Finally an update

I have finally gotten a chance to sit down and actually add another blog. For you my sister, I do not always have the chance to sit down at the home computer by myself to do this uninterrupted. Mostly on the weeks that the kids are here. Ty has become so addicted to his Xbox that he had me subscribe him online so that he can play with his friends remotely. This means he has to hook up to our internet connection and that means no one else can use it for the hours that he plays. And, since I have the day off, I have taken the opportunity to sit down and type. This may be long. :)

And, as I say that, I am interrupted by the dog who needs to go out to do his business.

Ty--for those that don't know, has finally gotten himself a girlfriend. You will find him endlessly with cell phone in hand, texting her at any time of the day. Unfortunately, since he has lost his license for the next month, and she goes to another school, he won't be seeing much of her, unless he is driven around by one of his 'cronies', as Brian likes to call them. But, I think they pretty much owe him anyway. He has done more than his share of carting them around.

KJ--busies herself with school activities, the current one being volleyball. In fact, we have a game to go to this afternoon. It is a home one, so that is the one we will go to this afternoon. Since I have the day off, I will go early to watch my niece. She also has a cell phone now, but mean mom has limited her to 250 texts a month. (so far, so good) It helps that they are in school now.

Then that brings to the blending part:
Heather--Brian's 3rd daughter and one of the two that lives with us. She is also in volleyball this fall and also has a game this evening, which is away, so we have chosen to save the gas money and go to mostly home games this year. It was easy last year when they were both in jr high and games were the same day in the same location. Can't wait until next year. Not sure what we would do if Ty was in more activities. Heather has informed her Dad that she will not be going out for basketball, which I knew was inevitable. She is not exactly the overly athletically ambitious type, so I figured by the time high school rolled around she would be done with that. She really likes volleyball though and that is why she chose to stay out for that. And, she apparently has a talent for singing, so there will be choir activities to attend.

Hal--Brian's 4th and youngest daughter being just 7 is in the 2nd grade this year and just continues to annoy the older girls. She has been the biggest challenge as she doesn't really know how to act her age. She wants to hang out with the older girls and act older, yet from what we can tell, she is spoiled by her mother and treated like a small child. But, then she also lets her choose her own bedtime, which seems to be late into the night. At least we can somewhat offer her some structure and guidance at our home. She has grown physically by leaps and bounds this past year. Things that KJ grew out of last year, she can wear now. (but KJ is not real crazy about passing on her clothes to her). She would rather pass them on to her cousins.

Bridget & Abbie--Brian's 2 oldest girls and the biggest challenges of all. Actually, Bridget has really come around and is maturing the way she should. She has even taken to hugging me the last couple of times she has been to see us. She has a steady part-time job and is attending classes at the local community college. She lives with her on again-off again boyfriend which we are not real crazy about, but yet, I have seem some of the good that he has done for her. That doesn't count the many tattoos and piercings. Then there is Abbie. Believe it or not she was the one I liked the best at first. But, not so much, since she called me a f'ing b****. She has been affected the most by her mother and father's divorce. And, with her rebel personality, that hasn't been much fun.

The most recent difficulties with her are the fact that she called a week or 2 ago to ask her Dad for money to do her hair so that she could have her mother take her senior pictures. Ok, this is coming from a girl that should have had the pictures taken last fall like a normal senior and then graduated last spring. But, she messed that up by not attending and now is trying to finish at the local community college by taking alternative high school classes. Which is actually what she was doing last year. This just means that she can take the courses at her own pace, taking about 16 hours a week. She was getting A's in the classes she attended and even made the honor roll. But, she was dropped from the program last spring because she couldn't get her lazy behind out of bed and to the classes. So, frustrating. If she would have just followed the rules at our house and lived here, she could have benefited by some guidance. Instead she chose to live between her mother and her sister's houses or with friends for as long as her friend's could tolerate her mooching. She still has a lot of learning about the real world. So, anyway, we made the hair appointment for her and paid for it ($56 for a hair color!!). At least we know that it went for that and not more beer and cigarettes.

Then there is Brian, my hero. The one who enjoys spending time with me and has shown me the world on a motorcycle. The one who has helped me through my medical illness. (and no I haven't forgotten what Mom and Dad did for me either) The one that amazes me everyday with the things he does without me asking him to and is always thinking exactly what I'm thinking. Is that what it is like to have a soulmate? If not, I'm guessing it is the closest thing to it. Ok, so he isn't as perfect as that, but close. He is still a man after all. :)

I'll try to post pictures later when I have figured it out.