Monkey Monikers

I always wanted to give us all cool "monkey" names. Famous monkey names. Somehow I  never took the time and just used (mostly) initial nicknames, which was so totally boring to me. For some strange reason, I recently googled famous monkey names, and giggled. I amused myself, and thought... now's the time. This being my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of blogging! Or, it would have been good if I had actually finished the post on my 1yr aniv, but since we've been playing the sickness tag, it's one year + 11 days. And if I'm being honest here, I very rarely ever do anything on time. Ever.

 So, here's to introducing our new monkey monikers, and the introduction I never really did:

King Kong. Muscley, big pipes (meaning, biceps. Just keepin' it clean.), slightly roundish belly, but not too hairy. (He's also part Eskimo, in case you were wondering.) He's the King of our Jungle. Adored and attacked with kisses and hugs by all. He can figure out anything that he wants to do / make / fix (and for what he doesn't know he learns on YouTube, lol) and has a ton of talents and hobbies. He workes as a driver of 18 wheels for a very large company delivering all sorts of things to places I'm sure you go (WM, Tg, K-M, Sam's). And when he's not doing that, or any of his million hobbies, he's working hard fixing up our fixer-upper home. He's a fierce protector, yet as gentle as can be. But, careful. Catch him in the morning and he'll likely let out a jungle roar. King Kong.

Mrs. Bananas. I buy the bananas. I am bananas. I feel like I'm going bananas most days. Of coarse, four children will do that to you, I suppose. (The fact that this name comes from The Simpson's, almost makes me want to choose something else. But there really isn't anything else. So Mrs. Bananas it is.) As the (stay at home) mama to monkeys, that's basically the main focus of every day, caring for all the needs of my family. When I need a break, I am addicted to blogging and FaceBook. Other than that, I enjoy reading, dreaming about a clean, finished home, and have "recently" taken up knitting. I studied Spanish and used to be fluent. Someday I hope to regain fluency and work in a position where I can help people. (Sorry, or not, but I couldn't find a link.)

Schweetheart. When she was 4, not long after I met her, she got this little monkey Beanie Baby in a Happy Meal. We still have it. I only recently discovered it's name was Schweetheart. And, it's a pet name her dad calls her. It truly does describe her, though. She's beautiful on the inside and out. She has a very sweet, gentle spirit, she's quick to love, and irrisistably loveable in return. She loves to be goofy, but is developing her "serious, deep" side, as every teenager must. We love her so much, and miss her dearly, wishing Florida was a bit closer to the Frozen Tundra than the 1500 miles it is. Schweetheart.

George. As in Curious. He always has been. I remember him as a baby scanning the room to see what he could get into. He has an amazing memory, and a crazy ability to learn things from watching. Just like his daddy; he's like an albino mini-me version of his dad. From the introverted passive-aggressive nature, to not being verbally expressive, to his love of fishing / hunting / airplanes / or whatever else daddy's into. He's very imaginative, and loves to draw build things, as well as play "dress-up" with his own very interesting costumes. He's a very good boy, and we are so very proud of who he is and who he is becoming. We are still in awe of how this beloved first-born child made us parents. Curious George.

Koko. Our expressive one. The polar opposite of her older brother. She is dramatic and joyful, chatty and cheerful, though she is also given to melacholic drama queen antics. She is very girly, in all ways, and loves things pink, frilly, dressy and beautiful. She is a lot like her mama, and very interested in learning her letters, and reading, sounding out things on her own. She can also be heard talking in her own "version" of Spanish, but is not interested in learning actual Spanish words her mom might teach her. She has infectious laughter and a beautiful smile. I would not, despite her girliness, describe her as gentle, though. She may be petite, but she can take you down. Koko.

Cheeks. This name stays, famous monkey or not. She's just so darn cheeky. Well, I'm still figuring her out. She has a strong personality, but it's still developing and emerging. Recently, we have been noticing how serious she is. She is absolutely hilarious, a HUGE clutz, and the first (and only) of our children to (ever) need a trip to the ER for stitches (or any other wound). She has been twice now. And she's not yet 3. She looks up to her sister in a huge way, but has also learned exactly how to push her buttons, and does it quite well. She may not be as dainty, but she's just as girly, and her favorite color is also now pink. Many afternoons are spent playing dress up, and she often requests music so she can dance.

Baby Boots. Because he is our baby. Boots because he likes shoes. (And how many toddler's do you know who like to wear shoes?) This one, I think, is becoming daddy's mini-me #2. He has many characteristics of his older brother, in addition to looks, but he is clearly his own person. He loves to laugh, and smiled and laughed very early on.  He is just like his siblings and loves to climb whatever he can, which is more and more every day. He is a joy and a blessing, and mommy is so happy he's part of our family now that she's gotten over the shock of having four children. And call her crazy but she frequently entertains the idea of another, despite the insanity of the thought. Baby. Boots.

Squirt. Of coarse, the story wouldn't be complete without including our dear friend, Squirt. This nice little Western Painted turtle joined our family in May of 2009, when King Kong rescued him from the danger zone he was lost in, a truck stop in northern Wisconsin. He carried him safely home to Minnesota, where he has happily (or at least I hope) lived in our kitchen in a aquarium. He arrived the size of a quarter, literally, and has grown to aproximately 3 inches in diameter. Despite the fact that he's a picky eater (and why I would expect anything else in this house I don't know) we expect him to keep on growing, and plan to enter him in the local turtle races for our small town's celebration in June of 2010. We'll keep you updated on that. He is well loved, though not touched much, and hears "I love you" from at least one of the monkeys a few times a week. He really does bring happiness to our lives.

Well, that's us. Our happy little family of monkeys and such. Thanks for letting us be a part of your lives, even if only for a few laughs a week.