcYcIVw6GlsRdGawhkhYZSKBFTpfK7Ld_RrkuihFpbnSmPHomnzKSJjBz3zcCO8Vr3dfRA2ttHg0KhhyduonrQRU6BydvzJN6gUoejzu6bieyLUk6pUeo8vd0M7P4b8wDDxVZsPw/s4032/405D3308-5D72-41BC-9C98-5DE9E036F5AC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OqPTq3ij-f6lrckPvufFGU3bnFAkyTyPLg4EwNsvEy-uKMMpXWbcYcIVw6GlsRdGawhkhYZSKBFTpfK7Ld_RrkuihFpbnSmPHomnzKSJjBz3zcCO8Vr3dfRA2ttHg0KhhyduonrQRU6BydvzJN6gUoejzu6bieyLUk6pUeo8vd0M7P4b8wDDxVZsPw/w480-h640/405D3308-5D72-41BC-9C98-5DE9E036F5AC.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Here we have a very fitting picture to very accurately portray how we all felt after the weekend: happy and TIRED. =)</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7HT4Vs7EDnIwRbKCOpHP2_V-u4jdsUnXtM6fmb7czJd8gm4RgwPKa9ybC3JWJQMMVblWo30b7btUiD8s6miEm7QBOEEcgt6fUz91TnTk3wjXcXUvgL8l064dp3AGPij6C620Sw1QmpSexFlGBkPYO5HIcbuzGErmM4AOb325cIWa5ZBLjXcZPB3Klg/s1600/986F2CC9-DAD9-4C8F-AE3D-699A8B835007.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1064" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL7HT4Vs7EDnIwRbKCOpHP2_V-u4jdsUnXtM6fmb7czJd8gm4RgwPKa9ybC3JWJQMMVblWo30b7btUiD8s6miEm7QBOEEcgt6fUz91TnTk3wjXcXUvgL8l064dp3AGPij6C620Sw1QmpSexFlGBkPYO5HIcbuzGErmM4AOb325cIWa5ZBLjXcZPB3Klg/w640-h426/986F2CC9-DAD9-4C8F-AE3D-699A8B835007.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">Congratulations Taylor and Susanna! We love you both!</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">-Chels</div><p></p></div>ChelsyReneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03847869006579825787noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-54701975134187019382023-06-11T17:38:00.009-04:002023-06-11T18:10:32.275-04:00Mary & Sam's Wedding & Weekend Celebrations Recap<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirOX4IoqJMGxbBg_PmjiDc6UPk6a7EdRme3T7_6xcko0PDE3bgZPMpJZDNE9XrtI4UBfIUego23mtF6I768tZTwKQ_bQl5N3KFPn_xPt9vvPZvwxksCRQyhJL7xR3Ieme_EC5K74aB9Li1ojON7u2o_22zAAqH31cEyKv8H_CrYRSFfoKViEknSI/s1200/50D838D5-A7B3-48AC-8999-E7A73479C90C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="798" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirOX4IoqJMGxbBg_PmjiDc6UPk6a7EdRme3T7_6xcko0PDE3bgZPMpJZDNE9XrtI4UBfIUego23mtF6I768tZTwKQ_bQl5N3KFPn_xPt9vvPZvwxksCRQyhJL7xR3Ieme_EC5K74aB9Li1ojON7u2o_22zAAqH31cEyKv8H_CrYRSFfoKViEknSI/w426-h640/50D838D5-A7B3-48AC-8999-E7A73479C90C.jpeg" width="426" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And just like that we have another beautiful family wedding in the books! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Memorial Day weekend was a lovely one, and for our extended family on the Maxwell side, the highlight was definitely Sam and Mary's wedding. It was such a chill and happy day, and since those two words perfectly describe both Sam and Mary, it was extra fitting that their day should be relaxing, joyful, and sweet in every way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <i> (Note: the several professional pictures in this post were taken by Sarah who, along with Christopher, photographed the wedding)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0Qq5RVkAa7SdFiwEeVbx7lmo4VrZ3q2tJWTU42_b0X-EKzKGTMSmNAegIE8izkMbyENpI-fHLpqOlZqS9CRcfkYX1q5E4Blx78aLGhIRj3dWIzDgvGTd6uDtmeSr4qvfS_uUD7lCrTnwIEe-eLzdX9-lgAj_NuulVvqhi5DEBaQEu2dA5audIrg/s2048/5B278A25-0D70-4539-8074-B05100D8897C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil0Qq5RVkAa7SdFiwEeVbx7lmo4VrZ3q2tJWTU42_b0X-EKzKGTMSmNAegIE8izkMbyENpI-fHLpqOlZqS9CRcfkYX1q5E4Blx78aLGhIRj3dWIzDgvGTd6uDtmeSr4qvfS_uUD7lCrTnwIEe-eLzdX9-lgAj_NuulVvqhi5DEBaQEu2dA5audIrg/w480-h640/5B278A25-0D70-4539-8074-B05100D8897C.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Celebrations kicked off the week before with a couple of showers. We hosted a family one here in our backyard. Our new deck got finished the day before and was the perfect addition to a party. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRECd0xJbmwOVcNIylpEwLzC0TAyVCWiW7PJmn5W_lUzp1KuKv2j9l1mqg0ipXBzwqIcpRj8S6qnxPoucovSsKIpEZU4kNmjlwwr5rODPzPB_wv_jKl9a7cIXny6ii5flxXiLiGVMOw2vhZYfbWNK_P0rDDreCSoTp5LSUJaKcgRdObGwEbxnO6rg/s3802/FE840D1B-C366-4EA0-B204-D7864BF54C71.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3802" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRECd0xJbmwOVcNIylpEwLzC0TAyVCWiW7PJmn5W_lUzp1KuKv2j9l1mqg0ipXBzwqIcpRj8S6qnxPoucovSsKIpEZU4kNmjlwwr5rODPzPB_wv_jKl9a7cIXny6ii5flxXiLiGVMOw2vhZYfbWNK_P0rDDreCSoTp5LSUJaKcgRdObGwEbxnO6rg/w510-h640/FE840D1B-C366-4EA0-B204-D7864BF54C71.jpeg" width="510" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Burgers and hotdogs, with many fixings and sides!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MXMP6_dNPN7lRp67MAzlLgo6it4LzpdYFBhHpkV83CYRyAiK5g-VHCj-0Sjfdl9i5CCtRHmAydy38-cUMjPREOFGf76-G5irW_q1mfkyiYEwpNwK-3WQ5ixVpfzZBGX_KzW1mZqONL5PIICuaGS_c76iUhJRbdWjovi1vfimGJv9iNst1rpYfG0/s4032/6778ED6F-66DA-4AE8-9896-62EBBC9CE066.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MXMP6_dNPN7lRp67MAzlLgo6it4LzpdYFBhHpkV83CYRyAiK5g-VHCj-0Sjfdl9i5CCtRHmAydy38-cUMjPREOFGf76-G5irW_q1mfkyiYEwpNwK-3WQ5ixVpfzZBGX_KzW1mZqONL5PIICuaGS_c76iUhJRbdWjovi1vfimGJv9iNst1rpYfG0/w640-h480/6778ED6F-66DA-4AE8-9896-62EBBC9CE066.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The weather was perfect and it was such a fun evening celebrating Sam and Mary!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5k65Fwj-qNN8L-O9YRsNxZ73a-KT2JeHsNeJR6ReGUaGD6ijox2tpCLdqpGBxuzYZe_D4AElgMtYhL4mHy31r4pBXeTDel2ik-38FnRM_09HOArlgPtjc_x4SlWpPsWG_CIWrkYcTc6XCHm4I3dTUt9YJOQIKNXC8HlL7XsNvndPPuOXmfpMK4EI/s2048/A6A7E1D2-BA12-4269-9341-C2DBD6E316BE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5k65Fwj-qNN8L-O9YRsNxZ73a-KT2JeHsNeJR6ReGUaGD6ijox2tpCLdqpGBxuzYZe_D4AElgMtYhL4mHy31r4pBXeTDel2ik-38FnRM_09HOArlgPtjc_x4SlWpPsWG_CIWrkYcTc6XCHm4I3dTUt9YJOQIKNXC8HlL7XsNvndPPuOXmfpMK4EI/w640-h480/A6A7E1D2-BA12-4269-9341-C2DBD6E316BE.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've hosted a couple of pantry showers now and they are officially my favorite theme for a bridal shower. We did themed baskets (like Mexican, breakfast, baking, condiments, etc etc etc) for the gifts so there was a lot of variety and all the staples were covered. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7JbRpp_srW3fIrjPCyfrF1NxUNBUJmCN0hDeXJgCC7NhvhY6q9PFGTjn6Oh9dQaUIiTXemuX4CjxC0VXZ5jNrtdoL6cGAtnghHka8-TPicC90Ui-e0ZjaI0lsJ10MW4FnNFYijUWXmfpWlUVj3YA84yqbEtxRdcQLGxNF3rAq3gLAMYQXmtDgvU/s4032/E1675ECD-5D22-414D-9996-7A2735B1D4FB.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7JbRpp_srW3fIrjPCyfrF1NxUNBUJmCN0hDeXJgCC7NhvhY6q9PFGTjn6Oh9dQaUIiTXemuX4CjxC0VXZ5jNrtdoL6cGAtnghHka8-TPicC90Ui-e0ZjaI0lsJ10MW4FnNFYijUWXmfpWlUVj3YA84yqbEtxRdcQLGxNF3rAq3gLAMYQXmtDgvU/w480-h640/E1675ECD-5D22-414D-9996-7A2735B1D4FB.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbGLlTDPefWiWKpWNvOcMhxbALhl5tbnwT9vbvUa29luejXvZWNvvhKVT_GDI3MDuSzMCV25lG04AU4ZD-szdOqo58DzXOOtoDcuefcmXO4JzvtA3TRXxWz5nuKF1UUZt-QM5ts1d3SdVPT3YhnVruF5Drj2lRW6sjOEma3eN-ufxzu49TtTZ-Wo/s4032/32B0F3FC-FC24-4B97-93F9-AB0848D0C7E6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSbGLlTDPefWiWKpWNvOcMhxbALhl5tbnwT9vbvUa29luejXvZWNvvhKVT_GDI3MDuSzMCV25lG04AU4ZD-szdOqo58DzXOOtoDcuefcmXO4JzvtA3TRXxWz5nuKF1UUZt-QM5ts1d3SdVPT3YhnVruF5Drj2lRW6sjOEma3eN-ufxzu49TtTZ-Wo/w640-h480/32B0F3FC-FC24-4B97-93F9-AB0848D0C7E6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">These little ones stayed super happy playing in the sand all evening.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9udHaRRxpDX2NTBMe7AjVwnXGSzCH6a_bd7oKOxLyAnMyDxnfE0iqzQKRNK1iUwAVbv6IHQWHhV4VbNftZdjJmjcefrZA7EysjNNUuGBMDJeojKd54qiKvis0GD05r0ih1YdoTUKUvxwPs1zSn6f2VHnoREDIAFrqXVjLhKptJz-mbaQJ8JBVBqc/s4032/EFC84E3F-587B-4DB5-8342-239F4952D61C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9udHaRRxpDX2NTBMe7AjVwnXGSzCH6a_bd7oKOxLyAnMyDxnfE0iqzQKRNK1iUwAVbv6IHQWHhV4VbNftZdjJmjcefrZA7EysjNNUuGBMDJeojKd54qiKvis0GD05r0ih1YdoTUKUvxwPs1zSn6f2VHnoREDIAFrqXVjLhKptJz-mbaQJ8JBVBqc/w640-h480/EFC84E3F-587B-4DB5-8342-239F4952D61C.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Wedding week we enjoyed pop in visits from family and friends! The kids are always a fan of their aunties and any friends they might bring along!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Above, we were enjoying a rousing game of <a href="https://amzn.to/3qEquNH" target="_blank"><b><i>Alphabet GoFish</i></b></a>, which is the boys' current favorite.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32qLazuqZMJoyhfoq5WgECXEi6RvDsoWJUeTb4m-1NSGbvmq7EtQtlUbO40e8TktCzEb-gmB_wpucIR_EKXDYXmOnptnxNyln16hyQWyY447puFKoSo8uXNJk6VstLNKDfHh5PHHDo_eowD7C-l1NFifqwKuxg8upWFS4j2BhBC4tHvsONxBrh_I/s4032/217994A6-785C-4AD7-8233-14B7468EE8E5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh32qLazuqZMJoyhfoq5WgECXEi6RvDsoWJUeTb4m-1NSGbvmq7EtQtlUbO40e8TktCzEb-gmB_wpucIR_EKXDYXmOnptnxNyln16hyQWyY447puFKoSo8uXNJk6VstLNKDfHh5PHHDo_eowD7C-l1NFifqwKuxg8upWFS4j2BhBC4tHvsONxBrh_I/w640-h480/217994A6-785C-4AD7-8233-14B7468EE8E5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On Friday, I had offered to Sam and Mary that I would feed any of their friends who were in town early and wanted a place to hang out. I told John afterwards that it was truly the easiest kind of hosting ever-everyone knew each other and were having fun together and all they needed was a hot meal and a spot to eat it. Providing food and atmosphere is kinda my thing anyways so we were set. =) We had about twenty people present and it was a great time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i>Note: people often ask me how I can host like this with having three very active little ones. An in depth answer would require more time, but for now I'll tell you that often, and especially for big groups, the key is to plan ahead and make ahead. I made the spaghetti casseroles ahead of time. I made the bread ahead of time, and sliced and buttered it and wrapped it in foil so I could just pop it in the oven to warm while I was baking the other food. The veggies were a frozen veggie blend that I put in a pan and covered with Italian dressing before baking. I did make the dessert the morning of (pumpkin cheesecake bars, <a href="https://amzn.to/43Aja45" target="_blank"><b>recipe from this cookbook</b></a>, which I might add is one of my favorite cookbooks of all time) but I had the dry ingredients already mixed the night before and the other staples like chocolate chips, canned pumpkin, etc. set out on the counter. I prepped the coffee ahead of time. And I used paper supplies so that after everyone left I could put my kids down for naps and have minimal cleanup instead of loads of dishes. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2TxiCELUPh4Kw9NmC3dNVf_5AlvkGTED62eWw68WTjCxQEI1RGrE_PflaR7BkNzzkxS2F6txIW0kz--WJqEH5n2As5MVa-N7VL3g6suBmlUX-esyUrbDTAdUYTPgHkjggJjMn-j4XzGj23m04BT3HyGhJBcrjwPlDf6hDJoRHKZUGPC7LBMVnEo/s4032/3FCA9156-2139-48D9-83C8-39B4C206FF70.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht2TxiCELUPh4Kw9NmC3dNVf_5AlvkGTED62eWw68WTjCxQEI1RGrE_PflaR7BkNzzkxS2F6txIW0kz--WJqEH5n2As5MVa-N7VL3g6suBmlUX-esyUrbDTAdUYTPgHkjggJjMn-j4XzGj23m04BT3HyGhJBcrjwPlDf6hDJoRHKZUGPC7LBMVnEo/w640-h480/3FCA9156-2139-48D9-83C8-39B4C206FF70.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The rehearsal dinner Friday night was a laid back taco theme. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There was lots of chatting and relaxing as we looked forward to Saturday!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKCXTAvNikH_1ci1HP2FmGN7ks09CawaHEVNJVrMehr5b1ycYpVszTxtDxwN7RJWpkjSECPUXymCrHs3NyfSY1Hvq-5eEHLEnZRabpVoOQ1Rzo6i2epvvf1Pqf19AKn-z7EyEiyVc5CBR_g-fvWe9V46scEcd5dT1I2jezRP9NwuRg68Ul3WJTes/s3667/C10556C4-A967-44CE-B29B-E3A874B7F5A6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3667" data-original-width="2724" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOKCXTAvNikH_1ci1HP2FmGN7ks09CawaHEVNJVrMehr5b1ycYpVszTxtDxwN7RJWpkjSECPUXymCrHs3NyfSY1Hvq-5eEHLEnZRabpVoOQ1Rzo6i2epvvf1Pqf19AKn-z7EyEiyVc5CBR_g-fvWe9V46scEcd5dT1I2jezRP9NwuRg68Ul3WJTes/w476-h640/C10556C4-A967-44CE-B29B-E3A874B7F5A6.jpeg" width="476" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Bedtime stories with Tia Anna the night before the wedding. <i>(John got the kids <a href="https://amzn.to/43Vtzag" target="_blank"><b>this book</b></a> at Sams Club recently and it is a current favorite!</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyz06feyVNit_4pefnN8XDKPZqgMchNAvRpt9qTQVHQClzMj9pqAtkY1JkaURjXZ00uZVF-31ptR9VgNtrwF1N25KRGNL9_Lnv4GcIxymboIP7Q2i4FEGIDexXgY3pvKJnbQcZALs7kfeMRxEXC5A6IZLfk3sxrfJt2mv_RG6wyetrut_VZicaNc/s4032/CDE403DB-3E3B-4500-B9F9-C166C9AA81BF.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMyz06feyVNit_4pefnN8XDKPZqgMchNAvRpt9qTQVHQClzMj9pqAtkY1JkaURjXZ00uZVF-31ptR9VgNtrwF1N25KRGNL9_Lnv4GcIxymboIP7Q2i4FEGIDexXgY3pvKJnbQcZALs7kfeMRxEXC5A6IZLfk3sxrfJt2mv_RG6wyetrut_VZicaNc/w480-h640/CDE403DB-3E3B-4500-B9F9-C166C9AA81BF.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I had the honor of doing Mary's hair. My sister in law Anna <i>(Jesse's wife)</i> did all the florals for the wedding including the hairpiece we used in Mary's hairstyle. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGr0-vbCkmFBIqQnEBXmx6G_H5H8Pk2Aar8oUSqLP3bHq6J7kpBK8c7X42szZ8AF4KGqk6kEdHgCyjCM3DYHDu7fgvUpvac2EiU5-Ly_LI8_sWbcDHhwVvkhdeLp_9q9V_h_Tuf3BqglxlHZjGWt-UciAik15p0fE1mwF3vHZornR-x0xNmgXTSg/s1200/10FE5AF2-ED27-4C9C-9E90-1A9747CE5769.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="798" data-original-width="1200" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGr0-vbCkmFBIqQnEBXmx6G_H5H8Pk2Aar8oUSqLP3bHq6J7kpBK8c7X42szZ8AF4KGqk6kEdHgCyjCM3DYHDu7fgvUpvac2EiU5-Ly_LI8_sWbcDHhwVvkhdeLp_9q9V_h_Tuf3BqglxlHZjGWt-UciAik15p0fE1mwF3vHZornR-x0xNmgXTSg/w640-h426/10FE5AF2-ED27-4C9C-9E90-1A9747CE5769.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How I love each and every one in this tribe! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GD4doM7TKD1Z-lxTNIKge7HUrLPjzrnR1ddYqKwAg862MfyTAqbbRuBDCUI7uMRH6zlr3ZT9vR496C5D9Na2cS-K0xBLMK9VIuRrwdnB3ygnPD5FURTjGsFxAYDkC7IMLqPS4-ej_WfkpTxE8pShPqtzSo_ov_DuOOdM0K2Rs9_zs-4HTkfcO_I/s4032/3CA8718C-2A8B-46B9-AEF1-2DC4495265D7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5GD4doM7TKD1Z-lxTNIKge7HUrLPjzrnR1ddYqKwAg862MfyTAqbbRuBDCUI7uMRH6zlr3ZT9vR496C5D9Na2cS-K0xBLMK9VIuRrwdnB3ygnPD5FURTjGsFxAYDkC7IMLqPS4-ej_WfkpTxE8pShPqtzSo_ov_DuOOdM0K2Rs9_zs-4HTkfcO_I/w480-h640/3CA8718C-2A8B-46B9-AEF1-2DC4495265D7.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I honestly have so much fun dressing these little kiddos! It makes it even more fun that all three of them just adore new clothes, whether we get them from goodwill or amazon or elsewhere. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Boy's shorts: <a href="https://www.childrensplace.com/us/p/Baby-And-Toddler-Boys-Belted-Woven-Chino-Shorts-3036666-337D" target="_blank"><b><i>Children's Place, these </i></b></a>// Boy's polos: Kohl's off-season clearance last winter // Boy's Sperry's: thrifted</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Madeline's dress: Carter's brand, purchased at Sam's club last winter on off-season clearance // Madeline's sandals: <a href="https://amzn.to/42zNFFZ" target="_blank"><b><i>Carters brand, these</i></b></a> // Madeline's hair bow: <a href="https://amzn.to/3N18GUq" target="_blank"><b><i>from this pack</i></b></a> // Nail polish: <a href="https://amzn.to/3X3CwMo" target="_blank"><b><i>Piggy Paint brand</i></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFkuCTOPrhxuWBJYIMZu2hTMwe1t2YuQnDBn2qW6SHYtd4i5XMdNg0Pd1Q2Ogf_FEw5glqACBplyGMTHkTNm6loXX0bg2CZVEcWNuuyLCxRxZoNoOtCOuiB1TW0LslDOYvKO7_WrmWnX-SXG3lJ-vj66HXRtGWUI6bFKjcoqq0DLPkdw9ef4JDLs/s4032/7126D82A-05AE-455C-A80D-B227D48BCFE0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRFkuCTOPrhxuWBJYIMZu2hTMwe1t2YuQnDBn2qW6SHYtd4i5XMdNg0Pd1Q2Ogf_FEw5glqACBplyGMTHkTNm6loXX0bg2CZVEcWNuuyLCxRxZoNoOtCOuiB1TW0LslDOYvKO7_WrmWnX-SXG3lJ-vj66HXRtGWUI6bFKjcoqq0DLPkdw9ef4JDLs/w480-h640/7126D82A-05AE-455C-A80D-B227D48BCFE0.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Family picture time!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(I got my dress from Fehrnvi last year, but I don't think it's sold there anymore)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_rfjSElJDEWSVIDaYRNaRtq_USeITqdIfqkNMHu0eHp92FumBwF3naQ_3eRYl4Iu6OQ7yL-H9WsFh-Cge9pxuhBE1-kJjp5iSidgM_QjmuD5NYH5ZYQ_e3pUB9ovJnIsLRAeEQFlXJh7w3SdLYMoOGnhqrylb9Ihlcw_XHEs7QioPiZVCI3ZScI/s3088/6BD87F87-CBED-4927-834B-1FB76EBCAC7C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1_rfjSElJDEWSVIDaYRNaRtq_USeITqdIfqkNMHu0eHp92FumBwF3naQ_3eRYl4Iu6OQ7yL-H9WsFh-Cge9pxuhBE1-kJjp5iSidgM_QjmuD5NYH5ZYQ_e3pUB9ovJnIsLRAeEQFlXJh7w3SdLYMoOGnhqrylb9Ihlcw_XHEs7QioPiZVCI3ZScI/w480-h640/6BD87F87-CBED-4927-834B-1FB76EBCAC7C.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A few random shots ahead of wedding time!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gO7aJFQL1lPV27vjlzVU_dx90KXGSWy_XpC4P7kQCcAUm43TdO03LI01uxjSlaHzB985kW6Um0AULN7jg_yqk03VvfP0arRmrXmXJGcaqKHVdv5bu4KzfTiKQHGvbV9TwOrmZy6qSfHqGU0cVXBG-6iXLonhaSl3HzWlEirDxSfSDFkBzwE3Vbw/s3088/17247D8A-16CA-4F2C-81B7-04792D29C054.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gO7aJFQL1lPV27vjlzVU_dx90KXGSWy_XpC4P7kQCcAUm43TdO03LI01uxjSlaHzB985kW6Um0AULN7jg_yqk03VvfP0arRmrXmXJGcaqKHVdv5bu4KzfTiKQHGvbV9TwOrmZy6qSfHqGU0cVXBG-6iXLonhaSl3HzWlEirDxSfSDFkBzwE3Vbw/w480-h640/17247D8A-16CA-4F2C-81B7-04792D29C054.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A selfie with a few of the sisters!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffzzbY0rO_xc0Cp6d1tRq86HF-5F26VSOPGiUY6vOaDqwJmZDn8MyjtEzHN__MJAWB7VBX4fzB_AEjzLJUwzd9EtquXJsKuA6grxbEaBjjMg6ewXQFRGgurK0H7a_43jlUgvBMtdzlAPC8nJzp5_DdbLwEXRkFnxZxiiCJQViGRHANE_FhXjEqfA/s4032/92712D73-DAEA-4D10-8048-67A78E62B881.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgffzzbY0rO_xc0Cp6d1tRq86HF-5F26VSOPGiUY6vOaDqwJmZDn8MyjtEzHN__MJAWB7VBX4fzB_AEjzLJUwzd9EtquXJsKuA6grxbEaBjjMg6ewXQFRGgurK0H7a_43jlUgvBMtdzlAPC8nJzp5_DdbLwEXRkFnxZxiiCJQViGRHANE_FhXjEqfA/w480-h640/92712D73-DAEA-4D10-8048-67A78E62B881.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The flower girls were adorable.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4TSHBkjBB-0SIweOJEZ_pYuJkuQQn1Jxs9CV5BWMNd5_wQlHkd57_ghwxz84XbAyBHerAsqjQdgqnpUCOsdeQROKNMxXTFg4ZKiC3ldGJHAViK0GyN4ZVSp8TTinyisV2oBMPvq3XSY_Gr_6NwoVzWcI-AEACp3G1ILdpYgNI01Ww8NCqltiyUo/s4032/3F777717-8BDA-4693-A570-047F98E16B8A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn4TSHBkjBB-0SIweOJEZ_pYuJkuQQn1Jxs9CV5BWMNd5_wQlHkd57_ghwxz84XbAyBHerAsqjQdgqnpUCOsdeQROKNMxXTFg4ZKiC3ldGJHAViK0GyN4ZVSp8TTinyisV2oBMPvq3XSY_Gr_6NwoVzWcI-AEACp3G1ILdpYgNI01Ww8NCqltiyUo/w480-h640/3F777717-8BDA-4693-A570-047F98E16B8A.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCA8GcTXI4danzABSNJCae9Ndyr2eswk8lEfGR0iO81H65gD7qpZjYInIc3yBPGvwVE-oWYueFgsDDcf80239UdmaekSoErBHpOjTHNv66KwT3P9GwWhpegmjcpfIQELBdTwnBNeH8X_M_SlXWavvwJu-njiL-tC7OwKBXB08ka5D2_aZSGV6Xlo/s2049/FCC10316-5CB0-48B7-86BF-E083AF3B4154.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCCA8GcTXI4danzABSNJCae9Ndyr2eswk8lEfGR0iO81H65gD7qpZjYInIc3yBPGvwVE-oWYueFgsDDcf80239UdmaekSoErBHpOjTHNv66KwT3P9GwWhpegmjcpfIQELBdTwnBNeH8X_M_SlXWavvwJu-njiL-tC7OwKBXB08ka5D2_aZSGV6Xlo/w640-h480/FCC10316-5CB0-48B7-86BF-E083AF3B4154.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AEqjRnQj-XPesMsPYNhvVOvjxi9koCiWx2s3THzQdOYSi7vgNtS_nH3CZOqHq6pseUFMaSwNaBHBsqJIVGJd84WPIy3rEKlZ1k-nWFBs3V2WNNfwXLynOk4GbV2YYQAKjBAEANVFxLVYrfzYFH73ZvL941r19wTtjBWWKkRLLuXi7dZHLwebl1Q/s4032/51C550CC-FF02-4984-80BB-D7871AC758DE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4AEqjRnQj-XPesMsPYNhvVOvjxi9koCiWx2s3THzQdOYSi7vgNtS_nH3CZOqHq6pseUFMaSwNaBHBsqJIVGJd84WPIy3rEKlZ1k-nWFBs3V2WNNfwXLynOk4GbV2YYQAKjBAEANVFxLVYrfzYFH73ZvL941r19wTtjBWWKkRLLuXi7dZHLwebl1Q/w640-h480/51C550CC-FF02-4984-80BB-D7871AC758DE.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The music was beautiful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyqvD3r4j_YSn22DzzmmsQUpMziaV6tPvCVtvXo1l3AfRODCF2FrkGxpp4ttZuro0D6NtzVZc7nH_rXXe9DpNPubV4qAgoeSDF74jyPjgPfXWChpIs2fFLaJyHO6cTQZ8zg7oRB7cD6D7R_Q009-XQG45u6DMVv7Ep87pLB5CYTk3KiqXpJEFr2Y/s2049/E3265DA0-85D0-4243-94AD-6F3264F16A5B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguyqvD3r4j_YSn22DzzmmsQUpMziaV6tPvCVtvXo1l3AfRODCF2FrkGxpp4ttZuro0D6NtzVZc7nH_rXXe9DpNPubV4qAgoeSDF74jyPjgPfXWChpIs2fFLaJyHO6cTQZ8zg7oRB7cD6D7R_Q009-XQG45u6DMVv7Ep87pLB5CYTk3KiqXpJEFr2Y/w640-h480/E3265DA0-85D0-4243-94AD-6F3264F16A5B.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maddy enjoyed cheering energetically whenever the need arose during the ceremony. <i>(she also had a couple bonus clapping sessions as well =))</i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg053yQZHcQbdhLDFHapi5GQ3IGM-MakOIDnY_dAbJ895kxuOIGEliOHnO-F6W24Ih_-1bR1lXsuGV_rfmB2Vk4sye3vrjI6OfvByZaSeCcoQyA6djdvy_ejyGBcitEi3mGtpJZY9O-9J2R27VtVxERyBOley1YhclCXL0Yqyzjvpd4yHjy59hjgOo/s2048/9E4598CA-E293-456B-9E5E-D6163345D0EC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg053yQZHcQbdhLDFHapi5GQ3IGM-MakOIDnY_dAbJ895kxuOIGEliOHnO-F6W24Ih_-1bR1lXsuGV_rfmB2Vk4sye3vrjI6OfvByZaSeCcoQyA6djdvy_ejyGBcitEi3mGtpJZY9O-9J2R27VtVxERyBOley1YhclCXL0Yqyzjvpd4yHjy59hjgOo/w480-h640/9E4598CA-E293-456B-9E5E-D6163345D0EC.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsVRlhLopb8tGIzHx_x125E06YDalIjKbqNjhTZT-z7WqndSOw4zqMGu3rrhl0Jv3vvKEHegiAa_BmMeafOJcpjeX3IUtP-7xjErFjoW6n8dedggirLRw5VJnsAJT6FKelnVkNCJXY6gaw0Bz5yAb3BGoiFhb9m3Aaxs63Lm_6naiy-8tqur_Zmk/s2049/480B58E7-5A25-4335-99E9-A88398D4F524.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2049" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitsVRlhLopb8tGIzHx_x125E06YDalIjKbqNjhTZT-z7WqndSOw4zqMGu3rrhl0Jv3vvKEHegiAa_BmMeafOJcpjeX3IUtP-7xjErFjoW6n8dedggirLRw5VJnsAJT6FKelnVkNCJXY6gaw0Bz5yAb3BGoiFhb9m3Aaxs63Lm_6naiy-8tqur_Zmk/w640-h480/480B58E7-5A25-4335-99E9-A88398D4F524.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Hanging out at the reception afterwards!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKxxpu1rxOOKDfS1NsqHnCe523A6chjzMM5uJgALDDJspZWAMAEL478A4YTkajzBXXXmiQndXiF3sIyULzg3_sTs-KrofS3IOo3lKUiJOhSvixn65j58tWdefH6AYwayt7YGx_-5VSARoEJbKOLwL0yLzJJ0e0JQAPY46SyzGOPaODLTgNNItcos/s4032/18030F76-63D8-4BD0-9A4E-493B32D06B2D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKxxpu1rxOOKDfS1NsqHnCe523A6chjzMM5uJgALDDJspZWAMAEL478A4YTkajzBXXXmiQndXiF3sIyULzg3_sTs-KrofS3IOo3lKUiJOhSvixn65j58tWdefH6AYwayt7YGx_-5VSARoEJbKOLwL0yLzJJ0e0JQAPY46SyzGOPaODLTgNNItcos/w480-h640/18030F76-63D8-4BD0-9A4E-493B32D06B2D.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The other newlyweds =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOXxwXKUuoTIVKd5Xuq0RNMo_d5XFbcqtfUSptw95z_THTolIzCEigbki9DmXYr_CuUKQyX5Pu195ej0F1geIC1FrtI0uLX1NP5RDU0CBOSfgeQhpxSfA-fK19lKVcdvffdPr-1VkDNEy-W4ZsqfWYNqAGQjL91aT9wtx8ZKqOPo4gO2rgKNjeFY/s2049/D26FC33E-4DD5-4C02-B455-8916D6ED51CE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMOXxwXKUuoTIVKd5Xuq0RNMo_d5XFbcqtfUSptw95z_THTolIzCEigbki9DmXYr_CuUKQyX5Pu195ej0F1geIC1FrtI0uLX1NP5RDU0CBOSfgeQhpxSfA-fK19lKVcdvffdPr-1VkDNEy-W4ZsqfWYNqAGQjL91aT9wtx8ZKqOPo4gO2rgKNjeFY/w480-h640/D26FC33E-4DD5-4C02-B455-8916D6ED51CE.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cake cutting!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAAGEzVPrA8pensaj8Mrg9fzDTzyrMXhpNtEO7XGwDehH--065zmUyK7DlXHC5fFKWO1tbaB7O6TUUmecvLkiBEAROAmDnUiiJ0P4Jm5wD32w9GkQQXfpTDN-ukuk_sbgcEd2f1QBL-YlLlw0QmBfAoPrre3KR6RtcMV8BPTmWv5rgbDVi-AXIbs/s1462/894FEE13-B43A-4795-8620-B794F6B57394.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1198" data-original-width="1462" height="524" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWAAGEzVPrA8pensaj8Mrg9fzDTzyrMXhpNtEO7XGwDehH--065zmUyK7DlXHC5fFKWO1tbaB7O6TUUmecvLkiBEAROAmDnUiiJ0P4Jm5wD32w9GkQQXfpTDN-ukuk_sbgcEd2f1QBL-YlLlw0QmBfAoPrre3KR6RtcMV8BPTmWv5rgbDVi-AXIbs/w640-h524/894FEE13-B43A-4795-8620-B794F6B57394.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Some of the nieces were in charge of a Photo Booth so of course we had to participate!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K_6nPLI-m0dX4qsR1ADKvnpKsxKXp-fqItSlpKml0WIJFhLiOBJEd3DwYv46GsYY9nMfdD2jZejRSJNGtLBLP1y9nqbvyCnRsyimYHNHmULIHZEWcnjKclbMSrnsDv16RcGvNaN5RVFhHyHLxRXFSzUEhU2YIb-W2Qwp-mZakk-hO_eqpM1FTLM/s4032/0A2B008C-62DC-4283-9E57-ED0BCCE9C34F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8K_6nPLI-m0dX4qsR1ADKvnpKsxKXp-fqItSlpKml0WIJFhLiOBJEd3DwYv46GsYY9nMfdD2jZejRSJNGtLBLP1y9nqbvyCnRsyimYHNHmULIHZEWcnjKclbMSrnsDv16RcGvNaN5RVFhHyHLxRXFSzUEhU2YIb-W2Qwp-mZakk-hO_eqpM1FTLM/w640-h480/0A2B008C-62DC-4283-9E57-ED0BCCE9C34F.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After the short reception, we hosted a big get together in our backyard for anyone who wanted to come. We had done something similar for Sarah's wedding and Sam and Mary asked if we'd be willing to do it again. Again, it was perfect weather and a great way to end out a perfect day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzv-6t09jkSOAGqB3Fv151TyUa3ZA6abjDF-Z8pTG6ce4OCovoIEiS0VEQCgFB14MKJ3VFQZAxviSDQem4vnAwD3RUhUdUs-0Z3X8XpFtydEKJUyVi386VXd3Wzq7JIGcroCbrLn-feevrVLcWXc4947cV2hbht61xPBmochv54gUwQDVisc8x9FQ/s2865/D575FB31-184F-4D4D-8A66-D85B178CE9BE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2737" data-original-width="2865" height="612" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzv-6t09jkSOAGqB3Fv151TyUa3ZA6abjDF-Z8pTG6ce4OCovoIEiS0VEQCgFB14MKJ3VFQZAxviSDQem4vnAwD3RUhUdUs-0Z3X8XpFtydEKJUyVi386VXd3Wzq7JIGcroCbrLn-feevrVLcWXc4947cV2hbht61xPBmochv54gUwQDVisc8x9FQ/w640-h612/D575FB31-184F-4D4D-8A66-D85B178CE9BE.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After most people went home, we started a bonfire and brought out coffee, tea, and smores supplies for all the young people who were left.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozs12T5s9uFzIgLFSNWQ2hq_9xEQ7Y1Rmd_n-gPrUrZiySo-6r5rAZDDe5-lKis84LkgbubSmQQ3W9if9XbQ_miiyLQGBLx-J0Etnr8LtiG8Y7_vb7j6vN_7perXLuw93NiJr72HMi5FhPPBa8o-gmeaC1ut31YxDoGL-v-zrn1WY8SdwKe0qmg4/s4032/856EA6E8-EC69-4972-A833-4ED023C68976.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozs12T5s9uFzIgLFSNWQ2hq_9xEQ7Y1Rmd_n-gPrUrZiySo-6r5rAZDDe5-lKis84LkgbubSmQQ3W9if9XbQ_miiyLQGBLx-J0Etnr8LtiG8Y7_vb7j6vN_7perXLuw93NiJr72HMi5FhPPBa8o-gmeaC1ut31YxDoGL-v-zrn1WY8SdwKe0qmg4/w640-h480/856EA6E8-EC69-4972-A833-4ED023C68976.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvn8uM_zMTPyTdaCpudqMRzlCZ6DGThvxpmZDMTUIA9fh652p2Eiteglful4G50OSg7G3GrnlRUvuCm5zTcOhIc9TOfticsIHGrgqN7CnCe1QIYvV_ixIeW8VWc928Unn04tt_JDle44PB_P6FiVCbMcFR3hgLY3H-i7y5_43GNuxkdRn8Mn82Eo0/s4032/98B3FFAF-A1E4-46D2-8294-C44F7ECFBCCC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvn8uM_zMTPyTdaCpudqMRzlCZ6DGThvxpmZDMTUIA9fh652p2Eiteglful4G50OSg7G3GrnlRUvuCm5zTcOhIc9TOfticsIHGrgqN7CnCe1QIYvV_ixIeW8VWc928Unn04tt_JDle44PB_P6FiVCbMcFR3hgLY3H-i7y5_43GNuxkdRn8Mn82Eo0/w480-h640/98B3FFAF-A1E4-46D2-8294-C44F7ECFBCCC.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">30 pizzas is a lot of pizza and there were a lot of boxes to load for the trash the next day! Elliot was impressed with the stack.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMnL0D5Qvjh5kzjaNkkUx1H2W--bqqBIKsUmQHOyEIXjhDCOhMSKr2vrdJx114kDqq-7hw5-4ivG8Uu0tNMLZhOs2iqysUsBf-ljArZcUid7-PKXYllOCYbW364le8Tc16RjhTDr-pdbpabrnwt2YRK_ojzO01Kq36Cl7FlUBiLR0Z9adYpf-GPA/s4032/A8C6AABE-212F-4C4B-84A2-17C63CE610FD.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsMnL0D5Qvjh5kzjaNkkUx1H2W--bqqBIKsUmQHOyEIXjhDCOhMSKr2vrdJx114kDqq-7hw5-4ivG8Uu0tNMLZhOs2iqysUsBf-ljArZcUid7-PKXYllOCYbW364le8Tc16RjhTDr-pdbpabrnwt2YRK_ojzO01Kq36Cl7FlUBiLR0Z9adYpf-GPA/w480-h640/A8C6AABE-212F-4C4B-84A2-17C63CE610FD.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Memorial Day morning found us putting out flags at the front of our yard. I love starting little traditions like this with our kids and teaching them at a young age the importance of honor, respect, and gratitude for our country! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Boy's shorts and shirts: thrifted // Shoes: Keens, garage sale and poshmark finds</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Madeline's dress: gift from Nana, from Carters // Sandals: <a href="https://amzn.to/42zNFFZ" target="_blank"><b><i>these, Carters brand</i></b></a> // Hairbow: <a href="https://amzn.to/3N18GUq" target="_blank"><b><i>from this pack</i></b></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7bWX_TZ4INFer58pOE8hGLQd-w8Gmjn5_OHgRgpeKsPOg4071gsGGVcvn4Nuf5pp-BcIeivpWSt2QLoPA6YwwNLRZVWeb1s9ctzKsLxZyGHObjeuY8HwbkeAFJHRKUdtZ43DZdkFgfxhb13xBZK7rQwTPnzX5EEUzsROpqMV6zq2Uo9FNbwUN8o/s4032/513E4875-BF8C-4649-89DA-C428D691BED6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu7bWX_TZ4INFer58pOE8hGLQd-w8Gmjn5_OHgRgpeKsPOg4071gsGGVcvn4Nuf5pp-BcIeivpWSt2QLoPA6YwwNLRZVWeb1s9ctzKsLxZyGHObjeuY8HwbkeAFJHRKUdtZ43DZdkFgfxhb13xBZK7rQwTPnzX5EEUzsROpqMV6zq2Uo9FNbwUN8o/w480-h640/513E4875-BF8C-4649-89DA-C428D691BED6.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maddy really loves being the baby of the cousin tribe. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">She adores her cousin gang and the feeling seems to be very mutual. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBZyQo4hlW7rix-iVgu2JOea01etRJi_noPxKzNDDF4AkuLwkHK2JICV-t4knRRZh-96MYs_lCMv33fPMJuOU2Ku3h4TOX1ckW0p4ZbBi1SMSLfmGe0GPwp4JAoHBt5cF3c7W6KLXOToRAmaAtpI7OFq6r9OVBj_cQ9T7hP-m_1LQj81eVXuX8z4/s3912/CCEFC8BE-363A-4E85-A054-26432260FD23.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3912" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOBZyQo4hlW7rix-iVgu2JOea01etRJi_noPxKzNDDF4AkuLwkHK2JICV-t4knRRZh-96MYs_lCMv33fPMJuOU2Ku3h4TOX1ckW0p4ZbBi1SMSLfmGe0GPwp4JAoHBt5cF3c7W6KLXOToRAmaAtpI7OFq6r9OVBj_cQ9T7hP-m_1LQj81eVXuX8z4/w640-h494/CCEFC8BE-363A-4E85-A054-26432260FD23.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>We are so thankful for the sacrifice given and legacy left by John's grandpa!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And how we love and treasure our beloved Gigi! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Such a blessing to be able to celebrate, remember, and honor together.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And that is a little rundown of our weekend! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-Chels</div><p></p>ChelsyReneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03847869006579825787noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-61521746006370684722023-06-11T17:12:00.000-04:002023-06-11T18:19:27.327-04:00Family Pictures November 2022<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YJ3YEXLak3C4P5LYvZ9fvMgHPyzGSjchxUE5Yk7j91FVnm1tpnAQHah5wkQInb3jxpM9rl8EIivVHyxhE4Wj4K8hsw4EoLz4U1xnXl4hGNZrdJj9WdUQDrqgL4DAW_8QrRtG41s5t2M66xajIrR8e5aqpNR4TZhCQtH0lLk3zzlaFVIp0pqapIA/s3000/DSC_2214.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="3000" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_YJ3YEXLak3C4P5LYvZ9fvMgHPyzGSjchxUE5Yk7j91FVnm1tpnAQHah5wkQInb3jxpM9rl8EIivVHyxhE4Wj4K8hsw4EoLz4U1xnXl4hGNZrdJj9WdUQDrqgL4DAW_8QrRtG41s5t2M66xajIrR8e5aqpNR4TZhCQtH0lLk3zzlaFVIp0pqapIA/w640-h428/DSC_2214.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is our family photo shoot from November 2022! My <a href="https://christophermaxwell.com" target="_blank"><b><i>brother in law Chris</i></b></a> took these for us and I loved how they turned out!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z1nth2zZ68Ot8emNgedj-3C_YcfEWsalyFdIoIfmFsofOdbrWwZNyg50af9uL4JCdIP4oVXglNJwmAfVCH-ectU0UmbjZd35pIaPRve-OeDjjdomLQ754hDrKn0fHKImqbussuH0DCWwQqrB_zB2MODKJX_UeO2WtHuMtdRFFcRIDq6W7nAIg94/s3000/DSC_2212.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2002" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-z1nth2zZ68Ot8emNgedj-3C_YcfEWsalyFdIoIfmFsofOdbrWwZNyg50af9uL4JCdIP4oVXglNJwmAfVCH-ectU0UmbjZd35pIaPRve-OeDjjdomLQ754hDrKn0fHKImqbussuH0DCWwQqrB_zB2MODKJX_UeO2WtHuMtdRFFcRIDq6W7nAIg94/w428-h640/DSC_2212.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56g69FaJouyIHl2-oorO_PnAWQ0D2e91R3Zyf4WP9fYqMgObid_Lfb-WCwcdWNitryJGqd1uCZVtykGK3Xno_l6yEed-8pjRJ4Fc8yfFUXJxRcIohkttf0QBVJ8hqFfdMjqd6u3ekYZZNGxPy7RPjyeKMUidTGtNMNPO6A9RPlu1bQImgxVJA44A/s3000/DSC_2210.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2002" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56g69FaJouyIHl2-oorO_PnAWQ0D2e91R3Zyf4WP9fYqMgObid_Lfb-WCwcdWNitryJGqd1uCZVtykGK3Xno_l6yEed-8pjRJ4Fc8yfFUXJxRcIohkttf0QBVJ8hqFfdMjqd6u3ekYZZNGxPy7RPjyeKMUidTGtNMNPO6A9RPlu1bQImgxVJA44A/w428-h640/DSC_2210.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3VS0Gq6ypaWb9QOpXrM4qa6f31V1skYZT9gP2EaxlqjnsP2Y3q5rQxe2TmTM8fgqcjLvsVUqxe1Un_FUe5Hu4C3TrreQ7LeLHShiy63J3MMbEF97sr9t88_8PZpqba7Zu3jSe34_R90iM3j2WI8pGa88w9vrZMG0fecwYApdNdiYS9Ka4TDI5EY/s3000/DSC_0147.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs3VS0Gq6ypaWb9QOpXrM4qa6f31V1skYZT9gP2EaxlqjnsP2Y3q5rQxe2TmTM8fgqcjLvsVUqxe1Un_FUe5Hu4C3TrreQ7LeLHShiy63J3MMbEF97sr9t88_8PZpqba7Zu3jSe34_R90iM3j2WI8pGa88w9vrZMG0fecwYApdNdiYS9Ka4TDI5EY/w426-h640/DSC_0147.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Axton, age three</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwEln3JGucb_Tuy8Hska_J7r3sngEbdBRADVEAp0rhuEFI0wo7DJiX7eKp2ET2tNoNl0ELOTtWGHIwtrJmDdCMma5I_M1SvE5yrAwBvb0qO8ffcCX1cV5aOjm2fMHpKepg-xDTuCj1m-ONaXSFLWYzFhvZTQ26svT5vl8GhuMjvGfoFXeI1KV5PE/s3000/DSC_0141.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwEln3JGucb_Tuy8Hska_J7r3sngEbdBRADVEAp0rhuEFI0wo7DJiX7eKp2ET2tNoNl0ELOTtWGHIwtrJmDdCMma5I_M1SvE5yrAwBvb0qO8ffcCX1cV5aOjm2fMHpKepg-xDTuCj1m-ONaXSFLWYzFhvZTQ26svT5vl8GhuMjvGfoFXeI1KV5PE/w426-h640/DSC_0141.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydg9i0HXjmxoJFH9LfFwQu5ki2jfpuc9aZf7nD4awSmEMToCDt3crtMKXZeI7AUcs0vkd4VSQ7M_kmtbYSY55KIH7JbHskdHI3WtzBrjHDzafTt81yCLivHfMyr3gUjEuAfXhM5aK-6cDKd0it2eElaEXsG5wURKifshBgetk7iyj5_Yjv2KCtyI/s3000/DSC_0140.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydg9i0HXjmxoJFH9LfFwQu5ki2jfpuc9aZf7nD4awSmEMToCDt3crtMKXZeI7AUcs0vkd4VSQ7M_kmtbYSY55KIH7JbHskdHI3WtzBrjHDzafTt81yCLivHfMyr3gUjEuAfXhM5aK-6cDKd0it2eElaEXsG5wURKifshBgetk7iyj5_Yjv2KCtyI/w426-h640/DSC_0140.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQW303gUlCkWJ88cPYRI1KlQJp4ghubsYlgZzq9Ypy8lkYp_1KXDUlxZV6GJ1DrO8vqISRBLq4OzAO3wWLmmx0B5bYtpXSR3HhNHG9uuiyoxG62mVyKYSTMMgPXEKNdUjlu3k1mGbaNfNRgtNGo-I6iscy6nwK--AjZTlq-icg8Qg792WTDD01rxo/s3000/DSC_0152.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQW303gUlCkWJ88cPYRI1KlQJp4ghubsYlgZzq9Ypy8lkYp_1KXDUlxZV6GJ1DrO8vqISRBLq4OzAO3wWLmmx0B5bYtpXSR3HhNHG9uuiyoxG62mVyKYSTMMgPXEKNdUjlu3k1mGbaNfNRgtNGo-I6iscy6nwK--AjZTlq-icg8Qg792WTDD01rxo/w426-h640/DSC_0152.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Elliot, age two</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAb_n0RINlmq10sJIxDpw1XSLs4jODNtMAY1Ai2Iv5mgYZz_uq9S7tvaXGnB0WXK02P6fU6KHd5hF2aj4uGtPtwck4Q3fXk36iMLR7dmiTA3kkmPLpMJn9zMc8elYEtOE2QQDBicIc7cr-4bE83bTAVMBWJmDWfqosLv1fGqJET4Kf3jwGId71-tQ/s3000/DSC_0153.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAb_n0RINlmq10sJIxDpw1XSLs4jODNtMAY1Ai2Iv5mgYZz_uq9S7tvaXGnB0WXK02P6fU6KHd5hF2aj4uGtPtwck4Q3fXk36iMLR7dmiTA3kkmPLpMJn9zMc8elYEtOE2QQDBicIc7cr-4bE83bTAVMBWJmDWfqosLv1fGqJET4Kf3jwGId71-tQ/w426-h640/DSC_0153.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">He is definitely our most dramatic kid. John says he gets it from his mother, ha!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbGZsJaNbyCRZjik138PAP1VafMYG-GwdwZ-RqvFaaspJfccgAM1cY-NbCzJnKyZvR28-xOZrHUjMdDcweYcHuvRE8qECfGb1jcRQuDoR6vSAMIGU1Z1mezycpMhN_-VXr321i3qsL2P0QFg1gzT3UogKewxQ67vywFqvU4qGvRPVBNEoRr0-n8Q/s3000/DSC_0155.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbGZsJaNbyCRZjik138PAP1VafMYG-GwdwZ-RqvFaaspJfccgAM1cY-NbCzJnKyZvR28-xOZrHUjMdDcweYcHuvRE8qECfGb1jcRQuDoR6vSAMIGU1Z1mezycpMhN_-VXr321i3qsL2P0QFg1gzT3UogKewxQ67vywFqvU4qGvRPVBNEoRr0-n8Q/w426-h640/DSC_0155.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_h2XDmesFuBL4jb11IJz40_yEy1jZzfJyb3EDBmhjgsh94RMhlgNCctv13miCKaHrGCj-SSOu6BPJA9oHkBQDvR7xQeMxPcU7VHKuRKlXvZ-OPkfsF9mnprgpLQ0bAv5hWqNFoCJFLwVEcLjSL518ihVmpyCcRUn6iIo7BkoE17QG3erQ6ZVOjwk/s3000/DSC_0166.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_h2XDmesFuBL4jb11IJz40_yEy1jZzfJyb3EDBmhjgsh94RMhlgNCctv13miCKaHrGCj-SSOu6BPJA9oHkBQDvR7xQeMxPcU7VHKuRKlXvZ-OPkfsF9mnprgpLQ0bAv5hWqNFoCJFLwVEcLjSL518ihVmpyCcRUn6iIo7BkoE17QG3erQ6ZVOjwk/w426-h640/DSC_0166.