Benji and Gabby

Benji and his cousin Gabby are best friends. All week if they havent seen each other Benji says "I want Gabby"and Gabby says "I want Benji" When we finally take Benji to see Gabby, he runs in, runs towards Gabby shouting "Gabby, Gabby!" And Gabby runs towards him and shouts his name. They hug and start to play. Not 10 minutes later they are fighting. Benji tries to take her toys, she screams at him and runs and hides. But as soon as its time to go they both cling to each other like it will be last time they see one other. As Benji leaves he waves bye and Gabby Cries. I hope they stay this close all thier lives. Gabby is going to need a friend like Benji. She has already been through so much in her short 2 years. But she is also one that shows love to everyone.

We took them to the park today so they could play on the motorized motorcycle Aunt Ro got Benji for his birthday. Without even encouraging them Benji climbs on and starts patting behind him to Gabby saying "sit down" she climbed on behind him and held on for dear life as they go around Victor Ashe Park.

a new camara

Ok so I finally got into this century. We bought a digital camara. We were so upset about what happened at With Benji's B-day party we decided it was time. I was taking pictures left and right for his birthday the next day I realized the film had already gone out. So we didnt get any pictures of Benji's party. So this is the very first picture on our new digital camara!

Ok now leave me a comment on what you think Benji is trying to say here. My guess would be....."mom, I am trying to get into stuff I am not supposed to and you are totally messing with my routine!"

Memories

Hey yall, I just read this post from Lindsey Rose and thought it was a good idea. Here are the rules:1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.Happy Memories to You!

My Benji

Right now I have a ton of thoughts going through my head about my dear baby. He will be 2 years old tomorrow. He has so many of mine and Albert's qualities that it makes us laugh sometimes. Albert and I are both pretty stubborn and it looks like Benji is going to be the same way. He also has a really sweet and caring side that I saw tonight. Albert dropped a glass bowl on his toe and it started to bleed. He was sitting on the couch trying to recuperate and Benji stayed by his side giving his foot kisses and saying "you ok, papa?" He then started to hug Albert and even offered Albert his Pacifier. I cant imagine a stronger love than that between children and their parents.

America

The other day at work I had a conversation with a woman who said "I cant stand the United States, there is not one good thing about it" I had read an article by Glenn Beck a couple of days earlier and sent it to her. It was a good article, so here it is.

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A few days before the Fourth of July, I read a column in The Philadelphia Inquirer that said America didn't deserve to celebrate its independence this year.It claimed that all of our so-called atrocities have shamed the memory of our founding fathers and, as a result, we should cancel our parades, put away our fireworks and all sit quietly while we atone for our sins.I guess that was one way to go.Another way to go would be to fire up the grills, bring the kids to the beach,and gather the family on a blanket to watch as your tax dollars ignite into colorful bursts.I'm guessing that most of us chose the second option.But just because I had fun with friends and family doesn't mean that I believe America is perfect. It just means that, for one day, I chose to celebrate the fact that America is still closer to perfect than any other country in the history of the world.For 364 days a year we talk about high gas prices, crooked politicians, and how much people from one political party allegedly hate everyone from the other. But for 24 hours we get to put it all aside and marvel at how a few brave men risked their lives to stand up for what they believed in. Of course, I would prefer we celebrate that every day, but for now, or at least until that Inquirer columnist gets elected president and bans it, I'll take the one. As someone who works in the media in New York City, I'll admit that I am part of the chorus of people who talk about our problems. But there's nothing wrong with that, so long as you also occasionally take the time to talk about the other side. And that's what I want to do now by asking the question that never seems to be of interest to the mainstream media: What's right with America?Let's start with our much maligned economy. I'm not trying to sugarcoat it, times are definitely tough for an awful lot of families right now. But you know what? We've made it through a depression; we've made it through wars, oil shocks, and major terrorist attacks and we're still standing. In fact, we're not just standing, we're towering over the rest of the world.Our economy is almost as big as the next four largest economies on Earth (Japan, Germany, China and Great Britain) combined. The state of California alone has an economy as large as the entire country of France. Illinois has the same GDP as all of Mexico. New York matches the entire GDP of Brazil. Florida's economy is as large as South Korea's. Texas has a GDP roughly equal to Canada's. Michigan's economy is as large as the entire country of Argentina.It takes a lot longer to turn around an aircraft carrier than it does a dinghy, but the problem we have is with our ship's captain -- the pea-brains in Washington -- not her crew.What's right with America? How about the way we educate our children. Sure, I complain a lot about left-wing professors and how some wealthy private universities hoard their billions while charging obscene amounts for tuition, but the truth is that our universities are always ranked among the best in the world.Students aren't fleeing America to go to college in Japan, India, or China -- it's the other way around. We open our colleges and universities to more than 80,000 foreign professors, scholars and educators a year and we have more students in college right now than those three countries combined.What's right with America? Our world-class universities don't require you to have an elite family name or Rockefeller-type wealth to get in. We don't care about your race, gender or nationality. You just have to be smart enough and work hard for it. What a concept, huh?What's right with America? How about the way we treat the less fortunate? With no help from our government, Americans gave a record $306 billion to charities last year alone. We give twice as much as the next closest country and, relative to the size of our economies, we give 1,000 percent more than the French.What's right with America? It's not just the wealthy who are generous. Two-thirds of American families making under $100,000 a year give to charity. Compassion is ingrained in our culture like no other.What's right with America? How about our supposedly third-world health care system? We spend more on health care per person than Switzerland, Germany, Canada, or any other country you can think of. Do we still have problems? Absolutely, but don't fall for "the grass is greener" crowd; every country has health care problems.What's right with America? We love our country. World Values Survey found that 77 percent of Americans are very proud of their nationality. That puts us in a first place tie with the Irish. Australia was next and no one else was really even close.I could go on and on, but my point is that we don't need the so often wished for "change" in this country, we just need perspective.While most of us inherently know that we've won the lottery by living here, we don't often think about the reasons why.So, for at least that one day, let's just remember that America still leads the world in the principles that matter most: The rule of law, freedom of religion, equal rights, freedom from an oppressive government and, fortunately for the Philadelphia Inquirer, freedom of speech.The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the writer

