I’ve always heard that when you love someone you can tell the difference in his or her smiles, laughs and looks. Kiera has many different smiles and laughs. I won’t even go into how many different looks she can give.
Her laughs range from fake and goofy to timid and then to her full-bodied laugh that I love. Her smiles also vary. She has her fake ‘I-don’t-really-want-to-smile’ smile that you can see in her school group picture, her ‘I’m-not-really-sure-what-we-are-doing’ smile and a few other smiles.
The real genuine smile is easy to spot though. Her eyes light up and crinkle on the sides. Her cheeks turn rosy and her face beams with delight and laughter. If we are ever having trouble getting a real smile out of her, we have a sure fire way to change that.
I’m going to let you in on a running family joke at my poor husband’s expense, no less. Before I tell you though, let me add that I did get his approval to share this with you! He is so great about living and laughing in the moment.
About a year ago, we were unloading groceries and other items from the car. Not wanting to make multiple trips, we all grabbed as many bags as we could get. For Kiera, that meant one bag. I only had a couple of bags so I held the door open for Aaron who, being the awesome husband he is, had both hands full of miscellaneous items. Kiera entered the house next and I followed at the end of the line.
As Aaron got closer to the kitchen, Kiera tailing directly behind him, he began to walk with his legs further and further apart.
“What are you doing?” I asked bewildered.
“I’m about to lose my pants and I can’t grab them because my hands are full!” Aaron replied with laughter in his voice.
He managed two more steps before his jeans fell into a puddle around his ankles.
Kiera and I proceeded to laugh hysterically. When I say hysterically, I mean tears running down our faces and holding our sides laughing.
Aaron couldn’t help but join in our laughter as he waddled the rest of the way into the kitchen to set the groceries down on the counter before pulling his pants back up.
To this day, whether we are attempting to get a genuine smile from Kiera for a picture or I am looking for input for my column, the answer to both is always the same… “Remember that time that Daddy’s pants fell down?”
Rowonna McNeely is a graphic artist for Willie’s T’s Screenprint & Embroidery. She is a mother of a five year old girl and step mother of two adult girls. Her crazy life includes a dog, Sloane and psychotic cat, Gracie. Both females. She is married to her prince, who is outnumbered by the opposite gender.