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I love everything about this shot!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGKgr9HFUk-BXSCAyWqJiY8ccLbTerjD0y5iAvC-DdRvyNbb9u8e30A3-RggtPmWslyQ6wmYYJyGON-rks_EPE9B2bi_9qjeKl782PQSLgEQd6Zws4kCkIvAUvuWtjM_GRCv1yUnza-4cSZA6gkoR3_K0AJ72jIpFsTZa3-HLvuTlzUnTZg9xryU/s3000/DSC_0170.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGKgr9HFUk-BXSCAyWqJiY8ccLbTerjD0y5iAvC-DdRvyNbb9u8e30A3-RggtPmWslyQ6wmYYJyGON-rks_EPE9B2bi_9qjeKl782PQSLgEQd6Zws4kCkIvAUvuWtjM_GRCv1yUnza-4cSZA6gkoR3_K0AJ72jIpFsTZa3-HLvuTlzUnTZg9xryU/w426-h640/DSC_0170.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Madeline, age one</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7gzjXESptBLCmCVJexadITQ90_4GKVoH1NPwZaHSOHBM8akPHq9X9TvWSHzBZHCdmlYt_4MdOHnBbLTwNcWhVBG0F_q-LboBMCJJVRW7J5tN4CwPnugXAOvagW6t2E0PsCqEDsD8_Mbve3dRnLcsfsSWG244ECL6N-pUEkSbgVIdoE4lye0M-0w/s3000/DSC_0176.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic7gzjXESptBLCmCVJexadITQ90_4GKVoH1NPwZaHSOHBM8akPHq9X9TvWSHzBZHCdmlYt_4MdOHnBbLTwNcWhVBG0F_q-LboBMCJJVRW7J5tN4CwPnugXAOvagW6t2E0PsCqEDsD8_Mbve3dRnLcsfsSWG244ECL6N-pUEkSbgVIdoE4lye0M-0w/w426-h640/DSC_0176.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">She wasn't much in the smiling mood that day but we did get a couple grins from her!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyxf2L_kdYDNKIV528Xe_a8MxMNFYC5qB9mu_J8OubVWn5ZvyYAyTuhtitzlE_YUylyqPAVv1iUgllvrfCafiY7Y2DOAH2Gi9yNnGa0xcup410FzJ0YUT5GIkMh5eEngd-KWnJBOHzsajcYyc80vmUuzcQlswRgW-8uDtWdBDFQb-hpVjBmwhShM/s3000/DSC_0168.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZyxf2L_kdYDNKIV528Xe_a8MxMNFYC5qB9mu_J8OubVWn5ZvyYAyTuhtitzlE_YUylyqPAVv1iUgllvrfCafiY7Y2DOAH2Gi9yNnGa0xcup410FzJ0YUT5GIkMh5eEngd-KWnJBOHzsajcYyc80vmUuzcQlswRgW-8uDtWdBDFQb-hpVjBmwhShM/w426-h640/DSC_0168.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkbnx-YRKrCfXmB1v5wreeLS_1K51UuNEl28xjNgB55099oXQKkU2bj4nBwaTUNFdDKvpuNTrsQPnRIM5M9rV7nS_gGaRxv-Mmb5dgR3m8XVh-6Be1umSKopCN5lEwa6p-6tV3KME35JHHgZorV7cLuSQmg3dOiaq8h6_6nuF58kgDA9-sZdFwLk/s3000/DSC_0169.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSkbnx-YRKrCfXmB1v5wreeLS_1K51UuNEl28xjNgB55099oXQKkU2bj4nBwaTUNFdDKvpuNTrsQPnRIM5M9rV7nS_gGaRxv-Mmb5dgR3m8XVh-6Be1umSKopCN5lEwa6p-6tV3KME35JHHgZorV7cLuSQmg3dOiaq8h6_6nuF58kgDA9-sZdFwLk/w426-h640/DSC_0169.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioS4fJtEwrALr9nCPlpiEqIGfFQGYIzOJHEHXNqHODbaUEBsU_8lp5eaDxiZgstW0iKtzbBGAlcuMtmzFcJRT6ukbRrzSzZu9fIl_RkKDXVrxm5MVOLZxQbVtYN11A2qjJyPefsKvK2pb3ragqsw156OcLN01OJmvbR4i1pLjMzYtpmp4ISKRctAw/s3000/DSC_0178.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioS4fJtEwrALr9nCPlpiEqIGfFQGYIzOJHEHXNqHODbaUEBsU_8lp5eaDxiZgstW0iKtzbBGAlcuMtmzFcJRT6ukbRrzSzZu9fIl_RkKDXVrxm5MVOLZxQbVtYN11A2qjJyPefsKvK2pb3ragqsw156OcLN01OJmvbR4i1pLjMzYtpmp4ISKRctAw/w426-h640/DSC_0178.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We celebrated five years of marriage in December! </div><div style="text-align: center;">I'm so grateful for him. Best decision ever!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlGapuH9hVujwhILWUqHqQHXd-qPBBdwZhDAtG0bmGpGyK5cc6u5YtAdGr9TmN-LkGU6GH57gYjtYSYiqSIx45SPr2YORLeglB6i0QsflOMJEKAw-GfEdqpeiViw6OoygtfgC7KGjCgD1SxPfiAVfHkoJdMJiFcAsCI4SlGBn0UgY2wogCfGrkuY/s3000/DSC_0179.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlGapuH9hVujwhILWUqHqQHXd-qPBBdwZhDAtG0bmGpGyK5cc6u5YtAdGr9TmN-LkGU6GH57gYjtYSYiqSIx45SPr2YORLeglB6i0QsflOMJEKAw-GfEdqpeiViw6OoygtfgC7KGjCgD1SxPfiAVfHkoJdMJiFcAsCI4SlGBn0UgY2wogCfGrkuY/w426-h640/DSC_0179.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nDKM2Oh5SO0A7i1VK3Ve2EALitEomOlBFG4RIw5UDXZnr8fPPVmZ4dRy04VQcInAaBRU7IxEDLn9Gufj0O3GwYxxIYWJCQPMLj4SIv-oMJnYuJUHLqD99DaTwZdfdcCGSZ1ikC8UaYaAaJpVrgkj6TzGySkH5tt8ScT2SIzlID9XkZ9J9hETJjo/s3000/DSC_0192.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="1993" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-nDKM2Oh5SO0A7i1VK3Ve2EALitEomOlBFG4RIw5UDXZnr8fPPVmZ4dRy04VQcInAaBRU7IxEDLn9Gufj0O3GwYxxIYWJCQPMLj4SIv-oMJnYuJUHLqD99DaTwZdfdcCGSZ1ikC8UaYaAaJpVrgkj6TzGySkH5tt8ScT2SIzlID9XkZ9J9hETJjo/w426-h640/DSC_0192.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn44kv6tviVtGAAS5tnSRJ65RATsGkSuruUmXOzVzUBZmcbezUUK-lx7M4Ay_XNR6IfdadNXRQ5BVOVjlUCeYDUaxCnDzYmPtTQDMg6JdHnAuASkfchBGUNuGVEtvKc91eA38OiHyNzp5-3Ma2pB7a9gZHeNR-WgggK-TwHqc_YiOGJ1kVGBvS4I4/s3000/DSC_2240.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="3000" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn44kv6tviVtGAAS5tnSRJ65RATsGkSuruUmXOzVzUBZmcbezUUK-lx7M4Ay_XNR6IfdadNXRQ5BVOVjlUCeYDUaxCnDzYmPtTQDMg6JdHnAuASkfchBGUNuGVEtvKc91eA38OiHyNzp5-3Ma2pB7a9gZHeNR-WgggK-TwHqc_YiOGJ1kVGBvS4I4/w640-h428/DSC_2240.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIgF6C8xzW2bu1F_hRDr1SrR7gsOs63UYaXCmH16UPXsKxILTOMEw9IHNnyYWA7APEhS2oGS-QZMFoEqZ7tH0Xd5yjCtJAxsXFpCWGcA9Q-_-XMTSqwtLhz9J6GwSXUXjF2umPUZKNrHGzzjC0bQui0b46WXhYNhzfTfeT1RaTT_H05v7aueAQF8/s3000/DSC_2260.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="3000" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVIgF6C8xzW2bu1F_hRDr1SrR7gsOs63UYaXCmH16UPXsKxILTOMEw9IHNnyYWA7APEhS2oGS-QZMFoEqZ7tH0Xd5yjCtJAxsXFpCWGcA9Q-_-XMTSqwtLhz9J6GwSXUXjF2umPUZKNrHGzzjC0bQui0b46WXhYNhzfTfeT1RaTT_H05v7aueAQF8/w640-h428/DSC_2260.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Our three babies. What sweethearts they are. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9DStHX9zBW4HtLMQqLg43JJNatnxusyjU6AjrzVJdqkiZgdGNDYEWrkk4SgiQXLJ_Zr5A_azU-8qpVCJ6WARiGPMoFrvZAj3J9Cblwy5170EbIRnibvxncAOpVJaOktM89-jtXP9guZigfkj0PhRvfR_PLLf_V9-zWdVHFKzpoE5NQMpF-WQ2hM/s3000/DSC_2250.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="3000" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO9DStHX9zBW4HtLMQqLg43JJNatnxusyjU6AjrzVJdqkiZgdGNDYEWrkk4SgiQXLJ_Zr5A_azU-8qpVCJ6WARiGPMoFrvZAj3J9Cblwy5170EbIRnibvxncAOpVJaOktM89-jtXP9guZigfkj0PhRvfR_PLLf_V9-zWdVHFKzpoE5NQMpF-WQ2hM/w640-h428/DSC_2250.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">So many expressions!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LkG6KcTFmiX4MwcJ5a7ED-eErpuONrQOOwyuEGtQQ9MLbcLE8S5PEucZRTC4H5pdlPOZpoXpqLIf4Cbp6wcGJ75M0PKApXnlkEtNADQo787kULXbmdy0uRZghZdH3HpYlMWY2nJLRSmguGYpVfclUuGyeGb1OnSgsf9nM9gx1uUAinOV34UYw0U/s3000/DSC_2261.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="3000" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LkG6KcTFmiX4MwcJ5a7ED-eErpuONrQOOwyuEGtQQ9MLbcLE8S5PEucZRTC4H5pdlPOZpoXpqLIf4Cbp6wcGJ75M0PKApXnlkEtNADQo787kULXbmdy0uRZghZdH3HpYlMWY2nJLRSmguGYpVfclUuGyeGb1OnSgsf9nM9gx1uUAinOV34UYw0U/w640-h428/DSC_2261.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Maddy lost her balance. Or was trying to escape. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm thinking the later was more likely!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4xQ9yH7U0KkNHTwBkXdoPBrsWzedZaKjNZkXWeNtoTvw3As5Gp6iQR5asdEXEXG9WHqhWBJW5i6tzUqvWMFWqydZrqkB-CZ29OTfiezjFlPz8vhOkoa8aiUY4WAdUQT6Ho5N5S54gyUzgm8FQQF36-vHvgxKRex0lYWAQdC-prjeUs3KRhO1UF0/s3000/DSC_2216.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2002" data-original-width="3000" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb4xQ9yH7U0KkNHTwBkXdoPBrsWzedZaKjNZkXWeNtoTvw3As5Gp6iQR5asdEXEXG9WHqhWBJW5i6tzUqvWMFWqydZrqkB-CZ29OTfiezjFlPz8vhOkoa8aiUY4WAdUQT6Ho5N5S54gyUzgm8FQQF36-vHvgxKRex0lYWAQdC-prjeUs3KRhO1UF0/w640-h428/DSC_2216.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Outfit details:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Johns boots: Ariats // Jeans: Levis // Button Shirt: thrifted</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My boots: purchased in Mexico years ago // Top: Rue 21, thrifted // Jeans: Old Navy, thrifted // Hoops: gift // Cuff bracelet: Shein</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Axton & Elliot's matching shirts: Old Navy off-season clearance // Boots/shoes: thrifted // Vests: thrifted // Jeans: on sale from Children's Place + Kohls </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Madeline's shirt: Carters // Moccasins: gift // vest and jeans: thrifted // hair bow: <b><i><a href="https://amzn.to/3oWobF1" target="_blank">from this pack</a></i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Do you get family pictures taken yearly? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We do and and it is a highlight for my "former photographer" self!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a lovely rest of your day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-Chels</div><p></p>ChelsyReneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03847869006579825787noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-13344720734387580042023-03-19T17:28:00.005-04:002023-03-19T17:45:04.662-04:00A Tribute to My Grandma Bontrager<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pEmGjazEJFfozlG-Bk_9ePanqT1qKbSJxft5HvR5tUut-BpjPvcPgYnXpn0W0FwLPP65GWZ6B3sAp5uz4g-ZD__TV4dsRZfkEawDXUvUJsQqViqJ1HB31niHkhCUn3w7UDY_cwgOXx9rDWDrEDoI4rtLt4wX3DfgrtIQDOkqLy-u7RhUVp-S6SY/s3687/IMG_2639.jpg" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3687" data-original-width="2694" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pEmGjazEJFfozlG-Bk_9ePanqT1qKbSJxft5HvR5tUut-BpjPvcPgYnXpn0W0FwLPP65GWZ6B3sAp5uz4g-ZD__TV4dsRZfkEawDXUvUJsQqViqJ1HB31niHkhCUn3w7UDY_cwgOXx9rDWDrEDoI4rtLt4wX3DfgrtIQDOkqLy-u7RhUVp-S6SY/w468-h640/IMG_2639.jpg" width="468" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(one of my favorite pictures of Grandma-her and Madeline, March 2022)</i></div><p>This post is probably the hardest one I've ever written. I still can't believe my grandma is gone. It all happened so fast and it was so unexpected and such a shock to lose her. </p><p style="text-align: center;">And yet, it is such a privilege to be able to write these words about my incredible Grandma. The fact that I have a lifetime of sweet memories with her is a tribute in itself to the kind of person that she was. For that I will always be grateful. Still, I can't believe she is gone, and I miss her more than words can say. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQs9OjSCdZBpzMKyD3T0WAIq93XPYaz-LtC-ADba3bKSN9bywUXsVjKxI5hTl5iHTYTS7RLhAFtNxpYayrRcDYe24Fj6658vb7ai5AYryaUZ8i5lOmZZjmQYQLFaDv2XeFJfNAcqLRqft629Lbwjp5X_fdkcAkxxN4Zw0G07GEOoBflql19MdIj0g/s4032/IMG_4217.jpg" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQs9OjSCdZBpzMKyD3T0WAIq93XPYaz-LtC-ADba3bKSN9bywUXsVjKxI5hTl5iHTYTS7RLhAFtNxpYayrRcDYe24Fj6658vb7ai5AYryaUZ8i5lOmZZjmQYQLFaDv2XeFJfNAcqLRqft629Lbwjp5X_fdkcAkxxN4Zw0G07GEOoBflql19MdIj0g/w640-h480/IMG_4217.jpg" width="640" /></a> <i style="text-align: center;">(the last visit I had with Grandma, February 2nd, just over a month ago)</i></p><p>I saw her well and healthy for the last time, just the beginning of February. <span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">I had been back in Iowa to be a bridesmaid in a friends' wedding, and last minute I ended up being able to spend a few hours with Grandma and my brother and his wife. We had a lovely dinner and just a wonderful evening together. Grandma, as always, was </span>asking about my kids and my health and our life, and getting me up to date on all the local and family happenings. Specifically I remembered her<span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> being so excited for the upcoming Bontrager family reunion that was being planned for June 2023. She loved family get-togethers and spending time with friends and family. </span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Just two weeks later on a Sunday morning I got a phone call that rocked my world. Grandma had a blockage in her colon that had gone undetected <i>(i</i></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><i>n spite of recent ER visits and multiple tests)</i></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> and by the time it was finally discovered late that Saturday night, it had ruptured and infection was spreading. In the early morning hours of Sunday, February 19th, the doctors said she likely only had 7-10 days to live, and she passed away on Tuesday evening the 21st, just three days later. </span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">I left for Iowa on Monday morning the 20th and was able to spend time with Grandma in the hospital on Monday and Tuesday. Those last moments with her I will treasure always.</span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><span style="text-align: right;">As I did when my grandpa Stoltzfus passed away, I wanted to write a post about Grandma Bontrager and share about the special woman she was to me. Here are a few of my memories of my grandma Bontrager....</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEnUPQ4qsttsuKF4MZ-ZFa3IXjdSm5VeYHnOkDkylpAk4-toN68JKVQrrugTnSUXS6froO4VdyM3I3DUmKIIvnLMo2c_KasL8QdyZGmKEJHnTAbyWQEoIv53wEDQiGOIkCSvQ33BEp2Zgziz8n42vTECPMYKE5hSPqQEclRx0RfMKKTMDWt7SHVI/s2049/IMG_0019.jpg" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEnUPQ4qsttsuKF4MZ-ZFa3IXjdSm5VeYHnOkDkylpAk4-toN68JKVQrrugTnSUXS6froO4VdyM3I3DUmKIIvnLMo2c_KasL8QdyZGmKEJHnTAbyWQEoIv53wEDQiGOIkCSvQ33BEp2Zgziz8n42vTECPMYKE5hSPqQEclRx0RfMKKTMDWt7SHVI/w480-h640/IMG_0019.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(Grandma and Madeline, winter 2021)</i></div><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Grandma was one of the friendliest people I’ve ever known. She loved meeting people and spending time with people.</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> I think quality time was her love language, although words of affirmation were probably a close second. She had an extremely difficult childhood and life, one that was one of the hardest I've heard of, and yet I really saw her life as being one that had become "better, not bitter". </span></p><p><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FKiXUwGRa7Vkoi7ErikTl0_rcUO96Ry2G1zY1c8EIG-gSsFzUwIGA_0VqOp_jkNDIDWrfiWf3EFAPFavYmRFErzlxrBPxdvrgvnu47n1dYYEh5x-B6kLGsxblqacHxMZILx-EJZs5GsJ8F4sn2iNbGNwcBMaNeZnAgZP9kgqP2ay0TLoNnLPd6g/s1288/IMG_7093.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="966" data-original-width="1288" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1FKiXUwGRa7Vkoi7ErikTl0_rcUO96Ry2G1zY1c8EIG-gSsFzUwIGA_0VqOp_jkNDIDWrfiWf3EFAPFavYmRFErzlxrBPxdvrgvnu47n1dYYEh5x-B6kLGsxblqacHxMZILx-EJZs5GsJ8F4sn2iNbGNwcBMaNeZnAgZP9kgqP2ay0TLoNnLPd6g/w640-h480/IMG_7093.JPG" width="640" /></a><i>(summer 2019. my family was on tour but we had come to Iowa for another event so we stayed with Grandma and then went to church with her on Sunday. This visit is a very special memory for me!)</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Grandma was a prayer warrior. If you've ever been to one of my family's concerts, then you've probably heard my dad share about his praying mother. She spent so much time in prayer. Not only did she pray her children through some very very rough years </span><i style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">(not to mention basically raising them on her own after losing her own husband at a young age)</i><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"> but she prayed for all of her 42 grandchildren, by name, every single day. Yes, I know--we were so blessed!! </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWgv-8Cs0RdYSYUlDQurSk-vcRxI2N4SYghaegzTll03otcHBqwwQ6jU7Ad3qU7ILwdTU0Ht5m40obnD-9g-M5AK8mjMgcuSJ1xeNssAYr7pofvJaEFyKYyC4NiAP7cnTB-Vp-p2ibikddVYkRsIIPPWMGsrY7JzORQAmJZ5v2MTsj0O3ktzvN2Q/s1280/IMG_6538.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSWgv-8Cs0RdYSYUlDQurSk-vcRxI2N4SYghaegzTll03otcHBqwwQ6jU7Ad3qU7ILwdTU0Ht5m40obnD-9g-M5AK8mjMgcuSJ1xeNssAYr7pofvJaEFyKYyC4NiAP7cnTB-Vp-p2ibikddVYkRsIIPPWMGsrY7JzORQAmJZ5v2MTsj0O3ktzvN2Q/w640-h480/IMG_6538.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><i>(visit from Grandma and my cousins, spring 2019)</i></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">A phone call with grandma helped me catch up on all the Iowa happenings, especially after I got married and moved away. She could tell me all the news, because she loved to find out about things and be in the know. I remember thinking she always knew about everything. She got the local paper and the Budget and in the last ten years she had her home phone and a cell phone. It wasn't unusual for her to answer one of those phones and ask you to hold a minute because she was </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">wrapping up a call on the other line. =) Like I said, she was always in the know on things!</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9gbps6daSwA-COxkHHvzcWG1aJOjOA-20olUI5QCiD9wfKkvWPI04-PA4MC4Pmj7HH0Xx_cAt8O6R7XajNq2lkHoYZGrCsRSu7UvFIIrmyPuldh7-ND1xBzYRgB3exbuNqMgRCl0yL5m2tlZXZkJEmT-0lP5KxyTLj-3hlGckqjcxQokUI9x07k/s1632/IMG_0555.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="1224" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9gbps6daSwA-COxkHHvzcWG1aJOjOA-20olUI5QCiD9wfKkvWPI04-PA4MC4Pmj7HH0Xx_cAt8O6R7XajNq2lkHoYZGrCsRSu7UvFIIrmyPuldh7-ND1xBzYRgB3exbuNqMgRCl0yL5m2tlZXZkJEmT-0lP5KxyTLj-3hlGckqjcxQokUI9x07k/w480-h640/IMG_0555.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><i>(grandma and Axton, 2019)</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">My kids adored great grandma. We would make a point of stopping in to visit her every time we named back to Iowa <i>(and she would usually come down to the farm for a meal or two as well while we were there) </i>Elliot called her GREAT grandma, with emphasis on GREAT. It was super adorable and Grandma always got the biggest kick out of it. She loved how he said her name and she also thought it was pretty cute that he remembered her every time even though he was only one when he started saying her name!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nd8gMAQZ0wSMXF6bG6bEEdSG8yfKx8K0PNBHJmIDP6jPabz8Q-7o3JZR175w0FDlmUtwkM7_bdohTdhtAburIDOi5zsQ5Snka0UnRM-90PodTFKHv4mYcN5RLdxb0yLRajNCZ0ClefoSwzC7SUVWhOGNZJg5zlHO3zQ57dyTQYUWJ0zPQpPufp0/s1280/IMG_0353.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8nd8gMAQZ0wSMXF6bG6bEEdSG8yfKx8K0PNBHJmIDP6jPabz8Q-7o3JZR175w0FDlmUtwkM7_bdohTdhtAburIDOi5zsQ5Snka0UnRM-90PodTFKHv4mYcN5RLdxb0yLRajNCZ0ClefoSwzC7SUVWhOGNZJg5zlHO3zQ57dyTQYUWJ0zPQpPufp0/w480-h640/IMG_0353.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><i>(grandma and me cooking in my kitchen)</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I love this picture so much, because it captures a memory that is reminiscent of many more that were not photographed. It was taken Thanksgiving of 2019 when my parents and single siblings and grandma came for the holiday. I asked Grandma to make the gravy and so here we were around my stove, working and talking. We had had countless such moments around her stove, in her kitchen, but this was the first time that it was around my stove, in my kitchen. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 17px; text-align: left;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaWJapvuHZ4yMQLiZnL7MWPtDy1e3tG1pXIJc8Fg9prlxyoFjKFMsGZvYnTSvk16wHafUnxz30R5QXBlarq5ZpTqWCBkqiLiXNkk0gKGFeOfUyYzoUlHnliUEP_o6sn0vUxId15SjCooD-ej70LGIE_3yjfGYpNC-7W1taERyiLXLKl04iP5IoB0/s1382/IMG_5890.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1382" data-original-width="1289" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibaWJapvuHZ4yMQLiZnL7MWPtDy1e3tG1pXIJc8Fg9prlxyoFjKFMsGZvYnTSvk16wHafUnxz30R5QXBlarq5ZpTqWCBkqiLiXNkk0gKGFeOfUyYzoUlHnliUEP_o6sn0vUxId15SjCooD-ej70LGIE_3yjfGYpNC-7W1taERyiLXLKl04iP5IoB0/w596-h640/IMG_5890.jpg" width="596" /></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>(grandma meeting Elliot, August 2020)</i></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I’ll never forget that familiar habit of walking in to my grandmas house. She was nearly always either standing at the stove cooking, sitting at her peninsula lo</span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">oking at the mail, bending over her quilt frame quilting, or rocking and reading in the living room. It wasn't uncommon for her to also be on the phone in any of those given situations! =) I always remember her being thrilled to see me. She loved people stopping by. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaqxuM3Du8IBNn8UrjImjC8mEOINzIuwPoNUfSp3U4Y2IIE236S7kp35BTOdV0xTE1B7JG8ZLTWLlPUT_9YjsSZ8t14_VJGVFf0XeHx_qdyyRFCArFF3KJxKJS2vNyRYQo0-Rioxg8QY07zGfE-VXOAk99pc5CzGJ2_VEf0r3HAsBNCgYkvlsXQc/s1280/IMG_0354.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYaqxuM3Du8IBNn8UrjImjC8mEOINzIuwPoNUfSp3U4Y2IIE236S7kp35BTOdV0xTE1B7JG8ZLTWLlPUT_9YjsSZ8t14_VJGVFf0XeHx_qdyyRFCArFF3KJxKJS2vNyRYQo0-Rioxg8QY07zGfE-VXOAk99pc5CzGJ2_VEf0r3HAsBNCgYkvlsXQc/w480-h640/IMG_0354.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><i>(Grandma and Axton, Thanksgiving 2019)</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4BHxUw6-1B6jI-eKTWcL2iHqJLTgCqSaEZruGatJi0SFZn-TnUrsHYxLtBJsp6aAOwWm0hO8CQTs9qmkT0cFtPt7nmzWBpJuD_NraPvuuKaErzbiCuKKRPeWpji7lGFNxGKbpNVggiTqn0HL-uVDudA1r_S4T4NUApYhUz5vHuOkZeHdjBC3hTU/s3167/IMG_2663.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3167" data-original-width="2431" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc4BHxUw6-1B6jI-eKTWcL2iHqJLTgCqSaEZruGatJi0SFZn-TnUrsHYxLtBJsp6aAOwWm0hO8CQTs9qmkT0cFtPt7nmzWBpJuD_NraPvuuKaErzbiCuKKRPeWpji7lGFNxGKbpNVggiTqn0HL-uVDudA1r_S4T4NUApYhUz5vHuOkZeHdjBC3hTU/w492-h640/IMG_2663.jpg" width="492" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><i>(spring 2022)</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><i><br /></i></span></div><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">A few years before I got married grandma finally told me, “I just wonder, Chelsy, do you think you might be too picky?” I'll never forget that conversation and it still makes me laugh because I could tell she had been wanting to ask me for a while and finally just couldn't resist. </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I assured her I wasn't too picky and that I just hadn't found anyone I really liked yet. =) I think my exact words were something like, "All the guys I know are great but there are none that really stand out to me, and you don't think I should marry one just for the sake of getting married, do you?" Grandma: "well noooo....but just make sure you aren't too picky!" =) I knew she always was hopeful for a good guy for me. When John visited the first time, I asked her if I could bring him up to meet her. She was VERY excited: "Of course, you bring him right up! I'm home!!" =) We sat at her kitchen table and ate pie and he told her her pumpkin pie was the best he’d ever had. As we left I remember thinking, “well if this doesn’t work out I think the person with the main broken heart is going to be grandma.” She was a big fan of him from day one. :) </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVvrh4IEo7ZEU4jz1MW0OG_Irus-JFV_VuwNmg8aaUlF4DgzRINhuDJavbUPgt0VjgbsAR4yhsUo2uRMSg4-91L-hM7FboomKVsoEaJph6f29qJJBosx2zqczP0ipALdJQn1n9uH3fJuaoIcvrdCtr4F8BVEJgizFqmDkQ_G6yExzbdD6Oz9ZGdI/s2998/IMG_2638.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2998" data-original-width="2713" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbVvrh4IEo7ZEU4jz1MW0OG_Irus-JFV_VuwNmg8aaUlF4DgzRINhuDJavbUPgt0VjgbsAR4yhsUo2uRMSg4-91L-hM7FboomKVsoEaJph6f29qJJBosx2zqczP0ipALdJQn1n9uH3fJuaoIcvrdCtr4F8BVEJgizFqmDkQ_G6yExzbdD6Oz9ZGdI/w580-h640/IMG_2638.jpg" width="580" /></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>(Grandma reading to the boys at our house, spring 2022)</i></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Grandma visited us twice here in Kansas, after I was married. Those visits were huge honors to me, as I knew she specifically wanted to come to my house. I felt so special to be included in her travels! I remember her making a comment about me keeping a nice house, and that was one of the highest compliments I could've gotten from her, as housekeeping is a BIG DEAL to Amish/Mennonites, and I knew she did not give out that compliment to just anyone. I may not be Mennonite anymore but I sure do love those homemaking traits I've learned from my heritage! </span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">During her last visit, we had talked a lot about the hospital where Grandma worked the year after her and grandpa were married. That same hospital happened to be the same one where Axton and Madeline were born, and where we lived the summer that Madeline was in the NICU. We were all curious as to how much had changed since Grandma's days of working there. Grandma didn't have time to go during that visit, but John and I told her that next time she came, we wanted to take her down there to drive around and see what all was the same or different from almost 70 years ago. We didn't know then that there wouldn't be a next time.</span></span></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: ".Apple Color Emoji UI"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-SNzZ9z1OLr5jRU8k7oW_inAGtZOV4GNhqKyeSfkbTdDs8_xeO03Pq0zwaGio4ncvZG4HeySdvGrFCYiLCkp4vgumnv0kqzoUbZv8vlz1wAaqTpHWkNtsR4czE73z5mhw5TJZ59Xx8PTBlbgzCILyiZIMNMc5RiPcrNSaQRqKeIEpJizxm6OwP8/s1280/IMG_0651.JPG" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO-SNzZ9z1OLr5jRU8k7oW_inAGtZOV4GNhqKyeSfkbTdDs8_xeO03Pq0zwaGio4ncvZG4HeySdvGrFCYiLCkp4vgumnv0kqzoUbZv8vlz1wAaqTpHWkNtsR4czE73z5mhw5TJZ59Xx8PTBlbgzCILyiZIMNMc5RiPcrNSaQRqKeIEpJizxm6OwP8/w640-h480/IMG_0651.JPG" width="640" /></a></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>(This picture was taken the year Axton was born. </i></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>I don't remember the exact occasion but a number of us gals were having a meal at Grandmas)</i></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"> I ate more food in Grandma's house than I could ever recount, and every single bite was ALWAYS delicious. When I was single, there were many times that I would swing by Grandmas house to pick something up, or drop something off, or do a project for her. I would often ask for a piece of bread. There literally was never a time I ever went to Grandmas that she did not have bread available! She was the QUEEN of homemade bread. It was a bit of a staple in her house! I remember standing by the counter slathering my bread with either butter or amish peanut butter while we chatted about anything and everything.</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I got my love of cooking and food from my grandma. Up until last summer, when she decided to stop, she worked as a cook/host for the Kalona Historical Society making and serving "Amish dinners" to the tour groups that came through my family's home town. She served over 75,000 people in the years that she was a cook for the society. From the time I was an early teenager, until I got married, I worked for her serving and helping with many of those dinners. And for several years before that, I would babysit my aunt's kids while they helped serve. So I literally grew up around those tour groups and all that delicious food. I LOVED working for grandma. Being in her kitchen, involved in the hustle and bustle of big roasters and pots and pans full of steaming delicious food, is one of my fondest memories. And even though I'm actually an introvert, still, I'm a Bontrager, which means I do love people in a big way! I loved meeting thousands of people from all over the country <i>(and the world!)</i> and being a tiny part in their experience of a good home cooked meal. It was also a great opportunity to spend lots of time with grandma, and my aunts and cousins who worked for her as well.</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxLIWBc-bC432GOf9B8KFuv0XoRypMmpMSPTO_w5k0CHu5ONBv42vL1_QuS2olXqRzTBGLfVrzTWo62fDkMPPlPXfT60J-ZXuEZEVN6PUNBQlQ8NCWPV2Csk3f6m7d6_81egb3x6dF4D4LBdJeLSZsHoI6dmZOshEWIIFQnuP8dTOKQoHQY0Tpp8/s1632/IMG_1709.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1632" data-original-width="1224" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxLIWBc-bC432GOf9B8KFuv0XoRypMmpMSPTO_w5k0CHu5ONBv42vL1_QuS2olXqRzTBGLfVrzTWo62fDkMPPlPXfT60J-ZXuEZEVN6PUNBQlQ8NCWPV2Csk3f6m7d6_81egb3x6dF4D4LBdJeLSZsHoI6dmZOshEWIIFQnuP8dTOKQoHQY0Tpp8/w480-h640/IMG_1709.JPG" width="480" /></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><i>(we had pie buffets like this at every big family holiday dinner) </i></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I'll never forget the first time I cut the bread for a tour group dinner. Slicing the bread was a bit of a rite of passage and one that Grandma never handed off to someone too young. But my aunts said I was old enough so slice the bread and Grandma was busy with something else so I got the green light to try my hand at it. I remember Grandma inspecting it after I was done: "Pretty good. Maybe a bit on the thin side, but pretty good." =) There was a PERFECT size for bread slicing. =) I felt proud that I got "close" on my first try!!</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I am not half the cook that grandma was and my pie still leaves MUCH to be desired, but if anything I cook is good, than I guess I can say I came by the skill honestly and that I had a very good teacher!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="s1"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYeJPCZf7JFWSUo5Uf3cWYK1xEvCzpQ4YNhJ_9kA8pJFNTIYN7hyGcvZdv2DWN96ljP0w78QGGJWrVEFIfXFpU-W65N2-71c1yolDVq6Gd6nsge2Xae-qvigzr8SURgb3CsRHRftSpQR0y2YnJep8uso5VybLU3owjKNNm9AS8bCJMgXVS0v31uU/s3088/IMG_6608.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihYeJPCZf7JFWSUo5Uf3cWYK1xEvCzpQ4YNhJ_9kA8pJFNTIYN7hyGcvZdv2DWN96ljP0w78QGGJWrVEFIfXFpU-W65N2-71c1yolDVq6Gd6nsge2Xae-qvigzr8SURgb3CsRHRftSpQR0y2YnJep8uso5VybLU3owjKNNm9AS8bCJMgXVS0v31uU/w480-h640/IMG_6608.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><i>(July 2022)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: left;">This is the last picture I have with my kids and Grandma. <i>(we saw her multiple times last fall but for some reason I didn't get any pictures with her those times)</i> I had taken the kids back to Iowa for a fast visit to surprise my brother for his 30th birthday, last summer, and we stopped in to spend a little time with Grandma while we were there. I wasn't the best at getting pictures with her but I will always cherish the ones I have! You can see by the boys grins just how much they loved her!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_S2CbZwikQ1R_y-CKwtkDRNJG7V31b8cFuLmCLXxop-QT1mLAW_rVM93WXETLx2ybW_hbr68clkG_4xklaRGBNp2kSWd_L-hyS9RsGGcCm5CPR5zmDAHrfifp8BbfcJR6-6VWd8Ab7fM__q9Hn2Y4ZJ0lNrijoB9JYtEIYJRWuq2zrjm_BTyIZw/s3264/IMG_6528.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK_S2CbZwikQ1R_y-CKwtkDRNJG7V31b8cFuLmCLXxop-QT1mLAW_rVM93WXETLx2ybW_hbr68clkG_4xklaRGBNp2kSWd_L-hyS9RsGGcCm5CPR5zmDAHrfifp8BbfcJR6-6VWd8Ab7fM__q9Hn2Y4ZJ0lNrijoB9JYtEIYJRWuq2zrjm_BTyIZw/w480-h640/IMG_6528.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><i>(grandma and Axton, summer 2019)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: left;"><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">I'll end this post with a few of my favorite things that Grandma told me at different times, over the years:</span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The first was that she told me often how much she appreciated that I took time to spend with her. I learned a lot from grandma about the value of building relationships through quality time. She told me over and over again how much she loved that I spent time with her. I always told her, "Grandma, of course I want to spend time with you!!" It really meant the world to her when her children and grandchildren included her in things. My parents did an excellent job of involving her in so much of our family's lives, that it felt second nature to me to do the same thing even after I was married and had moved away. I loved being with her! </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">The second thing she told me more than once was, “Chelsy, you really got blessed with a very nice husband." =) <i>(I agreed!) </i>John loved her too and always made sure we had time in our Iowa visits to be with grandma. I know part of the reason my kids loved her so much was because they got to know her through visits and had relationships with her as well! </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><br /></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span class="s1" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Third, and most importantly, </span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;">Grandmas parting words to me on the phone, that last Sunday morning, were these: “Living for Jesus is the only thing that matters in this life. I love you." I'll never forget sitting on the floor around grandma at her 80th birthday and hearing her share her personal salvation testimony with all her grandchildren. Jesus was the most important thing to her. Witnessing her love and commitment to Him during her life, and her joy and peace on her deathbed, was truly incredible. </span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScwKBCanjLITF9Dcq8agetC-0LztiSTtVD2O1sLuQOuCVRYZ3ueUDFWqAesLPIddbmG80JDgenkC6Ydrg52-tbMRgdEB-_aR8mmfYFPODbfawR3uLML2ugxD_rLxjvJvznUhUMR8NvoR96aqeFzHjsSbNH-vsAG4ESc5ecGxo3ZirG6rT1FGlUuI/s3679/D9B6C2C0-44D2-45D1-98FE-9162F86BB191.jpeg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3679" data-original-width="2544" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhScwKBCanjLITF9Dcq8agetC-0LztiSTtVD2O1sLuQOuCVRYZ3ueUDFWqAesLPIddbmG80JDgenkC6Ydrg52-tbMRgdEB-_aR8mmfYFPODbfawR3uLML2ugxD_rLxjvJvznUhUMR8NvoR96aqeFzHjsSbNH-vsAG4ESc5ecGxo3ZirG6rT1FGlUuI/w442-h640/D9B6C2C0-44D2-45D1-98FE-9162F86BB191.jpeg" width="442" /></a></span></p><p class="p1" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: -webkit-standard; font-size: 17px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">Grandma's obituary</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGQUdU5vx0-yl75g2ZkumamwZyVEUNEwQSx9WYJ8LGDaBZWyf1rjm0NPEz_JE5rGZ0skb0zYx40iI9PQe5aVjNCjyJ78_hHaCl_yIRz5vmEMgqkww4uVgTGF4vaU_l_7-NURJJ3lsQXbQJzi-LpMErdKOdGrM3xMV0h46olI_s2AIQEmTzI0JDCE/s4032/D42314E7-0AB2-466A-9826-D487BF4F10A5.jpeg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGQUdU5vx0-yl75g2ZkumamwZyVEUNEwQSx9WYJ8LGDaBZWyf1rjm0NPEz_JE5rGZ0skb0zYx40iI9PQe5aVjNCjyJ78_hHaCl_yIRz5vmEMgqkww4uVgTGF4vaU_l_7-NURJJ3lsQXbQJzi-LpMErdKOdGrM3xMV0h46olI_s2AIQEmTzI0JDCE/w640-h480/D42314E7-0AB2-466A-9826-D487BF4F10A5.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YmXaWzgl0MRDPfos-MZa7yMIILz_eZMsOfQNzs_jjfREM9qBF8ZvYMthQsNzB_a06mG2nozfnyZCJT9p9a_0c1VmaZ34ZVofhj2fUhI2SmlGsVTZ4xnvXAhDmJ3zTA_iNneIfyokKQqwZ4vumrPfSoaNAi0rNbcetO86OiWLYhPvZ2zkuJME1dk/s3264/IMG_9218.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4YmXaWzgl0MRDPfos-MZa7yMIILz_eZMsOfQNzs_jjfREM9qBF8ZvYMthQsNzB_a06mG2nozfnyZCJT9p9a_0c1VmaZ34ZVofhj2fUhI2SmlGsVTZ4xnvXAhDmJ3zTA_iNneIfyokKQqwZ4vumrPfSoaNAi0rNbcetO86OiWLYhPvZ2zkuJME1dk/w480-h640/IMG_9218.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><i>(summer 2018)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 17px; text-align: left;">What a legacy. What a testimony. Her influence on my life is so great and manifests itself in so many ways. Hardly a day goes by that I do not think of her or see something that reminds me of the hole she leaves. </span>She was such a godly lady. Such a strong woman of faith in Jesus. Such a prayer warrior. Yes, she was human and flawed, like all of us. But she loved us and we loved her. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;">And there will never be another person quite like her, to me. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;">I have a lifetime of memories made with Grandma. Holidays, reunions, road trips, meals, events, work, games, talk, and more food....this post doesn't even scratch the surface of all the sweet stories I could tell and the memories I could recount. The longer I write, the more I think of to tell, and the more I am grateful to have such a treasure trove of memories! They are truly the greatest gift she could've had given me, and she did!