Happily Ever Madsens

Milestone Pictures, Nora

One Month | Milestone Pictures

One Month | Milestone Pictures

Nora’s first month went by WAY too fast. The more babies we have, the faster time flies. Probably because we’re running around like crazy people most of the time. Haha. But we really had a great first month spent with our baby girl. It was a whirlwind of emotions, and a huge adjustment, but we truly have loved having her here! The boys have handled the change SO well and genuinely loved every second of her. Nora is a pretty calm baby and just a snuggly little sweetheart!

This month Nora:

  • Slept a LOT! For the first couple weeks especially, she was hardly awake and didn’t even want to wake to eat. She generally sleeps 6-7 hour stretches at night and most of the day too. She definitely prefers being held vs her bassinet but she is adjusting pretty well!
  • Doesn’t LOVE eating. She’s had a bit of a hard time eating thus far. She was SO sleepy at first that she really had little interest in nursing, so I started pumping exclusively and even taking a bottle was a bit of a struggle. It took her about an hour each feeding and she was never too enthused to be doing so. She had a pretty bad lip tie that we noticed was probably contributing to these issues amongst other things as well, so we got that revised a couple days ago and so far we’ve seen big improvements!
  • Had jaundice that led to her being on lights at home for a few days. I was SO sad when we found out she needed lights, but was grateful they were able to do a light blanket so we were still able to hold her and such! She didn’t mind them at all and they luckily helped quickly so she could stop getting her cute little heel poked every day.
  • Almost gained her birth weight back by her two week appointment, and then gained another pound after that! She’s doing awesome and is very healthy and we’re very grateful for that!
  • Doesn’t mind our chaos at all. She thrives being around her big brothers and sleeping or not, doesn’t mind all of the noise at all, in fact she prefers it!
  • Cries real tears! I don’t remember my other babies having tears this young. She’s already the drama queen of the family! (;
  • Loves to snuggle! By far the cuddliest of our babies. Doesn’t matter who, when, or where, she loves it.
  • Wearing newborn clothes and moved into size 1 diapers. Mostly because we ran out of newborns.. hahaha but they fit perfectly! Oh and side note.. she has peed on us WAY more than the boys ever did. So there’s that!
  • Is called: Nor, Norta (thanks Clyde, it’s stuck haha), Baby, Nora the Explorer, Princess Nora
  • Also loves: being bounced, staring off into space, being swaddled, showers, and holding her hands by her face!
  • Hates: Being laid down. Haha also getting her nails trimmed!
  • Reminds us the most of Clyde as a baby! Right away we thought they looked the most similar but they are also very similar babies thus far. Love to sleep, some trouble with eating and therefor jaundice, too strong for their own good and think they should stand up and hold their head right away, she’s even got a red hue to her hair!

This month we:

  • Adjusted to being a family of 5! It’s mostly been a huge adjustment after Caden started going back to work and I had less hands than babies. Haha. We’re figuring it out day by day!
  • Spent lots of nights in the backyard playing! We didn’t go out a whole lot all together but luckily the boys were able to go on a few fun outings with family! We’re lucky to have so many helpful hands in our corner and I’m especially grateful the boys were able to get out and have some fun summer days!
  • Celebrated our 6 year anniversary! My mom took the boys and we spent the day figuring out newborn life, watching a movie and eating take out!
  • Celebrated the 4th of July! That weekend was some of the first days we went out and about and it was jam packed with fun! Fireworks, bbq’s, splash pads, etc. with lots of family and friends was super fun and good to get back to some normalcy!

Here’s this month in pictures..

Nora girl, you are so loved!!

Birthday Parties, Clyde

Three Rex | Dinosaur Birthday Party | Three Year Old Birthday Party

Three Rex | Dinosaur Birthday Party | Three Year Old Birthday Party

Clyde is THREE years old!! I can’t even believe that. Time has gone way too fast. This year Clyde was so excited for his birthday party! He’s been counting down for months and constantly changing his mind on what theme he wanted. The past couple months he has been obsessed with dinosaurs, so we were finally able to come to an agreement together on the theme and it became: Three Rex!

