Me & Mine!

Okay, so Shannon has been on me to start a blog, so here goes.

I started out my life in Muncie, Indiana. I was born at Ball Memorial Hospital on December 5, 1982, which happens to be Walt Disney's birthday. I lived in the small town of Middletown, IN until the summer between 4th and 5th grades. My dad had gotten a new job, and we moved to the small village of Minster (not kidding, it's classified as a village). I finished off school there, and then moved to Dayton to attend Kettering College of Medical Arts. I met some great people there, and was close to graduating, but decided to follow my heart and move to Columbus to be with Josh. By far, its one of the best decisions I've made. I may not have my degree yet, which I'm going back this fall to get, but I have my wonderful family which I can't live without.

This is me & Josh. We met our first semester of college. We had a bit of a rocky start, but we made it through and are stronger than ever. He was born in Mexico, moved to Texas, then to Ohio after his parents' divorce. So, here he is and here we are together, and yes he is legal. lol We have known each other for about 7 1/2 years now, and there is nothing we don't know about each other. We are planning on going to Las Vegas in April and finally getting married. We consider ourselves married, we just need to legalize things. We did things backwards, by having our kids first, but thats okay. We love our boys and wouldn't change a thing about how they came about. So, on to my boys....

This beautiful little boy here, is my Dominic. Dominic Robert was our first baby boy born on September 19, 2006. His middle name is after my late Great-Grandfather, who I love and miss every day of my life. Dom was the first baby born in our family after he passed away and I had to name him after such a wonderful man. Dominic is almost 2 1/2 now and is Mr. Personality! He is such a funny little guy. Right now, he is very into dinosaurs. He loves Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks movies. He also loves to wrestle with his brothers and his daddy. When he was born, he looked just like his daddy, but now that he's growing up, he's resembling me more. Either way, he's such a cutie. He's a skinny butt. Weighing in at 23 pounds, his little brother has caught up with him, and his baby brother isn't far behind. The kid eats all day, but is mr energy, and doesn't stop. Sometimes I think this kid has no fear. He doesn't know a stranger and will talk to anyone (which could be bad, but so far has just been funny). He is such a good big brother. I don't think he remembers a time when he didn't have a brother. He was 13 months old when he became a big brother and stepped right into the roll like a champ. I couldn't be more proud of this kid!

Next up is my Aidan! Aidan Eric surprised us by coming a month early and was born October 30, 2007. He was named after his daddy as both of their middle names is Eric. Aidan is a silly little boys who loves to smile, laugh, play and eat. I swear this kid never gets full. He is usually mr happy, but he's been getting his molars, so lately he has his moments of not being so happy. I still have to smile at him though. He had a rough start, was in Special Care for 6 days. He was on oxygen for a couple days, then got jaundiced, cause they wouldn't feed him, so he had to be put on a tanning bed. He was the biggest baby in there at 6lbs 5oz. After he came home, he was good. He started growing and hasn't stopped. He is just a few inches shorter than Dominic, but weighs the same. He started walking at 10 months, I think so he could follow Dominic around easier. They are my little Pete and Re-Pete. Aidan has to do everything Bubba does. He sure does love Dominic, Bubba was even his first word. He is Mama's little man. He loves daddy, but mommy is #1! He loves to cuddle, and is probably one of the sweetest little guys I have ever met. He is an absolute clone of his daddy. Josh's baby pics and Aidan's look identical. I am so lucky to have this little guy as my son!

And last, but not least is Mr. Ty! Ty Cruz was our final boy born on September 26, 2008. Around 33 weeks, he started giving mommy contractions, but wasn't allowed to come out for six more weeks. Then, he came out at 9lbs 4oz. What a little fatty! He gained weight before leaving the hospital, and hasn't stopped one bit. At 4 1/2 months he is 18 1/2 pounds. Just 5 pounds less than his 2 big brothers. He's a happy little fatty. He always has a big gummy grin on his face, unless he's hungry. He has now grown into size 12 months clothes, and just started rolling over. Lately, he's been chewing and drooling a lot, so you know what that means.....teeth! Yes, I think he will be getting his 2 bottom teeth soon. Ty is so infatuated with his big brothers. If they pay attention to him, he's in heaven. He watches every move they make. I just know that soon enough I will have Pete, Re-Pete, and Re-Run. That's okay though. Boys will be boys, and he has 2 great teachers on what to do. I just can't wait to see how he will grow, and if he will still always be as happy as he is now. Ty is daddy's little guy. He loves his daddy so so much. Mommy is a close second, but daddy is awesome. He's such a great baby, and I look forward to watching him grow.

So, those are my guys. I live in a sea of testosterone, and I love every minute of it. I've been asked several times if we are going to go for the girl, and the answer to that is....HELL NO! 3 kids is our limit! We are so so happy with our boys, and we want to be able to provide for them, and give them as much attention as possible. Plus, we wouldn't know what to do with a girl at this point. I love my boys and can't imagine not having any of them, or having any other kids. We do have a niece, my sister's little girl. Her name is Marah Rose, and she is a princess. She is 5 days older than Aidan, but he's bigger than her. She is a funny little girl, who says "dada" all day long. I sometimes wonder if she knows any other words. Her daddy is her favorite person.

So, That is me, Josh & our family. Yes, we have 3 children under the age of 3, and we love every minute of it. It can get hectic at times, but we just say that "behind the clouds, the sun is shining." And for those who think that having 3 kids all a year apart, all I have to say is......Don't knock it til you've tried it. I live a life filled with diapers and booboos, but there's also the smiles, kisses, and knowing that there are these little people who love me, depend on me, and brighten my life more than I ever could have imagined.