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7w9sOW4AgaukJE731Zux8dxFOAoxi4anSivs_B7tcjOLsM_i4C7sYvI-BlwtjZIVaJYOl850cK9a4Hct4rzgtS8xu6X_mHGvT-b_YurfaOgr60U55SRVghsaN87atAIJZ-j3RZCbFolbVCdKVejkPFns2dr0BJiDU6oKoe2g3ubAh2SVxcyCo5co/s4032/IMG_4942.jpg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7w9sOW4AgaukJE731Zux8dxFOAoxi4anSivs_B7tcjOLsM_i4C7sYvI-BlwtjZIVaJYOl850cK9a4Hct4rzgtS8xu6X_mHGvT-b_YurfaOgr60U55SRVghsaN87atAIJZ-j3RZCbFolbVCdKVejkPFns2dr0BJiDU6oKoe2g3ubAh2SVxcyCo5co/w480-h640/IMG_4942.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>"What will it be like when my pain is gone</i></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And all the worries of this world just fade away?</span></div><span jsname="YS01Ge"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">What will it be like when You call my name</span></div></span><span jsname="YS01Ge"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">And that moment when I see You face to face?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm waiting my whole life to hear You say</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well done, well done </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">My good and faithful one</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to the place where you belong</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Well done, well done </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">My beloved child</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">You have run the race and now you're home</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Welcome to the place where you belong</span></div></span></i></span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; margin-bottom: 12px; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span jsname="YS01Ge" style="font-family: inherit;">What will it be like when tears are washed away</span></i></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>And every broken thing will finally be made whole?</i></span></div><span jsname="YS01Ge"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>What will it be like when I come into Your glory</i></span></div></span><span jsname="YS01Ge"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Standing in the presence of a love so beautiful?"</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>-the Afters</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">*This song was sung by an accapella group at my grandmas funeral. It was so beautiful.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::</span></div></span></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;">I love you, Grandma. So so much. I'll see you again!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;">Love,</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; text-align: center;"> Chelsy </div></span>ChelsyReneehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03847869006579825787noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-78506286070947958792022-11-13T22:00:00.000-05:002022-11-13T23:39:50.447-05:00Sarah & Kory's Wedding & Weekend Celebrations Recap<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgef_np8wOfbFdG0utsfQU5SxWPPeqBjubp__UFx2NBw15g5dXrz_SxPrJMf871d2CMah4B3MtGxVzhxotW6qML_zydVJe8JH7SR_MjoqMgibWcQhKDDILiYB4v1UhSHszxViZFaAxMOf4aL6E9yC2zf8aojlCMUrwFyVm7gN4KGkQuo_BvvabgoekPsA/s5703/1255_0657.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5703" data-original-width="3787" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgef_np8wOfbFdG0utsfQU5SxWPPeqBjubp__UFx2NBw15g5dXrz_SxPrJMf871d2CMah4B3MtGxVzhxotW6qML_zydVJe8JH7SR_MjoqMgibWcQhKDDILiYB4v1UhSHszxViZFaAxMOf4aL6E9yC2zf8aojlCMUrwFyVm7gN4KGkQuo_BvvabgoekPsA/w424-h640/1255_0657.jpg" width="424" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've said it before, I'll say it again...family weddings are just so fun and sweet, and my sis in law Sarah's was no exception! It was the perfect weather for Kansas for August-literally a dream day of not too hot, not too cold. All of our extended family <i>(Maxwells) </i>were there along with a lovely crowd of family and friends. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sarah and Kory met online earlier in the year and they are perfect for each other. We were all so happy for them both!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Speaking of meeting online, and since I'm writing this post anyways, let me give my single readers my unsolicited opinion here on online dating. =) That is this: God uses MANY different avenues to bring people together! The "husband delivered to your doorstep all wrapped up in a silver bow" concept that many people adhere to is neither biblical nor is it real life. =) It is so important to follow what God has for you individually and be willing to be brave in that no matter what the avenue may be! I'm super proud of Sarah for stepping out of her comfort zone and be open to meeting someone online! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvL9-PMqO-1wWnh9mAlV2_Qjz7aqNH5g38jh1zl5DIu9EsMptD-urLL28NaPXlyluMicD-rOgc5EtLUPI1NL2cSFzpU-A6FLeJNEtX-pIIaezTh8PFzn-gS8l6NzDbUk01hijxMBUcsUm3N2CFidbmm4KINHjWb76pNpzSTYfXOlUZw9XZpgTmokF9w/s4032/C1408DFA-43E5-4EC1-A4B6-D93C37AA4476.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOvL9-PMqO-1wWnh9mAlV2_Qjz7aqNH5g38jh1zl5DIu9EsMptD-urLL28NaPXlyluMicD-rOgc5EtLUPI1NL2cSFzpU-A6FLeJNEtX-pIIaezTh8PFzn-gS8l6NzDbUk01hijxMBUcsUm3N2CFidbmm4KINHjWb76pNpzSTYfXOlUZw9XZpgTmokF9w/w640-h480/C1408DFA-43E5-4EC1-A4B6-D93C37AA4476.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Things kicked off with the bachelorette party on Thursday night. The bride & bridesmaids all went and got our nails done and then stayed at the cutest little vrbo that I had found! We consumed large amounts of pizza and snacks and coffee and had the best time. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyG0ulb8aI7dlnfmuvKOWEHT2DuBk-HFGA2-0fpnbScCNymspPQVyWBDCQXo00eoqOyHd0cZjqPgAXB4-CrQE25dgvtHw2IAQCn49k6BumouNknPCmtYisQlg4tr4YBG8FTqImMbBYNICwKi0P_CFBCKrJBrI3Ro3pr7CtwUmFiCGhjvecbhd8BGNh5g/s3088/30C1C1D1-75D8-40F3-9C16-92FC2DFAA342.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyG0ulb8aI7dlnfmuvKOWEHT2DuBk-HFGA2-0fpnbScCNymspPQVyWBDCQXo00eoqOyHd0cZjqPgAXB4-CrQE25dgvtHw2IAQCn49k6BumouNknPCmtYisQlg4tr4YBG8FTqImMbBYNICwKi0P_CFBCKrJBrI3Ro3pr7CtwUmFiCGhjvecbhd8BGNh5g/w480-h640/30C1C1D1-75D8-40F3-9C16-92FC2DFAA342.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Believe it or not it was my first time getting my nails done at a salon. <i>(remember, my roots are farmer girl. Nails are just not my top priority typically!)</i> It was a fun experience though and I enjoyed it!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3FdGY6d75QdE9ueX6Wtc9s9ivFPhbM6juuwqsrzt-lcvxC_Zgycdk-soYOywY4ES5r7RB7Pxr_0ndNBOPjI5uCTs0C08Zmy1pyLESGgZ6KtDGb1pJFJQhxBZwtWhw68Aje_2JsqHIcbJu3PJuhebQ2qED0VnaK85jI8h0x8E-YwlUW2kKXOj9C-uLw/s6048/1255_0061.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4024" data-original-width="6048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi3FdGY6d75QdE9ueX6Wtc9s9ivFPhbM6juuwqsrzt-lcvxC_Zgycdk-soYOywY4ES5r7RB7Pxr_0ndNBOPjI5uCTs0C08Zmy1pyLESGgZ6KtDGb1pJFJQhxBZwtWhw68Aje_2JsqHIcbJu3PJuhebQ2qED0VnaK85jI8h0x8E-YwlUW2kKXOj9C-uLw/w640-h426/1255_0061.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Getting ready, wedding morning!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNfnYrv-UpKu8Ml-AA0WZxhazZzAG7UHzuWzDc6W4iRAvpZWuKmCi7ibtiudAg_6wwu5C950ppk2sHBMoPAno8eCImgOHRiV629DpfX3oDHKv6mghvf7CqpjFfilItn0IkmFycu3FLTbThsS3r4Yk4Zq1OcTKu2D9TvQmIAcGRK8B7UECG-wcVUOCCw/s4735/1255_0315.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3518" data-original-width="4735" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMNfnYrv-UpKu8Ml-AA0WZxhazZzAG7UHzuWzDc6W4iRAvpZWuKmCi7ibtiudAg_6wwu5C950ppk2sHBMoPAno8eCImgOHRiV629DpfX3oDHKv6mghvf7CqpjFfilItn0IkmFycu3FLTbThsS3r4Yk4Zq1OcTKu2D9TvQmIAcGRK8B7UECG-wcVUOCCw/w640-h476/1255_0315.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The bridal party</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*The wedding photographer was <a href="https://proofing.silverdoves.com/about.html" target="_blank"><b><i><span style="color: black;">Brittany Tarchala of Silverdoves Photography</span></i></b></a>, and she did an incredible job! She kept everything moving right along on schedule and did fabulous working with the bridal party and the huge families on both sides! The pictures she got are beautiful! <i>(all of the professional wedding pictures in this post are courtesy of her.) </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAKadSEJ5Ujpfx_YIkiTeBoJ3a4IvwhMnXPGRYaBe7fxFB_yhRVwyW27sMH6mCPv6eaek7UWS8RfKxp0rzxUwHyYngCHKxyi-0P0UxcibRoGV7pkD8oubWx4B0cbe5lc3Kj7Gx9lILRyRk1tBCbFJ8JZlDvMYlZyxwM7HnIWgavVEnD6tSwckQz-33A/s6048/1255_0296.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4024" data-original-width="6048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAKadSEJ5Ujpfx_YIkiTeBoJ3a4IvwhMnXPGRYaBe7fxFB_yhRVwyW27sMH6mCPv6eaek7UWS8RfKxp0rzxUwHyYngCHKxyi-0P0UxcibRoGV7pkD8oubWx4B0cbe5lc3Kj7Gx9lILRyRk1tBCbFJ8JZlDvMYlZyxwM7HnIWgavVEnD6tSwckQz-33A/w640-h426/1255_0296.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sarah picked <a href="https://www.azazie.com/products/azazie-hadley-modest-bridesmaid-dresses?color=neptune&from=search" target="_blank"><b><i>this beautiful Azazie Hadley dress in Amethyst</i></b></a> for the bridesmaids, and we all got to pick our own shoes. <i>(I ended up getting <a href="https://amzn.to/3fXPSJj" target="_blank"><b>these sandals</b></a> which were comfy, cheap, a little sparkly, but also practical for wearing again)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6eXjESrbBeEXt2XZq47428alsBfNvV3xgMxHKANEdrfuHn3uZJw75Pf9W649XbhsMqqM4eh_3sGZytl_labM44D4NzwZOAEQ4-wWAlJLYwP1XJyL_3ajX4fwqDug4PySuOGL9S0feGyV0UXvvo_w_NkoQK2x9NUl1d611LAHpGc3ayXTsn58ToIctQ/s5454/1255_0256.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3641" data-original-width="5454" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6eXjESrbBeEXt2XZq47428alsBfNvV3xgMxHKANEdrfuHn3uZJw75Pf9W649XbhsMqqM4eh_3sGZytl_labM44D4NzwZOAEQ4-wWAlJLYwP1XJyL_3ajX4fwqDug4PySuOGL9S0feGyV0UXvvo_w_NkoQK2x9NUl1d611LAHpGc3ayXTsn58ToIctQ/w640-h428/1255_0256.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzRoH6xUbe9GpP25rg8M9wLybjj_yvNeZprtZ3I0DolEH-Sm1bKINYvsB5iECcN_bDz6rkbAxuDwZRYUSAHt389rig7ke5gClm0l640ppLHQ-y7tO85oQRfewb00TpfXmilARuZ_p1V0vtuPNOSytgVe4lq13gzVV5MKOh_e5MTPe4LbqM_7cpfDJrg/s1440/2D9FC434-441E-4098-A98C-D0AB0671C0A8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUzRoH6xUbe9GpP25rg8M9wLybjj_yvNeZprtZ3I0DolEH-Sm1bKINYvsB5iECcN_bDz6rkbAxuDwZRYUSAHt389rig7ke5gClm0l640ppLHQ-y7tO85oQRfewb00TpfXmilARuZ_p1V0vtuPNOSytgVe4lq13gzVV5MKOh_e5MTPe4LbqM_7cpfDJrg/w640-h640/2D9FC434-441E-4098-A98C-D0AB0671C0A8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>Got a quick shot of our little family!<div>The boys shirts were their Carters brand Easter shirts from earlier this year, that I bought last year on Kohls clearance for them. I got their <a href="https://www.childrensplace.com/us/p/Baby-And-Toddler-Boys-Uniform-Woven-Stretch-Chino-Shorts-3030445-798" target="_blank"><b><i>matching shorts</i></b></a> from Children's Place at the beginning of the summer. <i>(they are on major clearance now!)</i> Elliot is wearing thrifted Sperry's that Axton used to wear, and Axton is wearing thrifted Converse. Madeline's dress is Old Navy brand, thrifted, and her hair bow is from <a href="https://amzn.to/3tsnvG4" target="_blank"><b><i>this set</i></b></a> that she wears all the time! It was really fun to put their outfits together with stuff that I already had on hand. It doesn't always work that way but it is fun when it does. =)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivt-n7VeB1fC-hnOJ7RRtLOgK412VcMNPvfD0RU5EsCLdlq1NTz0TZXcwSdcsu2AhCT7bNLY9e7OHWwG3me76F-ovWUqtNcNlwBJm6ZWwoi7tFxcfRuBLxIP8eQWn1DVAhpvt81UHhjSR_ATMMC6qolULwUSeV6lS2542RMwirt-cvWZ1beBmtvvOEkA/s4032/7BE9A6B3-B44A-4CC0-A7FB-9173DC358CD7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivt-n7VeB1fC-hnOJ7RRtLOgK412VcMNPvfD0RU5EsCLdlq1NTz0TZXcwSdcsu2AhCT7bNLY9e7OHWwG3me76F-ovWUqtNcNlwBJm6ZWwoi7tFxcfRuBLxIP8eQWn1DVAhpvt81UHhjSR_ATMMC6qolULwUSeV6lS2542RMwirt-cvWZ1beBmtvvOEkA/w640-h480/7BE9A6B3-B44A-4CC0-A7FB-9173DC358CD7.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When I see this picture I think "wow we have a lot of babies." =) </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ay2BvgJUY2ofoc3MhTzZEK7jF43HXts8qbtGSADSJMfK27FZvrxk7zLP15i1Yjs8KI-f3kGgpXqqKKjqv-AioAVjBjJw755C-VWRJG9i4H2cUnkwPwvMY__o-IIzvqNe1QUNfsKiRVHl-0rxPJ_fHnV_Cc2YYWQAaQtz0dnlaE4MtWvRj0CZXu5-dA/s5082/1255_0474.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5082" data-original-width="3773" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ay2BvgJUY2ofoc3MhTzZEK7jF43HXts8qbtGSADSJMfK27FZvrxk7zLP15i1Yjs8KI-f3kGgpXqqKKjqv-AioAVjBjJw755C-VWRJG9i4H2cUnkwPwvMY__o-IIzvqNe1QUNfsKiRVHl-0rxPJ_fHnV_Cc2YYWQAaQtz0dnlaE4MtWvRj0CZXu5-dA/w476-h640/1255_0474.jpg" width="476" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This part of the ceremony was pretty cute. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also cute was Axton's reaction when I walked in. He reached out into the aisle and said "mama!!" </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Melted my heart!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iR8I0-131SvLtxHPXH7C6BtMges1pXKiNqxd4wYoINXB-ccFbRPnCzZdI9hXMcrm7Bwpybmio0NhAq-_5xGbd9NcQUdAPk1fo9yiBI3kyTF2c3agIP7ur_v91xaBp9Q7ypOQA98d4wfFffzuLUeO2H603c6fiWPuDL55_C-6MaB3-9UOSfkY0l7HxA/s2049/8C6F307E-7A5B-45AB-9605-1D02B47791BE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4iR8I0-131SvLtxHPXH7C6BtMges1pXKiNqxd4wYoINXB-ccFbRPnCzZdI9hXMcrm7Bwpybmio0NhAq-_5xGbd9NcQUdAPk1fo9yiBI3kyTF2c3agIP7ur_v91xaBp9Q7ypOQA98d4wfFffzuLUeO2H603c6fiWPuDL55_C-6MaB3-9UOSfkY0l7HxA/w640-h480/8C6F307E-7A5B-45AB-9605-1D02B47791BE.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMJt7CGLfk2KbkNDqDqxBP6mV2x3blwm7ceoWl7VFk9AeDjlOAmiA_63ocIgZadw6m5U3HNwzOPrRvbUIqrVlXxPJ50RpT-AAOmMYdv5VPSuj3N6KPPgKM0-SsEce-oMdip51_o-JL7drVgSrWQ0ymdwesL9ePgcE0ej0ixjfuXLV3SdTGnJB03XH2w/s1440/8D5B8BA9-330B-4736-87CC-FC20735F68D8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtMJt7CGLfk2KbkNDqDqxBP6mV2x3blwm7ceoWl7VFk9AeDjlOAmiA_63ocIgZadw6m5U3HNwzOPrRvbUIqrVlXxPJ50RpT-AAOmMYdv5VPSuj3N6KPPgKM0-SsEce-oMdip51_o-JL7drVgSrWQ0ymdwesL9ePgcE0ej0ixjfuXLV3SdTGnJB03XH2w/w640-h640/8D5B8BA9-330B-4736-87CC-FC20735F68D8.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All the Maxwell grandkids with Sarah and Kory!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34DVMawGjTAdv1ezK5GZ0h8ShLP6vt1TClOmQsAg_I74gl4iXeRcnNHq3PxyJP0dG0GlJZiPsqoFm_9bCTlRrypR8QI7yFn1SQljCECsDIFdcJHzr2-FMRXRjn20RSrqhO_2u_5gtuZBVE_kdg7bd_4wJy8HqpW5bFMNPg2tP5Faq4dtsLTDRIcCg9g/s5781/1255_0410.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3972" data-original-width="5781" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi34DVMawGjTAdv1ezK5GZ0h8ShLP6vt1TClOmQsAg_I74gl4iXeRcnNHq3PxyJP0dG0GlJZiPsqoFm_9bCTlRrypR8QI7yFn1SQljCECsDIFdcJHzr2-FMRXRjn20RSrqhO_2u_5gtuZBVE_kdg7bd_4wJy8HqpW5bFMNPg2tP5Faq4dtsLTDRIcCg9g/w640-h440/1255_0410.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love this sibling shot!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARP4jjj2CEerw3tjcWdjQGLDy83CqfIkoZ6bhPhH0ZaGn_MkaHv8GggcxxI1qGyM4-VcjEBhu5dzTixpUTkxGc-tfL2Zv_W-ZGIF9QRRj7aH5xG02_Kkrr9Lru691Upj95g67kOqyAHRTy6Y2RmV6ZqOKOFQyc8GA3fNIz891H0nO5XT_ZqKunOVn9g/s3088/057E856D-9071-40D7-B04C-E720F45D7FD3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjARP4jjj2CEerw3tjcWdjQGLDy83CqfIkoZ6bhPhH0ZaGn_MkaHv8GggcxxI1qGyM4-VcjEBhu5dzTixpUTkxGc-tfL2Zv_W-ZGIF9QRRj7aH5xG02_Kkrr9Lru691Upj95g67kOqyAHRTy6Y2RmV6ZqOKOFQyc8GA3fNIz891H0nO5XT_ZqKunOVn9g/w480-h640/057E856D-9071-40D7-B04C-E720F45D7FD3.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My mini me!! We keep hearing more and more that she looks like me. I was so sure she was going to be John's little look alike and I still think she looks more like his and Axton's baby pictures, but maybe she will be the kid that looks like the perfect mix, haha! <i>(Axton looks so much like John and Elliot so much like me)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJf5MI3Se7GnS-q2lmIwOqoxvkFTooVG7dEnFJ1SJ3ekkrJFPV0MwchUcbgEtT3VVb9FiuWYKbfpgsU7MJXjEyWTsEgO7ZIMEY58CCucCw84EKAqkqMVZwMlWtsxTv3S-rTEwEnxEf8YpQc-z0AYLZK4IH3kzNEHCxys0AwgMtG83SrWh4MNPcp66QQ/s5832/1255_0615.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3880" data-original-width="5832" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJf5MI3Se7GnS-q2lmIwOqoxvkFTooVG7dEnFJ1SJ3ekkrJFPV0MwchUcbgEtT3VVb9FiuWYKbfpgsU7MJXjEyWTsEgO7ZIMEY58CCucCw84EKAqkqMVZwMlWtsxTv3S-rTEwEnxEf8YpQc-z0AYLZK4IH3kzNEHCxys0AwgMtG83SrWh4MNPcp66QQ/w640-h426/1255_0615.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The dessert reception was lovely! The ladies from Sarah's church went all out with the details and poured a ton of time, effort, and love into making everything so beautiful AND delicious!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pvnpX0zmJ3LWjf-hK_o3fUck_yPBMQgrYmIe6mmkPwcCDb3YOw_Aa7Out7F1UNbHcKfHa1RW4nQrz4nJOBMPsCsVChyR5m_LZ-CP0NyFqPGIq7RB7wqbI0Q3S5b_s-qH0Hez88w0Jjgl3a3IlY7DKzAFJrWyv5PD_ucS5VGV98I1rKYqXTMwZtm6Ng/s5503/1255_0607.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5503" data-original-width="3661" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0pvnpX0zmJ3LWjf-hK_o3fUck_yPBMQgrYmIe6mmkPwcCDb3YOw_Aa7Out7F1UNbHcKfHa1RW4nQrz4nJOBMPsCsVChyR5m_LZ-CP0NyFqPGIq7RB7wqbI0Q3S5b_s-qH0Hez88w0Jjgl3a3IlY7DKzAFJrWyv5PD_ucS5VGV98I1rKYqXTMwZtm6Ng/w426-h640/1255_0607.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKX-5hwU6JQbsMF6KWYlNfgwHh_PKcdUtt3I75F1Ze9jJrZwTwIY7W--ftAxBhEscsNbk_CqwRrUJuy6m69iIyUbcP7YMeNrcHunUxQDo2rYwPI0SfPsaiYmWXtsK7dFxOOObXdQMlfl6_2G620E0H6z_f50CDVLinlxTgNxOWXdubrLIPKBwFkTT00g/s4966/1255_0686.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3601" data-original-width="4966" height="464" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKX-5hwU6JQbsMF6KWYlNfgwHh_PKcdUtt3I75F1Ze9jJrZwTwIY7W--ftAxBhEscsNbk_CqwRrUJuy6m69iIyUbcP7YMeNrcHunUxQDo2rYwPI0SfPsaiYmWXtsK7dFxOOObXdQMlfl6_2G620E0H6z_f50CDVLinlxTgNxOWXdubrLIPKBwFkTT00g/w640-h464/1255_0686.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Elliot and Axton were all into this wedding. Axton kept saying, ahead of time, "after they get married, then we will call him UNCLE Kory!" =) </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4vAnFCzaDWCC5AH9OJe5JHEvMbkCIKuQofinKdg_5ZrxiP4119_6W3ysZQRzo_Ch8mKCF36hZJQoa6ghhqvJGykMSpaHb9cL4ZZfPAilnSAcaaYUPJuiTtRoKTlfohFP-Ea5Yf8Q34EdCXcHxw9icNSQ2KgvvaoUm_XCC3H9uNEAFJGJRLTKh2Rlrw/s5146/1255_0675.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3970" data-original-width="5146" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic4vAnFCzaDWCC5AH9OJe5JHEvMbkCIKuQofinKdg_5ZrxiP4119_6W3ysZQRzo_Ch8mKCF36hZJQoa6ghhqvJGykMSpaHb9cL4ZZfPAilnSAcaaYUPJuiTtRoKTlfohFP-Ea5Yf8Q34EdCXcHxw9icNSQ2KgvvaoUm_XCC3H9uNEAFJGJRLTKh2Rlrw/w640-h494/1255_0675.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">Some of you might remember me talking about <a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/2021/11/the-johnson-strings-in-branson-recap.html" target="_blank"><b><i>my friend Laura</i></b></a> who photographed John's and my wedding! Her and Sarah met at our wedding and have stayed in touch since. She gave Sarah lots of advice on navigating online dating, since Laura and her husband met online as well! It was so neat to see both couples together at the wedding!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8BztBY0LVO1tAYED79hQh3wzwV-Pm0WlVh7Gzots-JjpAxVzweXBZR6L0IJCJQGMyF-UMEDb68ws5VP98D1-lC1lRdqx7TIKLE34IGyBVAn9hqr22w9hdEDs_h-XmyEs_NWv4nAq0Qw-90I6hKgNaxTRBBRXl2OFpJ742wUDQ2DmsTFICD-vkKR-QA/s4032/57EC3553-0180-4446-958F-0BE958326B63.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8BztBY0LVO1tAYED79hQh3wzwV-Pm0WlVh7Gzots-JjpAxVzweXBZR6L0IJCJQGMyF-UMEDb68ws5VP98D1-lC1lRdqx7TIKLE34IGyBVAn9hqr22w9hdEDs_h-XmyEs_NWv4nAq0Qw-90I6hKgNaxTRBBRXl2OFpJ742wUDQ2DmsTFICD-vkKR-QA/w480-h640/57EC3553-0180-4446-958F-0BE958326B63.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our nieces were such a huge help with Madeline <i>(and the boys)</i> on wedding day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNP5EYy9ohCDE9VDc1lYC9Yv6IChjqyk-qKmPoizrkThJzQ-naQTtmJ6hZRCsML0aODbra_s9GmVfd8OtuLdV4bhXlMD8jz2rBVzhrfA2r-1o2R21lZiSWfcCSDdQvw_BybSTlU4QMR8OqsIzo75GzZ6T_jBZk2FC4lF2jHVxkpRSuOnhAKpDWPqr0w/s6048/1255_0755.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4024" data-original-width="6048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghNP5EYy9ohCDE9VDc1lYC9Yv6IChjqyk-qKmPoizrkThJzQ-naQTtmJ6hZRCsML0aODbra_s9GmVfd8OtuLdV4bhXlMD8jz2rBVzhrfA2r-1o2R21lZiSWfcCSDdQvw_BybSTlU4QMR8OqsIzo75GzZ6T_jBZk2FC4lF2jHVxkpRSuOnhAKpDWPqr0w/w640-h426/1255_0755.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Everyone let off the reception balloons for the sendoff!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0lFuxiV9ypaSanZ0uATK6ZRfd_oIEOM_T2lYjbZz1XAdZAleZsxsSU7o92qUAglCRiD5Jn_J1NbZtmjqZ2LMBKqzuiKwWgALXRG3CceJphTLJSaDR4cQs4EmMsSGBEZz2Ko4hcANKIK2peji4dBEZ2z07P5v_1XR69xaS5weyrl_3wB1yrdxvHAqTQ/s4032/A26526B2-E397-434A-B489-0250276A5678.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz0lFuxiV9ypaSanZ0uATK6ZRfd_oIEOM_T2lYjbZz1XAdZAleZsxsSU7o92qUAglCRiD5Jn_J1NbZtmjqZ2LMBKqzuiKwWgALXRG3CceJphTLJSaDR4cQs4EmMsSGBEZz2Ko4hcANKIK2peji4dBEZ2z07P5v_1XR69xaS5weyrl_3wB1yrdxvHAqTQ/w640-h480/A26526B2-E397-434A-B489-0250276A5678.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">That Saturday evening after the wedding, we invited out of town wedding family and friends to come over to our home to hang out. We ordered in pizza and had a very laid back, chill party unwinding and relaxing. It was a perfect time to connect with people over food and games! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDA2E2NdeJU1vogHOcG42iHR8NeSVOoL1bBHcZ6jqKbXcf4fSF2Ki7tQrI704WJaIx77p-z7OPjMeKTBqFDWxgALOmXJT_M80P_bEwWZgYLyT62L1bjiYZRVSSX9lewdJbeTYlH0zqr1cWAPFLBtVYIEv49yjh29QGDRo4TJUqbtvmmXq8a8fX5L-6w/s3308/05104E7F-FC57-4641-85B3-03E7EDA442E3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3308" data-original-width="2492" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDA2E2NdeJU1vogHOcG42iHR8NeSVOoL1bBHcZ6jqKbXcf4fSF2Ki7tQrI704WJaIx77p-z7OPjMeKTBqFDWxgALOmXJT_M80P_bEwWZgYLyT62L1bjiYZRVSSX9lewdJbeTYlH0zqr1cWAPFLBtVYIEv49yjh29QGDRo4TJUqbtvmmXq8a8fX5L-6w/w482-h640/05104E7F-FC57-4641-85B3-03E7EDA442E3.jpeg" width="482" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We also enjoyed a "wedding food leftovers" party at my in laws a few days after the wedding. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Here, Maddy loved hanging out with great aunt Tami!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRD9Nfo7IC_iPLJwEdC-FRskyyN63aeM7hv3OWs9ou-bGFO0I_lWxVIs9UfSpHRio3761t6ryCxRexvlGHWK53XmSeUsv249HPq6gna4XXBn1t5P9x_x-WY1G6o4ixQpHj0BNQxOwlHE2MJ15TiP70i0LC3NJD09-olqQc9k1IqvOBFiygm5mMvd3Zpw/s4032/6292589D-697B-4616-A786-FF852C760D78.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRD9Nfo7IC_iPLJwEdC-FRskyyN63aeM7hv3OWs9ou-bGFO0I_lWxVIs9UfSpHRio3761t6ryCxRexvlGHWK53XmSeUsv249HPq6gna4XXBn1t5P9x_x-WY1G6o4ixQpHj0BNQxOwlHE2MJ15TiP70i0LC3NJD09-olqQc9k1IqvOBFiygm5mMvd3Zpw/w480-h640/6292589D-697B-4616-A786-FF852C760D78.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">She also just loved the party time in general. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQJI2GI-UHocpmh9BEznfvlw04WdPAcQhbKSGfEvJUPW4VR8uEml9UCE2AsqnwlgtWg8yZBtpQMMnmAVp6jLv5qQto_Eofb9hUKqqzLrQXyrihXQEEPaWZZ_iUylgXe524bgAuDvORum5-0DQgbZFVqTROR-yggM7wPGzvIA6q3jctjHQsqqUwWsdLg/s4032/F61EB036-45FF-449A-BF4D-169CEADB2932.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEQJI2GI-UHocpmh9BEznfvlw04WdPAcQhbKSGfEvJUPW4VR8uEml9UCE2AsqnwlgtWg8yZBtpQMMnmAVp6jLv5qQto_Eofb9hUKqqzLrQXyrihXQEEPaWZZ_iUylgXe524bgAuDvORum5-0DQgbZFVqTROR-yggM7wPGzvIA6q3jctjHQsqqUwWsdLg/w640-h480/F61EB036-45FF-449A-BF4D-169CEADB2932.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was super special getting to host out of town friends who came for the wedding. Here we are <i>(some of us!)</i> headed to church Sunday morning!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgs7YzcRtRSuhgaLuoGPHsbp8mmOMfcG4v6xN4Q-_UxtVjZ-A-b4gS6ksRzTJ6SpiK-YcxNwvMtMPVzBdb1zRSSNw-PZ0jO0ohGGY6KHUUeOpzewim714Mt0VfYSYhdcs0LUX9Aw3yNV2OIt8S-Hu-WjWn3hYcHO8ZX-cH2cn4aXrIM70IODdtJyepw/s5505/1255_0309.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5505" data-original-width="3675" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFgs7YzcRtRSuhgaLuoGPHsbp8mmOMfcG4v6xN4Q-_UxtVjZ-A-b4gS6ksRzTJ6SpiK-YcxNwvMtMPVzBdb1zRSSNw-PZ0jO0ohGGY6KHUUeOpzewim714Mt0VfYSYhdcs0LUX9Aw3yNV2OIt8S-Hu-WjWn3hYcHO8ZX-cH2cn4aXrIM70IODdtJyepw/w428-h640/1255_0309.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So thankful for such a sweet sis in law and friend. It was an honor to stand with her in her wedding! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The whole day was truly a celebration and answer to prayers. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DRmEbVM376G_YU7cH_2ceZUqvWOBGO0pX3wRjeYxCM3Aq_4OunhT_06u2yeu3lYqQ3eV5E-dmB5ux74ISYfzNop7tVbb1jNyid7N2G7ujyjuNc_HSUKDwOltyiHBhFHWmVpijWVWm_XMNooeQbubKkMspqVKy8O_8BgYB1oAsYIhQSp4tldSsMgvXw/s6048/1255_0401.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4024" data-original-width="6048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3DRmEbVM376G_YU7cH_2ceZUqvWOBGO0pX3wRjeYxCM3Aq_4OunhT_06u2yeu3lYqQ3eV5E-dmB5ux74ISYfzNop7tVbb1jNyid7N2G7ujyjuNc_HSUKDwOltyiHBhFHWmVpijWVWm_XMNooeQbubKkMspqVKy8O_8BgYB1oAsYIhQSp4tldSsMgvXw/w640-h426/1255_0401.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I'll end with a picture of our whole Maxwell tribe! It was so lovely to have a family wedding again and all join together in celebrating Sarah and Kory.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And that's my little recap on their wedding. Hope y'all enjoyed this post! Have a wonderful week!</div><div style="text-align: center;">-Chels</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: All of the items linked in this post, unless otherwise noted, are items that I own and love. Amazon links are affiliate links. Please read my <b><a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/p/info.html" target="_blank">affiliate disclosure here</a></b></span></i></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-17122420248905263972022-10-14T17:16:00.006-04:002022-10-14T17:18:08.164-04:00FisherPrice Toddler Seats & My Meal Time Favorites for Littles<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fRgcAfbFyw11c5QWL9RGxXcDU65OUUcEpM_BOBB69cl2RmOo05-H3jAxQ5xRBSpcO7vLF91VWfggN7UVRReq5BS74HnIZEVGVxP8DV7vyEEzyPmgoWNF_u4shQiaA5ZFgpG1Gm-EFOcSbjhjcTf2FHgARdJXuboFl0tDLkLTY9CKX2GROZ0ngm09JQ/s4032/B9E27B5C-D5EE-49A8-A640-236AFAD8D75B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3fRgcAfbFyw11c5QWL9RGxXcDU65OUUcEpM_BOBB69cl2RmOo05-H3jAxQ5xRBSpcO7vLF91VWfggN7UVRReq5BS74HnIZEVGVxP8DV7vyEEzyPmgoWNF_u4shQiaA5ZFgpG1Gm-EFOcSbjhjcTf2FHgARdJXuboFl0tDLkLTY9CKX2GROZ0ngm09JQ/w640-h480/B9E27B5C-D5EE-49A8-A640-236AFAD8D75B.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This picture is my favorite part about this post because GOODNESS they are cute and I love them more than life itself!! I'm sure every parent says this about their kids but I am convinced mine are genuinely the sweetest and dearest little souls I have ever met and I cannot believe I get to be their mama. So blessed.</div><p></p><p>On that note of being a mama! I have these three babies ages 3, 2, and 1, and I have never owned a highchair! Guess what, you don't have to either! =) These <b><i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Healthy-Care-Booster-Green/dp/B00CSAWIOQ/ref=pd_lpo_1?pd_rd_i=B00CSAWIOQ&psc=1" target="_blank">simple little FisherPrice Toddler seats</a> </i></b>are incredible! They come with straps so they are safe even for your "just learned to sit" babies. <i>(I usually start using them soon after the babies start to eat solids and are sitting well by themselves) </i>These little seats not only strap to your baby but also to the chair, very securely. We take ours with us when we travel also, and have been known to use them at weddings, in restaurants, and when we are invited to friends' for dinner. </p><p>This is what we have used from the beginning of our parenthood journey just a few years ago and I cannot recommend them enough. In my opinion, regular high chairs are overrated and unnecessary and just a completely bonus space hog and expense. =) I'm all about minimalism in most areas, and I still can't get over the simplicity and versatility of these little things!</p><p>We got two of ours on Amazon and one off Facebook marketplace. <i>(I feel like garage sales would be a great place to find them too but I haven't had that luck yet)</i> We even had an extra for a while when Axton was a baby. We would keep the spare in the trunk of the car for when we were out and about, and then bring it in to our house if we had guests who had a toddler. Having it always in the car meant that we were prepared anytime we needed it!</p><p>Here are a few other things that are my mealtime favorites for littles:</p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3Sqn2yW" target="_blank"><b><i>Silicone baby bibs</i></b></a>. Literally the best invention ever. These save spills and so much more! </p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3E0cJxn" target="_blank"><b><i>NUK Sippies</i></b></a>. This is all we use for sippy cups for all the ages and they are perfect! Highly recommend! </p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3rgLpmP" target="_blank"><b><i>NUK toddler silverware</i></b></a>. I love these because they have a plastic handle which is great but the actual spoon/fork part is stainless steel. </p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3UTjruX" target="_blank"><b><i>NUK infant spoons</i></b></a>. This is what I use for Madeline and the boys before her, for those first few months of learning to eat solids. I love them! </p><p><a href="https://amzn.to/3E4mEBW" target="_blank"><b><i>Toddler plates/bowls</i></b></a>. Ours were gifted to us years ago and were from Ikea, but these look identical. I really really love how simple they are-they fit perfectly on the trays of the toddler seats, and there is a plate and a bowl option depending on what we are having. </p><p>If you are reading this and are a mama, how many kids do you have, and what are your favorite tips for mealtimes?</p><p style="text-align: center;">Happy Weekend! </p><p style="text-align: center;">-Chels</p><p style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: All of the items linked in this post, unless otherwise noted, are items that I own and love. Amazon links are affiliate links. Please read my <b><a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/p/info.html" target="_blank">affiliate disclosure here</a></b></span></i></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-43010049235450083712022-08-31T15:30:00.003-04:002022-08-31T15:34:37.831-04:00Madeline in a Year<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2RdYDzkevqPtE0f6p0yqdXzBYUTpyPBF6GpPMn4mH_Lig2QKTOWUAEjfHDpvdKqJgKB4-fUyZ3X7Q1Bx8FDI8vyqpsHsByzXFtT2BjG3lHWifk7U1sjC1qk3DW7CuTzuttACBVFX0Wfdds8S61VBeCPuAelmWISdOLzi2SxFX6uDNIFuTMhNmgpqSA/s3399/C331AF93-B2AE-4DB5-AD75-2A093B87BC15.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3399" data-original-width="2556" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2RdYDzkevqPtE0f6p0yqdXzBYUTpyPBF6GpPMn4mH_Lig2QKTOWUAEjfHDpvdKqJgKB4-fUyZ3X7Q1Bx8FDI8vyqpsHsByzXFtT2BjG3lHWifk7U1sjC1qk3DW7CuTzuttACBVFX0Wfdds8S61VBeCPuAelmWISdOLzi2SxFX6uDNIFuTMhNmgpqSA/w482-h640/C331AF93-B2AE-4DB5-AD75-2A093B87BC15.jpeg" width="482" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>August 2022, 13 months!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: gifted </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Polka Dot Bodysuit: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Navy Bloomer Shorts: Carters clearance </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I've been waiting to share these "Madeline in a year" pictures, until I took the last one of her at one year! I took these with the boys as well, almost every month, from newborn until one year. It has been a fun little tradition. I did miss several months with Madeline but got in a few extras too! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We were given these <a href="https://amzn.to/3cAKcmL" target="_blank"><b><i>Cuddle and Kind</i></b></a> dolls as baby gifts from some sweet friends, and we used them for the monthly pictures with each of them. They are super high quality dolls and so soft and cuddly. I highly recommend them for special baby gifts or just for fun for your own kiddos. They are one of our little ones' favorite toys! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The one Madeline has in all these pictures is the <a href="https://amzn.to/3KERItu" target="_blank"><b><i>Charlotte doll</i></b></a>. SO CUTE!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Also for fun, I'm sharing her little outfit details since I love to hear where other people find their children's clothes, and some of you might be like me. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First off, because I missed taking these pictures the first few months, here are a few without her doll. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEge8nLHvQ6Ef46tc4bE-_TnkyoE7JgyqIe1p8TCf4wQzInCzmnsJ5hIpiaaxGQ5L2j0afcxk__BIlpneckIyVm46RngLSAOWpZ_QwJcZSCjYOgBHbNvgOFz3xt4dFejSF98jQ_deYR9v6aONSA8gL1b45T-Ny2CbSs31osv6wv58ZtA6B3qDML6AXbQ/s4032/20B4BEC6-F063-4037-83D2-7A352E8C8A95.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEge8nLHvQ6Ef46tc4bE-_TnkyoE7JgyqIe1p8TCf4wQzInCzmnsJ5hIpiaaxGQ5L2j0afcxk__BIlpneckIyVm46RngLSAOWpZ_QwJcZSCjYOgBHbNvgOFz3xt4dFejSF98jQ_deYR9v6aONSA8gL1b45T-Ny2CbSs31osv6wv58ZtA6B3qDML6AXbQ/w480-h640/20B4BEC6-F063-4037-83D2-7A352E8C8A95.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>September 2021. 2 months old, the day we brought her home</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: gifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Sleeper: gifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51c6LMc-JwDuoQ87Omj5kDv4ncoVy4N9j34qXFx72KGwbrU9ndvW9fIOIbkD7pN70EjMauZvxnPsiS1VGHzzLopTSDTy06auZ3jDJ85o5hNOXNzvMz5gFeDXW1gWTxJ-hZtO68VmsYY-THTvx1uApDwGThD04CPEHyLESYGn9hVeO6hXmvrw3qLc7kA/s4032/91BBAC5D-76C1-4FBA-B2C1-F5E1215515F5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi51c6LMc-JwDuoQ87Omj5kDv4ncoVy4N9j34qXFx72KGwbrU9ndvW9fIOIbkD7pN70EjMauZvxnPsiS1VGHzzLopTSDTy06auZ3jDJ85o5hNOXNzvMz5gFeDXW1gWTxJ-hZtO68VmsYY-THTvx1uApDwGThD04CPEHyLESYGn9hVeO6hXmvrw3qLc7kA/w480-h640/91BBAC5D-76C1-4FBA-B2C1-F5E1215515F5.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>October 2021, 3 months old</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: from <a href="https://amzn.to/3TI3Fmn" target="_blank"><b>this set</b></a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Outfit: gifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncAeKAeSeQaoiOBqZScVe4-yTgjMUgmBPYbbQyZSYsDBMsf2UPDMgsCov6oQCBOQzHApINouW5jnHnPCy2dZPOMV938vVj6ndTjP19AhCIaA5o3Pd84TKTc4A0uqJ-ZkgP6KeC_KmUUkDDFXnXNp_PCyTtNwFbqkz8pj3aSY_cE2s2Wv52WQQ4wBhLA/s4032/71F166CA-923F-402B-B72A-87A723FFFBE1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncAeKAeSeQaoiOBqZScVe4-yTgjMUgmBPYbbQyZSYsDBMsf2UPDMgsCov6oQCBOQzHApINouW5jnHnPCy2dZPOMV938vVj6ndTjP19AhCIaA5o3Pd84TKTc4A0uqJ-ZkgP6KeC_KmUUkDDFXnXNp_PCyTtNwFbqkz8pj3aSY_cE2s2Wv52WQQ4wBhLA/w480-h640/71F166CA-923F-402B-B72A-87A723FFFBE1.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>November 2021, 4 months old</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: gifted from a friend </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Auntie Onesie-gifted from Auntie Anna M (all three kiddos have worn it!)