Bennett's Birth Story

Here I am, determined that our sweet little bonus blessing would NOT be the only one without a birth story! Bennett Lee joined us on Sunday, January 11th, 2026 at 11:07 am in Room 707. I'm so happy and blessed to share his story, including a little about my pregnancy.

It's not a secret that Bennett was a surprise. After having Hallie (our rainbow baby after we lost our daughter Hope at 20 weeks), I felt such relief and gratitude, but I also didn't feel...done. There was a sense of longing that remained, and I wasn't sure if that was just because we had a baby girl in Heaven that I would always miss, or if there was another child planned for us. I tried to shake the feeling, even prayed for the longing to go away, but still it lingered. Aaron felt done, and to be honest, the conversation was a tricky one to navigate and led to some lingering disagreement between us for a year or so. But I knew Aaron had to be on board if we were going to have a fourth child, and I understood why it made total sense to be "done" with three. Still, the desire lingered as the months ticked by, and I did the mom math for what one more baby could look like for us in the wedding "off season"- in November, or in January, and when I would have to be pregnant if that was going to happen. We weren't "trying", but I wanted to be ready if we ever decided to. I distinctly remember looking at my app at the end of April and thinking we had missed the week where I could have gotten pregnant for a January baby. Finally, right around early May, I felt a sense of peace, and tried to focus on all the new fun things we could do if we were truly done with babies. Hallie was approaching three at this point, the end of the diaper era was coming, and with it a sense of "freedom". I booked us flights for November to Cancun, but decided to wait a couple of weeks until my period started before I booked the non-refundable resort. 

And then, it didn't. It could be off by a couple days, so I wasn't too worried. I happened to have a pregnancy test at home from a few months back, and so I decided to take one on May 13th, while Aaron was out at The Brim. We had just done a Cooper's Hawk wine tasting the night before, and I was getting ready to go to a dinner with a bunch of ladies from our church. To my shock, those two pink lines showed up pretty quickly. I called Aaron, shaking, and told him the news, which I knew he would need to process. Honestly, after finally switching my brain to thinking we were "done", this pregnancy, and all that came with it, were a lot to process. I knew of course that I had wanted another baby, but there is also anxiety that comes with a pregnancy and all that we knew could happen. Not to mention- could we really handle four kids?! One of my friends legit asked, "So is everyone done having babies?" at dinner that night, and I almost spit out my water in the room full of young moms. I was still in shock. As we were walking out of the restaurant, away from the other, I blurted out to her, "I just took a test and I'm pregnant!" I needed someone to know.

Time went on and we started sharing the news with people. The fear turned into joy as we navigated my "advanced maternal age" pregnancy at the ripe old age of 36. I went to several high risk scans due to my age, and we discovered that I had a velamentous cord insertion into my placenta, which can lead to complications with the baby not getting enough nutrients and growing at the proper rate. This meant that I had to do additional ultrasounds, plus non stress tests in the hospital once a week for the last four weeks of my pregnancy. We did find out Bennett was going to be a boy, which was such a joyful experience. And, praise the Lord, everything marched along just fine with my pregnancy. In fact, I worked out up until four days before he was born, and I also did not get sick a single time! He was also breech up until about 36 weeks, which had me wildly nervous about a C Section, but I literally felt him turn inside of me one night as I was going to sleep. I'm so grateful for that.

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With Addie's birthday on January 9th, we were really hoping to avoid a shared birthday. Bennett was due on Friday, January 16th, and I knew that they wouldn't let me go past my due date due to my age. I was ten days early with Eli and Addie, and two days early with Hallie, without any of them being induced, so I was hopeful I would go on my own prior to that. As his due date approached, we did go ahead and schedule an induction for that Friday the 16th, so that we knew we had a plan and an end in sight. With this being my fifth delivery, everyone kept telling me it would go fast and to be prepared! 

