At Considerable Cost

Thomas Becket, born December 31, 2008, 10:59 a.m., 8 lbs. 9 oz. On the seventh day of Christmas... For Thomas's second birthday, I wrote a bit about the day he was born and included some of his baby pictures: http://loaves-and-fishes.blogspot.com/2010/12/officially-toddler.html Today, my baby, my little boy, turns five years old and while I am thankful for his healthy growth, I am not taking it extremely well that my baby is five and will start school next year.   Thomas is such a sweet boy, always ready with a kiss and hug.   He tears around the house, wearing his Thomas the Tank Engine blanket as a cape, as he pretends to be Superman, Thor, or some other super hero.   He loves watching Gator Boys and pretending to wrestle his stuffed alligators.   He is spoiled by his two big sisters and maybe a bit by his mama.   He would eat candy and snack foods all day if we let him, but he also likes to eat ham and eggs, although not necessarily green.   He can run fast, catch

It was December 1995 when Joey and I went on our first date to the Natchitoches Christmas Festival in beautiful Natchitoches, Louisiana.   My family moved to Natchitoches the summer before my senior year of high school and I attended college there at Northwestern State University, so I was able to show Joey around the city.  A year later, on December 20, 1996, we were married.   This year, we were unable to get a baby-sitter (a problem in a college town between semesters), so we cancelled reservations and took the kids for a family dinner at Cracker Barrel.   Yesterday, on the Fourth Day of Christmas, we returned to Natchitoches to enjoy the last Saturday fireworks of this Christmas season.   We stayed with our friend, Amber, and she joined us as we drove to the City of Lights.   It's a beautiful and fun family destination that is well worth the drive.   We were able to see the free beautiful light displays along Cane River, enjoy a free fabulous fireworks show that I think was