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Leggings: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVPdGVdIAnR1EXB5BuhBrcP6ZAVjuAtglONhaOKeq1329ktUSvbinStyclCuLV1Z4Ln11j5aaHY4c4BrT-z7ZJ6_NGAf1-jyQn1E4DaTlFEBOjQP5qL8Ua59nfBrCBqI-tfg5ODelqX-Co4ci_RNl55wfa7TzsJxLqrXkFv7wo6ux7BS8f1pfwRpktg/s4032/17B33A30-4F8E-4127-9B3B-C242FC5660B9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivVPdGVdIAnR1EXB5BuhBrcP6ZAVjuAtglONhaOKeq1329ktUSvbinStyclCuLV1Z4Ln11j5aaHY4c4BrT-z7ZJ6_NGAf1-jyQn1E4DaTlFEBOjQP5qL8Ua59nfBrCBqI-tfg5ODelqX-Co4ci_RNl55wfa7TzsJxLqrXkFv7wo6ux7BS8f1pfwRpktg/w480-h640/17B33A30-4F8E-4127-9B3B-C242FC5660B9.jpeg" width="480" /><br /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 238);">December</span> 2021, 5 months old</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: from <a href="https://amzn.to/3Q58frN" target="_blank"><b>this set</b></a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Long sleeve bodysuit: Carters clearance </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Pink leggings: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExUGLXsd_ikRJ6mcbhWUQz9DQW0N2trq55MkI-wkz_iQW9eajvKh8AkA5us1eaput8csOBKfleRJII1X91ZzvAEoRSdrywiMrR1r3iWHCIKwvMLKUYdZ6e_La5kJcOZEeFIyXWkbcjKGtuEY6twnlbfhIfE2qV16WzP9qIOoBxXWhHGiiiucxE3UBTw/s4032/2994F682-78C1-42C6-B06C-D4F9374896E3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExUGLXsd_ikRJ6mcbhWUQz9DQW0N2trq55MkI-wkz_iQW9eajvKh8AkA5us1eaput8csOBKfleRJII1X91ZzvAEoRSdrywiMrR1r3iWHCIKwvMLKUYdZ6e_La5kJcOZEeFIyXWkbcjKGtuEY6twnlbfhIfE2qV16WzP9qIOoBxXWhHGiiiucxE3UBTw/w480-h640/2994F682-78C1-42C6-B06C-D4F9374896E3.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>December 2021, 5 1/2 months old.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: from <a href="https://amzn.to/3TI3Fmn" target="_blank"><b>this set</b></a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Long Sleeve Bodysuit: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Leggings: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Boots: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31TYhs-kIJQuGdWQ8g58y5l8atyUc53u1TLd18xj9ImyxtvC2IW8PTiyAKWwFENVeaYArUMBajFF6iSe2um8RFRe8-IMjgA90z6oqkgp-eeBzTECo8_-ZNuMT6EXhk6pAwC4x_0Z03DfaQj6QQxC90mkQbjb_D7SJy_kb_9V0-GOph9nbjgtKZaLszg/s4032/03DBBA5E-556C-4714-93CC-DF1C597A835A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31TYhs-kIJQuGdWQ8g58y5l8atyUc53u1TLd18xj9ImyxtvC2IW8PTiyAKWwFENVeaYArUMBajFF6iSe2um8RFRe8-IMjgA90z6oqkgp-eeBzTECo8_-ZNuMT6EXhk6pAwC4x_0Z03DfaQj6QQxC90mkQbjb_D7SJy_kb_9V0-GOph9nbjgtKZaLszg/w480-h640/03DBBA5E-556C-4714-93CC-DF1C597A835A.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>January 2022, 6 months old</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: <a href="https://www.graciousmay.com?raf=ref1220760" target="_blank"><b>Gracious May</b></a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Shirt: gifted </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Jeggings: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Booties: from Ross, worn by her brothers also! </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(one of the only clothing items I've used for both genders)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJLV-gk6DStA4Uku_fDJcjD2MwZx6yshnlBOWcplhQHmoNlLEdehfEF6v1MdfSAU9mkaARldk42A8DZZcTpRlse44CzHWmML21tlAX8EGRjA4JCB0DhiCigtkUbwDRoDTn932bz68iq38McOTNAnzZaHU5xBPAhFQU9WuCXio0gxMk-FQnOAJ6GbpOg/s4032/E9AB1737-C0C2-4912-98C6-BE4B24E1702C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxJLV-gk6DStA4Uku_fDJcjD2MwZx6yshnlBOWcplhQHmoNlLEdehfEF6v1MdfSAU9mkaARldk42A8DZZcTpRlse44CzHWmML21tlAX8EGRjA4JCB0DhiCigtkUbwDRoDTn932bz68iq38McOTNAnzZaHU5xBPAhFQU9WuCXio0gxMk-FQnOAJ6GbpOg/w480-h640/E9AB1737-C0C2-4912-98C6-BE4B24E1702C.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>March 2022, 8 months old</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: from <a href="https://amzn.to/3TI3Fmn" target="_blank"><b>this set</b></a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Hooded Bodysuit: OshKosh sale</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Leggings: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEgRrO72yBhkNVa-3Uv3i-4PuT4VcqqLT--O79lHjvHbMPF6JrhvoK4AAxkr6VFre5qduFU2rWxnqb1kI53ubRicY1JIyQOGvlKHvYDLx0vt0azvbxUNbn26gAnSF87yZlBMaKYQ-WwX8wFBrsyGygl9zqpWx63qSeijJlOCBJNduSM04DbWmAMtojg/s4032/BEA7ECDF-B7A5-4FD2-AD38-F8485EFF9333.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEgRrO72yBhkNVa-3Uv3i-4PuT4VcqqLT--O79lHjvHbMPF6JrhvoK4AAxkr6VFre5qduFU2rWxnqb1kI53ubRicY1JIyQOGvlKHvYDLx0vt0azvbxUNbn26gAnSF87yZlBMaKYQ-WwX8wFBrsyGygl9zqpWx63qSeijJlOCBJNduSM04DbWmAMtojg/w480-h640/BEA7ECDF-B7A5-4FD2-AD38-F8485EFF9333.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>April 2022, 9 months old.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: from <a href="https://amzn.to/3TI3Fmn" target="_blank"><b>this set</b></a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Floral Bodysuit: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Leggings: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2WUdHDVvxqWaD4nyRBMXXT-iSyVADUCgvDjeXsA-qgiU3PIfDzZqwnVjKcccK1TyUY1_hKHTaKGwwDcuh1StsqZezQFuD5vdPmmkCImTh1iIusXEmpVhJd9c6vURN-oD7WtyQs3JDbVkjoUKVRm9Q2ZY9I6paWdKQ2cTVLW0AFIkUs7NvCMWOD7V2g/s3303/EBF182BF-1E75-43CD-9EC5-5A3051881DB3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3303" data-original-width="2433" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2WUdHDVvxqWaD4nyRBMXXT-iSyVADUCgvDjeXsA-qgiU3PIfDzZqwnVjKcccK1TyUY1_hKHTaKGwwDcuh1StsqZezQFuD5vdPmmkCImTh1iIusXEmpVhJd9c6vURN-oD7WtyQs3JDbVkjoUKVRm9Q2ZY9I6paWdKQ2cTVLW0AFIkUs7NvCMWOD7V2g/w472-h640/EBF182BF-1E75-43CD-9EC5-5A3051881DB3.jpeg" width="472" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>April 2022, 9 months old</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headwrap: gifted, <a href="https://amzn.to/3RtxLrP" target="_blank"><b>similar here</b></a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i> Floral Bodysuit: Carters clearance</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Leggings: thrifted (also worn by her brothers!)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGUfZ-59acaR51qx2auE9tGBSxKOe_WkVlBt46MyDCS3sYpIgWcii4oHdUlDaZfRqH7PXWqOkn3zXvGl8nqSdeKjTOlCBvpf5h5MedJj0npVvjYCqbvdlptgYTPfiZuInajl1JjUThrnCe6ezC4TAsNF7WPnjpUU8NhnMZ9aXVu_W7AomRp_orjGqoA/s4032/472A2747-FE6D-484F-A5F0-24E07952D023.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZGUfZ-59acaR51qx2auE9tGBSxKOe_WkVlBt46MyDCS3sYpIgWcii4oHdUlDaZfRqH7PXWqOkn3zXvGl8nqSdeKjTOlCBvpf5h5MedJj0npVvjYCqbvdlptgYTPfiZuInajl1JjUThrnCe6ezC4TAsNF7WPnjpUU8NhnMZ9aXVu_W7AomRp_orjGqoA/w480-h640/472A2747-FE6D-484F-A5F0-24E07952D023.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>May 2022, 10 months old</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: gifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Outfit: gifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMq73U7A9Ejnb-mSFkBtLdgaMFTjhhc6JfPfaLxMSKTxcgSuh74CvnEvnnWLnkDahJ6tbc40WpOmFoCLOejhtKFEV7arynxtePlh9_dQhMXdAkM8x5-8J4s954cZ8kj35W9tTxbAf1aUMnKvcpFbBWhRpXjboLdz5R0f_8rJXYuhru6jkjWpUfvawRA/s4032/92449454-532F-47C6-868F-A85BAF02E690.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJMq73U7A9Ejnb-mSFkBtLdgaMFTjhhc6JfPfaLxMSKTxcgSuh74CvnEvnnWLnkDahJ6tbc40WpOmFoCLOejhtKFEV7arynxtePlh9_dQhMXdAkM8x5-8J4s954cZ8kj35W9tTxbAf1aUMnKvcpFbBWhRpXjboLdz5R0f_8rJXYuhru6jkjWpUfvawRA/w480-h640/92449454-532F-47C6-868F-A85BAF02E690.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>June 2022, 11 months old</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Headband: gifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Shirt: thrifted</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Pink Bloomer Shorts: Carters clearance</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3kq13kCTNKknwzU9RddD1cw60aJsuflW0nK5o-yRcZpyRA3f3TyEmvGNQx4xTZszMLxAL3wx_StZCYgIigX6lAYoPFwVSDY6H95bgF41HCtOk485cE2LCxSXN1pLZLvetUg65z8sbguTNFLOLf9hUDNDilbJdGwFoLPJTpbqiP6vhk877RPd0TTA5A/s3698/D6942D33-65B8-4A87-87A9-EA9A9FB47705.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3698" data-original-width="2755" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin3kq13kCTNKknwzU9RddD1cw60aJsuflW0nK5o-yRcZpyRA3f3TyEmvGNQx4xTZszMLxAL3wx_StZCYgIigX6lAYoPFwVSDY6H95bgF41HCtOk485cE2LCxSXN1pLZLvetUg65z8sbguTNFLOLf9hUDNDilbJdGwFoLPJTpbqiP6vhk877RPd0TTA5A/w476-h640/D6942D33-65B8-4A87-87A9-EA9A9FB47705.jpeg" width="476" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Current: Almost 14 months and "GROW AS FAST AS I CAN AND NEVER HOLD STILL". =)</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This weekend, it will be exactly a year since <a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/2021/09/madeline-shes-home.html" target="_blank"><b><i>we brought her home from the NICU</i></b></a>. What a gift and joy her little life is to our family!! I will never take for granted her healthy and happy little self!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-Chels</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: all of the items linked in this post are items that I own and love. Amazon links are affiliate links. Please read my <a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/p/info.html" target="_blank"><b>affiliate disclosure here</b></a>.</span></i></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-15384260033209284142022-07-09T18:02:00.003-04:002022-07-12T23:32:54.645-04:00The Birth Story of Madeline Sue<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiGwXFJMTe6ijPVazv11ZY9qDmSAQwLNWtCnePtLEPCr2FQ7yIbWG8anXpRVSZNuk50QEpfwre8NYqVogekcqeRf3E7hazNmGqcF36ZKDpsNPeVGyDIRO9J_7aLY35iPekGxPclGDIpTkjxV5hF-B--kTgeN0WuFr7xGu6RfgURQtCde6Qh4h6CsjzQ/s830/647998E9-59B9-443D-B0E2-13132AD2C9D1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="830" data-original-width="828" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgiGwXFJMTe6ijPVazv11ZY9qDmSAQwLNWtCnePtLEPCr2FQ7yIbWG8anXpRVSZNuk50QEpfwre8NYqVogekcqeRf3E7hazNmGqcF36ZKDpsNPeVGyDIRO9J_7aLY35iPekGxPclGDIpTkjxV5hF-B--kTgeN0WuFr7xGu6RfgURQtCde6Qh4h6CsjzQ/w638-h640/647998E9-59B9-443D-B0E2-13132AD2C9D1.png" width="638" /></a></div></div></div></div><div>Today, July 9th, 2022, is Madeline's first birthday and I am just now publishing her birth story. I started writing it literally the day after she was born, and added little bits here and there since. Reading and finishing this post has brought back so many memories all over again. She had such a rough and early entrance into this world, but how thankful I am that she made it and that she is here, happy and healthy, today. </div><div><br /></div><div>Her birth story really starts on Tuesday July 6th, 2021, three days before she was born, but I will start with the events of Monday the 5th....</div><div><br /></div><div>I had a great day; no morning sickness and plenty of energy. The morning was spent at home and then the afternoon I spent in "the city" by myself, with coffee and lunch, a midwife appointment, and some fun shopping, while my amazing husband watched the boys at home. Everything was great. I got to hear a super strong little heartbeat at my appointment, and I had a lovely time chatting with my midwife and then enjoying a little solo time out and about.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><span dir="ltr">Tuesday morning</span> I was hit with morning sickness. This was nothing unusual for me in the third trimester-with both of the boys I have had morning sickness right up until 37 weeks and this pregnancy was on track to be just the same. But after throwing up, I still wasn’t feeling better and developed a stomach ache as well, so I ended up going back to bed late morning. Thankfully John was working from home for the day and was able to take care of the boys. I didn’t eat much during the day but I managed some yogurt, chili, and a few other things, and then lost it all that evening after a hot epsom salt bath. It was very strange-I don’t normally throw up at night, with morning sickness, but that night I did. <i>(Note: Later in the hospital I tested negative for any kind of sickness -and they tested me for EVERYTHING-so it obviously must’ve been morning sickness, just unusual for me that it was in the evening) </i></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Morning sickness continued into Tuesday and by Wednesday I got dehydrated because I was struggling to keep anything down. I developed a bad cough <i>(that we now know was directly related to <a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/2022/03/life-update-and-upcoming-surgery.html" target="_blank"><b>my heart condition</b></a>)</i> and that is what ultimately caused the contractions to start. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">On Thursday morning I woke up around 5am to hard contractions. I already had two labors/births under my belt, and I knew the signs, and I knew it was WAY too early to be experiencing what I was definitely experiencing. </span><i style="font-size: 17px;">(I was 30 weeks </i><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>pregnant, so only 3/4 of the way through, technically)</i></span><i style="font-size: 17px;"> </i><span style="font-size: 17px;"> This wasn't just a few Braxton hicks; this was definitely the real thing, and they weren't slowing down. As the morning went on contractions continued, quickly building to five minutes apart. Under normal circumstances I would've been even more worried, but I was too sick to be able to think about it too much. All I knew was that it was way too early to have a baby, so obviously something was very wrong, and hopefully I would get better and it would all be "fixed". John was in touch with my midwife and we </span><i style="font-size: 17px;">(they)</i><span style="font-size: 17px;"> finally decided we would head into the hospital to get me IVs for hydration and try to get contractions to stop. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5hcNgFK6_Z947Vq3wAkLoAeWr3NMnE-SLzOAdxaXDEKaePr8Ja12-kZcg6iA_m2ShXACBJLF2n9kTyAkyuZs4CCR52CEkdBV1TF5wyQc0rI_LJ6YQMM8vtGMaWHfsGLZEcEvZCcfVN4q/s2048/E055CAA2-3683-4D82-882F-74D9E19AAB54.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR5hcNgFK6_Z947Vq3wAkLoAeWr3NMnE-SLzOAdxaXDEKaePr8Ja12-kZcg6iA_m2ShXACBJLF2n9kTyAkyuZs4CCR52CEkdBV1TF5wyQc0rI_LJ6YQMM8vtGMaWHfsGLZEcEvZCcfVN4q/w480-h640/E055CAA2-3683-4D82-882F-74D9E19AAB54.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(we got a selfie right before we left the hospital that afternoon. Little did we know we would be back so soon.)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">We went to the same hospital where I delivered Axton and they got me started on IVs for fluids right away. We were there for several hours and the contractions slowed down and I started to feel better. Before we left I ate part of a banana and drank some ginger ale and it all stayed down which was a first since Tuesday night! The contractions got light enough that I was able to talk through them and the nurse and John couldn't even tell I was still having them unless I told them. We prepared to leave and I was just so thankful everything was okay and I was feeling better!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">I was so relieved that everything was settling down. We got in the car and headed for home. Ten minutes into the drive, the contractions started up again. We both thought that surely they would stop, esp with feeling better and getting meds that would help me keep food down. We stopped by the pharmacy for the prescription, and then once we got home, John made me a smoothie to take with the meds, and headed over to my in-laws to pick up the boys. While he was gone, I drank the smoothie and took the meds…and then lost everything all over again. Contractions were back to normal and stronger than ever. My cough was continuing and worsening as well. At this point I was still in denial I think-I knew I was totally in labor, there was no doubt of that, but I kept thinking "surely they can stop it at the hospital. Surely. Now that it's really serious, surely it will get stopped. Babies don't come this early. It's got to stop." </span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">I honestly was really worried. At one point when John came in to check on me, I asked him to read me Psalms 91. For some reason I kept thinking of that Psalm <i>(I memorized it when I was a child) </i>and just needed to hear it. He read it to me and and I remember just grasping to the words even though I was in and out with the contractions...</span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">John got the boys down for the night and called his sisters to come over and we put a few things in an overnight bag and headed out again. I was in a lot of pain with the contractions and being so wiped out from constant vomiting and the previous weakening from dehydration, and even getting out the door was rough. On the way I called my mom. I didn't really say much but for some reason I had this strong desire to hear her sing to me. When I was a child, she often sang Steve Green's "When I am Afraid" song to us and I wanted to hear her sing that song again. I was in the middle of a strong contraction as she sang it over the phone but it brought such peace to me, even at that time, and I will never forget it. <i>(thank you, mom!)</i></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">We got checked at the hospital again which felt strangely reminiscent of Axton's birth, the main difference being that I wasn't pushing yet, and I definitely wasn't expecting to have a baby yet.</span><i style="font-size: 17px;"> </i><span style="font-size: 17px;">My contractions were close together and super hard by now and I was absolutely in full blown labor, but no one except us seemed to realize it. All I could think was "they are going to get everything slowed down." The nurse was super chill and relaxed. </span><i style="font-size: 17px;">(in hindsight, I’m pretty sure I maybe wasn’t as out of control as her normal laboring mama patient and so I don't think she quite realized what was happening) </i></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">A doctor came in and checked me. “You’re only dilated to a three. That baby is so high and settled in there, you’ve got nothing to worry about. She isn’t going anywhere. We’ll get these contractions slowed down and you’ll be out of here in no time.” </span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">It was a relief to hear that. But instead of success with getting everything slowed down, contractions picked up, and labor kept progressing. I started vomiting again. (</span><i style="font-size: 17px;">Again, in hindsight, we now know I had hit </i><i style="font-size: 17px;">transition-I always start vomiting during that point of labor. But because I had been vomiting already for several days, neither John or I realized that it was indeed transition) </i><span style="font-size: 17px;">The nurse came in now and then but mostly we were left alone. Details at this point are a bit fuzzy for me but after several hours and then this vomiting at the end, John went to get the nurse and was very insistent that something had to be done, since labor wasn't slowing. The nurse checked me again and was shocked: "oh my, you're fully dilated!" </span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">It is still so crazy how I got to that point so fast. Everyone was confused because it wasn't normal, but it was too serious for anyone to be confused for long. I suddenly knew it was time and said “I have to push!” Apparently that was the final word to get everything really moving. The nurse: “oh no, you can’t push, you need to wait, we've got to get the doctors in here.” Thankfully for her I didn't have the energy or stamina to get mad at her or I would've totally lost my temper. Instead I think I said something like, "I actually can't wait.” At that point she turned to John and said, "Go get help." </span></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">I tried to wait but as any mother knows who has had a non-medicated birth, there is nothing more true than "when ya gotta push ya gotta push". It isn't exactly a time for a pause button! Things are still super blurry to me but everything moved so fast at that point. In no time there were nurses and doctors and NICU team everywhere. My water broke first and kinda exploded everywhere <i>(it was so foggy in my mind and at the time I don't think I realized that was what it was, but I asked John later “was it my imagination or did my water break right before she was born?” And he said “yeah, my hoodie got wet”. =))</i> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">Two pushes and our daughter was born. Technically the easiest birth ever in terms of pushing and size but not in any other way! I was extremely weak and felt terrible and other than the time pushing, it was my hardest birth yet. The doctor laid her on my chest for just a few seconds but I was so weak and having a hard time breathing and I barely even could see her. I think I touched her but again, I was so out of it and she was so tiny and looked so so fragile and the whole thing was just so different than the typical relief one feels after their baby is born. It was not at all like the euphoria after my boys’ birth and felt heartbreaking in so many ways, specifically afterwards.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1M08GOcF6mnK3Id93dckt_PqZxzZ2Vy14aGXXEgs_xtBEpK-Wf9o5RtM_QqHONj7NOSpAK2I4CYWXrRcyapBFNEKvua6wA4SHRPbdWwDMoJm2BHQRxULts8OErsC-MiW_E8QrHDzwi2h/s2048/BEA7C3F4-499E-4207-A5D8-AF5960A19626.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1M08GOcF6mnK3Id93dckt_PqZxzZ2Vy14aGXXEgs_xtBEpK-Wf9o5RtM_QqHONj7NOSpAK2I4CYWXrRcyapBFNEKvua6wA4SHRPbdWwDMoJm2BHQRxULts8OErsC-MiW_E8QrHDzwi2h/w480-h640/BEA7C3F4-499E-4207-A5D8-AF5960A19626.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;">She was only there for a matter of seconds before they whisked her away to be worked on by the NICU team in a corner of the room. <i>(above picture, I think my midwife took it)</i> At this point I really don't remember much except that the nurses and doctors were saying I had to have oxygen and I was fighting them tooth and nail. I felt like I couldn't breath <i>(which I couldn't!)</i> but somehow in my foggy state I was associating that feeling with the oxygen mask they were trying to put on me. I felt like the mask was hindering my breathing. PTL my midwife was there with me <i>(she was waiting and came in immediately after Madeline was born)</i> and encouraged me to just keep it because that was best. I trust her implicitly so I remember basically thinking I would try for her sake. If she hadn't been there I really don't quite know what I might've done. I was wheeled away, still in my bed, for a CAT scan and John stayed back to be close to Madeline. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><span style="font-size: 17px;">After the CAT scan I was taken to a room and my midwife was still with me and stayed with me for the next ten hours. <i>(so grateful for that!!)</i> I managed to get a few hours of sleep in there. Around noon they finally let me be off the oxygen which was wonderful. I hated having those tubes and wires everywhere </span><i style="font-size: 17px;">(I had EKG stickers all over my chest for days as well)</i><span style="font-size: 17px;"> because it just made me feel claustrophobic; I was so not used to stuff like that! </span><i style="font-size: 17px;">(don't get me wrong-I am ultimately so thankful for them because they saved my life and everything was a part of the process. It was just hard at the time)</i><span style="font-size: 17px;"> </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><span style="font-size: 17px;">My sister in law Melanie came in and stayed with me for the rest of the day when my midwife left. John and I couldn't be together until the end of the day because we wanted one of us with Madeline and I couldn't be with her until all of my tests came back clear. </span><i style="font-size: 17px;">(they were certain I had covid or </i><span style="font-size: 17px;"><i>pneomonia </i></span><i style="font-size: 17px;">or something and honestly I don't blame them-I looked and sounded and felt terrible and it would've been extremely unwise for me to go into the NICU with as sick as I had been)</i><span style="font-size: 17px;"> </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><span style="font-size: 17px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlWJW5I4DW7IyUS8KOuOH70_w11Td67WHAHQGYYBaMVZwM0cfbZu_GSDBLhtb-baTlqcEMZqOD4WMbLG0fWJkyDglvDd4wl-Za478iPCzZOOYbctobX6U1Ykv1RxWPDJjYEasq8MaCO1bNm0j9gRCqDvriGBLH6fqL62AxnxZXDjuUArfjOCPOv1VwQ/s3088/CD0EE912-D6E9-42B4-9FDF-B62918C941BB.jpeg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNlWJW5I4DW7IyUS8KOuOH70_w11Td67WHAHQGYYBaMVZwM0cfbZu_GSDBLhtb-baTlqcEMZqOD4WMbLG0fWJkyDglvDd4wl-Za478iPCzZOOYbctobX6U1Ykv1RxWPDJjYEasq8MaCO1bNm0j9gRCqDvriGBLH6fqL62AxnxZXDjuUArfjOCPOv1VwQ/w480-h640/CD0EE912-D6E9-42B4-9FDF-B62918C941BB.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><span style="font-size: 17px;">It was amazing to have Melanie with me. She had experienced several NICU babies herself so it was known territory to her. Since I didn't have John there, I was so thankful to have someone who could answer questions/talk to the hospital staff, help me get started with pumping, and overall just be my advocate in a time where I really couldn't function or make decisions for myself.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><span style="font-size: 17px;">I don't remember a whole lot from that morning but one thing I do remember was BEGGING for a shower. =) I wanted a shower so so badly. With both of the boys births I was showered and clean and had makeup done when I went into labor. With Madeline, I hadn't had a real shower all week <i>(every time I had tried, I ended up vomiting)</i> and I literally looked and felt so so rough. I don't think I've hardly ever had a shower that felt SO GOOD as the shower I was finally allowed to take around noon that day!</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><span style="font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span>While John and I couldn't be together, we texted back and forth talking about a name. We had just found out in May that our baby was a girl; we definitely did NOT have a name yet!! It </span></span><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span>didn't take too long to chose her name-Madeline was one I had jotted down on a random list a while before, and John liked it too. For middle names, we have used a short family name with the boys. We decided on another family name-Sue-which is Melanie's middle name also. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><span style="font-size: 17px;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">By afternoon the immediate tests were cleared and John was able to come see me. Our pastor and his wife came in and prayed over us and that was a beautiful moment. I think we were all in tears. There is nothing like having your baby's life hanging in the balance to make one realize how fragile and short life truly is. We were in the scariest time of our married life thus far and to be surrounded by our church, our families, our friends, and even people we didn't know, was such a blessing. I'll never forget the literal feeling of those prayers and countless others, holding us up. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Shortly after that, I finally got to go to officially meet our daughter. Still makes me tear up just to write this to remember how I wasn't there with her after she was born, and for so much of the months following. John pushed me down the long halls in a wheelchair. We got to the NICU, got passed to enter, washed up at the wash station <i>(we had to scrub for several minutes, a specific process, every time we went in)</i> Then he wheeled me around the nurses station and into Madeline's little area with her isolette. </span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54KbhQgIRCa7EIspBCpaG8sWuq-cTnsl80FA3jI_r3sqUZP_XCBe52-qGjYPZq1tLZtjmIu680XQbVDEG5XRhDVDzRk51FHbctnOffYXArlv73AAh34sYOX0Uib3snxJWnoGdr7dCdcI-0DEpV1OjPRsJ2YtTueM7DRDUoABm2R9I7vZn4GxgImlPeQ/s4032/A0F445A0-7C84-4869-A346-4D31B2053C94.jpeg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg54KbhQgIRCa7EIspBCpaG8sWuq-cTnsl80FA3jI_r3sqUZP_XCBe52-qGjYPZq1tLZtjmIu680XQbVDEG5XRhDVDzRk51FHbctnOffYXArlv73AAh34sYOX0Uib3snxJWnoGdr7dCdcI-0DEpV1OjPRsJ2YtTueM7DRDUoABm2R9I7vZn4GxgImlPeQ/w480-h640/A0F445A0-7C84-4869-A346-4D31B2053C94.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><i>(this is the first picture I have holding Madeline, that day)</i></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">Having her finally in my arms, for real, was so hard to describe. One doesn't realize all the things one takes for granted with life and birth, until one doesn't have them. In the moment, all I knew was that I was thankful that I was able to hold her, I was thankful she was okay for the present, and I was thankful that I knew our boys were in such amazing care while we could not be with them.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrHhIq1zwtZJytPwceNFwMW9Ru9sqKm0MmtoGQV8OAvF4hpqk88LCVFDiz3y328DK_PxWnOblZGJI1pUy4tBGMcxn3NHzJ2Cw5KVAaxUYWTQ44ndxwTs_qik-c6Ky17uUJfyLFOlZe7Hjq2gv53EuvC4hox24Hbz_KwBbYgZIXtNEE3VNi4JTuXkPkA/s4032/0F2052DD-FB8D-4F1C-A1FB-4911B804C68E.jpeg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyrHhIq1zwtZJytPwceNFwMW9Ru9sqKm0MmtoGQV8OAvF4hpqk88LCVFDiz3y328DK_PxWnOblZGJI1pUy4tBGMcxn3NHzJ2Cw5KVAaxUYWTQ44ndxwTs_qik-c6Ky17uUJfyLFOlZe7Hjq2gv53EuvC4hox24Hbz_KwBbYgZIXtNEE3VNi4JTuXkPkA/w480-h640/0F2052DD-FB8D-4F1C-A1FB-4911B804C68E.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;">And that was the start of little Madeline's life. Obviously if you have been following along on her journey for the past eleven months, then you know the "rest of the story" of her NICU stay and the amazing progress she has made. If you are a new follower, you can read all about that by clicking on the "Madeline" tab over on the left hand side of the blog. <i>(If you are reading via your phone, simply scroll to the bottom and click "view web version" and that will show you the "labels" section on the left hand side where you can chose the Madeline label)</i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><span style="font-size: 17px;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-GLOejgxAkZF9_1xmYiL1CpU_7ndj1VfFvDjypoHAAMYG3hwGgP-7juUJqTUZvfzdwIfXgST8f6Hru7oeCDVUib33Fj2OwqJb_DQOsC2TK4ax80E87dJ34vsl5rSLNzZv962ZIWrZvXR78Dq4rGeWe-zFReMVujEy6uLHFn7k6gPJfjldJt5bwe49Q/s4032/BFA2E25B-06C0-42DA-B796-DCB8878CE8BE.jpeg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY-GLOejgxAkZF9_1xmYiL1CpU_7ndj1VfFvDjypoHAAMYG3hwGgP-7juUJqTUZvfzdwIfXgST8f6Hru7oeCDVUib33Fj2OwqJb_DQOsC2TK4ax80E87dJ34vsl5rSLNzZv962ZIWrZvXR78Dq4rGeWe-zFReMVujEy6uLHFn7k6gPJfjldJt5bwe49Q/w480-h640/BFA2E25B-06C0-42DA-B796-DCB8878CE8BE.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><i>(Tiny, tiny fingers....)</i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div><div>I'll end with a two pictures-the first picture ever taken of her, and then a recent picture I have of her, from the other day. Such a transformation in a year! So thankful for all God has done in her little life and the ways we have experienced His love and grace for our little family during her birth and through the following months. </div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwbpxStcbr-bZ7MXJsspKIiW27cfgadkIo_Vi2PwGO6CJ6g_C0IuIgQZb2euocuhGM66WWmHY91uTTuAmyMeiETa45cx2hNnE51Kj-F_nUeuZob9yUHv4XhvCCc6LpH1EdiG5MqVPNe7y/s682/AA4E4051-8585-4FCD-88BC-7C73FB9C2314.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="556" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwbpxStcbr-bZ7MXJsspKIiW27cfgadkIo_Vi2PwGO6CJ6g_C0IuIgQZb2euocuhGM66WWmHY91uTTuAmyMeiETa45cx2hNnE51Kj-F_nUeuZob9yUHv4XhvCCc6LpH1EdiG5MqVPNe7y/w522-h640/AA4E4051-8585-4FCD-88BC-7C73FB9C2314.jpeg" width="522" /></a></div>This was the first picture we got of Madeline, soon after she was born. She actually looks pretty good in this picture; the ones taken in the following days, like the first one at the top of this post, show better how truly scrawny and tiny she was. </span></div><div><div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQPTNgfkK_y6osb74SAO6EM2LMQa2PDI17gD1BA7qMKdFTB-2uB9I_82glgZALs3TfceoYLZKUW1HGCFWQz6nfC2ZhhWzIYBIXUJlsMVdp6hQ5aHFWDtRbVCVdHrP1ys7xUXUgsSOxje-xiKSAV9Ffpk_nSzJKOn3O9r7rgdnd05KDB4DBQWjnAJ09g/s4032/A52F85F5-4417-40E7-B7DD-3571D4D004C4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAQPTNgfkK_y6osb74SAO6EM2LMQa2PDI17gD1BA7qMKdFTB-2uB9I_82glgZALs3TfceoYLZKUW1HGCFWQz6nfC2ZhhWzIYBIXUJlsMVdp6hQ5aHFWDtRbVCVdHrP1ys7xUXUgsSOxje-xiKSAV9Ffpk_nSzJKOn3O9r7rgdnd05KDB4DBQWjnAJ09g/w480-h640/A52F85F5-4417-40E7-B7DD-3571D4D004C4.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div></div></div></div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mZdd4iWH-obpUeiPn4Xyk5RPuSOOT8NALKBCZqW2J6iUW3YkBy3e7q6wFVhL5YBpp0YfijxMMqX8Y-t1JTT5npbSzMnizE_d0bnIqZQ3ylFVTH6p357S1CpGrH8kQn9lpPA8lJ1YN80-rkk8n8qjsyFgMpvVEnc3WWYKaogKoJCAPEvoqeAHolQn_Q/s3088/1028B08F-505F-4750-A680-59E442E19078.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1mZdd4iWH-obpUeiPn4Xyk5RPuSOOT8NALKBCZqW2J6iUW3YkBy3e7q6wFVhL5YBpp0YfijxMMqX8Y-t1JTT5npbSzMnizE_d0bnIqZQ3ylFVTH6p357S1CpGrH8kQn9lpPA8lJ1YN80-rkk8n8qjsyFgMpvVEnc3WWYKaogKoJCAPEvoqeAHolQn_Q/w480-h640/1028B08F-505F-4750-A680-59E442E19078.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div>Ending with one of me and her. Goodness, I love this girlie. I guess I need to do a whole post of recent pictures of her because I have so many good ones! <i>(anyone want to see a post like that?!)</i></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">And that is the birth story of little Madeline Sue. She had rocky start to life, but she is making up for it now by being a super determined and feisty fireball of a little lady! We are so glad she's ours!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Have a wonderful weekend, all!</div><div style="text-align: center;">-Chels</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-20688981083409482802022-05-21T16:31:00.003-04:002022-05-21T16:31:34.613-04:00Update from My Follow Up Appointment<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZ_iRVzv4fFwX1d7tpISpJQEnDCTU3_2hxzohf1m4Fdp-iMAzNIivvj_tikc7WyKHhqLRH4VqoWFoBo89RlR3OUVoXrJNZxnYGs9OS5WJ2REh0weJZPz2NmV98ywxzymk6RfirKwSjawPakL_wsFnXm5OrmkidicDXka3BB_XqtckwgE-OiM6VdGsjw/s3088/3D679FDC-1713-4EEB-B263-6C0D946BB425.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVZ_iRVzv4fFwX1d7tpISpJQEnDCTU3_2hxzohf1m4Fdp-iMAzNIivvj_tikc7WyKHhqLRH4VqoWFoBo89RlR3OUVoXrJNZxnYGs9OS5WJ2REh0weJZPz2NmV98ywxzymk6RfirKwSjawPakL_wsFnXm5OrmkidicDXka3BB_XqtckwgE-OiM6VdGsjw/w480-h640/3D679FDC-1713-4EEB-B263-6C0D946BB425.jpeg" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>(we took Madeline with us to my appointment and she loved every minute of charming everyone she saw =))</i></span></p><p>As I <a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/2022/04/easter-sunday-and-update.html" target="_blank"><i><b>mentioned in my last post</b></i></a>, I was scheduled to have my follow up with my cardiologist last week on Friday. Upon arrival, I had another echocardiogram done first, but I didn't have to be put under for this one, so it was a much simpler process. </p><p>At the meeting afterwards, my cardiologist wanted to know how much better I felt since the surgery. It was hard to quantify how much I have improved, since my mitral valve stenosis really just affected my "bursts of energy". <i>(like I mentioned before-exercising, playing sports, birthing a baby, etc) </i>I told him what I've been telling everyone , though, and that is that although I don't notice a difference daily, I definitely can tell it is so much better! My cardiologist said he wants me to "hold nothing back" for the summer; to do anything and everything I want to do, to basically "test" how much improved I feel. At the end of the summer/three months, we will meet with him again to discuss. He said that, with having had this condition likely for most of my life, I have no idea of what it is like to feel normal. <i>(very true, and it all sure makes a lot more sense now!)