I started having Braxton Hicks here and there around January 6th. That day, I was at a one and 40% effaced when they checked me at my doctor's appointment. Angela, Aaron's sister, had come into town for Addie's Birthday and was staying in our basement. I went to my fourth and final non stress test in Labor and Delivery on Addie's Birthday, January 9th, and all was looking good. I knew I would for sure have a baby by the next Friday. That night, we prepared to host Addie's Family Birthday Party at our house. I was having sporadic contractions, to the point where I spent most of the night on the couch while everyone else helped with the party. I had wanted to get through Christmas, then New Year's, and now I just wanted Addie and Bennett each to have their own day. I felt like any time he wanted to come after that, we were good to go! The contractions stalled, and we went on with our night. 

The next day, January 10th, I took Addie to a gymnastics birthday party. As I sat there and worked on my laptop, I started having contractions again. They were getting more regular, so I started timing. We had planned to go to my parents' house in Platte City to cheer on the Bears in their playoff game against the Packers. We knew Angie could take our kids home in the van if we needed to head to the hospital, so we decided to pack up everything and take the truck along, just in case. We got to my parents' around 5pm and I was having some contractions on and off. I think I was worrying everyone a little breathing through them. They seemed far enough apart and eventually stalled out, so we decided to take our kids home and put them to bed at halftime. Then Aaron, Angie, and I cheered on the Bears to a WILD playoff comeback win, while I packed things up and set them out for Addie's "Friend Party" the next day. I had a feeling I wouldn't be attending: when you know, you know. Then I tried to get a little sleep.

It's kind of a running joke between me and Aaron that I always go into labor in the middle of the night (so we get no sleep- especially me). This time was no different. I started timing about 12:26am and, although the contractions never got super close together, they never stopped. And they were getting more intense. I knew this was for real. They were still around 10 minutes apart, but at 4:15 am I decided we should go to the hospital. Angie was sleeping in the basement, so we just needed to call my mom and let her know we were headed to North Kansas City Hospital (newly named NKC Health). She was there for the other kids' births and we wanted her there one more time.

We arrived at the hospital about 4:30am. When they checked me, I was at a 3 and 90% effaced. That was good progress on my own since my appointment on Tuesday, and my sweet nurse, Miranda, assured me I was going to have this baby. They put the monitor on me and Bennett had one little dip in his heart rate, so she told me they would definitely admit me. I worked through contractions with Aaron, and it felt like they were asking me about the epidural almost right away. I was good with getting it, even if it slowed things down a little, and so I had the epidural in about 6:30am, and was at a 5.5 shortly after. 

It was pretty smooth sailing from there. At 7 am shift change, Dr. Daniels came in and said she was ready to break my water to keep things moving. (Dr. Newman was my doctor but Eli was actually the only one of our kids that she delivered.) Kayla, my fabulous day labor and delivery nurse, did an amazing job moving me back and forth with the "peanut" ball to keep baby moving down like he should. Kayla told me she didn't think we were going to need any "Birthday Party Juice" to have this baby, and now I'll never think of Pitocin the same way! She said she thought he'd be born by noon. Things started picking up pretty quickly and I was feeling some discomfort around 10:40am. Kayla checked me again and we were almost ready to push. Once I was at a 10, they called Dr. Daniels in, and two contractions and four total pushes later, Bennett Lee was out at 11:07am- just minutes into Second Service at Church, so my dad was able to show the first photo of him off during greeting time and some of the ladies in my Bible Study were crying happy tears when they noticed.

There is truly no feeling like the inexplicable peace of having your baby on your chest, healthy and there- on the outside, and me healthy too with no stitches or complications. I always feel like a beast after delivering our babies, and this final time was no different. Bennett weighed in a 7lbs 10 oz, almost our biggest baby, which is humorous with the whole velamentous cord concern. He was 20.5 inches and absolutely perfect. 

We moved down to the Mom and Baby floor around 3pm. (Thank goodness Aunt Angie was able to take the kids to church and Addie to her "friend" birthday party at Michael's and host that successfully that afternoon.) Family was able to come visit us, and we had our amazing nurse Katie (who was there when we delivered Hallie!) again the next day. Elizabeth was our incredible night nurse and I had the best time chatting and laughing with her. Truly, everything worked out perfectly. 

The kids were able to come that evening and there is nothing better than your kids meeting their sibling. My heart. Hallie didn't seem happy because she had recent experiences with hospitals and she was convinced that I was going to "pass away" since I was in the hospital with an IV. So she really perked up once Bennett and I were able to come home. I cried in back seat of the Baby Blue truck on the way home, and we let Papa Bob "drive" via Blue Cruise for a little as we came North on 169. We really wish he could have met Bennett.

