Where has the last month gone?!

I might be the biggest blogging slacker - ever.  But I have some good excuses...er, reasons why I haven't been able to keep up.  First, I started the second half of this semester (that's right, I'm a full-time student) while Matt was wrapping up his basketball season.  But even though Matt's season ended, doesn't mean that   basketball was acutally over.  Matt goes and watches as many tournament games as he can before the state basketball tournaments in Columbus at the end of March.  While this is slightly irritating, I try not to get upset about the extra time away from home.  He gets to spend this time with his dad, and then they go to the state tournaments in Columbus every year.  The only year Matt has missed was 5 years ago when I went into labor with the twins.  Other than that, I'm glad he's able to do something he loves because one day, he'll pass that tradition on to our sons like his dad did for him.

As for school...well it is just kicking my butt and taking up 98% of what little extra time I get each day.  There are only 2 1/2 more weeks til the end of the spring term, so I'm looking forward to a week off before the summer term starts. My classes are online through Tiffin University, so I'm able to really work my schooling schedule around my life.  In all honesty, it requires a lot of hard work, patience, research, and writing.  Lots and lots of writing.  Since there is no face-to-face interaction between students and professors, the only way to communicate is through forums and emails.  I'm still not sure what I'm going to be when I grow up, but at least I'll finally (!!!) have a degree to get me going.

Ryan and Logan celebrated their 5th birthday on March 21!  5 years...absolutely crazy to think about.  I remember everything from the minute I went into labor until the minute we finally got to bring them home.  All of my memories from that ordeal are still so vivid in my mind.  Actually, I planned on making a huge blog post about it, but time just got away from me.  We're having a birthday party for them  on April 21 (better late than never, right?!).  I WILL have the birth story/birthday post up before their party next Sunday.  

Lastly, we are doing some renovations to our house.  We bought our house 9 years ago, and that is honestly the last time we did any updates to it.  It was built in 1962 and I'm almost completely certain that it was still decorated for 1962 when we bought it.  We've definitely had a simplistic decorating style since having kids.  And by simplistic, we pretty much eliminated anything the could get broken or ruined that had any sort of value to us.  We've learned to love the small stains on the carpet, the marker on the cabinets, and the yucky, worn out couches.  I know, it's kind of a terrible attitude to have, but I haven't been able to justify having super nice things when the mediocore things we own are quickly ruined.  However, we've been saving and decided that now is the time.  We want to have the house up on the market within the next couple years, so we're giving ourselves some time to get it ready for buyers to fall in love with!  And while some happy couple is scoping ours out as their starter home, we will be building ours.  CANNOT. WAIT. 

So that's what's kept me from this blog for a month.  I have organized things so that I should be writing much more often.  Things like project attempts (some winners, some fails), events, mini vacations, and soon...before and after house remodeling pictures!  So until next time...

Young Love

As promised, a little look into my reltaionship with my husband.  Past and present.  But don't worry, I'm not going to bore you with mushy, lovey-dovey details or some kind of magical, life-changing advice.  This is just an introduction to us. 

1999

Awww...look at those two kids!  This is a picture of  me and Matt from Matt's senior prom.  We started dating when I was 15 and he was 16.  That was in 1997.  It was an on-and-off relationship.  Ulitimately, we ended up together, so all of the stuff in between just helped shape our relationship today.

We closed on our first house together in 2004.  We did not anticpate being in the same home at this point in our lives.  BUT, we had 4 kids in 4 years and I stopped working.  We made the decisions that we thought would be more beneficial to us as a family while the boys are young.  I am very much looking forward to going back to work within the next few years.
We got married in July of 2006.  We honeymooned in the Dominican Republic, but I owe Matt a better honeymoon someday because as soon as we boarded our flight out of Detroit, I was sick with a terrible sinus and ear infection.  Being sick made me very uncomfortable while away from home, so I was a little grumpy.  Strangely enough, we met ONE couple from America while we were there.  And they happened to be from a small town only 10 minutes from where we live.  The craziest coincidence is that Matt got hired at a school district that both of them work for.  Crazy, right?

Our twins were born in March of 2008, and Benji was born in May of 2009.  I was working at a bank when I first got pregnant.  When we found out we were having twins, my original plan was to take one year off work.  Then I got pregnant when the twins were 4 1/2 months old.  This was a game-changer.  Sometimes I think God throws us some curve balls just to remind us that He's in charge.  And of course, Aaron arrived in 2012.  After being home with the twins, I couldn't justify going back to work just to pay for daycare.  Although having another income would be nice sometimes, I think that this is better for us now.  I guess time will tell.

Matt is the Director of Technology for Eastwood Schools.  This was also his first season as the head coach of boys' varsity basketball.  He was the J.V. coach for a few years before the opportunity opened up for head coach.  I think he is an awesome coach, but I am biased.  He's very passionate about basketball and coaching, and he is the best father to the boys.  Again, I'm a little biased.

