Happy Birthday Nice Niece!

For those of you who don't know me. I effing love kids. I love them so much that I had to say, EFFING, to make a statement about how much I effing love kids!

I love MY kids, I love my sister's kids, I love your kids!



Last night we had the following kids over at the house. Oldest to youngest... Tim-13, Isaiah-13, Koy-12, Zeanna-12, Kane-9, Emily-6, Kaisa-6, Coltrane-5, Gage-5, Simmone-5, Patruclus-3, Nabridius-3, and Rishon-2. Seriously.

And you know what?! I loved every minute of it. All the crying, bleeding and pooping combined! There was only ONE person missing. Clara Dawn.



Today is Clara Dawn's 8th Birthday. Yesterday she was 7, between Emily and Kane. Today she is 8.

8 years old. Holy cow! Remember when I said I loved kids? I LOVE my nice Niece! My only biological niece. She has a little piece of me in there somewhere...we're so connected, it hurts. :)



She was born a bit premature, and weighed in at 6 lbs. Now in "America" that's "normal." But up here above the Arctic Circle, when your baby don't weigh nine pounds and you don't have gestational diabetes, you're NOT NORMAL. She was so tiny, we could put her in her dad's shoebox from Foot Locker.



Preemie clothes were too big. So tiny. (On the flip side, when Kaisa was a day old, she didn't fit into her 0-3 months clothing. It was too small.) She was so cute. And she smiled a lot.



My niece. Happy Birthday sweet baby girl. The one I taught to talk and walk (Seriously, I did) and the one who called me Momma Maija. "Momma Maija, I go UP."

The one who says "Hickaminapotomus."

The one who says, "I go Shkoowwwl, I'm not sshhKawy" (I go school, I'm not scary.)

The one who melts my heart when she calls me, "Auntie could I come over?"



And the one who is helping me with the boys. Even though she "has" to cause its her job.

"Hello? Auntie? When should I go to my job?"

"What job Baby Girl?"

"YOU KNOW, my JOB that I'm earning money for. The one I have to do a timesheet for? You know, changing diapers and feeding them mush."

"Ooooh, your job!"

"Yeah. What time do I have to go to my job?"

"How about five?"

"I'll be there at five, sharp....what time is it Auntie?"

"5:05."

"OH, I gotta GO, I'm LATE TO MY JOB." Click.



Happy Birthday love. Have a grand day... Auntie loves YOU.