Adventures in motherhood.

I have been so blessed this year! I have a stable job, an affordable residence, and a family that loves me. My ultimate blessing this year has been meeting Jason and cultivating our relationship more and more every day. We'll be together for a year on January 26, and it's odd to think of my life before him.

Not only have I been blessed with the gift of Jason, but I've been blessed to be a part of the lives of his two kiddos, J and A. Since both Jason and I know that God has put us together to be with each other forever, it's weird thinking of myself as a future stepmother. I'm definitely not the kind of Cinderella step mother that I'd imagined in the past. I think I'm pretty cool for the most part. I've always loved kids and know that I'm probably going to have 2 or 3 of my own, but to be blessed with two from the get go is fabulous!

I'm not sure if I was supposed to mesh so easily with Jason's kids, but it's been a blast getting to know them. J is 13 and completely reminds me of my brother Michael. He's super smart, not that athletic, pretty quiet, and would spend every moment he could playing his DS or the Wii. He loves music and plays a mean guitar. He is the dark haired miniature of his father and has so many of his mannerisms it's scary! A is 7 (soon to be 8 in two days!) and ALL boy. He loves golf and pretty much anything that involves him running around like a tasmanian devil! He's also smart, but has a completely sassy side that reminds me of how I was as a child.

This weekend, Jason and I wanted to celebrate A's 8th birthday. We had cake, went to a REALLY cool driving range, and generally played a lot of Wii Fit. It's so funny to see the two of them react to me. I made them sandwiches for lunch and didn't stop getting thanked for about 2 hours after the meal! I baked and decorated a cake for the birthday boy, and you would have thought I'd made the most gourmet cake ever, even though it is pretty much the most basic cake imaginable! It's so fun to get to know these boys and know that it's going to be a relationship for years to come. I only pray that I am a good influence for these guys and grow to be someone they can really trust.