Alexander's 13th

Early on in the celebration of his birthday, Alexander received a Lego set. He eagerly reached over to hug the giver.

One of the first bridges that Mark and Alexander shared--long before they could speak the same language--was building with Legos.

Alexander's next gift puzzled him...

...as he pulled a small skillet out of Christmas wrapping paper.

He was unsure what to make of the unusual gift...

...until Amy (10) piped up and happily said, "Oksana (8) and I want to give you a bed and breakfast."

Once the older folks in the family stopped guffawing behind our hands, we explained to Amy that the term she was looking for was "breakfast in bed."

Another of Alexander's gifts came in the form of a hand-drawn card from Cassandra. Even as Alexander was taking the card out of it's envelope, he was repeatedly complimenting Cassandra on her artwork. One of the many ways Alexander blesses us is through encouragement. He's always on the look-out for opportunities to build us up.

By the end of Alexander's gift opening ceremony, he'd migrated to the place where he seems happiest and most secure--right at John's side.