Jamie's Kisses: Red, and Yellow, Black and White, They are Precious in His Sight...

A couple of years ago, I was at the mall in my hometown of Owensboro, KY, with my son and a couple of his cousins in tow, when a lady stopped me and said, “You look like Angelina Jolie!”

The response that popped into my head… “Obviously.”

Me and Angelina... Obviously
separated at birth!

Okay, I may need to back up a bit.

I was in town on vacation and decided to take all of “the boys” to the mall for the afternoon.“The boys” included my Micah (5 years old at the time), Jaxon – who is technically my second cousin, but I always refer to him as my nephew (he was also 5 at the time), and my actual nephew Jacob (8 at the time).

Now, before you think I’m too much of a hero for willingly subjecting myself to an afternoon at the mall with three rowdy boys, let me inform you that the mall in Owensboro is the saddest thing you’ve ever seen. In the 15 years since I’ve moved from there, the mall (where I used to work – 3 years at Chick-fil-a!) has gone way downhill. There’s no food court to speak of, very few stores of interest, and the last time I was there, there was actually a John Deere store… in the mall! Town Square Mall is very seldom crowded, and this day was no exception.

Micah and Jaxon at Ninki's
Japanese Steakhouse

My original plan was to take the kiddos to Aladdin’s Castle (an arcade that I used to beg to play in as a kid and one of the only remaining original shops in the mall) but, surprise, surprise, I saw that it had indeed closed its doors for good. So instead, we headed to the Great American Cookie Company for a treat, and then decided to sit on the wall of what used to be the center fountain, to enjoy our cookies. I was just getting the boys settled, when the lady walked by and offered her comment. She didn’t stop walking, so I, of course, had no time to respond, to thank her for such a sweet compliment.

Micah and Jacob - Crazy Cousins

But then I got to thinking… in what way do I look like Angelina Jolie?

Is it my super svelte physique? Perhaps not.

My long, cascading ebony colored hair? Don’t think so.

My goth-chic clothing and make-up? That can’t be it.

My brooding, over-puffed up pout? Nope.

My array of super-hip tattoos that no one can decode? Uh-uh.

Or, I thought, looking at the boys munching on their sprinkled sugar cookies and fighting over whose turn it was to hold the Icee, was her very bold statement attributed to the fact that I’m packing with me my own personal United Nations?

You see, my sweet nephew Jacob is white, Jaxon is biracial, and Micah is Hispanic. This isn’t something we all give too much thought to – it’s our family. True, they may get their fair share of stares… but that’s to be expected; they’re extraordinarily good looking.

Seriously. Cutest. Kids. Ever.

Our son, Micah, who was adopted at birth, is 100% Hispanic. He has gorgeous dark eyes, thick black hair, and his skin can vary 10 shades depending on what time of year it is. This time of year is when we get more sideways glances because Micah turns the dark color of coffee while my pasty white Irish skin remains just that… or turns an alarming shade of red.

The comments we have heard (and sometimes still hear) have run the gamut and have contradicted each other. We’ve heard things like, “Well, he looks just like you!” to “Um…. Where does he get that olive color skin?” We’ve even had someone combine the two – “He looks just like you… but where does he get that olive color skin?” I responded, with great pleasure, by lowering my voice and whispering, “Well, my husband is not actually his real father.”

I love the fact that my family is full of color. If we could afford it, we’d add in several more! We celebrate who we are and where we came from, so feel free to stare – we’ll share our story!