Happy Birthday, to my special boy, Liam James! This has been a big year for you! You went to pre-school at your future elementary school, five days a week. I worried about how you would handle that because you are such a homebody. You love to be home and will pass up on going to other people's houses if it means that someone from your family won't be there. However, I felt that it was the right thing for you. Fortunately you thrived! You loved school and were sad when you couldn't go. It made me very happy to know that you were in the right place.

So brave on your first day of school! 

You play very well with others. You love to play with your brother, and you will even play girl things with Rori, in exchange for her playing boy things with you. You are a very good listener, and you always amaze me at how smart you are. You understand when we tell you that you can't do something, and you don't fight or argue about it. You are sensitive, and really want to be a good boy (which you are!). You have grown so much in your independence, cleaning up after yourself, getting dressed, and helping me in the kitchen.

You were the "first pig" in your class play  The Three Little Pigs--and you were so proud!

You have started asking me to cut your hair! You promise me that it will grow back, I smile and say I know. But what I really know is that once it's gone, it will be gone forever. We won't be able to go back to the wild blond boy. So I am going to wait as long as I can, but don't worry, I won't let you be the weird kid in school with crazy hair.  I love you so much and you make me so proud to be your mama. I can't believe that it's been 5 years since I held you in my arms for the first time. I love you, my Liam James!

Look at that hair! How can you want me to cut it?!

Happy Anniversary my love!

Eleven years ago I married my True Love. He is my best friend. He is the one that got me over my fear of heights by taking me parasailing on our honeymoon. I taught him the joys of lounging by the pool or the beach. He is the man that spent hours on the computer researching happy endings of pregnancies with the same problems as ours with Faith. He's the man that held me after we lost her, and the man that was giddy with joy and never put Rori down after her birth. He's the man that gave me my two sons that I never imagined, but love so much it takes my breath away. He is the man that rubs my feet every night and suffers through Lifetime movies. He gives gifts freely and generously. He loves his birthday as much as small children do. He opens his presents with extreme gusto. He is the man that has watched movies with me, that I have seen over and over to the point where I can quote the lines, and doesn't get annoyed with me. He is the man that wakes up, happy to see me, even if I am not so pleasant. So, Bill, I will always be the Buttercup to your Westley. And I know that death will not be the end of us. As Westley says, Death cannot stop true love, all it can do is delay it for awhile. (I had to try to figure out how to get a line from the Princess Bride into this post--this is the best I can do, as it's 9:00 at night.)

Clearly we need to get some pictures of us together, and/or some wedding photos scanned in. Until then--here you go!