My "Simple" Life

Eating my breakfast not to interesting :)

The first night we met I spent the night 

My name is Mindy Welder and I'm so happy to have just moved to Riverview. I have been making new friends and partying every night. I found a great 1 bedroom house but I'm hardly home between parties, work, and studying I'm a very busy girl. I really didn't have any plans in life except sculpt, paint, and Cook. These are my 3 most favorite things to do other than read! Getting married is the farthest thing from my mind since I'm so young and would like some life experience before going down that road of life. I have a bestie Heather and we hang out all the time and I now have a new guy Jon Lessen who plays the lead guitar in a band. He's so sweet and we love to drink and have bikini parities. I'm going with the flow of things and he wanted to be serious without really getting involved and I was fine with that because I didn't really want to be married or have kids for a little while. I also knew that once you get serious about things its hard to go back. Well we started to date because girls were all over him and I didn't like it because I was the one sharing a bed with him and I'm not trash. He was ok with that too (so I thought) I heard rumors of him cheating but had never seen anything with my own eyes and I'm not one to accuse so I brushed it off as if all was good. Turns out that a girl who shall not be named slept with him while I was at work. I found out because I got off work early because things were slow and as I pulled up I saw her getting out of his bed YEAH I KNOW seriously I freaked out and started yelling at him trying to figure out why he insisted in being such a jerk. I composed myself long enough to leave and not look back. I was happy to know that I wouldn't have to talk to him again 

Our last night together

and I also knew that I would break up with him publicly because I didn't want there to be any confused people making up rumors of him breaking up with me. It did matter in my mind because I didn't cheat he did and everyone knew that. I knew that we had tried for baby a few times on accident but I wasn't worried because I knew that we only were together for a month so the possibility of me ever getting pregnant were slim. I was at work one day and was talking to my boss who I have to get along with because I'm best friends with his wife Heather aka my bestie but I invite him over for dinner to get a good relationship with him so I could possibly get a raise. Well She got mad because she felt I was crossing a boundary and I understood and would invite her over as well. Well I cooked his favorite meal one night and my friend threw it up when she got home we laughed and figured she was pregnant and she was! We got really close and I even took them over food just because he can be an ass and not do anything but complain about her working. Well any way I went over to Jon's house to get some of my stuff he bought for me for 

The TRAMP and my ex

when I would stay the night and he was having a pool party so I changed quickly because I couldn't be the only one NOT in a swimsuit and I found him jumping on the TRAMPoline with well a tramp. I was beyond mad I didn't even want to talk to him. Still not officially broken up yet. I left thinking I NEEDED TO GET OUT. I called my friend and was like lets go out to eat and then go out on the town. We had a blast and met so many new people. I got home and got sick because of eating some bad food from the restaurant (not going there again) and went to bed. I woke up and was shocked I HAD A BELLY I'm a pretty skinny girl so when I have a bigger stomach there is definitely something not right. Well I went to the doctor and he confirmed the fact that I was in deed pregnant. I had several things on my mind 1st I'm still breaking up with Jon 2nd I'm pregnant with my best friend 3rd I need a better job 4th when did this happen? I called Heather and told her we needed to meet somewhere she said maybe later she was busy. So I called Jon over to tell him he was going to be a dad AND break up with him.

He was shocked

When I told him he got really pail and froze. Then he smiled nervously and said I hope it likes to PARTY! He went to kiss me and I moved away. I told him that I didn't know how things could work out if he wasn't willing to settle down. I suddenly had the feeling to try to make things work TILL his phone rang and he had to leave suddenly. I knew who it was and what she needed. I got angry that I had a moment of thinking I could make things work with him. I invited him over for dinner when I was 1/2 threw the pregnancy and told him that I was done and he was free. He grabbed me and kissed me I went with it longing for a companion but not him he's just not what I wanted . I then invited 3 other pregnant ladies over to my house for a party and we had a blast but 2 of them went into labor before I could get a group picture. My best friend then left early since she knew her time of delivery was coming up quickly as well. I cleaned things up and admired myself for being such a strong person and standing up for what was right. If I had a boy I would raise him to be kind and gentle towards girls and if I had a girl I would teach her not to put up with guys who will only use her. I honestly didn't care what the gender of the baby was I just really wanted it to be born. The next day I got a phone call from Heather saying that Lillynn Renee Crosby was born early in the morning. She was perfectly healthy and ready for a playmate. I laughed and said well 

