30 Day Challenge: Day Eleven

Day 11: Your Family.

Those two little words look simple at first glance but are big in their own way.
"Your" takes on solitary ownership. It is mine. My family.
"Family" extends as far as the very first person to ever live.
I had written a whole blog post when I used Myspace about my family. I've since then deleted my account so I can't link to the post or copy and paste, so I'll just keep this post about my parents, brothers, kids, and Mister...from oldest to youngest.

My father:

Henry, just turned 51 this year, was born in Brooklyn, New York (BedStuy) to Dorothy (who was from St. Croix, West Indies) and Nathan (who sadly I don't know very much about. I'll have to get some information on him and dedicate a post to my grandparents). My father was born July 16; he is a Cancer in every sense of the word. He is my inspiration. If you've read 1000 Things, he's #9 on the list, you know I am a Daddy's girl and he's my everything. He taught me how to read. Encouraged me to write poetry. Even talked me into getting onto a stage in front of complete strangers and read a poem. I read one of his poems as a dedication to him. He's so shy in front people, yet when he gets a conversation going, he is the life of the party and all eyes and ears are on him. He is VERY smart, damn near genius in my eyes. I think had he not gone into the military when he was younger, he would've been some big time CEO or owner of a business somewhere. Hell, maybe even the President (lol). He gave me the belief that anything I wanted to do was possible and attainable if I put my mind to it.
My hero.

My mother:

Beautiful, isn't she? My mother is one of the strongest women I know. She has sacrificed so much of her time and self to give my family the love of a mother. So when she tells me that I am such a wonderful mother, I blush from the inside and smile from ear to ear.

She just turned never tell a woman's age this year. She was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York (Flatbush). She favors my grandmother Lucille to the bone. It amazes me how much they look alike. She is an awesome grandmother. My kids love their MaaMaa (pronounced may-may).

She taught me to love myself and believe in myself. She taught me that beauty is more than just a pretty face. My mother was quick to say "God don't like ugly, and he isn't too fond of beautiful." (lol)

She's a Taurus, like me so you can imagine we've bumped heads a few times when I was in my "I'm grown, momma" stage. (lol) Now that I'm older, I appreciate everything she has gone through as a mom bringing up three kids. There are times when the only way I can get through something in my life is to call her up and hear her words of encouragement. Even if it's something like an argument with someone, she'll let me know if I'm in the wrong and that I need to be woman enough to own my fault and apologize or fix it. I loves her! :)

My 'big baby brother:

Henry III....bka Mooc. I call him my 'big baby brother' because he's the oldest of my two younger brothers. I am the oldest but when people see us together they assume that he's older than me even though he's 3 years younger than me. *shrug*

I gave him the nickname Mooca when he was like 4 years old. We were living in Germany and my mother said that I called him Mooca one day and it stuck. He hated it when he got older, but then somewhere between 18 and 21, he started having his friends call him "Mooc". (lol)

He's a Leo. A Lion to the fullest. He's also my first best friend. We went through, and still go through, our rough patches..even had to throw hands a few times. The last time we actually fought was the point I realized he respected me as more than just his "lil big" sister. He always knows how to make me laugh. Even when I'm in the pissiest mood, he can bring a smile to my face.

He's very smart too. Too smart to have gone through all the trouble he's gone through in life, especially at such an early age.
He has three kids so he holds a special place in my heart for making me an Aunt! Two beautiful nieces and the most handsome nephew an Aunt could ask for. I miss them. I can't wait to see them all again.

My baby brother:

Shawn. Here in this picture he is with my best friend, Kesha ( one of my prom dates ), during the Christmas holidays in 2009.
Shawn is the baby of the three of us, born in March, Aries. Because he's ten years younger than me, we weren't always the closest. He's come a long way from being the little brat that wanted to follow everyone around. He used to live with Mister & me when I was pregnant with "Monkey". He attended school here in NJ for a year until we ran into a snag that forced him to move back to NC.
Now he's traveling the country doing what he loves and making money doing it. I'm proud of him but it's also sad because we don't get to see him very often. He's rarely in one place for very long. But he's happy so I'm happy for him.
He's a very smart dude, too. No children at the age of twenty-two. He insists that after watching what his other siblings have and still go through, that he won't be having any kids. (lol) I just hope that one day he gets to settle down and find the right woman who can make him happy (happier, even). He deserves it.

My Husband: Mister

My EVERYTHING! I started calling Isaac "Mister" YEARS ago! And it stuck. I hardly ever make a post about him without using Mister.

He is an Aquarius, born in Los Angeles, but spent most of his years here in New Jersey. Either way, he's a Laker fan to the death.

He's been in the Air Force for almost half his life. Some days he likes it, other days he doesn't. Just as anyone with a job. He's a nerd. (lol) He'll tell you himself. National Geographic Channel and the History Channel are always on sometime during the day. He used to want to be an oceanographer so he has alot of knowledge about sea animals and such.

He's funny. He's smart. He's very outgoing. He's loving. He's a GREAT father. He's a good friend. He's mine. And I love him to death!

My oldest Daughter, "Peanut":

My Libra. She is so much like me, it's crazy. She wants to be a model. She loves being in front of the camera. She's very smart. Very outgoing. Very sensitive. Very aware. She's also VERY BUSY! She's constantly doing something (lol). She's a great big sister. She's taught her two younger sisters their alphabets and to recognize words before they even started school. Everything she learns in class she comes home and in her own way teaches them what she knows. I look forward to watching her grow into a little woman.

My middle child, "Monkey":

One word: Diva. She loves glamour. Makeup. Clothes. Shoes. Jewelry.

We nicknamed her "Monkey" because when she was younger, she would climb all over everything and would never sit still.

She is silly. Sensitive. Honest. Smart. She is very loving. She loves to be up under me and give hugs and kisses. School is her favorite thing. She loves to learn. Her grades are never anything less than an A+. My mother is convinced that she should be skipped ahead of her grade level because she's so smart. Her teacher last year said that she often felt guilty because Eboni would be done with her work so fast, and before the other students, and then would look bored. But she couldn't complain or anything because her work was always right. (lol) Proud mommy, I am. :)

My babygirl, "Rabbit":

We nicknamed her "Rabbit" because she jumps/skips/hops ALL the time.Literally. It's rare to see her actually walk. She's always jumping around, hopping up the stairs, skipping down the street. Her long legs make it easy for her to do so, too.

Rabbit is very smart. At four years old, she is already reading small books. She learned how to write everyone's names last last year, thanks to Peanut and Monkey. She's been talking since forever. I don't even remember a time when she couldn't talk, it seems.  And boy, can she talk. (lol)

She is very loving. She comes up to me at least 7 times a day and says "I love you, mommy" and then walks away to continue playing or doing whatever it is she was doing. We'll all be sitting down, watching tv, or eating, and she'll tell everyone "I love you" one by one.

She's very giving. She'll give her last if you need it or even if she just wants to share. She's honest. I hope she stays that way. I am glad that she was given to me.

I thought that I was done having children after Monkey (I have very stressful deliveries) but God had other plans and sent me Rabbit, who has taught me ultimate patience and love.

I am grateful every day for my family. I cannot imagine what I'd be doing, or where I would be without the eight of them. They have all shaped me in someway to be the woman that I am today. And for that I am forever indebted to them.