[name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] [name_f]Adrienne[/name_f] Chastain (27) & [name_u]Andre[/name_u] [name_u]Michele[/name_u] “[name_m]Dre[/name_m]” Chastain (29) met on a three day thru-hike with friends in college. [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] graduated from UNC at Chapel [name_m]Hill[/name_m] where she studied biology and agriculture. [name_m]Dre[/name_m] followed in his father’s footsteps, becoming a carpenter and general contractor. The couple married two years ago and bought a 12 acre piece of land in Kentucky with the intention of building a home, a family and a self-sustaining farm.
In 2026, [name_m]Dre[/name_m] and his father got to work constructing a beautiful two story farm house for the couple’s growing family.
During construction [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] starts a Youtube channel to document the growth of the farm and their family. It’s a little obnoxious but the ad revenue helps offset building costs.
Towards the end of the first year of construction, [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] has planted a vegetable farm and is hosting a growing flock of chickens when she discovers she is pregnant with their first child.
[name_f]May[/name_f] 10th 2028, [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] gives birth to [name_m]Odion[/name_m] [name_u]Bellamy[/name_u] Chastain “[name_m]Odie[/name_m]”, 7lbs 4oz, 19 inches.
The couple had multiple surveys and experts look at their land and unfortunately the farm in Kentucky wasn’t suitable for large scale farming. Through their youtube channel, the Chastain’s were able to buy a beautiful 9 acres of farmland in Colusa County, [name_u]California[/name_u] in [name_f]October[/name_f] 2028.
In [name_u]August[/name_u] 2029 [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f], [name_m]Dre[/name_m] and [name_m]Odie[/name_m] take a surfing vacation to Puerto Escondito, Mexico.
One month later [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] learns she’s pregnant with a second baby.
On [name_f]April[/name_f] 16th 2030, [name_m]Pascal[/name_m] [name_m]Etienne[/name_m] Chastain “[name_u]Cal[/name_u]” is born weighing 6lbs, 7oz and 19inches.
The farm is wildly successful in Colusa County. [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] & [name_m]Dre[/name_m] are raising chickens, pigs, ducks, grapes, sheep and all sorts of vegetables. They are still surprised to learn that PBS would like to do an interview and one hour special highlighting the importance of small farms. The Chastain Family Farm airs to the nation on [name_f]September[/name_f] 17th 2031.
The boys are now 4 & 2 and [name_m]Odie[/name_m] has taken brilliantly to playing piano. He never stops, except to feed the farm animals. His teacher tells [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] he may be a prodigy, but they should wait and see how his talent develops.
[name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] is interviewed for FamilyFarm magazine about raising children and maintaining a huge farm at the same time. She extols the importance of seasonal help, and teaching the children to help. She says her boys are so helpful she wants another one! The article appears in the [name_f]May[/name_f] 2033 issue.
The Youtube channel is such a hit, HGTV asks [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] and [name_m]Dre[/name_m] if they would like to be the center of a family farm reality TV show. Seeing dollar signs, they pleasantly agree.
The show is called Growing Family and features the Chastain’s and the farm workers who keep the farm going. They film throughout the first of 2034 and the first episode airs in [name_u]November[/name_u] 2034, the season ends with an announcement of [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f]’s third pregnancy.
Throughout the season in 2035 [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f]’s baby bump grows, and millions watch as she struggles to collect chicken eggs and waddles around the farm, climbing in and out of a golf cart. he third Chastain baby arrives [name_u]June[/name_u] 7th 2035. [name_f]Eponine[/name_f] [name_f]Raphaela[/name_f] Chastain “[name_f]Nina[/name_f]” weighed 5lbs 3oz, 19 inches long.