Bennett’s name means “little blessing/blessed”, and is derived from benediction- “a spoken blessing that invokes God’s favor, peace, and grace upon people, often closing worship services + New Testament letters.” He’s our perfect little final blessing! 🥹 Lee is a family middle name (actually on both sides!), shared with Uncle Austin and honoring Aaron’s Dad (whose middle name was Leeroy)- and it means shelter/safe haven! Truly, he is the perfect final blessing we needed at the perfect time. I'm so grateful I never gave up on the nudge I felt to have one more little life to love. Baby Bennett is here healthy and safe- and absolutely perfect!

We love you so much, Bennett Lee, no matter what, and we always will!

Currently,

Kelsie

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Hallie's Birth Story

Hallie Kaye Kleinmeyer joined us on August 19th at 7:31 am. We are over the moon in love with our precious little rainbow baby. We knew that this pregnancy and birth would be different after the loss of our last baby in September, and we hoped and prayed for a healthy, live baby and a redeeming birth experience. We are so thankful that we got both, along with a reminder of God's perfect timing and a wild story connected to her name! 

Eli and Addie both came ten days early on their own, so it was easy for me to mentally expect the same for this little lady. My due date was August 21st, so I was thinking August 11th would be the day. Once we got into the first week of August or so, I started going on lots of morning walks around the neighborhood, but I honestly didn't feel like my body was ready. I had a disappointing lack of progress at my baby appointments, and it was almost like I was late or overdue before we even hit my actual due date. We also selfishly wanted Baby Girl to come during a free week in August when we didn't have to worry about any receptions out at The Brim (and the logistics of small business ownership that don't just stop when you have a baby), and when we wouldn't have to worry about missing Eli's Back to School Night or First Day of Kindergarten! I'll admit, I was starting to get a little impatient and frustrated, which seems silly now.

We had the chance to try to schedule an induction early, but I didn't feel great about that. We called just to see if it was an option, but they were full that day so we took it as a sign that we needed to be patient. We went ahead and scheduled an induction for the day after my due date, Monday the 22nd, knowing that we would go in late that night if I was overdue and we would be guaranteed to have my doctor for a Tuesday delivery. At that point, we knew we would also be avoiding any weekend wedding conflicts. I was happy to have a plan in place and felt more at peace. What happened would happen. But honestly, I didn't want to be induced. Not only did I hope my body could go naturally and avoid complications, but I also had memories of being induced last September to deliver our stillborn baby, and I really wanted to avoid that if possible. Sure it was much different, but mentally there were some things I connected with that experience. 

On August 18th at 8:45 am, I had another baby appointment. When they checked me, I was at a one and maybe 50-70% effaced. This was super disappointing after all the walking and encouraging her to come that I had attempted. Even though my doctor was going to be out of town, I knew I preferred going into labor on my own versus getting induced. So they went ahead stripped a few membranes, and we figured we'd see what happened. 

We made it to Eli's Back to School Night, and got to drop off his school supplies and meet his teacher. I felt at peace that if I ended up not being able to see him get on the school bus for his first day because I was in labor, that at least I got to go and take a photo with him and know that he was set as far as school went. It also helped that we had put him on the bus for his two weeks of summer school, and we had already gotten the tears out of the way! Turns out this was my last pregnant photo.

After Eli's Back to School Night, we went to a local restaurant for dinner to celebrate. While we were sitting there, I started feeling a few mild contractions. After having three kiddos, I knew enough to know what a real contraction was versus the Braxton Hicks and small contractions I'd been walking myself into for the last few weeks. We came home and they continued every ten minutes or so. I didn't want to overreact too quickly, since I went to the hospital and had to go back with Eli because I wasn't in active labor and was only 38 weeks. But I was past 39 weeks this time, so things would be different. Anyways, I continued to have contractions, so I slowly packed my hospital bag (yes, I procrastinate on that), did loads of laundry, took a shower, and got the kids to bed in between the contractions. 

