Nerd Herd, Minus Two

As many of you may (or may not know), Tim's youngest two kids moved with their mom to Idaho in August.  It has been a huge adjustment for everyone, but in honesty, from what I see and hear in all of the kids; it seems to have been having positive outcomes in all of the kids.

We all knew that Gavyn, being the oldest, would have little to no adjustment period.  He is still surrounded by all of the same friends that he grew up around, playing the same sports, and going to the same school.  It must be hard for a teenage boy to be separated from his mother, but we are all trying to make the best of the situation.  I think that he absolutely loves living with his dad again.  He looks up to Tim, and seems to respect both of us as his authority figures.

Kenzie, who now has a full-time older "brother" with Gavyn living with us, is becoming more and more confident in herself by the day. I think that having Gavyn around, who has to be the most confident, outgoing and smart teenage boy that I've met, is giving her ambition to be just that herself.  I know how much she misses CeCelia every day, but I think that them being apart from each other for longer periods of time, that the times they do get together will be treated differently, and hopefully, they won't take advantage of each other.

Before the move, Cayden always felt that he was stuck in Gavyn's shadow, and felt that he wouldn't be able to distinguish himself from his brother.  Before the move, he had always struggled with his schoolwork, and connecting with his peers.  Since the move, however, it seems that he is completely coming out of his shell.  For the first time in his life, he has made the honor roll at school, and has made a ton of new friends, a lot easier than he ever had here in Minnesota.

CeCelia, I think, is too young to have this situation affect her yet.  She’s a little girl, who is happiest wherever her mom is happy.  She is making the best of the situation, and totally loving her new adventure.  I know that she misses her dad a lot, but knows that she will see him soon!

Needless to say, this has been a rough few months, but it is becoming quite clear that we will all make it through it, and treasure the little things.  Life is not easy, but everything we go through makes us who we are, and make us stronger.  We just need to take it day by day, and stay by each other through everything.  We will come out of this stronger, and have a more solid foundation beneath our family.  I know it!!! I love my family more than anything in the world, and will do everything in my power to make sure everyone is happy!

All Domesticated, and Stuff....

In June, I unexpectedly lost my job. At the time, I thought it was the end of the world, as I have never not had a job, and was so close to driving myself (and everyone around me) absolutely insane.

Since then though, a lot has changed.  All because I have the best man in the world! I am finally content with my situation.  Early on, after my job situation changed, Tim told me not to worry at all.  That we would be okay no matter the status of my employment.

Honestly, nothing makes me more happy than making sure my family is taken care of.  Every day, I bring Gavyn down to Andover for school, and then trek back up to East Bethel to drop Kenzie off.  During the hours (at least until November 1st) that they're at school, I go home and clean like a mad woman. Once afternoon rolls around, I backtrack back down to get Gavyn from school, and come home and cook dinner, while we wait for Kenzie and Tim to get home.  Most days, we're on a tight schedule to get to practice(s) and/or games before I get to relax for an hour prior to passing out every night.

It's amazing how much can change your outlook on subjects (such as being a "housewife").  Before I met Tim, I never knew there was a man out there that would make me as happy as I am, and honestly, I never knew that it was possible to be this happy.  He has made me love taking care of him (and of course, our kids).  I enjoy every minute of our life together, and look forward to whatever life throws at us!

Who'd of Thunk....

Having a teenage step-son brings out all sorts of thoughts in this lady.  This is my second season watching youth football, and MAN-O-MAN is it stressful.

Sitting on the sidelines watching these boys, who have TONS of talent being misused, has to be the most high-tension fun that I've had in a long time.  I absolutely love the emotions brought out on the football field, and watching them grow as a team! I never knew how much I would love football, but I'm so glad that I get to watch them year after year, and be a part of it!

On a side note, Tim was talking to Kenzie this past weekend about what sport(s) she wanted to play next summer.  She did participate in the St Francis (REC) softball league this summer, but it was the worst sports season that I've witnessed.  The teams were ranging in age from 6 to 9, and they didn't even teach them the rules of the game (pitch coach until you hit, no outs, and every batter batted every inning with the last batter automatically getting a 'home run').  He asked her if she wanted to play Fast-pitch Softball, or little league baseball... She JUMPED on the opportunity to play little league! So as soon as football season is done (three more games left), Tim, Kenzie and Gavyn will start getting ready for the upcoming baseball season!  I think the fact that she chose baseball makes the boys very proud!

