My wonderful family

When people tell me that Sissy is the spitting image of me, I always respond with, “Yeah, but she acts just like her Daddy”

That’s not entirely true though. Sissy acts a LOT like me and Bubba acts a LOT like Hubby.

Sissy has the same stubbornness, dramatic, cries about everything attitude. As bad as I hate to admit it, so do I. Bubba has a more laid back, happy go lucky, but don’t tick me off attitude..just like his Daddy. That is why Bubba and I get along and Sissy and I clash so often. And the same with why Hubby and Bubba clash and him and Sissy get along.

There are things, however, that Sissy does that is all Hubby, and the same with Bubba. There are things that he does, that is all me.

For instance, Bubba likes to be social. The more people around him, the happier he is. I’m the same way. I love being around a crowd of people…that I know of course. We get upset when people don’t include us. Sissy and Hubby both would rather be by themselves, doing their own thing. They get upset if people try to include them.

When it comes to sleeping, Bubba and I, have to have the blankets perfect and straight, and can’t stand to have our heads covered. Sissy and Hubby, on the other hand, can sleep with the blankets cock-eyed and bunched up, with their entire bodies bundled up. I love that our children are so much like each of us that it we can’t deny them…not that we would want to.

They are our light and our joy. They are more than we could ever imagine. They are why we live in the moment. They are…our children.

**Note: These pictures are from Jan of this year (almost 6 months ago).

Heading for a break-down…wait, already had one!

So besides my SUYL-Proposal Story that I just posted, I haven’t done a post in almost 3 weeks! WOW

It’s not because I’ve been busy, but quite the opposite. I’ve been very boring!! Hubby has been working out of town for the past 3 weeks..hopefully this is his last week…and he hasn’t had his normal 3 days on, 3 days off. So we haven’t had a chance to do much of anything.

We did, however, manage to go to his grandparents yesterday on his day off and paint their deck. They are out of town for their annual blue grass festival, so we decided to go out there and get it painted as a nice surprise when they get back home. We still have do a little touch up on the floor but it won’t take us that long.

I’ve been having some major hormonal issues to the point where I had a break-down in Bubba’s room the other evening. With Hubby working all the time, I haven’t had a chance to relax without having to deal with kids for more than 5 minutes. Even during the night or nap time, one of them seems to constantly be crying for some reason or another.

The other day it all became too much for me. I sat down in Bubba’s floor and lost it. I was thinking about how much I needed a break from the kids, which led to me feeling like a horrible mom for feeling like a needed a break from them. I then realized that I didn’t feel like cooking supper for the second night in a row, which meant no supper ready for Hubby when he got home from a long day at work. We ended up eating Pizza and Mac-n-Cheese both nights…yes that’s how bad it’s been.

Last night, after painting in the heat all day, I definitely didn’t feel like standing over the hot stove or grill and cook. So we ordered out from my favorite steak/bbq place. Hubby is working today though, and I plan on making a nice meal to make up for the past 3 nights of not using my kitchen for more than dirtying it up!  Chicken, steaks, baked potato casserole, corn on the cob, and rolls. How long til supper?!?!

SUYL-Proposal Story

So the topic over at Kelly’s Korner – Show Us Your Life today is Proposal Stories. Hubby and my story isn’t that intriguing but I will share it none-the-less.

When Hubby and I first started dating, I had just recently filed for divorce from my ex-husband. Hubby and I had been talking about marriage after being together for about a month or so (yes I know that was a little soon, but we had known each other and been friends for 4 years prior, and it just felt right). My divorce wasn’t final yet, and we knew that we didn’t want to rush right into it anyways.

The day my lawyer called me and told me that my divorce was final was a very memorable day. It was a cold January day. I was at work, and Hubby was at home sleeping (he worked nights at the time) when I got the call. When I got of work, I went to the bakery and I had them write “It’s Final” on a big cookie cake. I then bought some little votive candles and a single red rose.