We had a simple party this year but of course still made it cute with a simple DIY balloon arch, and party decor. I also made dinosaur dirt cups, which were super easy and a huge hit amongst adults and kids! And finally, I made a dinosaur ice cream cake too! It all turned out so cute and was honestly all SO easy and stress free which was really nice for this pregnant mama.

For activities, we went with lots of Clyde’s little friends to a local dinosaur museum and let the kids run wild and play for a couple hours! They had a BLAST! I also found these little kits to make dinosaur balloons from the dollar spot at Target to keep the kids entertained while they waited for lunch!

Special thanks to Party Eight for supplying all of the balloons and foil backdrop! It looked exactly like I had envisioned and made my life so easy! And another huge thank you to Sparkle Printable for making the cutest invite and milestone poster to perfectly fit the theme!

Clyde is THREE REX!!

Here’s where everything is from:

Balloon arch tutorial can be found in my instagram highlights!

Birthday Parties, DIY, Everett

Come ONE Come All | Circus 1st Birthday Party| Everett Turns One!

Come ONE Come All | Circus 1st Birthday Party| Everett Turns One!

The theme idea for a “Come ONE Come All” party was actually Caden’s idea! I had been racking my brain trying to think of a unique theme that I really loved and I couldn’t think of anything. Haha. So, I turned to Instagram and there and only there did Caden give me his idea. Typical. Haha! But I was immediately obsessed and had a million and one ideas!

Party planning is so much work (like SO much) but I absolutely love it and the outcome is always worth the hassle! One piece of advice I stand by is that you can’t do it ALL! Sure, I could make my own cake or do my own balloons, but there are professionals for a reason and they will save you so much time and effort!! I was so grateful to have collaborated with so many talented people and businesses who truly made this possible! If you are throwing a circus birthday party (or any party for that manner) definitely reach out to them and they can help make your party dreams come to life! I will list all of them at the bottom of this post with links to their sites!

I think one year old parties are so much fun and such a celebration of life! We had all of Everett’s friends and family there to show their love and I will always be grateful for our circle of loved ones. We always like to do a “sign-in” of some sort so one day our kids will be able to look back and see who was there! This time we did the book “If I Ran The Circus” by Dr. Suess and had everyone write a little message inside! So easy and so cute to look back on!

I really wanted this circus party to feel like you were AT the circus! I had a million ideas for food but settled on the options that were easiest to eat without sitting at a table, which was a blessing when we got rained out and had to move the party inside! I displayed all of the food “charcuterie” style with popcorn, nachos, cotton candy and cupcakes! All SUPER simple foods but fun and definitely went with the theme! We also did carnival type games including: a ring toss, fish bowl drop, a can knockdown, pin the peanut on the elephant, and a bean bag toss! We also did face painting and that was a huge hit for the kids!

Perhaps my favorite part of the party was the candy cart that my husband built for me from SCRATCH! All I gave him was a inspo picture off of Pinterest and he did such a wonderful job! I didn’t want to worry about winners and losers and tickets and prizes and all that, so I decided I’d do a make your own treat bag bar and it was perfectly displayed on the cart he made! We had little stickers that said thank you for coming on each bag and fun names for each of the treats and it was everything I wanted it to be!

Throwing my children birthday parties was something that I looked forward to YEARS before becoming a mom! It’s something that brings me so much joy to plan and see it all come together for everyone to come and enjoy! This Come One Come All party will be tough to beat in my head! I absolutely LOVED how it all turned out and I hope you can find some ideas for your own party here too! Never hesitate to reach out if you have questions on how something was done or just need someone to talk party with! Thank you for being here!!

Again, a HUGE thank you to all of the wonderful people and businesses who helped bring my dreams to life! Definitely reach out to them to help create your next party!

Here’s where everything is from:

If you have any other questions about anything at all or need any other links, comment below or send me a message! I’d love to help!