</i> His concern is that because I have always struggled, I won’t know what is actual improvement. </p><p>Sadly, there was bad news. My valve leaks now, which we knew was a possibility. <i>(they told us there was a chance ahead of my surgery, and then they told us afterwards that a leak developed during the surgery)</i> However, after looking at the echocardiogram, he feels that the leak is worse than they even initially thought. That means the next time my heart needs intervention, I won't be a "candidate" for another valvuplasty surgery, but instead will have to have the valve completely replaced.<i> (open heart surgery)</i></p><p>For those curious about the actual condition of my valve and the numbers and that sort of thing...the cardiologist said the valvuplasty surgery opened my valve from 1.1cm to 1.8cm. It is wonderful to have that improvement. For reference, a "normal" persons heart has an opening of 4.5cm or better. </p><p>A huge blessing is that the surgery helped me gain about 60% improvement in the opening, and that I am feeling much better when exercising/etc. And it really is a big difference. I literally felt like I was going to pass out so many times before in my life, when exercising/walking. Whereas now, the first time I went on a walk after my surgery, and the first time I did a workout, I felt out of shape, yes, but I felt good when I was done! I am starting to realize what people mean when they say, after a workout, "wow that felt good." I never felt that way before now!</p><p>Although the leak/future open heart surgery isn't what we would have chosen, we know Jesus will continue to take care of me. He saved my life by Madeline arriving early. I am so sure of that. <i>(As a side note, John read the other night that a number of moms with this condition, die within 30 mins of giving birth, due to the change in fluids and exertion)</i> The fact that I am even here to tell this story is still such a miracle to me! And we are thankful for the very first cardiologist at the hospital where I delivered Madeline, who insisted on an echo to get to the root of the issue. If it wasn’t for all that and the ensuing surgery that followed, I likely would not have survived another pregnancy. </p><p>God is good all the time, even when the future is uncertain, and I am just really really thankful for the knowledge and belief of that. </p><p style="text-align: center;">Thankyou all for caring and praying. We are so thankful!</p><p style="text-align: center;">-Chelsy</p><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-49247950543472502762022-04-22T16:26:00.002-04:002022-04-22T22:20:05.976-04:00Easter Sunday and An Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7895jwfgKwKIJVkK6nLvibhlQVaUua2IlX8Kd4iCqJgdp32X7caM-1Qy4yekriDJC5JqbzcHWkZFUhFuhp0ycOcJhIKVxZk6dnfweFWamDSBs1-BSqIwBpny7See0gGRhem8NjX_sr35WoB2yJWhPfbreMfvpHQ8hQPywbySqX1enTNKSfu5ob-EeNA/s3075/E947C7D3-EB57-4BF2-9541-6DAEBD8C48D0.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3075" data-original-width="2490" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7895jwfgKwKIJVkK6nLvibhlQVaUua2IlX8Kd4iCqJgdp32X7caM-1Qy4yekriDJC5JqbzcHWkZFUhFuhp0ycOcJhIKVxZk6dnfweFWamDSBs1-BSqIwBpny7See0gGRhem8NjX_sr35WoB2yJWhPfbreMfvpHQ8hQPywbySqX1enTNKSfu5ob-EeNA/w518-h640/E947C7D3-EB57-4BF2-9541-6DAEBD8C48D0.jpeg" width="518" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Good morning! I hope you all had a blessed Easter weekend and Sunday! Ours was lovely---sweet family times just the five of us, amazing service at our church, and then a big Sunday dinner with all of our local extended family.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4oicAuB0befWSTHNE-NP2v3H5RZ41ZVN7drEnbrn9HABwnO2eWxU6EwgAS4zM4FK1hjKXHawYbnbLpRUSpUSCw3biWPkKWnjxXE7VX_LK27Gyf6109w7dINqHqTOrTCz-_RJhEXtg_aQyMxgqx9DGW8UCgfydxloqceRasblgTubRReyotOXnavUQg/s2236/5AA37B42-9FF2-4526-8FF1-1A211E53CF9B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2236" data-original-width="1777" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4oicAuB0befWSTHNE-NP2v3H5RZ41ZVN7drEnbrn9HABwnO2eWxU6EwgAS4zM4FK1hjKXHawYbnbLpRUSpUSCw3biWPkKWnjxXE7VX_LK27Gyf6109w7dINqHqTOrTCz-_RJhEXtg_aQyMxgqx9DGW8UCgfydxloqceRasblgTubRReyotOXnavUQg/w508-h640/5AA37B42-9FF2-4526-8FF1-1A211E53CF9B.jpeg" width="508" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Something was wrong with my phone camera so the pictures all turned out fuzzy, but they are priceless to me just the same! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbNb78FpqmqlmduioKL25ydIaC2hjnsEnpKWoGiDyr-BQBHtAmRi6gz9UrDXDj_pwzgR2kVm-8e4WA3Y8jEqKtW_OA8On4vscWhvdES5byT8NlcIpZuUaJkyHIt2vOomRz7kg6cr_Z6V2nfWgddWdXDgR9Z-3BTuotcfXrcA7I2xjRXb4xyJAQYSSXg/s3088/AAEC83AF-EB4B-4A51-91EF-97EE52831CD5.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYbNb78FpqmqlmduioKL25ydIaC2hjnsEnpKWoGiDyr-BQBHtAmRi6gz9UrDXDj_pwzgR2kVm-8e4WA3Y8jEqKtW_OA8On4vscWhvdES5byT8NlcIpZuUaJkyHIt2vOomRz7kg6cr_Z6V2nfWgddWdXDgR9Z-3BTuotcfXrcA7I2xjRXb4xyJAQYSSXg/w480-h640/AAEC83AF-EB4B-4A51-91EF-97EE52831CD5.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div>Many people have been so kind as to ask how I am feeling since my surgery and if I can tell a difference?! It is really hard to explain because, again, this condition didn’t affect me on a daily basis-it was only if I was exercising/playing sports/hiking, or doing something extremely strenuous like birthing a baby. :) So on a daily basis, no, I can’t tell a difference---I feel great, just like I mostly did before! I’ve started working out and that is going really well. I’m out of shape of course, but I don’t feel like I am going to die from the exercise like I would’ve pre-surgery. I rested very well for a week after my surgery and I think that also has helped me pop back quickly! </div><div><br /></div><div>I'll be meeting with my cardiologist for a follow up echocardiogram on May 13th, so will know for sure the current status of everything then. However, all should be well, as the doctors were happy with the surgery and how everything went.</div><div><div><br /></div><div>In other news, my Bells Palsy is truly healing, and I am more happy about that than I can say! SUCH A BLESSING. I also got a temporary tooth as the implant process won't be fully completed until August <i>(such a loooong production!)</i> so I feel like I'm getting closer and closer to having my full smile back again and I could literally CRY with happiness. </div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsVUB_G0dNTtMiveASjT7ikatHG4vZX5e9-caoO7DC42gqZtZqmYrJi9N0keuHUJpA-Gzi3ujRcNhafKjWULZX0i2PlOUlkvnqJMIQBGxLo8kJtd3hdpJiGgIkwjFYw8omEYOpmvVUNK_xZyfMPYFwT_c3JVJT-lxSVOhuub0-jI1Twa2MYrjpR32Gg/s2049/443804E8-BC53-409D-BE29-65E5FB83A0E6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsVUB_G0dNTtMiveASjT7ikatHG4vZX5e9-caoO7DC42gqZtZqmYrJi9N0keuHUJpA-Gzi3ujRcNhafKjWULZX0i2PlOUlkvnqJMIQBGxLo8kJtd3hdpJiGgIkwjFYw8omEYOpmvVUNK_xZyfMPYFwT_c3JVJT-lxSVOhuub0-jI1Twa2MYrjpR32Gg/w480-h640/443804E8-BC53-409D-BE29-65E5FB83A0E6.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My parents came for a week after my surgery and took care of us. It was such blessing to have them here and the kiddos LOVED every minute!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOB1flQnnBByJrAvKgcG9FUstLW5nSuUl8CUbgsfdz7OWZVo0VtPxVU1lEKsP-Nozr-Wcn2lcNzfWci-HGAYRIlVdfO2HTQwsqQzbCa-a1cdOpezHnXFeEcEmxYmWN6cTDN1PIbhleJeFLNQOmwn97bogiZm4vxh74zxcYDVGYpf1ykPOLvuBHTeFMaA/s2049/80F863BF-1B4A-4DE9-9C53-5BC206CDAD7C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2049" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOB1flQnnBByJrAvKgcG9FUstLW5nSuUl8CUbgsfdz7OWZVo0VtPxVU1lEKsP-Nozr-Wcn2lcNzfWci-HGAYRIlVdfO2HTQwsqQzbCa-a1cdOpezHnXFeEcEmxYmWN6cTDN1PIbhleJeFLNQOmwn97bogiZm4vxh74zxcYDVGYpf1ykPOLvuBHTeFMaA/w480-h640/80F863BF-1B4A-4DE9-9C53-5BC206CDAD7C.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Accidental matching with Gramps!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5q4krmAz43_pi6cwV5w-roEzMIuSzeOODZ1_yj706Bl-mViSTzs-2nsvVScwj6Awb8vRiVxzlgMpHYd1UZyj79tRstwn9JmDyna9T_eLzfBpl5FufbuTZWzQLdWy9PCLvqTzEX5G-gzBT3rUb4-NrfZfSTCqJGJuCAPwVIrcEi-AjJY-TN-aicFZnQ/s2048/A1024905-183B-4176-9EF4-451ED5159699.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ5q4krmAz43_pi6cwV5w-roEzMIuSzeOODZ1_yj706Bl-mViSTzs-2nsvVScwj6Awb8vRiVxzlgMpHYd1UZyj79tRstwn9JmDyna9T_eLzfBpl5FufbuTZWzQLdWy9PCLvqTzEX5G-gzBT3rUb4-NrfZfSTCqJGJuCAPwVIrcEi-AjJY-TN-aicFZnQ/w480-h640/A1024905-183B-4176-9EF4-451ED5159699.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">My four siblings still at home, got to come for a few days also and that just filled the boys' happy cup to overflowing to have their aunties and uncles here!</div></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VyTilmOUW2Yhc1DiOvLFmF3aujMohDsMTYUF413CRRFoGEkJAqo_fsaIKXf1OQnjK7fCOwOjTdYYLX02E_ObssWtVmT1TbZJRn6AepghpZljV2zmrvU3COqX5UqlmKmRmsmIx8AF243s850XByVpLeupSh88LhyjY1UET7dTEedtTmZvhgjv469OLQ/s4032/E883CBFC-2BDB-402F-A106-335AD18311B9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4VyTilmOUW2Yhc1DiOvLFmF3aujMohDsMTYUF413CRRFoGEkJAqo_fsaIKXf1OQnjK7fCOwOjTdYYLX02E_ObssWtVmT1TbZJRn6AepghpZljV2zmrvU3COqX5UqlmKmRmsmIx8AF243s850XByVpLeupSh88LhyjY1UET7dTEedtTmZvhgjv469OLQ/w480-h640/E883CBFC-2BDB-402F-A106-335AD18311B9.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Can't believe Madeline is nine months old!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(check out her Cuddle & Kind Charlotte Dog, <a href="https://amzn.to/3Mp9X5T" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a>! My kiddos LOVE these dolls!)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoxAg5ixcV-kc_toCu-j1PDJUJz0z2slRQhzAJht3DjYH6L9qp06b6yup7UbGQpVnY4BVxsFSD-kRZ_wLUyMtZWJJj34ibDkedSTLaqra157wVfzEyiUu0Y9r0m_StVYL02njhaNzkbIB6hBcRlSU2vHeIU-utaZPMneWFBQ813ixaQN_kpnMPbm_SQ/s4032/C687EF54-EE82-48CE-A19D-97F474AC94B9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSoxAg5ixcV-kc_toCu-j1PDJUJz0z2slRQhzAJht3DjYH6L9qp06b6yup7UbGQpVnY4BVxsFSD-kRZ_wLUyMtZWJJj34ibDkedSTLaqra157wVfzEyiUu0Y9r0m_StVYL02njhaNzkbIB6hBcRlSU2vHeIU-utaZPMneWFBQ813ixaQN_kpnMPbm_SQ/w480-h640/C687EF54-EE82-48CE-A19D-97F474AC94B9.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Such a little ham! =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rVPwYTuyrS02CVr7P17A8YyaPAqcYokYd2361fLRCQfgJ1ZGnQaBIt11dkglWCiLC7Rf6yq527CdCH80Ng2CTNA7bXGDDSFe_GN32LcjSNPMDnKMf1Yg7bA0VNHCQcCacbhQtuW7w-e8bbymeTyzy-urES5LVo55TyUe9m15vaIi0B2lgRBQlOWF5w/s4032/BF8DE69F-8D33-4883-8196-C86DD647661C.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rVPwYTuyrS02CVr7P17A8YyaPAqcYokYd2361fLRCQfgJ1ZGnQaBIt11dkglWCiLC7Rf6yq527CdCH80Ng2CTNA7bXGDDSFe_GN32LcjSNPMDnKMf1Yg7bA0VNHCQcCacbhQtuW7w-e8bbymeTyzy-urES5LVo55TyUe9m15vaIi0B2lgRBQlOWF5w/w480-h640/BF8DE69F-8D33-4883-8196-C86DD647661C.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Flowers from my sweet former church family in Iowa.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZCD9MaeMMQwBiBEj8l1W0X7xsiucl7gpcnp_qz8k1fEaRW73abFcJh_AjVj5vhbxzR4Wqzh3W1B8nf98Wh2Yn1GRsBsVZ99BnpDa8xM5j9ULHOiPoy1MTtUOPjBA6_mUsbI0JcQApGjLQ2_cGwBtftN-Oy8lJWo2zSJ3fPCa8GcLoeedbLobYXf4cQ/s4032/870427D4-ED11-4631-B315-AD997121D322.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsZCD9MaeMMQwBiBEj8l1W0X7xsiucl7gpcnp_qz8k1fEaRW73abFcJh_AjVj5vhbxzR4Wqzh3W1B8nf98Wh2Yn1GRsBsVZ99BnpDa8xM5j9ULHOiPoy1MTtUOPjBA6_mUsbI0JcQApGjLQ2_cGwBtftN-Oy8lJWo2zSJ3fPCa8GcLoeedbLobYXf4cQ/w480-h640/870427D4-ED11-4631-B315-AD997121D322.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Morning smiles!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkQ7_2mlwL-nVGNxUzh61aA0I3-agqX1kExKV_NmGmDIoZlCg_eyTPTqJCIDzz7y3pQ9ygb5xSrGnI1P7rzHL8EdxNt-H_JYyr4WOZcqGQ708YK-kr2MmWoR3d7r0VitzvCLgl_S3VaXnKRWd3YXj8p2ugYhfezsEYCV1koGYqBKfQnu4ooHb-RPlpA/s4032/94DB4C63-2C91-4D0F-9B27-1F4A2BEAF81E.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBkQ7_2mlwL-nVGNxUzh61aA0I3-agqX1kExKV_NmGmDIoZlCg_eyTPTqJCIDzz7y3pQ9ygb5xSrGnI1P7rzHL8EdxNt-H_JYyr4WOZcqGQ708YK-kr2MmWoR3d7r0VitzvCLgl_S3VaXnKRWd3YXj8p2ugYhfezsEYCV1koGYqBKfQnu4ooHb-RPlpA/w640-h480/94DB4C63-2C91-4D0F-9B27-1F4A2BEAF81E.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Easter morning table. <i>(pre food and people)</i></div><div style="text-align: left;">Table settings: plain white sheet for a table cloth, wooden coaster <i>(I don't think mine is bamboo, it was gifted, but looks identical to <a href="https://amzn.to/3rGrkqM" target="_blank"><b>this one</b></a>!)</i> toddler silverware & sippies courtesy of Walmart, toddler plates from Ikea, <a href="https://amzn.to/3v0OgmM" target="_blank"><b><i>these gorgeous goblets</i></b></a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/3MfSPPO" target="_blank"><b><i>this white corelle</i></b></a>, and other pieces from random and various places/gifts. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eSCFmEDj6XNmVG8vg8pdrX2HZM63_8ipug2JJpAkCN32uun5iXM6qLSFZqj82BPEzUeDQohTAgp1VcgOK_jGh7q5GpwYt7BRZjEzmgRGluqwNVOIcCCyLiKiM8Nr7zncxBoKcEm_q2yd_7B2MM3ZBU1s1UQg_SkK3AZtp7aQZD-LJDKb9wJTj1AS5w/s4032/6AD65CDE-069C-4B24-9840-291EAD74FE5F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eSCFmEDj6XNmVG8vg8pdrX2HZM63_8ipug2JJpAkCN32uun5iXM6qLSFZqj82BPEzUeDQohTAgp1VcgOK_jGh7q5GpwYt7BRZjEzmgRGluqwNVOIcCCyLiKiM8Nr7zncxBoKcEm_q2yd_7B2MM3ZBU1s1UQg_SkK3AZtp7aQZD-LJDKb9wJTj1AS5w/w640-h480/6AD65CDE-069C-4B24-9840-291EAD74FE5F.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our first cookout of the season!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ABv2UA--tOtHGqpyIue9UdOE1OltxRxaC8E46BcqLNSt4GWZvl9J2y6uRhnf6VgSbP8gEfgRisr3ozvMU3B-jIs7WeDCbJvZAiG5a0KGH2G2Wr4SZkaI8Lke7VOMG8fR1d5D-9eGqa7oeeCxcqaVrKxt48myq9vR1UgHVARBEwGD9Jk4o_h9dCS6aQ/s3088/E80E0ECE-0174-4D08-86CD-D2C2216A8A54.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ABv2UA--tOtHGqpyIue9UdOE1OltxRxaC8E46BcqLNSt4GWZvl9J2y6uRhnf6VgSbP8gEfgRisr3ozvMU3B-jIs7WeDCbJvZAiG5a0KGH2G2Wr4SZkaI8Lke7VOMG8fR1d5D-9eGqa7oeeCxcqaVrKxt48myq9vR1UgHVARBEwGD9Jk4o_h9dCS6aQ/w480-h640/E80E0ECE-0174-4D08-86CD-D2C2216A8A54.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Snuggles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUzZrA3t2XkY5Dqs6O8SqmW5LLPFAEw529s7uxHERKvPQJwWgNeSNnKZ-7CfarLmWHNDRdCoX8hCuEWkkp2LU5uElM54mNCRMWwueuojHPQcRTFpvocKnap9qmK44oCAn85SqCOi6zcPJWdVgx2s-RaOBARJP09LnsxxpTFu_68EOHdAvu8ROWzyFzQ/s4032/2C9BA58E-6D04-4CA6-93E8-FBA8D28FDE1D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiUzZrA3t2XkY5Dqs6O8SqmW5LLPFAEw529s7uxHERKvPQJwWgNeSNnKZ-7CfarLmWHNDRdCoX8hCuEWkkp2LU5uElM54mNCRMWwueuojHPQcRTFpvocKnap9qmK44oCAn85SqCOi6zcPJWdVgx2s-RaOBARJP09LnsxxpTFu_68EOHdAvu8ROWzyFzQ/w480-h640/2C9BA58E-6D04-4CA6-93E8-FBA8D28FDE1D.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Elliot was struggling with finishing his breakfast one morning. Axton went over, picked up his fork, and helped him finish, all the while speaking the sweetest little words of encouragement, "good job Elliot! You finished!" Melted my heart!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3weESUd26xD4QSD2K9KHNCsrAVuDmApppN0eicN-g4eq5B23tBiZ27USAwHcGbcW72XXsVO4mdH6jcaP10QmxJZqZsJ6qo7qL3Zsks83OOzBN1VXEdE1G4_Zd_ePZdIiyM_fmbpp_0jTEMrcy_CQxzxpAzlEreXGFTkavWbhZs-VIIOKlVBeanDtcQ/s3088/1BEA028F-6749-4F98-BFF6-39FAF65B9B95.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU3weESUd26xD4QSD2K9KHNCsrAVuDmApppN0eicN-g4eq5B23tBiZ27USAwHcGbcW72XXsVO4mdH6jcaP10QmxJZqZsJ6qo7qL3Zsks83OOzBN1VXEdE1G4_Zd_ePZdIiyM_fmbpp_0jTEMrcy_CQxzxpAzlEreXGFTkavWbhZs-VIIOKlVBeanDtcQ/w480-h640/1BEA028F-6749-4F98-BFF6-39FAF65B9B95.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Love my babies.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And that's just a little pop in to say that we are well and thank you all for your kind well wishes and prayers! We are truly grateful for each of you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Weekend, friends. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-Chels</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Note: all of the items linked in this post are items that I own and love. The Amazon links are affiliate links. Please read my <a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/p/info.html" target="_blank"><i><b>affiliate disclosure here</b></i></a>)</span></div><p></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-35795501781806303612022-03-26T17:12:00.000-04:002022-03-26T17:12:03.480-04:00Home and Recovering!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9L2XVQ85qT8g2AVdUaQ9pdGHGH4mqeEdkCJ3sOCcRcNkoSaS8EODlBboKVBtMnVXpUywv_3DVKkh_SoV5Qae2Nmae9wTPtk3gr8zvCn5D1kjQYK3MazDCJJZJSR38QGWD2tFb_skf-QK4r61Fk02AcTHAgRl6UARnY6PXB__Zj4SUZ1uxF54WKTNNQ/s3445/58C1848B-9467-4A90-A04E-3DF516B0D96A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3445" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9L2XVQ85qT8g2AVdUaQ9pdGHGH4mqeEdkCJ3sOCcRcNkoSaS8EODlBboKVBtMnVXpUywv_3DVKkh_SoV5Qae2Nmae9wTPtk3gr8zvCn5D1kjQYK3MazDCJJZJSR38QGWD2tFb_skf-QK4r61Fk02AcTHAgRl6UARnY6PXB__Zj4SUZ1uxF54WKTNNQ/w562-h640/58C1848B-9467-4A90-A04E-3DF516B0D96A.jpeg" width="562" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our smiles say how happy we are to all be back together again. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Well actually, the kiddos smiles are all because Gramps and Nana were taking the picture and being hilarious. =) But truly it is SO good to be back home together and recovering from the comfort of my favorite place! I was released from the hospital yesterday late morning and now am posting this from the happy spot of my living room.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For those who are curious about the actual surgery I had, here is a little info! Valvuloplasty is when the surgeon inserts a very small, narrow, hollow tube into a blood vessel in the groin and advances it up and then through the aorta into the heart. The goal of the surgery is to then use the tissue "ballon" on the end of the tube to help open a stiff <i>(stenotic)</i> heart valve. I had two tubes inserted, one on each leg. So although it is definitely a big deal and there is recovery needed, I didn't have to be technically cut open. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Subsequently, the healing process shouldn't be too rough, which is a huge blessing. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The surgery took longer than was expected due to the doctors having some trouble crossing over from one side of my heart to the other. They started right at 11am on the morning of the 24th and finished around 1:15pm that afternoon. The cardiologist was happy with the surgery and said it was successful. We will meet back with him on May 13th for another echocardiogram and overall assessment.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So far I've had to take things for the pain a few times, but other than that it has been manageable. I'm not supposed to lift anything for a week, but I am able to walk around pretty well, which is kinda crazy if you think about my status 48 hours ago! I think the main difficulty this next week will be for me to remember not to do anything. I'm supposed to rest, however, it's really hard to stay put when one is feeling pretty good, and especially when that person has Bontrager bloodlines, haha. =) But my dear husband and family are taking care of me and running the house, and our church is bringing meals, so resting is what I am going to do! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="text-align: center;">Thankyou all for your prayers, messages, comments, and love. It truly means so much to us. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Happy weekend!</div><div style="text-align: center;"> Chels</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-25572126621739371822022-03-24T16:28:00.003-04:002022-03-24T16:28:52.541-04:00Surgery Completed!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPu8IMJrLprt8Dh5apWNKasp6i1XMrsggnRyq4fxxjyZiw6mvZcj1GgeSM597S94yJGItgz_oFdGUY-dNgNUoI8FTt6T6tksM3rsMuBT7Pe4JaF5HKs1VP06IvvtjpZ6q8U7GisewrO8s7Mr7niaB4Gj8KtIsGho5v4rpEjeWOub9lHGgiGwiMPYSnA/s3428/7B85D778-E943-4A31-8AFD-ABF7C772388F.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3428" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioPu8IMJrLprt8Dh5apWNKasp6i1XMrsggnRyq4fxxjyZiw6mvZcj1GgeSM597S94yJGItgz_oFdGUY-dNgNUoI8FTt6T6tksM3rsMuBT7Pe4JaF5HKs1VP06IvvtjpZ6q8U7GisewrO8s7Mr7niaB4Gj8KtIsGho5v4rpEjeWOub9lHGgiGwiMPYSnA/w640-h564/7B85D778-E943-4A31-8AFD-ABF7C772388F.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>The surgery is finally finished. It took longer than the doctors expected but it was successful!!<br />Thankyou for your prayers!<p></p><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-73328091312961861762022-03-22T18:49:00.001-04:002022-03-22T19:04:38.436-04:00Life Update and Upcoming Surgery<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmkzUd009R7jJzM04zs1v6pe2OgmAi-rUIjyl1_osqpb40JCJXgOPFpJmloaaVgvpYD4NA9dZtkqB4UsRoY2w0P1YqKvHyrQgt33FFj0x8RaLTUtAYSgkJYNohdhschHsp2HACt273AV8btOHiAPuQ6QTIDESf2tTqQucekNg00Vkd5VCEsgAgT2-qw/s4032/6555F282-E5BE-4015-8839-C77DB5A7A5EC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwmkzUd009R7jJzM04zs1v6pe2OgmAi-rUIjyl1_osqpb40JCJXgOPFpJmloaaVgvpYD4NA9dZtkqB4UsRoY2w0P1YqKvHyrQgt33FFj0x8RaLTUtAYSgkJYNohdhschHsp2HACt273AV8btOHiAPuQ6QTIDESf2tTqQucekNg00Vkd5VCEsgAgT2-qw/w480-h640/6555F282-E5BE-4015-8839-C77DB5A7A5EC.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, an update from us. Thankyou all for your prayers and for checking in! <p></p><p>Many people have been asking about Madeline. Oh my, what a little fireball she is. "Small but mighty" is always what comes to mind when I try to describe her in a few words. She is still very petite- right at 12 1/2 pounds. I finally put away the rest of her 0-3mon clothes the other day and she is wearing 3-6mon currently! Her size is almost the only preemie thing about her though. I love to watch people watch her when I lay her on the floor, and hear their gasps as she promptly rolls over and over and over, moving the whole way across the living room in less than a minute. When one sees a baby this tiny, they don't expect the movement and coordination that she has, which is completely understandable! She is exclusively on bottles and I don't think solids are anywhere in her near future. But that is very normal for premature babies and although she doesn't weigh much, she has tiny little rolls around her thighs and she is healthy as can be! She is doing so much better with her eating and reflux issues and I am so thankful for that. All in all, she is a happy, healthy, and energetic little lass who seems to be just thrilled with her little life!</p><p>The boys of the family are doing great as well! John continues to wear a million hats and is constantly expanding his areas of interest and business. I seriously never cease to be amazed at how talented and skilled he is at SO many different things. He does so well at balancing family life and work and taking time for the babies and me. </p><p>Axton and Elliot adore Madeline and they are so sweet with her. They are both super excited about the warmer weather we've been having lately as the backyard is their favorite play spot! Axton is growing up so fast and is becoming such a little man with a very extensive vocabulary! Elliot loves hanging out with him and being his little sidekick but when I watch him drink his bottle in the morning or see him laying on the floor cooing to Maddy, I am reminded that Elliot truly is still a baby himself. Ah, what fun they are. I ADORE being their mama!</p><p>Here are a few favorite pictures of recently, because I know everyone is wanting to see Madeline, and also because what is a blog post without pictures?! =) And then keep scrolling to the end to read the main reason for this post. </p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4aq6Y1IkaKh3BrWfRA2u5-pJdMo-AVXmBHdAXQrA-Sn5Cwp_y0wgi4GMvi-eZwuohXXvnSk-BuVtYgVwQyKlBj6IWrrbAMMrCVy1kBwI1vdnBa0hZ-RGxWXOGe-VaqIANgdiDUKQLUwvrZHIpjkcLFNPLhe8ooJd8hLYJ47d5_GwZ1TcVsbAxBcZRQ/s4032/3F52205E-CF86-41AC-8B05-2F23A0000A8D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH4aq6Y1IkaKh3BrWfRA2u5-pJdMo-AVXmBHdAXQrA-Sn5Cwp_y0wgi4GMvi-eZwuohXXvnSk-BuVtYgVwQyKlBj6IWrrbAMMrCVy1kBwI1vdnBa0hZ-RGxWXOGe-VaqIANgdiDUKQLUwvrZHIpjkcLFNPLhe8ooJd8hLYJ47d5_GwZ1TcVsbAxBcZRQ/w480-h640/3F52205E-CF86-41AC-8B05-2F23A0000A8D.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZW0BXsu66LXMFA2zmkG9lKSnnueC3U6-eMutRzYaybdYELpjNTtIdAEfEFWlKgP6eO6oP26tI3Vd1b3f9K2VmkcgiPky6t3Q4YmNyH1aCD7BSOCCQdFSIVhp52ZHfOMoFCPUu-qu13fVn5gSZ5n8TekCUbNZShHEXcQgw2erQa1lMqea8AdsgX-qqfw/s4032/5D7C8633-C5DF-4E09-B311-BB6490A70A72.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZW0BXsu66LXMFA2zmkG9lKSnnueC3U6-eMutRzYaybdYELpjNTtIdAEfEFWlKgP6eO6oP26tI3Vd1b3f9K2VmkcgiPky6t3Q4YmNyH1aCD7BSOCCQdFSIVhp52ZHfOMoFCPUu-qu13fVn5gSZ5n8TekCUbNZShHEXcQgw2erQa1lMqea8AdsgX-qqfw/w480-h640/5D7C8633-C5DF-4E09-B311-BB6490A70A72.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjz8_LwaEBmzqSiVeGL2JBOwTWMSKj1_07CPsG_XUpsanTbnq32-FofT7OU45f4kKjajC9XvbJ02KteFuNkLJHeKbWKaRqFqAVraVmVhRUB-oAhhhQzsLP088L6wk_fTxDhc9UTmU7JIZ9w-cb2DaNvOBD5b8Ney3k-y2tGjH2jEypPnmbqaAqcbe4A/s3153/2C75F385-C04B-4605-864A-70F7D87FED31.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3153" data-original-width="2329" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGjz8_LwaEBmzqSiVeGL2JBOwTWMSKj1_07CPsG_XUpsanTbnq32-FofT7OU45f4kKjajC9XvbJ02KteFuNkLJHeKbWKaRqFqAVraVmVhRUB-oAhhhQzsLP088L6wk_fTxDhc9UTmU7JIZ9w-cb2DaNvOBD5b8Ney3k-y2tGjH2jEypPnmbqaAqcbe4A/w472-h640/2C75F385-C04B-4605-864A-70F7D87FED31.jpeg" width="472" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvytmeubjTK6tXED8-wQSWaH199sAvNG_FtB3J8-sSdUnuWnwA4k41exWz82LoRlCKdb-xYC11hSbws_QGnCA7VNQSKK8bAb850KwAL07nPdTNwlocv-ICte4DsoFe1oB80z0BL4bFogW5eia5madr04wfkWpBbAl63LgCyblku_vKwei-dIe0EVU0Q/s4032/2DCCD4DF-152B-4928-80CA-BDC6FDD8A5B1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZvytmeubjTK6tXED8-wQSWaH199sAvNG_FtB3J8-sSdUnuWnwA4k41exWz82LoRlCKdb-xYC11hSbws_QGnCA7VNQSKK8bAb850KwAL07nPdTNwlocv-ICte4DsoFe1oB80z0BL4bFogW5eia5madr04wfkWpBbAl63LgCyblku_vKwei-dIe0EVU0Q/w480-h640/2DCCD4DF-152B-4928-80CA-BDC6FDD8A5B1.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPE6XUY2Ol2JBDtu4_MeZtMFr4Ur-ZQrKJyivsqkSyuAVhVoLIfgXQVKcsmiKmPTarLN8nh0b9MZ0cBBFwEPFxiRwg8pmdBn6Tk82zpxVyTAXaBk01C0Vm-saD3aMxwQRFIPhUSo_Fug2fud8ghcsByBL4vgfCaHeNAxrVIx_tp6V4Z8ho2F1ush6Iw/s3088/6DC8AB91-E433-4E4B-8EE9-3CE4EDFAA890.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWPE6XUY2Ol2JBDtu4_MeZtMFr4Ur-ZQrKJyivsqkSyuAVhVoLIfgXQVKcsmiKmPTarLN8nh0b9MZ0cBBFwEPFxiRwg8pmdBn6Tk82zpxVyTAXaBk01C0Vm-saD3aMxwQRFIPhUSo_Fug2fud8ghcsByBL4vgfCaHeNAxrVIx_tp6V4Z8ho2F1ush6Iw/w480-h640/6DC8AB91-E433-4E4B-8EE9-3CE4EDFAA890.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTlY2dVlfjj5rZrf7YCq2C2gb2jrx3VA5uRvUZa5WecuQJna0jMi4jRP7C7mx3C0aM9idUysSKrnZ1opn58XB2u_D_51NIYjWEX5A_BFKnvgdbliAn6wx8-9mk9X8J1SKgoweXN4VU_rXyEq-9he0u1n2dAxBwkm_p__02Jgi8DSocCYXPhF-KCBVPA/s4032/23A9279C-8188-42EF-ADDC-A507A8CA2E9A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTlY2dVlfjj5rZrf7YCq2C2gb2jrx3VA5uRvUZa5WecuQJna0jMi4jRP7C7mx3C0aM9idUysSKrnZ1opn58XB2u_D_51NIYjWEX5A_BFKnvgdbliAn6wx8-9mk9X8J1SKgoweXN4VU_rXyEq-9he0u1n2dAxBwkm_p__02Jgi8DSocCYXPhF-KCBVPA/w640-h480/23A9279C-8188-42EF-ADDC-A507A8CA2E9A.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1QQ6VcvcRjIYKoZKDRDXmASUbFEiXAjnI2Q_VadW1akVv2lIec5QDbwsxW-eUiqji8km0EPot9n9oUcbyuzpBHCP4AzQj8c-gqs-0pkRC-0oHSo8IjIKUHFlTCHwzxT02RCfYCGD5Jq1DQFIBMh_YHKLzmK_iUa_KCJ5Vv_KlgxVtSwTjjnNHcu2Vg/s4032/38FA493F-0A3E-4B3B-9C91-4D0290398CCC.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw1QQ6VcvcRjIYKoZKDRDXmASUbFEiXAjnI2Q_VadW1akVv2lIec5QDbwsxW-eUiqji8km0EPot9n9oUcbyuzpBHCP4AzQj8c-gqs-0pkRC-0oHSo8IjIKUHFlTCHwzxT02RCfYCGD5Jq1DQFIBMh_YHKLzmK_iUa_KCJ5Vv_KlgxVtSwTjjnNHcu2Vg/w480-h640/38FA493F-0A3E-4B3B-9C91-4D0290398CCC.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBs7nYDin-nPs4oNbfZic-FHu19OmoXG-lsBjWqHB3OGAjsucXlPF19mOmltFFJQqpIZ7x7OR6YLSE3LZ-VPlJ_VOn4SQ60UQB_MkpyJQ1rEvbC1qlwdIjgbTUaEawV6pg3XOMImKlwEevRBcKtyqN01aPd-dBJlQSEZ_auhoeK0IeGfQz4YdMUf8zQ/s4032/41F6F9A3-566B-4208-AE59-259FDF8030E8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBs7nYDin-nPs4oNbfZic-FHu19OmoXG-lsBjWqHB3OGAjsucXlPF19mOmltFFJQqpIZ7x7OR6YLSE3LZ-VPlJ_VOn4SQ60UQB_MkpyJQ1rEvbC1qlwdIjgbTUaEawV6pg3XOMImKlwEevRBcKtyqN01aPd-dBJlQSEZ_auhoeK0IeGfQz4YdMUf8zQ/w480-h640/41F6F9A3-566B-4208-AE59-259FDF8030E8.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbfUvEt5wFyxpGotuKYFU1b6qSTG63yE6qquvM5h4wOebL3TJBZfSsytnXsn55_Soz6xGYTfbAkRNIDn-GdweVA5PtOGLK4JPNZOcTwmHH245JUkoFJVsFOpF_LltPK96qKKVnag7Kwqyb8vTzxJ46-OJj2XeWHVq1QLERuTlXJEtSi54QNMdBfj9Ww/s4032/42E3790C-C819-4CCB-8143-5EA647EDF1D9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbfUvEt5wFyxpGotuKYFU1b6qSTG63yE6qquvM5h4wOebL3TJBZfSsytnXsn55_Soz6xGYTfbAkRNIDn-GdweVA5PtOGLK4JPNZOcTwmHH245JUkoFJVsFOpF_LltPK96qKKVnag7Kwqyb8vTzxJ46-OJj2XeWHVq1QLERuTlXJEtSi54QNMdBfj9Ww/w480-h640/42E3790C-C819-4CCB-8143-5EA647EDF1D9.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozy6mu45vY6T8X3luqBXpfffLrGw7BLK5jm7nFcYugvMwJeJnVVK48HYJ6lPiJTrklkoCqUP18IAfQZTbY5feHqju-g-687mVPijxieo1VPNsd7DUc-bmWk1AxMPejfqImNXXun_ZZz7XpAAO0A7XEvjmoEH-ipQEE-ne9vQ0R77FQQ78XQcpFe4fbQ/s3189/44A5E45B-8EAF-4F9D-82B2-18CAABCA8949.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3189" data-original-width="2364" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozy6mu45vY6T8X3luqBXpfffLrGw7BLK5jm7nFcYugvMwJeJnVVK48HYJ6lPiJTrklkoCqUP18IAfQZTbY5feHqju-g-687mVPijxieo1VPNsd7DUc-bmWk1AxMPejfqImNXXun_ZZz7XpAAO0A7XEvjmoEH-ipQEE-ne9vQ0R77FQQ78XQcpFe4fbQ/w474-h640/44A5E45B-8EAF-4F9D-82B2-18CAABCA8949.jpeg" width="474" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3y9Ca31d4bfcEJxzeyjeDPSi9Bwy3UNR9TvM5wkAcufBejHdRpaOliz8eeWlST7_9nFgtV0PL0sVhMcc638U4XrLAGsM6_v3SQezevbQNsYaZ0UUiHtk6wrSsT8RcaFmIvdpBJY8L9sMSwm7XiPYUw4ECKcQeNSeMfZ393YjrsH8zIKw1fcUwq2q0Dw/s4032/67E8B0D8-98B0-4539-9D1C-6CBE62ED2006.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3y9Ca31d4bfcEJxzeyjeDPSi9Bwy3UNR9TvM5wkAcufBejHdRpaOliz8eeWlST7_9nFgtV0PL0sVhMcc638U4XrLAGsM6_v3SQezevbQNsYaZ0UUiHtk6wrSsT8RcaFmIvdpBJY8L9sMSwm7XiPYUw4ECKcQeNSeMfZ393YjrsH8zIKw1fcUwq2q0Dw/w640-h480/67E8B0D8-98B0-4539-9D1C-6CBE62ED2006.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-tk0RrN5-dd1yoVeLeGsEFdu2n9VLR1BSG8kFR3GAKGJtjibi24WkOOyfVdmY3omuv0G7wkMNQXaTdwJysxoAr53kutPL_xTWxfnONphF_7I8x3_U6xvIwfY3pDRzdMkNsgbDBgNxum46y2yGrhkx3sm6hbzsvLcB9hFjPKiQv5KPzMAr-aYhNEJ_g/s4032/95CC17A4-CB41-4AA3-B132-774AA03CC80F.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu-tk0RrN5-dd1yoVeLeGsEFdu2n9VLR1BSG8kFR3GAKGJtjibi24WkOOyfVdmY3omuv0G7wkMNQXaTdwJysxoAr53kutPL_xTWxfnONphF_7I8x3_U6xvIwfY3pDRzdMkNsgbDBgNxum46y2yGrhkx3sm6hbzsvLcB9hFjPKiQv5KPzMAr-aYhNEJ_g/w640-h480/95CC17A4-CB41-4AA3-B132-774AA03CC80F.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui-jSE80t4cdTH_CxoRosT0Cqfn4_AlEygcrdZTYWtRX8DXL554uaezKImfZT9hxZREJeXEAYnR1ilDQPNcnu2xq8ScR8emyEYBMF3QqUnRN2v8DWaaAjNMPKazKctKKO75uyUb3G6IoUFy8UMqkJkvlkf0ALz8oVx4a0oz6n__lslip2rF2ofsXMiw/s2100/993A25BA-41A9-4F2A-BE06-58148412FB5D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="2100" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjui-jSE80t4cdTH_CxoRosT0Cqfn4_AlEygcrdZTYWtRX8DXL554uaezKImfZT9hxZREJeXEAYnR1ilDQPNcnu2xq8ScR8emyEYBMF3QqUnRN2v8DWaaAjNMPKazKctKKO75uyUb3G6IoUFy8UMqkJkvlkf0ALz8oVx4a0oz6n__lslip2rF2ofsXMiw/w640-h480/993A25BA-41A9-4F2A-BE06-58148412FB5D.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(Yes, I marked out some text on John's shirt. We are are involved in a lot of things that we don't publicize so hence a few things need edits now and then. =))</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvpZKNM1FEn4dftabKX5VkrFTa0inYEdHLibh3LUi4Kmbj-vCS_OLXynE7RfhoOgz6sk2CFYd33VxidtGq_kXVWHliuQEw8GcjYCV1uHaVFl9vdPy2w4IxMWrz2UswwMd4dTy8si6Q4_Fo5DWLJisFE92FBQnE3yaxw7VF2LY7TaO4v31CeknQPAmKw/s4032/B3DF949D-B5E2-4CAA-B7C0-FBD8A2014D3A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYvpZKNM1FEn4dftabKX5VkrFTa0inYEdHLibh3LUi4Kmbj-vCS_OLXynE7RfhoOgz6sk2CFYd33VxidtGq_kXVWHliuQEw8GcjYCV1uHaVFl9vdPy2w4IxMWrz2UswwMd4dTy8si6Q4_Fo5DWLJisFE92FBQnE3yaxw7VF2LY7TaO4v31CeknQPAmKw/w480-h640/B3DF949D-B5E2-4CAA-B7C0-FBD8A2014D3A.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCpAJddsCNNKHHA8MxxvDgV4NM85wnlFRO78tUuu54IouVnIUZU8QB6S4x9Scq5HZEUwMhRY6-rmSGP6W9xhvDwj07uAyG5HU5rK3ZZI6i5fAH7lklayb8sDQB8z7tGIzopX7VrF4P5AiH1I0iEp3gLoPGpBhLSYnxky9CENidqJWrp7mER4tNy362Q/s4032/E65AD3D1-A56A-488C-9BB9-EAD3B88BEB4A.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbCpAJddsCNNKHHA8MxxvDgV4NM85wnlFRO78tUuu54IouVnIUZU8QB6S4x9Scq5HZEUwMhRY6-rmSGP6W9xhvDwj07uAyG5HU5rK3ZZI6i5fAH7lklayb8sDQB8z7tGIzopX7VrF4P5AiH1I0iEp3gLoPGpBhLSYnxky9CENidqJWrp7mER4tNy362Q/w480-h640/E65AD3D1-A56A-488C-9BB9-EAD3B88BEB4A.jpeg" width="480" /></a>a</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2XNDIMlwqXA4_pzrzvoX4b2hpke0fx9Fb7txcAXMsSea-3uySJRQch4ANxwPaYCIPq41TLUD4nKQWEfCeS3GmufnLiB9nYDbOFMlrZz1TsAScI3mX0Zh1-_ufw8jrhjgf8_d0I38_wsGqwXIt0S97c7V46k4a0Q6lT_1k5Mb9xQi_X3DlbOsDsivBw/s4032/0B825800-08A8-48A8-8377-6E7DA4190851.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk2XNDIMlwqXA4_pzrzvoX4b2hpke0fx9Fb7txcAXMsSea-3uySJRQch4ANxwPaYCIPq41TLUD4nKQWEfCeS3GmufnLiB9nYDbOFMlrZz1TsAScI3mX0Zh1-_ufw8jrhjgf8_d0I38_wsGqwXIt0S97c7V46k4a0Q6lT_1k5Mb9xQi_X3DlbOsDsivBw/w480-h640/0B825800-08A8-48A8-8377-6E7DA4190851.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p>And finally, a little update on me. This portion is going to take up the better part of this post, and it is a little strange for me to write, because I've come to realize that I don't really love to write about my struggles and there are definitely a lot of OTHER things I'd rather share than what I am about to write. However, I do not take for granted the friends, family, and online community that cares about us and has prayed and supported in so many ways during our very traumatic past summer of Madeline's birth and NICU stay. So with that in mind, I want to share these things with you so that you will maybe join with us in our current prayer needs, yet again.</p><p>As you all know, Madeline was born ten weeks early, totally unexpectedly, following a very scary illness for me. Through her birth and subsequent complications, we discovered that I had (and apparently have had for years, without knowing it) mitral valve stenosis. I almost died when she was born, and had to be on oxygen for 12 hours afterwards, which resulted in extensive testing for what was going on. We asked one of our doctors there at the hospital what cardiologist he would recommend, and we got an appointment set for September. Over the rest of the summer we focused on our little family and getting Madeline healthy and home, and only told a few people about appointment that was looming in the future. We knew it was serious but we just needed to wait to cross that bridge until we had the time, energy, and strength for it. In September we met with the cardiologist and were told, among other things, that my condition was the worst he had ever seen in someone my age. When we left his office, we were prepared and expecting that open heart surgery was a very real and probable possibility. I'm not going to lie, we got to the car and both sat there and cried. It all felt so overwhelming and extremely serious and just SO HARD. Over the course of the fall/winter I had to have another more in depth echocardiogram and several visits with other cardiologists. Appointments, tests, waiting, opinions....I had never been admitted to a hospital prior to Axton and then Madeline's births, so you can imagine that this has all been a brand new roller coaster experience, and not in a good way. Finally it was determined that since my heart valve hadn't calcified, open heart surgery could be put off for a number of years, and a much less invasive surgery could solve the problem for the time being.