[null, {"document_url": "http://www.mommydelicious.com/2013/09/family.html", "unformatted_src": "//1.bp.blogspot.com/-oFXJdIqPpUw/VGLaZugOSUI/AAAAAAAAF2g/sP3il9NPQZo/s80/topknot.jpg", "src": "http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oFXJdIqPpUw/VGLaZugOSUI/AAAAAAAAF2g/sP3il9NPQZo/s80/topknot.jpg", "formatted_filename": "topknot", "alt_text": "My photo", "rendered_width": 80, "rendered_height": 80}, null, null, null, {"document_url": "http://www.mommydelicious.com/2013/09/family.html", "unformatted_src": "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lM_Tq4CcyjI/UkWt7_NZcBI/AAAAAAAAEWI/N2yBZs3kH1s/s400/995184_10100930068132802_301495404_n.jpg", "src": "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lM_Tq4CcyjI/UkWt7_NZcBI/AAAAAAAAEWI/N2yBZs3kH1s/s400/995184_10100930068132802_301495404_n.jpg", "rendered_width": 400, "rendered_height": 400}, null, null, {"document_url": "http://www.mommydelicious.com/2013/09/family.html", "unformatted_src": "http://www.linkwithin.com/pixel.png", "src": "http://www.linkwithin.com/pixel.png", "formatted_filename": "pixel", "alt_text": "Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger..."}, {"document_url": "http://www.mommydelicious.com/2013/09/family.html", "unformatted_src": "https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4WST4Q0f1lY/T9lCdakisEI/AAAAAAAAEiA/jW9pKtj-F0Y/s30/Facebookblack.png", "src": "https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4WST4Q0f1lY/T9lCdakisEI/AAAAAAAAEiA/jW9pKtj-F0Y/s30/Facebookblack.png", "formatted_filename": "Facebookblack"}, {"document_url": "http://www.mommydelicious.com/2013/09/family.html", "unformatted_src": "https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EZQbYvfQils/T9lCeOetzmI/AAAAAAAAEiI/Yq-VNY5QwMQ/s0-d/Twitterpink.png", "src": "https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-EZQbYvfQils/T9lCeOetzmI/AAAAAAAAEiI/Yq-VNY5QwMQ/s0-d/Twitterpink.png", "formatted_filename": "Twitterpink"}, {"document_url": "http://www.mommydelicious.com/2013/09/family.html", "unformatted_src": "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6Bc6f6HYC_A/T9lCdSHJdJI/AAAAAAAAEh8/hmG8DKoVA8c/s30/E-mailpinnk.png", "src": "https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-6Bc6f6HYC_A/T9lCdSHJdJI/AAAAAAAAEh8/hmG8DKoVA8c/s30/E-mailpinnk.png", "formatted_filename": "E mailpinnk"}, null, null, null, null, {"document_url": "http://www.mommydelicious.com/2013/09/family.html", "unformatted_src": "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YZbfkuBSW3A/T6x-ig_e7SI/AAAAAAAAB_M/JD7RR16NQ4g/s210/default.png", "src": "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-YZbfkuBSW3A/T6x-ig_e7SI/AAAAAAAAB_M/JD7RR16NQ4g/s210/default.png", "formatted_filename": "default", "rendered_width": 190, "rendered_height": 90}, null, null, {"document_url": "http://www.mommydelicious.com/2013/09/family.html", "unformatted_src": "http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-spAeinuVpm8/VQgZXn1zhaI/AAAAAAAAGQw/H0Cd_PEPQv4/s1600/-1.jpg", "src": "http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-spAeinuVpm8/VQgZXn1zhaI/AAAAAAAAGQw/H0Cd_PEPQv4/s1600/-1.jpg", "alt_text": "NetFlix Ambassador", "rendered_width": 210, "rendered_height": 210}, null, {"document_url": "http://www.mommydelicious.com/2013/09/family.html", "unformatted_src": "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N3b8o9TZvOg/VER6KHdE8OI/AAAAAAAAFwo/a_8Jr4lvw3k/s1600/unnamed.png", "src": "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N3b8o9TZvOg/VER6KHdE8OI/AAAAAAAAFwo/a_8Jr4lvw3k/s1600/unnamed.png", "formatted_filename": "unnamed", "alt_text": "WCS Ambassador", "rendered_width": 150, "rendered_height": 150}, null, null, null, null, null, {"document_url": "http://www.mommydelicious.com/2013/09/family.html", "unformatted_src": "http://storage.myfreecopyright.com/mfc_protected.png", "src": "http://storage.myfreecopyright.com/mfc_protected.png", "formatted_filename": "mfc protected", "alt_text": "myfreecopyright.com registered & protected", "rendered_width": 145, "rendered_height": 38}]
Aiden drew this picture and shared it with me the other day.


That's what he titles it.

The great thing about this picture is that he didn't just draw him and me. But he included friends and loved ones who surround him with joy all the time.

I remember when I started out on this single mom journey. At first, I was so worried that Aiden would feel a sense of deprivation or would feel as though he's growing up without a "real" family. I studied the statistics on kids raised by single moms, and I cringed at what I saw.

That's when I decided that I would build a stable support system for Aiden. A village so tight that he would refer to it as one thing -- family. He deserves it. All children do.

There's my sister and niece who are always around to play with Aiden, entertain him, or listen to his funny stories. There's my godmother who is always ready to listen to me vent, offer advice, or invite us for a weekend in suburbia. There are my girlfriends who love it when Aiden and I visit for dinner. There are my male friends who are ready and willing to play sports with Aiden or talk to him about "boy stuff," as cliché as that may sound.

As Aiden began describing his drawing to me in detail, it brought tears to my eyes and joy to my heart. As I listened to him speak, his eyes wide and face bright with excitement, I had two thoughts:

We're so blessed.

And, even though I'm a single mom and Aiden's other parent is not in his life, we have exactly what I've always wanted for Aiden -- a family.