Herd of Children

We have five kids.  To us, it doesn't feel like "too many" because this is just our life.  However, sometimes I am reminded, like tonight, that having five kids seems like an unmanageable or undesirable amount of children to some.  Recently, at a a Christmas school function, a parent of one of the kids' classmates referred to them as our "herd of children".  I smiled and responded that it's not that different than having three, like them.  Jokingly, he responded that he would take my word for it.

With our youngest now over 3, I find it amusing that some people still wonder how we (and other big families) do it.

Like most parents, I cannot imagine life without any one of my kids.  Yet, I know some parents will cringe at the thought of caring for any more kids than they already have.  Despite compelling evidence to the contrary, most of us are fairly set in our opinions of how many children we want.  Therefore, I share with you my thoughts on my favorite 10 things (no particular order) about having a big family, not because I think it will persuade anyone that having lots of kids is better than they thought.  Rather, to share my perspective on why some of us are "crazy" enough to love having a big family.

10. Love truly multiplies.  I did have some doubts early on whether there would be enough of me to be able to love all my kids how I wanted to love them.  The moment the twins were born, I knew I was foolish for thinking that way.  I didn't just love them.  My understanding of love grew.

9. They love, help, and inspire each other in unexpected ways.  From helping each other with breakfast before mom and dad get out of bed to learning to give a meaningful apology, their emotional intelligence is amazing.

8.  There's always a party at your house, er, our house.

7.  It's a lot easier to get most labor-intensive tasks done with 5 little helpers.  They need a lot more direction than adult helpers, but they love to clean baseboards, walls, and windows, which most adults hate to do.

6.  Nothing else in life seems as challenging as raising a large family.  Really, it's not as difficult as some may think, but it definitely makes my "day job" seem easy by comparison.

5.  I love to be busy, yes, insanely busy.  At the end of each week, we've probably averaged 15-20 extra-curricular events, as well as the day-to-day madness of getting ready for school and work and attending any family or school events we might have.

4.  I am humbled to be surrounded by a house full of little people way more amazing than I ever was.  I love to watch as our kids develop their talents and skills, and I see so much promise in them that I hope I am lucky enough to watch them grow into adults.

3.  Every outing, even simple ones, can really be an adventure.  Some days it's exhausting.   Many times, it's fun, challenging, and some time even exhilarating.

2.  Someone is always ready to spend time with you, no matter what you're doing.  Some days I'm just excited to think about how the kids will react when I tell them what I plan on doing that day.  Many/most things are new experiences to them, and I love to be the one to introduce them to the world.

1. It will never get old and never be less amazing to hold your tiny newborn and feel the hope and power of the miracle in front of you.

I'm sure it does not sound any more appealing to some, maybe most.  Either way, it doesn't really matter.  We're the ones living it, and we love it!

A Letter to James on our 7th

As I think back on the events of the last year, I can't help but tear up (yeah, the baby blues might have something to do with it). We celebrate another anniversary as we welcome our 5th miracle into this world. I have to mourn the passing of our "family building" years as I welcome a year we have already decided should be, at least in part, dedicated to reclaiming our own physical fitness. As I look back thankfully on 7 wonderful years, I am also saddened by the thought of how fast they have passed. Our first 4 babies are babies no more, and I know it won't be long before Baby Tiny is talking and walking.

This year has been filled with lows like my grandfather's passing and having to skip my sister's wedding and highs like welcoming baby Eliana, watching our children enjoying life's simple pleasures, and actually spending a night away from all of them to celebrate our anniversary.

At the end of this emotional rollercoaster of pregnancy, I look back thankfully that I've had you to lean on throughout the last 7 years. With each year that passes, you've shown me all the reasons why I've grown to love you more today than I did the day we got married. I know what Amelia means when she says she wishes she could marry you too. It's that she cannot imagine a greater man than her Daddy. Her world may still be small, but I have to agree with her that I cannot imagine a better husband or father. She is wise beyond her years.

With 7 years behind us, I look forward to what our future may hold. Of course, I pray that includes many more happy, healthy years raising our family. I mentioned the other night that I found the words of Steve Jobs about having kids ("It's 10,000 times better than anything I've ever done.")really struck a chord. I've always felt that family is the most important thing in life, so that is no revelation. Rather, I think the perspective his statement offers, that someone as accomplished as Steve Jobs looks back at life, with the end in sight, and decides that having kids was his greatest achievement is so revealing. Like Jobs, I don't want to look back at life and have any regrets about how I was or wasn't there for our family. Being the workaholic I am, I expect you to keep me in check.