Needless to say, I'm SOOOOOOOO unbelievably excited to watch Kenzie learn and grow with the sport, and watch another (hopefully GOOD) season of baseball!!!!

Our Spook-tacular Friday Evening

It's been a while since we went out and did something fun for the kids, so on Friday, Tim came up with the idea to take Kenzie to her first haunted house!  She's been talking a lot of game lately with him about how she wouldn't get freaked out during scary movies, or other scary situations, so he thought he'd put it to the test.

We decided to go to "Nightmare Hallow-Scream Park" which has haunted hayrides, a haunted house, and a clown maze!!!

The first thing we did was the haunted hayride.  Sophia (my best friend Shannon's daughter) got the bright idea that we should sit in the very back of the hayride...  At first, Kenzie was completely freaked out, but about halfway through the ride, she was laughing at the characters when they tried to scare us.  At this time, the girls switched perceptions - Sophia was now the one that was getting freaked out, and Kenzie was having the time of her life.

When we were standing in line to get into the haunted house, Tim was psyching Sophia out, and got her so scared, that when she went into the main building to go to the bathroom, she didn't come back!  I am SO not the scary movie/haunted house sort, and during the haunted house, there were several times where Shannon and I grabbed each other and ran for it....  After you got done with the haunted house, you had the choice, either exit the building, or go through the Clown Maze.... OMG, I will NEVER AGAIN do something like that - I'm so freaked out by clowns, yet Tim got us all to go through it...  At the very end of it, Shannon and I took off as fast as we could muster, and at some point, Tim said something to the effect of "I will NEVER see you guys run that fast again..."

After that, Kenzie just HAD to have pictures with all the "bad guys" because she was loving it so much - all in all, it was the best Friday evening we've had in a LONG TIME

                                                

Kenzie and Sophia before the night began.

Shannon and I before we went in

Sophia, Jack Sparrow, and Kenzie

Kenzie with her freaky face painting

Kenzie and Freddie

Sophia and Kenzie after their faces were painted

Kenzie and I after the face painting

What Every Mother Needs At Some Point

It has been dawning on me more and more every day. Plain and simple, Mackenzie is NOT a baby anymore.  I like to pretend that she's still a little tiny 'peanut', but she really isn't anymore...

After attending her fall THIRD GRADE conferences last night, it completely hit me what I have on my hands now.  My beautiful baby girl has blossomed into a very smart and well rounded adolescent.

Her teacher confirmed things that I already knew about Mackenzie, but it is always a great thing for a mother to hear, and was exactly what I needed when I needed it the most.  She told me that Kenzie is above most of her peers in her reading level, and is doing "Excellent" in every aspect of class work.  If/when she is done with her work ahead of others, she will take out a book or extra work and complete it quietly while waiting for everyone else to finish.  She stated that Kenzie is the child in her class that will take anyone and everyone under her wings, and either help them acclimate to a new school, befriend them, or show them how to do things in class.

Hearing such positive things from people who do not know me or my family very well proves to me that I am doing a good job at something.  I have raised such a loving, smart, outgoing and sensitive child, and am so proud to be her mom!

Okay, enough cheesy emotions from this lady for one night!

OH, so Excited!!!!

I know that I've been AWOL for way too long, but guess what?!?

I'M BAAAAACK!!!!!

Oh my goodness!  I cannot contain my excitement any longer!!!

My family and I will be moving out of St Francis, and back into Andover!  While we've all enjoyed living out in B.F.E (Bum F*$k Egypt), I think I speak for all of us, that the drive to do absolutely ANYTHING is driving us insane!  Not to mention the fact that the two kids that live with us full time are attending schools in different school districts which means LOTS O DRIVING for this mom (aka Amy's Taxi Service).

In 22 days (yes, the countdown has officially taken over my daily life), I get to begin turning a house into OUR home! It may not be the ideal housing situation, but the house has so much potential, and it will be US in no time!

I've already picked out colors for EVERY wall in the house, and now that I'm an official "housewife", I will have all day, every day, to pour my heart and soul into this project.

I can't wait to show y'all the "before & afters" that all of my blood, sweat, and tears will soon be poured into!!!!

What Can of Worms Did I Open?!?!?!.......

Never have I had the space (or the want) to host a family holiday until the past few months.

My outlook on everything has completely changed in the past year, and now that we DO have the space, I jumped on the first chance I got. The thing is, now that it's days away, I'm kind of wondering what the heck I signed us up for!!!!!

