Nine is so Fine!

I am shocked to discover it has been almost two years since I last blogged, ok, I now see I did blog last year, just never posted it!. I've now started looking at this blog as a place for memories, a place my children can one day look back on to remind them of all the things we did together.  I will, once again, commit to making an effort to update more often.

Yesterday we celebrated Molly's 9th birthday.  I know I say it often, but I can hardly believe my sweet Molly-Pops has been here 9 years, already.  What a great year she had, she played baseball for the first time last year, proudly serving as the only girl on the team! Boy, were we impressed.  Come fall we signed her up for girl's softball and she was a natural.  She played short stop right away! One of the funniest things I heard, and it is so typical Molly, was her coach, Coach Ramie Brown, describing his first encounter with Molly:

Apparently he hit the ball to Molly, while she was on shortstop, and the ball went between her legs (this was one of their first practices):

Coach: "Molly! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
Molly: "Coach! What are YOU doing?!"

Coach said he had to stop, scratch his head, and think, "What AM I doing?" Laughing wholeheartedly the entire time.

This is our Molly. She is fierce, competitive, sensitive and loving.  She wears her emotions on her sleeves. Julio says, like her Mama, she can cause the barometer of the house to change, at a moments notice, just by entering the room.  She is a force to be reckoned with, but loving and sweet at the same time.

Molly's favorites this year: Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, Teen Titans, Super Girl, Tacos, Softball, Gamecocks, Her best friend Hannah, Her third grade teacher Mrs. Didelot, Swimming, Horror movies, Her kindle, Country Music (she went to her first concert this year-Big and Rich), and cuddling.

In the past, Molly struggled with asthma like symptoms when she'd get a cold.  We suffered many a night with the nebulizer and dose after dose of albuteral and steroids.  Well, since visiting the allergist last year, Molly has not had to use the nebulizer since Spring of LAST year! She does take daily doses of two different allergy pills, but so far that is doing the trick.  We are all so very relieved.

I am so proud to be her Mom.  She is immensely talented, fiercely funny, and very smart. She loves wholeheartedly, feels deeply, and loves her family above all else.

Every year I watch Molly grow more independent, courageous, determined and strong. This kid is a leader, not a follower and I am so proud of her.  She is the epitome of a "strong willed" child, and while this certainly presents some challenges, it is a characteristic that should serve her quite well all her life.  Yes, she is stubborn, and demands things go her way, and this can be quite a challenge as a parent, however, this past year I saw her begin to learn to be more forgiving, and teachable, learning to say "I'm sorry, I was wrong" a little sooner and a little easier than she had in the past.  She is learning and she is simply an amazing kid and one I, again, am so very proud of.

I love you, Molly Pops, always and forever.

"Hush little "mini-me" don't say a word..." Momma will love you forever and a day.

3 Years, Already?

"You don't raise heroes, you raise sons. And if you treat them like sons, they'll turn out to be heroes, even if it's just in your own eyes."

Author: Walter M. Schirra, Sr.

 I can hardly believe another year has passed, my sweet baby boy turned 3 this past week.  I've said it before, but wow, what fun boys are!  My little guy will tell you and anyone that asks he is "Momma's Boy" (not to be confused with a momma boy).  He is loving, cuddly and just an overall sweet kid.  Of course Julio will tell you my opinion is slightly colored as apparently Zach has learned he needs only have one person in his corner and that's his Mom.  


Julio will rebuke him and he will cozy up to me and try and give me this big cheesy grin as if to say, "c'mon Mom, it's ME? Remember? I can do this, or get away with that, right?"  I hate to admit it but I do melt, every.single.time.  I do not however always give in.  I do quite often break his little heart and send him to time outs as well.

I have enjoyed watching my little boy grow and develop his favorite things.  Around the time he turned 2 his favorite movie was "Annie".  He would come home from his Dad's, or anywhere for that matter, and would immediately starting shouting for "Annie".  This phase passed and "Alvin and the Chimpmunks the Squeakual" took it's place.  Next came "Jaws".  Yes, my two year old (and his 3 year old sister) have fallen in love with this horror flick.  I'm not sure whether to be frightened or proud of the fact they simply watch to movie and laugh at the special effects.  