So there's a little background to who we are today.  Obviously, these things alone do not define us.  We are not the same couple we were in high school, or in college, or even 2 years ago.  Every new happiness, sadness, challenge, and event that happens in our lives helps us evolve.  Sometimes we can do it all together, other times its a struggle for us to see eye to eye.  But that is the real us.  We take the good with the bad and we move forward, together.

Let me introduce you to...

My kids.  God has blessed me with 4 little boys.  And in the blessings of any child includes love (lots and lots of love), frustration, happiness, fear, pride, and fun.  Different personalities.  Different likes/dislikes.  Different ways of embracing life.  

Logan, Ben, and Ryan

Here are 3 of the 4.  Logan and Ryan are identical twins.  We acutally had a DNA test done to determine if they were identical or not because I did not believe that they were identical.  Although they look the same to everyone else, the rest of their personalities and actions are SO different.  Night and day different.  Ryan was born first, and Logan came one minute later.  (I'm saving birth stories for another post).
 Ryan is very much a protector of his brothers and is always looking out for them.  He gets his feelings hurt pretty easily and is the closest thing to a drama queen that I have.  We call him "The Over-Reactor" because EVERYTHING is a production with him.  He loves basketball.  He's actually borderline obsessed with it because he knows it makes his daddy super proud.
Logan is very much interested in himself. He doesn't quite understand that there are 5 other people living in the house.  But, he can be oh so funny.  I love, love, love to see his infectious smile (example above).  He thinks everyone should just be allowed to wear their underware everywhere instead of clothes, and if anyone makes an unexpected visit to our house, you will most likely find him in just his undies.  (Oh, who am I kidding?! We can visit a few people and he's perfectly comfortable taking his clothes off as soon as we walk in their door).
Ben...Benji...Benjamin.  Ben has been my little saving grace.  I got pregnant with Ben when the twins were 4 1/2 months old.  I could not belive I was going to have another baby immediately after having TWO at one time.  Before he was born, I was kind of a crazy, obsessive mom.  Our whole world became routine and schedules based strictly on the twins.  And then there was Ben.  He is super relaxed.  He is funny.  Everything in Ben's world is simple because that's how he sees things.  He is very much attached to his brothers and would do ANYTHING for them.  If he makes his brothers happy, he considers it a good day.   He has a little issue with small animals (especially small dogs and cats), but we're working on that.  He also has some separation anxiety, but I suppose when your whole life has involved being with your brothers, it must be difficult to do things apart from them.

Aaron

And baby makes 4.  Aaron is 7 1/2 months old.  He is the BEST baby.  I'm not just saying that because he belongs to me.  I'm saying that because he really is just a phenomenal baby.  If every baby were like him, then everyone would reporduce hundreds of times (ok, slight exaggeration).  But seriously, we brought him home from the hospital and he never cried when he woke up.  I'd wake up and he'd just be lying in his Rock 'n' Play all wide awake, not making a sound.  I would think, "How long has this baby been awake?  10 minutes?  2 hours?"  He's a ton of fun and he loves everyone.  The only issue we're having now is that his brothers cater to him...ENDLESSLY.  So he's kind of getting really needy.  Here's to hoping we can break him of this habit...


This is only 2/3 of my introductions.  My next post will be about my husband and me.  You'll get to know a little about him, our "high school sweetheart" relationship, and how I became a stay-at-home mom (HELLO?! As if that isn't obvious, right?).

(Special thanks to Allie Darr of Allison Darr Photography for the awesome fall pictures.  She's also a blogger, and one of the people who is very involved in charity work that inspired me to want to get involved.  Check out her blog at www.tableformoreblog.com)

Look Who Started Blogging...

FINALLY!  After a year of internal debating, I have finally started my very own blog.  I'm going to be honest, I'm a little intimidated by the "new-ness" of it all, but I am SUPER excited to move forward with this new adventure.  When I first contemplated the idea, I wasn't sure that I had much to offer in the vast world of blogging.  And although I'm still a little uncertain of how this new adventure will suit me, I hope that I'm able to meet some amazing people.  So where is this blog going to lead us?  

First, I'll probably post a lot about my family (more to come later).  I'm a mom. That takes up 95% of my life.  I'm not complaining, just stating a fact. I'm not boasting either. 

Secondly, I'm on a health journey.  I don't want to just write about what I'm doing, I want to engage others because I am seeking contact with like-minded individuals. Don't let me confuse you, I have a supportive family.  I'm looking to connect with anyone who has either been where I am or is taking the same journey. I've got a long way to go.

Third, I want to get involved.  I have met some AMAZING ladies who have inspired me to want to do more...for my family AND for my community.  I want to help spread the goodness that I know we all carry inside. 

And there it is...my first blog post.  It's a little drab, but I will improve!  I think I just need some practice.  Please bear with me as I get everything in order (and maybe seek the advice of a seasoned blogger *hint, hint* Allie, Lisa, Melissa...)