affection

At the park on Wednesday morning, a mom-friend sprayed sunblock on her daughters, and I caught the scent in the hot breeze. Strangely, the smell of the SPF 50 sunblock had hints of another familiar smell: Coppertone suntan oil coming from a bronze-brown bottle with a large number 2 on the front. That scent instantly took me back to the 1980s at Gun Lake.

On Sundays after church, our entire family would head to Grandma and Grandpa's nearby lakefront cottage. It was there that the grandparents relaxed (sort of), the parents visited, and the cousins played in the water and sun. But my two single aunts had an agenda all their own. While we splashed in the shallow lake, my aunts would lather on their Coppertone 2 and perch themselves on the red dock, each in their own plastic-woven chaise lounge chairs clicked into the perfect recline, donning skimpy string bikinis and wet washcloths over their faces. They were awesome.

There was something different about my Aunt Nancy and Aunt Kelli that made them special: they had no children of their own at that time. In fact, I don't even know if they were dating anyone during those summers at the lake. But they interacted with us differently than our cousin's parents. They were old enough to be responsible, young enough to be cool.

And while she may not realize it, I think Morgan shares those same feelings with Aunt Kelsey. During Joel and Kelsey's overnight stays last week, the kids couldn't get enough.

Andrew adored Joel, and they spent time wrestling and reading.

But Morgan stayed near Kelsey's side as much as possible, even following her to the basement where she went from four-year-old to personal makeup assistant. Kelsey brought felt people for her, Kelsey looked at the Target ad with her, Kelsey tolerated the goofiness, Kelsey equals cool.

Even though the title isn't official until October, Morgan's affection towards her aunt is very distinct and reminds me of the way I saw my younger aunts: mature, yet so very fun. There's a connection for Morgan despite the miles. And this makes Kelsey even more deserving of her "Special" nickname.