My short as possible family introduction...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But this picture of my family is instead worth a thousand QUESTIONS.  And trust me, do we get lotsa questions.

"So.... are you his mom?"

"Wait, so you guys AREN'T related?"

and my personal favorite question occurs when I answer the door...

"Is your Mom home?"

I'M IN CHARGE DAMMIT!!! Im just kidding. I don't expect anyone to understand....

We are anything but the "traditional" family.  I can't even imagine what people think of us when we walk around Costco together.  My best guess is that they think we're a strange group of friends... Or maybe a maybe a bunch of runaway kids from a group home. Whatever people think, it doesn't matter. Underneath our strange circumstances, we are truly like any other family.

A BRIEF BACKGROUND:
A lot has happened and changed since the seven of us united forces in April of 2013.  I say seven because at the start of our journey together, we also were watching over my boyfriends sister. Shortly thereafter we were unable to care for her for a variety of reasons and she now happily lives with another family member a few states over in Texas. Her time spent with us was short, but we love her dearly and miss her daily. 

Then, at the beginning of this month, the older two of the boys also moved with some of our close loving family in Washington. Having lived with them for a whole year, things are really different without them around. Although we're all still adjusting to the new quietness of the house, it's to have some time to BREATHE. Caring for four boys is not a simple task! I get to enjoy the little things in life that I have felt deprived of for the past year such a blogging, shaving my legs, doing homework in peace, and eating leftovers. Leftovers may not sound very appealing but when you cook for five boys every night, being able to eat leftovers instead of cooking is better than eating at a five-star restaurant! A bit of a hyperbole but you get the point... The boys are doing great in Washington too! To be honest, I'm a bit jealous of them. They're having a blast enjoying everything Seattle has to offer: fresh seafood, cooler weather, and a heck of a lot less cacti.

WHICH BRINGS US TO THE NOW:
Me and my three: Big Mac, Zed and K-Boy. I'm going to refrain from using their real names for a very important reason... I'm lazy. The shorter the better! An since their first names all start with the letter K it will eliminate any confusion as to who I'm talking about. But on a more serious note I want to protect their precious identities. I plan on sharing a lot of personal stories about my family and the more real-life information I can protect the better. That said, here's a little not so personal description of each.

Big Mac: Big because well, he's big! He's our man of the house, our protecter, our go-to guy, and my hunny bunny boo bear! LOL I don't actually call him that.. I'm just quite fond of him. We have been together since high school and he is one of the biggest inspirations in my life. I love him more than anything in this world.. EVEN CHOCOLATE. You'll hear lots more about him later...

Zed: The older of the two boys, Zed is truly a gentle giant. Not only is he big and tall for his age, but he has the biggest heart. Although he's extremely outgoing and sociable, he is very in touch with his inner emotions as well. He notices all the little things, asks lots of questions, and loves receiving hugs.

K-Boy: The youngest in our family. He's cute and little on the outside, but on the inside it's quite the opposite. He loves sports, playing outside, and video games, anything that poses a challenge. Although he's shy and keeps to himself around new people, he loves causing trouble to his big brothers. Did I mention he is a master Lego builder?

Our family and support system extend far beyond the four of us but being surrounded by these three every day is quite an interesting experience. Some days are good, some days are not so good, but every day leaves me with a lesson. Lessons on how to cook, how to care for a house, how to pay bills, how to do 4th grade math, and other kinda useful things like that. More importantly though, in my journey with these people I am learning how to love, how to set a good example, how to find balance in life, how to enjoy the little things and how to be successful no matter how odd the circumstance.  And that's what Bri Plus Three is all about.