Hi there. I’m Nicole Humphrey, a freelance writer and author. I also own my own business as a scrapbooking consultant and instructor, but that is for another blog.

When I was a teenager, I wanted a big family, but as an adult, I could see that wasn’t in the cards. I am a mother of two beautiful children - Ryan, who’s now thirteen and Brielle, who’s almost ten (March). Honestly, I was fine with my boy and my girl. After my divorce, I was happy that I was only a mom to two. They were a handful. But time has a way of playing with us, God wasn’t done with me yet.

Awhile later, I met the man of my dreams, (after trying out a few other models first), and instantly became a nice large family. How did that happen? Well, he had three beautiful daughters of his own. In fact, interestingly, my son and his daughter went to Kindergarten together, five years prior. When we moved in together, we had to make some major changes to our individual lifestyles, the way we shopped, the way we ate, the way we handled parenting. We were now parents of five. His daughters are Vanessa, who is thirteen also, Melissa, who is eleven and Jessica who is eight.

Blended families can be challenging, but I believe that God has had His hand in this from the very start. Every single event that led to this, was by His hand. This was truly meant to be. Because of this, I consider us extremely blessed. I love having my big family, and I didn’t have to get the extra stretch marks to become one!

But just because everything seems rosy, doesn’t always mean it is. Sure, we are blessed to have each other. And yes, God is very present in our home and our daily lives. Prayer has become my refuge on my worst day, as I continue to instill Christian values in each child. There are still days that are much harder than others. He is still a man, I am still a woman, and our children are still each individual beings. Each of us, with our own personalities, annoyances, habits and all.

This is a journey through blending a family, both from a psychological viewpoint, and a parental viewpoint. Come along with us, as we show you the things we do, to make our family closer and instill love and family, in children that were not necessarily raised together.

Hang on though, it’s going to be a bumpy ride.