Today, we had a visit from my oldest nephew, Simon.  (We’ll call him Simon, because that’s totally not his name.)
He’s one of my most favorite people.
Our relationship is based on coffee. When Simon was small he would wait for me to leave the room, drink down all my coffee, and when I returned he would smile his coffee mustache smile.

He did it a few weeks ago, too, just for old time’s sake, but now he has an actual mustache.

From the time he was almost two, til the time he was almost eleven, I took care of him off and on, how aunties do. He was not like my fifth child, because I rottened him somethin awful.  Aunties do that, too.  And also, because Simon always minded me, which one’s own children seldom do. *winks*

I did schlep him around with my own kids, which I believe made it look I’d paused between my own sets of children to bear a Simon love child, since he is neither fair like all of us, nor blonde like all of them.

I like to think I was publicizing diversity, but it probably just looked like I had an affair.

I still like to schlep him around, take him out for his own cold coffee.

He’s Bubba’s oldest friend, as cousins often are. They’re both quiet, introverted, intellectual types. Subsequently, those are the only kinds of boy children I can  cope with relate to. 

He’s Moo’s Simon, and long has been. Perhaps because when Bubba claims Sassy, Simon and Moo are paired-up to fill the gaps. It could be based on how they share a love of the color orange, strawberry milk, cold coffee, comfy cotton clothes, and chewing gum. Maybe he still feels badly for tipping her out of her baby swing. Whatever the reason, it warms my heart.

They shared a nap beside me this afternoon. *gushes*

Now that we’re “home,” we have a lot more of these moments.