I can't imagine having shared the amazing journey of the last 7 years with anyone else. Fresh in my mind are the memories of our wedding, traveling in Hawaii as newlyweds, finding out we were pregnant with Jameson, watching you sleep with each of our babies on your chest, bringing Truman and Amelia home from the hospital to meet Jameson, laughing at the surprise of Darwin's birth when we realized he was a boy, and our shock when we realized we were pregnant with Eliana. These memories just skim the surface of our years together, but they remind me how blessed we have been. My hopes for our future are simple: health and happiness for our family and time to watch our children grow and build their own families. When you think about it, it's all that really matters, and I'm lucky to share it with you.

What the Kids Are Saying

(originally drafted 7/27/2010 and revised 10/8/2010)

Every day James and I laugh about something one of the kids said. Here's some of my recent favorites.


"What the mess?" - Amelia's favorite expression of surprise


"What the, what the, what the" - Truman's version


"Ba, if you want to see your babies more, then only go to the casino at night" - Jameson's words of advice to my mom


"No, no, no" - Darwin's late night complaint when he doesn't get his way


"Brefticks" - Jameson's word for 'breakfast'


"Hoolie - go to work" - Amelia's warm way of saying 'good-bye' when I leave for work.


"You got to turn off the vireless?" - Truman's austrian pronunciation of "wireless"

"milk and honey and cheerios and blananas" - Truman's all-time favorite food

"blputer" - Truman's new favorite diversion, the computer


"Pongebob Quarepants" - Amelia's favorite cartoon


"Let me have the puzzle phone." - Truman's name for the iPhone


"Anybody help me!" - Truman's way of declaring that he needs help

"auntdat" - Darwin's way of telling you he wants something

I could go on here, but if I do, I'll never get this posted. I'm already way behind on my posting, so no sense in delaying it any more.

2009 in Review

I told James last night that I was resolved to blog at least one more time before the end of 2009. Let see if I make it. . . . Nope, I failed but here goes anyway

This year we. . .

. . . saw the twins turn 2, and we had a small (immediate family only) party at home. I figured that we'll have many future birthday parties with children and guests overrunning the house, so we opted for low-key this year. Happy Birthday, my twinkies! I owe both of you two blogs or letters since I have missed writing to you both years. (video to come)

. . .celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary, and I can hardly believe that here we are 5 years later with 4 kids. I love it when people ask 'how do you do it?'. I always think 'I don't know.', and I'm pretty sure that most parents with lots of little ones think the same thing. It's all happening so fast, you barely have time to think about it happening. One thing is certain though. We make a good team when we're not driving each other crazy, and that's really important with small kids. They count on us to hold this thing together, and so far, I think we're doing pretty well.

. . .pulled Jameson out of school. I really regretted having to pull Jameson out of school, but daycare is ridiculously expensive for a single-earner household. I do not miss the virus of the week he would bring home, but we're still getting more than our fair share of "sickies". He is very anxious to get back to school, and I know he misses his friends.

. . .had James quit his job and stay home with the kids. This was probably the single best decision we made all year. We didn't have to think too long and hard about this one. It just made sense. Even though I tease him about being my housewife, he really does a great job with the kids.

. . . watched how our daughter had turned from infant into little lady. She is 2 going on 12, already rebelling and telling me "Stop it, Mama!". She's like a little parrot, happy to repeat everything we say. Almost from the time she was a newborn, she has had this knowing smile that says 'yeah, I know what's up'. She thinks she's part of every joke, happy to feign laughter as if she's in on it. She wakes up in the mornings telling us that we need to "change Maya" and that "Buddy's stinky" (Buddy is, of course, Truman). Here's a short video of spunky, little Maya.



. . . found out that even Truman will have the 'terrible twos'. Truman was such an easy baby in most regards. He went to bed easily. He ate whatever you gave him. He would sit happily. He would play happily. Well, unfortunately, even though he was an easy baby, it appears even he will go through the rebellious, tantrum-ridden twos. Now, he enjoys throwing everything in sight, biting you if you make him mad, picking fights with JJ, and bullying Amelia. He can be the sweetest, most sensitive little boy one second, but, look out, 'cause he's got a mean streak. That's okay by me though because I think everybody needs a little edge. Here's a little Truman craziness.



