Another lovely Easter at my mom's. We shared a feast of ham, sweet potatoes, cheesy potatoes, asparagus, rolls and jelly beans. I was surrounded by my family including my mother, our hostess, her boyfriend, Larry, my brother, his wife and daughter and my mom's boyfriend's niece and husband. Oh, and my husband, stepson and stepdaughter. It was a full house, and my mom's house is easy to fill up. The center of attention was my 3 year old niece, Livia. She was full of boundless energy and her sweet charm delighted all of us to no end. It's all about play with her. She would grab my hand several times throughout the afternoon to have me run around the house with her. Upstairs, downstairs, and again. She wore the most adorable dress, too. It was a soft turquoise green tule dress that fell below her knees and she loved to spin around in it. She's the prettiest and girliest tomboy I know! And she has a smile that melts you and forces you to give in to her every whim.
My mother, being the sweet and thoughtful person that she is, invited my stepchildren to join us, and they did. They enjoy getting together with my somewhat deranged and dysfunctional family, especially my brother with his twisted sense of humor and outlook on life. He had us in stitches at the dinner table as he found a way to pick on our mother. She had purchased several pieces of flatware from the Crate & Barrel outlet store, and she made certain that we acknowledge them, and well, that's where it picked up momentum with my brother. That was his queue, and that's where the fun began. It seems at every gathering my brother finds something that sets off his funny bone, and keeps us in stitches.
After dinner, we settled in the living room and more play time with Livia. She was automatically without provocation drawn to my stepdaughter, Kara. Kara has some power over young children as they are immediately without abandon drawn to her, to play with her. At one point, we were busting a gut watching Kara and Livia play with an empty water bottle. They were biting it from both ends like two dogs, and then Livia would giggle, and then do it again. While it's difficult to describe this scene, it certainly had us all intrigued and laughing.
Earlier, when Kara arrived at my mother's, she brought with her a plate of homemade cookies and a bubbles wand toy thing a ma jig. So we went outside at that time to make bubbles. Actually I think my brother enjoyed it more than my niece did. But I was so impressed at how Kara was so thoughtful in bringing a gift to Livia. It wasn't asked of her to do so, nor was it expected. She just did. I was touched by her thoughtfulness, and how she has embraced my family, too.
Kara turned 18 back in September. A milestone in the journey to adulthood, and though she's been a troubled and troublesome girl, she's starting to show signs of maturity and even responsibility. Don't get me wrong, though, she has a long way to go. But she's on the road now and she's starting to pick up speed, too. She's been on a rough road with a challenging history behind her, but she seems to be coming of age, and fighting the battle rather than giving in to defeat. I hope some of that fight has been because of her father's undying faith and belief in her. And maybe because of me. A little bit. Despite all the problems she's had over the years, I've always believed in her and I've always been able to see in her what she couldn't see; a vibrant, highly intelligent, insightful and loving young woman. I can't wait to see where this road takes her! And yes, I'm proud of her.
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