Good, good, good....Good Vibrations!

Baron and I have 7 kids between us. He has 3 girls - 17, 15, and 6. I have 3 boys and a girl - 16, 14, 12, and 6. I can't remember exactly when they all met for the first time, but it was sometime in February or March, since Baron and I started dating in January. It has been amazing how much they have in common, and how well they get along. Baron's ex has tried to cast aspersions on their relationship and our interactions, but Baron and I have seen nothing but good times. Last night was another good example.

Baron's middle girl, K., loves rock, and there was a Rockfest on the waterfront (we live near the Ohio River) yesterday. K. was supposed to go with a friend, and invited my daughter, Rachael, to go along. Unfortunately, K.'s friend backed out at the last minute, but Baron and I dropped our respective girls off at the meeting spot and they had a great time together. Both girls ran into friends from their schools and had a fun afternoon, as K.'s digital pics portrayed.

I picked them up a few hours later, and we all headed to Ernesto's for Mexican! Baron and I sat back a couple of times and smiled to see them all talking and laughing together. They have so much in commmon, and get along so well! Our 6 yr. olds are his pretty little girl, A., and my boy Aaron. They danced together to the live music and played tic-tac-toe at the table. The singer was doing mostly "old" stuff (read: 60's and 70's) and I made the teens groan by requesting "I've Got You, Babe", after K. asked her dad a trivia question about Sonny and Cher. The 6 yr. olds requested "Who Let the Dogs Out", and he did a few bars to humor them, but it wasn't really his genre. Both little kids delighted in putting a dollar in his tip jar and telling him "thank you" when we left. A. ran across the parking lot to give me a picture she made me that says, "I love you, J.!" I can't wait to put it up at school near my desk.

We then caravaned to Baron and his girls' favorite ice cream place, Barrel of Fun. And yes, the actual building is shaped like a barrel. We all loaded up on ice cream goodies and sat outside on picnic tables to eat and talk. Aaron and A. played tag in the grass, with my Daniel joining in. Aaron has a bit of a crush on Baron's middle daughter, K., and asked to sit by her. When he tripped and fell during tag, K. was one of the first to rush over to see if he was okay. My oldest, Joseph, and Baron's oldest girl, T., moved away from the others for awhile to talk about a local haunted house. Rachael, Daniel, K., Baron and I discussed our September plans for an all-day "Star Wars" marathon, as soon as my Star Wars remastered DVD's come in. Again, Baron and I sat back, holding hands, and just soaked in all the good vibrations. Our families blend well together.

The girls' mom just recently got engaged, and Baron's youngest, A., has marriage on the brain. She told me, "I can't wait until you and Daddy get married!" My response was, "Well, you'll have to talk to your dad about that one!" (laugh) There has been a lot of marriage talk, lately, but all hypothetical, although Baron DID make an interesting comment at the football game Friday night. We were talking to a couple who were on their second marriage and had blended families, and I mentioned that we (the 2 couples) had a lot in common, except, I said, "WE aren't married." Baron's reply: "Not yet." He was even smiling when he said it! Hmmmmm......

Later, A. brought it up again. When I asked her what the rush was, she said, "I want to be your stepdaughter!" I smiled at her, hugged and kissed her, and let her know that she was always going to be special to me, whether we were ever legally related or not. A. has the wonderful quality of wanting everyone to be happy.

When it was time to go home, there was hugging and silliness all around. Lots of affection from Baron. I think it is good for both sets of kids to see their parents happy. I know it makes me happy to enjoy the company of my guy AND his girls. Looking forward to more "good vibrations".