</p><p>Also over the course of the past year, I have had some of the craziest dental stuff going on. This may sound minor compared to heart problems <i>(and it is!!) </i>but balancing countless dental appointments and decisions, before and then in the middle of my pregnancy and then Madelines NICU stay and first few months home, hasn't been exactly easy. Keep in mind that I am the girl who didn't have a single cavity for years. My siblings and I brushed religiously and never got cavities. But apparently ten adult years of no dentist visits (out of convenience, because who wants to go to the dentist with healthy teeth) and three pregnancies can really work a negative number on ones teeth. <i>(mamas, listen to me and go to the dentist! I so wish I could do that over!)</i> I had two teeth that basically broke off/fell out last year. One resulted in an emergency root canal in the spring, and the other was literally too bad for a root canal, so I had to have it extracted and am in the middle of the process of getting an implant. Oh, throw a batch of cavities in there too for good measure. I've lost track of my number of visits to my dentist. There is a little silver lining on the cloud, and that is the fact that I found a dentist that I love and whom we will be using as our family dentist in the future. So if I have to be going so often, it is nice to have a place with which we are happy.</p><p>In November, when we were back in Iowa visiting my family, John and I were involved in a wreck which nearly totaled our truck. <i>(if we had been in our car I wouldn't be here and alive to tell you about it) </i>Again, long story...we were both completely fine physically, which was a miracle, but it was a scary wreck and was traumatic for me, especially afterwards. John spent most of Thanksgiving week lining up a place to do major repair to the truck, and shopping for a new car to get us home. I am so grateful that our kiddos weren't with us in the truck at the time of the wreck! </p><p>Finally, the week before Christmas, I woke up one day with the weirdest twitching going on in my left cheek and eyebrow. I noticed it again later that morning when I was doing my makeup. By the afternoon we were in at our doctors office and I was diagnosed with Bells Palsy. If you don't know what it is <i>(I didn't!)</i> you can google it; just be prepared to be frightened. Some of the pictures you'll see are pretty scary, and a lot of the pictures I have on my phone of me from the last three months are pretty scary too. After everything else we'd gone through, the Bells Palsy honestly just felt the the cherry on top in the WORST way. I tried everything for it. Steroids, anti viral, creams, oils, meds, supplements, vitamins, acupuncture, massage, chiropractor...you name it, I tried it. Nothing seemed to help. Some people recover from it in a few weeks, and for others it takes months. There is no known cause, and no known cure. It would appear by now <i>(three months in)</i> that my case is one of the "takes months" cases. I am so thankful that we are slowly SLOWLY seeing improvement. Those who have seen me regularly from the beginning can see improvement too, and PTL I am able to talk normally now and don't have pain or tiredness, both of which were a problem at various points early on. All the pictures in this post are from this past month, so the ones of me don't look nearly as rough as it did in the beginning, but I still am a far cry from having a beautiful smile again and a lot of my face is still very affected.</p><p>Anyways! That feels like quite the dump of "stuff". And if I'm being open and honest here, I have to admit that the past eight months of all this have been unspeakably difficult. I'm not one to complain, and those who know me personally know that I am very upbeat and positive about life, even when it is hard. That is why I haven't preferred to talk about all this much. To me, there isn't much of a point to complain, and it is hard to be honest and say what all has happened, without it sounding like complaining, because it has been a lot of really hard circumstances. But there is a time to share, a time to ask for prayer, and this is one of those times! God is good. I can say that. I trust in Him. Has it been easy? No. But has He been MORE than merciful, and with us every step of the way? Yes absolutely. So much yes. </p><p>In spite of a failing heart, a failing face, and a failing mouth, I am so lucky to still be feeling mostly great <i>(as long as I don't exercise or birth a baby, haha!)</i> and getting plenty of sleep. Getting enough sleep is something that we have prioritized ever since we got married. I genuinely don't know what it is like to not get plenty of rest, even as a young and very busy mama of three babies. Our kids are all amazing sleepers and love routine so we have settled into a new normal even with having three now. I am so so thankful to be going into this surgery feeling rested both physically and emotionally. </p><p>My heart surgery is called valvuloplasty and it will be happening this Thursday morning, March 24th, @ 8am. I would greatly appreciate your prayers for safety and wisdom for the doctors! We are blessed with the most incredible network of extended family on both sides and our kiddos will be well cared for and loved while I am in the hospital and recovering afterwards.</p><p>Thankyou all so much for caring and following along with the bits I post here and there about our little family! As I said before, we don't take it for granted and we are thankful!</p><p>Lord willing, I'll pop on to say "it went well" as soon as I am "with it" enough to do so, following the surgery! </p><p style="text-align: center;">Life is short and precious and blessed. If there is one thing I'm learning through this, it is to never take life and health for granted. Hug your people a little tighter and tell them you love them, and rejoice in the opportunities to do so!</p><p style="text-align: center;">Be Blessed! And happy Tuesday!</p><p style="text-align: center;">Chels</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-67148367512602555842022-03-22T16:27:00.004-04:002022-03-22T16:27:43.489-04:00Madeline's Baby & Family Pictures<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikXZvkwUpWZ71QQ-6NtQLtuKVCdaItubmZ-6vfjKTjoS3cgzUiSqsg1ohV7NNXUfZHFFRr6dI3K5Zo9hpETB9395d15BiVioPOpFZ3oXBlVS5QrTQ2shJUZ77nIrDSW8e2nvJhcAYtztHb78k53DfDxoOHmikzJdWH3ENWvX3f5vZSCmR645nICKfdvw=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikXZvkwUpWZ71QQ-6NtQLtuKVCdaItubmZ-6vfjKTjoS3cgzUiSqsg1ohV7NNXUfZHFFRr6dI3K5Zo9hpETB9395d15BiVioPOpFZ3oXBlVS5QrTQ2shJUZ77nIrDSW8e2nvJhcAYtztHb78k53DfDxoOHmikzJdWH3ENWvX3f5vZSCmR645nICKfdvw=w640-h426" width="640" /></a>Back in September, my sis in love was so kind as to take these baby pictures for Madeline. Both of my boys had a professional newborn photoshoot, and I was sad that we didn't have that option with Madeline, as no photographers were allowed into the NICU during our time there, due to Covid restrictions. </p><p>What I didn't take into consideration, however, was that she would look just like a newborn when she came home, even though she was over two months old at that time. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">These pictures were taken on her due date, after she had been home for two weeks, and I will always cherish them. We got some with the whole family as well and used those shots for our Christmas cards. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI5mzlFtHbav-bwEhQFImdoR7tjQxVoVr6Ha3g8YSgv23dhpffCPIChAEwvscOzoGltP4rA-W-HsDh0vDdHMQ1NFmHLP9CSJuwgF7UX8UO9oIrTQJ4f0WRqKbQZOdcWzy872yCVqQmUUUoFwp4nE7iYLLy9pMwqiO8CAwLz7iKtXGK3DSZLil94wPA5g=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI5mzlFtHbav-bwEhQFImdoR7tjQxVoVr6Ha3g8YSgv23dhpffCPIChAEwvscOzoGltP4rA-W-HsDh0vDdHMQ1NFmHLP9CSJuwgF7UX8UO9oIrTQJ4f0WRqKbQZOdcWzy872yCVqQmUUUoFwp4nE7iYLLy9pMwqiO8CAwLz7iKtXGK3DSZLil94wPA5g=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Her gauze wrap was from my SIL's collection. Her headband is from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07V85SQ6T?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=chelsyrenee91-20&linkId=d526069a5b52047262dfcdecd402c5a8&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank"><b><i>this set</i></b></a> and I use them all the time! I was given so many adorable headbands for her <i>(literally dozens and dozens!)</i> but being a preemie she has a very small head, so those gifted headbands are mostly waiting for her when she gets a little bigger! In the meantime, I ordered two sets of headbands for her that are smaller and fit/decorate her petite and bald little head. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEileJF_y1XzrKu5caqz5tKgyyMZUHXYMxnxkxtjw8PUQYTzeoAucslvgxsL0lsP-BHMmlvCOwux2669qEcBlRU2oBzkoEu1VB_KiZ1cdGiFNmULjtKUDIU10xSGtAZY4Amn-xe3qEsqNrz5ejC0Y6QyhZozostNgwnt-Z3-lEAZaSx-Xu8fsz-NrAtcog=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEileJF_y1XzrKu5caqz5tKgyyMZUHXYMxnxkxtjw8PUQYTzeoAucslvgxsL0lsP-BHMmlvCOwux2669qEcBlRU2oBzkoEu1VB_KiZ1cdGiFNmULjtKUDIU10xSGtAZY4Amn-xe3qEsqNrz5ejC0Y6QyhZozostNgwnt-Z3-lEAZaSx-Xu8fsz-NrAtcog=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I ADORE these little turban hats! I was given this mustard one she is wearing, so I don't have an exact link, but <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0825KST95/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0825KST95&linkCode=as2&tag=chelsyrenee91-20&linkId=e2b9fcc6a9eb3bc976a9b362d18b0a02">LHTHZHW Newborn Cute Hats (Pink &amp; Green &amp; Gray &amp; red &amp; White &amp; Black),Medium</a>"><b><i>these </i></b></a>are very similar. The yellow/sage floral blanket <i>(Marshalls brand)</i> on which she is laying, was a baby gift from a friend, and the light sage muslin wrap was from the afore mentioned photo prop set from my SIL.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9WjSpUlBUhf42ZeV0JmMJge6d1kCQNElh8siwkyjs5Sd25doAJ5rrVDtAqo6IxG5FFJULK39IiyYFC55LSvqBBLGCWA_MbFRB6NZbeSBo_t-l-jH70IY98VzWSA5qZOWEznTNcfJqWyMguhEo_nIDITWBWvl7u4kSCOQr3X5wH8s-Uf3Eetn1GOFzZw=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh9WjSpUlBUhf42ZeV0JmMJge6d1kCQNElh8siwkyjs5Sd25doAJ5rrVDtAqo6IxG5FFJULK39IiyYFC55LSvqBBLGCWA_MbFRB6NZbeSBo_t-l-jH70IY98VzWSA5qZOWEznTNcfJqWyMguhEo_nIDITWBWvl7u4kSCOQr3X5wH8s-Uf3Eetn1GOFzZw=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglGhMP2Vn_wdAyTUBL0u4WQv1nID5coE6XJp1q5e4IGAUwK1mdxeTHICX9LugmZsr0679Ry979lINNy8RpEONo8eLWoaz0AoKGnPBGqYveeva8vzmRJRNqUW0jDD9sydpCfD90CPZfmWJsCbvO6pqMmcHiptsP3DrGIDtqiPVdLKiDDnL8dEHXi4Squg=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEglGhMP2Vn_wdAyTUBL0u4WQv1nID5coE6XJp1q5e4IGAUwK1mdxeTHICX9LugmZsr0679Ry979lINNy8RpEONo8eLWoaz0AoKGnPBGqYveeva8vzmRJRNqUW0jDD9sydpCfD90CPZfmWJsCbvO6pqMmcHiptsP3DrGIDtqiPVdLKiDDnL8dEHXi4Squg=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A few matching ones with my girl. Featuring a very basic yellow Walmart tee for me. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg69-titkA6es9kWF0Auxg-AT35JIUm5NRS-yPFbLbWq-iBCX5gEQ9sn-42g7Pu_YhykLI77IE_IrcoWpnN-nU8LiqKuqDZCqAVsI3m_D80V6X8gw9-5mea1ekCJNqo7nLfxJneh_WrA4FUDgf09QXWnrUau35OQq0AS_xw66fkSUVjPe6UFFKrsMuPfQ=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg69-titkA6es9kWF0Auxg-AT35JIUm5NRS-yPFbLbWq-iBCX5gEQ9sn-42g7Pu_YhykLI77IE_IrcoWpnN-nU8LiqKuqDZCqAVsI3m_D80V6X8gw9-5mea1ekCJNqo7nLfxJneh_WrA4FUDgf09QXWnrUau35OQq0AS_xw66fkSUVjPe6UFFKrsMuPfQ=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbqa458UzYos3etxfsXV38adaWxmv2pGL1hqVe2s9OIE9BAeDZoM2nRYkxzIAaE_96JDSJcHcJjw9WjFpI4yzngfM7zNSw8iKAMyS-tbe5Ns8wX57JFuLnJ6ba-xhhI5VspGkvEdRm2AINQVAcutwfvWxXkdrZza4jUGVX3CV7NUA0P6HgNm6cWY8dOQ=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjbqa458UzYos3etxfsXV38adaWxmv2pGL1hqVe2s9OIE9BAeDZoM2nRYkxzIAaE_96JDSJcHcJjw9WjFpI4yzngfM7zNSw8iKAMyS-tbe5Ns8wX57JFuLnJ6ba-xhhI5VspGkvEdRm2AINQVAcutwfvWxXkdrZza4jUGVX3CV7NUA0P6HgNm6cWY8dOQ=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Madeline was an absolutely angel for her photoshoot and slept through the entire thing!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX1ie5_m8vjkJiDkQVBPyqLss94IsHlJFalFlhaoke_QSU4UAnMYbltAa9My39LhoNBvpuaDE3KndrCU9wtufjuDCJdAUYokMCpuFm94vzXUqQW2gQe4mtlQLHPb4CMMOCBU-N-HUEF3dYz3eAG6e1H4tfiFRcNOjopjqqJLuzI5Bz8nYGSm0zWtHoDQ=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgX1ie5_m8vjkJiDkQVBPyqLss94IsHlJFalFlhaoke_QSU4UAnMYbltAa9My39LhoNBvpuaDE3KndrCU9wtufjuDCJdAUYokMCpuFm94vzXUqQW2gQe4mtlQLHPb4CMMOCBU-N-HUEF3dYz3eAG6e1H4tfiFRcNOjopjqqJLuzI5Bz8nYGSm0zWtHoDQ=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYOilc33h7P1m4r69FQt6UZkHhVrCQmyp1dk7_K3IiK9z4ZQgRgdgw5v9bSZSUa2QSagw9PUEgRMfC4FB98H_hPnb5S0SCDdw1-6hxfTZ1D_SyZd4Umzgcojf9q6XyuwWbqq-JRseV9W3Lvhns934DjS5R6JnQOItlRY24DN2FAYlYJ9cIEvtZ-yKnWg=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYOilc33h7P1m4r69FQt6UZkHhVrCQmyp1dk7_K3IiK9z4ZQgRgdgw5v9bSZSUa2QSagw9PUEgRMfC4FB98H_hPnb5S0SCDdw1-6hxfTZ1D_SyZd4Umzgcojf9q6XyuwWbqq-JRseV9W3Lvhns934DjS5R6JnQOItlRY24DN2FAYlYJ9cIEvtZ-yKnWg=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This floral swaddle and headband set are from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/JazmynNichole"><b><i>Jazmyn Nichole Boutique</i></b></a>. <i>(Madeline also has a matching hat)</i> I heard about this small shop right around the time that Madeline was born, and I am in love with the products! I have several of their swaddles, hats, and hair bows for Madeline, and I've ordered more to keep on hand for gifts. The quality is top notch and I love that their swaddles are a little bigger than standard size swaddles. Emily, the mama who runs this shop, is a wife, mama, and homemaker, and I love the fact that when I order from her I get to support her small business AND get one-of-a-kind, reasonably priced, high quality products for my babies! Go check her out! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNtlJKxxgUoxbe0fesSZzyBJtTV5o53zTBPQlZ1pAMTFfZukBnDRLoOvo2YyNRFFetDoSRTQpVTR8IKLC8CLxUmlgyALVWnGczH4p765qer8TTW2iq2PrHeZ1T64a9EnNMvjPMeCoVwNrav6wlafAXGUkdWBQL_M9wIrDYZOsFcTFBKtN7FiTTtRmziQ=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1065" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNtlJKxxgUoxbe0fesSZzyBJtTV5o53zTBPQlZ1pAMTFfZukBnDRLoOvo2YyNRFFetDoSRTQpVTR8IKLC8CLxUmlgyALVWnGczH4p765qer8TTW2iq2PrHeZ1T64a9EnNMvjPMeCoVwNrav6wlafAXGUkdWBQL_M9wIrDYZOsFcTFBKtN7FiTTtRmziQ=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How CUTE she is...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKKeymwF6XBxmR8CFwQa5kcgk3MBqRlcLfOQr8R3vQI_yBG194m9GwNlS9TQI0yUYOMYlRkoyjbJqlr2lBC2hQ_BKDX9A3Ti-nOkzfNfxlzru8K-2XHJA73rVJGyDawKBU_zFhik3-uGykzAkdemFCbx6KHrTPjejr41YCkS5BXynUZCG9wigHMV9ZJw=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="3992" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKKeymwF6XBxmR8CFwQa5kcgk3MBqRlcLfOQr8R3vQI_yBG194m9GwNlS9TQI0yUYOMYlRkoyjbJqlr2lBC2hQ_BKDX9A3Ti-nOkzfNfxlzru8K-2XHJA73rVJGyDawKBU_zFhik3-uGykzAkdemFCbx6KHrTPjejr41YCkS5BXynUZCG9wigHMV9ZJw=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Speaking of cute...here's another cutie who calls me mama. =)</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjk2aNZu0vLQcgcgCRBnr4Y3g82vh8Gr0I9h7nhuIfkodvgQRAxHNMkkWOx1zHWaKO98bF79xpdqroBepmTmoHXqXMrRWs94fqfzC6BjCexIZxnBDKB14RzR4watLC93LZUonct7HTeA4rPLUmxKeX9nRdUdBmpAt_iD3qKcgyyLfBL9v8amn6RmGY2Cw=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjk2aNZu0vLQcgcgCRBnr4Y3g82vh8Gr0I9h7nhuIfkodvgQRAxHNMkkWOx1zHWaKO98bF79xpdqroBepmTmoHXqXMrRWs94fqfzC6BjCexIZxnBDKB14RzR4watLC93LZUonct7HTeA4rPLUmxKeX9nRdUdBmpAt_iD3qKcgyyLfBL9v8amn6RmGY2Cw=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div>I wanted a "home session" type of feel for our family photos, and I also wanted something easy where we didn't have to go anywhere. So we moved the furniture into the dining room, put our living room rug up against the wall, opened all the windows for lots of natural light, and did all of these portraits in our living room! It was perfect.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaY1uCC5GwpZZSLIO3EsvohAyrH_tIsCRkjSbl9ZZ7Md2J-3KEBKXj5jvMJ95sPmf28sP1cIrlsYaBdqWsswwYhwU2I72SRdNdWhqpMlP2_AymfJQYCHhSSOmXrXPe9sb_hMgT16pX3DJXjAE1ZP9tNYHO_9KriQBPziZUj2gHLlf_DS14HiYqT3Ohtw=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaY1uCC5GwpZZSLIO3EsvohAyrH_tIsCRkjSbl9ZZ7Md2J-3KEBKXj5jvMJ95sPmf28sP1cIrlsYaBdqWsswwYhwU2I72SRdNdWhqpMlP2_AymfJQYCHhSSOmXrXPe9sb_hMgT16pX3DJXjAE1ZP9tNYHO_9KriQBPziZUj2gHLlf_DS14HiYqT3Ohtw=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Enjoy a few favs!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4u7YhyN93BVAoGJLoefL_-fBV1p18iym2IX3L_ap8uR5tCSLTxbwtfkQFAbcYIjWWtcDaNLfd_DaCgp33VdVtxLw12xeVPxfCILWP08-dG-oPxHh_YX2F1ehVrHoYdEjSYE5PofCZ1UD0kFiwz8njTsI2S6WhKgt260A0OWmAALgyafSt3-JY_HkgBg=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh4u7YhyN93BVAoGJLoefL_-fBV1p18iym2IX3L_ap8uR5tCSLTxbwtfkQFAbcYIjWWtcDaNLfd_DaCgp33VdVtxLw12xeVPxfCILWP08-dG-oPxHh_YX2F1ehVrHoYdEjSYE5PofCZ1UD0kFiwz8njTsI2S6WhKgt260A0OWmAALgyafSt3-JY_HkgBg=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div>Our outfits were very much thrown together, with a little advice assistance from my Bontrager side sisters and sisters in law. I think everything coordinated very well and it just goes to show that it isn't always necessary to buy a whole new wardrobe just to get good pictures! Elliot's shirt was Walmart brand and had a stain but I made sure it didn't show. =) Axton's was a thrifted Gap brand tee and it was too big for him but again, it was just pictures and so it isn't obvious that it is too large. John's navy tee was Eddie Bauer brand. My top is <a href="https://amzn.to/3KSwd7c"><b><i>this one</i></b></a>, I've had it for years and posted about the same one in a different color, in a different post, a few years back. I've had three of them now <i>(one in white, one in black, and then this one in the "rose red" color) </i>and they are hands down the most comfortable and flattering nursing-friendly top I've found. The zipper adds interest but is very secure so it doesn't slide at all except for when I need to adjust it for nursing or taking the top on/off. If you are a nursing mama I HIGHLY recommend this shirt and if you are just a gal who loves a pretty and comfortable top then I also highly recommend this shirt! =)It is a little longer than a typical tee shirt length, and the dolman style sleeves make it very easy to size up or down! It also hangs very well and is lose around the middle which is lifesaver for anyone looking to get a slimming look. If you are a postpartum mama this shirt will be your best friend. </div><div>My jeans were thrifted and my bracelet is <a href="https://amzn.to/3qj6KMw" target="_blank"><b><i>this one</i></b></a>. <i>(it is currently out of stock but there are similar ones listed)</i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPeZ3U7wqLD36Mt4VjiY3_P5d3rAGs7GLbw6Pim7WpVh8XiIOE4R9gDPcta6OzCV9aul-Mi0eoHccmhoZSDcmTDZ-V4x7WXlXLXfNDT0WomU3Yn0mOEiOEML4rzxU67Gh5beaKpQ9R_ykt_-v7uQL-udj664j_VZiIYyrQ6G2ZhPqn2fietZQf_j3DYQ=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPeZ3U7wqLD36Mt4VjiY3_P5d3rAGs7GLbw6Pim7WpVh8XiIOE4R9gDPcta6OzCV9aul-Mi0eoHccmhoZSDcmTDZ-V4x7WXlXLXfNDT0WomU3Yn0mOEiOEML4rzxU67Gh5beaKpQ9R_ykt_-v7uQL-udj664j_VZiIYyrQ6G2ZhPqn2fietZQf_j3DYQ=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZ266olMHLxUO_kX3vz3UlQVhC5lamtJz-lzTqqjxVccI0wzIpsFpcJB63ghy1-jsel1Q95aRTx7KDySAfwUMTXRv7gv9kZQQUkNBtPnekAFByeXDxzIqXyv8HtojQe2GZM8Ea_dGcBYm-8XLE4f4ywzwNwk3UHAxnx15wZOz99q3Umsf827RomJIFg/s6000/MadelineNewbornPhotos-7.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSZ266olMHLxUO_kX3vz3UlQVhC5lamtJz-lzTqqjxVccI0wzIpsFpcJB63ghy1-jsel1Q95aRTx7KDySAfwUMTXRv7gv9kZQQUkNBtPnekAFByeXDxzIqXyv8HtojQe2GZM8Ea_dGcBYm-8XLE4f4ywzwNwk3UHAxnx15wZOz99q3Umsf827RomJIFg/w640-h426/MadelineNewbornPhotos-7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4RefZ5qz2QkJB3baoGuUPzJsbbK4eD_IzsM2q4xQUdZh5hOrxzp_Qf05kV88zj3X59EiSa6nUSIerjm4hoY8PgUDlAFuuf0zvHbrRiejHnxdwhfBfABVRmiTVvHT9oUP6MZXxHtdnVsjKYRB8X4Q2uC9aDSnf3Y0V_jScNOMeKBaFf1vSbTi7asNBQ/s6000/MadelineNewbornPhotos-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA4RefZ5qz2QkJB3baoGuUPzJsbbK4eD_IzsM2q4xQUdZh5hOrxzp_Qf05kV88zj3X59EiSa6nUSIerjm4hoY8PgUDlAFuuf0zvHbrRiejHnxdwhfBfABVRmiTVvHT9oUP6MZXxHtdnVsjKYRB8X4Q2uC9aDSnf3Y0V_jScNOMeKBaFf1vSbTi7asNBQ/w640-h426/MadelineNewbornPhotos-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkQ1tUlyuBLi8f8F3aANmpp1nsFHRIxvHU8ykVdx4yI-j5eIReHm6YnFjeFe6IH2UKcyZPr0erH-IJ-A7ajhQVI4CTaBpwNEytD9SaqPPtZBBLVfmD4SlM6xEjgDNXLTODzIhOneurhUgnehHcVZ_jNS3C_JdZlsnLIJbuD5lto5OIoOK2daI7oGSpbg=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhkQ1tUlyuBLi8f8F3aANmpp1nsFHRIxvHU8ykVdx4yI-j5eIReHm6YnFjeFe6IH2UKcyZPr0erH-IJ-A7ajhQVI4CTaBpwNEytD9SaqPPtZBBLVfmD4SlM6xEjgDNXLTODzIhOneurhUgnehHcVZ_jNS3C_JdZlsnLIJbuD5lto5OIoOK2daI7oGSpbg=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiusrtwRQtpozLlOSlqSNPddfKpjx2iu0zH_joNlT78YSpRoFrk7hzTRM4NKJuVtIQmNIMHjF7OLA3zzYym3iJubYDnusrVdQYZTYgonpm8452NP25QqM3xjFJ6i-8-sZPNEDkPsmPf8y-9t_GcoOIvFEiMopXt8GitjxVGk36amjNO1-ducInUa50ixQ=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="3992" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiusrtwRQtpozLlOSlqSNPddfKpjx2iu0zH_joNlT78YSpRoFrk7hzTRM4NKJuVtIQmNIMHjF7OLA3zzYym3iJubYDnusrVdQYZTYgonpm8452NP25QqM3xjFJ6i-8-sZPNEDkPsmPf8y-9t_GcoOIvFEiMopXt8GitjxVGk36amjNO1-ducInUa50ixQ=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWqjzQFMC--ogxtQSnaOYYcdm4i_SBg5nvKvf0_4DAmK1eTxz0R88YT99yf-wGspZUbTqP2caNoTSdFx_pV3XE6UXMb696hVpVrAx4Kyq7QGdC9luXa1jppHBfrRCbWU4MZInu2j-zNxG25wPTU-rAYu_-INLQ-buMSSPgYMUzyH3uKMvCq_yFLXuz8g=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWqjzQFMC--ogxtQSnaOYYcdm4i_SBg5nvKvf0_4DAmK1eTxz0R88YT99yf-wGspZUbTqP2caNoTSdFx_pV3XE6UXMb696hVpVrAx4Kyq7QGdC9luXa1jppHBfrRCbWU4MZInu2j-zNxG25wPTU-rAYu_-INLQ-buMSSPgYMUzyH3uKMvCq_yFLXuz8g=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiX7h2k459-jX5wQOcAQgUu0_M-VApXJyyj9ebBVC3U07KyTjHOGfJPRddDbkSDJhjI74rVAVB-2A83d5V2dozKqKz7581H-vKEF8YurZ90gYZdDFptbK5so4x00XIba35C-HXNPmrS9JmO_gX1xb1zjj1zdBR8B_lfaORk2JaHByrzzDBJku9imxRHA=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgiX7h2k459-jX5wQOcAQgUu0_M-VApXJyyj9ebBVC3U07KyTjHOGfJPRddDbkSDJhjI74rVAVB-2A83d5V2dozKqKz7581H-vKEF8YurZ90gYZdDFptbK5so4x00XIba35C-HXNPmrS9JmO_gX1xb1zjj1zdBR8B_lfaORk2JaHByrzzDBJku9imxRHA=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">his little eyelashes kinda kill me. too sweet.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5HqImZFZyb7CjVFCgN_TPRVujvJ5Z2I2_d1jtm212UMwJVqe4XesDB6DhTUPq7hbfDiDhUm5LZ9u7sh_OgmS-3F6e1Y2bDfehQbSwqky6iUEfNgtB7w3yrdsIvBxYB41eEPdU8Bf6lwcBwXAXn1AalJQD4uflSOxeXAUo3JF72G7Z5duLj84QMlaJQA=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5HqImZFZyb7CjVFCgN_TPRVujvJ5Z2I2_d1jtm212UMwJVqe4XesDB6DhTUPq7hbfDiDhUm5LZ9u7sh_OgmS-3F6e1Y2bDfehQbSwqky6iUEfNgtB7w3yrdsIvBxYB41eEPdU8Bf6lwcBwXAXn1AalJQD4uflSOxeXAUo3JF72G7Z5duLj84QMlaJQA=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2rBzPgftoqlnvmr4rZ8hATVB-caadKzxzRI595I7FC-bLo61wp-iYKjm-_TmpTkOyceMKsjrl9NyAytSklvW51ruQtZTiMLIj8cvbFMHYZsC2sLZ1q8GBnVCloMuXABLeD9SlOmQXImXMbI0PqLr4pMRm9fR5CfWNl75s1f4T1r-lVn6NbpVswP9gZw=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2rBzPgftoqlnvmr4rZ8hATVB-caadKzxzRI595I7FC-bLo61wp-iYKjm-_TmpTkOyceMKsjrl9NyAytSklvW51ruQtZTiMLIj8cvbFMHYZsC2sLZ1q8GBnVCloMuXABLeD9SlOmQXImXMbI0PqLr4pMRm9fR5CfWNl75s1f4T1r-lVn6NbpVswP9gZw=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwKVGUY_pIstqGT-tdxnQQjGGtkZEw7924MavkKEoH-9SOPtZzFs23q5quDRGeynN68YgkVRJOILS9Hz8pXDUw8QogqVFuSg95vg0q1oG-TxYCMtdNyAKkLpiIaBSZIIXMqoummX2wLyAA4fQm7dXPPGXvnhROMDn9TKVKV2ItRqlXK4FnoNKcuhoz0Q=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjwKVGUY_pIstqGT-tdxnQQjGGtkZEw7924MavkKEoH-9SOPtZzFs23q5quDRGeynN68YgkVRJOILS9Hz8pXDUw8QogqVFuSg95vg0q1oG-TxYCMtdNyAKkLpiIaBSZIIXMqoummX2wLyAA4fQm7dXPPGXvnhROMDn9TKVKV2ItRqlXK4FnoNKcuhoz0Q=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipfW8AFXGmPzkqQq3-Hin5iLF52IJQYC2hwETn6Pp7u_3k4-m26apfdJHtQrCeq9oIPlC54ErkqvgU6enG9-3YRRcoSxEzzStXzhIWAx6pVEuHW2-uioCaqSOlo1upofaG1FBea3ULKxoAU4JDiuludhPzyph259LxbTn4FY9yo-5Ctk2Un5Yo8KMjfQ=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipfW8AFXGmPzkqQq3-Hin5iLF52IJQYC2hwETn6Pp7u_3k4-m26apfdJHtQrCeq9oIPlC54ErkqvgU6enG9-3YRRcoSxEzzStXzhIWAx6pVEuHW2-uioCaqSOlo1upofaG1FBea3ULKxoAU4JDiuludhPzyph259LxbTn4FY9yo-5Ctk2Un5Yo8KMjfQ=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-JK_0bw9duuZSD3Z7RJfFqf8EKhxxTRLHFJkSBQd4YkmSHfG-VVjgCrl5YfoLZhqiaOiWzkohJf22Ji_U1_qQMnJD4xOybhFhPRCBegj0PBSHGRrymPJG-nDEph8BNvnsrJIDvXHBeMZiNGEMhM7AHmRA1fPmyCbAZV_pqhPzwkhPWKoJMrkXVHMeQ/s6000/MadelineNewbornPhotos-50.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-JK_0bw9duuZSD3Z7RJfFqf8EKhxxTRLHFJkSBQd4YkmSHfG-VVjgCrl5YfoLZhqiaOiWzkohJf22Ji_U1_qQMnJD4xOybhFhPRCBegj0PBSHGRrymPJG-nDEph8BNvnsrJIDvXHBeMZiNGEMhM7AHmRA1fPmyCbAZV_pqhPzwkhPWKoJMrkXVHMeQ/w640-h426/MadelineNewbornPhotos-50.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CcHyT9qXeFh0vvrNlhy1Jr02I0C2J6cQLR1ylOsadLAuXbAJ3-907kf9dGMuDKZLuaxoDR15w_Q0bbAvpn8UCN14XE_QRip1_ysLpjql_g5-ZsoXKw42g0OiF3aCsJyzXfyzP8KjS2EE5wJNUzNuttje-MigSlwtmL1hrvCCSeT3jkN3oNvSMRY2IQ/s6000/MadelineNewbornPhotos-51.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1CcHyT9qXeFh0vvrNlhy1Jr02I0C2J6cQLR1ylOsadLAuXbAJ3-907kf9dGMuDKZLuaxoDR15w_Q0bbAvpn8UCN14XE_QRip1_ysLpjql_g5-ZsoXKw42g0OiF3aCsJyzXfyzP8KjS2EE5wJNUzNuttje-MigSlwtmL1hrvCCSeT3jkN3oNvSMRY2IQ/w640-h426/MadelineNewbornPhotos-51.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes, they are mine, so I'm biased...but seriously are they not just the cutest lil set of babies that you ever did see?! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ofHnvukKY8Dx4AKWqbmbXXjFX307woPJXgzqxpBNITpOjfblTDoHYYIsVuo0sWvClZlLU9pMmuOo5_vpPP_ZQivDUPsVy8RvpPI9y3aaKwbVP4PRQEr2lAgXrlVTlP9Mj0A7thI_6GzotisR78xbofti-8R0SnaQvd3nLU3RdFa7CX-HX2ePdou-6g/s6000/MadelineNewbornPhotos-84.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="3992" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ofHnvukKY8Dx4AKWqbmbXXjFX307woPJXgzqxpBNITpOjfblTDoHYYIsVuo0sWvClZlLU9pMmuOo5_vpPP_ZQivDUPsVy8RvpPI9y3aaKwbVP4PRQEr2lAgXrlVTlP9Mj0A7thI_6GzotisR78xbofti-8R0SnaQvd3nLU3RdFa7CX-HX2ePdou-6g/w426-h640/MadelineNewbornPhotos-84.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So thankful for this guy. I can't imagine walking through our journey without him!</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXHee4Yeg1BQKZHhR0EEmr0nhwLI6Rw7YBbi7OPoLvGJukQj3ygjlDq-VRkYRqJRhteyg2rIGeAVLThhc8x3I65XYM8M8zbulxfPMlpLkfTQ-0OJKWKXXmjP3i5L1-sJsVk4FCDfh1KkkfbLWojY6CLBCmCS4VR1bpICfHmkjoCv_vRWpHh1H7RXTL5A=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="3992" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXHee4Yeg1BQKZHhR0EEmr0nhwLI6Rw7YBbi7OPoLvGJukQj3ygjlDq-VRkYRqJRhteyg2rIGeAVLThhc8x3I65XYM8M8zbulxfPMlpLkfTQ-0OJKWKXXmjP3i5L1-sJsVk4FCDfh1KkkfbLWojY6CLBCmCS4VR1bpICfHmkjoCv_vRWpHh1H7RXTL5A=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-_0P_yXuJLr7aevxMRENdI_erN48pS1Pwha3qB9sgDnGckN_WZO-9DjE8ZbOWVmZgmKEXTrK83rin3qg69M1dzjaAMz_yOGhLHhF5etN3MzhBkVhX4DHJ4Jxv1IrJ1xA23us2A3iDbjJNjLKQ7aHnS4jv1Wx-OtDF98FRF_vHgp8JN5IVv-cLo9tp_w=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-_0P_yXuJLr7aevxMRENdI_erN48pS1Pwha3qB9sgDnGckN_WZO-9DjE8ZbOWVmZgmKEXTrK83rin3qg69M1dzjaAMz_yOGhLHhF5etN3MzhBkVhX4DHJ4Jxv1IrJ1xA23us2A3iDbjJNjLKQ7aHnS4jv1Wx-OtDF98FRF_vHgp8JN5IVv-cLo9tp_w=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All my favorite people in the world, right here. I love them more than words can say!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicsIZwMoM_zQcyTG_aBxvQY2wO-y6vs9EHBBXsl2l870AO0zrrwHowSHFaVnMXMw6S534glpDo2Tyx4l91OrVaty-50Dbu0i7ExtRWTQYxaxGzOwHxDE3gL0riKdJwMNmDSyGUqHBCGs0YMFGhTOgzDDe1JB7a7iHJFTTCzoMnWZX5qUrdu_u6AOB3dA=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicsIZwMoM_zQcyTG_aBxvQY2wO-y6vs9EHBBXsl2l870AO0zrrwHowSHFaVnMXMw6S534glpDo2Tyx4l91OrVaty-50Dbu0i7ExtRWTQYxaxGzOwHxDE3gL0riKdJwMNmDSyGUqHBCGs0YMFGhTOgzDDe1JB7a7iHJFTTCzoMnWZX5qUrdu_u6AOB3dA=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJMuRovvx3Y65XBxy4SdIar9iWfotTNXDZioWA5gfFUsRDF8b1HTCsSnhNzcWBgKjwkzdnLYq0YmTpbhj5gUFNdrbROYzoxnbkhhdZLGeWOsZlgueIUt_qOvbscvm1Y75v3gb7ZYjB0BgLBfrZQVc_ItUh1mtc4QY8i3LWNrxiGvIh2qQmg9K_8PbSSg=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgJMuRovvx3Y65XBxy4SdIar9iWfotTNXDZioWA5gfFUsRDF8b1HTCsSnhNzcWBgKjwkzdnLYq0YmTpbhj5gUFNdrbROYzoxnbkhhdZLGeWOsZlgueIUt_qOvbscvm1Y75v3gb7ZYjB0BgLBfrZQVc_ItUh1mtc4QY8i3LWNrxiGvIh2qQmg9K_8PbSSg=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1NCEk-JP0rdkwZDy6ZN4_nd9O1KpgMPDwtCrV7UkDT4NrW29vUA-tyM3ThWsp2l2uLObRO4frYE_Bx8lbnixqlRMRcFCaht40PW5rwg7jHjId8g92sQH0gKN90eUej7DDcG-w9VPCDWwCEzcHQxI6a38XhziI94Y4de5upGrtEkcYl6PKMamG3b3meQ=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6000" data-original-width="3992" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi1NCEk-JP0rdkwZDy6ZN4_nd9O1KpgMPDwtCrV7UkDT4NrW29vUA-tyM3ThWsp2l2uLObRO4frYE_Bx8lbnixqlRMRcFCaht40PW5rwg7jHjId8g92sQH0gKN90eUej7DDcG-w9VPCDWwCEzcHQxI6a38XhziI94Y4de5upGrtEkcYl6PKMamG3b3meQ=w426-h640" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5rUaz6ebj-yw3mc_jK44IVGfKWWUDiM_TUC_62GXSgnHl7V5xOowZofAK0qZMMUktlpix4kDQDIZrzX5yhJj7D7hRYR9j8VUdB93kC-XAZ_GlbcnokZe1AE74t41PHrAuP7tVEksdhj2OKgPn1tMtaKcn0-vIeZr6B4fNPklvMgQQhVwgtUwl2KwLiw=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg5rUaz6ebj-yw3mc_jK44IVGfKWWUDiM_TUC_62GXSgnHl7V5xOowZofAK0qZMMUktlpix4kDQDIZrzX5yhJj7D7hRYR9j8VUdB93kC-XAZ_GlbcnokZe1AE74t41PHrAuP7tVEksdhj2OKgPn1tMtaKcn0-vIeZr6B4fNPklvMgQQhVwgtUwl2KwLiw=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBpXcB8IOBmNTwlhNzjTIZQMRcdd47HjfUofp7oBwMLCozmI-_nSJX7omEZlxDpC9M-ZLVuFCoadzcUjmnBsIWq-RblEc14R7xzM_A21v3KR6zk8Rp8y_9r3slApRIZTKz0Nw0ak8NJfy_XVuMLp2YV3KX6RKO0vqGUkyFjO9rDQFm28fYDW--tPBAvg=s6000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3992" data-original-width="6000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgBpXcB8IOBmNTwlhNzjTIZQMRcdd47HjfUofp7oBwMLCozmI-_nSJX7omEZlxDpC9M-ZLVuFCoadzcUjmnBsIWq-RblEc14R7xzM_A21v3KR6zk8Rp8y_9r3slApRIZTKz0Nw0ak8NJfy_XVuMLp2YV3KX6RKO0vqGUkyFjO9rDQFm28fYDW--tPBAvg=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So thankful for these precious memories and photos! They will forever be favorites.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-Chels</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Note: all of the items linked in this post are items that I own and love! The Amazon links are affiliate links. Please read my <a href="http://www.chelsyrenee.com/p/info.html" target="_blank"><b><i>affiliate disclosure here</i></b></a>.</span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-82997539842917737562022-01-27T16:49:00.002-05:002022-01-27T16:51:52.787-05:00Madeline's New Headband from Gracious May!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipa2BKP_P-ezLThhRmyYLKYFOLHydTCaepMt8sa4GHFAY6X-AEajxdNTNhDjhKMFpVRo_-Eu3NfM1zXqkESAKI9HdlxldmKETHY3r0wrVdSKSbujIM1nEEFMcxNv19Z0Y_vfj3I5UhfhD0PlQJ7LII5ta7MvljxVEGx0xPc1IqLrCQFAbzTCzPNLp0yQ=s3738" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3738" data-original-width="2882" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEipa2BKP_P-ezLThhRmyYLKYFOLHydTCaepMt8sa4GHFAY6X-AEajxdNTNhDjhKMFpVRo_-Eu3NfM1zXqkESAKI9HdlxldmKETHY3r0wrVdSKSbujIM1nEEFMcxNv19Z0Y_vfj3I5UhfhD0PlQJ7LII5ta7MvljxVEGx0xPc1IqLrCQFAbzTCzPNLp0yQ=w494-h640" width="494" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">I am adoring this new headband I just got for Madeline, from Gracious May! If you have little ones, you'll want to check out their site-they have so many styles and options of headbands, shoes, and lots of other fun accessories! I've known about Gracious May/Snugars brand for a long time, as my sisters-in-law on both sides of the family had their products for their kiddos, but I had never ordered anything from them before this. This headband was my first purchase and HOW CUTE IS IT?! I love the quality and the style. I got a grey one since I knew that would go with most of Madeline's clothes, and I ordered the smallest size they have since she has a small head and most headbands are too big for her. The 0-6mon size fit her great-it is nice and stretchy but definitely not too big at all. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Use <a href="https://www.graciousmay.com?raf=ref1220760"><b><i>my link here</i></b></a> to get fun accessories for your little ones! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also, if you sign up for the email newsletter, you can get free shipping on your first order! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'm always a fan of free shipping. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgK7vhgZ9409fCmJLpM83JS7R4EMgN0J4GLjArrD_EuwjS03XcAvSHDduWMgh38nQtGZrpyUNoWlJrfewRsScTgSZRbuaBgjrlReOhaXHZz3W9LfMCopm0oAPw4muSilQITQeCY3rMU8ohB4rIbFcLj6enFlyFQPTaS5bglAsGBc9ulVY1mVQpcQk5XmQ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgK7vhgZ9409fCmJLpM83JS7R4EMgN0J4GLjArrD_EuwjS03XcAvSHDduWMgh38nQtGZrpyUNoWlJrfewRsScTgSZRbuaBgjrlReOhaXHZz3W9LfMCopm0oAPw4muSilQITQeCY3rMU8ohB4rIbFcLj6enFlyFQPTaS5bglAsGBc9ulVY1mVQpcQk5XmQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNbpb42ee6ybBQuMSZI41-JcSqiuIW4-3TxPCikik2yU-dPcs7-w9GONGWmBgpHpO9-CV2kLVzyNR6RSvVu5lhhYnHBMBjz9uHhOxcISQx2zx6oRd9VEKFjz61XR7NMH-QwYxQifV1Dic1RXApSJzznwAtJvU8s39sWNmZTQ6dumjXscX2tMEptjAdLA=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNbpb42ee6ybBQuMSZI41-JcSqiuIW4-3TxPCikik2yU-dPcs7-w9GONGWmBgpHpO9-CV2kLVzyNR6RSvVu5lhhYnHBMBjz9uHhOxcISQx2zx6oRd9VEKFjz61XR7NMH-QwYxQifV1Dic1RXApSJzznwAtJvU8s39sWNmZTQ6dumjXscX2tMEptjAdLA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Someone just discovered her tongue lately. =)</i></div><p style="text-align: center;">I'd love to hear in the comments if you've heard of this company/ordered from them before, or if they are new to you!</p><p style="text-align: center;">Have a great rest of your week!</p><p style="text-align: center;">-Chels</p><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The link used in this post is an affiliate link. I only do affiliate links for products that I use and love! </span></i></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-45756534322358905252021-11-27T21:59:00.004-05:002021-11-27T21:59:50.406-05:00The Johnson Strings in Branson || Recap<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGWPZ5BJwRFDO7aXwdEmB22PDRNF41dadhaRwLKSrRadG0Cjuc7YRGpLGCP88BMZRuW_LAVA84fyhsLAr0r5zf64GKC_pm2464w1udT-8xJhG5rQWTFF4WZfzSePBCvjjuO3DdiBjjRFy43NYBPFh2sXnPIHe10b9PjxP67Xg9FGVyfXq0ujUK6aONwQ=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhGWPZ5BJwRFDO7aXwdEmB22PDRNF41dadhaRwLKSrRadG0Cjuc7YRGpLGCP88BMZRuW_LAVA84fyhsLAr0r5zf64GKC_pm2464w1udT-8xJhG5rQWTFF4WZfzSePBCvjjuO3DdiBjjRFy43NYBPFh2sXnPIHe10b9PjxP67Xg9FGVyfXq0ujUK6aONwQ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Tonight I'm dropping in on the blog to tell ya'll about an amazing Christmas show in Branson, Missouri, <a href="https://www.thejohnsonstrings.com" target="_blank"><b><i>The Johnson Strings</i></b></a>! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I rarely do "review" posts, and when I do, they are collaborations. But this post is different. This is one of those rare times when I love and recommend something so highly that I just want to share about it with everyone I can, and writing up a little blog post seems to be the best way to do that. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you want to go see the show of a lifetime, you need to go to Branson and watch <a href="https://www.thejohnsonstrings.com" target="_blank"><b><i>The Johnson Strings</i></b></a> perform.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMdUOKzpaR-37QXHf6mgnN3nHS2SlH7umHmDAXNwDvYEknd7cx92Pkhxy4WBZvlmLmsO4Nj5Qjz73ip3mwYmOoau1BAV_Kvlhu_esptaA6vOx6JDwiYT0Lakhcs5tSuq9oupocbJ9xd_6WGAaKmi75u-66w_SqS0fvro7xqj0xJ8VdvAuNoRRLU4DbOw=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1682" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMdUOKzpaR-37QXHf6mgnN3nHS2SlH7umHmDAXNwDvYEknd7cx92Pkhxy4WBZvlmLmsO4Nj5Qjz73ip3mwYmOoau1BAV_Kvlhu_esptaA6vOx6JDwiYT0Lakhcs5tSuq9oupocbJ9xd_6WGAaKmi75u-66w_SqS0fvro7xqj0xJ8VdvAuNoRRLU4DbOw=w526-h640" width="526" /></a></div>These six siblings are ON FIRE!! