our five year anniversary

Tomorrow is our fifth anniversary, so I thought I’d throwback to 2009 :) Our wedding day was one of the best days of my life. I knew I loved this man with my whole heart, but I had no idea how much that love would grow in five years! Happy anniversary, Steve. You are the best man I know—you are a natural leader, with a heart of gold. You are so patient with me and you can make me laugh at the silliest things. Our boys will grow up to adore you. And I will never stop thanking God that He put you in my path. :)


The gentleman on the far left (my cousin Tim) is getting hitched this weekend, and I am so excited to see almost all of these faces!!

Follow me on Bloglovin
Find me on Facebook
Instagram: @floralandfudge

weekend

Our weekend was very full—we tried to use up every spare moment to be accomplishing a goal or two. We did quite a bit of yard work: mowing the grass, weeding the garden . . while one boy played in the sandbox and the other cried on the porch :) Steve and his brother Josh worked on cleaning out the attic to make it into a living space. We spent Saturday night chatting and grilling hamburgers with Steve’s parents and family. Sunday was my step-dad’s retirement party (pictures to follow later). Out little buddies keep us super busy. Not all of it is fun and games—there are a lot of tantrums, too much of the word “no,” early morning wake-up calls, and constant diaper changes. But watching Nolan develop into such an independent little boy is truly rewarding. Every day he is saying some new little phrase he has picked up, like “Hi Sweetpea Mommy,” or “Who’s that guy?” or “Where is it? It’s GONE! Must be somewhere!” Our favorite thing he said this week was “It’s okay little buddy,” to an upset Ephraim. Meanwhile, the baby has become obsessed with trying to fit as many fingers as he can in his mouth. He is so close to playing with toys and entertaining himself, but for now he is content so long as Mommy is part of the equation. :)

I’d love to hear how your weekend went!

meet Abby

I haven’t spoken much about our niece Abby, but this sweet girl is very much a part of our lives. She is our oldest niece; she turns ten in October. She and her parents moved in with my in-laws when she was eighteen months-old. They actually live right across the street from us :)

Abby is on the autism spectrum. Using official terms, she has “pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified.” Abby also has petite mal seizures, which are infrequent, and she does not lose consciousness.

Abby goes to school five days a week. She is in “Autistic Support” with five other children from kindergarten through fifth grade. There are other autistic classrooms in the school, and they are divided up based on how the children interact with one another. Abby has a full-time TSS (Therapeutic Staff Support), Molly, who works with her at school and also does home visits. At school, some of the children in her class are reading and doing math, but Abby is working on her letters, numbers, and words. She would benefit from occupational therapy—such as learning how to dress herself or do everyday tasks—but her classroom is more academically inclined. She has good receptive language—she understands directions and simple conversations. But her expressive language is lacking, she can only say one to two words at a time.

Abby has a happy disposition, and almost always has a smile on her face. She loves  being around people, other kids, and babies—and is always reaching out to touch them.

 
She has a normal appetite and is only on medication for her epilepsy.

Horseback riding has quickly become one of her favorite activities. It is a sensory therapy for her. Abby really enjoys being outside, wading in the pool, and swinging on the swingset. She has an iPad, but hasn’t yet figured out how to play games independently. Her very favorite thing to do is to watch videos of people playing musical instruments, singing, and really doing any fun activity: swinging, climbing the monkey bars, bouncing, etc. She could watch YouTube for hours.

We have learned and are continuing to learn so much from Abby. It’s really fascinating to watch Nolan interact with her because he treats her just like every other kid. :)

To connect with us further, or to learn more about Abagail, feel free to email me at racheljulia31@gmail.com.

Linking up with Kelly’s Korner to share about special needs children.

goodbye Gloria

 

Last Tuesday, Steve’s grandma Gloria went home to be with the Lord. For the last few years, she struggled with dementia and a slow-growing cancer. By the time I met her, she unfortunately was already fading, but she was my kind of lady. She was very artistic—making stained glass Tiffany lamps, painting, sewing dresses, baking sweet blackberry pies, gardening, and making pancakes (the size of the plate) for her grandkids.She was the wife of a veterinarian and always loved the dogs and cats they took in. We celebrated her life at her funeral on Saturday. She had four children, seven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, and we will all miss her very much.


 

She and her husband Jack on their wedding day. They were married for over 60 years!


 

Steve, his brothers, and his cousin Grace with their grandparents on Steve’s 11th birthday.


 

On Steve’s high school graduation day.


 

At our wedding in 2009.


 

Jack and Gloria meeting baby Nolan for the first time!



We last saw Gloria a couple of days after Christmas, when I was very pregnant with Ephraim.

 

I took these photos on Saturday, at the gravesite.

 
 

She was only the second person to be buried in this cemetery, which is located not far from their farm, in these rolling hills. I am so grateful for the ones who gave me my Steve. :)      

what i wore wednesday

Confidence, to me, is something that is hard-earned. I wasn’t born with it, I have had to develop it, and I certainly have a ways to go. Up until I was 17, I only wore shorts that came down to my knees. And while many moms try to get their teenage daughters to put on more clothes, mine actually was the one to persuade me to go sleeveless :) I’m sure 17-year-old Rachel never would have imagined dabbling in fashion blogging. But I do have to give it some credit for growing more confidence in me—now in my later twenties, mom of two, I have found that sharing my fashion choices with you has let me see myself through a new lens. And I like her. :)

Shirt: American Eagle
Shorts: a.n.a. at JCPenney
Earrings: One Little Belt
Shoes: Crocs A-Leigh Mini Wedge (Super comfortable!)

Follow me on Bloglovin
Find me on Facebook
Instagram: @floralandfudge

Linking up with Lindsey, Alison, and Shanna.

Ephraim’s dedication

 



On Sunday we had baby Ephraim dedicated at church. Steve and I have decided to dedicate our boys as infants, and then let them choose when they are ready to be baptized. Dedicating them is a symbol of our commitment to raise them as Christians in a loving home with the support of a loving church. Our church is tiny and close-knit: Ephraim has many fans :)

After church, we invited both sets of grandparents, Steve’s brother David and his daughter Abagail, and our friends Rod and Jeanie to our house for lunch. We ordered two large pizzas from our favorite restaurant in town, and celebrated with cupcakes that I made the night before. Nolan was so excited to have lunch at his house with so many of his favorite people, “Everybody’s here at Nolan’s house!” (his exact words).

Ephraim Luke, we pray “ . . . that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best, and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11