In true Picksburgh fashion...

We got married this weekend at the Heinz History Center, which is absolutely the most fabulous museum in Pittsburgh!  It is all Pittsburgh, all the time!  We LOVE it!  El Director and I love it!  All four kids love it! 

On a bit of a tangent, I must confess that one of my favorite things in Pittsburgh is at the airport...  When you go up the escalator after the tram...  on your way to the sky mall and the terminals...  there are 2 statues.  One of these statues is George Washington - the founder of our country.  The other statue is of Franco Harris - the receiver of the immaculate reception.

I think it is so soooooo funny that we place these 2 "legends" side by side.  There is just something very comical about this to me.  There is a similar statue of Franco Harris at the Heinz History Center...

And I am raising 4 little Picksburghers...  So in true Picksburgh fashion,  we had to get a picture of the 4 kiddles with Franco...

I love this picture!  Look at those faces!  They had a great time at the wedding and the reception!

A quick follow-up...

Well, well, well...  apparently I have touched a nerve.  I must say that those of you who know me know that the idea of stirring up controversy is actually kind of fun for me!   Just to be clear...  this blog is MY outlet...  I reserved my comments for a very long time on this blog, but no more.  What I write here are my un-edited thoughts.

That being said, I would like to address some of your comments personally...  Oh - wait a minute - I can't reply to you personally because you don't have the balls to leave your email address!  Cyberspace is a wonderful thing isn't it...  You can talk all kinds of trash, and not be held accountable.  How nice for you!  So I guess I will address you here so that everyone can read what I want to say to you...

Do not pretend to know me, my husband, my step-children, or my children on the basis of one blog post.  I was not even specific about the incident on Mother's Day...  NONE of you even know any of the details.  But to clear up any ambiguity, my husband was also shell-shocked and not pleased about what happened. 

I never, EVER said that I was trying to erase the memory of my step-children's mother.  In fact, you may be surprised to know that I have very loving and in-depth conversations with my step-daughters about their mother - sometimes more in-depth conversations with them than their father because they are very comfortable talking to me about her.  The children did not know that I was upset on Mother's Day - I would never make them feel uncomfortable or self-conscious about talking about their mother. 

Would you be surprised to know we have a tree in the backyard to memorialize her, and that tree will be uprooted and moved to our new home so that we can have the memorial at our new family home.  Would you be surprised to know that we went to that tree on their mother's birthday and each said something to her?  Even me - the wicked evil step-mother!

I love comments!  LOVE THEM!  I love hearing from people on this blog, and I have made many friends through this blog.  But for those of you who have never read my blog before, or don't know me personally, DO NOT presume to know my situation.  And if you do not have the testicular fortitude to leave an email address so that I can contact you personally, then don't bother commenting!

I will continue to vent on this blog!  And I welcome your responses to my rants!

I am annoyed!

This post is deeper than most of my posts...  there are just some things I need to express...

I am marrying a widower with 2 little girls.  The entire situation presents a very interesting dynamic.

El Director lost his first wife; the girls lost their mother.  They mourn that loss.

I lost my first husband, though not because of death.  And my children lost their intact family.  We mourn that loss.

We all will continue to mourn our individual losses.  However, we are all moving forward as a family.  and WE ARE HAPPY!  Can you believe it?  Yes - we are all happy to be together!

I do not expect my new stepchildren to forget their mother.  However, I need to point out that I am the one who will raise them...  I am the one who will wipe their tears; hold them when they are sick; attend their school functions; cheer them on at their soccer games.  I am the one who has embraced these little girls as if they are my own to try to make them feel whole again... to make them feel the unconditional love of a Mom...

There are some things that annoy me greatly and I have no other outlet for them...

• I am annoyed when Mother's Day is hijacked.  I am annoyed when there are ceremonies or remembrances occurring and I am not included.  In fact, not only am I not included, I am not even told about these events...  At the end of the day - I became the second best Mom.  There are 365 days in the year - pick any other day to make me the second best Mom...  Incidentally, I think next year we are eliminating Mother's Day from our family calendar.

• I am very annoyed when people try to prolong the mourning.  Is that insensitive??  Well - I don't care!  I wish people would stop trying to find new and innovative ways to remember El Directors first wife.  Otherwise I may have to find new and innovative ways to commemorate my first husband as well.

• Do not feel sorry for El Director and my step-daughters.  This kind of goes along with prolonging the mourning... Is it so far-fetched to believe that El Director could actually be happy with anyone than his first wife??

• No - we are not going to have any kind of dedication to El Directors first wife at our wedding.  The same way we will not be having any kind of dedication to my first husband. 

Enough venting for now...  I reserve the right to add more later.

Happy Mother's Day!

This year, I am celebrating Mother's Day with El Director and our 4 kiddles.  El Director's girls (AHA and AWA) have completely embraced me as a Mom - and it feels awesome!  These 2 sweet little girls lost their mother almost 2 years ago.  And there is something inside of me that compels me to help them feel whole again. 

I am working so hard to make sure D-Ro, K-Lo, AHA, and AWA feel a mother's love every single day!  Each of them touches my heart in their own special way.  Some thoughts off the top of my head...

• I love when my son, who is 10 just comes up to me out of nowhere and hugs me and tells me he loves me.  He is so loving and sweet.  He is a very reserved little boy with his feelings.  But I know in my heart how much he loves his Mom!
• I love K-Lo's sense of humor...  She has always been very wise beyond her years, and she has a very mature sense of humor.  She makes me laugh every. single. day.  
• I love in the morning when AWA gets up with me (she is an early bird like me) and she looks at me and says "Coffee?"  And she snuggles up with me on the couch under an afghan and we watch Good Morning America.
• I love how AHA waits until the other kids are distracted with something, and she sneaks up to me and gives me a big bear hug.  

They are 4 different people....  All smart, funny, loving, and kind.  And all of them also have their own special way of pushing me to the edge of sanity - like when they leave garbage all over the inside of my van; sing top 40 songs like "What the Hell" at the top of their lungs; or call my every expanding ass "Nancy."

But I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to be a Mom to all of these kids.  They are all teaching me to be a better person and they are teaching me how unconditional love feels.  So today I will celebrate the gift of 4 children that has been given to me.