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time! Watching their show was a musical and theatrical DREAM. <div>Their talent is superb. <i>(you’ve heard of the piano guys? These siblings are like the piano guys on steroids) </i>Their creativity knows no limits. Each number moved seamlessly into the next, with incredible lighting, dazzling costumes, special effects, awesome choreography, and did I mention talent? A few of us in my family were classically trained and I can tell genuine talent in that department when I see it. If ever I've seen incredible talent, it is in these siblings! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQGGsKZgVfAyA9UuB9-c0uYhKwUQLPucfgMx5tV2EAWfJcpQp8JFFpuiwYiI9gOkiT9yv4rR3Ab20XbMM9Ie3vQQxvrmgPPvPgVPHcuDiWWgw5QClHusUTUhvddZUOCS7H-SU7huqI1xoiR6lJ2EkmJo-qOqm3ckRzLNEo6tKyQ3o3KysPB6sKO5Rr4A=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQGGsKZgVfAyA9UuB9-c0uYhKwUQLPucfgMx5tV2EAWfJcpQp8JFFpuiwYiI9gOkiT9yv4rR3Ab20XbMM9Ie3vQQxvrmgPPvPgVPHcuDiWWgw5QClHusUTUhvddZUOCS7H-SU7huqI1xoiR6lJ2EkmJo-qOqm3ckRzLNEo6tKyQ3o3KysPB6sKO5Rr4A=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div>You might not be a classical music lover, but I can almost promise you that if you like professional and entertaining music, of any genre, then you will love their show! My husband is NOT a classical fan, in the slightest, but he loved The Johnson Strings! They take their classical training and then perform their own original arrangements of everything from Disney classics to Christmas staples! I love how they incorporate so many genres of music into one show. </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOtXWq1fOU-FkCF0b5HD0kxIqELhHdISlrW5Jwgo8VV6OLDt1c3XurromT8Z2MxbxS5uE3VGflypCb4dRGr_G18QHCMqDfv2YYWVy0dWEERnTdbJrB4CxHGde_73q0jeLfkF09m7AsV4qZpzR8buTAO7l9mZBDWVc2G2QxtwmQRFubNauPwPNUdLg0Hw=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiOtXWq1fOU-FkCF0b5HD0kxIqELhHdISlrW5Jwgo8VV6OLDt1c3XurromT8Z2MxbxS5uE3VGflypCb4dRGr_G18QHCMqDfv2YYWVy0dWEERnTdbJrB4CxHGde_73q0jeLfkF09m7AsV4qZpzR8buTAO7l9mZBDWVc2G2QxtwmQRFubNauPwPNUdLg0Hw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">If my boys were giving you a recommendation for their show, they would say that the popcorn is top notch. =) </div><div style="text-align: left;">In all seriousness, while the popcorn was a big hit for the second half, all three of our babies were enthralled by the performance. The boys were absolutely riveted and loved it so much! Maddy was all intrigued until the second half when she was enjoying everything so much she fell asleep. =) Even the couple sitting behind us remarked how much Maddy was into it!</div><div style="text-align: left;">As for John and I, we loved the performance and talked about it the whole way back! <i>(hence this post!)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVWLnYg5uaY-pnqW4h48r309-qry8GYrn3A-ubjbRRqMrN21ihYySUemYHSgxQj_rUknRjbZFm7Ymh-5xpI53sJV2pweyuRp8HnAvnL5WYZ5cj3PAu4IteEFem2NyG4N_YURKmJ4jKpBxBs5FbTREU5-KYkxZGgKM-pG7-1PYrdcAgk70Xga3e2sbetg=s3482" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3482" data-original-width="2707" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhVWLnYg5uaY-pnqW4h48r309-qry8GYrn3A-ubjbRRqMrN21ihYySUemYHSgxQj_rUknRjbZFm7Ymh-5xpI53sJV2pweyuRp8HnAvnL5WYZ5cj3PAu4IteEFem2NyG4N_YURKmJ4jKpBxBs5FbTREU5-KYkxZGgKM-pG7-1PYrdcAgk70Xga3e2sbetg=w498-h640" width="498" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Laura <i>(center)</i> is the eldest of the Johnson siblings and pours herself into their show!! She is a woman of many talents, playing ten instruments in the show! An interesting fact is that she is also a photographer and was actually John and my wedding photographer! My sis in law Sarah <i>(left)</i> met her at John and my wedding and they have stayed in touch since. After John and I planned to attend their show last week, we found out that Sarah was going to be in Branson that weekend attending the same show! What fun. So we three gals <i>(four with Madeline =))</i> had to get a picture together. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhburIIglRjhUYnsaTVZtFvVnTizt8SSLc9myeLirFdWLA05O9VzLQOlTgYYEWs1jUI6TZgxeXBYt2V7aj1sEEl6QFgmBfduW-1RIqoYVx5f7WTyi7RmDUxePrlyW9nYLBdIMLBC_sm8PdLy88yDy1kRpdPsgdWg1f9dDmm4lvCeimQLU3Sb5U_Pl2MzA=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhburIIglRjhUYnsaTVZtFvVnTizt8SSLc9myeLirFdWLA05O9VzLQOlTgYYEWs1jUI6TZgxeXBYt2V7aj1sEEl6QFgmBfduW-1RIqoYVx5f7WTyi7RmDUxePrlyW9nYLBdIMLBC_sm8PdLy88yDy1kRpdPsgdWg1f9dDmm4lvCeimQLU3Sb5U_Pl2MzA=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div>This incredible show only has six performances left this Christmas season! The Johnson Strings are performing shows Sundays, Tuesdays, & Thursdays until December 9th. Head to this link to reserve a ticket now! </div><div><br /></div><div>If you aren't able to get to Branson for their show this year, second best would be bringing the show to you! <i>(I promise that you won't regret seeing it LIVE in the theatre, but sometimes I know that isn't possible...)</i> so if you can't get in to Branson, visit <a href="https://www.thejohnsonstrings.com/store" target="_blank"><b><i>their online store</i></b></a> and pick up a copy of their <a href="https://www.thejohnsonstrings.com/store/christmasdvd" target="_blank"><b><i>Branson Show Live DVD</i></b></a>, filmed last year. This DVD would make an awesome Christmas gift, and getting it for your family would ensure a fun December movie night! I even purchased a DVD for my family <i>(parents & unmarried siblings)</i>, and I know they are going to love it!</div><div><br /></div><div>Lastly, if you'd like to get a tiny taste of the skill and creativity of The Johnson Strings, go give their <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNaNs7bgrHqqSAQLLHBKsEA" target="_blank"><b><i>YouTube channel </i></b></a>a follow to watch some of their incredible music videos! </div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">In closing, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I'd love to hear in the comments about your favorite music show/concert that you've attended!</div><div style="text-align: center;">-Chels</div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-82956394332786475832021-11-12T23:27:00.004-05:002021-11-15T22:38:38.042-05:00An Update on Madeline and Life at Home<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI2AFbKpSfJyzPiGHTXChTjiiANPUTzfd6bV0jZZqRG8zRrzXsWyivYELewW6XcYXD3IioI1i1-DeRh9d23QZ5PSHpXhMLbvP1GlYMod2yAvZhRuIonCt4hBmkoJMRO9LBvu38aIlgDyuFThn_kznT55Q_-9DKKGHWwLWc_PW0aVOI_IQroqRRKi7eRw=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI2AFbKpSfJyzPiGHTXChTjiiANPUTzfd6bV0jZZqRG8zRrzXsWyivYELewW6XcYXD3IioI1i1-DeRh9d23QZ5PSHpXhMLbvP1GlYMod2yAvZhRuIonCt4hBmkoJMRO9LBvu38aIlgDyuFThn_kznT55Q_-9DKKGHWwLWc_PW0aVOI_IQroqRRKi7eRw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(Miss Madeline Sue, at 4 months old, the other day)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hey friends! I'm popping in tonight to give a little update.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div><div>Being home with Madeline has been wonderful. The days have been stretching and long at times, but working through the challenges, growing together, and establishing a new normal in our own HOME has been truly beyond amazing. Anyone who has lived away from home during a crisis situation/extended hospital stay knows what I mean. There is nothing like that experience for giving one a deep gratitude and love for ones own home.</div><div><br /></div><div>Madeline is doing well. She was sent home on an apnea monitor <i>(that's the wires you will see in some of the first pictures)</i> but it never alerted during the two weeks she was on it here at home which was such a huge blessing. There have been a lot of doctor and therapy appointments, a lot of medical decisions, and just a lot of a lot! But she is a precious little gem and so worth every moment. Each day she grows a little bigger, a little stronger, and even more endeared to our hearts! Her brothers adore her and literally dote on her---I declare, they don't have a jealous bone in their little bodies when it comes to their sister. The summer wasn't exactly easy on them either, and even though life looks different now with a baby sister who still requires a lot of care, they have adjusted great and just seem to love being home with all of us together ALWAYS. Axton still prays at night, "thank you Jesus that we can be at old house". <i>(over the summer, we explained the difference between our two houses and the trips back and forth by calling the apartment "new house" and our own home "old house")</i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div>I will likely be posting a lot less in the coming days. Being a wife, homemaker, and mama to three babies two and under is my highest calling right now, and definitely a full time gig! But as I've mentioned before, I keep this blog because I like to write a bit and pop in now and then. I am also deeply grateful for the opportunity to use it to update so many people and be so encouraged by everyones prayers and support during Madeline's NICU stay. What I post is by no means an accurate representation of our lives, so please know that just because I may not write for a while doesn't mean that anything is wrong-it simply means that I'm doing other things. </div><div><br /></div><div>Also, many of you have asked about Madeline's birth story. I wrote up a chunk of it right after she was born but for some reason that I did not understand at the time, I just could not post it. Part of it was maybe because we had no answers medically for why she came early, and a part of it was maybe that her birth was a very difficult and scary time for us. It is different to write about it than it was with the boys' stories, even though in some ways my labor with Axton was similar in length and transport. Anyways, I hope to be sharing her story and and some of what we learned through this experience, more sometime. But for now, just wanted to pop in and give this little update! Thank you all for your love and prayers, and caring about our little family! </div></div><div><br /></div><div>They say pictures are worth a thousand words, so here are a few taken over the past 2 1/2 months since we've been home with Madeline. I'll start with one taken the day we brought her home, and end with one I took yesterday, so y'all can see a bit of how she has grown along the way. =)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7lH0w92V-E76C9w300Ajdp8CwBYl-ojLTQtpMSeeN7HF1UDoj8A3dX3VC7btCYEGV5dYS_7H0y6WD89KKJ2ma-D3lPd-GAnFJ1dyMHyNKgP_6Vga1OjWWwyR3IqD3yR0SgPM0dY4DsXqgU67Pq5VTc0lNUevoZUHOqGG46SaKtMpn6-UwdPWCEEN6nA=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7lH0w92V-E76C9w300Ajdp8CwBYl-ojLTQtpMSeeN7HF1UDoj8A3dX3VC7btCYEGV5dYS_7H0y6WD89KKJ2ma-D3lPd-GAnFJ1dyMHyNKgP_6Vga1OjWWwyR3IqD3yR0SgPM0dY4DsXqgU67Pq5VTc0lNUevoZUHOqGG46SaKtMpn6-UwdPWCEEN6nA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">First time I got Madeline dressed in her own clothes and a headband, the day we brought her home. </div><div style="text-align: center;">It felt so surreal. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdM5IViQSuIDK3OGodIZUifbAbQXkfS43HCksITDKxOB5TNW_YH8M2iJwyIF4XFX4Rk0n7UrqJ6YXIA42SGDNpgdqY5CrlYJG2lR-6Llw1047-m5GGX6vMYCtV-v26EkkbKbI0edJGlgoCGs5XqKAimsC145GeBlCUtCaF1sndPTTpOT-dwX0TXAxSmQ=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgdM5IViQSuIDK3OGodIZUifbAbQXkfS43HCksITDKxOB5TNW_YH8M2iJwyIF4XFX4Rk0n7UrqJ6YXIA42SGDNpgdqY5CrlYJG2lR-6Llw1047-m5GGX6vMYCtV-v26EkkbKbI0edJGlgoCGs5XqKAimsC145GeBlCUtCaF1sndPTTpOT-dwX0TXAxSmQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">All three babies with their daddy.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2cfxtsJ7jYYRkncnUs9GY9oNdoInEE3j-wksRWyGAEXNTFAnyyL-KLRENm0TWDrKJGAVBkuc6WkBLMqC_amzRVXBXFF3Aj5dVP2DOKvS6zlBDiGOlLq8wv0lH2CjsIcM8dOf8IXs2m91KbCu3EDBJGxiSpzXdzXxU8E9-KEvnGvvbmoBe8JW_Rc9Tcw=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh2cfxtsJ7jYYRkncnUs9GY9oNdoInEE3j-wksRWyGAEXNTFAnyyL-KLRENm0TWDrKJGAVBkuc6WkBLMqC_amzRVXBXFF3Aj5dVP2DOKvS6zlBDiGOlLq8wv0lH2CjsIcM8dOf8IXs2m91KbCu3EDBJGxiSpzXdzXxU8E9-KEvnGvvbmoBe8JW_Rc9Tcw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love her many many expressions!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqKp9Z-oUip_dWDpbj1nXMkfhkWwoGjIv0Fuz4wna76K0Ihs7qz78kJ2Dy5IMjLoX0oCr1Olm30F3QjzT15Fa40O4sHi89fPVoWmSyVsp8MH_rqgxU3G3nZb7fMFP7ZolMdP3IHPmkkNAnt1ZqJM9-TneULdwtK-b32PvSW9jCRs80mxA_xM7crW5X8w=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgqKp9Z-oUip_dWDpbj1nXMkfhkWwoGjIv0Fuz4wna76K0Ihs7qz78kJ2Dy5IMjLoX0oCr1Olm30F3QjzT15Fa40O4sHi89fPVoWmSyVsp8MH_rqgxU3G3nZb7fMFP7ZolMdP3IHPmkkNAnt1ZqJM9-TneULdwtK-b32PvSW9jCRs80mxA_xM7crW5X8w=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">All ready to go for her first chiropractor appointment.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigUcvfVEh1123Se-f0XaE2_evjQdbC8klaYpMULjIo7sd9fs0g8aibNbUWuR1A3gQH-yhR7X3DFF3DNe9xkRb6RJO9pYqo88BhhMdqLJ1mlSQzBABFplYiiknCdQvztJI-SQW94WeMMBPrqn1HmeMGw0ws_0ibCrta6m7T_cjLIDcLf-vK-trBlRw6Qg=s1600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1065" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEigUcvfVEh1123Se-f0XaE2_evjQdbC8klaYpMULjIo7sd9fs0g8aibNbUWuR1A3gQH-yhR7X3DFF3DNe9xkRb6RJO9pYqo88BhhMdqLJ1mlSQzBABFplYiiknCdQvztJI-SQW94WeMMBPrqn1HmeMGw0ws_0ibCrta6m7T_cjLIDcLf-vK-trBlRw6Qg=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Professional baby pictures! So special to get these done-can't wait to share more! This one makes me laugh every time I see it!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdPNUvBSw0Z7zU-i7Iq53GwmBy5Kuj_njK-VoddXRnuksPI-JyezTm6gPGa_D35L3wQljy2gxnv6K53rCeEVdMiGJu645_43oRxEM7s_IOR_k_2fwcKpIjz7FQTdDRymBBrQ48UivJUyBsOWQMlS6vkEyPR7RzmfpXt8bZLDBU_gVJGPlasuMQ8Dbv-w=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjdPNUvBSw0Z7zU-i7Iq53GwmBy5Kuj_njK-VoddXRnuksPI-JyezTm6gPGa_D35L3wQljy2gxnv6K53rCeEVdMiGJu645_43oRxEM7s_IOR_k_2fwcKpIjz7FQTdDRymBBrQ48UivJUyBsOWQMlS6vkEyPR7RzmfpXt8bZLDBU_gVJGPlasuMQ8Dbv-w=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Matching with mama.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLvHXmInDDxF8m51Q3rrqCy3Jto-Q-iYd-I1zOEEjSQIN1KWuGbBiO35YxdCr8K6j1ZsZ9L2fW5jJbox49syYdCVYmwaVS-LaP0lJ0CKH2XB0dNXIIKdpoNNwW5YJIu781oOboFKnqNgV6juuxkHXdr8gsm0rsFtpiG90QRCH_VcsMsNXVclRwcKX-HQ=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiLvHXmInDDxF8m51Q3rrqCy3Jto-Q-iYd-I1zOEEjSQIN1KWuGbBiO35YxdCr8K6j1ZsZ9L2fW5jJbox49syYdCVYmwaVS-LaP0lJ0CKH2XB0dNXIIKdpoNNwW5YJIu781oOboFKnqNgV6juuxkHXdr8gsm0rsFtpiG90QRCH_VcsMsNXVclRwcKX-HQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Axton helping with Madeline's bottle.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9-93zNBcVVq4paHRwvpT_xzm4aeXr-fbRMaoarnZtUZ2oAvjgoykzRblq70a2f04ElI_ghpTQGPUu1H5nKE_ucm4uq0n37N5G-Mh7dlrK18Yj463zB4-3mPz_ybKRsuM4YGzVlvFAo15T3qhmDLtKhgwZs6AMwxN7PKyxV0wHf3vVSVVjMmtL87XLdw=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg9-93zNBcVVq4paHRwvpT_xzm4aeXr-fbRMaoarnZtUZ2oAvjgoykzRblq70a2f04ElI_ghpTQGPUu1H5nKE_ucm4uq0n37N5G-Mh7dlrK18Yj463zB4-3mPz_ybKRsuM4YGzVlvFAo15T3qhmDLtKhgwZs6AMwxN7PKyxV0wHf3vVSVVjMmtL87XLdw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Miss loves her bouncy seat!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjn71JvAQzc9BBd0XDbzMF4YXbeTfWL-Vn3Zs5ID8WTQeQLdTWkIKvi4LbbJVjKob0dyoLVuwitNdZMRiz2swyU4my36krtPMEcJhwZdFbyOV-irbYeDaZk1Yp9olml4qXFomcGUOrlj5DHmY6LyGUKGCpzIEAOL6llq_Y0Utq0RcL6bVs4aSjpo_FbJA=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjn71JvAQzc9BBd0XDbzMF4YXbeTfWL-Vn3Zs5ID8WTQeQLdTWkIKvi4LbbJVjKob0dyoLVuwitNdZMRiz2swyU4my36krtPMEcJhwZdFbyOV-irbYeDaZk1Yp9olml4qXFomcGUOrlj5DHmY6LyGUKGCpzIEAOL6llq_Y0Utq0RcL6bVs4aSjpo_FbJA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">First time in the stroller!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX-85n6heO1bkgm8IU2gUECO9FS7h-NKyaTHWkdMj5c1vWU8vxZ5wcxV6ACadpPGUlUp9idHSicdhpNbxeU4JHSk6TEjPfRiu3Uif_WLGgTacpwT4y8k8ECJvchmNLU79FXoC6HSZTCVtjxGI8WMf8BjWdYbWW1K4VeRRCLvPkqbD4RCEyvoPwTyRczw=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX-85n6heO1bkgm8IU2gUECO9FS7h-NKyaTHWkdMj5c1vWU8vxZ5wcxV6ACadpPGUlUp9idHSicdhpNbxeU4JHSk6TEjPfRiu3Uif_WLGgTacpwT4y8k8ECJvchmNLU79FXoC6HSZTCVtjxGI8WMf8BjWdYbWW1K4VeRRCLvPkqbD4RCEyvoPwTyRczw=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me with all my babies. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMOOZp7fHDchtu_8uLLduNoS0NKaFqP4SveURvnZfgibrAOADPlsfWuojW1Cb5pbL112dufi57es2pyBEVmJWM-y13hQ1fA-wiRWDbU5fnop9qOnhNvncN0x_miZHhJS43Cxkza0LkeoPhsjugIdkasdomKxzPiZDNPaDL1CeLGSp0e4JB-zwhoPFlNA=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMOOZp7fHDchtu_8uLLduNoS0NKaFqP4SveURvnZfgibrAOADPlsfWuojW1Cb5pbL112dufi57es2pyBEVmJWM-y13hQ1fA-wiRWDbU5fnop9qOnhNvncN0x_miZHhJS43Cxkza0LkeoPhsjugIdkasdomKxzPiZDNPaDL1CeLGSp0e4JB-zwhoPFlNA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pink nails</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb9kfdvsJmMyUzqWcNe_0-_acCls18WVNr3uHtBDrmK54orGz0wV7D8PgdYh_WIqCDup9Ml8J4lzM4vsIUJr9ly_Yf_j-5aWk11HQTtS0eoJaeAI7dXm1tRFZr-sCxVY-ALZl_McUeqYxxzEgLkEshB8rFIC-jgpnrpqC1BfcOEZp0NKgJOnUBW9-TFg=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb9kfdvsJmMyUzqWcNe_0-_acCls18WVNr3uHtBDrmK54orGz0wV7D8PgdYh_WIqCDup9Ml8J4lzM4vsIUJr9ly_Yf_j-5aWk11HQTtS0eoJaeAI7dXm1tRFZr-sCxVY-ALZl_McUeqYxxzEgLkEshB8rFIC-jgpnrpqC1BfcOEZp0NKgJOnUBW9-TFg=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Morning snuggles</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgg9kUIsmi5dEWsmGXudY0OkhJh0TKtSnSgB-amczSuTBtvhZkMduR-ctvT1ksLdmpDsqpFi7VZmZqfSG46UxLX3ekINc2FHzHrBIQBFBqyPI8HXVvxcqjuugRyfEI1Ky8hjjfwhY1Licdg-43ocX9bY7_uTtf_sVYUJZf7x2cK6Kjx0Y7mKg3pfqTjWw=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgg9kUIsmi5dEWsmGXudY0OkhJh0TKtSnSgB-amczSuTBtvhZkMduR-ctvT1ksLdmpDsqpFi7VZmZqfSG46UxLX3ekINc2FHzHrBIQBFBqyPI8HXVvxcqjuugRyfEI1Ky8hjjfwhY1Licdg-43ocX9bY7_uTtf_sVYUJZf7x2cK6Kjx0Y7mKg3pfqTjWw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Bathtime!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeWAAAD4z1p8d5gPeGdqXZgoUS0IVFT5g_I2CAC1CmIjykOyLNMERIuGvzuKCp71GUXpn6s2AZrgd6JMp-pjiSpicwerV3iYxcV5IZHO5bBN-DtGJ-rBQor4Fd6aL0ka5mlLp1L1S1jjXXUoVSOfsb9YJAnTkjELY9n1S-0vj9Gx9fbz5sO1v2UZxOwg=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgeWAAAD4z1p8d5gPeGdqXZgoUS0IVFT5g_I2CAC1CmIjykOyLNMERIuGvzuKCp71GUXpn6s2AZrgd6JMp-pjiSpicwerV3iYxcV5IZHO5bBN-DtGJ-rBQor4Fd6aL0ka5mlLp1L1S1jjXXUoVSOfsb9YJAnTkjELY9n1S-0vj9Gx9fbz5sO1v2UZxOwg=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Not so thrilled about this outfit?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjifhPoz52-QcFKEdI6fdMa15IgkKJ_DuyBSoxK0cgrUP34WYraUR6-CTCMPRoH3r9Gt26r2Ln3KBEzwj631BJHA280lXFflq_HkMxZ3TmRfE5bFlrwvQtK3yXsywWe8loQaD8GWlZxiQpTJO_vRMeKYJQckYZUs1qjMmYsnJo0r4ANMqaP52zUmZaebw=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjifhPoz52-QcFKEdI6fdMa15IgkKJ_DuyBSoxK0cgrUP34WYraUR6-CTCMPRoH3r9Gt26r2Ln3KBEzwj631BJHA280lXFflq_HkMxZ3TmRfE5bFlrwvQtK3yXsywWe8loQaD8GWlZxiQpTJO_vRMeKYJQckYZUs1qjMmYsnJo0r4ANMqaP52zUmZaebw=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">But more a fan of this one. =)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3S857NjJLwCTOrgjKPvEmXeQqrjsBKGwDImcAHO0Zkp4cghnPr_GZ5-rQw8lcW8zAwz1yhz4iV8H_3iZpVtyBHYr6gDFG9ZAKRGGo3dpUC-r07OCgCLmZKpcAv8PUsVZEIQnecdPxbqdfYyC9zSmsoLIMxOGWj43CY0jujAtOn8cylkC7EMcv0DsHYA=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj3S857NjJLwCTOrgjKPvEmXeQqrjsBKGwDImcAHO0Zkp4cghnPr_GZ5-rQw8lcW8zAwz1yhz4iV8H_3iZpVtyBHYr6gDFG9ZAKRGGo3dpUC-r07OCgCLmZKpcAv8PUsVZEIQnecdPxbqdfYyC9zSmsoLIMxOGWj43CY0jujAtOn8cylkC7EMcv0DsHYA=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Featuring the dimples and the chins...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyojqxOcCeja_50DTw5r9-tyYvoF7JuU3dwHz-XRzYDTXcMgSt8rArzYorzQzcuj-UA5eAikJU_qY5F4-nnq3qRWZRXFKLAMvYUzePQ8c8SXqHzROk6vfHF6ql6WFgEpes_aby4ET6cgtPFm6QZRm4IeQd1Xk0yNRwvpu8ehD-bQ_dElVt9wLch9ijXQ=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgyojqxOcCeja_50DTw5r9-tyYvoF7JuU3dwHz-XRzYDTXcMgSt8rArzYorzQzcuj-UA5eAikJU_qY5F4-nnq3qRWZRXFKLAMvYUzePQ8c8SXqHzROk6vfHF6ql6WFgEpes_aby4ET6cgtPFm6QZRm4IeQd1Xk0yNRwvpu8ehD-bQ_dElVt9wLch9ijXQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">So many snuggles, cause babies don't keep.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikvmykm--C_KRucYCRpmHltmiBDf32U__XqGfREFRmei3TvWNIUSxf_t17i4XFuHjJsut-wFIZSJ_hTe9tbawilxyX0xhEH8nC0x8IhDEBgJqsIBr9mLT2yp4mJ_Np5rf-dFkB-L5-gbbGnZYvl1y5Eh8m9NGq4Jf2e1b27Yo0TL85YevZoX7eh3p2vg=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1494" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEikvmykm--C_KRucYCRpmHltmiBDf32U__XqGfREFRmei3TvWNIUSxf_t17i4XFuHjJsut-wFIZSJ_hTe9tbawilxyX0xhEH8nC0x8IhDEBgJqsIBr9mLT2yp4mJ_Np5rf-dFkB-L5-gbbGnZYvl1y5Eh8m9NGq4Jf2e1b27Yo0TL85YevZoX7eh3p2vg=w466-h640" width="466" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Did I mention the brothers adore her? The feeling is mutual-she loves them too!</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidTqHMpVNc1r_8uWYaUQ_Fi6zgJ3YgZ6sGTZlCiaALjqOfqHvHwvYczF4KlbL8w2SqAOMGzu-8GRDdIJK_sr-zZZ9gUgnyAS0xYG9CcpEcS6wV0ATuuymuytLzokmrjM1WqQQccBn5DoJLd7h6wFQC-niH9mriLECgTj_hDNVm4mjdxD_kkJerUZig4w=s2048" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEidTqHMpVNc1r_8uWYaUQ_Fi6zgJ3YgZ6sGTZlCiaALjqOfqHvHwvYczF4KlbL8w2SqAOMGzu-8GRDdIJK_sr-zZZ9gUgnyAS0xYG9CcpEcS6wV0ATuuymuytLzokmrjM1WqQQccBn5DoJLd7h6wFQC-niH9mriLECgTj_hDNVm4mjdxD_kkJerUZig4w=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">Signing off for now. Hope y'all have a lovely weekend!</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">-Chels and the little miss =)</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-41635318177035277472021-09-03T22:16:00.002-04:002021-12-07T17:03:35.423-05:00Madeline || She’s HOME <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-RNsZgtUp4TOBUQlx75GnNn0HNGHyWt3CHZTJGJtkXTSUXxmaDVkZwCyx88G6F97a1cwgQ6_okfOdSTWMqaoMHSt5XRqXpHcq70DdKza8XBmc1aJfS0V-spKs7K0BRoNze_lhREPIN6T/s2048/B297FE7C-3610-4255-9DE4-4ADF29FD7894.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1586" data-original-width="2048" height="496" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN-RNsZgtUp4TOBUQlx75GnNn0HNGHyWt3CHZTJGJtkXTSUXxmaDVkZwCyx88G6F97a1cwgQ6_okfOdSTWMqaoMHSt5XRqXpHcq70DdKza8XBmc1aJfS0V-spKs7K0BRoNze_lhREPIN6T/w640-h496/B297FE7C-3610-4255-9DE4-4ADF29FD7894.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>I still can hardly believe it! But after an unexpected turn of events, Madeline is home!! We are finally all together as a family of FIVE and it is amazing. <p></p><p>More later! Thankyou all for your prayer and support! </p><p>With love, Chels for us all</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-18326392648371536622021-08-28T11:33:00.003-04:002021-12-07T17:07:34.578-05:00Madeline || Update #10<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbnJ_Oi3IRHB_DmsVAwS6nwtP-U7TD5JKW7qpfgPyZRuuztqLqz9KIzCea4YoJwjjjzxyZDACk0hrDOpnInXL2cphIr8ZaM3HSK1HsDA8mc4gxxUUHZw-cBq2gqs_NUTr-TlmCr6qnbNz/s2048/2F44010F-F68B-483C-BC23-AE60B00D47CE.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYbnJ_Oi3IRHB_DmsVAwS6nwtP-U7TD5JKW7qpfgPyZRuuztqLqz9KIzCea4YoJwjjjzxyZDACk0hrDOpnInXL2cphIr8ZaM3HSK1HsDA8mc4gxxUUHZw-cBq2gqs_NUTr-TlmCr6qnbNz/w480-h640/2F44010F-F68B-483C-BC23-AE60B00D47CE.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;">Today is the 50th day of Madeline’s NICU stay, and yesterday she was seven weeks old! It seems fitting that with those milestones, there should be some happy news, and there was. I came in yesterday morning to discover her feeding tube gone! The initial reason for its removal was trouble shooting for some of her reflux/spell issues, to see if the removal might help that. The timing works out well, though, as she has been taking more and more bottles and getting less and less from the feeding tube. This should solidify that transition. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobh_TcLb_zFXwIMX_-Blz0MSRQPkO6Wz5j2kHi-kzraX8BK11wFrCsCf0DleD1dfXCgJe3P_KsxznLmy2BRf_cuO_U2ft1hQvE-uWwT69TxzK6SvrKljhLGngPSV9RydNsAj8P7EsNyiE/s2048/D4D6E55C-D81B-4F1E-92C9-23F9E4F3F238.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgobh_TcLb_zFXwIMX_-Blz0MSRQPkO6Wz5j2kHi-kzraX8BK11wFrCsCf0DleD1dfXCgJe3P_KsxznLmy2BRf_cuO_U2ft1hQvE-uWwT69TxzK6SvrKljhLGngPSV9RydNsAj8P7EsNyiE/w480-h640/D4D6E55C-D81B-4F1E-92C9-23F9E4F3F238.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">In weight, Madeline is now up to 6lbs 7oz. Just a few more ounces and she will be twice her birth weight which is wild to me! As mentioned above, she continues to progress with her bottles. I am giving nursing a bit of a back seat for the time being, as she has still been struggling with that. The main goal currently is to just get her home, so we are going with whatever method seems to bring that goal the soonest. She is still having spells, as she sleeps, when her heart rate drops. They aren’t major but she has to have five days of no spells, and complete eating on her own, before she can go home. If she can continue with eating well, she should be permanently done with the feeding tube, which takes care of the second item. </span></div><p>Our prayer requests are for the spells to stop, and for her red blood cell count to improve. It hasn’t been climbing like it should and we are really hoping that it will improve. It isn’t dangerous at this point, but we are hoping to avoid a transfusion.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5VfaHVzf6_XF-EiNv9DLmVZATh_5eHMNdhqgi8aSL2FRpbzJpxHAf63Y5SMVqjg3aiH4ighLn6Nq6S8t7xetWANUM0ASz7mwk_5ANLxpUsYHjARYI4Hxnd6Msofz9T1A9oaSoY_cshGM/s2048/55BD92E4-C114-4FE0-93C7-577E8C1859E3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB5VfaHVzf6_XF-EiNv9DLmVZATh_5eHMNdhqgi8aSL2FRpbzJpxHAf63Y5SMVqjg3aiH4ighLn6Nq6S8t7xetWANUM0ASz7mwk_5ANLxpUsYHjARYI4Hxnd6Msofz9T1A9oaSoY_cshGM/w480-h640/55BD92E4-C114-4FE0-93C7-577E8C1859E3.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thankyou once again for your prayers and love!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a wonderful weekend!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-Chels</div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-71590371266532767912021-08-19T18:17:00.002-04:002021-12-07T17:07:48.464-05:00Madeline || Update #9<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvvPA8FWrbKfvsKaplDVVVKDYst5gbjGv5xMxBYHG5Ue_lYpzA89ewIm-4SkAynhChm1gXygfHUhanAhvnXflUDS6s41oTemwBb864e376jyPMUxP12EEl8MhP8liv9nK6_vw9xh4pV3w/s2048/D4EACAEF-8750-484F-9DCE-8E0291FD4BD4.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTvvPA8FWrbKfvsKaplDVVVKDYst5gbjGv5xMxBYHG5Ue_lYpzA89ewIm-4SkAynhChm1gXygfHUhanAhvnXflUDS6s41oTemwBb864e376jyPMUxP12EEl8MhP8liv9nK6_vw9xh4pV3w/w480-h640/D4EACAEF-8750-484F-9DCE-8E0291FD4BD4.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;">Our little pumpkin is growing and flourishing over here! She still has a long ways to go but she is definitely continuing on the upward climb of progress and we are so grateful! </span></div><p></p><p>They removed her nasal cannula Sunday morning so she has been off her oxygen since then and done great overall.We are so hoping and praying that she can continue to have minimal spells and not have to go back on that. So far, so good. </p><p>In the weight department, she is gaining and growing so well. She weighed 5lb 140z last night! Considering that at her lowest point five weeks ago she was 3lb 1oz, this is a pretty significant amount amount of growing! She’s got a little double chin and her cheeks are getting rounder, which is so fun. The preemie outfits have been outgrown and this week she's wearing mostly newborn size sleepers.</p><p>Madeline has been making good progress with her bottles. Her first feeding with a bottle she only could take 11ml, and then last week she took her first full feeding in a bottle, 57ml! On Sunday she did two full bottle feedings, back to back, which was incredible! Nursing hasn’t gone well but I didn’t expect it would. Both of our boys had nursing issues <i>(tongue/lip ties)</i> and I am quite confidant Madeline has a tongue tie as well. Plus, she is a preemie, and from what we’ve heard, it always takes a long time for preemies to learn how to nurse anyways, other issues aside. She’ll latch and suck occasionally, and some “sessions” are better than others, but overall it isn’t anything consistent or even close to a feeding. </p><p>The times she is awake and alert are so so sweet. She still mostly sleeps but there are little bitty pockets of awake time. She has started making eye contact and sometimes wakes up in the morning when I walk into her room and start talking to her. Today she gave me her first smile and I about melted into a puddle! It was beyond precious!</p><p>The question we commonly get from people is “so how soon can she go home?” From the very beginning we have intentionally prepared ourselves for her to be here at least until her due date, September 14th. So that is what I tell myself. Technically of course it could be later or earlier. We just really don’t know. She has to go five days without any spells and then obviously she has to be taking all of her feedings on her own. Once those two things happen, we can take her home. With still having one or two spells a day and only typically doing one or two of her eight daily feedings on her own, that gives a little perspective of hurdles that are still ahead of her. </p><p style="text-align: left;">She has made a lot of progress though and we are focusing on that. We know that every day we get closer and closer to taking her home and we are grateful that she is stable and growing!</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1KTJzsS6UmOYwSj4o8MVarc5SBtB92QfGFhRmcY6nBudwbA2h5IPTsFnejZ7PS6AIE3jI5XEkXuqvre8LDP25QnLdvjmBSTWMkMEBND4ozloP7H6KDlLnkkIcpRkpvA5IM1ylX5SczDO/s2048/A0ABB667-9325-439B-979E-8B7990E0FA61.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl1KTJzsS6UmOYwSj4o8MVarc5SBtB92QfGFhRmcY6nBudwbA2h5IPTsFnejZ7PS6AIE3jI5XEkXuqvre8LDP25QnLdvjmBSTWMkMEBND4ozloP7H6KDlLnkkIcpRkpvA5IM1ylX5SczDO/w478-h640/A0ABB667-9325-439B-979E-8B7990E0FA61.jpeg" width="478" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjVs-eoSXMA47eHRqm5RZhOInAQqOdg8LXlZXW8Z0G2wWcs1BIQ8O98vZxwceApAjpzo2ktv0FnZLPk6QFyGBL2MKoC7lQye-RZaI1LK4CP05Xlb_WfJ_tIOtTgXlA4VGQ6an6e_XGima/s4032/6DC8227C-4C17-4E7F-A0C4-46DC3A874CDE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjVs-eoSXMA47eHRqm5RZhOInAQqOdg8LXlZXW8Z0G2wWcs1BIQ8O98vZxwceApAjpzo2ktv0FnZLPk6QFyGBL2MKoC7lQye-RZaI1LK4CP05Xlb_WfJ_tIOtTgXlA4VGQ6an6e_XGima/w480-h640/6DC8227C-4C17-4E7F-A0C4-46DC3A874CDE.jpeg" width="480" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;">Did I mention that double chin?? 😍</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3z8SD6WN_6AfyLl1D6Slhcfg8-1T4CbK6uewwgacvS2aIEHonI3NwZuYy6F9yw1IQ_Sy4jiuZHJutQN27wSjeNmqk5qeEdsoXLlCNpFQMZHu9UYloBqllWD6w2CqLw1muZxabNLqr5hqX/s2048/47A9C013-EE20-4561-A0DF-AF8090EC2930.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3z8SD6WN_6AfyLl1D6Slhcfg8-1T4CbK6uewwgacvS2aIEHonI3NwZuYy6F9yw1IQ_Sy4jiuZHJutQN27wSjeNmqk5qeEdsoXLlCNpFQMZHu9UYloBqllWD6w2CqLw1muZxabNLqr5hqX/w480-h640/47A9C013-EE20-4561-A0DF-AF8090EC2930.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">She always likes to put her hands up above or beside her head when I am doing skin to skin with her, and it is the cutest thing!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMmt9bDOoBgdeaV7UfopKmsU4Hlmpyhxg46vmPFlktx3IjR02OJF-fOYMf3Y-UlzN2pY6JDPmfY0UhOITfR6PNEO9fVAMR3NdqBpwYZjpBd0RRyovEOX0NWqWTnesI_BnH3FIj6v3ASZJ/s2048/EAAB793D-C04C-4613-B751-42C779771A96.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMmt9bDOoBgdeaV7UfopKmsU4Hlmpyhxg46vmPFlktx3IjR02OJF-fOYMf3Y-UlzN2pY6JDPmfY0UhOITfR6PNEO9fVAMR3NdqBpwYZjpBd0RRyovEOX0NWqWTnesI_BnH3FIj6v3ASZJ/w480-h640/EAAB793D-C04C-4613-B751-42C779771A96.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Have a blessed Thursday, everyone, and thanks again for your prayers, comments, and support!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-Chels</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-49261702078282056812021-08-19T11:08:00.000-04:002021-12-07T17:07:41.259-05:00Madeline’s First Photo Shoot || Update #8<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9co7c5mfWmZPfjzGQgpy6R97aWr7VZrhkrMZsfbcOBiZcQhmUO-ygx9vvc8_wwuIjlO1GW_KwssMtr26J7H7193elvEhVqp3P7WudVob5vVqNZDMY3fe6yF9H5K0agtmciDlqa71swDqA/s2048/05E38117-0F77-4937-8570-6FD321D8D350.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9co7c5mfWmZPfjzGQgpy6R97aWr7VZrhkrMZsfbcOBiZcQhmUO-ygx9vvc8_wwuIjlO1GW_KwssMtr26J7H7193elvEhVqp3P7WudVob5vVqNZDMY3fe6yF9H5K0agtmciDlqa71swDqA/w640-h480/05E38117-0F77-4937-8570-6FD321D8D350.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>I received this adorable preemie outfit from a friend a few weeks ago, and last week I put it on Madeline, used a pillow and the privacy curtain as background, and did a little photo shoot with her with my phone. <div>Thought you all might enjoy these. 😍<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIbUpEIHAwr7aAKy7cGAO69xtxYVeg0v8m_cLcNKa9tEzrsId0P6R4LQJWAAadeH6PsqQp__8KT6yUHgR0qu7PYLBKGIRKwQe4UAIaZXeCWyOnF4a4gAUR6A8qGj-8ce1Qai4kt7LESx6/s2048/10F4F25D-6217-4B39-B5F7-31CF07084CC9.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMIbUpEIHAwr7aAKy7cGAO69xtxYVeg0v8m_cLcNKa9tEzrsId0P6R4LQJWAAadeH6PsqQp__8KT6yUHgR0qu7PYLBKGIRKwQe4UAIaZXeCWyOnF4a4gAUR6A8qGj-8ce1Qai4kt7LESx6/w640-h480/10F4F25D-6217-4B39-B5F7-31CF07084CC9.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZl_Lpw1fFnylQjcjuQPoi9Dhpi4Hly9dQOtVC9_Uf1lkeW8VwI5pvJm-GaXmkvgLRci9gfeAAHlxVIzJdmtenYTpXkmDSF6mOkB_fkc8yvTNVnitnq_FpcJxdMKlREnFadRiY3bQjV74m/s2048/B1D38C22-432B-4FE1-8B04-ADEFE01D12B6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZl_Lpw1fFnylQjcjuQPoi9Dhpi4Hly9dQOtVC9_Uf1lkeW8VwI5pvJm-GaXmkvgLRci9gfeAAHlxVIzJdmtenYTpXkmDSF6mOkB_fkc8yvTNVnitnq_FpcJxdMKlREnFadRiY3bQjV74m/w640-h480/B1D38C22-432B-4FE1-8B04-ADEFE01D12B6.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PdReV_1YQnndj5ExGMVKAUOUZXYWJ4Ma3YTkHL7dbsYhszG-fFZ3HWAfuEbaZYCH8XF2bawECTKHg8dEM1HmaZOx_p1SlkkAt57bTCl9K30EXDP19LaA22RWuqj7aVsZlusg_lnUFqht/s2048/DA5DDEB3-CD75-44FF-8A8B-F04E40BFA629.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_PdReV_1YQnndj5ExGMVKAUOUZXYWJ4Ma3YTkHL7dbsYhszG-fFZ3HWAfuEbaZYCH8XF2bawECTKHg8dEM1HmaZOx_p1SlkkAt57bTCl9K30EXDP19LaA22RWuqj7aVsZlusg_lnUFqht/w640-h480/DA5DDEB3-CD75-44FF-8A8B-F04E40BFA629.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFg8rdlWwOTzEKfRKxMUqGMa-fv1Pp2gPgoc54iW6ItxlTJlWxrT6MxsZ6SGW86meiTgOjkQJM7ZEtjVGrgMsdkrj4WzbTtfXwTScV5iKR6jzRldIWwdC7OKg5jB8CukNo1lgYHr4cdPlJ/s2048/EF402C29-93E9-4C9D-ABAB-C2FDAD42E62B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFg8rdlWwOTzEKfRKxMUqGMa-fv1Pp2gPgoc54iW6ItxlTJlWxrT6MxsZ6SGW86meiTgOjkQJM7ZEtjVGrgMsdkrj4WzbTtfXwTScV5iKR6jzRldIWwdC7OKg5jB8CukNo1lgYHr4cdPlJ/w480-h640/EF402C29-93E9-4C9D-ABAB-C2FDAD42E62B.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoT8FKaHeDsFedZOHsM5v91sjtLGW53NqjUWxWQEbXNA1TWTydiHJ5VrYR1v9ahRNXDrrkKq7JMbyolf9d6EMRPQcjgik1maVmDqapuGhOOnFpq2guNZTKPqdcnxtjS4g4h9vkYoV1iidp/s2048/52DE39F7-1DB6-4FEC-A336-BB25933C9D05.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoT8FKaHeDsFedZOHsM5v91sjtLGW53NqjUWxWQEbXNA1TWTydiHJ5VrYR1v9ahRNXDrrkKq7JMbyolf9d6EMRPQcjgik1maVmDqapuGhOOnFpq2guNZTKPqdcnxtjS4g4h9vkYoV1iidp/w480-h640/52DE39F7-1DB6-4FEC-A336-BB25933C9D05.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>Afterwards-snuggles with my girl. 💞<br /> <p></p></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-10155679965236022082021-08-10T18:02:00.004-04:002021-08-10T18:04:43.502-04:00Madeline || Update #7<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBr97Opm5u_JijtiyIFdqMr_VQzqhi3pFeud4ew1tTO3bAq2lgwTeS-0uoWFqB1skk4eOsPtB2n9e6L4QJCZkARrG7KonCXn9NMGg9k7uN6P9XISSj9pqE8RikYvxB6uyYJNO_yCWZske/s2048/6C52F077-64B5-4A48-858E-8D8CD3B26E45.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNBr97Opm5u_JijtiyIFdqMr_VQzqhi3pFeud4ew1tTO3bAq2lgwTeS-0uoWFqB1skk4eOsPtB2n9e6L4QJCZkARrG7KonCXn9NMGg9k7uN6P9XISSj9pqE8RikYvxB6uyYJNO_yCWZske/w480-h640/6C52F077-64B5-4A48-858E-8D8CD3B26E45.