Easter with the Sacramento cousins

It was an Easter like most others. We gave the kids too much candy despite pre-Easter pep talks about moderation, and the kids had all the highs and the tanking, too, of so much sugar. At one point I saw Davey trying to put the top on his plastic egg, but he couldn't manage it because he was shaking so much. Good times. They ate, they cried--it was better than "Cats". They want to do it again and again.

Through a Glass, Darkly

What you're looking at here is desperation. Mike banished all the kids from the house because they were getting in the way of the TV. And really, you can't have all those scrappy kids darting in front of the screen and blocking the men while they play their video games, right? That's a separate blog, though, isn't it--this is just a little laugh at the expense of my beautiful babies and their cousins as they look through the window at the video games they long so desperately to play. But listen: video games are for grown-ups. Am I right? Oh, don't even get me started on those video games. Hand-eye coordination my @#!&%^* Great photo, though.

Proof of Immortality

The extra digit gene strikes again! When Barrett told me about the newest Fitzwater's twelve toes and eleven fingers, my immediate response was, "Awesome!" The funny thing is, I meant it. I couldn't stop the feeling of pure glee that flooded me, though I'm surprised by the strength of it. Why would I feel such absurd pride about this? Why do we so love to see our genes passed on? What is it about family, that I'm positively gleeful about Autumn's mutant baby?

There are instances of this all around me. I adore Miles's big fat bottom lip and the way it suctions to a glass when he's chugging his water because it so reminds me of Brady. Mike lights up every time Paige does her grunty little growl after a nice swallow of milk, and even though it bothers me so much when he does it that I have to leave the room, I find it endearing that Paige has inherited it. Neither of us can help laughing every time Raelynn snorts while laughing (though I still maintain that I DO NOT snort ever). Why do I find myself loving the freckles on my kids that have always been more of a curse than a blessing for me? Where does that need for our history to continue come from? And I think it's just that--we need our lives to continue. So the newest Beardsley's genetic anomaly means more than just a couple of extra toes. Mom may have died, but Autumn's little multi-digit beauty is proof that she lives on. Thank you, Autumn, and all your extra toes for proof of immortality. Twenty-three? Awesome.