Upon my arrival at home tonight at 10pm, I decided to sit down and type this post before calling it a day. It was a busy day with a Licensure Board Meeting we observed for those in counseling professions and then a long drive up to Marion where I attended two classes tonight. So needless to say I am beat, and stressed and wanting to give myself some good feelings before heading to bed (which everyone else here headed to long ago).

But this picture made me laugh as it was Ben’s first birthday. You will note the bib, which only meant Steph got to him first, as we all had them. But it was not just the memory of that day, but the interactions between our family as we have all raised him together. I am not qualified to make a diagnosis, but I would say we have done a fairly good job, as Ben seems only moderately screwed up, at least most of the time.  If you look at his mouth he still eats the same, and at some point in his development he stopped opening his eyes in pictures, regardless of how many you took. And if you look at the high chair he was strapped into, you will understand that he was easier to manage then too.

Of course at almost 7 1/2 he is quite mobile and does not seem to have much concerns for your privacy, your stuff, or your apparent unenlightened mind not want to talk about complex meteorology or whatever he is into at the moment.  Each kid has been different, but when you see them together you see very clearly just how very much the same they are. I pray everyday they will get more of the Mongold DNA over the Tirman DNA, but their behaviors have already indicated their paths. So using the technical phrase, we are totally hosed as a family. But as the provider of that DNA I can say I am very comfortable with that.

But I was glad to get home through the white out conditions I fought for about 20 miles of my trip home tonight. And despite the white knuckling drive, which is a lot to say from a northerner, it was great to just come home to my office and sit and look at some of these pictures.  It makes me feel good.  And tonight as I close a long day, that was just what I needed.

Goodnight my friends and God Bless!

Tommy+