Aunt Cake

So my brother Ben and his family have been in town for the last week, and it's been a blast! Ben and Laura have three precious little girls: Emilie, Claire, and Grace. Or, if you'd prefer: Bug, Bear, and Bean. These girls are the sweetest, and they each have such individual personalities, which has made their visit even better - the longer they're here, the more we get to know each individual girl.
They came with some sick germs in them, but the girls have recovered wonderfully, and so far no one else has picked it up, so we're hoping the germs have been contained.
To give you a quick idea of this visit, here are some highlights:

• An amazing Tuesday shopping venture. Bold in goals going in, spectacular in results coming out.
• Emilie learning how to tie her shoes, using the "super-secret" way Grammy Dette (my mom) taught her.
• Claire spending hours just spinning around and around and around and around in our living room.
• Grace singing Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi," but making it her own by changing the lyrics to Bubble, bubble. bubble wazzi."
• Laura and me trying to get 5 quickly melting shakes home, and somehow hitting every bump and dip in the road, and having every curve be extra curvy. FYI - an extra large box does NOT make transportation easier!

And, in light of young children being notorious for creating their own alphabets to include only letters they can say, my name has been legally changed to "Aunt Cake." Apparently the 't' was too difficult for Grace, so instead of forcing her to master such a tough letter for such a little girl, it seemed much easier to just change my name. And I'm not gonna lie, I kind of like it. A lot. I personally don't mind be associated with a delicious piece of dessert, and since it's practically impossible to be angry or moody about cake, I feel pretty lucky to know I will always be loved unconditionally! And, it's a lot better than my sister Abby's daughter, Ellee, thinking it funny to call me "Camie," after her other aunt. Though last I heard, my name was now the go-to name for any aunt. Try that on for size, Camie!
Grace particularly sticks to 'Aunt Cake' when talking to me. Claire and Emilie can say my name correctly, though Claire will revert to 'Cake' as well, when she's in a playful mood. But Grace and I now have a great bond, coming together through speech impediments and savory treats. When Ben and Laura first got here, they told me Grace was their little Kate, because she reminds them of what I looked like as a little one. The more I hung out with her, the cuter she got, and therefore the more the resemblance showed. I definitely see "little me" in her - but mainly "little me" from the summer days. The days of rosy cheeks Kate. Back when the humidity in the air gave my hair some curl, but I was young enough that it still looked really cute (not like my older days, when it was just frizz. Blasted humidity). It's rather flattering to me to know such a darling girl is my little mini-Kate. Aside from the recklessness with which she lives life. I think I was a little more reserved, and a little less free-spirited than she is...
Well, I'm going to miss this family a ton - thank goodness they stayed this extra night, and they've pushed their take-off time back from 4am to 6am, so I stand a chance of waking up to bid them farewell (sorry Laura, 4am never stood a chance). This house is going to be quiet tomorrow. A little too quiet. Or maybe too loud. When are mom and dad going on vacation again? They've been here far too long since their last trip - almost 4 weeks now! We'll have to figure out where they can go now. If we can't have everyone at our house, then everyone must go!