This is what happens when Davis gets yogurt out of the fridge and sits it on the floor next to Xander. He tried the spoon... But his finger was far easier... Then he had to suck it off his finger... He realized that was taking too long.... Even the container tastes good. Boys......

Rock on Tank. I promise to get to more of your games in the future. I suck. I just got done watching one of the most awesome things I have ever had the honor of watching. A slide show of my nephew, aka Tank. The pictures told the story of him well. Kicking it on the soccer field. Pure awesomeness. Seriously. Pure awesomeness. While I did not get to many games (as stated above because I suck) I did get to the final game of the HIT tournament. In time to see Tank get a yellow card for taking down that silly kid. And to capture second place. Be sure and send me the schedule for the next session. I am going to print it, highlight it and come to more games. That way, when he is playing Pro ball, I can say, "I knew him when...."

I have often felt very blessed by the family I have. Both my family that I was born into and the family I married into. I know that what I have surrounding me is rare. It is the norm around here is go to my sister's house once a week, if possible. She has three older kids with lots of activities so it can be hard. But at the very least, it is once every other week. Not only is this great for our kids, it has been for us as well. I am not sure that I have ever felt as close to my sister as I do right now. She is undoubtedly my best friend. Not only that, but her kids are.....awesome. They just are. I love them as if they were my own kids. You just have to know these young people. I send them e-mails sometimes and the responses I get.....I read them over and over and wonder how I got so lucky to be their aunt. They are just that phenomenal. No joke. It is beyond words what those kids mean to me. It seriously warms my heart just to see them. To see my nieces and nephew...

One look is all it takes....pure sweetness.

Xander is busy. Not walking yet. Though he can push Elmo around in the doll stroller. No problems there. But he is not taking any steps yet. Aye. Just to give you an idea of what goes on around here with Xander, I give you a couple glimpses of the last two days... I is not doing nuffing mom.... Must. find. a. way. to. climb. the. fridge. Turkey....stood there FOREVER, steady as could be, eating his ice cream cone. But never took one step. How we know he is his father's son: love of ice cream and tongue issues. Ice cream so totally rocks!

Davis ate my xD card today. Luckily I managed to get Xander's birthday pictures off. The only thing that is missing are some pictures I took yesterday of Xander eating an ice cream cone. We will just have to feed him another cone today. I doubt he will be upset. I have pictures from Xan's party. I am too lazy to post many. I have yet another cold. What is it with this weather? Ah, yes. Winter is here. Yay. I can not get the pictures to behave...much like my children.

One year ago today I met someone for the very first time. I had no idea how profoundly he would change my life. Nor how he would change Emmaline. Or Davis. Or Mark. I had no idea what meeting him would mean for my family. What he would symbolize for years to come. I had no idea that my heart would grow even more. One year ago today, someone laid a tiny little being right up next to my face. And that is when I first laid eyes on Alexander Gabriel. It was a moment in time that I wished would last forever. You were born a big boy and you continued to grow with each passing day. We celebrated your first Thanksgiving and Christmas when you were only a few weeks old. Too tiny to know what we were doing. But a blessing to all of us none the less. Winter came and you smiled at us. You began to sit up. You took in the world around you. We watched your big eyes soak up life. You showed us that life was beautiful. Spring came breezing in. We had your first Easter. You got some ...

I am not going to get all political.... Just want to say: make your voice be heard. GO VOTE! It is a privilege to do so. I walked all three kids to the poll today to cast our vote. We all got our I Voted stickers and walked ourselves back home. Now, we wait.

I wonder..... Why do songs evoke emotions in us? Why do we remember song lyrics so easily yet can not recall a history fact? What causes songs to bring up a memory in a second? I love music. Always have. I remember lyrics to songs from the 80's. I remember nothing else. But a song? Can put me right back to that time and place. With the people and the feelings. I wonder what it is that does that to us. I am sure there is some scientific reason. Some study. Some research. I spent many nights listening to music as a teen. It was some sort of relief. If I hear one of those songs today, I can immediately go back to that awkward 13 year old again. I remember songs from being a small child (Free To Be anyone? Rainbow Connection?) I remember songs I sang with my girlfriends (Doin' The Butt, Mambo #5). I remember the last song played at my Senior Prom. But it is not the songs. It is the ability of those songs to bring back the emotions of the time in a sweeping flood....