Ready to pop at any moment

its not ready yet. I went over to visit her but they weren't home and I figured that they were doing something as a family. I went home and played in the sprinkler and felt a little funny so I started to paint after trying to take a short nap. Nothing was working and I started to get frustrated. Jon called me and wanted to hang out. I was so not in the mood so I kindly said sure meet me at the spa and buy me a massage. I didn't go even if I wanted to I couldn't my labor started at 8:38pm I was in so much pain and just walked around my house. I knew that if I went to the hospital Jon would show up and I didn't want him there at all. I was in labor for 1.5 hours and then finally began to really push. It took several cross eyed pushes till the baby finally made its grand entry. The baby had Jon's eyes and I was so deeply in love. My sweet Lars Riece Welder was born on August 23 and was 8lbs and very healthy. I called Heather over first thing but when the door bell rang it was Jon so he got to meet his son shortly after he was born. He got mad because I gave Lars my last name but I told

August 23, 2010

Jon that he never committed to me so I'm not going to give our son a name he might not want. When he gets older he can make that choice on his own without any interference from us. I then threw a party to celebrate my beautiful son's delivery and everyone came and had a blast. I was so happy and proud to be able to show him off. His dad even played him a song that he wrote. It was beautiful but the most shocking part was he called me some quite lovely names in the song as well. After the party I laid Lars down to go make dinner but something made me only want to hold him so I cooked dinner while holding him and then ate while holding him. I then put him to bed and went off to sleep myself. I couldn't wait to start new traditions with Lars and teach him all sorts of amazing things when I was not working. But oh boy I took him EVERYWHERE with me. The only place I couldn't take him was work but I found a great baby sitter Lisa Gossbury and she did more with him than I could have imagined she even placed him out side while she played in the sprinkler. I loved knowing he was being taken care of. We would go on walks everyday. I walked over to my friends house to have a baby play date they mainly just hung out but us mom's read books it was perfect. We talked about her moving but she and her husband needed more money and a play to stay that was cheap. I suggested them move closer to me but she kind of shrugged the idea off and went over to entertain the babies. I love her to death but she seems to avoid conversations when her husband isn't around, but I've gotten used to that. I studied hard by going to

Walking to the library 

the library since I could hardly afford my bills. I walked there all the time and we even would walk to the park because it was just a few houses down from where we live. Jon would call often and even stop by to visit but I never invited him he would just show up. I liked that he would come around Lars and maybe Lars wouldn't even think there was something different about him and his parents not living together because we got along pretty well around Lars to make it easier on him. Life was simple and routine with a baby but as he got older I knew that certain things would be changing. He then started to sit up and out grew some of his baby things. I wasn't to worried to potty train because diapers are so easy and potty training was going to need me home more than a few hours while he was awake. So I waited till I had my two days off in a row to work on potty training. Lillynn grew up right along with Lars and my friend and I got together often to have the kids play and catch up. She then announced that they were moving next door to me I was so excited and loved that the kids would grow up so close to each other. Lars what such a happy toddler and I always knew he was being taken care of by the way his mood was when I would get home from work. He also started to look more and more like his daddy everyday. 

My happy boy after eating his breakfast

Then shortly after moving to a bigger house my best friend tells me she's expecting and I needed to get pregnant again. I seriously laughed out loud. I know I can't afford another child on my own and her husband dis likes children and has nothing to do with the one he has and they decide to have more? I was happy for her but also worried that she would end up on her own a single mom with 2-3 kids. But then my situation isn't much better at least she's married. Her family had a small get together in honor of their new house and the new baby on its way. I kept thinking this is crazy but put on my best happy face and went on threw the night. Lillynn was so preciously cute. She has blond hair and light eyes. Her mom really enjoys dolling her up to the 9yards. I couldn't believe what all they had bought her for the new house. I still had no dresser and poor Lars had no choice in what he wore but being poor isn't for wimps. I loved having my friend close by and even more so I liked that we had kids the same age. I jokingly said hey by time you have your third I should be married and pregnant again. I then stopped dead in my tracks. That was crazy to think about I didn't even know any men in town who I would consider to settle down with. I then brushed off the idea and went on about my life. Mine stayed pretty simple till I met Don 

Talking while our toddlers check each other out.