Around 9:30pm, Aaron called his brother just to keep him posted on what was happening in case we needed to make a 2:00 am call for him to come over and sit at our house while we left for the hospital. I always seem to go into labor or need to go to the hospital in the middle of the night.  I also called my mom (who had pretty much been living by her phone for the last three weeks) and let her know I had been having contractions for a while and that she may want to be prepared. 10/10 recommend having your mom there. We didn't originally plan on it with Eli, but I am so grateful she was there for his, Addie's, and Hallie's births.

I continued to breathe and work through contractions at home, timing them every 10 minutes from when they had started at 7:30pm until about 3:30am. I never slept, though I tried. I would just lay on the bed, then roll over and stand to work through a contraction, add it to my note on my phone, and then lay down again. They were definitely getting more intense. Even though they weren't five minutes apart, which is usually the marker for going in, I woke Aaron up and told him it was time to at least call the hospital. We found the number to call, and I couldn't even talk to the woman on the phone because I was working so hard through a contraction. She told us to go ahead and come on in. We called Austin to come over so we could leave, and let my mom know to head to the hospital to meet us.

We arrived at North Kansas City Hospital at 4:30am. They got me into a room and when they checked me I was at a 5.5. Hooray! I was relieved to know I wasn't crazy and that this was actually going to happen. There were some underlying nerves knowing what we'd been through the last time we were in labor and delivery, but we had no reason to believe we wouldn't be leaving without a baby this time. Our nurse, Amy, was incredible. I worked through more contractions and had my epidural around 6:30am or so, when I was at about an 8. My doctor, Dr. Newman, was out of town, which we knew would happen, but she actually had only delivered one of our kiddos (Eli) so that didn't worry me much. Dr. Lovitt delivered Addie and our last baby. 

My water never broke with any of our babies. Dr. Heizman came in when I was at a 9.5 and broke it, and we knew it wouldn't be long now. There was one contraction where Hallie's heart rate dropped a little bit, and Aaron and I were a little nervous. He asked if everyone knew our story and that we had lost a baby before, and of course they knew since it was in my files. But thankfully Dr. Heizman didn't seem concerned. Soon it was time, and two pushes later at 7:31 am, Hallie was in my arms. Hearing her cry was an inexplicable relief. I definitely felt her coming out more than I did Eli and Addie, simply because my epidural didn't have as long to kick in. But that was okay, because I also didn't have an epidural with our last baby (who was much smaller, but still). So it was redeeming to feel things a bit more and to hold a live baby on my chest. 

Although we did find out we were having a girl this time (another redeeming experience to change it up in the ultrasound room since that was where we found out we lost our baby last time), we still hadn't told anyone her name. After they handed her to me, I announced that her name was Hallie, Hallie Kaye Kleinmeyer. Hallie means "praise the Lord" and Kaye means "pure/rejoice". Kaye also is Hallie's Aunt Angela's middle name and Grandma Elaina's middle name, and was short for an Aunt Katherine on Aaron's side- who helped watch and raise his mom and aunts while his grandma was working. We also wanted another -ie girl name like Kelsie and Addie, and I liked how it all sounded together. The meaning was also what sold us.

Right before Hallie was born, our nurse team switched at the 7am shift change. We got Jaryn (a wonderful male nurse) and Katie, who normally worked on the mom and baby floor, but happened to be training on Labor and Delivery. After we had a little time to ourselves as a family of three, Katie came back in. She told us that she knew our story and we were already special to her, but she wanted to share that she also had experienced the loss of a child. Her daughter had been born at 26 weeks and lived for 12 days before passing away. Her daughter's name? Hallie Mae. And to think we were there at the exact time to have her as a nurse, and we had our Hallie Kaye. Goosebumps for us all. God's timing is wild. Katie told us she also has her rainbow baby, a son, now and that she knows how extra special and precious Hallie is to us. Pretty amazing. 

We moved up to the Mom and Baby floor and continued to have incredible care from nurses like Brenda, Brittany, and Sarena. North Kansas City is truly the best! I continued to just take in all of the joy and delight in all the things I got to do this time that I would have given anything to do with our last baby. I also had no stitches and no pain meds after the fact and felt amazing. Recovery was a breeze and I was so grateful, especially with two other crazies to take care of at home. It also helped that Hallie is such a sweet and easygoing baby. 

