how girls are taking over the world (or at least my family)

I was an aunt for the first time at age 6. I think being an aunt is the very best thing ever. In fact, I think of it as a precursor to being a grandma. It has some of the same perks: love and fun and adorableness without the sometimes oppressive worry and guilt (and poop). I did not understand how a parent could say cleaning up a disgusting mess was easier when you love the child. Then my baby nephew threw up on me and he was so pitiful I was almost not even grossed out. Now, all these years later, my niece is staying with us for a while. I am so glad that she even considered this an option. I love her and want the best for her, but I get to laugh with her and share secrets in a way that is different and distinct than a mother-daughter or even sister-sister relationship.

For the first ten years of my aunthood (and the first 8 of my sobrinos--a far better word than the cumbersome "nieces and nephews"), I was an aunt to primarily boys. Six of the first 8 were boys. Ever since then, though, girls have been playing catch up. With the exception of Jonah, there has not been a boy child born in the family for fourteen years. Today, with the announcement that Quintin and Molly are having a girl (WOO! Congratulations!), girls have officially surpassed the boy children.

So here's to being an aunt of girls..even though those sweet boys will always have my heart.

time to move out

The following conversation took place after I said, "Your children are so cute. Let's keep them!" to Josh.

Josh: Ok!
Jonah: Well, you don't get to keep me for long.
us: No?
Jonah: No. Not once we move to Arizona.*
us: Where will you be?
Jonah: I'm going to move away.
us: Oh really?
Jonah: Yeah. I'll probably live with you for like, 3 days or something.
us: (laughing)
us: Well, sweetheart, you'll move away when you're older. But we'll be moving to Arizona when you're 5.
Jonah: Oh, well then I guess I can live with you until I'm like 10 or 9.

*I didn't intend this post to be an announcement, but it works as well as anything else I guess. Josh will be done with his Masters this summer and then it's back to Arizona with us. Bring on the Mexican food and the grandmas!

leftover night

In order to balance the desires of our family (read this as: Josh likes to watch tv during dinner and I do not.), we agreed that computers, tv/movies, books (sad me), and phones are not allowed at dinner except for leftover night. Leftover night involves pulling every tupperware out of the fridge, having a quick prayer over the food, and assembling whatever looks good. Then I pull out my book, Josh turns on whatever History Channel show he loves best at the time, and Jonah delightedly watches part of a movie. This compromise has made my life so pleasant. There is little I like more than cooking dinner (no, really!), but when I am ready for a night off (or the fridge is overflowing with leftovers), I am met with cheers from the rest of the family.

Don't believe me? Check out this video of Jonah celebrating when he found out we'd be having leftovers last Friday.

lucky timing

Most times, I'm too late to get a picture of whatever cute things the kids are up to. I had perfect timing on Thursday, though, and snagged this shot:

Picture this: the kids sitting on the floor in the kitchen laughing hysterically as they yell into tupperware they're holding over their mouths. When that gets old, they switch sizes and wear them as hats.

thirteen steps

Kaitlyn got this video of Caroline walking the other night while I was putting Jonah to bed. Enjoy!

Jonah translates

When Caroline started crying for the umpteenth time this afternoon, the following took place:

me: What Caroline?!
Jonah: She thinks you are going to flush her down the toilet.
me: Well I am most certainly not going to do that.
Jonah: Nope. She's way too cute for that.

Um...?

walking! (and a Jonah quote)

Caroline took 8 steps this morning.

After lunch, which was another fight because right now all we do is fight about food, he said, "Oh boy, I am fat. Fat, fat, fat like a spider."

statistical probability

I shower every day. I do not, however, shower at the same time every day. I do take a nice hot shower, but I don't think I take extra long showers. So what are the odds that three or four times in the last two years my landlord and/or maintenance guy would arrive at the house in the middle of my shower?

Luckily, this time the maintenance crew just got to work (on the roof) rather than using their key to come in and tell me they were here to work on the roof. Let me tell you, I've already had one conversation with a very embarrassed maintenance guy (who must have heard the shower and bolted back out to the front porch) and I'd rather not do that again.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

It took me until February to update my books read to the 2013 version. That might be because an entire month passed and I did not read a single book. I don't know, I'm just in a slump I guess. I did read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory a bit at a time with Jonah, so I'm going to count it. Let me just say this: it was absolutely charming. It was also much closer to the Tim Burton version of the movie than the version I grew up with. We absolutely loved the book. Josh and Jonah started on the sequel (Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator) last night. I was surprised to hear at breakfast this morning that the first two chapters involve no chocolate and take place in space. I guess I'll have to catch up if bedtime reading is going to make any sense.

Oh, and let me say this as well: I once saw a poster for the animated version of The Fantastic Mr. Fox. The poster said "From the author of James and the Giant Peach" which sent me on a too-long tirade that Roald Dahl is plenty well-known and successful and deserved a poster that said "From the book by Roald Dahl" and you would never see a movie poster that didn't give credit to Steven King, etc etc etc. Well just the other day, someone asked me who wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When I told her, she said, "Oh, is that the same guy that wrote James and the Giant Peach?" Ok, so maybe not the whole world knows that. But they should!