 Around Christmas time, Zach's favorite became Thomas the tank engine and Chuggington.  This lasted about six months, though he still likes Thomas, he discovered Buzz Lightyear was pretty cool, and now the current favorite is definitely "Cars", specifically "Mater".  This brings us to his birthday that was filled with all things "Mater".  Luckily "Cars" memorabilia are much, much cheaper than Thomas paraphernalia.  I only wonder what will be next.  Currently his room is decorated in Gamecock gear, a train table that is covered in Thomas the Train, army men, Buzz Lightyear and dinosaurs.  Oh the difference between girls and boys.  I have relished every moment of watching him develop and become more of a little boy and less of a baby boy.  After years of baby dolls, Disney Princesses, pink, pink and more pink, it has been a lot of fun to welcome, cars, trucks, and trains into my life.  Everyone told me boys were so different, especially in the way they love their Momma's.  I am so glad to be able to say they are so right.  The love between a mother and a son is one of life's treasures.  Don't get me wrong a mother and a daughter have a special bond, but there is just something about a son.

Happy 3rd Birthday, baby boy!

"Build me a son, O Lord, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid, one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, and humble and gentle in victory."

Author: Douglas MacArthur

Happy 4th Birthday Molly-Pops!

Today my sweet, sweet Molly, or "Molly-Pops" as we like to call her, is four years old. Wow. Time has flown, yet it seems like yesterday that I was in the hospital anxiously awaiting her arrival.  So many words can be used to describe my baby girl: dynamic, larger than life, strong, funny, smart, athletic, girlie, and loving. 

Molly is a child of extremes. When she was a baby, all buckled and secure in her car seat, nothing made her happier than when I would swing her car seat back and forth. By swing, I mean a 180 degree angle, back and forth, rapidly. She like to be rocked as well, but rocked quickly, not gently. She was climbing my chest of drawers and to the tops of my counters by 2, could hang upside down on the swing set by 2 and has yet to slow down.  She is athletic and extremely strong. 


Today Molly is with her Dad. I did go up to her school to take special pink cupcakes with pink icing and sugared pearl sprinkles. She jumped into my arms as I walked in the room. I was able to hang out with her for about 30 minutes. I read to her class and held her the entire time. It was really hard being away from her today, but I am concentrating on her special party we have planned for Saturday.  This will be her first party with friends, not just family invited. I am planning on hot dogs, smores and a pinata! I really am not sure who is more excited, Molly or me. 

Molly has a laugh and a smile that starts at her toes and spreads through her body to the top of her head. When she laughs you can't help but laugh with her. You will do anything to keep her laughing and smiling because when she is sad she can break your heart.  I have been through many heartbreaking moments with Molly, a lot of these coming when she was sick. Molly and I have spent many long nights together as she struggled to breathe. Molly suffers from asthma like symptoms when she gets a bad cold. For the past several years I have feared the change in seasons in the Fall and Spring, as this was when her episodes flared up. Last Spring was especially difficult and Molly and I spent several nights rushing to the emergency room, once even being transported to the Children's Hospital via ambulance. These were all very scary, truly terrifying events for me. It is awful to see your child struggling to breathe and not be able to do anything about it. I had to learn how to be calm in order to calm her. As difficult as these nights were for us, I am so glad I was able to be there with her. Every breath I helped her take, every tear I wiped from her eyes just helped us grow closer. I am hopeful that Molly is starting to out grow these episodes. Abby was about this age when she outgrew them and Molly had a much smoother fall season and so far it has been months since we have had to use the nebulizer.  


I could go on and on about this child, about her love for her older sisters, her amazing closeness to her baby brother, her intelligence, etc, but what Mom couldn't about her kids?? Today, Molly is four. I am so proud to be her Mother. She is an amazing little girl that amazes me more every single day. I cherish every moment with her (as I do with all my kids) and so look forward to watching her grow and become an amazing person.