With an August due date instead of the January one we had expected, things had also changed regarding COVID and the visitor policy. I didn't have to be tested before I delivered, and our kids got to come meet their baby sissy in the hospital! That was one sweet and unexpected perk. It was wonderful that Hallie got to meet her aunts and uncles, grandparents, great-grandma, and other special friends. Another bonus was that we made it home the night before Eli’s first day, so we got to see him off to kindergarten! When it was time to go home, we got in the van and started pulling away from the hospital. That's when the tears really started to flow. Once you know what it's like to leave the hospital without your baby, it is inexplicably joyful to leave with them. 

We are so, so grateful for and in love with Hallie. She is the most precious gift and we are truly praising the Lord for her over and over again. She will never replace her sibling, but she is the best reminder of God's redeeming love and faithfulness, even in the hard times. I can truly say I can't imagine life without her and that having her was worth all the pain, heartache, and fear we had to navigate through since last fall. We love you so much, Hallie, and we always will, no matter what! 

Currently,

Kelsie

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A New Chapter

In 2014, I sent this blurry "first day of school" photo to my mom so she wouldn't be sad that it was the first year her kids were all out of high school. She promptly put it on Facebook alongside my first day of Kindergarten picture. A few days ago, it popped up on my timeline: "On this day seven years ago". It was my fourth year of teaching. I'd been married for just over a year, was kid-free, and I didn't know what I didn't know. And now, with another school year beginning and me not being in the classroom, it brought up all of the feels. 

With the 2021-2022 school year essentially here, and me getting asked more frequently, it's probably time for me to share a life update. At the end of June, my resignation from LPS was officially approved. Honestly, typing that still seems weird. I spent the last year on Sabbatical, and with all of the weird COVID stuff, it sort of felt like the school year just didn't happen. Most of the "normal" as I'd known it was gone from a typical school day. So even after a year off, a year where I could have declared my intent to return and been given the first job that popped up, it feels really weird to have the finality and formality of a "resignation".

I haven't known life working anywhere other than Liberty High School, life in the classroom. I graduated from Mizzou, got my job, and planned to stay and teach English forever. Funny how plans change, especially when they are bigger than our own. When I declared my sabbatical at the end of March 2020, for the 2020-2021 school year, I had a three year old and two month old, just enough money in the bank to make it work for a year, and ZERO idea that things would take off the way they had. No idea that the need for outdoor, affordable weddings would sky rocket as result of COVID. And there we were, with a pretty plot of land and a paver aisle. All of a sudden, we found ourselves with 12 weddings, then 20, then eventually 39. And suddenly my sabbatical didn't feel like much of a sabbatical, at least on the fall weekends.

I had no idea that we would fundraise enough money to break ground on a chapel offering free and affordable weddings last winter. That it would open on our 8th wedding anniversary and that we would have a wedding that day, on a Tuesday. No idea that we would end up with ninety bookings for 2021. Ninety!? Truly, I have been blown away again and again through this process. We were never in this for the profit, and we would never be where we are without the support of so many. It is both overwhelming and humbling, and has been risky and rewarding.

All that to say, as we continued to book for 2021, 2022, and beyond, it became very clear to me that it was not going to be possible to return to the classroom, be a mom, and also manage things at The Brim. And if I was going to pick one to step away from at this point, it had to be the classroom- especially with a third little one on the way in January! Do I and will I miss things about teaching? Absolutely. I miss my co-workers. I miss adult interaction, the kids, and (gasp) professional dress. I miss and will miss the laughter and memories in a classroom full of high school kids. The stable schedule and predictability of things. The games and assemblies and being a safe space for a kid to land as they navigated life. To be known as "someone's teacher" and maybe even one they liked. 

But you know what I won't miss? Time with my kids before they are in school. I will get to spend my days with them, and then several evenings at The Brim- the perfect outlet and balance for me to not go crazy spending too much time with only my little people (whom I love very much). I give weekly tours and feel like I'm back in the classroom a bit. I meet with brides for coordination and I feel like I'm planning a very important lesson that will be executed on the biggest day of their lives. We take a couple of student interns every semester and I LOVE working with high school kids in that capacity as they consider their own future endeavors. I've even had a few of my old students get married out there already! I love seeing the way that things have turned out so far, how I feel alive when I'm out there "working". And I sure do love seeing outside every day. 