Birth Stories, Everett

Everett’s Birth Story | VBAC Birth Story

Everett’s Birth Story | VBAC Birth Story

It was October 9th 2020. I had my 39 week checkup that day and things were looking good. All I wanted during this pregnancy was to go into labor on my own, not being induced, and increase my chances of successfully having a VBAC and a better birth experience overall. The doctor said I was 4.5 cm dilated and completely effaced. I opted for a membrane sweep (again) and he told me my water bag was bulging. I was so excited I couldn’t even stand it. With Clyde, just 19 months before, I was BARELY a 1 at 41 weeks so this was the most exciting news I could ask for.

That night, I started feeling contractions as I ate dinner and bathed Clyde, but didn’t think too much of it. I had my hands full and honestly wasn’t paying much attention to them. Once Clyde went to bed around 9 pm, I noticed my contractions were very consistent and happening every 5-6 minutes lasting about 20-30 seconds each time. An hour later I started bleeding. I had been told some bleeding was normal and expected after the sweep earlier that day so I tried not to think too much of it. 

Caden on the other hand went into immediate “go mode” which meant he dusted the house and cleaned the garage… hahaha. True Caden fashion. We began to worry so we called labor and delivery and they assured us “bloody show” was normal and to just continue monitoring baby’s movement and watching my contractions. 

I tried to get some rest but kept getting woken up by my intensifying contractions. I was in complete disbelief that this was actually happening. By 4:30 am I woke Caden up, called my neighbor to come stay with Clyde, and we were on our way.

We arrived at the hospital just after 5 am and got checked into the triage room. They checked me and I was a “5+” and they said my contractions weren’t quite strong enough so they wanted me to walk the halls for a couple hours and then come back. Caden and I paced the halls and I was in PAIN! My contractions were crazy consistent to the point where Caden would squeeze my hand right as it started. Less than thirty minutes of walking and I just couldn’t anymore. We came back to triage room and asked to be checked again. I was a 7.5 at that point and I believed it with how much pain I had been in. 

I asked for an epidural through tears and was told it would be a while because there weren’t any rooms available but seeing how much pain I was in they assured me they would do their best. An hour and a half later, at almost 8 am, I was finally in a room and got my epidural. I was at an 8 and told to try and take a nap and rest! I was literally floating on cloud nine and could NOT sleep. I texted everyone and told them baby would be there soon and was just so overwhelmed that everything was going so smoothly! 

Then, a little less than 2 hours later, my nurse comes in and tells me baby is having some heart rate drops and they’re concerned. I had stalled and hadn’t progressed at all, which was so discouraging after how well I had progressed leading up to this. I was in tears thinking about how all of the problems with Clyde’s birth started this same way and was absolutely devastated.

My nurse kept telling me that I should probably start to consider a C-Section and that I wasn’t looking like a good candidate anymore. This was really really tough especially since she had been supportive up to that point and I had heard nothing but support from my doctor my entire pregnancy as well. After trying new positions for an hour with no luck, I asked to speak to my doctor who was on call and get his opinion. She told me that he would not be coming in and had me speak to the doctor that was there. That doctor basically told me we could continue to wait for a time and such but a c-section was definitely on the table. They stopped my contractions since they were making everything worse and told me to rest and consider my options. 

Five minutes later my doctor walked in the room, Captain America shirt, jeans and all, and we were all in tears. It was truly a miracle to see him and I was filled with so much hope. He talked to me about how the day had gone and talked me through all of my fears and questions. He told me we were on no timeline since the contractions had been stopped and baby was completely stable, that he 100% believed I could in fact give birth vaginally (contrary to what the nurse had told me) and that no matter the decision I made, we would make it a completely different (healthier/happier) experience than my first birth. 

Before I made my decision, I asked if I could be checked once more just to see if I’d made any sort of progress in the past 30 minutes he was talking to me. He checked, looked up at me, and said “looks like you’re supposed to get that VBAC!” I was at a 10 and ready to push, after not progressing since I had gotten my epidural 4.5 hours earlier. We were all a little shocked and just so grateful. 

My doctor went to get some scrubs on and we began to do some pushing. Since my contractions were stalled before, they were not overly effective and pushing was taking a long time. My doctor asked how I’d feel about using a vacuum assist to get him there sooner and after going over the benefits and risks, I felt strongly that was what we should do. Two pushes later, and baby Everett Brooks was on my chest. 

