Lovin' Life: All About Family

Last weekend we spent time with Stephen's family. I want to dedicate this Weekly Gratitude to family! We had such a great time with our family last weekend. I will admit, it was nice to get back home and back to our own routine (and bed). But I love them all and I am very grateful to call them family.

Connor (almost five) loves Legos, he is all boy, and has an amazing imagination! He loves to play video games with his Daddy and save the world with his transformer and superhero action figures.

Kiley (almost four) is a girly girl and a tom boy. She loves to investigate bugs and them play with dolls and Barbies. She is my big helper. She loves to cook with me, but never minds to help clean up.

October (3 1/2) is mostly a tom boy. She loves sports and can hit a ball as well as I can. She is very active and loves to play anything with anybody. She also gives some of the best kisses.

Zoey (almost 2) is the best daughter I could ever ask for! She loves it all! She will play cars or Legos with Connor, then  baby dolls with Kiley, and then baseball with October. She loves to help me cook and is amazingly smart. 

Ryan and Catrina are Stephen's younger brother and sister. I am an only child, so I was very thankful that Stephen had siblings. I wanted our kids to have cousins to play with. I really feel like I am part of their family, not just an in-law. I suppose there isn't much more I can ask for regarding family.

Nana, Stephen's mom Cathy, is one of the hardest working people I know. She doesn't take anything for granted and spends as much time as she can with her family. She has four very lucky grandkids to call her Nana. She loves Connor, Kiley, October and Zoey so much and you can tell it every time she sees them.

And this is Stephen, the love of my life, my best friend and a wonderful Daddy to Zoey. I could gush on forever about how great he is. But I think his best qualities is his intense love for his family. That goes for Zoey and I, but you can also tell it when we get together with his family. It makes me love him that much more.

Of course, this is just Stephen's immediate family (Mom, brother, sister and their kids). I am grateful for my side of the family as well and to all the extended family we have as well. Family is so important to me. They are the ones that are there through it all and do not judge you when you inevitably make mistakes. I have many friends that fit in that category too. That is why more often than not when you become friends with me you are also family. 

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu