New Rule!

Sheldon and Leonard,
signing the roommate agreement.

Between my boyfriend and I, we have five kids and three grandchildren. He has two children and three grandkids, and I have three kids. We don't live together, but that doesn't negate the fact that we have a lot of kids, collectively ... even if they are all adults.

In the last eight weeks, we've had three major events in the lives of our kids ... two weddings and a birth ... plus numerous not-quite-major events like two bridal showers and several mini-emergencies/crisis's. We're both thrilled that our children are happy and fulfilled, but listen up:

Enough is enough!

We're exhausted!!

TIME OUT!!!!

We hereby decree a new rule ...

Only one major event PER YEAR! 

And not one major event per child per year ... one major event between the whole lot of you! Whoever declares their upcoming event first wins! Once a major event has been announced, no one is allowed to get engaged, married, or pregnant until the calendar year after which that event takes place ... even if that means you don't date or have sex with your husband for a year (or two)!

Sorry, kids, but we're tired, our nerves are shot, and our bank accounts have taken a serious hit! We're not as young as you are. You might be able to bounce back by the next morning, but we don't! Before we were fully recovered from the first wedding, we had the second ... and before all the leftover food from the second wedding was eaten, a third grandchild was born.

You will all soon be presented with a document not unlike the Roommate Agreement and the Relationship Agreement Sheldon presented to Leonard and Amy, respectively ... and the signing of said document is not optional. I'm not going so far as to say you won't be invited to Thanksgiving or Christmas if you don't sign ... but I'm not taking that off the table, either. So, kiddo's, you can expect the document to arrive by certified messenger shortly ... and feel free to retain an attorney!

This is What True Joy Looks Like

Holding his hours-old granddaughter for the first time.

My boyfriend welcomed his third grandchild into the world. This little lady, much like her mother and rough-and-tumble brothers, already has him wrapped around her little finger. The twinkle in his eyes and the contented smile on his face make my heart melt. Mother and baby are doing fine, and she and her husband were thrilled to add this little princess to their family.

It will be interesting to see what kinds of things this little girl will grow up enjoying. Her brothers are ALL boy. Their world is dominated by the things little boys love ... cars, trucks, balls, worms, and dirt. In my mind, I picture a very girly-girl who will be able to hold her own around the boys! 

The younger of her older brothers doesn't quite grasp the concept of what "a new baby sister" means, and is more interested in snuggling with his Mommy than the baby, but the older boy is pretty excited to have a little sister. His reaction to this new baby is the complete opposite of his less-than-thrilled attitude to a new little brother a few years back! Back then, he viewed siblings as nothing but a rival for his Mom's attention. Now he loves his brother and sees how wonderful it is to have your best friend living just down the hall, and so he's overjoyed to have another buddy thrown into the mix!

The happy big brother.

As a mom of three myself, I know exactly what this new mother is going to go through. Intellectually and mathematically, three kids is just one more than two, but it feels like a whole lot more than that! And for a while, there will be more meltdowns and tantrums than she's seen in a while ... but before long, a new normal will emerge. She'll forget how much labor hurt and how hard it was with two active boys and a new baby girl ... and she'll start thinking about how nice it would be to add another little friend to her growing brood!