Although it has felt risky, and scary, and hard along the way, I have no doubt that I am exactly where I'm meant to be right now. I have no regrets, only deep gratitude and joy for my years spent teaching. I would not have traded the nearly decade of memories and experiences that shaped who I am today for anything. I have immense respect for teachers and will always champion them as much as they deserve. And I can't wait to see what comes next! 

Currently,

Kelsie

 

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To Think We Could Have Missed This

And to think we could have missed this.

If the letter had not been written, the land not for sale, the dream not dreamed.

If the extra land wasn't given, the permit not approved, the deposit money not scrounged together.

We could have missed this. 

If the trip was not to Austin, the architect not randomly on site, the couple not generous and supportive.

If the poles had not been purchased, the brides had not taken a chance, the stories not written or shared or printed. 

If any tiny bit of this story was erased, it seems none of it would have happened. One small detail changed and everything would be different. 

No chapel on the hill, no free weddings, no chasing after something that became not just what we wanted to do, but what we had to. Something that mattered, because marriage does. 

We could have missed this.

The rallying of a community around marriage. The joy of every "I Do". The glow of a sunset on a white wedding tent. A book, a workshop, and Full Fridays together. 

The desire to live life full, and to share it with others. The exhausting, incredibly rewarding leap of faith that is both terrifying and invigorating. 

People thought we were crazy when we told them our plans. We get it. We wondered if we were too. But just enough people thought we weren't. They caught the vision, and to them we are eternally grateful. 

Flight is reserved for those who jump; we left the edge long ago. 

And to think we could have missed this. 

Currently,

Kelsie

If you'd like to read the details behind this crazy story, check out the Behind the Brim series, starting with part one here! 

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ONEderful World First Birthday Party

It's hard to believe, but our sweet Addie Jo is already one! Crazy to think it has been a whole year since she joined the world- a baby girl- the sweetest surprise. Addie made it just before the pandemic started, but that didn't mean she escaped a pandemic birthday. Even though we were unable to host our usual large shebang like we did for Eli's first few birthdays, we knew we still wanted to celebrate our precious girl. If you're looking to plan a "ONEderful World" first birthday, or even just a pandemic first birthday, here are all of the details!

I knew that I wanted to do a fun little theme and play on words for the party. Eli had a "Onesie" Party, which was super fun, and you can check out all of the details here. I wanted to bring along a lot of the fun elements from his party, like the time capsule and One Second Every Day video. But I also wanted something new for Addie. Addie moved into the same nursery that we had for E, and it is travel/world themed, so I figured why not use the decor from her bedroom to plan around a theme? (This is my favorite new mom hack for bday parties. We're planning a Dino-FOUR party for E using his Dino decor, and he had a Three-Rex Party last year!) 

I have also always loved the lyrics to "Your Song" by Elton John, so I wanted to incorporate those into the birthday theme, making it "How ONEdeful Life is When You're in the World". So it was a nice mix of "one", the world, and gratefulness for our sweet girl. I was able to get a dear friend's daughter to write the lyrics so I could frame them. I went with the original lyrics for this piece so that I could keep it in Addie's room beyond her first birthday. They turned out so beautifully! 

I wanted to keep the decor pretty, but simple. I was thinking rose gold, pale greens and blues, and some gold. I found a super reasonable "one" balloon banner on Amazon that also came with six cute confetti-filled balloons that Eli and Addie loved playing with. (Just be careful, we popped them after the party and confetti went everywhere)! I also ordered a tissue banner from Amazon that honestly took way more time than it probably should have for me to put together, but I did love the final result! I may use it again for future birthdays! I also did a simple monthly photo banner and a wrote out a few of Addie's "stats".

Other than that, I gave the theme and my ideas to the ever-talented Hailey the Cake Lady, and she ran with it. She made the most beautiful and delicious smash cake for Addie, larger cake for guests, and amazing sugar cookies. If you are local to KC, you should definitely check her out for any of your baking needs! The last thing I did was tie in a bit of our theme through our meal, which was for immediate family only. Since we can't really travel the world right now, I labeled food from different countries! We did chips and salsa (Mexico), pizza (Italy), Greek Salad, and Asian Salad. It was simple but kind of fun. 