The Year of Thomas and Peace

Apparently this Christmas will forever been known as the year of Thomas the Train and Peace signs. If there is anything with Thomas the train on it that we don't own at this point I would be very surprised. We have Thomas books, Thomas DVD's, Thomas underwear, Thomas shirts, Thomas pants, Thomas pajamas, a Thomas jacket, 3 different Thomas trains, a Thomas train table, a Thomas pillow, the list goes on...Zach is a full fledged Thomas fanatic.

Then there is my funky style, peace sign loving, Abby. If it has a peace sign on it she loves it. She has definitely developed her own sense of style: a little funky but very girlie. She wears a mixture of several different bracelet styles on each wrist, loves to layer a short sleeve, peace sign tee shirt over a long one, and of course, the jeans must have peace signs on them. She is currently pining away for a fancy pair of sneakers that are pink, glittery and has what else but peace signs all over them.  If you look closely you will be able to see peace signs on the pink jammies she has on in the picture to the right!

Then there is Molly. Molly has fallen in love with the Care Bears.  Bethanie can be credited with introducing Molly to the Bears. She arrived on the scene with 3 in tow and ever since Molly as secretly, and no so secretly, coveted them.  The look on her face when she opened her Bedtime Bear from Nana was priceless. She was completely surprised and totally smitten.  Her collection includes a computer game, a movie and several coloring books. She has already added Sunshine Bear to her wish list for her birthday, which is in 3 weeks.  This is a very bright child. As soon as Christmas was over she quickly remember her birthday is coming up quickly and began to put in her requests!

Sweet Bethanie has found hours of enjoyment with Polly Pockets. I really knew she would. She loves to play with Barbies and I had a feeling she would love these as well. Nana gave her a Polly Pocket doll house that she has provided her with endless entertainment.  I hope to be able to continue to add to her Polly collection, as it really is right up her ally. Bethanie is, of all the girls, our most "girlie", from the way she plays to the dainty way she walks. She is our princess.

Seems these children are starting to find their individual identities. It is a pleasure to watch them discover the things that make them happy. It is also quite enjoyable to watch how different they all are and for them to learn to embrace those differences, as we do.

Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

One of my favorite Christmas memories from my childhood is from when I first began questioning the existence of Santa Claus. I was about 8 years old and I can remember my Mom coming in to my room one night and reading to me the famous letter below from a fellow doubting little girl. I have found as I have grown the words to hit me a little differently and mean different things each time I have read it. This morning I had the opportunity to sit down with MY 8 year old and share this very same letter and amazing message. Did she understand all its underlying messages, doubtful, as neither did I as a young, innocent 8 year old. However, it is a tradition I will continue to share with her and hope, perhaps, one day she will share it with her own children and learn from it even then as I did this morning. Merry Christmas.

This was first published in New York's Sun as an unsigned editorial on September 21, 1897:

Question: 

Dear Editor,
I am eight years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says "If you see it in the Sun it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?

Virginia O'Hanlon.
115 W.95th St

Answer: 

VIRGINIA, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus. It would be as dreary as if there were no VIRGINIAS. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if they did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, VIRGINIA, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank GOD! he lives, and he lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Still Here!

Hi everyone! I know, I know, you probably don't even remember me! I miss my writing and you guys! It has been a crazy few months, but I believe things are finally settling down to a solid routine. I am feeling more at ease and happy with the transition with the kids, things are going great with Julio and Bethanie and I really couldn't be happier.

Abby is doing really great in school, Molly and Zach have adapted to daycare and are doing so well, Bethanie is even becoming her own person. The blossoming in all the kids that has already occurred this year is astounding.

I am going to try and get back to writing on a more regular basis and I hope you guys will all come back! I look forward to reading your updates and checking back in with all of you!

What a Weekend!

