See You Later Alligator

Return of the Great Polyvinyl Alligator (who never, technically, went away, but it's been awhile since he was featured as a Special Guest Star on the ol' blog-a-vision).

Now, I will be the first person to tell you that THE ABSOLUTE LAST THING that Shae needs is a Partner in Crime, but you know what? My extended family is a more-than-moderate amount of awesome, so as is generally the case, I don't mind. The other adorable moppet in this photo is my (second) cousin AJ's kid, Akira, who is ALSO known as AJ, which certainly makes things interesting at family gatherings. Akira is "Hanna Banana"'s big brother.

I am pretty sure that my kid wore this bathing suit the last time Mr. Gator made an appearance. I am also pretty sure that this swimsuit was more of a two-piece and less of an actual bikini last time. +1 for skinny kids not growing out of their suits too fast, but a big -1 for little girls who grow up all long and leggy like dahlias. (Which is a net zero, I suppose, although her father might argue otherwise, even though he is also coming to terms with the Overwhelming Bikini-ness of Modern Times, but he and I both draw the line at padded bikini tops for our preschooler, because down that path lies Crazytown.)

I believe we are now getting to the point in the summer where  I hope ever-so-wistfully that it never ends, because nothing pleases me more than offloading 200-plus pictures from my camera every weekend, and they're all filled with miles and miles of my daughter's dazzling white smiles.