This has been by far the LONGEST week and a half of my life. It's been a lot of fun but the kids bed times were almost non-existent and if you know me you know I am a major stickler for bedtime. I have been since Kamryn was a newborn. My kids just do not do well when they aren't on a routine. So needless to say in the midst of all the fun there's been a lot of meltdowns, a lot of whining and a lot of tears. Last night I was in bed by 8 and I think tonight it might be even earlier. Yes, it's Saturday....
Right now I have a stack, and I do mean a STACK, of chocolate chip cookies in front of me just getting me through the day. I am in SURVIVAL MODE. In the past week we've had out of town guests, my birthday, 3 different 4th of July celebrations and Mike's dad's 60th birthday. We've been BUSY!!
So, let's take a trip back in time, shall we?
I was 22 when I found out I was pregnant with Kamryn and 23 when she was born. I went from zero real responsibilities, besides paying my rent and getting to work each day, to having a baby who needed me 24/7. At the young age of 23 when most people are just figuring out who they are I was now a stay at home mom. A week after Kamryn was born Mike and I found a notice on our door because we forgot to pay our rent. With the excitement and exhaustion that comes with having a new baby we totally forgot to pay our rent. Mike ran down to the office and immediately paid it. At this point we were in a 1 bedroom apartment because we couldn't afford a bigger 2 bedroom. Or so we thought..... When he went down to pay, the lease manager heard we had a baby and said "I can give you a 2 bedroom for $1 more a month if you want." Mike went and looked at it and by the next weekend we were moving, to the apartment building right behind ours. Man, I miss that little apartment!!
Much to our surprise we moved directly above another couple, the same age as us and in the same exact situation as us, who had a son exactly one year older than Kamryn. I look back now and see what could've been the hardest year of my life, ended up being the exact opposite. A lot of new moms feel loneliness, sadness, they feel secluded, they just feel ALONE. But I never felt that. Jules, Chris and Landen really were a gift from God at a time when I really didn't understand the gift we were being given. Like most people we totally took it for granted. I had Jules there with me every step of the way....even on days when we both just looked at each other and said "This sucks!" We did it together. Jules still does my hair and just a few weeks ago I sat with her and Chris and we all talked about how lucky we were to have each other. I will forever cherish those 15 months we all spent together at The Woodlands.
When Kamryn was 15 months old we bought a house. We moved 45 minutes away from everyone we knew. It was then I felt the loneliness and sadness. I felt secluded and I definitely felt ALONE. It was then I started to search for mommy blogs and eventually I jumped on twitter and somehow someway I hooked up with a TON of young moms from all over the country in the same exact situation I was in.
One of those mom's was Tasha. Tasha was from SW Florida and eventually we started tweeting and direct messaging each other daily. I decided to give up social media for Lent that year and Tasha and I exchanged phone numbers. From that day on we haven't gone even 2 days without talking to each other. Tasha knows all my secrets and has been there for me through some of the hardest times in the past 6 years. She even knew I was pregnant with Tenley before Mike did. HA!
Most people don't understand these types of friendships. With shows like Catfish out there you just assume no one you meet online could really be who they say they are, BUT Tasha, thankfully was. LOL! So....when Tasha found out she would be coming to Boston to leave for a cruise to Canada we knew she had to come visit us beforehand. So, last Wednesday Tasha and her daughter Rylin came to Plymouth. I can't really put into words what it feels like to actually meet someone in person who you've talked to for so long and who has become one of your best friends, but you've never seen them in front of you. I squeezed her so tight and, of course, filled up with tears. It was such a special moment that I really can't explain.
It was like we've always known her. Her and Rylin fit right in with our crazy crew. We showed her around town, make sure she saw the ever disappointing Plymouth Rock, and took her to a local beach. Being from Florida she wanted to see a beach that wasn't tropical. Isn't that funny? Everyone up here LOVES tropical and she wanted to see anything but! Mostly we just hung out and let the kids play because, truthfully that's all we ever wanted over the past 6 years. Just to be together and hang out! The best part was I got to spend my 31st birthday with her! BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER.
Tasha has one child and obviously, we have four. What I found super funny was when I asked Tasha if we were different than she thought we were going to be and she said: "I expected you all to be louder." I cracked up! She couldn't believe how chill my kids were and just assumed it would be chaos all the time because there are so many of them. Trust me, we have chaotic moments but Mike and I both don't really like chaos, so if our kids were chaotic I can promise you we wouldn't have four. She also assumed we would be loud because we were from Boston. Which again, cracked me up. Mike told her if she got us away from the kids and got a few drinks in us she'd hear us get loud....and those accents (she loved so much) would only get thicker. ;-) My family has this on-going joke when we are out somewhere and drinks are involved we always get LOUDER. And then one of us yells "Getting loud!!" If you know the McCaul's you know this. But still, I got a great laugh out of her thinking we'd be loud and obnoxious all the time. Guess we aren't the stereotypical Bostonian's.... ;-)
Tasha and Rylin, thank you so much for making the trek up to Boston to see us! We love you and Ry so so much and can't wait to see you girls again...and hopefully Jake next time too!
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