C is the oldest of our brood, and also the biggest! Standing at 6"1 and 195 lbs, he is of course a football player and a very good one at that. This kid has lived and breathed football since the day he was born! As he well into his senior year, it has been successful thus far. Winning all First Team Accolades and we are now in hot pursuit of a perfect fit for college.
Living in a small town that is truly Football Crazy, has been a blast for our football loving family! Most of the businesses close early, hang up football signs in their windows, they even make inspirational messages with Styrofoam cups on the fences in town, and there is never quite enough room on the visitors side at away games, seeing as that almost everyone in town is there. These kids feel like rock stars!
C is very outgoing, playful, and fun loving. Boy, he's a charmer too, he could talk you right out of your shoes if you let him! Being 17, is a lot different today, then it was when I was 17! There is so much temptation out there, we are lucky that we have had only minor incidents with our kids, and that we show them the right road. Cross our fingers that all of our hard work as parents will eventually be rewarded with the love and admiration of our children...even though we know that seems light years away, I have been assured it does eventually happen (:
C is M's oldest son, with his former wife. We were awarded custody when C was in the 5th grade, so gaining some more kiddos was a bit of a challenge, but he has dealt with it very well and considers all of the kids his brothers and sisters. He is very protective over his younger siblings, especially T and Little M. I watched him tonight at the community Pep Rally, and it brought tears to my eyes. This time next year he will be away at college, and my daughter will be starting her senior year ):
Time goes by way too fast. Make sure to hug your young ones extra long...for you really don't realize how fast these times will go
T is now 16! She is officially on the road, and making me want to pull my hair out! It's hard to believe, seems like yesterday she was running around in diapers! T is my oldest, and only daughter and boy she has proven that boys are easier than girls! She is just like me, the good AND the bad! So you can only imagine how that goes!
T has had a love of cheer leading since she was 4 years old, She now cheers Varsity at the high school lettered as a sophomore, and also cheers on an Elite team. She is an avid tumbler, which I knew she would be by the way she acted in the womb. She is beautiful (of course I say this as her mommy ). She has her times, but she is a loving kid, with a genuine care for others. She has volunteered the last 2 years as a cheer leading coach for the Stynchula Foundation's NFL camp for Autism and also helps with the football part of it. With so many brothers she has a genuine knowledge of football, and was praised by All American Kicker from Ohio State, Tim Williams (1990-1993) as a true athlete!
T has had a love of cheer leading since she was 4 years old, She now cheers Varsity at the high school lettered as a sophomore, and also cheers on an Elite team. She is an avid tumbler, which I knew she would be by the way she acted in the womb. She is beautiful (of course I say this as her mommy ). She has her times, but she is a loving kid, with a genuine care for others. She has volunteered the last 2 years as a cheer leading coach for the Stynchula Foundation's NFL camp for Autism and also helps with the football part of it. With so many brothers she has a genuine knowledge of football, and was praised by All American Kicker from Ohio State, Tim Williams (1990-1993) as a true athlete!
As she has just started her Junior year in High School, it simply amazes me at how fast she has grown up ): At the same time I am excited to see her succeed!
Here is another one of the Chaos Clan!
H is another athletics lover; he plays football, along with wrestling, has dabbled a bit in basketball. H is M's youngest son and was in about 3rd grade when he came to live with us. He had a bit more issues when moving in with us, it is still a very young age to be separated from your mom.
Along with being a very intelligent young man (honors), he is a very talented, self taught, guitar player. He amazes me when he plays! He is not as open as some of the other kids, and kind of a loner. He is not affected by peer pressure, as a lot of kids are. He is set in his mind about what he will do, and what he won't do (drinking, drugs, etc) but also carries that over to home life, which can be very difficult, especially in a mixed family.
D is 15 years old and the polar opposite of all of my other children. He is the classic middle child. He is normally quiet and keeps to him self, a true video gamer, and super smart! He has been labeled as gifted, but still feels bored even in the gifted classes. He officially has his first girlfriend, and he is such a gentleman! I am proud to say that I raised this fine young man. He has little interest in playing sports competitively, but likes to play basketball for fun. He has sprouted up about 10 inches in the past year, and towers overs me! It's sad to see my babies growing up so fast ):
I'm lucky that I went to school with the mother and father of his girlfriend, so I can keep pretty good tabs on him. They praise him always with how polite and friendly he is. He is also a clown with his friends, and loves the laughs. I have high hopes for him! Unlike any of my other kids, he was not phased by entering High School...his answer, "uhhh Mom, it's just school? It's not like I've never gone to school before."
ahhhh the joys of motherhood. (:
He also is not the perfect child, although I honestly have no major complaints, he doesn't like to clean his room, do chores, doesn't like to share a room, especially with his younger brother...but all in all, he is a great kid. He is one that I trust to be smart and make responsible decisions. I hope that he continues to stay on that path.
This is Little M, he is my youngest son, and has rounded the corner to his 14th birthday! My baby isn't such a baby anymore!
Little M is a very special kid. He has overcome so much in his short life; being born with Agenesis of the Corpus Callossum (in English=he was born with a part of his brain missing), and Optic Nerve Hypoplasia (legally blind) we were told that he would possibly never walk, talk, or be able to fend for himself. Thankfully, he proved all of that wrong! Little M leads a very active life, played football when he was younger, and just finished up baseball season. He also is an avid hunter and fisherman, thanks to his grandfather, whom he spends a lot of time with.
He has such an infectious personality, that it's hard not to smile whenever you see him! 6 years ago they found a cyst in his ear called Cholesteatoma. What happens with this is it has the ability to eat away at the bone, and it did. He had to have a pretty serious surgery, where they drilled into his mastoid (hard bone behind your ear), take jaw muscle and rebuild his ear drum, and he lost two of the three bones in his ear. We see an ear specialist regularly to make sure this yucky thing doesn't come back.
I'm excited to say that his disabilities do not define him. He is a normal 13 year old boy, who rides around town on his bike, plays football with his brothers, argues with his sister, and has many friends! He has his attitudes, fits, and so forth, but in all he is a good kid who makes everyone who knows him a better person, just for being in his presence.
This here, is my nephew Little C. We were blessed to welcome him into our home when he was only 11 months old. We have raised him just like we would our own. He is such a smart little boy! He loves Michael Jackson, and dances and sings to all of his songs. He loves to play baseball and football with the other kids, knows all of his colors and shapes, his full name (which is pretty long), he actually got turned down for preschool because they said he didn't "need" it? I never heard of such a thing.
Little C was placed with us when he was 11 months old. His mother has gotten into some things, and it doesn't look like she will be able to turn things around. He has adjusted very well to all of the chaos here! He has a wild imagination, love of sports, loves to play and play hard! He says he will grow up to play football, and wrestle (I have a feeling with all of the singing and dancing he does, he will do some drama club and choir, as well)
We are so very blessed that we were given the opportunity to give him a better life, when he needed it most. I love this little cutey!!!
Last but certainly not least, is "N"!!
"N" is our newest addition, and came to live with us in July of 2011. She has done a wonderful
Being older (10 yo) adjusting has been a lot harder, starting a new school again, making new friends, adjusting from living in a home as the only child, to being one of seven...but she is a trooper!
She is the older sister of Little C, and they adore each other!
I am so happy that she is with us, and hope that she finds the way to all of her dreams!