Want to see how our first weekend blended together went? All 8 of us? Then check us out over here:

http://sosfamilysos.blogspot.com/

This is where we will post a lot more pictures and details of our time together. For those of you that MIGHT be interested! 

Daddy's Hands

I am very blessed in that I had two wonderful, yet very different, Dads. They both helped raise me, had a lot to do with who I am today, they both loved me and nurtured me. I have written a lot about my step-dad, Eric, but not a lot about my biological Dad. Today, as I am missing my step-dad so very much, it struck me that my bio Dad is still here and I should honor him today.


Dad and I had a difficult time for quite awhile. He married a wonderful woman who was raising three girls on her own, as their Dad didn't really have a lot to do with them. My Dad, being the type of man he is, saw where Eric was doing such a great job with us, he felt my step-mom's girls needed him a bit more than we did. In doing this Dad missed a lot. He acknowledges this fact. Our relationship has come a long way and I choose to focus on the good times and be grateful for the relationship I have with him today.


I can remember as a little girl, before my parents divorced, sitting in Dad's lap watching "Dukes of Hazard", "Hee Haw", or "CHiPS" while eating peanut butter and jelly on saltines. He'd put the peanut butter and jelly in a bowl, mix it up, then we'd spread it on the crackers. This is just a really strong memory I have.  I remember him tickling me, watching him as he worked on stain glass in his work shop, and comforting me. If I had a nightmare Dad would come in my room, read a bit of the Bible to me and I would calm down.


There was a popular song in the 80's and it, to this day, always makes me think of my Dad:

I remember Daddy´s hands, folded silently in prayer.
And reaching out to hold me, when I had a nightmare.
You could read quite a story, in the callouses and lines.
Years of work and worry had left their mark behind.

I remember Daddy´s hands, how they held my Mama tight,
And patted my back, for something done right.
There are things that I´ve forgotten, that I loved about the man,
But I´ll always remember the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

I remember Daddy´s hands, working 'til they bled.
Sacrificed unselfishly, just to keep us all fed.
If I could do things over, I´d live my life again.
And never take for granted the love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love in Daddy´s hands.

Daddy's hands were soft and kind when I was cryin´.
Daddy´s hands, were hard as steel when I´d done wrong.
Daddy´s hands, weren´t always gentle
But I´ve come to understand.
There was always love...
In Daddy´s hands.

Nowadays Dad lives about an hour and a half from me. He comes down when he can. He loves his grandkids. He calls them every Sunday night around 5, calls me every Wednesday and is usually here for a visit every 6 weeks or so. But, if I need anything he is always a phone all away. Dad is great with his hands, he has fixed my tile, put in an over the stove microwave for me, upgraded my kitchen faucets, bought and put together a swing set for my kids, the list goes on and on.  Dad loves doing this kind of thing. He has always been good with his hands and I am very grateful!

So on this very special day, it is important to remember there are lots of different kinds of Dad's out there. I am grateful and so very thankful that I had two that loved me so very much. I learned a lot from both of them. I am hoping that my kids are as fortunate as I was. As I learned from my step-family, there's a lot more than biology that makes a family. The most important thing is love.

What a Way to Wake Up!

As if she knew I blogged about her yesterday and wanted to prove a point, Molly began our day very early today. Like before 6 am early. I awoke to screams and fighting from the girls' room. I quickly ran across the house and into their room to discover the girls in the throes of a shouting match. 


Seems, for whatever reason, Molly woke up and decided to pour a bottle of water all over Abby. Of course Abby was awakened from a deep sleep and quite upset about it. To get back at Molly, Abby took Molly's blanket and threw it in Zach's crib. Ok, so now we have Zach involved and awake. A perfect trifecta at shortly before 6am. Seriously? No, I must be dreaming, please God, let me be dreaming. Let me still be tucked cozy in my warm, comfy bed.


Nope. This was no dream. I did my best to sort it all out, dry Abby off and get them resting a bit before Abby needed to dress for school.