. . . welcomed Darwin into the world! Despite thinking we would have at least a 3 year break before having any more children, we found out that we could not have planned things any better. Darwin is precious and such a good baby. He is cooing like crazy, and I can already tell he's going to be a talker like JJ and Maya. I love curling up next to my little guy at night, and I am relishing the baby stage. Jameson has enjoyed Darwin since he is now fully aware of all the big brother responsibilities and privileges. Here's a video of Jameson's favorite morning activity.



. . . actually went out on Halloween, and James remembered that he's no longer 20. It took a long drive home and an early wake-up call from the twins for it to really sink it, but I'm pretty sure he's got it now.

. . . hosted James's family Christmas at our house. James's mom asked, and I wasn't sure how it would work out, but we had a great time. It was nice to get to spend some time with adults since we were able to put the kids to bed then spend some time talking and playing games.

. . . James finally saw Footloose and the warehouse dancing scene. We saw Hot Rod earlier this year, and I told him he couldn't really appreciate the dancing scene in Hot Rod without having seen the original. I also told him that you can't consider yourself a movie fan if you've never seen Footloose.






I know we had a lot more going on that I could ever blog about, but these are some of the highlights. I wish I could capture every moment, and some days I wish my kids weren't growing up so fast. I can hardly believe another year has come to a close, and time just seems to keep accelerating. I remember when I was a kid a year felt like an eternity. Now, a year seems to pass me by before I get to everything I want or need to do. I'm hoping, wishing, and praying for a happy and healthy 2010 for all our friends and loved ones.

My Kids Are Funny

We're never at a loss for a good laugh around here with all the crazy things our kids do. I should be doing work, but I wanted to get a few of these written down, so one day they can laugh at themselves too.

Jameson
My brother came over to visit last week with his daughter. He and JJ have a playfully antagonistic relationship, so I was surprised when after an evening of their usual shenanigans Jameson asked Betito (as JJ calls him) if he could give him a kiss before he left. Betito, of course said yes, and as he bends over for a kiss, Jameson kicked him in the shins. I was just as shocked as my brother, but we could not help but laugh.


Truman
I heard Amelia crying in the twins room tonight, so I went in to check on her and see if she needed her blanket or something. I went in, put her back on her pillow and covered her again with her blanket. When she settled and went back to sleep, I look over at Truman to make sure he is okay. I laugh as I catch sight of a belly-side down, bare-butt-against-the-crib-rails naked Truman asleep and, apparently, very comfortable. He has nicely scrunched up his pj's and diaper against the crib rails. What's funnier. . . this is the 2nd night in a row that we have to re-dress him in the middle of the night.

Amelia
What amazes me about Amelia is her ability to learn and repeat new words and phrases shortly after first being introduced to them. Not long after Darwin's birth, one of her new favorite phrases was 'chocolate milk', which really sounded more like "yacolat mook". She, in particular, seemed to take interest in what I was doing when I would nurse Darwin. I don't recall exactly how I tried explaining it to them, but I had to laugh when one day as I'm nursing Darwin, Amelia comes over to see what I'm doing and knowingly declares it "yacolat mook".

I can never wait to find out what they'll do or say next to make us laugh!

Chiquita Reunion

There a large part of me that I have not written about much on the blog, but I must admit that it dominated a large part of my childhood, teenage, and college years - soccer.


To say I grew up playing soccer is an understatement. It was my first passion, and for years, I spent most of my "free" time playing soccer. When I wasn't at practice or playing a game, I was outside playing in my backyard. In my mind, I could not get enough of it, and lucky for me, I had some talent, which helped fuel my interest. I was a sucker for competition, so the better the team or the competitor, the happier I was.


My dad, who grew up playing soccer in Mexico, coached me and the teams I played with for the first 8 or 9 years. Shortly before I entered high school, I got involved in the Olympic Development Program (ODP), which is the feeder program used to identify and develop olympic hopefuls. Try-outs are held on district, state, regional, and national levels. To try-out at any level other than district, you have to make the team for the preceding level. I never really cared much about recognition, so the draw of making the cut in and of itself was not enough to keep my interest. However, I did know that I wanted to play in college, and I knew this might be a great way to get noticed for a Division I soccer program.


