December Nephews (Part 1, the Older)

Dude, I love my nephews.

The big guy (who turns 4 in May) amused us during our Eve of Christmas Eve celebration by:

--Playing imaginary Star Wars games almost constantly. After he finished eating and was excused, he figured out how to turn off the dining room light. So the rest of the family ate silently in the dark for a minute or so. Until the little man, sitting to my right, decided that would be a perfect time to touch my arm with his moist little hand. The noise I made was somewhere between a screech and a giggle. The big guy thought that was hilarious and repeated the on/off lights experiment several more times in hopes of eliciting another funny noise.

--Wanting to hand out all the gifts, even though he can't read the recipent's names. I had color-coded the packages I wrapped according to family member (umm, yeah. . .I prefer to call it organized) and could amaze him by correctly guessing which gift went to whom.

--Opening a box of clothes, saying "Wow!" and flinging them into the air. Proceeds to ignore them for the rest of the evening. (Repeat performances available on Christmas Evening.)

--Thinking Han Solo and Luke Skywalker are the same person. When the person has brown hair, he is Han Solo. And when he has blonde hair, he is Luke Skywalker. Does not understand attempts to convince him that they are two guys who can be differentiated by level of cuteness or friendship with Wookies.

--Deciding that sometimes it is okay to wear things on his head, especially if his little brother is getting attention for wearing, say, a headband with felt reindeer antlers attached. Although the headwear barely lasts long enough for a photo, and then most are blurry because he is busy trying to poke his dad's eyes out with said antlers.

--Loving some song my brother has on his cell phone, which the kid refers to as the "rock out song." When the song is played, he starts dancing, and busts out some moves my bro has taught him. These moves include the robot and breakdancing. Believe me when I tell you that one of the most hilarious things you'll ever see is an almost four year old trying to do the robot and breakdance. If I'd had a video camera, I am certain I could win money on tv with a recording of those shenanigans.

--Standing by my chair on Christmas evening, as the rest of the group admired his little brother in his pajamas and robe. I said, "Everybody thinks that little robe is pretty cute on your brother. What do you think?" He answered, "My brother is so awesome!" Seriously. If I didn't know better, I would swear I ovulated right then due to the sheer force of child cuteness around me.