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div></div><i>(recent picture of Madeline) </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">Wow, not sure how it has been so long since I have posted an update on Madeline. Thankyou to those of you who have checked in to see if we are all doing okay. Madeline is well and everything going well overall. The days just kind of blur together; in some ways they seem long and in others short, so I really didn't realize it had been so long since I posted an update. I've actually been adding pictures and text to this post for quite a while, so I have dates with the paragraphs below, and pictures are in order that they were taken. The first few are from the last few days of July, without the nasal cannula, and the rest are since then, with it.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8v5aZgqWn8Ar8XS22lyxIqS0HaE4XWZBCnjTDgR1HjH6IJTp10KtWLj9OYoDxkwI5ooeMtbe4y5RJK2tdfipCMkQhPSbbF9aqSCFdqbF8lbTsKOGIpnV1eCjtAFKYjf8gtUSFVFWR-Hh/s2048/8F93C151-7FCA-4E62-844D-11BF0948F5EE.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP8v5aZgqWn8Ar8XS22lyxIqS0HaE4XWZBCnjTDgR1HjH6IJTp10KtWLj9OYoDxkwI5ooeMtbe4y5RJK2tdfipCMkQhPSbbF9aqSCFdqbF8lbTsKOGIpnV1eCjtAFKYjf8gtUSFVFWR-Hh/w480-h640/8F93C151-7FCA-4E62-844D-11BF0948F5EE.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(This was one of Madeline's first "awake and alert" kind of looks!)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfo2GVYR3Lv4RzcnDx3du3eWqd6NEdJ8wR9CDl2TYyAISqkP890xBpbmM8_GiEQ9H8acJdHIEf58xPxwP__moj1IwfhRzkK3cevK_fM5kHIWiu6kFsRKahZkdxlPkgztqekjqYAw_F4fY/s2048/B8E1D2E2-2B37-4B02-B24B-C954AAAB8F28.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWfo2GVYR3Lv4RzcnDx3du3eWqd6NEdJ8wR9CDl2TYyAISqkP890xBpbmM8_GiEQ9H8acJdHIEf58xPxwP__moj1IwfhRzkK3cevK_fM5kHIWiu6kFsRKahZkdxlPkgztqekjqYAw_F4fY/w480-h640/B8E1D2E2-2B37-4B02-B24B-C954AAAB8F28.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjhBq0wjgSSV84W_zdTZSrXwAW5OpBC2KP-dhzD6viEYEJ4xu-pI2Ouakdc7iR6TTYSYwtyl4mitz6Ob_FsSS-k8V5qPBwhWe_vDwF7t-PZ3FwI1iN8RONLHpJQW3vwGvt-SvNTgCDhmC/s2048/D837A4ED-8B9F-418A-9632-57B1D74BC941.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmjhBq0wjgSSV84W_zdTZSrXwAW5OpBC2KP-dhzD6viEYEJ4xu-pI2Ouakdc7iR6TTYSYwtyl4mitz6Ob_FsSS-k8V5qPBwhWe_vDwF7t-PZ3FwI1iN8RONLHpJQW3vwGvt-SvNTgCDhmC/w480-h640/D837A4ED-8B9F-418A-9632-57B1D74BC941.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(Lil miss is quite dramatic with her yawns =))</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39zGhCTjeEQYo4YxSZbfLJAJzH1kZr9wHczrBxGGbf136B5yVWLmKsxZnHd3UhghR6cggxHCqx-LHr347r1aAMS0RcG_ixkqURVDRLgcbrkuDT672DITiI5nWzK7k-fRLG4hMqsJIjarx/s2048/385B8391-0E60-4F0C-AAE8-8EB321F15385.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39zGhCTjeEQYo4YxSZbfLJAJzH1kZr9wHczrBxGGbf136B5yVWLmKsxZnHd3UhghR6cggxHCqx-LHr347r1aAMS0RcG_ixkqURVDRLgcbrkuDT672DITiI5nWzK7k-fRLG4hMqsJIjarx/w480-h640/385B8391-0E60-4F0C-AAE8-8EB321F15385.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>(She's got big beautiful blue eyes, just like her brothers!)</i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thursday July 29th</div><div style="text-align: left;">Madeline got moved to a crib! Now we don't have to wait for the nurses to get her out for us. We can come and go as we like and get her out anytime, which we are LOVING!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Friday July 30th</div><div style="text-align: left;">Madeline is 4lb 3oz! I've been working on nursing with her with no progress, but I've still been trying. The goal is to get her used to the position/feel/suck/everything. She finally had the first few little drops of my milk into her mouth yesterday and today; the first time she was super dramatic about it and acted like she was drowning. But she also did a little lip smack so I know she wasn’t too mad about it, haha! We are quite far from nursing as she can’t get the sucking figured out; she hasn't latched yet. But she's definitely moving her mouth more which is a sign that she's getting closer to ready. A blessing in disguise is that with the nursing issues I had with both of the boys, I don't expect the process to go perfectly even with a full term baby, let alone a preemie! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Saturday July 31st</div><div style="text-align: left;">When I came in to the NICU this morning Madeline had been put back on the nasal cannula. <i>(Supplemental oxygen)</i> She has been having a lot of Brady events <i>(slowing of the heart rate) </i>and even though this isn’t really abnormal for her age, still she really needs to have less of those, and so they made the decision for her to go back on the nasal cannula. It makes me sad to have more tubes going again but I am also thankful that she is responding well to the oxygen. She is also getting doses of caffeine to hopefully help.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sunday August 1st</div><div style="text-align: left;">Her oxygen was bumped up to 100% this morning since her Brady events were still not slowing. She has now only had four Brady's since that was done. <i>(whereas before that she had had around 20 in 24 hours)</i> Even though it's not fun to have her on the nasal cannula again and getting so much oxygen, this is super encouraging that the events are slowing down. She also had labs done again this morning and everything came back clear which was good. Tonight she had her first real bath <i>(she'd had sponge baths before)</i> and she loved it!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Monday August 2nd</div><div style="text-align: left;">Madeline gave her first itty bitty suck today! She didn't extract anything, and it was just a tiny little few sucks, but for a NICU baby and how long/tedious the nursing learning process is, this was a huge step and I am so happy! John and I have been working with her on her paci to get her used to sucking on that and moving her mouth. She has definitely shown more mouth movement and just overall alertness the past few days so that is great progress. She continues to grow---4lb 9oz today!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Thursday August 5th</div><div style="text-align: left;">After much much trying <i>(me trying!)</i> Madeline truly kind of nursed a little bit twice today! She had multiple swallows and many sucks and I cannot believe how strong she is for such a bitty thing! The lactation consultant was very helpful and I really liked her. I overheard her giving the report to the nurse and she was really impressed with Madeline's progress too. It was so incredible to see things start clicking for Maddy-she was even initiating at one point-sticking out her tongue and giving little lunges trying to suck. It was pretty cute. =) </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Sunday August 8th</div><div style="text-align: left;">Madeline had her first true feeding aside from her tube tonight. John gave her a bottle and she worked so hard on it. She was totally wiped out afterwards but she managed to drink 11ml on her own! Up until this point she has had basically everything through her feeding tube. </div><div style="text-align: left;">They had taken her off oxygen yesterday, but put her back on after she had a cluster of spells this morning. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">Tuesday August 10th (current)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;">Today Madeline is 5lb 2oz! So thankful that she is gaining good weight! What a praise. She struggled with the bottle today and wasn't that into it. She is still getting feedings through her tube, but we are working on her learning to suck/drink herself, at the beginning of her feeding times, before the nurse hooks up her feeding tube. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FNd9PYWfH-PR2GYgPtxl5QbTVkEp7qSP-QIVmZ5fubG33X_sWF-HdNTnKnOdD2Va68dfDbWrypqtuJnbPiUyiPVMhAFBa-KB8JZVSvJf_7q1be4Djm5-4EvM6NvZtiKuh0UPQAZr3DbS/s2048/E9E0336E-F264-4165-B6FB-74E34290C515.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9FNd9PYWfH-PR2GYgPtxl5QbTVkEp7qSP-QIVmZ5fubG33X_sWF-HdNTnKnOdD2Va68dfDbWrypqtuJnbPiUyiPVMhAFBa-KB8JZVSvJf_7q1be4Djm5-4EvM6NvZtiKuh0UPQAZr3DbS/w480-h640/E9E0336E-F264-4165-B6FB-74E34290C515.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="text-align: center;"> Snuggles with my baby girl.</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fR-dU8cbBr4LkPQTRKHzTgyh7IXD95vpQAM-1aU0HNgA2m-B3RAthnqtVo9b4WBoVCDJauzdI5mlmw-2najRDYfr3Jta2SKCiJfw1fc48qcAevN_jL6eNa7sIb8GzZT74Sb1tET2RMUH/s2048/0A743E9A-E0CE-4924-A46C-713F6AB38826.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2fR-dU8cbBr4LkPQTRKHzTgyh7IXD95vpQAM-1aU0HNgA2m-B3RAthnqtVo9b4WBoVCDJauzdI5mlmw-2najRDYfr3Jta2SKCiJfw1fc48qcAevN_jL6eNa7sIb8GzZT74Sb1tET2RMUH/w480-h640/0A743E9A-E0CE-4924-A46C-713F6AB38826.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWE1i1eEVyr2eo3-JbAEql8yK1OnZZlV6PwvZtDMUOCGvMO09TL7mPlJ-LIp8hx1AXfg0rjAllf4IqgZdquVFoKylhgjf2Gv57VcR5NVk5q_NEsWtL9zomvfCjqNMVeZcqKx8ZIAz6z25L/s2048/F473B757-8F9A-4F4E-9C2F-CC2B6207F784.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWE1i1eEVyr2eo3-JbAEql8yK1OnZZlV6PwvZtDMUOCGvMO09TL7mPlJ-LIp8hx1AXfg0rjAllf4IqgZdquVFoKylhgjf2Gv57VcR5NVk5q_NEsWtL9zomvfCjqNMVeZcqKx8ZIAz6z25L/w480-h640/F473B757-8F9A-4F4E-9C2F-CC2B6207F784.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">She is starting to get a tiny double chin and it is the cutest thing!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhCNWE85cdbh9ZhcQQxx8hg_D68owaN67bmD08MghiNYINStVtWfdb868hdXPHuxUyFi5rL14Q6eFQJqRXYCkQUj7yxY2TDeYhlYMHQ4irp3SwLkpIJs7cflzmjEBAbd3XINfmjoL0oZU/s2048/6E28AEF3-5687-44CF-BDE2-858A1FD2D859.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZhCNWE85cdbh9ZhcQQxx8hg_D68owaN67bmD08MghiNYINStVtWfdb868hdXPHuxUyFi5rL14Q6eFQJqRXYCkQUj7yxY2TDeYhlYMHQ4irp3SwLkpIJs7cflzmjEBAbd3XINfmjoL0oZU/w480-h640/6E28AEF3-5687-44CF-BDE2-858A1FD2D859.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>She loves to have her hands up by her face.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7tGBNz4GlOL5g7qZhM36yOlBpPj85_B-0UTBxo-_pF16CoMNuhtWlHBEE9rl23aW-0JX9SEefYpN-MjE77cqxRb36dg6Vi73mbfexGlW7W-DiuIhsCffxQWqfXxcYAq8aIgK7V3yQve7/s4032/43AFA0AA-0492-4C75-87D6-7FFDAB778B0B.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG7tGBNz4GlOL5g7qZhM36yOlBpPj85_B-0UTBxo-_pF16CoMNuhtWlHBEE9rl23aW-0JX9SEefYpN-MjE77cqxRb36dg6Vi73mbfexGlW7W-DiuIhsCffxQWqfXxcYAq8aIgK7V3yQve7/w480-h640/43AFA0AA-0492-4C75-87D6-7FFDAB778B0B.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First bottle!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gbb6a4_qt0pexYzTrgaNOIsT7UqMRNumOkSyLlFPx82Yjz4v8RJofGVcwxsuDnkZuGCRQzt5Rzq3ivup1rgdfZRBI_UcBLIwpr_Am7ujJ8ay0UprFYdIGWxkZD6Zm6jLN48HN0ioz6F_/s2048/A62BEB20-8824-4F2F-B6F7-A559DB25BAB7.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9gbb6a4_qt0pexYzTrgaNOIsT7UqMRNumOkSyLlFPx82Yjz4v8RJofGVcwxsuDnkZuGCRQzt5Rzq3ivup1rgdfZRBI_UcBLIwpr_Am7ujJ8ay0UprFYdIGWxkZD6Zm6jLN48HN0ioz6F_/w480-h640/A62BEB20-8824-4F2F-B6F7-A559DB25BAB7.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All wrapped up and sleeping soundly.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3cEI2SJ3JmSLHV6vfO7h0O5pqjmfBtPFNdhQQx4QdJCT7HpeW0X4vRKXHOBPASXC0ubwuWyU1K3mWqFV_LYcYdvoKEtv45pS8L8EUDMwYJvVUw-nwdXs16pvDOyeT7opo2VsAFQxyfpV/s4032/069D89FB-1A7C-4C90-B547-82821F20E747.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3cEI2SJ3JmSLHV6vfO7h0O5pqjmfBtPFNdhQQx4QdJCT7HpeW0X4vRKXHOBPASXC0ubwuWyU1K3mWqFV_LYcYdvoKEtv45pS8L8EUDMwYJvVUw-nwdXs16pvDOyeT7opo2VsAFQxyfpV/w480-h640/069D89FB-1A7C-4C90-B547-82821F20E747.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First bath!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmiRWnmiagt5wzRS-2zC-sENXisf7pHiJLlx5-dFn5_GKEq5aZxcFCYfdoQJwT2BEOnfuor-llXBNvNc2zEtBY178d4M0Rocq9tbAKBppw1TOwJlrPIX4jMLryd1PM4bmu1YiTHZVZisN/s3713/D6C62D83-958A-4B0C-95FA-0104A776F78D.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3713" data-original-width="2743" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmiRWnmiagt5wzRS-2zC-sENXisf7pHiJLlx5-dFn5_GKEq5aZxcFCYfdoQJwT2BEOnfuor-llXBNvNc2zEtBY178d4M0Rocq9tbAKBppw1TOwJlrPIX4jMLryd1PM4bmu1YiTHZVZisN/w472-h640/D6C62D83-958A-4B0C-95FA-0104A776F78D.jpeg" width="472" /></a></div>Stretching!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Kt-7sXuLKa-L7tdJbpyirMOx1q9cobV5QinsdNk7p7kM-QN9JNt5_NFpn6jY_WZzWr5FZTFDQgysZPJlVc3vfr57xYF-8qjnWOP7Wy151W0UZovW4QKfdfzKkN0tXkVWJvIVtqSDlAcY/s3088/11EE4BFE-71AD-44F0-BE1B-F0C985412360.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Kt-7sXuLKa-L7tdJbpyirMOx1q9cobV5QinsdNk7p7kM-QN9JNt5_NFpn6jY_WZzWr5FZTFDQgysZPJlVc3vfr57xYF-8qjnWOP7Wy151W0UZovW4QKfdfzKkN0tXkVWJvIVtqSDlAcY/w480-h640/11EE4BFE-71AD-44F0-BE1B-F0C985412360.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div></div></div><div><div>There have been some rough things this past week, in spite of the progress. This NICU life isn't easy, no matter how you slice it. We are making it through but the ups and downs are a real thing.</div><div><br /></div><div>Recently, I was driving back to the apartment after an appointment in Leavenworth. I was listening to "The Lord is My Salvation" by the Gettys, and I cried as this song just ministered to my heart. </div><div><br /></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); margin-bottom: 12px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: inherit;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">The grace of God has reached for me</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And pulled me from the raging sea</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">And <i>I am safe on this solid ground</i></span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">The Lord is my salvation</span></span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); margin-bottom: 12px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: inherit;"><i><span jsname="YS01Ge">I will not fear when darkness falls</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">His strength will help me scale these walls</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">I'll see the dawn of the rising sun</span></i><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">The Lord is my salvation</span></span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); margin-bottom: 12px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: inherit;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">My hope is hidden in the Lord</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">He flow'rs each <i>promise of His Word</i></span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">When winter fades <i>I know spring will come</i></span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">The Lord is my salvation</span></span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); margin-bottom: 12px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: inherit;"><span jsname="YS01Ge"><i>In times of waiting, times of need</i></span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">When I know loss, <i>when I am weak</i></span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">I know <i>His grace will renew these days</i></span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">The Lord is my salvation</span></span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); margin-bottom: 12px;"><span style="color: #202124; font-family: inherit;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">And when I reach my final day</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">He will not leave me in the grave</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">But I will rise, </span><span jsname="YS01Ge">He will call me home</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">The Lord is my salvation</span></span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); margin-bottom: 12px;"><span style="color: #202124;"><span jsname="YS01Ge">Who is like the Lord our God?</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge"><i>Strong to save, faithful in love</i></span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">My debt is paid and the vict'ry won</span><br /><span jsname="YS01Ge">The Lord is my salvation</span></span></div><div class="ujudUb" jsname="U8S5sf" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); margin-bottom: 12px;"><span style="color: #202124;">The italicized lines just spoke so directly to me and what we were going through. <i>The promises of God's Word. Spring will come. Times of waiting and times of need. His grace will renew these days. He is strong to save and FAITHFUL in love. </i>Amen and amen!</span></div><div>Please pray for us that we would stay focused on Him, that our faith would stay strong, and that Madeline would continue to improve. We would also appreciate prayers for good health for all of us during this time of less sleep and extra stress. </div></div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank-you for your prayers, comments, and encouragement!</div><div style="text-align: center;">-Chels</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-640205432697388472.post-59371160142679100282021-07-30T21:30:00.002-04:002021-12-07T17:08:35.590-05:00Madeline & All of Us || Update #6<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_5QzNLfgtzQqTpY2nxClvO1IbDttkHMyHgBA72tN9oLBFe7G6_YVdenM49CAAOrGYZfJwwSOfWWj1lkHMrhkmhPilgEyMYqYn1AHXufCGSQAkUIeAdttanGcUzzt2DcLYeD5Py75mPIy/s2048/EA584032-5C1D-402A-B68E-081575FB15D5.jpeg" style="font-family: -webkit-standard; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1535" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp_5QzNLfgtzQqTpY2nxClvO1IbDttkHMyHgBA72tN9oLBFe7G6_YVdenM49CAAOrGYZfJwwSOfWWj1lkHMrhkmhPilgEyMYqYn1AHXufCGSQAkUIeAdttanGcUzzt2DcLYeD5Py75mPIy/w480-h640/EA584032-5C1D-402A-B68E-081575FB15D5.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>(opening some fun gifts together for baby Madeline)</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This update is labeled “Madeline and all of us” because many of you are wondering how the rest of us are doing and what our life looks like now. This post is a bit of an update on that. The pictures and "update" hardly scratch the surface, but I've been trying to write this post for over a week now, and tonight I decided to just go with what I have and post it.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Three weeks ago today our world was turned upside down and we were given the amazing blessing of our tiny daughter! These past twenty-one days have been filled with many emotions, tears, and unknowns as we navigate this new journey of NICU life. The first week especially was filled with some of the hardest and most stressful moments of our lives, as we tried to make sense of everything and struggled through the scary moments of little Madeline’s efforts to stay alive. Statistically we knew that she would likely pull through, but the level of potential complications at this tender age is huge. Plus John had the memories of losing his first niece, which added a whole new level of seriousness to the situation. </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I was officially released from the hospital on Sunday July 11th, and then we boarded here at the hospital until the 14th. During that time my sisters in law and inlaws took care of our boys, and we can never thank them enough. The boys ADORE their aunties and grandparents, and being there with them is the highlight of their little lives. So in spite of obviously missing us, they did so well there and I was so grateful to know they were in such good hands while we were going through some very tough days here! </span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">On Wednesday, July 14th, we were able to find, rent, and move into a fully furnished apartment within walking distance of the hospital NICU. We are now all settled in and it is such a blessing to be here. Driving the almost hour one way distance everyday would be worth it and we would totally be doing it if we didn’t have another option, but being able to be within minutes of Madeline AND be under the same roof with our boys has been truly amazing. We are so grateful for the blessing! Our families, churches <i>(my former church in Iowa and our current church here)</i> and local friends have all been incredibly supportive and jumped in to help in more ways than we can count. Meals, cleaning, outings with the boys, gift cards for food, financial gifts, visits, care packages…I can never count all the ways that we are continually supported and blessed here. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We have been completely blown away by the love and support of our church, family, friends, blog readers, online friends, and people around the world that we haven’t even met! The prayer network for Madeline has been unreal. Thankyou so much for all of you who have commented/emailed/written and told us that you are praying. Not only have you prayed, but you have shared with your friends and families and churches. From just the messages I have received alone, I believe there have been literally thousands and thousands of people interceding for the life of our tiny daughter, and that thought moves me to tears! Truly the family of God is an incredible thing!!</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The NICU team has been amazing. Such a blessing in so many ways. The doctors, nurses, and nurse practitioners are competent and caring and we feel very thankful to have our little girl in such good hands. I was really worried about this element of NICU life, to be honest. It wasn’t that I thought the care wouldn’t be good, but, really, what mother in her right mind is excited about leaving her newborn in the care of total strangers? Not this one for sure! And yet seeing the compassion and care of this team has given my heart such peace. I am so grateful for each of them.</span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><br /></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Many of you have also asked how we are doing-John, the boys, and I. I will be truthful and say that it hasn’t been easy. It is a GIFT to be able to be with the boys and close to the NICU, but it has also been a ton of change in our regular work, social life, the boys’ routine, etc. My rest time is completely different <i>(almost non existent?) </i>this third time postpartum, than it was with my boys. By the time I pump <i>(8x a day)</i> grab some food, attempt to get a decent nights sleep, spend around 5-6 hours in the NICU, and try to love a little on my husband and boys, the days are gone. Emotionally and physically the past three weeks have been completely draining. Praise the Lord, the one very positive thing is that birthing a 3 pounder is totally different than an 8 pounder, so my physical healing initially has been worlds faster and easier. This also means though that it is super hard to remember to try to take care of myself, since it doesn’t feel like I just had a baby. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">John has been incredible-he also spends hours everyday in the NICU with Madeline and she has her daddy wrapped around her itty bitty fingers. =) He has cared for me and the boys so well and does amazing at knowing all the terms and details of Madeline’s care and exactly what is going on with her at all times. I literally would not be able to do this without him!</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Our boys have had their little world dumped upside down too but overall they are doing well. Elliot is teething super hard so we've had some rough days for him. Axton is very in tune with what is going on and the only thing he seemed to not understand at first, is why “baby Madeline and Sue” as he calls her, isn’t at “new house” with us. However, after the first few days he quit asking and now he knows every morning that mommy is leaving for “the NICU” to go be with baby Madeline. His level of understanding and trusting, for a two year old, has seriously surprised me!</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">We would appreciate prayer as we work to be intentional with loving on and spending time with the boys, spending hours everyday in the NICU with Madeline, and also keeping our marriage and communication strong as a couple. </span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MPKMaHO_rewzdGgSkzcNgTQOVxcRxzyqUXxXGrx7sL365DBs1jQb1ZhPPstJSs9qdZhLTz2Mw0DuFKQoUVPeWBT9vgM0Gm4juvUxVc6OETxHUuDB4hyphenhyphenu_nyXFJ1Ysx-BktnHUHtgi-Aj/s2048/DFF56E00-1491-4C39-B5A6-9FCF1879F383.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1983" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5MPKMaHO_rewzdGgSkzcNgTQOVxcRxzyqUXxXGrx7sL365DBs1jQb1ZhPPstJSs9qdZhLTz2Mw0DuFKQoUVPeWBT9vgM0Gm4juvUxVc6OETxHUuDB4hyphenhyphenu_nyXFJ1Ysx-BktnHUHtgi-Aj/w620-h640/DFF56E00-1491-4C39-B5A6-9FCF1879F383.jpeg" width="620" /></a></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One of my sisters in law took this picture the Sunday morning after Madeline was born, and it has been the picture I've been showing the doctors and nurses when they ask about our other kids. When I look at this picture I realize that we truly do have three babies now! With Madeline's early arrival, she and Elliot are just a few weeks away from being Irish twins!</p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4YJzVKH0REMaq7a8Ta5kvKpJpAEmQ-8P2TXweuhhteSfyFITTRuVqD51Xj1-fBhjvAmjt22sz6bpXQkUKl65DKaw1xWcccf9ZxIAw6W91ZX1iie1OTFUL88KBg8JRt9KOmotv4jLh3NS/s2048/0F067865-DA30-4C8C-BA17-8CB935FC71E8.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1535" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR4YJzVKH0REMaq7a8Ta5kvKpJpAEmQ-8P2TXweuhhteSfyFITTRuVqD51Xj1-fBhjvAmjt22sz6bpXQkUKl65DKaw1xWcccf9ZxIAw6W91ZX1iie1OTFUL88KBg8JRt9KOmotv4jLh3NS/w480-h640/0F067865-DA30-4C8C-BA17-8CB935FC71E8.jpeg" width="480" /></a></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;">It was so good to be back with my other babies, when we got to bring them down to the "new house" as Axton calls it.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Xio9_Fde3KMui94KTGS4OvyOxN0FTUY4em4KIshyphenhyphennfmkuSZ-i5eyankpf2lPy1YwKteIhcPdMXF38N1AFD74ihX0Zv72Oe6eYUfh3zdSGbe5E0aAOKkM-jC9vIwQmLtW9dAi5xcRE2eV/s2048/7BF76359-93B8-4F2C-A932-3048BB07C2F3.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Xio9_Fde3KMui94KTGS4OvyOxN0FTUY4em4KIshyphenhyphennfmkuSZ-i5eyankpf2lPy1YwKteIhcPdMXF38N1AFD74ihX0Zv72Oe6eYUfh3zdSGbe5E0aAOKkM-jC9vIwQmLtW9dAi5xcRE2eV/w640-h480/7BF76359-93B8-4F2C-A932-3048BB07C2F3.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>We have been so blessed by the abundance of care packages we have received from friends, family, and strangers alike! The boys loved this little pack of safari animals and they have been hugely entertained by playing with them!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEief7nHAykc-l3QBatngPpaPhADxYMJA78dyOWmkci-XDNL1HnjD2AOcGDFqmRREvICWpzgiemz7ArLPq5bgzRR2rh8bRBJt7rN45yq0xq1JrXX0R0xwybbLO-m-dfIW9LKdDxu7XovsRpy/s2048/5E36676B-03D3-43F3-B23D-A9F2F6F2F8A6.jpeg" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEief7nHAykc-l3QBatngPpaPhADxYMJA78dyOWmkci-XDNL1HnjD2AOcGDFqmRREvICWpzgiemz7ArLPq5bgzRR2rh8bRBJt7rN45yq0xq1JrXX0R0xwybbLO-m-dfIW9LKdDxu7XovsRpy/w480-h640/5E36676B-03D3-43F3-B23D-A9F2F6F2F8A6.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Axton and Elliot were thrilled to go on a special outing with Grandpa and Grandma Maxwell!</div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT0_Tcm2GC0uFBWfWicfnmLBawf4XHym83WTQyTX4khAAVmQY1L3lvJZAyBNxx8c0XhXH-WQfADhX-fSzfuIc4lWj9WSWorqdbZLzT9gPnqeOXZRujvZUDX0vgI-akpcpQK4QqRuRuQl7/s2048/8A790C87-5D4F-41DE-8F9D-E18EC0F7E925.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT0_Tcm2GC0uFBWfWicfnmLBawf4XHym83WTQyTX4khAAVmQY1L3lvJZAyBNxx8c0XhXH-WQfADhX-fSzfuIc4lWj9WSWorqdbZLzT9gPnqeOXZRujvZUDX0vgI-akpcpQK4QqRuRuQl7/w480-h640/8A790C87-5D4F-41DE-8F9D-E18EC0F7E925.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>Now that we have our own little place near the hospital, we have been able to have company. It looks quite different from our hosting days at our LV house; we let our guests bring the food and watch the boys and help in many different ways as we are coming and going from the NICU. But it has been a joy to have the social interaction and be able to still see friends and family. Meeting cousin Malachi was a huge highlight for the boys and it was personally very healing for me to have a real baby in the house, since my baby can't be here yet.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58XBvqHVAJjdeRN2WhBp1_LW3c6xbwHQ6zP2Ovo-Xr3OWNOytYLFtX2GJ-20bKAIMKuiS1Lj9orBZddXOclvaR8Zt_ZIWbNpNs11kQWL7MXvUTxl9lFFsjElrcfCRouJyvfy4j2JgEEtU/s2048/4C200284-3B1E-4512-84AD-6F377F309038.jpeg" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg58XBvqHVAJjdeRN2WhBp1_LW3c6xbwHQ6zP2Ovo-Xr3OWNOytYLFtX2GJ-20bKAIMKuiS1Lj9orBZddXOclvaR8Zt_ZIWbNpNs11kQWL7MXvUTxl9lFFsjElrcfCRouJyvfy4j2JgEEtU/w480-h640/4C200284-3B1E-4512-84AD-6F377F309038.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfwxqAxvFRvrxcebFig0dYQcGUhb96QnsIyGzcWRwqm5UU5_EzNF5i4A5VJAuGBxvE7fY-G4PV5Ah6Y-QvyaQCtL2iYELWMMZSMyAQUbtG2s3ONxex49jRlHo8amL7C5CzqKQ1DngeQ_w/s3088/FBFE1D87-363A-4834-81C8-1080EFBF8CEF.jpeg" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfwxqAxvFRvrxcebFig0dYQcGUhb96QnsIyGzcWRwqm5UU5_EzNF5i4A5VJAuGBxvE7fY-G4PV5Ah6Y-QvyaQCtL2iYELWMMZSMyAQUbtG2s3ONxex49jRlHo8amL7C5CzqKQ1DngeQ_w/w480-h640/FBFE1D87-363A-4834-81C8-1080EFBF8CEF.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My favorite guys, on an afternoon back to our "old house".</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ7QxfxkNXrLUA_Vq4q53OPMc-S6fxNq1yhY4Fc_mdjBDLSuwqIuq5OgM7_o45ja0wm44wDJx-gxZlBF2eRr-95B-bGutURYwbbv_25Epa27k3fBP_Jfxs0ub-IzVVBzlRYA7tHoGCUOR/s2048/072A827E-A86B-4471-888F-15DFD4D2DAA1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1535" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDZ7QxfxkNXrLUA_Vq4q53OPMc-S6fxNq1yhY4Fc_mdjBDLSuwqIuq5OgM7_o45ja0wm44wDJx-gxZlBF2eRr-95B-bGutURYwbbv_25Epa27k3fBP_Jfxs0ub-IzVVBzlRYA7tHoGCUOR/w480-h640/072A827E-A86B-4471-888F-15DFD4D2DAA1.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>We have been back to our Leavenworth house a few different times to get things from the house and run errands, and the boys have been thrilled those times to play in the sun in their beloved backyard.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-jY2hbIGFUz-RycClID__NhPsUemjv3xxfMeKmWDtcH1OTr6Y2FnzGFM68q1C79gu4fr6oSi8_r4a5K7DueLzRCfvpp_2rV5-TR9-M5b4ty7j-6ZhuCC0_e37ga4yolDrRAIblunu2S8/s2048/2A2CB7B6-EE92-4CA0-8951-4C79E25BD674.jpeg" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF-jY2hbIGFUz-RycClID__NhPsUemjv3xxfMeKmWDtcH1OTr6Y2FnzGFM68q1C79gu4fr6oSi8_r4a5K7DueLzRCfvpp_2rV5-TR9-M5b4ty7j-6ZhuCC0_e37ga4yolDrRAIblunu2S8/w480-h640/2A2CB7B6-EE92-4CA0-8951-4C79E25BD674.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our first date out after Madeline was born.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGmvn_8o9-zk-incZgZXyo1zEnM2AgTAiffxRPp2gcCv_doNp0XeOvoKSbE1vgmf7jNF5s-DJSSqUkBgflBLMoVsJzOaRPCvOPvh56wQ99p-S8hPc0NDHsD7R_EQ-EoAwHBiQ_pQDZjAyL/s3088/159AF527-6851-4670-A2AE-D8E9507A0F36.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGmvn_8o9-zk-incZgZXyo1zEnM2AgTAiffxRPp2gcCv_doNp0XeOvoKSbE1vgmf7jNF5s-DJSSqUkBgflBLMoVsJzOaRPCvOPvh56wQ99p-S8hPc0NDHsD7R_EQ-EoAwHBiQ_pQDZjAyL/w480-h640/159AF527-6851-4670-A2AE-D8E9507A0F36.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>Errands for John and Elliot while Axton was at the zoo with Nana and I was in the NICU with Madeline.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xAUl9zUvj_hreHkWYVwVZgjEf7K5KOAC74RDw56F1fJ_PA9QaCtttCd9MZmjwWBku-QtAOo4Ghx6Lc0CcB8X_tNBgperRiGa1EAoP3yISW6EMmGYOPNApRJnwwToNrKclmMTYGk-C6WR/s2048/43801E4F-A012-4E7F-8218-926821B2D2D6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5xAUl9zUvj_hreHkWYVwVZgjEf7K5KOAC74RDw56F1fJ_PA9QaCtttCd9MZmjwWBku-QtAOo4Ghx6Lc0CcB8X_tNBgperRiGa1EAoP3yISW6EMmGYOPNApRJnwwToNrKclmMTYGk-C6WR/w480-h640/43801E4F-A012-4E7F-8218-926821B2D2D6.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div>The boys adored having Nana come visit for a few days.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZE2OehVkG9PifD8YYWLUDpJP9gonBvOVlYNIySgT59kEZXu4qbnSmFt8rAibXnhWtBDTyPHg7_GU0Rn5RDR3DvOuYQ-DO6-DMyvck7XviDamHUjFCtW7BCRbaDnl7rp6bWHA-IQmj_M-o/s2048/7512293F-3113-415D-A54C-9AB8550D2670.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZE2OehVkG9PifD8YYWLUDpJP9gonBvOVlYNIySgT59kEZXu4qbnSmFt8rAibXnhWtBDTyPHg7_GU0Rn5RDR3DvOuYQ-DO6-DMyvck7XviDamHUjFCtW7BCRbaDnl7rp6bWHA-IQmj_M-o/w480-h640/7512293F-3113-415D-A54C-9AB8550D2670.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beautiful flowers from my former home church back in Iowa.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzygBfYBH4zKxgY502XIeGk2qFUr29orDIiCHJxTXWJMoNxgMminX9qmU1bT24trcFuCSZDAmRkhY8kSgRlAG6An2qujDp4jAh83F_g74KZwNYmNoeKrXM5EXLDlXyCu57PqSPPj8D7KUK/s2048/DA588FD4-9BCE-4B87-AAA4-331AA7AF81C1.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzygBfYBH4zKxgY502XIeGk2qFUr29orDIiCHJxTXWJMoNxgMminX9qmU1bT24trcFuCSZDAmRkhY8kSgRlAG6An2qujDp4jAh83F_g74KZwNYmNoeKrXM5EXLDlXyCu57PqSPPj8D7KUK/w640-h480/DA588FD4-9BCE-4B87-AAA4-331AA7AF81C1.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div>John's grandma gifted us with a season pass to the zoo and it has been the perfect place to take the boys <i>(or let friends take them) </i>to let them burn off energy and enjoy the great outdoors.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl05PysYKLFZsmBRkrsic2csiz8wUXE9in2vbtrMprVsHvYSmNn3XQhdAKaB-M8xqnFi9-W9yRydbJKQlP3e5jD00NywktY3MGXuf8Q00HLSNEBhaf_-fNDiRpg1Rgx-dos1ycHGO4Ge6p/s2048/870F5D9E-F806-4E51-B1C4-19C348EB2ACD.jpeg" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl05PysYKLFZsmBRkrsic2csiz8wUXE9in2vbtrMprVsHvYSmNn3XQhdAKaB-M8xqnFi9-W9yRydbJKQlP3e5jD00NywktY3MGXuf8Q00HLSNEBhaf_-fNDiRpg1Rgx-dos1ycHGO4Ge6p/w480-h640/870F5D9E-F806-4E51-B1C4-19C348EB2ACD.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The boys opening their own little packages from friends.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgie13iysXhcEKNKosqbcomb_2zwsmTefycgKj9UgmjACeZR0I2uJMtCGZZOMeZFfRm5WlbDJrSpyNhnHaezg4pECthxwx_k2xJU6Kz8DEq-fqBubOOUi44PAOtmUv7_gDgEEVXZ1QbNQi3/s2048/6659BC48-D748-4412-B1B2-91CF2D74DE40.jpeg" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1740" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgie13iysXhcEKNKosqbcomb_2zwsmTefycgKj9UgmjACeZR0I2uJMtCGZZOMeZFfRm5WlbDJrSpyNhnHaezg4pECthxwx_k2xJU6Kz8DEq-fqBubOOUi44PAOtmUv7_gDgEEVXZ1QbNQi3/w544-h640/6659BC48-D748-4412-B1B2-91CF2D74DE40.jpeg" width="544" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The boys are always thrilled when any family/friends come to help out and spend time with them! Elliot loves his Auntie Sarah!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And that’s a little current update and recap of some of what has happened these past three weeks. If you aren’t subscribed already and you wish to receive these updates to your inbox, simply “subscribe” to the blog with your email address over on the left hand side. <i>(Or. If viewing on your phone, you can find the subscribe box by clicking “view as web size”)</i> When you subscribe, each update post will be emailed to you.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOqNi-LQpykTD4TLtPJZ80BjLpYj7yp4xG257CXmNqiPTSG30iCLJ6gJuctjlJAhhfoN4vJlV8jfzqP14AztTqFMHpdzqV7OLKcIJiHhGCOqZH_mifly7dp1_8FdkocUcmlhYLkY7fFj7/s2048/59BE34B0-9AB3-446E-B630-527DFD412574.jpeg" style="font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 17px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihOqNi-LQpykTD4TLtPJZ80BjLpYj7yp4xG257CXmNqiPTSG30iCLJ6gJuctjlJAhhfoN4vJlV8jfzqP14AztTqFMHpdzqV7OLKcIJiHhGCOqZH_mifly7dp1_8FdkocUcmlhYLkY7fFj7/w480-h640/59BE34B0-9AB3-446E-B630-527DFD412574.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'll end with a picture of Little Miss---fast asleep after her snuggles with me the other day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thankyou each again for your prayers, love, and support. We appreciate it so much!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">-Chels</div></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com15