One Birthday Down

It's true what they say - they grow up too fast.

Miles' birthday has come and gone. The party went quite well I thought. There wasn't exactly any ripping into presents. Miles didn't seem to understand that. He didn't really get what was going on, period. But how could he? So I helped him unwrap his gifts, and read his cards aloud. We enjoyed watching Miles and Jonah giving the new toys a workout. What did he get? A dump truck, a book, some interlocking beads and roly-poly "blocks", a fuzzy covered foam chair, a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, a stuffed ducky and a little Christmas moose, a couple of outfits, a sled....oh, and Alexis brought over a play keyboard. We had quite a laugh watching the boys go crazy with that! I made Miles' cake out of Rice Krispies Squares made into two rounds, sandwiched with jam, and covered in icing. It worked out way batter than I thought it would. I had visions of it sliding apart while trying to cut it. Super sweet!

Today, his actual Birth Day, I took my little man out on a date. We went to a Japanese restaurant for lunch, then we went to see the butterflies. My lunch was very late being served, but that gave me lots of time to give Miles my full attention while I was giving him his lunch. Oh man, was it worth the wait though. Mmmm mmmmm good! :) Our server was sweet and brought us a single scoop of ice cream with a birthday candle in it when I mentioned that it was Miles' birthday. I took a chance and let Miles have a few tastes of the ice cream, even though he's had reactions to dairy products in the past. Thankfully there was no extreme itchiness or red blotches on his face. We really enjoyed the butterflies too. I got a little concerned at first when I saw a sign near the greenhouse entrance which said that butterflies prefer the sun, so you may not see as many on a cloudy day. The weather today was very dreary, dark, and dismal. But we saw lots of butterflies, and not just the little brown ones! Large, papery white ones, and darker ones with red and blue and white and yellow markings. I spied a colourful beetle or weevil, and we even found a turtle! On our second pass through the greenhouse, I noticed these massive moths. The girl that works there told me their name, which I forget, and said they're the largest moth species known to mankind. They were huge! I was very pleased with our third visit to the butterfly sanctuary, and already can't wait for our next visit! I want to go in maybe January or February when it's freezing cold outside and so warm and moist in the greenhouse. Ahhhhh!

I have spent the last couple of days remembering the events leading up to Miles' birth. Precious memories. I look forward to making many more wonderful memories with my son.

Happy Birthday my wonderful boy! I love you!

Bye Bye Baby

Have you noticed the ticker at the bottom of my blog page? Yeah. Miles is almost one. ALREADY!!! Where did this past year go? I can't believe how fast it's gone by, how much he's grown, and how much he's learned in the past month alone!

We're gearing up for the big first birthday party this coming Saturday (his birthday is in the middle of the week, so we're going to party on the weekend instead). I think it's going to be a lot of fun for all of us, watching both of the boys tearing into presents. You HAVE to know that Jonah's going to want to help Miles open his presents. What great preparation for Christmas Day!

A few weeks ago we were looking through pictures and Grandma pulled out one of me and my cousin that was on the front page of the local newspaper. She holds it up so we can all see it and says, "Who does this look like?" I was surprised and amazed. Miles looks so much like me! I've always thought that he looks so much like his Daddy, but he really, really does look a lot like me too. Let me show you what I mean.

That's my aunt on the left, me in the middle, and my cousin on the right - my cousin and I are 4 months apart. I'm really not sure anymore about what he's doing with my diaper in this picture.

Now let me show you one of Miles.

Can you see the similarities? If I only had a picture of baby Courtney to compare him to....

More updates later, after the birthday party!

Thanks for your time

A young man learns what's most important in life from the guy next door. It had been some time since Jack had seen the old man. College, girls, career, and life itself got in the way. In fact, Jack moved clear across the country in pursuit of his dreams. There, in the rush of his busy life, Jack had little time to think about the past and often no time to spend with his wife and son. He was working on his future, and nothing could stop him.

Over the phone, his mother told him, "Mr.Belser died last night. The funeral is Wednesday."