I truly can’t put into words the pure JOY I felt in that moment. It was everything and more than I had hoped for since (even before) I found out I was pregnant with him. That skin to skin bonding time I had grieved so much before. Knowing he was okay because he was right there with me. Nursing him immediately and having such success. Just holding him right then and there was everything to me. He had a head full of dark hair and my heart was fuller than I ever thought was possible. My baby boy was healthy and in my arms and I truly couldn’t ask for more. 

Everett Brooks Madsen

10 • 10 • 2020

7lbs 10oz 19.5 inches

Everett, Milestone Pictures

Eight Months | Milestone Pictures

Eight Months | Milestone Pictures

Okay.. eight months is way too close to a year for me. I’m so sad realizing how fast time is going!!

This month Everett:

  • Tried more food: tri tip, asparagus, honey dew, pita, pepperoni pizza, cilantro rice, tomatoes, meatballs, pineapple, bell peppers, grapes, banana pancakes, lime, chicken nuggets, shredded pork, chocolate chip pancakes, cinnamon roll, cantaloupe, banana muffins, chicken alfredo, toast, broccoli, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, banana nut muffin, berry smoothie, homemade pizza, chow mein, string cheese, peanut butter and jelly, biscuits and gravy, butternut squash
  • Said his first word– Dada! Caden was pretty stoked that he was first this time since Clyde said mama. Everett has no desire to say “mama” and says “dada” every single time I try. Hahah. He’ll also say “baba” and “papa” sounds but “dada” for sure!
  • Is army crawling everywhere!! He started like the day after he turned 7 months and is really fast now! He can go wherever he needs to go but he definitely prefers carpet over our hard floors!
  • Is starting to get on his knees and rock back and forth! I’m guessing he will be up crawling really soon!
  • Loves that brother of his like none other! He looks at Clyde with such admiration and it’s honestly the cutest thing ever. Clyde loves him just as much and takes any chance he can to make him laugh or smile! He has also been great at sharing his toys with “baby evit” which has been so appreciated!
  • Still sleeps and eats great! He’s such a chill, happy baby! He’s drinking bottles 4 times a day and eating any chance he can. Haha.
  • Got croup from Clyde this month but handled it well! Since we had a sick visit we were able to see how much he weighs and he’s now 18.10 pounds! He’s short and chubby and so cute!

This month we:

  • Took a trip to St George! We went so that I could take my aunt’s family pictures, so we stayed the weekend at their home there and had a blast! The boys went on a Razr ride and loved it (even though we were panicked about them the whole time haha) and Ev swam for the first time! Doing new things with our kids is our favorite thing in the world, so we had a bunch of fun!
  • Went to Gaga & Papa’s cabin! We loved spending time with family and getting some sunshine! The boys had a blast 4 wheeling, rock skipping, hanging around the fire with cousins, and doing all the cabin things!
  • Had two sick weeks! The first was after St. George, Clyde started puking just hours after we got home. It was nonstop and quite the adventure. Then two weeks later, after the cabin, the boys got croup! It was kinda a bummer start to the summer but luckily we still had so much fun the other two weeks of the month!
  • Celebrated Ty & Tamia graduating high school! Can’t believe my little siblings aren’t so little anymore. We also celebrated the life of our Aunt Dianne, who we will miss so much!!

Here’s this month in pictures..

Everett

Everett’s Blessing Day | Baby Boy Blessing

Everett’s Blessing Day | Baby Boy Blessing

Caden blessed our sweet baby boy Everett yesterday and my heart is so full ❤️ We are so blessed to have him in our family!

Something that stood out to me in his blessing was that Everett would share his joy and happiness with others, always keep smiling, do what’s right for the people around him—even when it’s challenging, and love everyone regardless of their situations.

I couldn’t ask for more. This boy will be a force for good and I am lucky to be his mama!

Happy blessing day sweet Ev!

Everett, Milestone Pictures

Six Months | Milestone Pictures

I feel like Everett has changed the most this month! But.. I also think that every month soooo… Haha. Nonetheless, it was another great month with this cutie! He is SIX MONTHS OLD! Half a year!! I can’t believe it!

