Age...is it just a number?

It's amazing to think that Sydney is getting older and older. As Sydney ages it can only mean one thing even more monumental....that her Mom is getting older! That's right, Karen will be celebrating a birthday on the 13th. For the sake of confidentiality, but really just for my own safety, I will not reveal her age...or even hint at her age. I wouldn't dare to dream of honing in on the decade she currently calls home (more than two but less than four), or identifying the year she was born (rhymes with seventy-seven...ok, I guess it's not great rhyming when it's identical, but hey, maybe I'm just terrible at rhyming...LOL!). So there, at least I gave no hints and have ensured my safety!

But with this advancing in age, it can only mean one thing...that Sydney has benefited from the increased wisdom that her mother has achieved over the years. It's is apparent that Karen's years have led her to develop a personality that exemplifies the essence of caring, nurturing, and most certainly maturity (as demonstrated in next picture).

Sydney asked me to include the following message to her momma on her birthday. "Momma...I hope you have a wonderful birthday. I hope you have fun, and I'm glad I can celebrate your birthday this year on the outside world. I'll try to give you a nice big kiss later, even if it come with a quart of drool. And thank you for all of the hugs, kisses, and diaper changes this year. I hope you enjoy my nice kind words for your birthday...especially when you remember my birthday next month!!!

Sydney is also gearing up for the holidays. She's been hearing rumors about a big guy in a red suit that brings a load of booty to each home. As she's been somewhat skeptical about the situation, she's googled this individual to detemine more vital information. She is still perplexed by the unique lifestyle and career choice of Chris. In preparation for Christmas Eve, she antcipates setting snares and other booby traps to try and temporarily detain the subject and extract some answers. We wish Sydney the best in this particular endeavor :)

(We wanted to share a couple more pictures that were taken by Rebecca Brethauer...the last two :)

Tip #18: Affection
Be sure to show physical affection to your child. Hugs and kisses are important to supporting a child’s healthy development. As he or she gets older, realize that your child may want to replace this physical affection with (if you are lucky) text, emails, and tweets. If this happens and your child becomes distant, it is even more important to maintain physical affection for your children…especially when their friends may be present and it forces them to be disgusted. I would offer other advice if it were an option, but that becomes an expected role of parents.

Happy Birthday Karen!!!

Squirt and I love you!!!