Up until this point, I had played for some fairly good teams in Dayton, but we never competed well against larger club teams from Cincinnati and Columbus. Overall, the talent in Dayton was just not as well-developed. At ODP tryouts, the girls that played for these larger Cincy & Columbus teams were shoe-ins. Being one of the few Dayton oddballs that made the state team several years in a row, I got to know some of the better players from the Cincinnati and Columbus areas. Although I did not realize it at the time, it was this "networking" that brought my name to the attention of a Cincinnati team, looking to recruit new players. That team was Cincinnati Chiquita (Yes, we were sponsored by Chiquita Brands International). I was invited to play an indoor season with them so we could "try each other out", and if we both agreed we were a good match, I would be invited to join the team for the regular (Spring/Summer) season.


When I joined Chiquita, I had never played for a team that was really competitive on a state-wide level. I had played with other good players, but there were always enough complacent players on the team that didn't take the sport seriously enough to make the team highly competitive. When I played for Chiquita, it was the only team where I truly felt we were all working toward the same objective, and we were willing to put forth the effort to make it happen.


In the years I played with Chiquita, we won several State Cup titles, competed in our Regional Cup twice, and had an impressive winning record. More importantly, I loved playing for this team because I didn't feel like an overachiever for working hard. We just expected it from one another, and we were successful in making each other better players.


In retrospect, I have never played for or coached a team with better team chemistry. We traveled quite a bit together to compete in tournaments, so I have a lot of great memories about our trips and our tournaments. When I graduated high school and knew our playing years together were over, I was sad to see it end.


Fast forward 12 or 13 years, and here I am with 3 little ones and one more on the way. Out of the blue, I got an email from one of my Chiquita teammates saying that she wanted to organize a team reunion. She found most of us on Facebook, and most people were available for a reunion on August 8th. We planned to bring our families and meet at a park in Cincinnati, so I organized a small babysitting support group to help me with the kids - to take them with me, that is. Unfortunately, James had a bachelor party to attend, so he was not available, which means I needed more hands than usual. My parents were happy to come along, and I invited Maria to come since she loves to hang out with the kids.


Being super pregnant, I was a little worried about how I would manage with the heat and keeping up with the kids, even with help. Nonetheless, I was anxious to see everyone, so I braved the heat and made the trip. It was, of course, the hottest day we've had all summer, and the kids were mostly high maintenance. Truman wanted to throw mulch on himself and anything else he saw. Jameson wanted to climb the 10 foot playground equipment and told me he "threw up" in an undisclosed location that I never found. He also made 2 back-to-back trips to the bathroom, and thankfully, my mom volunteered to take him on trip #2. Miss Amelia was on her best behavior but was more than ready to go when we finally decided it was time to take everyone home.


Despite all the commotion going on with the kids, I had a great time catching up with everyone. It was fun to see how everyone's lives had changed and meet husbands and children. I'm not gonna lie though - it made me feel old. Most of our soccer days are long over (although I'm sure there's a few diehards), so I felt like I was acknowledging having closed that chapter of my life. I don't think I've ever really admitted that to myself until right now, but I think I knew it long ago. Sure, I may go back to playing again in some old women's league, but I won't pretend it's anything like it was competing in my teenage and college years.


Here's a few pictures that offer a glimpse into my high school & college years competing in soccer.

Pack on about 50 lbs, some swelling in the feet and hands and a huge pregnant belly and that's what I look like in the current chapter of my life. I miss being a competitive athlete, but I would not trade in this chapter of my life for any chapter of my past. I love being a wife & mom and hanging with my kiddos. There's always time for athletic competition and vanity later. In the next chapter, I'll be training for my Tae Kwon Do black belt and taking James up on that marathon training. After all, I have done a little running in my past.

Happy Father's Day

As James's first Father's Day as a stay-at-home dad, I must admit that this Father's Day will stick in my memory as a pivotal point in our family's history. Thinking back to several months ago when we made the decision to have James stay at home with kids, I was a bit uneasy that maybe we had made a decision that he would later feel he had been pressured into making. We agreed we would keep an open mind and we would re-evaluate our decision if we needed to in six months. We knew we were making a big decision for our family, and we hoped it was the right one.

Well into James's first month at home with the kids, I cannot imagine doing a better job myself or our kids being any luckier than to get to stay home with their dad. Sadly, I have been working longer hours in June due to our system implementation, so my evenings with the kids have been short. On the other hand, I get a great sense of relief in knowing that they are with their dad. James is also kind enough to document their days at home with plenty of pictures and blog posts.

Any honest parent knows that both fathers and mothers play such an important role in child development. This year, James has done more than his half of the work, and I know our children are better for it. He is a patient teacher and disciplinarian. He knows how to engage and distract them. He is confident, loving, and nurturing. I could go on, but I already know that I am blessed. More importantly, my children could not have a better father.