This month Everett:

  • Learned to roll from his back to his belly and is now a pro at it!
  • Lost his “birthmark” haha. It’s gone now so I’m not sure what it was!
  • Is down to just once a week at the chiropractor! He’s come so far and we’re so proud of him!
  • Has switched to bottle feeding! We switched halfway through the month and are doing a mix of breastmilk and formula! It’s been a huge change for us but it’s been so good for my mental health and he’s still the happiest baby so it’s been great!
  • Had his first full month with his helmet and has done incredible! We’ve had to go in several times to get it adjusted but he’s been such a trooper and hardly notices it’s there! Although he really loves the hour he has it off each day and always scratches his cute head. Haha
  • Was sleep trained! We did the Ferber method like we did with Clyde and he responded to it so quickly and has done absolutely amazing!! Went from waking every hour to sleeping 11-12 hours straight a night and napping so well!
  • Moved into a crib and into his room with Clyde! They have done SO great together I can’t even believe how seamless it has been. I think they both love the company!
  • Is SUPER close to sitting unassisted! The past couple days he has been doing up to 30 seconds or great with support!
  • Wants alllllll the food. He can’t even contain himself when we eat and drink in front of him! But we will be starting anyday now that is sitting!

This month we:

  • Celebrated Ev’s first Easter! He of course didn’t actually know what was going on but he was sure cute with his bunny ears and carrot teether! Clyde on the other hand totally loved it this year which was so fun! He had one friend and two family egg hunts and had a blast! He loved it all!
  • Spent as much time as we could together while Caden was home! This month he had his longest work trip yet of 6 nights (plus the usual 3-4 day weeks)! That was really tough and we all missed him so much! But last week he got to take the week off and be home and we loved that!

Here’s this month in pictures..

Birthday Parties, Clyde

Two Infinity And Beyond | Toy Story Birthday Party | Two Year Old Birthday Party

Two Infinity And Beyond | Toy Story Birthday Party | Two Year Old Birthday Party

For Clyde’s second birthday we did a “Two Infinity And Beyond” party! Clyde is obsessed with “BUZZ” aka Toy Story so it was absolutely the perfect fit! I had so much fun planning and putting everything together and am obsessed with how it all turned out!!

If you’ve been here since Clyde’s first birthday, you know we love birthday parties around here! They are a lot of work but especially this year, he 1000% LOVED it and was so excited to see his favorite and familiar characters everywhere, surrounded by people who love him! He had the best birthday yet! (;

I was blessed to work with many small businesses and shops to bring my vision to life and I couldn’t be more grateful! I will list each of their shops below! If you are throwing a “Two Infinity And Beyond” party, DEFINITELY reach out to them! They would love to help you make your party everything you want it to be!!

Since the party was for a two year old, I wanted the party to be something people could bring their kiddos to and not worry about anything else. We didn’t have “set” activities the kids had to do at any given time and it was perfect that way! We had a coloring station, the playroom open to all, and make-your-own Forky kits that could be assembled there or at home! We kept the food SUPER simple with just pizza, jello cups, chips, veggie tray and then of course cupcakes! Super super easy and everyone loved it! We also had a piñata, presents and of course sang Happy Birthday to our cute birthday boy!

It was truly perfect and we had so much fun!! Happy Birthday to my smart, sweet, hilarious, & happy Clyde! You are SO loved!

Huge THANK YOU to all of the people and shops who helped me put this together! Definitely couldn’t have done it without all of you! <3

Here’s where everything is from:

If you have any other questions about anything at all or need any other links, comment below or send me a message! I’d love to help!

Everett, Milestone Pictures

FIVE MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

Five Months | Milestone Pictures

Everett is five months old! This month has been the craziest month for our family so I really feel like I blinked and another month has come and gone! He is getting way too big!

