The Whole Fam Damily



just a little Valentine Day shout out to the folks I love most!

thanks to The Friend for the art work!

We are a blended family. I used to say we weren't a "nuclear" family...we were "thermo-nuclear!" But we've been blessed to like each other and love each other and get along pretty much like any "normal" family. OK...maybe not "normal" (that's just a setting on the dryer!)...after all, we put the FUN in dysFUNctional! Here's the family run-down...

SWEETIE...what can I say? He tolerates my nuttiness, is so comfortable I can fall asleep on his lap, is mega-generous, has a heart of gold and shares the other half of my brain! He cares about other people more than himself...a wonderful quality in a sweetie!

SON #1 and SWEETHEART #1...live on the other side of the country in a place where you can't swing a dead cat without hitting a monument to a dead president or a war. SON #1 has a "chrome dome" that's filled with all kinds of ideas and business plans, he's a techno wizard, and he shares a family trait...a snarky sense of humor! SWEETHEART #1 loves him with all her heart! She's sweet and Southern and smart and  we love her to death! She's kind, she's good, she's funny and she's the best thing that ever happened to SON #1!

DAUGHTER #1 and SON-IN-LAW #1...she is the "go to" family member...Lil Miss Reliable!...but has just enough nuttiness that we can tease her! She has a great style which you can see in her home, her clothes, and the gifts she gives. She's got a smile that lights up the whole family (and not just because she's obsessed with teeth!) SIL #1 is always finding new and varied things to be interested in. He has a rare talent...he can talk to anyone! We never need to worry about having someone new in the group because he will immediately make them feel welcome! He's a great dad and his boys love him. They are the parents of -
GRANDSON #1...who currently thinks he's 14 and knows everything, even though he's got years to go before he's a teenager! He LOVES to read, loves to cuddle, loves Harry Potter books, his Nintendo DS and Legos!
GRANDSON #2...who wants to talk about everything all.the.time! He comes up with the funnest things..."When a boy gets fat, he becomes a grandpa. When a girl gets fat, she has a baby!" Profound! He loves his brothers, Legos, and Darth Maul...not necessarily in that order!
GRANDSON #3...is a happy go lucky kind of guy! He loves to laugh and smile and give kisses! Every once in awhile, the little imp in him appears and he goes into a melt-down...but give him enough M&Ms and he's happy again!

DAUGHTER #2 and SON-IN-LAW #2...these two are totally "without guile", they NEVER say anything bad about anyone...which makes it all the more amazing that DAUGHTER #2 has a favorite swear word! I'm sure she uses it sparingly! She adores flowers and notebooks and loves to sing. We joke with SIL #2 that he CAN'T be that nice...he has to be a secret serial killer who stashes bodies in the woods or something. His favorite hobbies, fly-fishing and bird-watching, give him plenty of access to the outdoors...mmm! So far, he's smiled at our joke...which actually makes me a little worried! But seriously, they are both kind and amazingly creative!

SON #2 and DAUGHTER-IN-LAW #1 AND ONLY...live in a state that has DAUGHTER #2's favorite swear word at the end - sort of. He's our worrier but that's because he has a tender heart! He's thoughtful and helpful to everyone around him and is obsessed with cleaning dirty cars! DIL #1 AND ONLY is a straight shooter! She's the reason why you "don't mess with Texas!" And when she laughs, it comes all the way from the bottom of her feet...which are probably clad in high heels!- she loves 'em! Tell her a funny joke, then stand back and feel the laugh-quake! They are the parents of -
GRANDDAUGHTER #1...who is a cherub! No, seriously...she could totally pull off the Renaissance Cherub thing with her little chubby arms and legs! And she takes after her mom...she chortles! And the thing that makes her laugh the most right now? Why, funny funny mom and dad of course! They're hilarious!

...OK, maybe I ought to explain the numbering system here. I'm never quite sure if I should pair up the in-laws with the same number as the son/daughter or if I should number them in order of entrance into this loony family! Mmmm...just to make our brains work harder, let's go with entrance in the family. So far that's work out perfectly anyway. So it's on to...

DAUGHTER #3 and SON-IN-LAW #3...they live "down south" but not in the Mason-Dixon kind of way. Just south of where we live, but where you don't have to take a plane...a car ride will get you there just fine. DAUGHTER #3 can laugh and cry at the drop of a hat...no...really! She has such a soft heart that she will break out sobbing just by looking at us! (yah, yah...we've heard that joke before!) She has a great laugh too...which turns into hilarity when she's hanging with "the fam." She is a zealous shoe lover and we have an inside joke about jackalopes. SIL #3 is the quiet type but not when it comes to work. The guy is a worker bee! All he asks for a reward is a video game and maybe a couple of Chuck Norris jokes...which he delivers with perfect, deadpan comic timing!

DAUGHTER #4 and SON-IN-LAW #4...poor thing...she's the one that we always told was adopted and we were really space aliens! Amazingly, she still likes us all! She works hard, is proud that she is a capable W-O-M-A-N and isn't the best at handling stress! (who is?!?) SIL #4 is a great big teddy bear! He's got such a good heart - probably cause he got it fixed when he was a little kid! I think they put extra kindness in it when they sewed him back up! He's got blue blue eyes that sparkle when he sees ya! I think the happiest day of his life was when he beat his MA-IN-LAW at Dr. Mario on the Wii! They are the parents of two big, slobbery grandpuppies who haven't a clue what to do with the cat that comes into my backyard!

There ya go...the whole Fam Damily! In-Law, Out-Law, kith and kin...I love 'em all!