Because of the pandemic, we chose to do a FB Event and then "go live" with Addie's smash cake. It was super fun, and a way for people other than our immediate family to see Addie dive in to some sweets. That girl doesn't mess around! It was fun to see people comment on there and family from out of town were able to participate too! I also used the FB event to share a link to a "virtual" time capsule form, where people could fill out what they normally would have done in person. Then I just took the results and recorded them on the time capsule time sheets to add to Addie's time capsule for when she turns 18!

Finally, I did keep up with my One Second Every Day app, so you can watch Addie's below! I shared it in the FB event as well so people could view if they wanted. I love having a little moment from each of her first year. I did one for each of Eli's first three years, so I will probably do the same with Addie.

All in all, it was a good, simple, and fun celebration with our sweet Addie. Hopefully "pandemic birthday" pivots will end soon, but for now this was a great way to celebrate our little lady. Life truly is wonderful with her in the world! Happy Birthday, Addie Jo. You are prized and precious! 

Currently,

Kelsie

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A Trip to Texas Hill Country

For Aaron's Thirtieth Birthday, I wanted to plan a surprise trip. With everything going on in the world, plus the fact that we had two little kids, it wasn't going to be anything too crazy. But still, our first getaway since our Babymoon trip back in October of 2019 sounded pretty great to me. Initially, I was thinking we'd go back to Napa Valley. But when I asked a couple of friends about being a part of the surprise, they threw out the idea of visiting a different wine region in the states: Texas Hill Country! 

Knowing that this meant flying into Austin, Texas, which is special to us for a variety of reasons, really sealed the deal for me. I was able to set up surprise meetings with some really incredible folks who have been a huge part of The Brim, and I knew Aaron would DIE when he found out he was getting to meet with each of them. We did have our non-stop flight get changed to one stop, but other than that, everything came together perfectly. He had no idea where we were going until we got into the airport to go through security, and then I didn't tell him anything on our itinerary! 

I'll share the details of where we went and what we did. If you are looking for an easy, in the States getaway that allows for social distancing and driving, then this itinerary may be right up your alley! 

DAY ONE:

We flew into Austin and rented a car. We ended up getting an upgrade to this red Jeep Wrangler since our car wasn't ready yet. Texas Hill Country is to the west of Austin, so you actually don't have to spend any time in the big city at all if you don't want. That being said, there is some AMAZING food in Austin, so you could definitely try carry-out or eat outdoors at a place or two in town. 

We had our first meeting at Loro for lunch. It is an incredible blend of Asian Smokehouse and Texas Barbecue, and we were treated to a ton of delicious menu items. We sat outside with lots of space and it was definitely a place we'd go back. 

From there, we drove out to Chapel Dulcinea and the Wizard Academy, where I had set up a surprise meeting with the amazing couple from Austin who helped us get The Brim going. Aaron was so touched, and our last visit to Austin was so special, that he cried when I told him we had a meeting. We were treated to wine, conversation, and even given a couple of paintings and a sculpture, which Aaron carried back home on the plane. 

After this meeting, we continued driving West so that we could make a stop at Marble Falls. We still are big fans of IHG hotels, so I used points to book our hotel there that evening. Aaron didn't know this, but it was the city where our architect who designed our chapel lived, so we were set to meet with him the next morning. For dinner, I had found a little place called The Real New Orleans Style Restaurant, and it was both delicious and affordable. Highly recommend. You could also easily drive right into wine country this day and get things started, I just had some more personal things I set up for Aaron instead. Or you could spend a little time in Austin to start your trip if you've never been!

DAY TWO:

After packing all of that into our first day/night (we arrived in Austin around noon), Aaron was already blown away and didn't know how it could get any better. But he had no idea what else I had up my sleeves! 

