Oh, just another blah day at the Chavez residence… not really! The event that took place yesterday around 5:30 is one small step for Cason, and a whole lot more work for man kind. Yup, Cason took off last night. He finally got the cajones to let go of that couch, and started walking. He did take a couple tumbles, but he laughed, got up, and tried again. It’s weird how they just choose a random moment to start doing this. He threw his hands up and waddled towards Kinsey… over, and over, and over again. Yes, Kinsey busted out crying, which she tends to do every time Cason reaches some sort of milestone. She then got up and opened up a bottle of champagne to celebrate. I would have said she “popped” a bottle, but I keep thinking it says “pooped” a bottle, and that is weird. At this point, Cason will only walk on carpet, and he will only walk with his hands over his head, as he throws up a high pitched laugh/scream. We will now practice walking, and I will have him out in the football running some sprints in no time at all! I can’t believe this lil guy, who was not here at this time last year, is already walking, saying a some words, and developing a personality. So awesome!

Cason got me into reflection mode with his lil milestone. After I take a trip to Mexico, I usually start talking about how lucky we are. I know that I may not have grown up with much, but as a kid I had a home, toys, a couch, and food on the table. For some reason, I could not stop thinking about the kids I see in Mexico. They are everywhere: on the streets, in the small pueblos, in parking lots. These are kids that range from 3-15 years of age, and they spend their entire day selling gum, or candy. They come up to you in packs, and ask you to buy something, and if you do, more gather around you. You could potentially have around 10 kids impeding you from moving because they are so desperate to make 50 cents. Is it a bit annoying? I would be lying if I said “no”. Truth is, anybody hounding you can get annoying, right? The problem is that these are kids, and you feel incredibly guilty for feeling that way. You can see the pain in their eyes, they don’t go to school, their home is usually a bunch of cinder blocks and some sort of tarp or plastic piece for a roof. They don’t have a fridge, washing machine, a TV, or air conditioning/heating. Things we take for granted. They work all day, and have nothing to show for it. How lucky are we? Even if we are what is considered “lower class” in this society, we are bounds and leaps ahead of what these kids have. Just to think, that could have been one of us in that lifestyle. You are born into it and there is nothing you can do about it… and getting out of it is almost impossible. This put my year into perspective. Yes, I called this year the “bad luck 2012” tour, but when I look back… everything that happened to us this year is nothing. We have a house, we have cars that work, we have food, we have things that I consider unnecessary (TV, cable, internet), and we have our healthy… and a walking baby. These kids didn’t just sell me some delicious candy, they put me back into line. Gracias 🙂