Well ... Huh.

Mother's Day seems to set off a myriad of emotions in our house. For me, it's gratitude for the awesome mama I have, plus a dash of jealousy that all my friends have adorable little toddlers and babies to snuggle. For Steve, it's regret that his relationship with his own mother is distant at best, coupled with some feelings of guilt for the family units he's left behind.

It's not so much that he misses the ex-wives. It's the idea of family, and all the things he's missing out on with the kids. For the past several months he's been wrestling with emotions concerning little Aiden, and the fact that due to distance and financial constraints, the two of them don't have the same type of relationship he has with Joey and Liam. As you can imagine, there is much guilt and self-beating up surrounding this situation.

Steve and I were having dinner last night at Logan's Roadhouse (have you tried the smoking hot grilled wings appetizer? Yuuummmm.) when somehow the conversation turned to Liam and Aiden's mom, Monica*. I said something to the effect of wishing she was at the bottom of a river somewhere (only kidding!) when Steve replied "You know where I wish she was? Ohio."

Uh, what?

"Ohio?" I asked. "Why Ohio?"

"So the boys would be closer. She's talked about moving to Ohio a couple of times."

Oh, really?

Monica was born and raised in North Dakota, and up until recently didn't have any plans to leave. Like, ever. During her marriage to Steve she had the opportunity to live with him while he was stationed in England, but refused because she didn't want to leave North Dakota. In fact, she dated a man from her hometown who is now one of Hollywood's hottest actors (and recently married a pop star), but the relationship ended because she didn't want to leave North Dakota. So it's a bit surprising that she would even consider moving to Ohio, of all places.

Of course, having children can change your perspective quite dramatically, especially when those children desperately miss their daddy. I'm at once appreciative of this display of selflessness, yet cautious because a.) I don't know if it will ever happen and I don't want to see Steve's heart broken if it doesn't, and b.) I really can't identify her true motives.

There's also the notion that Monica can be an uberbitch (I know she says mean things about me to Liam). If she does move closer, does that mean my life will be filled with drama? Right now, things work well because she and I have absolutely no relationship whatsoever. If I have an opinion about Liam and Aiden, I tell Steve and he can do with it whatever he likes. To her credit, Monica is an excellent mother. We (mostly) don't have a lot of the worries other divorced parents have about the former spouse, because we know the boys are very well taken care of.

Despite my reservations I have to recognize that if this possibility becomes reality, it will be the best possible thing for those boys. And for Steve. He misses those toeheads fiercely. And to be honest, I'd like a chance to have a closer relationship with them as well. I've never even met Aiden. And, now that Joey is moving in, it would be an opportunity for the three of them to develop a brotherly bond.

At this point I don't know how likely it is that anything will become of it. I don't know if she's serious or just pulling Steve's leg. I've offered, via Steve, to help as much as I can by doing some research or making phone calls to gather information. And I'm not going to worry about it. If this is to be, there will be plenty of time for that later. Right now, I think it is important that Steve and I express our support of this idea, and see what happens.

Life is a circus. Gah.

*Name changed to protect the innocent. And by innocent, I mean me. If Monica ever finds this site, I'm deeeeaaaaadddd.