Lothario a very popular name here in Riverview. He loved coming over for dinner but worked odd hours so it was mainly hit and miss. I finally decided that being single really is for me. I have my amazing son Lars and he's the only man for me. My friend Heather loved to brag about all the things her daughter was doing. She was even potty trained in one day when poor Lars it was taking forever. she was walking and talking long before Lars too. I then started to question my parenting abilities, and if I really could be a single mom and offer Lars the best. I hardly had time to figure things out before I got a phone call from my friend saying please come over I would like some company. I was already jealous of her in several ways but grateful I wasn't her in others. But I was a good friend and headed over. We talked things over and she told me the reason why things seem so different right now is because she's not working and able to give Lillynn 100% attention. She told me how with the new baby coming she was hardly going to have time for her daughter and that scared her since her husband is 100% hands off the kids. I started to feel

Heather giving birth to her son

  better and I even got Lars fully potty trained that day as well. I was over at my friends house when she went into labor. I was happy to be there to entertain kids and also help her if she needed. Her husband was sleeping (go figure) so I was doing several things at once. She then had her handsome son Bransen and he was very quick to come into the world. She was so happy to have a boy and knew that her family just might be complete but the way that things go you can't plan anything because there is always a higher party involved in one way or another. Shortly after Bransen was born both Lillynn and Lars grew up into children. I threw Lars a party and invited his father. Lars was so happy his dad chose to sit next to him to eat his cake. I was happy that Jon was showing he had interest in his son. I got Lars a new bike and toy his dad bought him a guitar. Even though he can't play it yet he was happy to know that it was waiting for him when he got older. That very day Lars wanted to take several classes. An art class and logic class both were considered b-day gifts too and one was on discount and that made me happy. I loved how things were going and with Lars as a child I knew that dating was soon going to be something I 

~Happy Birthday Lars~

introduced myself to again. I have 3 men on my list of possible boyfriend but I will introduce them one at time later on in the story. For right now I'm focused on getting another raise and buying a few things before I even think of getting serious with a man. When the topic of Lars last name came up again I looked at Lars and said well your a child now you make the choice. He chose to remain Welder until I was married and then he would make a choice at that time what name he would take. I felt that was a perfect answer and it made me smile because I have raised him on my own struggling with every step of the way on my own and then he says something like that it just really warmed my heart. Lars also was eager to get over to the neighbor's house to meet Lillynn face to face. I was eager too because they had a private party so I had no clue what sweet Lillynn looked like yet. I was sure she still had her beautiful light eyes and blond hair but other than that I had no idea. When Lars saw Lilly his face was in pure disbelief I didn't know why but he couldn't stop smiling. It was quite late and so I called him home and 

he told me "Wow mom she's just so pretty." I smiled and said Ok Romeo off to bed. With the way that she

Lars and Lillynn becoming best friends!

Is being raised I'm a little conserened on what kind of child she will be. Her dad is very hands off and I feel that might make her a little bit of a rebel but her mom is very loving so hopefully all of the good of her mom will blow over her dads negligent manners of how to raise kids. The two kids really became close and since they are neighbors over nights did take place but only at my place and Lilly slept in his bed and Lars slept in mine. I wasn't to comfortable with them sleeping in same room without me. Lars really took to school and he enjoyed learning. He rode his bike to school everyday and that was also his way of getting around town. he was proud of his bike and every chance he got he would ride it. Going to the library was something I did with him since he was a baby and so it became a regular thing for him to go to the library and read, but I must say the best part was when he would read here at home in front of the fire place. This always seemed to happen around the same time each day. It was great till one day the house 

Riding his bike to school!
Please note that car is parked :)

set fire and we lost a few things but no one was hurt and thats the important thing. I had been living pay check to pay check and started to date again but guess what 2 of the three guys I was interested in were already spoken for and the 3rd well I found him kissing his boyfriend so yeah I'm pretty sure I'm going to remain single and the only guy in my life will be my handsome Lars. I have been considering adoption but I love Lars and I don't want him to think he's not enough. So this is something I'm going to be thinking on for the next week or so. I would most likely adopt a toddler they are young enough to bond quickly but I'm not starting all over again with an infant. I'm also proud to say that on Lars' second day of school I got a promotion it was long over due and made us very happy we celebrated by going to our first movie together. We had a blast and loved the movie. Lars is a great kid and we share so many common interests. That our relationship as mother son is picture perfect. I do hope

