Ok, so my name is Yvonne Aviles and I live in St. Louis, Missouri. I am the mother of five kiddos and have been married to my DH for 17 years, but we have known each other since we were 14 years old!

So I know we just started a New Year and all, but I feel like life is happening really fast recently. Yesterday was my oldest son Robert's birthday. He turned 17 years old....and I was okay all day...but today it really hit me that my baby...is almost a grown man who will be leaving the nest soon. I don't know why it surprised me, but it did and I started to wonder where in the world all the time has gone....then I started to wonder if I had done enough to teach him and the rest of them the things that they would need to learn about life..you know to be fair and respectful, that life is hard and nothing is going to be handed to them on a platter so you need to give it all you got....to give as much as you take and to always give it your all! I remembered him and the rest as babies and all of a sudden I realized that I was crying and couldnt stop...so I have spent the day finish up those scrapbooks that I had started for each of the kids.....I remember thinking that I had all the time in the world when I first started them, but I realize now that this is not true...Robert will be a senior next year and he has already applied to University of Michingan, University of Missouri and University of Texas...thank God he is blessed with great grades, because he has already been gauranteed one small scholarship! Wow, that scares me as well....in today's economy, how in the world are we going to afford college for five kids?!! I guess it's just one of those days for reflection and retrospect! I better go and hug my kids! a little tighter tonite for sure!