And it began...

After dating for two months, I was blessed with the opportunity to meet the kids.  I was introduced as "Dad's friend" and I was immediately charmed by all three kiddos.  The youngest (girl) was four, the middle (boy) was six and the oldest (boy) was nine.  The oldest was the first to talk to me...which I will always appreciate.  His ability to talk with and smile at this woman that he had never met before gave the other two younger ones the green light to like me as well.  That set the tone of the beginnings of our relationship.

Initially after that first meeting, my future husband and I were very careful around the children.  I was his friend....and we took care to slowly integrate my presence into their lives.  At the same time, we tried to make sure the kids had plenty of alone time with their dad.  I was not there very often at first...and then I would occasionally go with them to the movies, dinner, etc.  Over a span of several months, their dad and I began to be a little bit more affectionate in front of and around the children (holding hands, etc) once we knew they were completely comfortable with me.  It took a lot of time and care to make sure the kids were happy and secure with our relationship.  It was hard, but I am so glad we did it that way.  It made all of the difference, I believe.

After dating for almost a year, my future husband sat the kids down and asked their permission to propose to me.  (Of course, I had no idea this was going on).  Thankfully, the children were thrilled and gave their full blessing.  He ended up proposing to me a few days later in a very simple, sweet way...which is reflective of our relationship.  No drama and no fuss, but a lot of love.  We were married eight months later in a small wedding ceremony.  We only had 15 guests (immediate family and a few close friends).  My stepdaughter was my maid-of-honor and stood next to me during the ceremony.  Our middle child was the groomsman and our oldest child was the best man.  Like the proposal and like our relationship, the wedding was simple and beautiful.  I had prepared a small vow that I said to the children during the wedding- promising that I would always be there for them and that I would always support their relationship with their dad...and their mom.  It was a beautiful day and I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.  I finally found and married the man of my dreams...and was given the additional blessing of being in the lives of his children.  Four blessings added to my life in one day.  Wow. 

Then the real adventure began...