Stasia

It's Sunday morning and Abby is busy watching 'The Little Mermaid' because I needed to distract her from the desire to play with all of Nolan's new birthday toys.  Our rule is that if the toy is new, and especially if it's a gift, you don't have to share it on the first day.   I tried to sway her interest in the direction of her own amazingly fun toys, but they weren't new and forbidden, and so she refused.  I tried to get her to draw (something she usually loves to do), but she wasn't interested in that either.  I had Nolan go to his room and bring down some old superhero toys that Abby could play with instead of the newly opened Avengers superheroes.  That worked for about two minutes.  After all of these attempts, I did what any good mother would do and turned on the television.  Attention span be damned.  I needed my daughter to stop complaining immediately (you can only listen to so many, 'it not fair' and 'he not nice' complaints in one morning) and I knew that a singing mermaid and a crab named Sebastian would do the trick.  

And so, with Nolan completely occupied with his new birthday treasures, and Abby zombified on the couch in front of singing sea creatures, I have a moment to myself.  

I'm using my moment to dedicate a post to my sister who is celebrating her b-day today.  Her birthday is just three days before Nolan's.  When he was getting ready to enter our big-bad-world she was all like, 'he better not come on my birthday'.  I'm sure that she was relieved when her 2006 birthday passed and Nolan was still nice and toasty in the womb.  Despite not wanting to share her big day with her nephew, she is a wonderful, loving aunt (she already has to share the day with the earth, so I guess I can understand - I mean everyone is celebrating ED today, right?  What an overshadow).  

What should I put on the blog that would make my sister most happy?  Pictures of her, of course (if you have ever seen her bedroom, you know this is true)!  She is beeeeautiful, and smart, and determined, and confident, and funny, and an incredible athlete, and I'm so very proud of her.  I only make fun of her because she is my sister, and I feel like it's part of my job description to do so.  

Happy, happy birthday little sister.  I wish I was there to arrange a family dinner at some restaurant where we would all laugh, debate some issues, roll our eyes at our discussions and each other, and talk about YOU, since it is your day.  Thank you for being such a fun sister, and an amazing aunt to my kiddos.  Miss you and love you more than you know.