WOW!!

First of all, I would like to start off with saying that these past couple of months have been full of madness!! Adjusting to a family of 6 and opening up a business has amounted to more than I ever imagined. It has been quite the adjustment, not just for me but for everyone. A lot of changes have transpired this year and I'm not sure where to even begin. At the beginning of May I was demoted to just the front desk/night audit. I was thrilled..not for how it all went down, but that I only had to go to work and when I left, I was done. No more phone calls all night long, no more having to work when someone called off and no one would cover the shift, etc. It was truly a blessing. When I took my 2 weeks PTO, I came back to being fired. Why? My "inability to adjust to management changes." Ok...I am not sure how I wasn't adjusting...I was thrilled with the changes, but ok. Unemployment sounded nice...I needed time to be home with the kids and help out at the deli. Well, that changed the next day! I was working at the deli when I received a phone call. It was the Coho Oceanfront Lodge asking me to come down immediately for an interview. They had heard that I was no longer employed at the Ashley and wanted me to come work with them. This left me a bit confused. I was elated to have time off and collect unemployment (I know, that sounds horrible but I was burnt out!) or do I take this job and think long-term. After much thinking (Greg didn't care what I did, he just wanted me happy) I decided to take the job. Bad thing...it is night audit. Good thing...it is 3 nights, 10 hour shifts getting paid more than normal. As of right now, I am working at three places-the Coho, Gymboree (part time) and the deli any spare moment I can to save labor costs. I am averaging about 60-80 hours a week and I am burnt out. In other news...Emily and I both got our hair cut!! Mind you, I didn't want to cut Emily's hair at all, but she was insistent on short hair...so here are the final products!

It's been a very long time since I have had short hair, but I love it...getting ready is a piece of cake! Things are going great with Greg and I. We've had a few bumps here and there, but what relationship doesn't?! We do have a little bit of stress in our lives! I do enjoy being able to work alongside of him at the deli. Sadly, that is how we get to see each other most of the time. Kids are bonding quite well and adjusting well. I love being a step mom. And as much as I wanted to have another baby one day, I am quite content with the 4 kids we have. Fingers crossed that there may be wedding bells next summer :)

Quick Update

Quick post since it seems like it has been forever! Where to start... In April, Greg was finalyl able to open the deli. The last two weeks were nothing short of chaotic. We lived and breathed the deli. We have since settled into a nice routine. We have cordinated our schedules so that we both have Wednesday's off and Thurday's I work at the deli with him. I only run the register and clean...it would not be wise to have me making sandwiches. As simple as they may seem to most people, there is quite the technique in building them and I would more than likely mess it up royally! We are finding that the little time we do get to spend with each other is very rare and precious. Wednesday morning's is our time while all of the kids are in school, and then most Saturday's because my mom has been having Emily spend the night with her since they go to church together Sunday morning's. We look forward to our date's...even if it is just dinner and watching a Netflix movie. Emily is adjusting well to not being the only child any more. For a while there, I was worried! It has been an adjustment for all 4 kids, but they have all settled into everything quite well. We get the kids Wednesday-Saturday and I am finding myself just as excited as Greg to Wednesday's to get them! I have implemented a chore board and it is actually working out well. The kids don't even look at it any more. They know their chores and don't even complain about it. As for me, I have gone through a few changes. Some recent changes at the hotel as taken me out of the manager position and back to just being a front desk agent. As hurt as I was with how the changes took place, I am more than thrilled with not having the responsibility and the stress of managing the desk 24/7. I get to just do my job and go home...period! I will post some pics soon. Have done a lot of fun things and have caught a lot of great pictures!!

Beach Day

A few weeks ago we actually had some sun! We took complete advantage and went to the beach for a few. The wind picked up shortly thereafter, but it was still nice. Got to watch some crabbing boats off shore as well.

Backyard Adventures

Greatest part about our backyard...it connects to a wildlife refuge!! We took the kids on an adventure one day...the kids were "fighting off the enemy" with their nerf guns while having bull elk run 10 feet away from us! The picture of the bull elk was literally 10 feet away from the girls...scared them to death!

New House

This blog is a little late (we've been in our home for 4 weeks now!) but better late than never, right?!
The moving day was crazy busy. Got the Uhaul at 10am, went to my moms house to get my stuff, stopped off at our friends storage unit to get a refridgerator, washer and dryer, moved on to Greg's apartment and stopped at his ex wife's house to get the last of his stuff there (only took him 2 years to get it!) and finally ended up at our new home at 4:30pm. Off to unloading the Uhaul! Let me tell you, when you have to move basically 3 places into a 4 story home...it takes all of the energy out of ya! I was burnt out by the time we got to our new house. Finally finished around 7pm and that is because I was done and told Greg and his friend Jason that we were just going to throw everything that was left into the garage and call it a day. I still had beds to put together and make so all of us could sleep. Mind you, we decided that it would be best to have his three kids there that night so they could experience the first night in the house with us, so I literally had to put ALL of the beds together! Luckily, Greg's parents offered to go get pizza for us to have for dinner that night (one of themany perks of having them live right down the street part time!)
We are all settled in now. Even have the garage unpacked. We get this kids 3-4 days a week now, which is the best part. Trying to keep up with cleaning the house, laundry, 4 kids, dishes, etc is a balancing act for me right now while working full time, but I am sure I will get the hang of it soon.

This and That

With Greg being a chef, I have been experiencing a lot of new food. One of my new favorite loves...SUSHI!! Who knew!!
Just a random picture of Emily and I taken yesterday. I had picked her up from school and had to get her lunch before dropping her off at daycare. Having only 5 horus of sleep the night before, I was exhausted and didn't think to pack a lunch. So, she got a treat...Burger King!!

Amazing Dad

One of the things that I love most of Greg is that he is a very involved dad...and that includes Emily. He adores all of his kids and spends every moment he can with them. He has stepped up and been the greatest dad to Emily. She even calls him dad occasionally, but has recently informed me that he can't officially be her dad until we're married!! Love her thought process!!