So for Christmas we started a tradition where we go away on a family vacation. Spendy, but the kids love it. We get a really nice room in a large resort with a waterpark and themepark and this year we went for an extra day. The kids had a blast. ALL of them. The bonds among the five kids seemed to get even stronger...many times I looked at all five of those kids an thought, "We're pretty lucky...they get along really well. OSS has repaired the damage he created with my daughters and they are all hanging out together and enjoying each others company." Even YSS wasn't too whiny.

MIL did call DAILY...but since neither skid had their phones with them, she only got to talk to the twice maybe. Yay!! BM texted DH on the last day of the trip asking if skids could call her that day. I told DH to not even go there. It was our last day of family vacation, she knew that, they would be getting dropped at her house the next afternoon and she would have them for the rest of break. She did NOT need to talk to the boys, it was only to try to stir up drama. She hadn't seen them for a week already and had not made any effort to try to speak to them until the last day of vacation when she would be getting them the next day? And DH didn't. He didn't hand his phone over for them to call. BM was given NOT ONE SINGLE SECOND of our family vacation. YAY!

In other exciting news, DH and I are purchasing a new home. A much larger home that will give us more space for the seven of us that lie together daily. I'm excited, the kids are excited. I'm hoping 2015 turns out to be a much better year. 2014 was a struggle...but it seems we are ending it on a good note anyway.

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and Happy New Year to all my fellow stepparents!!!