Fast forward an hour or so.  Abby is successfully on her school bus and Molly is, I thought, quietly watching TV. Wrong again. I find Molly in her room, she had pulled Abby's mattress off her bed (this child is insanely strong, just a perfect accompaniment to her strong personality), and had a vast majority of Abby's pajamas strewn all about their room as she proceeded to try on each and every one of them. I could NOT believe my eyes. I seriously just wanted to turn around and pretend I had not seen any of it. 


The best part? Molly actually thought she was being a "good girl" because she hadn't been under my feet as I was waking up and getting ready for work. She was actually quite proud of herself!  I am telling ya'll this child is something else.


Now by the time we all got back home this evening we were all worn out. Molly spent the bath with her head in Abby's lap while Abby stroked her hair. Those two are as close as I have ever seen two sisters. Even after a cold, wet, morning wake up call. That is what it's all about.  That is what makes it all worthwhile. That is a love like no other.


 It is now 7:30 and the kids have all been asleep about 20 minutes. They are all fighting colds and struggled through a very long day. I have a feeling we will NOT be waking up quite as early in the morning.  At least I sincerely hope we won't!

What a Weekend!

We had a great weekend. Julio arrived (after a bit of car trouble) on Friday about midday and it was non stop fun from then out.  We took the kids to Magnolia Plantation with my Mom and brother and rode the train that takes you all around the plantation. This was especially appropriate on Saturday as it was the one year anniversary of my Dad's death and he used to drive the train/conduct the tours before he became ill.

Then we took the kids to the petting zoo located on the grounds of Magnolia Plantation. They had a great time looking at the peacocks, deer, bunnies, snakes, bobcats, roosters, owls, etc...

By this time the kids were pretty worn out, of course so were the big kids, so Molly decided to show us the way to the car:

On Sunday we had a birthday party for Bethanie and the kids played dress up!

I think Bethanie was pretty happy with her birthday party and could not wait to show her Dad how appreciative she was:

What a great weekend family filled weekend we enjoyed. The girls played so well together. It is amazing how quiet my house feels right now.  Unfortunately due to some horrible car trouble as I write this Bethanie and Julio have yet to make it home, they left here at 8:00 this morning. It has been a very trying day for us, but it does NOT take away from the amazing time we all had together.

Our Christmas Weekend

Whew. What a whirlwind few days. I can hardly believe it is all over or that I have already been off from work for four days. Thankfully my boss was kind enough to give me one more day. Then I only have to work 3 before I get another long weekend.

We had a great few days. We are fortunate to be able to stay home, since we are the ones with the young kids. My Mom and brother came over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. My Dad and Stepmom came down on Christmas Day. Then Ed's Dad and his girlfriend and Ed's sister and her son came and spent Saturday with us. His sister and son spent the night Saturday night and we had a great time with a Wii tournament.

On Sunday we visited Ed's 90 year old Grandmother who still lives in her house in Charleston. I also took down all our Christmas decorations and tried to get my house as back to normal as possible. I have given up and now realize my living room will be owned by my kids toys. At least for a few more years. Up until now I have done a pretty good job of keeping toys in their rooms. However, now that Ed stays home with the kids and they are here all day most days, I suppose I can't expect them to only play in their room. So I have a nice straw basket we have placed in one corner, currently overflowing with toys. Santa also brought Zach a big Tonka road map rug to play with his cars on that has been placed in that corner. Add in the Wii and Wii fit and I have thrown in the towel of my house looking like it belongs to any adults. I guess I am now "living" in my living room...there are worse things in life!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your family and friends. Just 363 more days and we get to do it all over again! Time to start shopping...

Our Thanksgiving Weekend

What a great, busy weekend we had. Lots of family, food, wine, memories, football and good times. Here are a few pictures that I think capture the spirit better than any words from me ever could:

Our Gamecocks won, we had lots of family here to enjoy it with us, and we even managed to get a bunch of shopping done! I lost count of just how many football games we all watched, how much wine, rum, seven and food was consumed, but it was tons of fun! Hope everyone had as great a holiday as we did!