I did the math, and what's usually 10-15 people has turned into THIRTY!!!!! Seriously, I'm kind of freaking out here…. I know that everything is going to go smoothly, and it'll be a blast, but at the same time, 30 people to cook for (appetizers, entrees, and deserts) and host is outside my comfort zone a little, not to mention the clean up afterwards!!

I had all these ideas of what to do for the kids (Easter egg hunts, Easter baskets, games), and the foods to make, but now that it's in 4 days, and I haven't even started the shopping, my mind is in fifty-million different places, and I have no clue where to even begin!

~~~INSERT SCREAMING MOM NOISE HERE~~~~

Let the planning and shopping (not to mention cleaning) begin in T minus 7 hours I guess…. I hope Tim's ready to tackle this one with me!

On the bright side, check out the awesome decorations Kenzie and I made this weekend!

Lucky, LUCKY Lady....

.....Why YES, I am!

Not a minute goes by that I am not aware of how truly lucky I am! I can go on for hours here, but here's a few reasons:

1. I'm in love with my best friend, who totally gets me and all my little quirks. Even when I TRY be a pain in the butt, sad, mad, or whatever emotion, he has this way of bringing me back to my happy place, which is wherever he and the kids are.
2. I have four of the best children EVER in my life. Three may not be "mine" but I still love them as if they were! It's great to see them grow over time, and I'm so excited to see what they'll all do with their lives.
3. My family is absolutely amazing, and supporting of me. Throughout everything life has thrown my way, they've always been there to help me through it, and I know that they always will be.
4. I have an absolutely FABULOUS group of special ladies I'm lucky to call my friends. Even though we may not talk every day, or see each other as much as we'd all like, I know that I can always count on them (and I hope they know that I'll always do whatever I can to be there for them as well).
5. For five years now (as of yesterday), I have had an awesome job, in which I love not only what I do, but the people around me. I've grown up a lot while I've been there (starting as a 22 year old coming into my first "grown up" job, to establishing myself in my career) and am excited to KEEP growing for as long as I can.

I've reached a point in my life where things are finally going in a positive route, and I look forward to what each day brings my way. Yes, there are times when I don't feel this positive about things, but when I step away for a minute or two, and look at everything I have in my life, it becomes crystal clear that I am EXACTLY where I want to be, and wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

Oh, the time has come. . .

So those who know me, know that I loved to hate my '05 Saturn Ion.

WELL, I'm happy to say that we've moved on up, in a FABULOUS way instead of dumping more and more in a POS car :)

The other day, we picked up a 2011 Dodge Charger, and I couldn't be happier with that choice!

Not only are we riding in style now, but this car so far is averaging way better gas mileage than my Saturn ever did! (doesn't hurt that the kids all love it as well).

My 'NINJA'

This family has a weird obsession with infomercials ;) For months on end, I have been hearing about how cool the Ninja blender is, and how badly we need one.

Well, folks, we finally caved in this weekend, and bought the 'Ninja', and I have to admit, it is the coolest blender I've ever used. Anything that puts this big of a smile on Tim's face is awesome in my eyes!!!!! I'm super excited to see what this bad boy (the ninja, not Tim) can do in the kitchen!!!!!!

Nerd Herd + Three = Entertaining Evening

Saturday afternoon/night, in addition to our regular nerds, we had two more teenage boys and another tween (so SEVEN kids altogether). Lets just say, I learned a LOT that night, about what goes on in the minds of teenage boys....

The entire herd spent the afternoon outside, since it was absolutely gorgeous out, until dark, and that's when things got interesting in my eyes.

I never knew what teenage boys did at sleepovers, and now I do (at least these nerds!)....

When I went downstairs to swap the laundry, what I walked into made me seriously Laugh my A$$ off!!!!! Who would have thought that when you put three 13 year old, and two 10 year old boys in a ginormous basement full of space, that you would find them having a Cartwheel contest?!?!??! Tim and I literally stood there laughing for like a half hour at the crazy amount of fun, and horrible cartwheels, heel kicks, and somersaults that these boys were doing. I haven't laughed that hard in god knows how long.

Picture of the day, March 26, 2012

Just another lazy Sunday at home :-) Couldn't resist taking a pic of these two

JJ ~ Dog, or Toddler.......

I told Tim before, that I always end up with the weirdest animals, and last night it became clear that JJ is no exception!

When we went to bed last night, JJ was shut in our room with us, just like every other night since we got him. Just like every other night, I woke up around 3 a.m., but this time something was off. I realized that the dog was not in our bed, and our bedroom door was wide open!!!!

WTF…… When this clicked in my head, I started looking everywhere in the house for him. I thought that he might have gone to lay with Mackenzie in her room, but nope…… After searching the whole house quietly, not wanting to wake Kenzie or Tim up, I heard some crying coming from downstairs. When I went back to the basement, all of the doors were still closed, but I couldn't find him anywhere…..

….. WELL…. Somehow, the silly animal got himself locked in the bathroom. Man, was he happy to see me. After I got him out, he came with me back upstairs, and went right back to sleep. When it was time to wake up at 5:30, I was completely sandwiched between the dog and man sleeping on either sides of me.

I think we need a different door knob on our bedroom, so he can't open the door(s) anymore at night and explore to prevent him from locking himself in another undisclosed location!