My smart, and handsome son reading a logic book!

that his future is bright with a beautiful family that he's proud of. I do hope he waits to woo hoo till he's married, but you do what you can and hope for the best. So anyway Lars was a strait A student and loved doing side jobs like cleaning the bug cage, running papers around town, and even receiving tickets to a game on Saturday night. We can't wait to go and I hope his dad joins us for the game but if not that doesn't bother us. Before I could hardly pay attention to a single thing Lars became a teenager and was interested in dating girl. Lilly grew up too but she didn't look like a down to earth kind of girl she looked trashy and as though she wanted to show off her curves and not her mind. Poor Lars being a "normal" teen boy he loved hanging out with her. She wore skimpy clothes and was constantly flirting with him. My friend thought it was SO NEAT but I was the opposite. I just kept thinking "He can't like what he's seeing he just can't" But he did and I couldn't stop him all I could do was keep teaching him wrong from right. I have also made up my mind on adopting after my 4th promotion. 

My wonderful son Lars

I do feel my house is quite small for a 3rd member to join the family and I had a hard time keeping funds high that I debated if I wanted to risk having another one. I also thought how nice it would be to have a little girl. She would add a new type of vibe in the family but also have a better life with a single parent family than without any family. I was reading the news paper and it was talking about low income families not having enough money to feed their children and so children have been put up for adoption. This seriously made me think even harder about if I could afford it or not. I then put and add in the paper for a room mate and got a reply fairly quickly. A friend of mine Lance Undermeyer called me up and started to talk about how him and his girlfriend broke up and he had to move out but didn't have enough money to get his own place just yet. I told him he was more than welcome and gave him my room. I added onto the house so that Lars could have his own room and I could have some privacy away from my teen age son. When Lance moved in Lars was quite excited to have another guy in the house. Our friendship became more of a flirty and playful kind of relationship. I was trying hard to keep things pretty basic around Lars knowing that I had to teach him right from wrong and I 

This is a picture of me with Lance

am his only role model since his dad has stopped visiting and talking to the both of us. With all of the new things that were going on in my life I decided to adopt a little girl. I built her room before we adopted her knowing that we would decorate it according to her favorite color and style. I called the adoption service on my day off to ask them if they still had children who needed homes they said yes and that there were more boys than girls who needed adopted. I was even more set on a little girl after hearing this. I got off the phone and purchased her bed and we would change the bedding once she got here. I bought her a doll house and desk. I couldn't afford much more than that since I haven't worked in two days. She arrived in a beautiful pink dress and her hair was in two braids. I looked at her and immediately knew that I had made the right choice in adopting her. I gave her the name Hillary Rae and she loved it. Her traits are excitable, bookworm, and friendly. Her favorite color is yellow and she likes the root style of music. With Hillary joining the family I started to question my relationship with Lance. I felt things might be a bit more serious than a flirty friendship and I 

Hillary Rae walking up to me on the day I adopted her

wans't quite sure what to do with it. It was perfect timing because Lance was gone on a fishing/camping trip and so it gave me and the kids time to bond. With similar interests this came easy to us. We read, gardened, and even went to the movie a few times. Things were really looking good until we ran into Jon while at the park. He had a new young girl by his side and seeing how he aged it made me realize that drinking and partying really made him look bad, but looks don't always matter to girls its usually money and boy did he have allot of it. He smiled at Hillary then looked up at me and said "Now I'm not going to tell you that your a bad mom but why are you letting Lars date a child?" I rolled my eyes at him and then chose to just walk away and I then explained to Hillary not to talk to that man. She looked scared of him and asked me why he said that. I shrugged and went on to say "Some people just don't know better than to keep rude and stupid comments, like that one to themselves." She hurried behind me and looked back at him .

