I was very fortunate to marry and have three instant children. They were about 2, 4 and 6 when I met them and 4, 6, and 8 when I married their father. I love them as much as if I had given birth to them. My family always referred to their mother Diana "as the mother of my children" and Diana was included at family gatherings and with us to attend group outings to the Mariners games. Diana was more upset than I was when I divorced their father! She thought we would make it. Fast forward from the beginning to almost 40 years later. All five children (plus 3 more younger siblings) get together every Christmas Eve but this past year - busy and hectic schedules got in the way. I was emailing son #2 Steve about something else in late February and he said that he would rather just get together on a Sunday afternoon. Working with all those different schedules I managed to find a weekend in April when we could all get together at my house since it was centrally located. Unfortunately the three younger siblings couldn't make it. I tried to get my ex there also but he was unable to get the day off from work. He did manage to make three of his grand-children's games the day before though.
Susanna and Patrick (eldest and his wife)
Kellie (wife of Steve #2), Nicole (#5 and daughter #2), Heather (#3 and daughter #1), her husband Rob
Heather and Rob
All of the Grandchildren
Jackson, Eli, Dylan, Madison
Bri and Courtney in front
Not pictured is Marc (#4 and son #3), Steve (#2 and son #2), and Mike (husband of Nicole)
We really had fun - everyone brought something to eat and I made my special lasagne - the recipe had been created for their father. I got the ultimate compliment from Steve - "Mom, I have to say when I was a kid I really didn't appreciate your lasagne. Now I do! That was great!"
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