~~~SIGH~~~

A Year Already!??!

I just realized that in less than a month, we will have been together for a year already! This year has been by far, the best year of my life. It's so hard to believe that it's only (and already) been a year with the best man I could have ever dreamed of finding. Sometimes, it honestly feels like I have known him forever, yet when you stop and look at things, we've barely begun to scratch the surface with each other. I don't know and don't care if that is a good or bad thing, all I know is that I'm going to do everything in my power to keep it that way.

When I met Tim yes, I appreciated what I had in life, but now I see things totally different, and I have a completely altered view on every little thing in my life. Instead of going out with the girls when I had a night here and there to go drink, I would much rather stay home with Tim and do absolutely nothing. Yeah, I tell myself "we need to go OUT" but then when we actually do go out to the bar or something, I realize how over-rated it is, and how I'd much rather be at home. Before I met him, yes I would cook, but I didn't "enjoy" it like I do now, or strive to do better with every meal I cook like I have since we met. I could go on and on with the things that have cliqued in me within the past year, but who wants to read all that mumbling!?!

I never thought that I would be able to find someone that didn't drive me nuts, but oh my goodness, am I glad that I got lucky, and found him. We don't have a ton in common, but we offset each other perfectly in my eyes, which I think is even better.

Every day, I look forward to what is going to come my way, and I'm super excited to grow with him and our family over the upcoming years! I’m not ashamed to let anyone and everyone who will listen how truly happy I am. Even if I'm just talking to myself, I love saying it, because FINALLY, it's true :)

Until next time…..

Our New Addition!

So, Friday afternoon, we decided to take a jaunt over to the humane society to see if they had any dogs that fit what we thought we wanted.

Needless to say, we found exactly what we were looking for in JJ. He's right around 1 year old, and the sweetest little dude :) So far, he seems to be a very well behaved dog, and I'm excited to see how he blends into the family. Mackenzie found out we bought the dog yesterday (so a couple days after we got him, since she hadn't been home all weekend) when we picked her up. Since she's always wanted a dog, but never had one, she's in little girl heaven right about now!

Picture of the day, March 19, 2012

Happy St. Patrick's Day :)

Picture of the day March 15, 2012

All I can say is I love these girls!

New 'do, New You?!

So yesterday, while sitting at the office, I realized how much my hair was driving me bonkers! I started looking for new cute styles, and decided to revert back to the trusty bob! I called the salon and set up an appointment for that evening, because I know me, and know that if I didn't go in yesterday, I would definitely chicken out, and keep "trying" to grow it out more.

Even though I had to use a stylist that I haven't used before (since mine was completely booked for the week), I still toughed it out. I almost cried when I saw all the hair on the ground afterward, and it may take a while to grow on me, but I'm hoping that I'll love it as much as everyone else seems to!

Food, Food, and MORE FOOOD!!!!

I don't know if everyone feels this way, but there is no better feeling than when your family LOVES what they eat, especially when you're the one that's making it! I love making my family happy, and it makes me happy when they let me know they appreciate what I do for them (which is quite often), makes everything worthwhile!

Lately, I've been on the prowl for new, fun recipes to cook, and have found one that the ENTIRE herd loved. When you're family consists of four kids, and two adults, it is RARE (at least this far, for me), that EVERYONE loves what you cook, so this is a MUST SHARE!

I've made Calzones twice now, altering the recipe with ingredients that have been a hit in my homemade pizza rolls, and both times, the entire family tells me how gooooooood they are!!!!!

