Good Grief

Today we buried one of the nicest, sweetest people I know, my Aunt Evelyn. She lived a long life...83 years. We went to the lunch afterward and spent a long time reminiscing with family about the "good old days". By the time I picked Evan up and got home it was almost 4:00. I was emotionally exhausted. When Alex got home, I asked him to go downstairs and get the cat food bucket. As he got to the top of the steps, he put the bucket down and pinched his finger on the handle....without missing a beat, he yanked his hand back and said "ouch, damn it!" and looked up at me with the same shocked look that I am sure was on my face! I stifled the laugh that was trying so hard to come out and told him I didn't ever want to hear him say that again! He said he was sorry with tears in his eyes and then ran out of the room. Normally I would have problably smacked him and sent him to his room, but the sound of Daniel not as successfully holding back his laugh made me think to myself how short this life is and how blessed we truly are to have the family that we do for as long as we have them...good times and bad...all the proud moments and the not so proud (case at hand) and how it is good to have grief because it makes us appreciate what we have no matter how bad we think it is, because in the big scheme of things, it is not so bad.

Introduction

I've named my blog Happily Ever After in honor of my niece, Ashley, who asked her mother if happily ever after was just for princesses. No honey, it isn't just for princesses! I guess everyone has their opinion of what happily ever after means, but to me it is my life.

I am married to a great guy that would do anything for anybody. He is very outgoing and a people-person, totally opposite of me! He works very hard to provide for us and he is a wonderful dad.

I am the mother of three boys, Kyler 15, Alex 8 and Evan 3. They are as different as night and day! Kyler is sensitive, loving and very easy-going, a whole lot like his father (probably why they argue so much) He is a straight A student and loves to play basketball and do karate! Alex is sensitive, outspoken and very self-confident and with good reason. He is very intelligent and will tell you so! He plays baseball in the summer and loves karate. And then there is Evan...Evan is a very happy, loving, strong-willed child (with his mother's temper). Evan loves trains and tractors. He is definitely Daddy's boy.

I am a stay-at-home mom and most days I love it. I am also the Jr. High Cheerleader Advisor, which has made me realize that God gave me boys for a reason!! This is my first year as advisor and the beginning was pretty rough, but most of the time now, I love it. I take Tang Soo Do with Kyler and Alex and that has been one of the most challenging things I have ever done. It comes easily to the boys, with me....not so much. We all have our orange belts with green stripe. I love to cook and entertain. Family is very important to me.

We bought my grandmother's house after she passed away five years ago. It is in the country, but not too far away from town and we absolutely love everything about it. We have a cat named Sasha who rules the roost. She is definitely the boss of the house. Our dog Oliver "Ollie" still has not learned that yet.

We live a simple life that is filled with family and friends. Because of our large extended family and friends, we have many reasons to laugh and to cry and I wanted to share our lives with the people we love. This is why I chose to start this blog.....