Stranger Danger!

That is what the kids were screaming at Nick when he went on a trip with them to Northbay. Apparently it was one of those "learning experience" camps, and it was no vacation. The kids were worked hard, and did not have a ton of fun. But now it is their birthday, and they get to have a little. Yes, the little munchkins are eleven, and they look just like they did when they were turning ten and I first met them. Though now, Maria has bigger feet than me, and is a lot taller than the short little thing that I saw when I first met her. Then there is Marko, who in two years has quite possibly grown one whole inch, and has learned more about 1 person shooter games than anyone could imagine. They still have the same attitude and humor that I fell in love with when I first met them.

Maria's is almost a defiance of the norm, and I love it. Sometimes I call her Marla, or Emo, and she laughs with me like she is my little sister. We never fight though and I find that really awesome. I know she looks up to me, and has adopted a lot of the hobbies that I had had as a kid, just by knowing we now have something in common. She likes to be creative and we tend to do a lot of things together now that she has adopted a lot of new interests. We take walks together, and many times we talk about things that are bothering her. I see myself as someone that I wish I had had at her age. She talks to be about problems at school, and I share with her all of the things that I went through that were similar. I think her knowing that there is someone who understands that is closer to her age than her mother helps her to grow, and I am glad I could be a part of at least two years of her growth.

Marko's attitude is a "take no prisoners, I will out-do you in any game" and challenging personality. He always pushes us to the limit, and sometimes tests us beyond our limits. But he does it all in good fun and for everyone to learn. I don't think he realizes it entirely, but Nick sees a lot of him in Marko, and it's nice for Marko to be able to talk to someone closer to his age than his father. Marko is the one I like to scare in hallways, who freaks a little, but always tries to get me back. Once I fell down half a flight of stairs because he scared me so bad, but we laughed about it because it was the best scare that I had ever gotten, and I was proud. Marko has taught me that if you can't beat someone at a game, have Marko take over, and you most likely will achieve a win. I let him take over almost all of my games especially those that I am not entirely interested in. He loves to kick butt, and sort of rubs it in your face, but when we play co-op, we dominate and that is the best!

So in honor of the kiddies, Happy Birthday Twins! I hope it is a great day, and even though you don't read this, I hope all your dreams for the year come true... except those that bring Marko to world domination.