SAY WHAT?!!?

love.this.picture.of.her.
corpus cristi.march.2012

cora was retelling us something she watched on the tele.  she was talking about a guy who used another guy to talk.  we were all lost.  she kept trying to explain what she saw.  "i can't remember what it called."  she kept repeating.

i asked her to explain the idea again.  it was when a person had a puppet and they made the puppet talk and tell jokes. 

"i think it's called shrillaqueake."  she shyly said.

I started laughing, "Do you mean ventriloquism?"

"Oh yeah, that's it!"

Here's What We're Dealing With....

So...my kids are serious note writers when I am on the phone.  Their lives have all been threatened on numerous occasions so they have adapted.  It works.  This was a personal favorite of ours.  It demonstrates the sensitive balance that coexists in our home.

We are now privvy to all sorts of fun new terms like nipple cripple, nads, twig and berries, man sac,  tak'n a waz, wazz'n the wizzer, potato chip farts, diaper brownies, butt gems, and so on.  I reprimand ALL DAY LONG, only to realize (often in between my hysterical laughing) that this is my fate for the next 15 years.  That might even be cutting it short.  ahhh, boys.

Blue Angels Airshow

I have these 2 nephews that I adore.  Thankfully, for politics sake, one stems from the Cruz side and the other from the Carter.  Although now I think about them, what I adore about these two boys I believe come from their fathers who are not genetically bound to our families.  Basically we had to marry out for the traits I love in these boys.

Yesterday, Ian, my seven-year old nephew from the hubs side, held an airshow for all his cousins.  I imagine he spent hours creating the props for the event.  His ad posters plastered his house.  I think there was one on every wall.  He watched and became obsessed with a documentary on the Blue Angles.  Interestingly enough my older brother and I went to several of these air shows growing up.  I love these posters he did.  The colors are vibrant, its a great likeness of the actual planes (in a barrel roll), and I adore the backwards "s". 

Ian loves to rummage through the recycle bins and create.  Cardboard is HIS medium.  He made 5 or 6 planes out of toilet papers rolls, cardboard, and paper.  Then he created a whole landing strip and surrounding community.  There was an ambulance, a heliocopter, heliocopter landing pad, a park with trees and swings, a texas flag prominantly on display, and a storage building.  It was totally genius and brillantly executed.  This boy is always building and creating.  He is fascinated by the sky.  He knows all about the planets, stars, system.  He wants to be an astronaut.  And now he is flying with the Blue Angels.  He is absolutely brillant and precious!

Kavi stems from the Carter side but he gets his brillance from his dad too.  I guess there are similarities in the two boys.  They are both insanely ridiculous-smart  and I suppose socially quirky.  Kavi has a mind that is always going.  He is quick witted and too smart for his age.  He is an "outside of the box" type of thinker.  He can take an item and find a fun bizarre use for it that would never occur to me.

Part of me is jealous of these boys.  My mind is so literal and practical.  Even on my best day I am unable to create and improvise the way these two can.  Thankfully, a large part of me is in awe of them.  I am so proud to be their aunt.  I am proud to have part ownership in their blood.  I love to show off their talents and build up their gifts.

Which One of These is Not Like the Other?

We spent Father's Day with good friends the Costello's.  Linds got all creative on us and made mini Robb-los'.  She skewered them and plopped them into our watermelon that evening.  They definitely made the evening!  She and I are super blessed with WONDERFUL & supportive hubbies.  (I am a sucker for a man in houndstooth.)