Whoever said "Blood is thicker than water" is full of shit.

Before I start on this post, I wasn't intending to write this one for a while, but yesterday Freddie and I went to feed the ducks with my niece and my brother and sister-in-law. And as I sat there I watched them and I realized how much I truly appreciated who they were and what they have done for me in this process over the last 8 years, and even though I don't say it enough because we aren't the emotional type - Thank you Michelle and Wade, for being you and for being there when I need you.

Plus, our kids don't get much cuter than this. This is Freddie and my niece who I call Monkey. This picture is from 2010. Back then we were telling them not to grow up.

This is how well they listened...

Then today, Scotty P had his brother-in-law reach back out to him the way my ex's family had when I went through the divorce and Crash signed his email with: "But how about this... we can be brothers again".

With that said, I feel maybe I shouldn't wait to write this post.

As I was starting my divorce with my ex-husband I was told "blood is thicker than water" and the reason I was told this was because at the time my ex had tainted his story *shocker* and I had lost touch with his family who I had loved as my own. As the truth finally started working itself out, as it always does, we started to mend broken fences and make them stronger then they were before.

When I would tell people I call my ex-husband's family my own. I call them my brother, my sister, my mother, and my father, and even my cousins, they would look at me and tell me - Blood is thicker than water, it's only a matter of time they will turn on you.... Maybe in other families, but in this family we stand up for our children. We do what we believe is right for them and we show our children that genetics and biological gene pool isn't what determines family. WE determine family. We also aren't childish, but you know, details. There's a lot of people out there that are.

My children are learning valuable lessons in life with these people we have chosen as our family. They have my biological parents who love them tremendously and they have my chosen parents who love them just as equally. They will grow up seeing love conquers all. And more so for Freddie, when he's ready, he's going to ask questions, and I'm going to have answers, but he's going to see that through bad times, there is always good. When that time comes, I'll have these people to thank and these people to say to him - these are the people we chose to keep in our lives because they loved us for us, through the good and the bad, through the thick and the thin and still stood by us and we will always be there for them just like they were for us.

So if anyone ever tells you "Blood is thicker than water" let them know, they are full of shit. 

(left to right..ish: Livie, Nani, Monkey, Abi and front and center being a goof - Freddie)