I know the title of this sounds like I had a secret child, but I promise, that’s not the case. Actually, I am friends with a published author. Let me take a moment to realize how cool that actually sounds to say. One of the things I have come to realize and embrace the most since having children is that everyone comes from a different background. Everyone has a different story to tell. Everyone has good times as well as bad times and it’s how you handle things that makes you who you are. Even though you might not be able to relate to someone 100%, you learn to appreciate what they have to offer to you; what they bring to your life and the ways they change you, for the better. I am so proud of my friends and all of their various accomplishments and am beyond proud to announce that Eliza Blackwood has her first book out. She has used parts of her past and her personal story to write a beautiful piece of art that so many people are going to be able to relate to and find comfort in.  It is called The Birth of Hope and it is truly a wonderful read.

The Birth of Hope is about a woman named Sofie who is trapped in a toxic relationship. She is hurt, confused and finds herself craving “normal” friendships and a more stable lifestyle. This book also follows another young woman named Felise, who finds herself in an unexpected situation and needs the support of friends and loved ones to get through this particular phase of life. I can talk about this book all day, but I don’t want to give away spoilers, so I will just tell you to read it. The story is beautiful and well written. It is serious and makes you think about the characters’ well-being since you develop a relationship with them and find yourself encouraging them throughout the book. It has the perfect amount of musical and pop culture references (which I personally loved) to lighten some of the scenes. I am a pretty fast reader to begin with, but I found myself plowing through this particular book just because I needed to find out what happened next. I needed to know if my predictions were right (not all of them were, and I loved that). I really wouldn’t mind a sequel to this book to find out what ends up happening to the characters I formed such a connection with. This book had me both laughing and crying at various times.

If you are interested in a heartwarming, quick read, please purchase this book, support my friend, and enjoy! The Birth of Hope can be found here on Amazon in Kindle and paperback formats. Clearly, I need both. You can follow Eliza Blackwood on Facebook and Goodreads. Pop on to her page to let her know what you think, or share your comments here with me.  I happen to know she’s working on something else that’s going to be extraordinary.

My little pumpkins have been busy lately. The boys have been making appearances, hours at a time, beginning anywhere from 2-4am. They just think that’s a good time to play and destruct. After they’ve been doing it all day, I have no energy left to fight them at that hour. They’ve been so wild and crazy that it’s actually awoken Todd from his peaceful slumber lately too. Since I can’t force them to sleep, we try to only intervene when they are getting into major trouble, which actually is quite often…

Anyway, we had a fun time pumpkin picking, going through hay mazes, riding ponies, watching animals play and get fed, and going on hay rides. Taylor made friends with another little girl at the pumpkin patch and her parents and I were talking about how nice it would be to have a bunch of hay bales dumped in the front yard to keep the kids contained. It kept them busy, safe, and enclosed for quite some time. Perhaps an idea for next year. Joseph shocked me and loved the pony ride. I was pleasantly surprised because $5 for 30 seconds of walking through pony poop with a crying kid was not going to be my idea of a good time. The smile on his face is something I will probably never forget. Taylor, of course, loved it too. She has now been on the same pony three years in a row and she thinks the pony remembers her. Jackson looked at the pony, said “nope” and tried to hide amongst the pumpkins. He was not at all interested in any equestrian adventures.

Tonight, we carved our “family pumpkin” as Taylor so adorably put it. It was fun to see the kids play in the “spooky goo” and watch their little faces get so excited as the pumpkin changed into a jack o’lantern right before their eyes. They are definitely more challenging as they all get older, but it is so much fun to do stuff like this with them that we could never involve them in much before. I have never been much of a fan of Halloween before, but having kids has changed that for me. I’m actually excited to get them all dressed up next week and walk around the neighborhood begging for candy. Maybe there will be a Reese’s in it for Mama…

And although this is not Halloween related (he was just chilly), here’s our handsome man in a hoodie.

Although it feels like a million years ago, today is our seventh wedding anniversary. Seven years ago, we stood up in front of our family and friends and chose each other as our forever partners. Our seven years married to each other haven’t been without tough moments; having premature twins is the hardest thing we’ve had to go through as a couple. Somehow, we always come out on top. We are strong, and we love each other fiercely.

Todd, you might annoy the heck out of me with your snoring and your ability to roll over and fall asleep while I’m in mid conversation, but there is so much more that I love about you. You appreciate me. You make me feel beautiful every single day. You support me and encourage me. You put the kids and I first and foremost in everything. You are a family man, a hard worker, and an amazing father to our three (plus the furry one) children. I am so lucky that you are mine for life. I love you. Happy Anniversary!

