Happy Birthday Alex!

Alex (I don't know where taken)
best friend Kerry, and Alex

very nice boyfriend Mark, and Alex

a cropped picture of Alex, her brother, and sister
My 1st baby is 22 today! She is funny, kind, generous, thrifty (when necessary), resourceful, creative, artistic, a great organizer, a fantastic friend, assertive, highly intelligent, a good writer, and all around wonderful human being, who is always DOING. 

Here's a story that I love to tell. Alex was nearly 2 when we moved from NY to Maryland. We went to the Ellicott City Fair, (we then lived in Baltimore County, in a nearby old town).Ellicott City is a great old town with quaint, old, stone shops and buildings, and narrow streets, in an Andalusian style, filled with antique stores,  unusual art, and yummy restaurants. There was a Maypole Event. Children of all ages held a ribbon and went around the Maypole as music played. Alex was by far the youngest one there(2 or nearly 2). The music started, and the kids circled the Maypole. Suddenly, she tripped and fell-remember that all the other kids were older, and walked a lot quicker than a two year old. The crowd went "Oh!" in unison. Someone running the event  ran up to her to help her up (although she had already gotten up on her own), and to help her find her parents, to which she shook her head 'No!' and continued to finish the Maypole walk. The audience in unison this time went, "Aw!" At that moment, my heart swelled up so big, and I knew that my daughter would do wonderful things with her life. My eyes filled up with tears as  I felt her fiercely independent soul (well now, I guess that she's just 'a little' like her Mom-te!he! ).

Alex has continued to impress teachers, parents, bosses, and 'a few friends'. 'Take your work to the busy person', was probably written about her:) When her good friend, Mike, died of cancer at the tender age of 19, she gathered tons of photos, sayings,etc. from everyone to fill 2 huge corkboards, and then some, for the funeral parlor.And a year later on the anniversary of his passing, she was also the one to gather friends  to make a book in his honor with everyone writing about the good things that they remembered about him, and to present the book on a visit to his family

 She was the apple of her grandmother's eye, and the moment she was born, she stole my heart- forever. xo Love you sweetie.

13 Years ago today...Happy Birthday Handsome

This is my baby. 13 years ago today he was born -  all 11 lbs. 12 oz. , natural childbirth in less than 4 hrs.. Yeah, I almost died, but didn't because of constant prayer and an amazing husband. We came home from the hospital and there was a message from the football coach on the answering machine.....   :)

This picture was taken a year or so ago. He's kind of slumped in his seat at some performance or game. But he's sooo adorable. Girls flock to him, but he is very humble, and doesn't really notice much. 

When he was in kindergarten, he decided to be in the talent show at school. He did improvised break-dancing(almost-kind of really his own thing) and singing, and blew the house down. He continued to do it for a few years.

He's one of the smartest in his class, and has excelled in almost everything since, well, since right away. He would say when little, after having 2 girls before him, that he completed the family. And that he did.

At a year and a half he drew a fabulous x-mas tree, ornaments and all. And he was so into Peter Pan, (actually all of us were, except my husband who never saw the original movie 'til we had kids), and drew the most detailed crocodile with sharp teeth and all- Yes, I lie not, he was a year and a half old. I also read the whole original Peter Pan book (by Barrie) to him with a British accent at this age. He waited for it every night. 

 He now does artwork , collages backgrounds on the computer in Adobe, and prints them out for t-shirts. He gives them as gifts and even started to sell to friends.

He loves artwork and politics. Can sit down with any adult, and hold his own. I walked into the house the other day to see him on hold with  a new local radio program , where he spoke with our local Congressman on air. He was supposed to speak with him in DC last year on a People to People Program that he was nominated for, and attended. The congressman was not there- he mentioned this , as well as two points of interest, backed up with facts most adults couldn't remember.

A natural sponge, school is a bit too easy for him; compassionate and loving, very nurturing with little ones, and I'm sure that he'll be really mad at me for writing all these things. I'm sorry, I don't mean to blubber, and I'm sorry Serge, but you were born and all... :)he-he   Isn't he a doll?

Found a couple of pictures of his artwork from  early toddlerhood... Oh yeah, and he's outside mowing the lawn to help Dad out, as I write. (Don't worry, he's got his days like any one of us- and boy he's tough like a pitbull when he wants to be:)