Lord I Feel Old

In four and a half hours I have gone from being the aunt who says, "Let's get ice cream! Let's party like rock stars!" to the aunt who says, "Y'all, don't torment my hens," and "Why don't we find something for you to watch on TV?"

There have been several instances of tears. One when Miss Mable, my black hen, pecked Riley's finger by accident while she was feeding Mable a grape and one when she got her sparkly sandals wet and dirty.
"My mama doesn't want me to get them dirty," she moaned and wept.

Oh well. The chicken didn't break the skin and the sandals are rinsed off and drying. There are tadpoles in a cup and eggs in a bowl which we gathered. We have pulled up weeds to feed the goats next door and we have baby sat for Owen which was a trip because he was mesmerized into silence by the goodly godliness which was having two kids to play with. Big kids.

And we've been to the grocery store where we bought Kraft Macaroni in the Intense Cheese Explosion! Flavor and I am not even kidding you. Two boxes because they claim they can eat A LOT OF IT!
I have a feeling Uncle Glen will want some too.

I love my niece and nephew. Honestly, they are wonderful kids and they amuse the hell out of me and I think I can go for 24 hours without cursing in front of them. I am going to give it my best shot. I have already warned them that I am going to be mean at bedtime, though.
"Why?" asked sweet Riley.
"Because I like to sleep," I said.
"Oh," she answered. I hope she believes me.

Kian has recently adopted a sort of cool, James Dean sort of attitude thing and you can see him posing with it here:

"I have the thickest hair in the family," he told me.
I did not disagree with that one.

Okay. Off to make cupcakes for us to decorate!
Pray for me. Okay?

Love...Ms. Moon

The Rest Of The Story

So Kian and Riley have gone home with their dad although Riley pretty much decided that she wanted to live here. They love my house and who wouldn't? There are chickens to feed and a kid next door to play with who has a ton of toys and who loves to share them and a giant bathtub to float around in with the duckies and lots of Little Bear books their Aunt Mary will read to them before bed and Uncle Glen who can turn them upside down to walk on the ceiling and there are always pancakes (plain for Riley, with blueberries, peaches and pecans for Kian) and all the dogs to play with who will handily eat up anything you drop on the floor and frogs and bugs and a garden to pick actual vegetables out of and stairs to climb and hats to try on and well, frankly it's better than Disney World and I need a nap.
I mean really. I need a nap. And I didn't even get up when they did. Uncle Glen did. And they were awake when I went to sleep. Oh sure, they were in bed but after we'd read the stories and everyone had gotten water and then peed and then been tucked in for the third time with dire warnings about getting out of bed ONE MORE TIME, I went to sleep. They're the best kids in the world and I sincerely doubted they were going to get up and set the house on fire.
Plus, it was almost midnight. Right?
When I got up this morning they were like, "Aunt Mary! Aunt Mary! Will you cook us pancakes and sausage?!!!" and I was still about ten feet away from the coffee pot. I said, "Yes. I will. But it's going to take a little while."
And it did.
They can't believe how long it takes Aunt Mary to cook things but that's because their family has two working parents and most of their meals involved freezers and microwaves, I believe. My meals involve stringing beans and making macaroni and cheese from scratch and the same with the pancakes. But I believe they think it's worth it.
I know their pictures make them look like they're way too sweet and good for words but honest to god, they just are. I never have to say, "Now y'all hug each other for the picture." They just do it. And everything is so new and swell to them.




"Look! Rocks!" and "Wow! This is tall grass!" and "The chickens are eating the collard greens!" and "This cucumber is HUGE!" and so forth. You can't help but get excited with them.




"I want to live in a house just like this when I grow up," says Riley and I smile from my toes to the top of my head.
"Me too," I say. "Me too."
So I sort of feel like I got some grandmama practice in today and it felt good.
"I can't wait until the chickens lay eggs," Kian said as they were leaving.
"I'll call you when they do," I told him, and I kissed his buzzy little head, so filled with facts and thoughts and Big Ideas. He can read now and I'm just amazed. And Riley can cut her pancakes up all by herself. And eat her weight in macaroni and cheese.
They're growing up. They're five and seven now and before I know it, they'll be graduating from high school. I need to have them over more while they're still so enthralled with chickens and frogs and finding a penny at the post office. These days won't last forever and while they're still so enchanted with life in Lloyd, I need to get them out here to enjoy it. Because how can I not enjoy two young'uns so happy to be in the place that makes me happiest?
Besides, I get to read them books which is one of my biggest pleasures in life- reading books to kids. And they pay attention and don't jump around while I'm doing it.
And then they go home with Daddy.
And then I take a nap because all this love and wonder wears my ass out.
I feel like I've been working on the railroad, all the livelong day.
With the two sweetest children in the world who really like macaroni and cheese, even the kind that Aunt Mary makes that doesn't come out of the blue box. And takes a really long time to make.