When I got to Hubby’s house, I arraigned the candles in a circle and lit them, and placed the cookie under the couch. I went and woke him up (it was about time for him to get up and get ready for work anyways!)  and asked him to come out to the living room. While he was waking up enough to walk in there, I went and sat in the middle of the candles with the rose in my hand.

He walked out and I said, “Will you marry me?” He smiled and said, “I told you that I would”. “Tomorrow?” I asked. When he got the look of question on his face, I pulled out the cookie and said, “Because ‘It’s Final’”! He picked me up, grabbed me around the waist, and gave me a huge hug!

Within a few days, we went and picked out a ring, and set a date for Sept 19, 2002, eight months away.

Seasons Change

This is me with my little sister.

My little sister turns 14 at the end of this year…two more years and you better make sure your are not on the same road as her.

There is a 14 1/2 year age difference between us, with no one in between. I was my mother’s only child, with the exception of step-children, until she came along. I had a big hand in raising her for the first 3 years of her life. When she cried it was always, “Get your sister!” When she needed changed, “Change your sister!” When she needed to eat, well after she was weaned from my mother, it was, “Go fix your little sister a bottle!”

When I got married to my ex-husband, I was quite relieved that I was able to get a break from raising a child at the age of 18. Little did I know, I would quickly miss her.  6 months after my ex and I married, we moved 3 hours away from my little sister. Thankfully, 6 months later, we moved back. Four months after that my ex and I split up. There were a lot of reasons for that split, but one of the them was the fact that he was NOT very nice to my little sister. He would yell at her and tell her to leave us alone. She was 4 years old.

When Hubby and I got together, he treated her like she was his own sister. He went outside and played basketball with her. He sat with her and watched TV. That’s when I realized that I could be with someone that loved her as much as I did!

As my little sister got older, her and I started clashing. A LOT! She was starting to get some attitude…not sure where she got that from. She treated my mom like my dad treated my mom. She got pretty much whatever she wanted. And she was the apple of my dad’s eye. All things that I despised.

We fought all the time, and my dad loved to egg it on. He loved to tell her that I was being mean to her. It never failed that when I went down there, I always left upset and frustrated and she was always in her room crying.

I’m not really sure when things between us started changing. When we both started looking at each other as sisters/friends instead of sisters/enemies.  I do know that I never want it to go back to the way it was before.

The time that I realized it though? About a month ago.

The kids and I went down to see my parents and my little sister. My mom and I always talk, the kids play in the living room while the TV is on what ever channel they prefer, and my sister hides in my parent’s room watching what she wants on TV.

This day was no different. Except for the fact that after a little while, I went in there with her and we discussed what shows we like to watch on a daily basis. Somehow, after 13+ years, a connection seemed to have been made. I left there, not truly realizing what had happened.

I got home, and as most days, okay, all days, I logged onto my FB account. My little sister was on there and she IM’d me.

“Hey. Long time not see”

Me- “Yeah, we need to get together sometime.”

Her- “And do what?”

Me- (Laughing because she didn’t get the joke, but yet totally excited that she wants to actually hang out with me!) “Well, we could go shopping and do lunch?”

Her- “Okay! When?”

Me- “When do you want to go?”

Her- “Sometime before July when I have to go to Chicago.”

Me- “Okay, how about sometime in June?”

Her- “Okay. I’ll start saving my money now!”

Me- “Yeah, me too!!”

I called her yesterday to see if/when she wanted to go. She said yes, but wanted to know how soon. Apparently she needs a new phone! HA!

We were trying to talk our mom into going with us, but she seems to want to rather stay home and keep my kids. “What?!?! You want to pass up a shopping trip with your daughters, so that you can stay home and keep a couple of pesky brats toddlers?!?!” To which she replied, “You two just want me to go so that I can be your pocket book!” Okay, so maybe she’s partially right.

Point is, I’m super stocked about spending time with my little sister before she grows totally up on me. Before long, the kid’s going to be graduating high school, getting married, and having kids of her own. Oh man! Saying that makes me want to lock her in her bedroom for the next 10 years!!!!