Here We Go Again.....

Well here we go again another year is literally around the corner. We are just hours away from a new year. 2011 is all but gone and a new year approaches. This year was.....interesting. Lots of things happened this year some good and some were just bad.

January was a good month. My sister gave birth to her first baby, Hugo Paul. She lives in Arizona so I didn't actually get to meet him until September, but I saw lots of photos and were able to Skype from time to time.

In February my other sister Rebecca had her baby, Marshall Alexander. He was born during the 2011 blizzard. She just lives next door so we are able to see him whenever we want. He just loves Jordan.

April was one of the bad times for us. We found out that Mikes mom Marilyn was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer. She had surgery, radiation and chemo. On top of that she developed a horrible staph infection that resulted in having to have a wound vac. She been staying with us for bit while her wound heals and she goes through more chemo. We are glad to have her here and the kids love it.

In May we took Marilyn to Silver Dollar City with Mikes sister and her kids and husband. The trip was okay. Everything at the park was fine but on the way home we were coming through Joplin Missouri only to be sidelined by a tornado. A bad tornado that leveled parts of Joplin. We decided to stay the night in Carthage and drive home the next day. What a great decision that was. We made it home safely and refreshed.

June was a good month. Jordan turned 10. I cant believe hes already that old. Only 8 more years and he'll 18.

July was Mikes birthday and another birthday with Marilyn.

August Marilyn had her surgery. Its was extensive but they believe they got it all out. Shes currently on chemo just in case. My mom also got remarried. Her and her husband eloped. Hes very nice and Im glad she finally found someone to make her happy and to take care of her.

September was a milestone month. Our little girl Miss Emma turned 1, we celebrated 5 years of marriage, and I got to meet my sister Ericas baby when she came to visit. One year went by so fast. We had a huge party for her compliments of Mikes cousin Tami who let us host it at her house. She growing like a weed. Shes smart and feisty. She has a loud personality and I love it.

Five years may not seem like a long time to some people but its a big deal for us. Mike and I have been off and on for years and years. It took us about 10 years to finally get together. I love him so much. Hes an amazing man. He works very hard to provide for our family. Hes working hard to get ahead at the place hes currently working. It will means a lot of overtime but it will also mean financial security for our family. I think 2012 will be a very good year for us. He is great with the kids and takes care of me in a way that makes me beam. I am so proud of him for wanting to better himself to make our lives better. I see our future very bright.

October was fun and sad. Halloween was good. But the sad was my Grandpa Kemp passed away. My Grandma Kemp passed away in 2009 and things have never been the same. Long story short I decided it was time to cut out certain family members who have always made me feel like trash. But Halloween was good as usual.  Jordan dressed up as leatherface, Conor was wolverine and Emma was a strawberry. We took the kids to Boo Ha Ha on Brookside and then to a local church for trunk or treat. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Mike and I are hoping next year to dress up ourselves, heck we may even get to go out.

In November Conor turned 4 on Veterans Day. It was kind of sad because it was also my Grandpa Kemps birthday. Of course November was also Thanksgiving. This was one of the best Thanksgivings that I could remember. We decided this year to just stay home and eat just us. Mike made the turkey and it was amazing. It was nice to just be the 5 of us.

December has been a pretty good month so far. Mikes job looks like its getting ready to significantly improve and we found out that we'll be able to move into the house across the street where we will have more space.

I love the idea of a new year. It means that we get to start over and to try again. I believe that 2012 will be a wonderful year for us. Mikes job, moving, a new car and finally being able to get to the gym (thank you Katy Stubblefield) and lose this weight. We've also chosen a church, finally and will be able to get our lives straight there too. A new year holds much promise and I look forward to another year with Mike to continue to grow together and to watch my children grow and learn.

Happy New Year!!!

Sometimes....Family Sucks!

Yes, I said it. Something I think we all think from time to time. Sometimes family sucks. I mean the extended family that you only see once a year or only at holidays. Sometimes we have family we don't want to be around but have no way of avoiding them. For the first time in my adult life I an taking the leap and cutting certain family member our lives.

A short recap as to why I would completely cut off family. About two months ago my grandpa passed away. My grandmother had already passed away about 2 1/2 years ago. Before she passed she talked about how she wanted us to have certain things and how she didn't want anyone fighting over stuff once they were gone. Well fast forward 2 1/2 years later to when my grandpa passes and that's exactly whats happened. There are things in the house my grandma said I could have. Things in the house that certain people want and then there is everything else. My grandparents had four girls. My mom is the youngest. All our lives for as long as I can remember we have been treated like the "white trash" of the family. This experience with my grandparents house has just reiterated it. Recently my mom asked for certain things and instead of just giving them to us the other sisters have gotten together and decided to hire an estate company to come in and price everything to hold an estate auction. Anything we wanted we would not have to buy. Its stupid. My grandparents had some nice furniture but most of it is just normal furniture. Not worth anything and most of it is more than 20 years old. I think they're just being vindictive. What makes it worse is that one of the sister professes to be this strong Christian, but her actions lately haven't been very Christlike.

My moms three sisters, their kids and some cousins are no longer welcome in my life. I will never allow my children to feel like they are less than anyone else. I do not want toxic people in my life. I have friends who treat me better than my family does sometimes. My grandmother would be rolling over in her grave if she knew how they'd been acting. Oh well. I always say what comes around goes around. They'll get it in the end.