Big Swim/ Big Hurt/ Big Dad

It has been a little over 7 hours since I reached the shoreline at Anderson county park after doing a 6 mile swim. I am barely able to keep my hands on the keyboard. This was the hardest thing I have ever done. I think it would have been easier had a couple things been different. First of all, after getting to the park to start the swim, I tried to put in my contact lenses. Well, one was missing, later to be found on my living room floor-hard and missed shaped. So during the swim I couldn't see a thing. This is bad for many reasons, I am scared to death of what I cant see. and for this very reason I was imagining all sorts of animals right under me. The other reason it was bad was because I couldn't see where I was going, which my the trip seem so long. I was about ready to give up when, as a team, we decided that I should follow right behind a red kayak which I could see. This helped so much, yet damaged me as well. It helped because now my focus was on the red kayak and not the unknown beneath me. I even started to play a game with my self where I would try to touch the kayak. This is the part that killed me later on in the swim. I was trying so hard to touch the kayak, which would ALWAYS stay a couple feet ahead of me, that I was swim pretty fast for the first 3 miles. I even left behind the rest of the group. At the half way point I was exhausted and my shoulder started to hurt. The last 3 miles I was still focused on the red kayak but I gave up my game. The last mile was what really did me in. As the waves from nearby boats would rock me, I would find myself helplessly rolling in the water onto my back. I could barely think and by now my arms were either in excruciating pain or numb. The last 50 yds, Kathy, my red kayak guide, told me to look to the shore line. There was my dad, cheering me on, telling me how great I was doing, and telling me just a little more to go. My dad saved me. How did he know? How did he know that I was just about to give up? How did he know that at that very moment I was hopelessly lost? His presence and encouragement gave me the last little bit of gas I needed to make it to the end. When I was finally there he came to the waters edge, pulled me out and helped me sit down. He didn't stay next to me to comfort me or anything like that because he went back to that spot I saw him from and started cheering on my mother. Being another lifesaver. I don't know how he does it, but every single time I have needed my dad the most he has always been there. I don't even know if he knows all the times he has saved me. So even though my dad cant swim very well, He was the best lifeguard ever!

Belly Dancing

I went to my belly dancing class tonight. I love it. I am sure when I am skinny and actually look good doing it I will love it even more. The most amazing part about my class is the instructor, Sandy. She is 56 years old and looks like she is 30. We did a "sensual" dance to cool down. and in part of the routine those who could could go into a full split. I obviously went to one knee instead but this 56 year old woman went into the full split. I was shocked. This is a fantastic class. I encourage all to give it a try. After every class I feel so refreshed and invigorated.

Loving a child

I have decided that I am not very good yet at this blogging thing, but I am inspired by some blogs I have read from Alice Gold and Lindsey Rose. Life experiences are always something that should be shared. I had one today. Before I tell about it let me give a quick update. My Parents now have custody of my niece who will be 2 in October. She never sees her mother. Today I went over to my parents house to watch her for a couple of hours. When it was time to leave, she started crying and calling me mama. It broke my heart. I look at Benji and I think how lucky I am to be a mother. I wouldn't trade it for anything. But how many women out there take their calling as a mother so lightly that a child can be confused about who there mother really is. If I could be the mother of every unwanted child in the world and let them feel real love I would in a heartbeat. Aside from Albert, Benji is my world. Sometimes I cant help but stare at him for hours and it is never boring. So to my son...I'll love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I live, my baby you'll be.