This month Everett:

  • Got a helmet! I could do a whole post just on all of the details and emotions of that, but to keep it short, he got a helmet this month! He’s only had it for about 4 days so it’s still very new but he’s doing great with it!
  • Found his feet and LOVES them!
  • Finally officially transitioned out of the dock a tot and swaddle! We’re trying out the love to dream swaddle that Clyde loved right now.
  • Has little interest in rolling from his back to tummy.. Haha! Maybe one day.
  • Still going to the chiropractor twice a week!
  • Loves to babble and will talk forever, especially to himself in the mirror!
  • Loves to gnaw on anything and everything! Especially nearby fingers. Haha
  • Loves to giggle especially when being talked to or tickled! He has the most ticklish feet!
  • Is still besties with Clyde! They melt me.
  • Is NOT sleeping well! My good little sleeper was ROCKED by the 4 month regression and has yet to recover. Most nights the only way to get him back to sleep is holding him/nursing which has been ROUGH. Hoping it’ll pass soon!!

This month we:

  • Daddy started traveling for work! He’s gone anywhere from 3-6 days a week so that has been a huge transition for all of us! Send coke.
  • Went to the zoo for the first time as a family! Clyde absolutely loved it (especially the zebras) and Ev slept most of the time or just chilled as usual. We got a pass and plan to go back as often as we can!
  • Celebrated Clyde’s second birthday! We had pop-tarts for breakfast, went to the aquarium, had in and out for lunch complete with stickers and a hat, got Clyde’s first haircut, and then went to dinner and build a bear! We had the BEST day with our little two year old and then celebrated with friends and family at his parties that weekend!

Here’s this month in pictures..

Everett, Milestone Pictures

FOUR MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

FOUR MONTHS | MILESTONE PICTURES

Everett is four months old!! Wow!! I’m continually shocked with how fast the months fly. There are days that are VERY long but the months go way too quickly.

This month Everett:

  • Moved to size 2 diapers and 3-6 month clothes! He is growing way too fast!
  • Is too interested in the TV! Anytime Clyde is watching a show while Everett is eating or something, he will try to watch the entire time!
  • Loves anything colorful and is interested in any toys he can get his hands on! He has been loving teethers especially!
  • Definitely knows his name and responds accordingly!
  • Loves to hold the bottle himself and does the same thing with the boob. Haha
  • Loves to giggle and especially loves when mom leans down to kiss him or tickle him and her bun flops around! Haha!
  • Still loves his Wubanub and holds it with both hands! Even the regular binkies he will hold and take in and out of his mouth!
  • Is starting to roll from his tummy to back (he has been able to do this since like 6 or so weeks but only does it randomly) and tries so hard to roll from his back to his tummy!
  • Is still a great sleeper and still loves to be swaddled!
  • Has loved sitting in the Bumbo seat this month! He much prefers this rather than the Mamaroo or the couch because he can easily see everything we’re doing!
  • Continued going to the Chiropractor and graduated to only twice per week instead of three which has been nice. He is improving a lot and can turn his head both ways pretty well. He is still working on the tilt that his head has that is causing flatness, but we see improvement every day!
  • Had a birth mark suddenly appear on his right arm!
  • This month we:
  • Finished our basement!! Wahoo! It was definitely a labor of love and we received SO much help from our amazing families and friends. Seriously, people SHOWED UP for us and we are so grateful for each of them. ⁣⁣We’re so excited to have more room to entertain as that is something we both love to do!
  • Hosted Bunco! A group of girls and I have a bunco night each month and it was my turn to host! I had so much fun with it! I did homemade hot chocolate and a charcuterie board full of toppings and treats! We had tons of fun!
  • Celebrated my 26th birthday! Woo, my late twenties! Haha. Caden and I went on a date to Cheesecake Factory (my fave) and it was much needed and so much fun! Our friends also came together and “surprised” me with a game night and a cake and balloons! I definitely felt very loved and so lucky to have the people I do in my life!
  • Had TWO cabin trips! The first my parents planned and did absolutely everything to get ready for it so that I didn’t have to stress over my birthday weekend! It was so nice of them and so fun to have a fun, stress-free weekend at one of my favorite places! Then later in the month we went up again with our best friends and it was a blast! Sledding, hot tubbing, lots of games, late night chats, and of course playing with the 5 kids under 2 that we have! It was a blast!
  • Superbowl! I didn’t watch a single second of it but we had fun having yummy food and good company! I made a fun football dessert cheeseball and it was super yummy!

Here’s this month in pictures..