Welcome, welcome...

....welcome to our new blogging adventure! (an introduction from Megan)

These are exciting times, and our family has a lot going on.  I'm going to take a few moments here to introduce you to us and our one-of-a-kind family.  Let's start off with a little narrative about the men who brought this family together:

Elven & Maddy

Elven and Jorma grew up in southern Oregon.  The details about their escapades down south are a little hazy to Kasey and I, as during that time I was battling out my youth in central Oregon and Kasey was keepin' it gangsta in our state's capitol.  The guys have known each other since they were just kiddos.  The complete unabridged tale of how we got to where we are today would take more than this tiny blog post, but let's just say that after a whirlwind of affects--friendship, mold, circumstance, prayer (yes, lots of prayer), and laughter--we have arrived in a unique and awesome household of blessed chaos.  Suffice it to say, it was Jorma and Elven's sustained friendship over the years that brings us to our present situation:  a combined family of eight, all living under one roof. 

So, where do Kasey and I come in?  We are the wives and BFFs that hold the house together.  Now, don't get me wrong, we are far from running the place like a well-oiled machine, but we are well on our way.

Elven & Kasey, Jorma & Megan...  that's four people; we're only halfway there in introducing our brood!  Elven and Kasey come with their adorable kiddos:  Brayden ("Bray"), Madison ("Maddy" or "Maddy-cakes"), and Bethany ("Beff" or "Beffers"...  sometimes even "Finny" or "Befferee"), ages six, three, and one respectively.  And last, but definitely not least, we have Johnni, our housekeeper, nanny, daughter, sister, extraordinaire!  Johnni is actually Jorma's little sister, but she's been a part of our household for the past two years.  There's the eight people, and then throw in a couple awesome dogs (Jack & Jill) and now you've got a brief idea of everyone in the house.  The house with one bathroom... did I mention that before?

Jorma & Beffers

Amidst all the excitement that comes with children, a house in mid-remodel, potty-training, one bathroom, noise, laughing and crying, but mostly more laughing, we find the heart of our family.  Eight people who, by the grace of God, do life together.  We are each others' support, backbone, accountability, and back-up.  Sometimes it's hard to believe how much God has blessed us with; He is good, He is faithful, and He is smack-dab in the middle of our blessed chaos.

Through this blog, it's our hope to share snippets of our journey.  We have the strange ability to be mothers in a house where one of us stays home with the kiddos (Kasey) and one of us goes out into the workforce (me).  There are obviously challenges to be faced with so many people in such a small space, but there are also great joys.  We experience blessings, failures, happiness, frustration, and definitely some good (and sometimes bad) cooking.  We hope to bless others by the honesty in our writing, and share with friends and family the bass-pumping, potty-training, corn-dog throwing, free-for-all, holy mess, pandemonium that IS the Hillson household.

Until next time...

~Megan