Nicknames and Family Traditions

My family LOVES nicknames.  I think it comes from my dad's side. When I was little (who am I kidding, they still do), my parents called me Boo Boo.  I was Boo Boo, and Dad was my Yogi Bear.  When my sister Amber came along, she was frail and small and they called her Bambi.  Sarah, the youngest, was a ball of energy (and slightly evil) and was Bunny Foo Foo, Bunny for short.  These are names only our parents use.

But then we have nicknames for each other.  When I was younger, I could not say Amber and so she became Bers.  Sarah is Cici (because who wants to be called Aunt Sarah) and I am Kiki (because Emma couldn't say Katie).  They also call me Kato. And sometimes we call Amber Ace (that was Dani's doing).  Mom sometimes calls me Sis and we love to call each other Fatty because we are so full of love...

Dad didn't stop with the three of us.  When the grandchildren were born, it was Biscuit, Buz, Button, Bryck and Bily.  All Bs.  Why? No one knows.

Finn has a nickname of course.  But I cannot tell you.  Why?  Because it is ours.  It is the same reason that only my family can call me Kate.    We gave Finn a nickname before he came (we asked his permission to call him the nickname.  He said yes, but that was when he first got here and his English wasn't that good and I do not think he knew what he was getting himself into... TOO LATE!) and he has picked up another since then.

Nicknames are a sign of belonging in my family.  In fact, when one of my cousins gets a new boyfriend, we immediately give them a nickname.  Always a girls name.  Oh, that reminds me.  Finn has 3 nicknames...

The Brit, well that's one nickname, but my sister's also like to call him Simon.  I always call my husband The Brit unless I am talking to him.  Or his mother... then it is Steven.

Speaking of my cousins (it was like 2 paragraphs back), the host son got to meet them today.  All 6 of them.  And a husband, a wife, a boyfriend, and 4 babies.  And my aunt, and my grandmother.  Special occasion you ask?  Why, no.  It was:

Weyer Family Fun Day!

This is the day once a month when we get together with my dad's sister at my dad's mom's house and eat wonderful food prepared by my grandmother and play a game we made up.

This is not my grandmother's house but I couldn't get any shots today.  We love tradition and WFFD is a monthly tradition that has been going for 3 or 4 years now.  Besides ex-boyfriends and ex-husbands, the only missing party is my grandfather.  My grandfather died the summer before last.  It is a huge shame that he did not get to meet Finn.  German was my grandfather's first language and his parents emigrated from Germany.

Speaking of the boy and pictures (also 2 paragraphs ago), Finn would only let me post one today. He asks why I take such silly photos.  I tell him it's because I have to take them when he is not looking because he tries to block me!  Shots that did not make this weeks blog were of him picking black beans out of the chicken dish I made (why you want to show this?), of him ice skating last night with me and Lily (look at my hair!), and of him blocking the camera with his laptop (why you take this photo?!).  (Other photos that did not make it in were of him sampling froyo and of him chopping onions.  I know how paparazzi photographers feel.)  So here he is helping me put up curtains in his room because the sun comes up on that side of the house, and we didn't think of that until he started waking up early on Saturday mornings (do you see what a good host mom I am?!)

This also proof he is alive and somewhat entertained (you can't blink twice in a photo...)