30 Things

I love this picture of Golda, Ruby and Alexis listening admiringly to a funny story from Aunt Jenny at Lagoon Day 2010.  I love it because it encapsulates the word "aunt."  Jenny is one of the fun aunts of the world.  My kids are fortunate enough to have some pretty fabulous aunts, women who support their performances, wax their eyebrows, show them how to be mothers, take them shopping, demonstrate strength and creativity and generally help to raise them.  At times, they are more fun, more knowledgeable, more hip or more understanding than mom.

I am thankful for each little niece and nephew who calls me Aunt Circe and happy to have the opportunity to love them and watch them grow.  I remember a day a very long time ago when one of my cousins had a major crisis.  She went first to her aunt, my mom, to ask for her help in breaking the news of the crisis to her mother.  In life, there are some things an aunt can do that even a mom can't.  That's why we have them, I suppose.

In my capacity as Aunt Circe, here is my list of about 30 things that drive me crazy, for Lexie...

Rain, grey skies, people who aren't in a hurry, people who don't do what they said they would, gravity, junk in the car, loud noises, kids who can't entertain themselves, when people don't know the difference between its and it's (it's is always a contraction for it is  Its is possessive.) and your and you're, when baby wipes dry out, waiting, toys, unloading the dishwasher, not being able to go to the pool,  flavors other than chocolate, toast that's not buttered to the edges, being late, finding one shoe, ignorance, apathy, over-indulged kids, entitlement, hornets, slow traffic and how oatmeal cookies always have to have raisins in them.  Who decided that?

But I LOVE warm, cuddly babies, ballet recitals, birthdays, blue skies and fun nieces.  So today is a great day!