In [name_u]March[/name_u] 2036 [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f]’s oldest sister [name_f]Sabrina[/name_f] [name_f]Corliss[/name_f] is marrying [name_m]Brody[/name_m] [name_u]Porter[/name_u] in High Point, NC. [name_u]Cal[/name_u] (6) is a ring bearer, and [name_m]Odie[/name_m] (8) is playing piano accompaniment for the ceremony. [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] is her sisters Maid of [name_u]Honor[/name_u].
The boys have been begging for a house pet despite all of their outdoor creatures. In [name_f]April[/name_f] 2037 the Chastain’s adopt a Great Pyrenees puppy to raise as a farm dog and house pet. The children name him Nickel.
In 2038 [name_m]Odie[/name_m] (10) is still passionate about piano piano, and [name_u]Cal[/name_u] (8) begins rock-climbing with [name_m]Dre[/name_m]. He’s small and agile, and he loves heights.
In 2039 [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] & [name_m]Dre[/name_m] have been married for 15 years. Growing Family has been wildly successful for 4 seasons, and the farm is as beautiful as it’s ever been.
No one knows that [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] has fallen into a deep love affair with [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] Klepper, a Growing Family producer. They’ve been sneaking around for 10 months, and the tension and obvious connection is driving them both crazy.
In [name_f]February[/name_f] 2039 [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] takes a positive pregnancy test. She panics at the thought of the child being [name_u]Jordan[/name_u]’s. She tells no one for a long time. She is three months pregnant before the tells [name_m]Dre[/name_m]. He is over the moon, and wants to immediately call the production team. The show ratings were never better than when [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] was 7 months pregnant with [name_f]Nina[/name_f]. [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] begs him to wait another month, citing her age as a reason to be cautious. [name_m]Dre[/name_m] thinks she’s being extra, but he agrees and [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] buys herself time to figure out how to tell [name_u]Jordan[/name_u]. After being distant for three weeks, she tells [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] on a warm evening after filming. He is silent for a long time. Then he tells her to pretend the child is [name_m]Dre[/name_m]’s. He can’t risk losing his most popular show of the last decade. [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] becomes cool and distant, and severs his affair with [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f].
On [name_f]October[/name_f] 23rd, 2039 [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] gives birth to twin boys.
[name_u]Mercer[/name_u] [name_m]Romain[/name_m] Chastain & [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] [name_u]Michele[/name_u] Chastain
[name_u]Mercer[/name_u] weighed 4lbs, 3oz, 18 inches long
[name_m]Harvey[/name_m] weighed 3lbs, 8oz, 17 inches long
In an interview after the birth of her twins, [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] is asked if twins run in her side of the family or [name_m]Dre[/name_m]’s. Neither, she says. But she remembers to herself that [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] regularly mentioned his childhood growing up with his twin brother, [name_u]Maxwell[/name_u].
On [name_u]July[/name_u] 20th 2040 [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f]’s father [name_m]Adrian[/name_m] [name_f]Corliss[/name_f] passes away at age 75. He leaves the Chastain’s his home in [name_u]New[/name_u] Orleans. It is a traditional [name_u]New[/name_u] Orleans style shotgun with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths. He purchased the home in 2000 for $80,000. The home is now worth $730,000
In [name_u]December[/name_u] 2041 [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] and [name_m]Dre[/name_m] have been having issues in their relationship. The stress of the farm, the TV show, and [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f]’s unyielding secret love for [name_u]Jordan[/name_u] have been grating on their relationship. [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] decides to abruptly end her time on Growing Family and take her twins to live in [name_u]New[/name_u] Orleans. It breaks her heart to leave her older children 2,200 miles away but she feels that the farm is a better place for them to be. [name_m]Dre[/name_m] is heartbroken but understands her need, and asks to come home when she’s ready.
In [name_f]February[/name_f] 2042 [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] realizes that she has missed three periods. She takes a pregnancy test and discovers she is pregnant again. She hides it for sometime, but tells [name_m]Dre[/name_m] in [name_f]April[/name_f]. He is elated and begs her to return back to the farm. She refuses, and in [name_u]August[/name_u] 2042 [name_m]Dre[/name_m] flies the children to [name_u]New[/name_u] Orleans to be with [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] and their new baby sister.
