Home! Hooray!! My family loves my boyfriend to bits!
We have returned from the wilds of Colorado, and you will find a lovely summary of the weekend's events here. Not included in that version are the facts that a) I did not have a single argument with either my sister or my mother, a feat well-nigh unprecedented in the annals of modern history and probably due to the fact that they were fighting with each other instead, although neither I nor my boy were supposed to know about that, b) nobody said anything embarrassing except for a home-movie version of me, running around and singing and making a general overly-precocious and attention-starved nuisance of myself, c) my family thinks that Mike is a clone of me, due to the fact that we kept using the same turns of phrase, and d) grilled pineapple is so good I want it for every meal.
My nephew continues to grow and grow, as does my five-year-old niece, who is also missing one of her front teeth. The other one is very wiggly, as she liked to show everybody, so she is going to have a double-gap-toothed smile any minute now. What I want to know is this: where on earth are grown-up teeth supposed to FIT on that child? They both remain the cutest and best-behaved kids in the entire universe. Hands down.
Selected conversation Number One:
Niece: Hey! What are you doing down here?
Me: I'm getting my shoes! See?
Niece: Oh. Do you and Michael both sleep in that bed???
Me: Umm. Umm. Hey! Why don't you draw me a picture!
Niece: Okay! I'll draw ballerinas.
Selected conversation Number Two:
(ring ring)
Mom: Hello?
Me: Hi, mom! We just got off the plane!
Mom: Good!! Are you in Denver, then?
Me: Oh, no. Unfortunately, we got on the wrong plane and we're in Tokyo. Long flight, that was.
Mom: Oh, ha ha ha. You're in Tokyo, huh? Well, look on the bright side. At least you really like Chinese food.
Me: Yeah, I do like Chinese food. Which makes it too bad that we're in TOKYO.
Selected conversation Number Three:
Niece (who I remind you is five years old): It's rainin' men! Hallelujah it's rainin' men. Hey hey!
Me: Mppphhhurrmpphhaaahammmph!
Niece: God bless Mother Nature, she's a single woman too!
Me: MFFAAAAHAHAHA!
Niece: What's so funny?
Me: Nothing, I just like your song. What does it mean, anyway?
Niece: It means it's RAINING.
Me: It's just raining? What is it raining?
Niece: It's just raining RAIN. That's the only thing that RAINS is RAIN.
Me: So what does the 'It's rainin' men' part mean?"
Niece: I don't know! I didn't ask.
Selected conversation Number Four:
Me: Try it.
Mom: No, I don't think I want any. Thank you, though.
Me: It's bruschetta, mom. Tomatoes, onion, garlic, and olive oil. On bread. Why on earth wouldn't you want any?
Mom: I, um...I...don't like...onions?
Me: You do too. Eat some.
Mom: No.
Me: Yes. Here. Eat this piece.
Mom: But it isn't even COOKED.
Me: Neither is salad, and you like that.
Mom: FINE I'll try it.
(munchmunch)
Mom: Umm...could I have...another?