Aunts and Santa

"I'm an Auntie!" I cried to no one in particular.

I was in the car at the time and had just hung up with my step-father who announced that he was a grandpa again.

Only this time it will be different.

This kid will see us and know us and call us "Aunt" or "Grandma" or "Nana" or whatever it is they choose.

My youngest brother is the nicest sweetest boy in the world. Well, Man I guess now. Hard to imagine him old enough to have kids, but the boy is a dad now. He has a beautiful little girl named Anna Guilianna. After both grandmothers.

I love her already and am so thrilled that my sister-in-law didn't have a C-section but delivered naturally and both mama and baby are doing well!

So I am an Auntie and I cried tears of happiness and joy on my way home. Her birthday is today. Happy Birthday Anna!

On Santa.

I had to call Santa today to put someone on the Naughty list. For poor listening skills and temper tantrums.

She wasn't listening to her mother at all. Or me - or anyone for that matter. She wanted to sing a Christmas song for me, but was not allowed because she was told several times not to touch somethings in the house and she continued to touch them. That generated a full out tantrum on the floor with crying, screaming, kicking and both her mom and I ignoring. Until she took it too far. Her mom suggested I call Santa, so I picked up the phone and called my answering machine and left a full blown, one-sided conversation with First Mrs Claus and second Santa himself.

In the middle of this, she sat up looked at me and said she was crying because she missed her boyfriend ( she's 4 - has a more active love life than I do.) which was hilarious as his name hasn't been mentioned in 2 weeks easily. Then she ran out of the room and yelled that now she was mad at ME. ha - like I care. It's going to be short lived any way.

so I wrap the conversation with my answering machine. She's in the other room now, quiet. Her mom looks at me and says "Your good!".

"My mom didn't call me Sarah Heartburn for nothing!" I said.

The munchkin makes her way back into the room and we play with her Carebear for a few minutes. Then She is told to turn down her bed. She starts in with getting fresh again. So we pretended that the Carebear went home with me ( it's in a kitchen cabinet incidentally).

She did let me put her to bed and asked me to read her a story so the sweet little girl I know did finally come around.

But I will tell you - her mom has a halo and wings and an express ticket to heaven because this is a more common experience than I knew. Her kids are wonderful though and the history proves that they grow out of this.

she still deserves that express ticket and to be thin, young,. beautiful and eat whatever she wants forever as far as I am concerned!

My machine cracked me up to no end when I got home though. I almost wish I could save it.