In My Mom Era

Why I Take 5 Kids Everywhere

Flashback to 2016 – “Congrats to you two; your lives are officially OVER. HAHA.”

I remember thinking, “OK..what now?”

But that person, along with pretty much everyone else we associated with, all said the same thing. Your lives are done. Forget about taking your road trips. Forget about chasing sunsets. Just enjoy the time with the baby and know that they’ll be grown up someday and you can get back to YOU.

Well, as that person, and every person we’ve interacted with since, has found out, our lives most certainly did not END. If anything, we got busier.

Because now, in addition to what I love, or what Tyler (the hubby) likes, Declan (9) and Tristan (8) have their own likes and wants too! Miss Nora (3) is very quickly developing one hell of a personality – and she’s not afraid to voice her opinions.

So now, it’s not, what do I feel like doing this weekend? But what do we ALL want to do? What place is closeish to home that we can all have some fun? Playgrounds, bookstores, hiking spots, a small place with an amazing name we want to eat at? Done and done!

Declan came, and the first few months were a whirlwind of learning curves. First new baby, first time changing my own kiddos’ diapers, first time making a bottle, first time BREASTFEEDING!

That last one was rough, and never in my life was I more used to having random people see (and sometimes move/touch/adjust) my boobs! Seriously, it’s not talked about enough, so I’ve been there, and I’ll talk if you want to!!

We quickly realized we enjoyed staying home, but we also still enjoyed driving around. And by quickly, I mean 2 weeks – Declan was 2 weeks old when he went to his first party – a Halloween party where he met his first babysitter, a wonderful person, Kimberly, who was just 13 herself, but she had a knack and a passion for babies! She sat in the living room and cuddled, fed, changed, and rocked Declan to sleep while I sat outside socializing.

Flash forward, and it’s 2026. The times have changed, the world has changed, and we have way more kids than we thought we’d have. But the goal is still the same.

LIVE. LOVE. EXPLORE.

That was my first blog, Living, Loving, and Exploring. And I stand by that standard.

Our kids know the value of getting out there and embracing life and what it has to offer. Do they fall? Absolutely. Do they persevere? You bet!

So why do I take five kids everywhere?

Because this is their life too. I don’t want to wait until they’re older, or easier, or until packing the car doesn’t require enough stuff to survive a minor apocalypse. I want them to see things now. I want them to chase sunsets with us. I want them to know that sometimes the best Saturdays start with someone saying, “Hey, wanna go somewhere?” and everybody piling into the car.

Is it easier to stay home? Absolutely.

But where’s the fun in that?

So, to the people who told us in 2016 that our lives were over:

You were right about one thing.

Our old lives were.

I just had no idea how much bigger the next one would be.

Count on more stories like this and other tidbits as time goes on. I never get tired of talking about what my family is up to. One time, an aunt of mine told my mom, right in front of me, that she didn’t need to ask what I was up to because she could check Facebook. Haha.

And we’re off to the races again.

Talk later,

Kelly