19 for 31. Being an Aunt.

From the moment my older brother got married in 1996, I think I ready to be an aunt. As a 15 year old, it seemed like one of the best possible things... Well, the Lord's timing forced me to wait until 2001. It was a cold day in February when I received that long awaited phone call. Darryl was somewhere in Ohio at the time I think. I don't remember any of our conversation except for that fact that he said, "You are going to be an aunt!!! He may have not used that much enthusiasm, but you get the idea. From that point on, I was so excited.

The first boy was born in November and the excitement of meeting him that Thanksgiving was insane. He was the cutest baby with a big, round head. It was an incredible joy to realize that you could love someone who was completely dependent on his parents and others, and who didn't have any idea what it meant to love you back. He was special and precious in so many ways. He is so much like my brother and dad. Now, he is mainly too cool to hang with me because of my lack of Nintendo DSI knowledge. We do share a common love for Legos. He is almost 10 and still has this place in my heart... He is the kid who made me an aunt.

Almost exactly two years later, our family was blessed with the girl. The girl shares my love for pink and purple. She might be a little more girly than I am. She is funny and so artistic. If you ever visit my office, she has some artwork in there. She is pretty forgiving like when I hit her in the head while playing Kinect. She is a mini-me of her mom and the middle child. As the middle child, we can relate. Since her arrival, it is always been more fun to go shopping for clothes. Now, she makes sure to tell me if it has been too long since we have seen one another. I love her honesty!

Finally, in 2007, the baby boy came. This was in the middle of my brother's family moving from Ohio and my Mom being sick. He was a joy in the middle of her cancer treatments. We have some sweet pictures of him and Mom together. I know he will not remember her, but Darryl, Becky, and others will remember how he made her smile, even on the bad days. This boy is a wild child with more energy than I can imagine. He gets excited and says, "Sha, Sha, Sha" when I show up for a visit. Sha is a nickname from the niece and nephews - I like that it stuck.

The latest niece was added in April of this year. I will just call her K. Her mom likes to blog about all her sweet adventures here. K belongs to my adopted middle sis, A and my bro-in-law P. She is kinda like me in that she is nosy and likes a crowd of people. She is still a little on the small side, but from what I have discovered she likes Jerry's Sno Cones and her thumb. She worries about me which makes me feel kinda special. I admire her Mom and Dad because they got to do something I've always wanted to do - adopt! I think that will need to be a post in itself! Love some K and her parents for letting me be her Auntie!

God has given me some more "adopted" nieces and nephews in my church family. Sweet friends with fun kids, who like to call me "Shady." It is a title I enjoy, despite what connotations shady may have. The best word to describe being an aunt - Joy.