[name_f]Leonie[/name_f] [name_f]Sabina[/name_f] Chastain is born [name_u]August[/name_u] 8th 2042 weighing 9lbs 3oz, 21inches long.
In [name_f]October[/name_f] of that year [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f]’s best friend from college, [name_u]Carson[/name_u] Thiegel calls to say she’s pregnant and incapable of being a mother due to her mental health and lack of money. She thought first of the Chastain’s because of the farm and what a beautiful life their children have. [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] didn’t have the heart to tell [name_u]Carson[/name_u] that she and [name_m]Dre[/name_m] were separated and she was living in [name_u]New[/name_u] Orleans. But she told her of her new baby, to which [name_u]Carson[/name_u] said, “What’s one more?” [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] couldn’t refuse and agreed to adopt the child when it’s born. In the meantime [name_u]Carson[/name_u] could live on the farm until the birth. The Chastain’s packed up their belongings and flew back to Colusa county the next day.
[name_m]Dre[/name_m] and [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] worked on their relationship by channeling their energies into the betterment of the farm. They designed and built a B&B for vacationers, installed horse stables and built a public composting facility on their property. [name_u]Carson[/name_u] came to live with them in [name_u]January[/name_u], and on [name_f]May[/name_f] 23rd 2043 gave birth to a baby girl she named [name_f]Ada[/name_f] [name_f]Marigold[/name_f] Thiegel. (7lbs, 4oz, 18 inches) After [name_f]Ada[/name_f]’s birth, [name_u]Carson[/name_u] explained that she had never felt healthier than when she was on the farm and she asked to stay as a permanent farm hand so she could raise her daughter. She offered her meager saving of $26,000 to build a small home for the two of them. [name_m]Dre[/name_m] & [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] agreed, appreciating the extra help in all their new ventures.
[name_m]Dre[/name_m] and his father get to work building a modest two bedroom home with full amenities.
The next year, in 2044, the HGTV executives learn that the Chastain’s are back together under one roof and beg them to reboot Growing Family. Needing the money to fuel their farm, [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] and [name_m]Dre[/name_m] agree and sign a contract for three years of programming.
In [name_u]March[/name_u] 2045 the Chastain’s, along with [name_u]Carson[/name_u] and [name_f]Ada[/name_f], take their show with them on a vacation to [name_f]Malaysia[/name_f]. Along with fun in the sun the special takes the group to tour family farms around [name_f]Malaysia[/name_f] growing palm and cocoa. The episode is a hit.
In 2046 Growing Family does a special episode highlighting the children’s talents. [name_m]Odie[/name_m] is 18 years old and travels around the world playing piano professionally. He says that he loves nothing more than coming back to the farm and tending the animals.
At 16, [name_u]Cal[/name_u] is an accomplished athlete and climber, he spends a majority of his time helping his parents maintain the farm.
At 11, [name_f]Nina[/name_f] is a budding equestrian.
At 7, [name_u]Mercer[/name_u] & [name_m]Harvey[/name_m] are the wildest of the bunch. They run the farm, and spend most days out exploring the hills on bikes or ATV’s.
At 4, [name_f]Leonie[/name_f] loves ballet and music.
And 3 year old [name_f]Ada[/name_f] is very curious, and she has taken to the pigs and chickens.
In 2047 the Chastain’s add two St. [name_m]Bernard[/name_m] puppies to their litter. Nickel is 10 years old, and needs to start training his proteges. The kids name them Bueno and Beanie.
In 2048 the Chastain’s build a pond on the property and move a 3 year old box turtle named [name_u]Flip[/name_u].
After 22 years, the [name_f]Vanessa[/name_f] & [name_m]Dre[/name_m] have six children, a beautiful farm, a working B&B, riding stables and a wonderful farm family that keeps it all running smooth.