We grabbed a to go breakfast from the hotel (their version of free breakfast minus the buffet with COVID precautions), and then headed out to meet our architect at his office. Aaron didn't know this, and we had to drive around a bit, but once we saw him Aaron freaked out! We were able to go up and tour his own wedding chapel and venue he is building, which is set to open in April: Hozhoni on the Hill. It is a whole campus offering glamping in tents and it is AMAZING. He is so creative and such a dreamer. 

They took us to an early lunch at a yummy Mexican restaurant, and then they actually took us to their home where we were able to meet the little boys they are currently taking care of. We also got to see their home, which he had completely redesigned and it was so beautiful.

From here, we headed off to Wine Country! The first winery we visited was Perissos Vineyards. They have the most gorgeous property, and you truly feel like you are in the middle of Napa or something, but you're closer to home in Texas! It's so beautiful out there, with tons of wineries all around. Perissos had a tasting- our go to- and we sat outside at picnic tables, spaced, walking up masked for our next tasting. 

What Aaron didn't know was that two of our good friends were going to surprise him and meet us here- driving down to join us for part of the trip. We were able to pull off the surprise flawlessly and it was so great! I had other people "join us" for Aaron's 30th by sending a "toast" to him- little videos I showed him here and there while we were tasting. He loved it.

Next, we drove to Torr Na Lochs Vineyard. They have a breathtaking view up on a hill with a lake down below, and they even had some Texas Longhorns roaming in the hills. They had an event going on where you could order from a food truck or buy some decor. They had outdoor seating overlooking the hill and they gave us our tastings in little plastic cups that we poured into our wine glasses when we were ready for the next one. Definitely visit here! 

From there, we decided to drive on to our destination for the evening, Fredericksburg. Fredericksburg is the cute small town with great food and the cutest little downtown area. I had no idea at the time, but apparently it is rated one of the top small towns in the US! We briefly checked into our Airbnb, which was so cute and had a little backyard with a fire pit so we could hang out and be outdoors. It was also within walking distance of downtown if we wanted to walk. 

After that, we hit one more winery before we headed to dinner. In general, I was following this wine tasting itinerary, but of course we also wanted to leave room for spontaneity and there were some places that had different operating hours with COVID.  We hit the Texas Heritage Vineyard on a whim. It was family owned and they were so kind, with the most beautiful deck and a perfect sunset that evening. You can actually see us in this Instagram post ha! 

For dinner, we drove 20 minutes out into the middle of nowhere for the best burgers we've ever had in our lives at the Alamo Springs Cafe. Seriously, this is a MUST visit. They have a ton of outdoor seating with string lights and live music. Aaron even got to go up and play a song and sing! 

A major unexpected bonus was that they had JUST set up the Christmas decorations for the season in downtown, so driving down Main Street was a delight. 

DAY THREE:

After two really full days, we decided to take it a little bit easier this day. I had a couple of places I wanted to try for breakfast, but they were super crowded so we ended up at a little Mexican restaurant. Then we headed off to try Grape Creek Vineyards. They were definitely the largest, most expensive tasting we tried, more like what you would see in lots of places in Napa. Texas is definitely a more affordable wine region to visit, and still delicious! Their gorgeous property reminded me of Tuscany! 

From here, we had a few more places on the list, but we decided we were a little wined out. So we went out and visited a little wildflower farm called Wildseed Farms. We went back downtown for some delicious pizza at Social Haus, then grabbed coffee and walked around for a while. From there, we hung out in the Airbnb and played some cards. You can find more Fredericksburg Winery options here. 

DAY FOUR:

This day we were heading back into Austin to get ready for our flight and to tour part of Wizard Academy. For reference, Fredericksburg is an hour and a half from the Austin airport, and we broke up the trip into chunks so it was super easy. We hit a yummy taco truck and got a donut on our way back into town, and then I got my nails done (a special treat Aaron spoils me with on vacay). We then grabbed one more Mexican lunch, and then headed home to KC. 

All in all, it was an amazing trip. I would highly recommend a visit to the Texas Hill Wine Country if you like wine, but want something closer to home in the Midwest. You could even drive here if you didn't want to fly- and there are plenty of options to be outdoors and distanced. If you fly, you can really fit in a lot in a short amount of time. We went in November, and I was wearing tank tops and shorts many of the days, so it's warmer than home and the perfect getaway! 

Currently,

Kelsie

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