I dropped Taylor off at school this morning and as I was grabbing her lunchbox and backpack out for her, she was apparently up to no good. I definitely got a surprise when I went to sip my coffee. Well played,  my girl. Well played.

Taylor had the day off from school today, so we tried to make the most of our time together.  When I was drying her hair and tucking her into bed last night, we talked about how she had today off and all she could talk about was a “home day with Mommy.”  It makes me feel so good to know that she still gets this excited to spend time with me.  We spent the morning watching cartoons and eating chocolate granola bars.  I am pretty sure that’s the norm for any day off from school.  She was so excited to do every little thing with me, including vacuuming.  She was trying to be extra helpful today, and as I was sliding the vacuum across the floor, she would jump in front of me to pick up crayon wrappers, or whatever happened to be on the floor so I didn’t have to do it.  The full concept of the vacuum might be a little over her head still, but her heart is in the right place.

Since Chip and Dale decided to kick their walls and attempted to disassemble their beds instead of actually napping when they were supposed to this afternoon, we got a little extra “girl time” in once they finally fell asleep. We read books and played with activity cards.  Her favorite thing to do was play with play dough!  She played with it for hours.  We haven’t taken that out in such a long time, so it was fun to watch her play with it and get creative with her designs.  She used cookie cutters to make lots of different shapes, made “nail polish” for her tiny fingers, and even made an extra pair of glasses for her brother (in case he ever loses his).  As I have said before, I am thrilled that she is so happy and is doing so well in school, but I miss our long, full days together.  I will forever cherish our days off and time together.

I have been cleaning out and getting rid of things that don’t fit the kids, while trying to get what they need for the upcoming cold weather. I tried Taylor’s winter coat on her today and even though I had bought a size bigger than what we needed, she has already outgrown it. I was bummed because it is quite cool here in the mornings and she has an upcoming field trip where they definitely need to wear warm coats.  I texted my mom and said I was bummed and I couldn’t believe she had outgrown her coat already and within two minutes, she sent me a photo image of a pink coat and two blue ones sitting on her sofa.  She just happened to have three brand new winter coats waiting for my children.  I guess that’s what happens when you are the “G.”  We are so lucky to have my parents.  They always go a step above and beyond.  The kids love their new coats and will be nice and warm.  The boys have some growing to do, but they will still get plenty of use out of them.

Perhaps this coat will bring you
Good luck and happiness
And I just couldn’t wait to wear it
And momma blessed it with a kiss

-Dolly Parton

Whew! We have had a busy past few weeks. I’m adjusting to having two three year olds and an almost five year old. It’s not that much different, to be honest. They are still insane; they just now expect cake and presents at regular intervals on top of it.

My parents gave the boys an awesome birthday party with family and friends. They had such an incredible time. Originally, they both told us that they wanted a “choo choo train party” but as time went on (and train supplies were purchased), Joseph told my mom that he was so sad that there would be no Nemo at his party. That about did her in, and was enough for her to add Nemo elements to everything. They even had a Nemo bounce house, which was a huge hit! We are thankful to have such wonderful family and friends who wanted to celebrate with us. It was a crazy day with lots of little people running all around, but it was so much fun.

The boys have been making some progress with learning to use the toilet. They are at least eager and happy about it, and will go occasionally, but we are nowhere near ready to ditch diapers. Some day… For now, they are more concerned with making sure their giant penguin gets to come with us wherever we go.

They have also decided to go back to a phase that I thought we were completely done with – biting! Thankfully, they only bite each other. Even though that doesn’t make me happy, it’s better than having them bite friends or their sister (or us!). I understand that they get frustrated with each other sometimes, but they need better problem solving skills. We’ve been working on it, but both biting incidents we have had this week were during bedtime when they were alone in their bedroom. Hopefully, they will get over this {again} pretty quickly. They certainly know I’m not happy about it.

Taylor is still having a blast at school. It’s amazing to see how much fun she is having and how much information she is retaining. She loves coming home and telling me about what they learned about in school and she applies whatever it is to whatever we are doing at home, too. She has an insane social calendar lately. Since she’s in a pre-kindergarten class, the majority of the kids are in the same situation we are with having birthdays late in the year. She’s been going to parties just about every weekend! I still can’t believe that my tiny first born is going to be five in a month!