My children and I

as we headed home. I decided to change Hillary's look so that maybe he wouldn't be able to recognize her in his old senile age. Lars was passing back and forth while I read a book and Hillary tried talking to him. "I'm just not comfortable with that man knowing that there is a young girl in this house. Mom we have to move to a different place and change our hair, clothes, and names. He will then not recognize us and we will be fine." Lars said while he paused for a moment. I shook my head and explained that giving him what he wanted wasn't as important as us living a regular life. We can't live in fear of whats to come but to live excited about the next journey we will be going threw and knowing we have each other. We all headed to bed and I knew that Lance would be back home in the morning and while the kids were at school I was going to tell him I was ready to start a relationship with him. I couldn't believe that I was about to have a boy friend and 2 kids. Wow things really had changed in so many wonderful ways.When Lance got home I was doing Laundry so

Our first kiss 

He surprised me buy walking up behind me and kissing me for the first time. "I'm so in love with you Mindy Welder. I've not been able to stop thinking about you the entire time I was gone. I promise I will be good to you and that I will love your children as my own. Mindy will you be my girlfriend?" I was so happy to hear him say all of this I said yes and then jumped into his arms and gave him a kiss. I was so happy to be with this amazing man who truly wanted to be with me and I wanted to be with him. That night we attended the wedding of Bob and Betty Newbie. I was cooking dinner and he came from Hillary's bedroom and walked right up to me. He slowly got down on one knee and asked for my hand in marriage. I was in total shock and said yes. He noticed I was wearing a ring that Jon had given me but I was more than happy to take it off for my NEW ring and not just any ring an engagement ring. The kids started to clap and hardly ate dinner they were so excited giving us ideas about the wedding. Then the question I hadn't even considered. "Mom will you guys have more kids?" Hillary asked while jumping on the couch. Well we have not talked about that sweetie so I can honestly say we don't know. I then kissed

~YES!!!! I WILL MARRY YOU~

Lance just because I knew that we could now act a little bit more intimate in front of the children. I was eager to get started with planning the wedding but knew that with the kids in school, me working weekends, and Lance always on call for the hospital the wedding might not happen sooner than later. We also needed to save more money. I had just remodeled the house, bought a care and got engaged all within a week of each other. I could honestly say I was broke and there for so was Lance. The next morning I slept in knowing that I had about a dozen things on my to do list. I just purchased a washer and clothes line so I needed to play catch up on the laundry that didn't get finished the night before. I also had to clean and garden so that I could sell most of the produce to the grocery store and get some much needed extra cash. I would stop often and admire the ring on my finger. I also thought about all the things I'm teaching my children while trying to lead a path of right from wrong. Life really was looking nice but then of course we were still not married and so I was worried that on the day of the wedding Lance would get cold feet and leave me standing, waiting for him to just not show up.

My beautiful engagement ring

I wanted to keep things as personal as possible but in this small town of Riverview that very seldom happens. My best friend couldn't wait to tell her husband and he announced it at work and then next thing I knew every one was walking up to us saying congratulations. I got home and felt that everyone in town must have known but I also had the ring on to people might have been picking up on that as well. I was in the proses of wedding planning and Lars had a great idea. "Hey mom, why not get married here at home so you don't have to rent out a place. You could invite the neighbors and a few of Lance's friends and call it a good. You guys don't need a big Fancy wedding. Do you?" I smiled and said nope a simple wedding in the good old back yard with a home cooked meal sound perfect to me. I found my mom's old wedding dress and decided it would be perfect. I had my best friend as my maid of honor and Hillary as the flower girl. Lance asked Lars to be his best man and Lars was happy to be a part of the wedding. I got the music ready and a menu for dinner. I just needed to buy a long table to set the food on. The back yard would have little to no decorations to make it so we didn't spend to much on one thing. 

Coming home from school

Lars wanted to know if Lilly could come. They had been hanging out after school quite a bit lately and he was wanting to ask her an important question at the wedding. My stomach dropped and all I could think was he's going to start dating her and I have to act ok about this or I will just push them closer together. I nodded yes to having her come he gave me a hug and said "AWESOME!" I have the wedding set for Saturday and it is 2 days away. I have everything ready and got all the important roles in the wedding their outfits in hopes they would all arrive and be there for my happy day. Lars and Lance went camping for the two days and us girls (Heather, Lilly, me and Hillary) all had girl time. I got to know Lilly and she really wasn't a bad kid just acting out in the only way she knew possible I was then content in the fact that Lars and her would make a great couple but hopeful he would date more before settling down with his high school sweet heart. Soon the night before the wedding came and we made sure to have the family all

The night before the wedding!

