Feliz Cumple Mami!

We took my mom to Buca Di Beppo for dinner tonight for her birthday. We had a great time! My mom is so great. Te quiero, mami.

Alex's Dedication

On Sunday, we dedicated Alex to God at Living Springs Community Church, where we attend. God is such a good God! We are so so blessed and I am so grateful to have the awesome privilege of being a mom. Children are truly a gift from the Lord. I realize that Alex really belongs to God and it is a beautiful thing to acknowledge this in front of our Brothers and Sisters in Christ. I love the story of Hannah and Samuel in the Bible. Hannah was unable to bear children for a long time and after much weeping and much prayer, God hears her cry and blesses her with a son, Samuel. When he is very young, maybe 3 years old, she takes him to the temple and devotes Samuel to God's service. I end with this:
"So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD. And he worshiped the LORD there."

Day of fun!

Last weekend, Keith and I ventured out on a day trip downtown with Alex. We had such a blast!!! We took the metra first thing in the morning and just hung out all day. We were a little worried about how Alex would do on the train, but he was great! Metra has a great deal---$5 unlimited rides weekend pass. Very nice. Alex was fascinated by all the people and specifically kids on the train. Our first stop was Mr. Beef on Orleans Street, northwest of the loop. It's a great little italian beef place, a little bit off the beaten path with great atmosphere and most importantly, great food. The rest of the day was spent shopping and walking around. Mentionables include The American Girl Store, Ghirardelli, Bloomingdales' Home Store, After-Words and The Jazz Mart on Grand. We all had a grand time and I recommend it to anyone with young kids looking for a daytrip to the city.

Who's who?

I love this picture! This was taken at a bookshop downtown, After-Words, when we went on our family downtown excursion. Alex is a carbon copy of his dad here.

13 Surprising signs you'll live longer than you think

http://health.msn.com/womens-health/slideshow.aspx?cp-documentid=100216496&imageindex=13
very cool...