Tate. Taterbug. Tate, tate. Patrick Tate Sheppard. My youngest boy. The spitting image of his father. God knows, he is so much sweeter than his daddy. But I'm afraid that will all change as he grows. Lord help me, please! Tate is a soccer star. He's a cowboy. A construction worker. He like to build fires and play in the mud. Tonka trucks and hotwheel race tracks. His Wrangler jeans and cowboy boots. Have I mentioned that he rocks a mohawk like no other kid on this planet!? He thinks that the sun rises and sets just for him everyday! And all he EVER asks for is warm chocolate milk! At 8:30 pm, I don't care where we are, who we are with or what we are doin...he is going to sleep! He hates kindergarten...until he gets there! And he hates it all the way home. He LOVES his twin sister and you have never seen a brother take care of a sister the way he does. Oh, I feel so sorry for any boys that break her heart. My Taterbug <3!

Taylor Marie Sheppard. Named after my brother, My great grandmother and me. She is 2 minutes older than Tate...but she thinks she's the boss of everyone in the house! (truth be told, she is) My 5 year old ONLY girl is more than beautiful. Taylor is Amazing! She is completely deaf and the proud owner of bilateral cochlear implants. My little girl couldn't hear it thunder for the 1st year of her life. She had no idea what my voice sounded like as I sang to her when I was rocking her. (that was probably a blessing) She had no idea what running water sounded like or music. Talk about overcoming an obstacle! Not only can she hear the music now...she knows the words and she can sing along! And when it thunders...well, she wants to know what piece of furniture God is moving around in Heaven! My only daughter has taught me patience. It is amazing to watch her read a little book. It is incredible to hear her say, "I love you Mommy!" Just 5 short years ago, I thought we'd all have to learn sign language. I never imagined she'd be learning to listen, speak and have real conversations. Taylor loves to hunt with her daddy and put on nail polish with me. Watch out world...she's comin up!

Phillip Riley Cohen. ~Riley or as we call him, Ri Ri. My 1st born. My beautiful 7 year old boy that somehow still manages to love me with all of my faults. Riley was named after my daddy. And he only sees his own daddy about 2 0r 3 times a year. He is the perfect example of a middle child. Riley wants to be big like Coy and Tripp. But he still wants to be treated the way Tate and Taylor are. You have no idea how it is to balance that without crushing his spirits. Ri Ri is also an all A student and he makes it looks so easy! Which is a huge relief for me! Ha Ha! He loves to "rap" and dance. He is quite the little artist and his soccer game gets better every season. He loves to go to Merit Creek and jump off the waterfall and he enjoys spending time at my moms house all by himself. He has such a special realtionship with my mom and I couldn't be more proud of that. The best part of my day is when I'm tucking him in bed at night. That's when he shares all of his secrets and when we come up with new ways to keep the boogy man and monsters out of his room! :) My Heart...Riley.

Tripp. Or Christopher Tripp Sheppard. He'll be 13 in March. And OMG! You have no idea! That boy gives me a run for my money every day! What can I say, Tripp is an all A student. He excells in sports. Any kind of sport. But his love is soccer. Somedays, I think he could take it or leave it. Other days, I think he only keeps playing to please his daddy. Tripp is not a "sharer" if that's a word. He doesn't openly express his feelings...good or bad! He is one of those that will bottle it all up and then explode on you when you least expect it. I believe that his love for his mom and his little heart wanting her in his life daily...is the only wedge between us. Tripp is most likely the only one of my 5 kids that will ~on his own~ make or buy me a Mother's Day Card. He is the only one that will use his own money and his own heart to pick out something for me that he thinks I will like. And he does it without expecting anything in return. He will give things to me that I know he really wanted to give his mom. And knowing that is so bittersweet. Most of the time, I will simply tell him that I'll hold on to it and enjoy it until he can see his mom to give it to her. I always see the relief in his face. I never, ever want to make those boys feel obligated to love me. I just pray that they see how much love I have for them and it I hope it makes their time in our home a little easier! Love you Tripp!

And last but not least, Coy. Nicholas Coy Sheppard, to be exact. He will be 16 on the 19th of January and oh the lessons he has learned. I have to say that from the moment I met Coy (about 6 years ago) I knew that he and I could become very good friends. Many people have told me throughout the building of my family, that my step children would NEVER love me as much as I love them. That it would never matter how much I do for them or how often I am there for them, they just wouldn't. Now, I say to all those people...YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT! Coy is a fantastic person! He is smart. He is funny. He is a tad bit shy. Coy wears his feeling on his sleeve. He has jsut enough of Joey in him to make him abit rebellious and just enough of JoAnne in him to make him unable to hide his faults. I try so hard to teach my oldest step-son the true meaning of love, life and respect for others. I know that all he wants is to loved for who he really is. Bless his heart...he is a follower, not a leader. But we're workin on that. And I truely believe in my heart that someday Coy is going to grow up and accomplish great things for himself. I have no fear that Coy will ALWAYS be a part of my life.