Just do it!

Okay, I have to admit, this is my very first attempt at blogging. I'm not as eloquent as my sister Carol, or as creative as my sister Debbi, or even as brilliant as my brother Jack. I'm the entertainer in the family. Sometimes crazy, sometimes ditsy. Most often, slightly out of control. So blogging may prove to be an interesting adventure for me. And somewhat entertaining for my readers!

I am the mother of four amazing children, whom I am sure that you will hear often about in the near future. There's Maggie (11) who is just on the cusp of womanhood and proving that adolescence is going to be yet another adventure in our lives. She is an amazing girl who is shaping up to be an outstanding woman. Matthew (9) is our athlete. Built like a brick, he proves to be a force to be reckoned with out on the football field. Yet, he is also the one who is most likely to take your breath away with a thoughtful comment. Mason (8) is our wild man. Always willing to take on a new adventure, he has followed in his brother's sporty footsteps. And with all of the Lego creations that this boy comes up with, we may have the next Frank Lloyd Wright on our hands! Then there's Molly (5)! Spitfire, clown, joy. She's our little entertainer. The things that she says and does never cease to surprise us. And I have never seen such an outgoing child. She will never be without a friend.

Over all this craziness, there's my husband, James. Going on our 19th year of marriage, it has never been dull. We met in college; were married right after graduation; lived in Chicago for four years and now reside in Dublin, Ohio. He is my best friend and helper in every way. He is amazing with the kids, teaching them things I never could like how to hit a golf ball, how to shoot an arrow, how to sight in a BB-gun. Did I mention that he loves the outdoors?!

I'm the matriarch of this clan. I've been nicknamed Twitchie and Hami most recently. Any of you who are familiar with animated movies will realize that my family considers me to most resemble a slightly neurotic, ADHD squirrel. I will admit, I have my moments when I can see the resemblance. Did I mention that I'm already on my fourth cup of coffee this morning?! I stay at home taking care of my children. In my spare time, I play tennis, rock it out in a band at church and read lots of books.

All in all, it's a great family. But it isn't boring. I called our blog The Arnold Zoo. Most days, you will find us with not only our four children, but also with my children's friends playing nearby. At any given moment, it's not uncommon to have up to 12 children playing in the house. I keep finding myself amazed at this because I'm not the most cuddly mom in the neighborhood. I bark at them to clean up their messes, make them eat food in the kitchen and demand that they use their manners. Evidently, I just provide the best snacks, so they keep on coming. I really have to stop making those chocolate chip cookies all the time!

So, consider showing me some grace as I start this new faze of my life - the Internet connection faze. Hopefully, it will be entertaining at the least, inspirational at it's best. But most of all, I hope that it will keep you connected with our family as we grow up along this road that we travel together.