This is the House that Chelli Built

Chelli is my celebrity couple name with my husband. We married when "Bennifer" & "Brangelina" were around, so  we needed our couple combo name.

Painted by the incredibly talented Lindsey Hornkohl for our anniversary!

Four years ago today we got married and started building our home. [By home I mean family unit, not a literal house.] It feels like we have fit a lot of life into the past four years. We have moved twice, had two children with a third on the way, two job changes, annual visits to the ER, vacations, loss of loved ones, friends moved away (some have come back!), new friends made... Life is full and good.

Chad and I had a blast dating, enjoyed our engagement, and are loving being married. We had several couples invest into our time together when we were engaged. We began to anticipate something big coming along in our marriage that we needed all that prep work for. I thought it would be something dramatic like going to Africa or India to live and help those in need. But when I got a positive pregnancy test at four months of marriage, it became clear we had been prepped for a family I was not ready to begin. But now four years later and almost three children in, I wouldn't trade it! And I am so thankful for those people that took the time to help us prepare for marriage and so much that can come along with it.

I can't wait to see what the next year brings with Chad! If it's anything like the last four, it is going to be incredibly fun and bring surprises that will continue to stretch us and bring us closer together.

The following is my rendition of the old Nursery Rhyme "This is the House that Jack Built"

This is the House that Chelli Built

This is the cake that lay in the house that Chelli built.

This is the newly pregnant bride that ate the cake
That lay in the house that Chelli built.

This is the baby girl that added a look of pride to the newly pregnant bride
That ate the cake that lay in the house that Chelli built.

This is the swine flu that caused an ER whirl to the baby girl
That added a look of pride to the newly pregnant bride
That ate the cake that lay in the house that Chelli built.

This is the dad that slew the swine flu
That caused an ER whirl to the baby girl
That added a look of pride to the newly pregnant bride

That ate the cake that lay in the house that Chelli built. 

This is daughter number two that came right when due to

The dad that slew the swine flu

That caused an ER whirl to the baby girl

That added a look of pride to the newly pregnant bride

That ate the cake that lay in the house that Chelli built. 

This is Nana that screamed for glee with the announcement of baby number three shortly

After daughter number two came when due to

The dad that slew the swine flu

That caused an ER whirl to the baby girl

That added a look of pride to the newly pregnant bride

That ate the cake that lay in the house that Chelli built.  

This is the dream that is better than imagined with

The Nana that screamed for glee with announcement of baby number three shortly 

After daughter number two came when due to

The dad that slew the swine flu

That caused an ER whirl to the baby girl

That added a look of pride to the newly pregnant bride

That ate the cake that lay in the house that Chelli built.  

Chad, Thanks for making my reality better than any of my dreams! I love you!