Family Ties

Addi & Kadence 

I put this picture cute picture together and wanted to share it.  These two little girls have brought me more happiness and joy in my life than I ever thought imaginable.  I was able to spend some time with both of them last Saturday and it was such a nice day!  It was so fun to be with a brand new beautiful baby and then be with a beautiful, very active, bright 14 month old.  It's so incredible how much a child grows and develops in one year.  Addi is so busy and Kadi is so little and tiny.  It was especially funny to change Kadi's diaper and then change Addi's diaper... haha.  Addi is very dainty and petite, however, she is definitely bigger than a new little newborn.  

I wanted to also mention something I have found very interesting with these two little girls.  Their Grandpa Kent and I were married for 6 years and we had Mark and Kristen.  Kent and I have been divorced for over 20 years now.  Divorce was really hard on our family and we have gone through some really hard times.  Looking back over the last 20 years, I know that our Heavenly Father knew what needed to be done to make our family okay.  Kent married a wonderful lady who I love very dearly.  She is like a sister to me and she is the other mother of my children.  I owe her so much, she pretty much raised Mark & Kristen and she loves them deeply.  Our family has survived and we have all been very blessed.  There are many things that our Heavenly Father knew that I didn't.  Looking back, even though I didn't have a lot of faith back then, I know Heavenly Father was with me all along.  My life has tangled, twisted and turned and now, I have Logan, Mark & Kristen, Bill, 4 step-children, 2 daughter-in laws, 2 son-in-laws, 5 grandchildren, 2 twin boy grandchildren on the way and so much to be thankful for. 

The point I'm trying to make here is that had I known when Kent and I got divorced what life would  be like I think I would have thought twice about it, it's a tough one because I know I have so many blessings in my life now that I wouldn't have had.  However, the thing I find most interesting is because Kent and I had children together, our life has always been intertwined.  Every function and event of their lives, I'm still their mother and Kent is still their father.  I am so thankful that I have had a great relationship with Kent.  Kent is a very kind, loving person.  His wife, Karen, is also an incredible person.  The thing is, we got divorced, however, we still have children together so even though we have been divorced, we still had to actually work harder than if we were married to come together and be a family.  We still had to get along, we still had to communicate, we still had to love and share our children, we still had to consult each other on events in their lives.  After we both re-married, we had to get along with each other's other spouses, we still visited each other in each other's homes for family events.   

The thing that has totally fascinated me lately, and something that I don't know if people really think about when they get divorced is, now Kent and I have these two biological grandchildren.  When we visit them and we are both there, it's such an interesting feeling because we have been divorced for so long, and yet, here we are bringing these two grandchildren into our lives, the life that Kent and I had together, the life that we brought children together in.  

I know I've kind of rambled now, I've just thought about this so much lately.  I am so glad that Kent and I are on such good terms, I am so thankful for his loving caring wife.  I'm so thankful that when we are all together, myself, Bill, Kent and Karen, that we all love each other, we are all united as parents and grandchildren, and we will always be connected through these children and grandchildren.