Family Love

Last week was a tough week. As I mentioned before, Steven's grandmother passed away the day before Mothers Day. I felt so sad for Steven and his family. Its funny- when we first met, she wasn't a fan of me. She was not happy when she found out Steven and I were having a baby and she certainly was not that excited when we got married. She didn't know me but she wanted Steven to be with Emily's mom- which was understandable.
Once we had Kaylie and she started to see me with the kids, she realized that I was a good person and that I took good care of my family, her grandson included. She also knew that I loved and cared for Steven's family very much. She would start giving me hugs and tell me you're a good momma, you're a good momma to those kids. And she would tell me that I always treated Emily like she was my own... so I'm at peace knowing that she approved of me. She loved her family and her great grandkids. It was hard this week on everyone- esp Larry. I felt so bad for him and it was so hard to see him so vulnerable like that. This past week really made me realize how blessed I am. See I come from a family that pretty much does their own thing... we don't always spend alot of time together and I'm pretty much the one that keeps the group together so to speak. I see my Dad about once every few months unless there is an event. I talk to my mom and younger brother Jimbo alot but don't see them as much as I want. And this has always bothered me. I always dreamt of being close to my family as I got older and things just don't seem to always go according to my plan. But the good thing is- I do have family that loves to spend time with us and my kids. Steven's parents have been so supportive of us- from the beginning, they have always treated me like a daughter and have gone over and above to help me and Steven. When I was pregnant with Kaylie, Steven's mom went to the hospital with us- she helped me in every way imaginable. When Travis was born, she took care of Kaylie and Emily. She brought them to the hospital to see us and made sure they too got the attention that they needed. Sometimes, I take that for granted. I get frustrated because I want it to sometimes be my family that wants to spend time with my kids, with us. But in the end, I am thankful because my kids will grow up knowing that they have grandparents who would do anything for them. That love them unconditionally and I am so excited for them that they will have that kind of relationship. I didn't have close relationships with my grandparents. I would see them on occasion but it was nothing like the relationship that my kids have with Lisa and Larry. And their Aunt Manda would do anything for them too. So even though we lost a part of our family, I think it made us all realize how special our family is and no matter what our past has been, we need to be thankful for each other.