When it rains it pours. Feast or famine. It's one extreme or the other. Everything happens at once. All of these commonly used phrases describe what life has been like since I last posted. When I logged on and saw my last post was on January 6th, I knew a tornado hit. The aftermath is finally beginning to show some calm before the next storm. And there always seems to be one brewing.

In the past 21 days the following circumstances have occurred:

• Trey decided to apply to MBA school and start studying for the GMAT.
• We interviewed realtors and prepared to put our house on the market.
• My company rolled out a new product line of which I was primarily responsible for R & D, marketing and selling.
• Two of my closest friends were unexpectedly rushed to the hospital with life threatening situations.
• Trey started a new job.
• We listed our house for sale.
• My good friend turned 40 and I committed to making a photo montage video of her life along with planning the birthday dinner.

Oh, and somewhere in the middle of all this I have three children who are feeling the emotional instability of their mom being checked out and stressed out. So if I haven't been a good friend lately this is why. Talking on the phone and replying to emails are simply a luxury I can't afford right now. I hope this is short-lived. I know it's a season but not one I hope to see repeated over and over.

You know time is passing quickly when your child's birthday comes around and you start looking at how many years are left instead of the number that have already passed by. Two thirds of the eighteen years are behind us. Wow.


When we first started discussing starting a family it was always so important to me that my child didn't have a birthday during the Christmas season. After almost two years of unsuccessfully trying to conceive, I decided I didn't care if my baby shared a birthday with Jesus himself. I just wanted a baby! So I had to laugh when the OB gave me my due date: January 8th. Just two short weeks after Christmas. The best laid plans, huh?



I barely put away the Christmas decorations and get the kids back to school and it's time to gear up for another celebration. Since I started this tradition with Ian's 10th birthday, I have been looking forward to coming up with Ben's and Quinn's lists to correspond with their ages. But this past weekend, I found myself wondering if this was such a wise idea as the number of favorite attributes would increase as each child hit his teen years. Hmmmm. This might be a tall order. Well, I've decided that I'm going to believe we will just sail through the days ahead and each list will be easier to compile than the last. Disclaimer: these traits don't apply when referring to younger brothers. :)

Twelve Qualities I Love About Quinn:

1. Self-motivated-getting himself ready in the mornings and doing homework rarely require any nagging from his parents. There is definitely a budding entrepreneur in those genes.
2. Polite-transplant this boy to the South and he'll be dropping those "Yes, ma'ams and Yes, Sirs" as often as "Mister" and "Missus".
3. Strong conscience-like George Washington this boy cannot tell a lie. He admits his wrongdoings before he's caught and convicted.
4. Helpful-always willing to lend a hand and encourages others to do the same.
5. Amazing memory- this boy has a steel trap in that head. Whether it's the name of his very first pre-school teacher or the details of an event that occurred five years ago, he can recount the story like it was yesterday.
6. Gentleman-recently he went to the movies with the instructions to bring us back change. When he came home he said there he had no money left because three girls joined them and it "just didn't seem right for them to pay for their tickets".
7. Punctual-being late is federal offense to this kid. He did not inherit this trait from me.
8. Giving-he's always been willing to share of his time, talent and possessions.
9. Mega-watt smile- when he was a baby people used to comment that he was "more mouth than face". He has finally grown into those pearly whites and they light up his face.
10. Expressive-with his words, emotions and affection. Hugging is his specialty.
11. A good friend-making sure everyone is included and no one feels left out are high priorities to him.
12. Kind-he has a warm heart and treats others with respect.
    

Happy 12th Birthday to my firstborn! I love you Quinn and I'm proud to call you my son.