Swimsuit credentials

As summer fast approaches, I have been enthusiastically been looking forward to swimming.  My kids are now both enrolled in a school with an extended school year.  This means that our summer will be incredibly short.  It's going to be interesting and not a little entertaining to see how we adjust to going back to school on July 13th.  I just thought summers went by fast.




So this begs the question: Do I buy a new swimsuit this year?  Any female will tell you that this is probably one of the least pleasant shopping adventures one can experience.  Of course, all of this is made worse by the "growing older" scenario.  What used to be my more favorable features, I now try to hide in strategically placed nylon and lycra.  What used to be my less favorable features, heck no, I can't even go there.  Why oh why didn't I appreciate my teens and twenties?




Happily, my self awareness is lessened because I have children to police at the pool.  They are a good distraction from the self-pitying accidental thigh glances.  Their safety and well being trumps my need to stay planted in the beach lounge chair.




So back to the swimsuit.  I have high expectations for the one I'm to buy.  Here are some of the questions I ask myself when buying a suit.


1.  Is it generally flattering?  More so, does it disguise things appropriately and make me look slimmer?


2.  Is it functional?  Will I have any wardrobe malfunctions? Can I actually get in the pool, or out, or bend over, or sit down without incident?


3.  Does it defy gravity?  Does it lift, nip, tuck, cinch, take 10 years off and fold the laundry?


4.  If yes to #3, is it granny-ish?  Will it make me look like I should get my hair cut short and permed and wear panty hose and sas sandals?


If #1-3 are positive, and #4 is negative, then I have a swimsuit:)




 Oh, what about cost you ask?  In the swimsuit selection process, cost is not an issue.  If it meets all the criteria above, it's worth it's weight in gold.








So what will this potential suit look like?  When I envision it, it looks like this..........

Photo courtesy of internet

In reality, it looks like this..............................

Photo courtesy of the internet

And when I envision myself in it, I look like this.............................

Photo courtesy of the internet

In reality, I probably look a lot more like this........................

Photo courtesy of the internet

Thank goodness I'm taking my kids with me:)




Much love and many laughs,


A

The first boy

I come from a family predominately made up of girls.  On my mom's side, she has two sisters, one nephew and four nieces.  Followed by that, is our family, Mom, Dad, and four daughters.

This is my eldest sister and dad.

  The first grandchild and her mom, sister #1

This is sister #2, our recently graduated niece, and though I don't like it, that's me on the right-sister #4.

Man, I have really got to learn how to crop photos!

This is sister #3, the Texan of the group.

My Dad's side is unique.  He and his sister were raised by his mother, grandmother, and two aunts. His sister did have three boys, and now they all have girls.


(Enter current generation) When my eldest sister had her first child, it was a girl.  She's the one pictured above in the graduation regalia. Naturally we assumed that this was how it was for us.  Girls are what we know. Boys we don't.  What little information we've knew about them was somewhat unflattering (bodily gas emissions, football throwing in the house, etc...)


So one day in the fall of 1997, my next eldest sister and her husband came down for a visit.  She had recently found out she was pregnant.  We called our parents on speaker phone to tell them the good news.  Everyone was overjoyed, ecstatic even.  In the conversation we talked about all the usual things about preparing the house for a new little one.  At one point, it fleetingly crossed my mind that there was a chance that it could be a boy.  I mentioned it to her and we laughed.  Naaaaah, couldn't happen, but it was funny to think about.


Fast forward several weeks.  I got home from graduate school that day and checked my answering machine. (Yes, this was in a day when every house had only one computer with dial up internet. We had regular washing machines, VCR's, and we were just barely past the era of the cell phone in a zippered bag.)  On my answering machine was a message from Lisa.  "I'm having a boy!" she said.  I was dumbfounded.  I laughed for 20 minutes. Literally. Laughed.  For 20 minutes.  I couldn't stop laughing and thinking about what a sense of humor God has.  I had the sneaking suspicion that this little guy would change everything, in the best way.  


On May 16, 1998, he came into the world.  Will with the head full of dark hair.  A precious little tiny guy struggling to see his mama through the vaseline coated eyes. (What is the vaseline about anyway?)


When he was a few days old, I put that pink baby lotion on his skinny newborn legs and he stretched them all the way out like he was enjoying the free massage.

This was on my baby girl's first birthday.  That's him holding her.  This photo was taken during the "I refuse to wear a shirt" days.  Can you tell who looked up to him?   

These were in a rare bout of silliness.  I think the entertainment of the computer's photo booth caused him to forget hat he was getting his picture made:) That's him on the left.

Funny Will!

His is and always will be special.  The first boy, first "little man" for our family. It was a big deal. 


Well that boy just celebrated his birthday last Monday.  He officially is a teenager now and so much has changed in the last 13 years.  His voice is lower, he's grown very tall.  He likes to play his trumpet and enjoys video games.  He is extremely camera shy. He is looked up to by all the cousins, especially the younger boys.  He considered a beacon of wisdom, especially when it comes to "Runescape".


So happy belated birthday big guy.  You are very special to all of us and we love you very much!  Oh, and I'm sorry to post this embarrassing post:)




Much love and many laughs,


Your Aunt and birthday buddy

Mom

My mom is a incredible woman.  As far as parenting goes, she goes down as the most perfect mom one could ask for.  Granted she's not perfect and wouldn't want you to think so, but I can tell you that from what I experienced, she's as close as humanly possible.