Happy Father's Day, James, and to any of you fathers out there making a difference in your kids' lives.

Warning: Read at Your Own Risk

I have been putting off blogging for some time because I have been in kind of a dark place for the last couple of months.  I hate to bog other people down with this topic, but I am finally getting it out, so consider yourself warned.  I'm not talking about the usual stuff - stress of motherhood, pregnancy ups-n-downs, housework - but every now and then the thought of death seems to linger in the back of my mind.  I'm not just talking specifically about my death (although that has been part of it), but death, in general, has been clouding my mind for several weeks.

Death touches everyone's life in different ways, and we all handle it differently.  Some people choose not to think about it.  Some have an unhealthy obsession with it.  I, like most people probably, am somewhere in the middle, probably leaning toward the latter.  I know that my perspective on death has been affected by my experience with it, but going back as far as I can remember I have always gone through these periods on and off of thinking about death.

I have always been fascinated by true crime stories (books & tv shows), so I'm sure that reading this stuff has not helped fill my mind with happier thoughts.  Well, recently, I picked up a copy of the book For Laci by Sharon Rocha (her mother).  Some of you probably remember the story of Laci Peterson, the pregnant woman that was killed by her husband, Scott Peterson, when she was 8 months pregnant.  Well, back when she was still considered a missing person, I, like many others, followed the case with interest.  When I came across the book in the bookstore, I felt compelled to read it, not because it was just true crime but because it was written by her mother.  I wanted to know what it must be like to be the parent of a missing person.  Of course, I knew it must be horrible, but, for my own reasons, I wanted to hear it from her.  I finished the book in 4 days, which is record pace for me these days.

For some time now, I have taken a special interest in missing person cases.  My family, like everyone else's, has had its fair share of tragedy, specifically my mom's side.  More than 15 years ago, my aunt (mom's sister) "went missing" on Christmas Eve.  The case remains unsolved.  All of the evidence gathered at the time the case was most active pointed to her husband being the most likely suspect, as noted by the lead detective at the time.  No body was ever found, so the police held off on charging him because they wanted to build a stronger case, and the body, they felt, was critical to a conviction.  I should note here that my entire extended family lives in Mexico, which if you know anything about law enforcement there, has been traditionally corrupt and easily infiltrated by criminals.  Not surprisingly, her husband worked for the ruling political party at the time, the PRI, so I am certain he had important friends willing to help him get away with murder.  In the years following her disappearance, her entire case file "went missing".  Other than evidence verbally relayed to my grandparents, we know very little about her disappearance.  My grandmother died three years ago, and all of my family members seem to think she died thinking (likely hoping) that her daughter was still alive.

From the day my aunt disappeared, my grandmother was forever changed.  I never quite understood how she could believe my aunt was still alive after all this time.  For Laci did shed some light on all of this.

Sadly, my aunt would not be the last child my grandmother (or her family) would lose in her lifetime.  Years later, my uncle, was murdered while some low-life criminals tried to steal his car with his son inside.  Luckily, my cousin escaped unharmed, but my uncle was murdered while attempting to protect his son.  If my aunt's death had not already broken her spirit, then this certainly did.  In the years that followed while my grandmother was still alive, the memory of my aunt and uncle clouded the happiness we shared at family gatherings.

We were all sad, but we knew that life had to go on.  We knew it was okay to be sad, but everyone else went on with life in their own way, including my grandfather.  I think my grandmother's life remained forever in those moments.  I really believe she never lived a moment since their loss without this horrible sense of emptiness.  I pray she has more peace now than in the last years of her life.

Of course, while reading For Laci, I thought a lot about my family, and it's tough to escape the thought of death when I think about my family.

Then, of course, there's the pregnancy thing.  Every time I get pregnant, I can't help but to remind myself that women still die during pregnancy or while giving birth.  Yes, people die doing all sorts of things.  I guess I just think about it because it's something I have chosen, and my children are still young.  Once you have kids, your perspective on dying focuses on what would happen to your children if something happened to you.  To mitigate my risk, I try to keep an eye out for anything unusual during pregnancy, and I make sure I trust my doctor with my life.  Luckily, I do.