together since we had not seen each other much. Hillary and I had our trial hair style's done so that we knew how to have our hair done for the big day. Lance surprised me with buying a buffet table instead of having me cook all morning like I had planned. Things were going smooth and I fell asleep hardly able to comprehend that fact I was going to be married in the morning to an incredible guy. Lars and Hillary cleaned up the house in the morning catching up on laundry, dishes, and they even made all the beds in the house. I was so happy that all I had to do was get dressed and greet people at the door. Lars set up the buffet table an both kids greeted people at the door and invited them to the back yard where the ceremony was going to be. We had everyone eat first and then I walked out and we got married in front of several bouquets of sunflowers. I must say I was on cloud nine when we exchanged vows and rings. I'm so happy that our wedding went off with out a hitch. After the wedding everyone enjoyed dancing and eating like most

Mr. and Mrs. Undermeyer 

people tend to do at weddings. Everyone looked beautiful and my son Lars and Lillynn shared in their first kiss. They announced to Lance and I that they were now dating as well. I was very happy for them and figured that they would make a cute couple but I wasn't betting money that they would marry each other and live happily ever after since they were just teenagers but you never know right. It worked for Bob and Betty Newbie who I'm happy to say have a son and are expecting again. I'm going to add more pictures below so that you can see who all and what all went on during the wedding. I'm very happy and love Lance with all my heart. We chose to try to have a child together thinking it would be nice to have at least one child of our own. Both Lars and Hillary were more than happy to add a new member to the family. I told Heather that we figured it might take us awhile but we had no clue if we would be announcing it soon or not. Heather was very happy for us but told me I was on my own. They had just remodeled their house so that each of their kids could have their own room. She was pretty sure they would not be having more kids. I understood that they already had a teenager and a child together and one of each gender. I knew how badly she wanted more but also knew that her husband didn't. Low and behold soon we were pregnant and I was more

Happy and Surprised 

than happy to tell Lance right away. He was so happy to find out that we were having a baby together. He really wanted a little girl I just wanted to have a baby I didn't mind if it was a boy or girl. I continued to garden and raise the two kids. I did some side jobs with painting while pregnant to help with the family funds. Hillary was thinking about how the rooms would work. I told her that for now the baby would stay in my room and both her and Lars would enjoy their own space. Then when Lars grew up and moved out then the baby/toddler would move into his old room. If he still lived here at home when the baby becomes a child then we would add more onto the house. She was very happy to know that she would not have to give up her room. She love having a room to herself with her favorite color and things that were her's only. We bought a few things again not knowing what we were having but we knew that we could always change the colors once the little one was born. We had names picked out but we wanted to buy things

Hannah Jones stopped by to visit she's also pregnant now

to see how everything was going to work together. So many friends payed visits during the pregnancy because they knew that I was proud and excited more for this one than when pregnant with Lars because I was so scared with him but I'm so happy I had him and I'm VERY happy I adopted sweet Hillary too. Hannah and I talked about baby plans as we were both pregnant together. She already had a son who was Hillary's age and so now we would have babies the same age. Lance threw me a surprise party at the beach and we had so many wonderful people there and they all were happy to talk, feel, and listen to my baby bump. I felt great the whole time and went to the doctor's office often. One day I went for a swim and I felt contractions coming I got to the bedroom and in and hour I had my precious baby. He was 7lbs 12oz and 20inch long. My labor was from 8:47pm-9:50pm on August 30th. Clayton James Undermeyer was so handsome and sweet I couldn't believe my little one was in the world kicking and cooing. Lance was more than happy to have a boy but smiled at me and asked can we try one more time for a little girl. I laughed 

Clayton James Undermeyer
August 30th 7lb 12oz

and said we will have to talk. I held him close then brought him into the living room so everyone could see him. Lars and Hillary were happy to have a little brother and wanted to hold him. Hillary sang him a song and Lars fed him a bottle. Lance then cuddled him and put him in his crib. I knew that with 5 people in a 3 bedroom house if we were to have more kids we would have to remodel more or move. We only have one bathroom so I knew that would have to change first and then maybe build and up stairs. Thats what Heather and her husband did to make rooms for her kids. They each have their own bathrooms as well. But I have 3 kids and so I might keep Lars and Hillary down stairs and build and up stairs for games and hang out for the older kids and then possibly a bedroom or 2. I'm  going to enjoy not working for a little longer while sweet Clayton is a baby. I do hope that he doesn't grow to fast because I already feel that Lars is almost out the door. He knows that he can stay with us as long as he needs but I know how eager he is to start a life of his own and I'm proud of him for that.