Memories flashed through his mind like an old newsreel as he sat quietly remembering his childhood days.

"Jack, did you hear me?"

"Oh sorry, Mom. Yes, I heard you. It's been so long since I thought of him. I'm sorry, but I honestly thought he died years ago,"Jack said.

"Well, he didn't forget you. Every time I saw him he'd ask how you were doing. He'd reminisce about the many days you spent over 'his side of the fence' as he put it," Mom told him.

"I loved that old house he lived in," Jack said.

"You know, Jack, after your father died, Mr. Belser stepped in to make sure you had a man's influence in your life," she said.

"He's the one who taught me carpentry," he said. "I wouldn't be in this business if it weren't for him. He spent a lot of time teaching me things he thought were important. Mom, I'll be there for the funeral," Jack said.

As busy as he was, he kept his word. Jack caught the next flight to his hometown. Mr. Belser's funeral was small and uneventful. He had no children of his own, and most of his relatives had passed away.

The night before he had to return home, Jack and his Mom stopped by to see the old house next door one more time.

Standing in the doorway, Jack paused for a moment. It was like crossing over into another dimension, a leap through space and time. The house was exactly as he remembered. Every step held memories. Every picture, every piece of furniture....Jack stopped suddenly.

"What's wrong, Jack?" his Mom asked.

"The box is gone," he said.

"What box?" Mom asked.

"There was a small gold box that he kept locked on top of his desk. I must have asked him a thousand times what was inside. All he'd ever tell me was 'the thing I value most'" Jack said.

It was gone. Everything about the house was exactly how Jack remembered it, except for the box. He figured someone from the Belser family had taken it.

"Now I'll never know what was so valuable to him," Jack said . "I better get some sleep. I have an early flight home, Mom."

It had been about two weeks since Mr. Belser died. Returning home from work one day Jack discovered a note in his mailbox. "Signature required on a package. No one at home. Please stop by the main post office within the next three days," the note read.

Early the next day Jack retrieved the package. The small box was old and looked like it had been mailed a hundred years ago. The handwriting was difficult to read, but the return address caught his attention.

"Mr. Harold Belser" it read.

Jack took the box out to his car and ripped open the package There inside was the gold box and an envelope. Jack's hands shook as he read the note inside.

"Upon my death, please forward this box and its contents to Jack Bennett. It's the thing I valued most in my life." A small key was taped to the letter. His heart racing, as tears filling his eyes, Jack carefully unlocked the box. There inside he found a beautiful gold pocket watch. Running his fingers slowly over the finely etched casing, he unlatched the cover. Inside he found these words engraved: "Jack, Thanks for your time! -Harold Belser." "The thing he valued most...was...my time." Jack held the watch for a few minutes, then called his office and cleared his appointments for the next two days.

"Why?" Janet, his assistant asked.

"I need some time to spend with my son," he said. "Oh, by the way, Janet...thanks for your time!"


"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take but by the moments that take our breath away ."

Think about this; You may not realize it, but it's 100% true.

• At least 2 people in this world love you so much they would die for you.

• At least 15 people in this world love you in some way.

• A smile from you can bring happiness to anyone, even if they don't know you.

• Every night, SOMEONE thinks about you before they go to sleep.

• You mean the world to someone.

• If not for you, someone may not be living.

• You are special and unique.

• When you think you have no chance of getting what you want, you probably won't get it, but if you trust God to do what's best, and wait on His time, sooner or later, you will get it or something better.

• When you make the biggest mistake ever, something good can still come from it.

• When you think the world has turned its back on you, take a look: you most likely turned your back on the world.

• Always remember the compliments you received. Forget about the rude remarks.

• Always tell someone how you feel about them; you will feel much better when they know and you'll both be happy.

• If you have a great friend, take the time to let them know that they are great.

You may have read this before - I know I have at least twice - but a friend emailed it to me today. It's such a wonderful reminder, I wanted to share it with you. ~~TML

Return of the Frogman

As promised, here is the professional photo of my little frogman.

Yeah, that's my handsome man. :)