Refugee Reunion

Ah yes, we are not the Fugees, we are the Cugees, an extensive family of Cubans who get together every chance we get to drink, party and gossip.
Today is my cousin's baby shower, well not my cousin, actually my mother's cousin's wife, yeah that, I think.
Just to put it in prospective, my great grandparents had 6 children, from there like rabbits we began to multiply, some of us in Miami, others in Tampa. For this festive occasion, those who could, got together to celebrate. Woo hoo.
I went out with my mother and sisters to Wally World to get a gift, I purchased a mega box of diapers with Dreft. Who couldn't use that, that is my signature gift, diapers, I know they will be used and not returned for cleaning supplies and toiletries. I also decided to give up my monster stroller, as you can see below, mike d moved into if for the day. When I brought it into the house, his lips made an O figure and he said "WOW!", he never says this, but being that we don't use it because it doesn't fit into my car, he was amazed, this was just a new toy. The damn thing is huge, I think I may be able to walk the Yaris in it. It's too much aggravation to lug that beast around. Of the 3 strollers I have, this is the Disney one, only for theme parks and such because I can recline it and he can nap, I think I used it three times. So below is part of my gift. Minus the child.

I wrapped the gifts and walked the stroller to the party. There is my gift, enjoy it. One less thing to clutter my shack of a house. As you can see it pretty much takes up a quarter of my living room. Please know that I disinfected it before hand. It has been in the back storage for 2 years, with God knows what creatures napping in it from time to time, I didn't find any, but if they held on and hid in a crevice, well now they have a new home.

The fact that this party was set in a park on the first week in September is insane. The women including myself, dressed up and caked on the make up, within seconds of getting out of the car, my face began to melt like a Dali painting. There was considerable sweat around my boobs and mike d was bored out of his mind, he ran from one park shelter to another, for the most part, all I said was "Micheal no!", the entire time there.

We were feet from a play area and my dad and I took turns chasing mike d, at one point he disappeared and we saw him at the top, he climbed to the very top of the play fort and I thought for sure a hospital visit would follow, instead of jumping he slid down the slide and my heart began to beat again. My dad said "That kid ain't scared of shit!", to this I responded, "Yes daddy I know." (Yes, I still call my dad Daddy, and what!!!)

As more people arrived, 4 grown men brought out a cardboard box, and placed in on the table, wondering what kind of gift comes in a rectangled cardboard box and orchestrated by 4 different people, barking out 4 different kinds of directions, I stared, and really felt embarrassed, I should have known it held a marinated, cooked and ready to serve pig. See below.

What Cuban party doesn't have this, it's a staple, I immediately stuck my fingers in and began to pick as they cut it up to serve. Stuffing chunks into my mouth, knowing that I would have little time to actually sit and eat like regular people.

( You know the pictures on this blog are horrible, they are too small.)

After such a heavy job of delivering the pork, the men (knowing it is illegal to drink at the park) went back to the truck and I spotted the Heineken's from the party. I longed to down an ice cold beer, but there were no woman there, and I knew that it would be frowned upon to go partake in the better of the shower games. So I took a picture instead. Sorry I can't make it bigger, but yes, THEY ARE DRINKING WITHOUT ME. Little shits.

OK here we go, my mother decided to donate the shower gift games, as seen below, they are not wrapped in your typical baby shower wrapping, no, we are speaking of my mother, instead, there is wedding decor and burgundy bows, my mother has to bring the classiness to the shindig.

But then again, as you can see the display is very deceiving to the eyes, she forgot to wrap the back of the gifts, she never ceases to amaze me, that is why I adore her.

And no we don't have sodas and punch at the party, once again, we have hidden alcohol and one of my favorite drinks below displayed by my Nina, as if she were showcasing a prize on the Price is Right, minus the big boobs, gaudy make up and horny old man (Bob Barker is a dirty old man, the Enquirer said so) Jupina is one of the most refreshing drinks ever, as proven to me during the day, with the heat hitting me and every part of me oozing in perspiration, this drink hit the spot, too bad it was not rum infested, had they decided to do this at home, I am sure the drink would have been much better, but no, they decided to make us all suffer in the unbearable Florida heat. They did pull out a fan, but I couldn't stand near it, because mike d kept trying to put his fingers in and touch the blades. So the fan was for everyone else.

These were all the pics I could take, I chased mike d around for the most part, at one point my dad took him to the car and put the AC on, and mike d was in the driver's side on my dad's lap pretending to drive, both of them need a break from the baby shower turned frat party.
I did have a little time before I left to eat, and how did I manage you ask. In his boredom, my little mike d collected 5 different Styrofoam cups and began playing bartender, mixing and pouring and tasting. I knew they had no alcohol, I was not worried, but Nina called and shouted, I knew what he was doing.

"Bita, Micheal is playing bartender, he is playing with drinks and cups."

"Is he bothering you? No, leave him alone, let me enjoy a little peace, he isn't bothering anyone."

I looked down and found him taking a chug of one of the cups, looking up to me and smacking his lips, "Aaaah!"

I looked at Nina with the evil eye, basically telling to just leave him be.

My mother decided to change him, she pulled a diaper out of the bag and my dad hurried over. Now in the Cuban family I have, little kids running around in only diapers is normal, even changing them on the cake table didn't phase me. My dad came over and covered his hoo-hah, to this my mother was horrified, "Ay, really, what is your problem?" So for the two seconds his privates were in mid air, my dad covered them with a shirt and my mother changed him, smacking her lips, and telling my dad to quit being so prissy, she then let him run around, he made it straight to the faucet near by and began to jump in the puddle, now from waist down covered in mud. I looked at my parents, "Ok, now I am leaving."

I grabbed my 2 year old like a six pack and hauled him to the car, knowing I really didn't miss much, it's always drama and chaos with me. The dark cloud just follows me everywhere.