Lance, Hillary, Lars, Clayton, and me (Mindy)

Everything was going smooth until we got hit with something we never saw coming. One night when everyone was sleeping we heard a bang and thought one of the older two kids got up for something to eat until we heard something fall and break. I got up and grabbed Clayton and woke up Lance. He was half asleep until we both heard another bang. He shot up and ran out of our room. It was dark and we saw nothing out of the ordinary. The furniture, tv, everything was in place. Lance walked into Lars' room and he was sleeping we both walked into Hillary's room and she was GONE. I screamed Lance ran outside and looked around and saw nothing. We called the police and tole them that she was missing. They had several cops looking for a child out past curfew without an adult and thats when it hit us. An adult came in and got her. I couldn't sleep and was worried sick. We called the school and said that if she showed up for school to keep her there till one of us could come get her including Lars. Where was my sweet Hillary and who took her? We were on a mad search checking every house and any family that we thought could possibly know anything. Lars even hung out after school hours to see if she was going to school. Some time went on and I put out a missing persons banner. I knew that she was most likely a teenager at this time and made sure to describe her. She has violet eyes and thats not common. Ruby Broke was brought in for questioning and she admitted to breaking into our house and taking her, but she ran into a man in all black who offered her $50,000  for her. She took the cash and went off got married and pregnant. She had no clue who the guy

This picture was sent to me. 

 was or what he wanted with Hillary. She was sent to jail for 2 days so that she could deliver at the hospital yet my little girl was still missing and I had no idea where to start looking. I checked the park, library, school, and even the art museum. I never saw her. One day I got a phone call from Garry Jones (Hannah Jones' son) and he told me he saw a girl sitting and reading a book out side of the school one day. He went up to her but she walked away without saying a word. He explained what she was wearing and even described her at a teenage girl who had a head band in her hair. The last time I saw her she had a headband in her hair. I quickly ran to the school but this girl was gone. I spent hours and hours at the school waiting for her to show up and it just never happened. I even had Lars get several different part time jobs at different times to see if she had gotten one, but again nothing. A week had gone by and I found her e-mails and there was one that stood out to me. It was from Jon Lesson to her asking why she stopped calling him. She replied with a message saying she was to young to be talking to him and that if he didn't leave her alone she was going to tell Lance and I about him stalking her and that he would be in trouble. I was so happy to have a break threw that I ran over 

Checking Hillary's e-mail

and told Lance get to Jon's house ASAP. We got there and no one was home. We waited and waited and then I realized if they aren't home they have to be some where in town. Lars and Lillynn stayed at the Lesson mansion while Lance went to the library and art museum and I went to the theater and school. I was shocked to find a girl sitting on the bench reading a book. I got out of my car and walked up slowly thinking this might and might not be her. I very carefully sat next to her and said "Hillary is that you?" she looked up and threw her arms around me. MOM! She cried out I brought her home and she looked healthy. She explained everything that had happened. Jon contacted her and told her that he was her true father and didn't deserve not to see her before he died. He home schooled her and she worked form home writing books. He had her change her name and only let her out at night for an hour sine curfew was a little later than for children. I asked her why she never came home and she said she tried but either Ruby or Jon would find her and bring her back so she stopped trying. I gave her a hug and welcomed her back home. 

My daughter reading at the school yard.
Where I found her after her missing for a week!

Jon was sent to jail along with Ruby but both made bail and we upped our security system. I explained to Hillary that they are horrible people and if they ever talk to her to tell me or Lance right away. She agreed and we tried to get things back to normal. I was happy to have my family back and Hillary even started to meet new people one being Garry Jones. They became friends quickly and hung out all the time but were very eager to say they were just friends. I let her enjoy things knowing that I didn't want her to feel trapped. I even allowed her to keep her job writing books since she enjoyed it so much. She also asked if/when Lance and I would have another baby. I smiled and said we would soon start to try. I think that helped her know that life was going on and that we didn't stop living just because of this little crazy spot in our lives. A little bit of time passed and indeed we became pregnant the whole family and even friends were so happy for us and Hillary couldn't wait to find out if she was having a little sister or brother. Missing out on Clayton's baby years and just being around for his toddler years she couldn't wait to help out since she was working form home writing books we wouldn't need a baby sitter.

Poor Clayton wasn't sure who Hillary was at first.

