An exercise in RANDOM.

How does one begin such a post as this?  After one has written such a post as the last one?

Perhaps one should simply start with this:  Thank you.  No, but seriously, thank you.  I have received more emails, phone calls, facebook messages, and really kind blog comments in the last few days than I’ve known what to do with.  And I appreciate every single one.  I love the whole world! 

There have been plenty of perks to my new living situation (to supplement to the veritable mountain range of downsides).  People, I love my family.  I just LOVE THESE PEOPLE.  Suddenly I am being mothered again- it is a kind of weirdly fantastic, circular feeling to be mothered by my mother whilst I do my own mothering.  Homemade oatmeal in the mornings?  Nutritious dinners cooked every night!  A small complaint of a sore throat and suddenly tablets of vitamin C (the yummy chewable kind!) magically appear right next to me.  So, while daydreams of my own kitchen, food, car, and HOME, may run rampant, our circumstances are not so terrible. 

My sister Emily and I took the little one out for snow cones recently.  It has been a kind of pathetic summer, so far.  Here we are in the middle of June getting snow cones- and long pants and jackets are necessary!  I was this close to writing an Official Letter of Complaint, but I just saw the forecast predicting 90’s for Thursday.  I will accept that as an appropriate apology, Weather.  (but, so help me, if you pull any more of this funny business… CONSEQUENCES!)

Oh, but she is the cutest.

And speaking of the cutest:

Right?

Here’s the part where I post more pictures of my sister’s baby than my own actual progeny. 

My mom with Thomas.  And for some reason I can never say his name normally.  Even as I typed that, I said it, “toe-mahs” is my head.  He is unimpressed with her adulation.  His face is like, “Eh. I am still trying to recover from the haircut my mom gave me when she realized my hair was falling out at an alarming rate.  It looks much better this way, yes, but I kind of liked my lone sideburn amongst the glorious patch of bald all around it.  It had personality!” 

I think he looks a lot like Michelle when she was a baby.  You see?  Note: their ears, their eyes, their mouth shape.  And don’t give me any attitude about how the picture is too small and grainy to adequately assess such things.

I finagled my family members into a group shot to commemorate our Father’s Day celebration.  My two brothers were either unwilling or not present, even after I shouted something about MAKING MEMORIES WITH YOUR FAMILY!!! I still couldn’t procure the results I desired.  So.  No brothers included in this photo, is what I’m trying to say.

Alisha, me, Dad, Mom, Emily, Michelle.  Aren’t my hand-holding parents the cutest?

I’ve been scanning some old family photos for an upcoming facebook album (when I get around to it), and I can’t resist posting one here for comparison purposes:

The face that bow-tied Cameron is making is my favorite.  And try not to notice how much baby Matthew resembles Darth Vader when he takes his helmet/mask thingy off.  I don’t even feel bad for saying that because he became the most darling little toddler of all time.  You will see, fellow facebook friends.

What’s that you say?  More pictures of Thomas?  Well, I’d hate to disappoint you!

In case there was any doubt- those are my hands, and yes, I am his favorite, and yes, we are bonding 24/7 whenever he’s with me.

O.Scout and Rusty today.  Rusty insisted on the life jacket.  Safety first!  And they are my favorite. (besides all my other favorites.)

The end.