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
Gorgeous post, Ms Moon. I know that feeling, looking after other peoples' kids is both one of the most pleasurable and one of the most exhausting experiences in the world, in some ways harder even than looking after your own.
ReplyDeleteYou learn so many wonderful things. It extends your horizons.
They look so adorable and sounds like you're having a great time!
ReplyDeleteMean Aunt Mary, hee :)
ReplyDeleteI keep thinking how much Dade would lvoe playing with Owen. He's intrigued by smaller people at the moment, and Owen would be his little side-kick-buddy-partner in crime.
ReplyDeleteAh poor you I know the feeling. Other people's kids can be a trial and a delight at the same time. Just breathe and remember you get to give them back at the end.
ReplyDeleteThey look as if they are loaded for mischief.
ReplyDeleteHail Mary full of grace... may the Lord be with thee.
ReplyDeleteWere you guys at the Cool Cow? We lived there for the first two years it was opened.. yummy!
xo
"I have the thickest hair in the family."
ReplyDeleteOh me. That's a good one.
They are giving you some practice for Owen in a few years! I love their Irish names. Is Kian pronounced like Ian?
ReplyDeleteall I keep thinking of us is those darn masks.
ReplyDelete'cause sometimes we do where them with kids.
they are beautiful btw. love the eyes.
and thank you so much for following my post to comment. That meant a lot . Seriously.
Elisabeth- You're right.
ReplyDeleteRebecca- And more to come tomorrow!
Jo- Jessie had to get it from somewhere. Of course, the second the kids get in the car they say, "Will Jessie be there?!"
They adore her.
And it would be awesome to see those two together.
Mwa- I know. True.
Syd- You are very observant, sir.
Ms. Fleur- Yes. The Cool Cow. Of course.
Ms. Trouble- I thought it was a good one, too.
Michele R- Yes. Kian is pronounced like Ian.
deb- Well, of course we do wear our masks with children too. Sometimes. But sometimes not. I find that with Owen, who is only ten months old, of course, that I do not have to at all.
ReplyDeleteBut that's different somehow.
And thank-you for following my posts to comment.
Intense cheese flavor. That tickles me. Any extreme artificial flavor is very funny.
ReplyDeleteMy kids eat way too much of that mac and cheese shit.
Utterly adorable. How lucky to have an auntie with chickens and ice cream. what else could a young James Dean want.
ReplyDeleteI love that picture of all of them.
ReplyDeleteHe he...
ReplyDeleteIt seems like there is always one particular statement or paragraph in each of your posts that especially gets me. For this one it was the very first paragraph. You said so much in those sentences that I could totally relate to and that also gave me a chuckle. I guess my point is that I continue to love your picture-painting writing.
ReplyDeleteAll I can think of is how hot that cow must be. Good God, isn't it against labor laws to have someone dress up in a cow costume when it is 104 F outside? It would be an "Udder" nightmare! Hahahahahaha!
ReplyDeleteOh Mama, you are a saint. I wish I was there this morning for pancakes.
Nancy C- It looked delicious.
ReplyDeleteSandra- That's what I'm saying.
DTG- Bogart fell in love with Kian and vice versa.
Angie M- Indeed.
Jill- Thank-you so much. I try.
May- It is an empty cow costume. Empty. No victim is within it. Sorry you missed the pancakes. They were flax and fruit-a-licious.
Jesus, you are kind to take two little kids on at once. Grandma Peg used to keep me and my brother together but then WE BECAME TOO MUCH. We "frayed her nerves."
ReplyDeleteYou are a damn Saint, Mary Moon.
I always scretly feel bad for people who have to dress up in those big costumes. They seem so undignified.
ReplyDeleteMs. Bastard-Beloved- Honey. My nerves get frayed easily too.
ReplyDeleteJudah- They just drape that costume over a chair. I think the law would come down on anyone who made an employee dress up in a cow costume in this weather.