Hey...

         And now back to the task at hand of reflecting...you know when you make a complete ass of yourself and yet, in hindsight, it ends up being a huge turning point in your life?  Background info: I have a real talent for making an ass of myself.  If I could find a way to make some dough from it, I could probably retire by 35 just from my skill of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time.  Or the least clever thing when it matters the most.  Like this particular time...
         Scenario: First time Sean and I met.  Here's how the ass moment went down.  The kids and I were at a fish fry (cause that's how we do it around here.  Some people have wine tastings.  We have fish fry's.)  put on by his family that we had been invited too.  The kids and I had been at a pumpkin patch ALL. DAY. LONG. (important background info) and it was a pretty cool, fall day.  After we had gotten there and the kids ran off to play and all settled in and such, I had to pee.  Cause, unlike a wine tasting party, beer makes me pee.  A lot.  So around the corner of the house I walk to go inside.  And lo and behold, stands this really tall and freakin cute and tall fella standing right there.  I say tall cause it seemed like I had to keep looking up to see his face.  And I'm no giant...so everyone is taller than me.  Everyone.  So what does my quick wit and clever sense of flirtation come up with to say?  Hey.  Yeah that's it.  All I said was hey.  And not just a regular hey either.  Remember that the kids and I had been out at a pumpkin patch all day AND it was getting pretty cool by then outside?  So it was a low pitch, manly, gravely sounding hey.  So opposite of anything I would want to sound like at that given moment.  I could see the confusion (?) on his face, as he responded with, what else could he say, hey.  That was it.  Our first words.  And I walked inside.  Cause I had to pee.  Bad.
         Fast forward to present...that moment has brought us quite a few laughs since then.  Usually all that laughter just makes me roll my eyes and thank my heavens that at least I was cute enough for him to get past my manly, gravely, roll outta bed voice.  Obviously, things went on to work out, despite my ass moment.  And trust me, there have been PLENTY more since then.  I'm so thankful he is so forgiving and has such a great sense of humor!

Pumpkins, Prayers, and Package Deals

          So there is a big day coming up in a few weeks and since I'm a sappy, happy kind of girl, it's making me think back over the past year and how freaking blessed I am.  It's been a year since I've met Sean, and boy has our world changed...for the better, of course!  I'll do you a favor and spare you the details this time of how we met, but don't think I won't post that one at some point!  One thing that I have been blown away about though is how the kids and Sean have built their relationships over this past year.  You'd think they've always known each other; the respect they have for each other really says a lot about the type of man he is.  For a single mom who hadn't really brought anyone around the kids before, I was really pretty freaked out about how this was all gonna go down.  Considering Jordy had been my guard dog and would get mad when the little checker-outer guy at Walmart would chit chat with me~"Don't talk to my mom!" was commonly heard~I didn't have too high of hopes when it came to them meeting Sean.  I should have know better; he's a natural when it comes to kids. 

      We decided to do the big introductions at a pumpkin carving party where there were other kids around for Jax and Jordy to meet and play with, and we thought that way it would at least be be on neutral territory.  They did great, running around and being themselves.  When it came time to clean out and carve the pumpkins, Sean and the kids worked great together, making some pretty awesome pumpkins.  Come to think of it...nobody really wanted mama's help!  The highlight of the night though was at the end when it was time to go.  We were heading out to the truck, saying our goodbye's and thank you's.  I noticed the kids were pretty hesitant to go; really holding back.  Jaxton, my little man around the house who is just as protective as his sister, asked me as serious as he could "Mom, can Sean spend the night?"  After I quit choking on my spit (I seem to do that a lot when caught off guard) and gathering my composure, I explained how that wasn't a good idea and wasn't going to happen.  Then, undeterred, Jax asked if Sean could come over in the morning for breakfast.  Again, telling him that we will see him again, but that breakfast was a little bit too early, both of their faces fell.  They were genuinely sad that they had to wait more than a few hours before they could see him again.  Watching them that night, I could see a lot in the ways that they interacted together, ways that have grown and developed into a relationship that goes past the "my mom's boyfriend" stuff.  There's a real mutual respect, understanding, and love there that, even though they may not have chosen each other, they have accepted each other for who they are.  They've all made the best of being part of a package deal.  I have to say, though, that I seriously got the easiest part of the deal...16 year old boys are SO MUCH EASIER!  I know that it's not an easy road to have a combined family; there are many statistics on the subject that can make your head spin.  But I also know that many, many (probably billions, if that's possible) hours of prayers have been answered.  Many nights I've prayed for this.  Watching our new relationships develop with each other is so exciting!  The kids are thrilled to have a new big "brother" to look up to...even Jordy, who acts all exasperated that now she has two big brothers around but deep down she really does love it and is a goofball anytime Tyler is around.  I am so blessed that God has given me this opportunity and thinks that I am worthy enough for this family...