Nonetheless, I know the unexpected can always happen, and I was reminded of this a couple of weeks ago.  I found out that someone I knew in grade school and considered a friend at the time had died.  Interestingly, she was my age, and nine months pregnant.  The baby lived, and she has 2 young, surviving children.  My heart goes out to her family, but this one really hit home.  Here I am, 4 months pregnant, going through one of my "death periods", and a pregnant woman I knew as a child dies.  Suffice it to say, if I was on my way out of this funk, this news just delayed my return.

I know my pregnancy hormones are a large contributor to my mood lately, so hopefully, I am turning a corner.  I have so many things to be thankful for, and I try to remember that every day.  We can't, after all, count on anything but the present.  Yet, I know my children need me and their dad, and I need them probably more.  I just pray that we're both around long enough for them to grow up, maybe see some grandchildren, and I pray even harder that I never have to live through the tragedies of my grandmother's life.

Life's Too Short

Just before the twins were born, I was scrambling to make arrangements to find any extra help I could to get through the first  6 - 12 weeks.  If you've ever had a baby, you know what I'm talking about.  If you haven't, then just wait.  Based on my experience with Jameson, I knew it was going to be hard, but I had NO IDEA what to expect with twins.  I did know for certain though that our household chores would be the first to suffer.

I like to be self-sufficient, and I do not like to ask for help even when I really need it.  At first, this time was no exception.  My mom's constant nagging about getting help finally made me cave.  I came to the realization that I should get help for the sake of my sanity.  She did her part by planning to have one of my aunts in town for the first two weeks.  My mom, as always, planned to be around as much as possible, but I think she did not want the stress of feeling like she had to shoulder this burden by herself.

My father's secretary (Maria), who has grown to become more of a family friend, volunteered herself and offered to bring her niece Rosita from Mexico to help (and study English).  At first, I wondered if maybe I had too much help.  I have since learned that it's not possible to have too much help when it comes to children.

The first few weeks after the twins were born seemed so much easier than they were following Jameson's birth because I had so much help during the day.  After the first two weeks, my aunt went home, and I felt the loss of an extra set of hands.  In the months that followed, Rosita helped us at home with cleaning and laundry.  Rosita went home in April, and I crossed my fingers that we would keep the house as clean and orderly as she had.

I have not, but I don't care anymore.  It's clean enough.  Even better, Maria now volunteers to come out and help me every weekend.  I insist that she take some money, but she would do it for free.  She shows up every Saturday morning, vacuums the entire house, mops the floors, cleans the bathrooms, dusts, washes dishes, straightens up, and does anything else that needs attention.  When she leaves I love to walk through the house and just feel relieved that the house is clean (and I had nothing to do with it).

I used to feel good about trying to do it all ourselves.  Yet, in hindsight, I now realize that I was giving up family time for cleaning time.  Paying for a clean house seems like a small price to pay for more time with James & the kids.  This Saturday we went shopping and came home to a clean house.  God bless Maria. . . and my mom for making me realize that it's okay to lose the pride and take the help.

Yup, I did it

I don't believe I'm actually doing this, but I suppose I will give it a try and see how it goes. I am a lousy friend by my own admission, but I hope I am a better blogger. I rarely call and almost never respond to emails, so I thought my friends and family could keep up with us better if I started a blog. It remains to be seen whether I will remember to call or email to let them know about the blog.

I have often thought to myself how blessed I am to have been born into my family, but it always strikes me that we don't get to choose the circumstances into which we are born. There are many fortunate people in this world and many unfortunate. Often I wonder, 'what did I do to deserve to be one of the fortunate ones?'. Maybe it's a matter of perspective. I don't know, but I was having this same thought the night I titled the blog. I am sure there are much better blog names out there, but this one works for me. I suppose you could say it's a recurring thought for me.

So what makes me think I'm fortunate? the simple stuff. . .
I was born into a loving family, and we always had food to eat and clothes to wear. As far as I was concerned, money was not an issue, so that was all I needed to know. I got to do all the normal "kid stuff" and was fortunate to grow up with 2 siblings.
I met my husband, James, in high school, and we got married ten years later. We had an amazing wedding and honeymoon.

We have since had a baby boy, Jameson, or 'JJ' as he likes to call himself. He is my pride and joy. He changed my life forever the day he was born, and every day he is in my life, he makes it that much better. . . . and if that doesn't seem like enough, we are now waiting on baby number 2 & 3 - yup, twins! Double the work, double the worry, but mostly, double the love.


In my mind, there is no better life than one filled with love, so I guess I like to think that there is no one more fortunate.