Things were going pretty well. I was progressing well with the pregnancy and Hillary changed her name back to her birth name (Jon changed her name to Tina Free) She was happy about getting her real name back and also changed her look. She was beautiful before but now she looked more like what she wanted with make up and even a different hair style. Lars and Lillynn had been fighting allot and I didn't know what that was going to lead to. Lars and her tried to make it work but after some time they realized it just wasn't meant to be. They broke up on a Saturday and they hope to become friends again once they are over their heart break. Hillary was sure she didn't want to date in high school and really wanted to focus on spending time with family but Garry spent several afternoons at our house and we were more than happy to have him with us. We planned

Pregnant with child # 4

for several things to happen and we were trying to figure out if we were going to move or add on to our house. We figured that once the baby was born and we knew if we had a boy or girl that decision would come easier. I was enjoying being pregnant but couldn't wait to be done having kids. With Lars so close to being a young adult I knew that he was going to be settling down and having a family of his own and I KNEW I didn't want to have kids my grand children's age. So  I knew that if I had anything to say about it this was 100% our last child and again Lance was hoping for a girl. Clayton learned to walk and talk and was growing up well. I was proud of him and we were almost done potty training when I started to go into FALSE labor. I truly thought it was the real thing but after a half hour the contractions stopped and I was still pregnant with no baby. After that Lance had me go to the hospital to make sure we were ok and I left after my check up and headed home I was bummed that I didn't have the baby and started to think will I ever have it. 

Daddy talking to the baby

A few days passed and it was Lars' birthday and I was so happy to see him grow up but also sad knowing that he was now going to be finding a full time job and even quite possibly looking for a house and moving out. He told me "Mom I'm in no hurry to leave and I'm not in any hurry to stay." I knew what that meant. Before having much time to think about things I went into labor but this time it was the real deal. I had a 3 hour labor and when I had that baby everyone was surprised to see a sweet little baby all wrapped in blue. William Franklin Undermeyer was born 9lb 10oz 21.5inch and very healthy. I was in such shock and disbelief because I was really hoping for a girl but when he was born I couldn't have been happier. My family of 3 boys and 1 girl was a dream come true. With Lars moving out soon I knew that there would most likely be no more children in the family other than grand children. I was over the moon to know that my family was complete.

My sweet little man William Franklin Undermeyer

Lars spent the next few days trying to find a decent job and even went on a few dates but nothing serious until a girl named Kristen came along. She a little bit older than him but nothing either one of them minded. They became good friends and then started a relationship a very short time after that. She moved in with us, got a job, and even decided to do a few things she had always wanted to do before she settled down as a married woman. This made me happy knowing that they were waiting to get to know each other before making any major decisions. When Kristen moved in Hillary headed off to France to interview a local. She was only gone for a day and then decided to come home. She was really hoping to meet a French girl her age but she had no such luck. She headed home with the interview and a few pictures from her trip. She thought about buying a house there when she got older because they were so beautiful. I told her to wait an maybe she would find something better in China, Egypt, or even here in Riverview. She laughed thinking about how I had to mention Riverview as an option. 

Garry Jones and Hillary Undermeyer
Their first kiss

When Hillary returned Garry surprised her and took her out to eat. when they got back home they shared a first kiss and started to date. I'm so happy and since they waited till she was an older teenager I have a feeling this one just might stick all the way threw adulthood but mom might just be using wishful thinking. Garry is a sweet boy and he comes from a good family. He also is kind to Hillary and that is important to me, and don't forget he saw her back when she was taken and so the two of them have been threw quite a bit together. This is a little side note to all of those who thought that Lars was an ugly baby. I truly thought he wasn't and didn't like the rudeness that he was exposed to but now that he's an adult I wanted to post a picture of my "ugly" son. It kind of reminds me of the book called the Ugly Duckling. Well ladies eat your heart out because Lars Daniel Welder is a full grown young adult and he looks quite handsome. I must say he gets some of his looks form his dad but I think 

Lars as a young adult!

hes WAY HOTTER than his dad. Kristen is one lucky girl to have a boyfriend as cute as him. They are taking things slow like I said before but umm hello I think I have one handsome son! Well anyway mom's bragging rights do need to come to an end. 

I'm so happy he looks more like me!

She wanted to try even though she was adopted.
Lance loved the results!

I thought this was precious!