The other night, when I was making dinner, one of the kids came up to me and told me he wanted the "inside out pizza" and how much he likes them. This is one of the best feelings EvEr!

You Make Me Want to...........

To be frank, in the past, I have generally been the type of person that gets sick of people super fast, or just nitpicks to find something about them that completely turns me off, and then I run away and never look back. I was totally prepared for this to happen between Tim and I, but decided that this time, I was going to take things one day at a time, and enjoy each and every moment when it was happening.

Never have I met someone that I get along with, and agree on 90% of things with. And then, I met Tim. From day one, things have been effortless, bettween us. When it became clear to me that this relationship was more than anything I'd ever been a part of before, it made me want to be a better person, all around.

Don't get me wrong, before meeting him, I would cook and clean (not to mention all my other mommy duties), but nowhere near to the extent that I do now, and I did NOT enjoy it most of the time. I just thought of it as something that wouldn't get done if I didn't do it myself. NOW, however, I am in my happy place when I'm cooking, baking, or cleaning the house!!!! I absolutely love doing these things for my family, and I know how much it's appreciated (most of the time).

There are times, however, that I'll admit that I feel the opposite. Like when a kid comes up to me, and tells me I'm like a house-maid because I'm always cleaning something. I don't want them to see me like this at all, but I also don't want them to live in a messy house!!!!! I get over those moments VERY fast! It's so hard to stay mad when I know how much GOOOOOD I have in my life, and a man who goes out of his way when he notices me getting "pissy" to either make me feel dumb for over-reacting, or makes me pretty much fall to the floor laughing so hard at something stupid!

Until next time.......

Our first "Date"

New relationships have always been a little awkward in my eyes, but with Tim and me, it's been nothing but the opposite since the beginning (minus a few awkward moments over the past year).

The night we met, he had told me that he wanted to show me what a real first date should be!! Sure enough, a couple weeks after we met, he took me on my favorite "first" date that I had (or hopefully will) ever been on.

His venue of choice was an awesome place in Uptown called Chino Latinos. If you've never been there, I would highly recommend it. It's street food from all over, and absolutely DELICIOUS! The atmosphere at Chinos makes it very hard to have awkward silence, and is very inviting!

A side plus, who isn't absolutely stoked to buy a cute new dress (and have a reason to actually wear it)!?!

I've already said it once, but ever since day one, things between us have been absolutely effortless, and being with him feels so right all the way down to my toes. Throughout the evening, there was never odd silence, it was quite the opposite in fact. We talked in depth about our children, jobs, hobbies, and much much more!

Oh, the changes......

Our story started almost exactly a year ago already <3 <3 <3 <3

One of my girlfriends had roped me into going on a date with someone we met at a bar, and let me just say, it was the WORST first date, EVER, but the one of the best days of my life!

To start with, this guy brought me to a hole-in-the-wall dive bar at three o'clock on a Saturday afternoon (well, I drove myself, and he rode his bicycle there...) to play bar bingo and eat some food. Over numerous cocktails, he proceeded to tell me how he was banned from the bar by his house for life, and couldn't remember what he did to provoke that. Not the kind of thing that you want to hear on a first date, especially when you're a single mom (just ScReAmS bad role-model, if you ask me)...

By this point, I decided I was going to milk the date, and get myself a good (FREE) buzz on! Later that night, I saw someone walk in, and was instantly attracted! Turned out this man that just walked into my life went to high school with the guy I was on a "date" with.

He sat with us and started chatting, and we sort of cliqued right away! Shortly after we started chatting, I ran out of cigarettes (I know, you don't need to say anything), and I asked this mystery man if he could drive me to the gas station since I was in no shape to drive there myself. We exchanged numbers, and went back to the bar.

When we got back, his buddy had arrived, so I went back to the "date" but we kept texting each other. When it was closing time, they both ended up coming back to my apartment, and had another drink with me :-) I've been head over heals in love with this man since I first laid eyes on him that night....

I know it's not all roses and champagne, but I have never been this happy in my life, and I look forward to every minute and every day that I have with him and our crazy little family.

In the coming posts, I hope to convey a lot of different things:

1. Different reasons I love him
2. Watching my awesome daughter adapt to not being an only child anymore (one of four now!)
3. Me being something I never thought I would be (DOMESTICATED) and all that goes with that!
4. Everything else I love about our family and the crazy things we do/say/think

Until next time <3 <3 <3