The beginning - Spring 1997-Fall 2000

I hope to get Reed and Stevoni's story posted soon. These were things that happened before I was involved, but that is THEIR story, not mine.

I met Reed in April 1997. At the time I was attending college and working. I was 19 and I was living at home with my parents. I was enjoying the party lifestyle and hanging out with my friends. I had a co-worker that decided one night that she wanted to go cruising. I wasn't really in the mood but I agreed.
We began driving and before we could get to our destination we saw a red pickup with some "cowboys" in it. They passed us and then slammed on their brakes and waited for us to catch up. I did not see the driver but I agreed to pull over anyhow. As we pulled over I warned my friend "You do not go cruising to meet a husband, this is a one time deal and its just for fun." Another deal I made before we went was that since I was driving and using my gas, if there was a tall dark haired man, I had first dibs.
They got out of their truck. The first guy was tall and had dark hair a great smile. He was wearing a cowboy hat, but it became obvious that he wasn't a "real" cowboy (whew, this was the guy for me). The second guy was shorter and had blonde hair. He also had a great smile. The second guy was wearing a holey shirt and well worn cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. It was obivious he was a "real" cowboy. Well.... guess which one I ended up with by the end of the night? That's right... not the tall one, not the dark haired one. However, I did end up with the best one. Lucky me!
Reed was great. He was everything I never thought I wanted. He was (and still is) funny and a great guy to be around. He is a dreamer and has high hopes for everything he does. He is positive and sees the good in the world. I think that I started falling in love with him that very first day. I couldn't wait to see him again and again. Each day was better than the last. I had never felt that way about another person before.
That being said, there were some things that weren't perfect. I knew from the beginning that Reed had been married before. I knew that he had a 2 year old son. I just didn't think that would complicate things. Hey... I liked kids. So naive.
I met Reed's ex-wife, Stevoni, a few weeks after I met Reed. I remember being nervous and somewhat curious about this woman who had been his wife. I was worried that he still loved her. What if she was prettier or sexier than me? What if she stole him back? My mind was full of worry and jealousy. She came to our friends apartment complex where we were visiting to get some money from Reed for child support. I also found out that day that Stevoni was 3 months pregnant. Stevoni had some bruises on her. Reed explained that Stevoni had gotten into a fight with her boyfriend and he had hit her. Reed is not the type of man that will simply tolerate that behavior. I watched him get really angry for the first time. He literally punched a brick wall with his fist. I realized then that I was right, Reed did still love her, but not for the reasons I thought. Reed loved her because she was the mother of his child. I did NOT love her however. I remember thinking to myself that she was a cheap stupid whore.
Time passed and Stevoni wasn't a big part of our lives. Tyler would come with us sometimes but mostly it was just me and Reed building our relationships. I loved him so much. I believed with all my heart that he was the man of my dreams and we would build a wonderful life together. I remember the day we bumped into Stevoni and we told her we were engaged. I felt so proud. I said in my head "See what I have? You will never have him again!"
We were married in September 1998. We lived for a short time in the basement apartment at Reed's mom and dad's house. In December we were able to purchase a mobile home. It was our start. We worked hard to make our little house a home. I finally felt like I was an adult and I was ready to begin a life with my husband. Tyler would come to visit occasionally, but not regularly. It was fun to have him visit. He was such a sweet boy and I was proud to be his step mom.
In 1999, Stevoni gave birth to a set of twins. This made her the mother of four children. Tyler was 3, Lexi was 1 and the twins were newborns. We watched Stevoni struggle. She was living with Travis but he was only 17 years old. He was the father of three?? Their family struggled but we felt that it was due to their own choices. We had very little compassion. This was the beginning of the destruction.

They Call Me Mom

My kids are my most valuable asset in my life. They give me hope, joy and a reason to continue on this path of life. I honestly do not know what I would do without them and I thank God for bringing our lives together.
Let me start by saying that my children did not come from my body. My children arrived in my home when they were age 6 and 3. Their mother is my husband's ex-wife. Our son, Tyler, is now 11 and my husband is his father. Our daughter, Lexi, is now 9 and she was not part of our biological family. She was placed in our home as a foster child. She is now adopted. We have a very unique family because of these different bonds that bring us together. I will post a genogram later for those people who need to see the connections. It is hard for people to understand or maybe I don't know how to explain it well. Anyhow six years ago my life was changed forever. My family and I have been on an adventure ever since and this is our story. I plan to start from the beginning so each post will be a different part of the story.
Let me tell you a little bit about the people involved so everything is clear.

• I am Aymee. I am 29 years old. I work now as a child welfare caseworker.
• My husband is Reed. He is also 29 years old. He is self employed in construction.
• My kids' mom is Stevoni. She is also 29 years old. She works as a tire technician.
• Levi is Stevoni's boyfriend. He is 22 years old. He also works as a tire technician.
• Tyler is Stevoni and Reed's child. He is 11 (almost 12).
• Lexi is my adopted daughter. Her biological parents are Travis and Stevoni.
• Travis is Stevoni's ex-boyfriend. They were together for 3-4 years and have 3 children together.
• Spring and Autumn are Travis and Stevoni's twin daughters. They were adopted by another family.
• Joni is Stevoni's mother. She is married to Steve who is Stevoni's step father.

Again I will post a detailed illustration to make these relationships clear. I know they are confusing. I hope you enjoy the story.