Mom and my baby girl

1.  She taught me to love the Lord with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love my neighbor as myself.
2.  I don't even need a follow-up because that takes care of it all.


Mom is pure-hearted.  I have always wanted to be so.  She can only see the best in people.  She can not believe anything that might be less than flattering about another.  She can find the good in most everything and when she can't she delivers the news with the gentlest of touches.   

Mom and big guy!

For instance, once we were talking about Moammar Qaddafi and Mom said "folks-I think he's mellowed".  My response was "mom-he's a terrorist"!!! My one caveat is that, according to an American news source he had mellowed. Apparently in the 1-2 years pre 9/11, terrorism wasn't as lucrative.  However, since that time, terrorism and oppression have paid handsomely and he's back!!!


When Mom and Dad moved to Uganda in Oct. 1998, I encouraged them to leave their boxer puppy (named "Happy"), in the US.  My understanding was that he would be held in quarantine type situation for up to six months.  That wasn't gonna fly, so they left him with my sister.  Fast forward six and a half years.  In the move back to the U.S. my Mom informed me that he probably wouldn't have been quarantined (at least not on the Africa end of the move) like I was informed.  However, she did indicate that there were a lot of things over in Uganda that could "kind of take his life."  Up to that day (and every day since) I had never heard the words "kind of" and "take his life" in the same sentence.

"So happy together"

The list goes on and on.  She is untainted and guileless.  People respond to her.  They love her.  If you know her, I need not explain this.  If you do not, it would be a blessing to your life if you were to make her acquaintance.  To me she is mom.  She knows me and loves me anyway.  I thank God he gave me her.


I love you Mom!


Much love and many laughs,


A

A shout out for birth mothers!

As all of you know Sunday is Mother's Day.  What many of you do not know is that the day before Mother's Day is celebrated as Birth Mother's Day.

Very few know this fact.  Birth Mother's Day does not affect the entire population, as does Mother's Day.
However, those that are affected by this, are affected in a profound way.

There is a stigma attached to releasing a child for adoption.  Many think "what kind of mother would give up her child"?  Granted, each adoption story is different, but I will speak from my experience and from what I have observed.


   Birth mothers have vision - they want the very best for that child and recognize that parenting the child would not be in the best interest of that child.  Many want a "better life" for their child than they have.

   Birth mothers have backbone - ideas about them as a whole are less than favorable.  It takes fortitude to make and follow through with an adoption plan with some attitudes being so judgmental.

   Birth mothers have conviction - we all know there are "easier" ways to deal with an unplanned pregnancy.

   Birth mothers are not perfect - I'm not trying to say they are but then again neither am I.

Simply put, birth mothers are a group of women who have/will experience pain of one kind or another,  and have decided to take a tough situation and turn it into a blessing for all involved.

So I want to encourage you to pray that the Lord bless those women out there.  Pray that God give them comfort and happiness both now and in the future.

If you know of a birth mother give her a hug or a call today.  Let her know that she is loved by you and by God and that she has blessed a family today.

God bless you all!!!

Much love and many laughs,

A

I love you, you big loser!

When my husband J drives our six-year-old girl to school,  I always see them off.  We say "I love you" three, four, five times, and so on from the time it takes to get out the front door, into the car, locked, loaded and driving off.

The other day I yet again told them I loved them and made this sign....

                                                 (Photo courtesy of internet)

About to drive off, my daughter wanted to reciprocate the I love you sign, but hers looked like this......

(Photo courtesy of internet)

LOSER!!!!!

Then I thought......... she's on to me:)

Much love and many laughs,

A

                                 

Happy Birthday my niece!

It was 12 years ago today that a bouncing, puffy-faced cherub popped into our lives.  Although I had the aunt thing down cold, this was my first niece on J's side of the family, so it might as well have been the first ever (all over again).  The excitement was palpable.  And in the middle of the night on May 1st, I had a new "birthday buddy".  In our family, if you're born in the same month, you're a birthday buddy.  Especially if one of the buddies is a proud and doting aunt and the other a powder-scented, pixie-wearing, curled-up, bundle of joy. (the pixie was optional)

Now she is a lovely young lady, sailing out into the unknown sea called adolescence.  Might I say, she's navigating it very well indeed.  (Just don't ask her little sister:)

This is the former toddler who called me "err-duh" and yes, it was as bad as it sounds and yes, I squelched that as my pet name.

This is the child who had a short but very naughty phase of climbing out of her car seat-only while the car was cruising down the highway at questionable speeds.

This is the young child who dubbed a friend "pretty Bob" and her grandfather "sweet Johnny".

This is the girl who when very small was a little unsure of the swimming pool.  So she climbed in with a life vest,  a seating floating ring, and water wings on.

This is the child who jumped up and down in front of me every morning in Sunday School to get my attention.  They didn't give her enough attention at home.  She was starved for affection:)

This is the girl who can dance like the wind!

This is the girl who had developed an affinity for sweet tea for breakfast.

This is the girl who tries to be kind to all (even to her little sister-though it sometimes doesn't work out), and looks out for the underdog.

This is the girl who is a wonderful person and whom we love very much!

Happy Birthday Grace!!!  We love you!


Much love and many laughs always,

Aunt A