On Saturday night, I was at Gina's for a little bit and I realized that it was the first day of October, which means that Halloween is right around the corner! Halloween isn't necessarily my favorite holiday, but I do enjoy it (mostly because of my nephews). Anyway, Wyatt is quite the connoisseur of Peanuts TV specials, so much so that he has most of the holiday specials on DVD. Being that it was late at night, I decided that I should have a movie date with my nephews the next afternoon, so that we could watch it together!
Yesterday afternoon came, and I headed over to Gina's house to commence my date. Cody and Kyle already happened to be there, so that also saved me a step of going and getting them from their house. After we got the movie started, I got to snuggle up with the boys and watch the classic "It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" The boys all enjoyed it quite a bit, even little Andy, who stuck around for a little while. While he was there, he learned how to say "trick or treat", although it sounded more like "Tick Teet". He also LOVED seeing Snoopy! It never fails to amaze me how perceptive the boys are, as they asked why everyone was always mean to Charlie Brown, and that they shouldn't be mean to him. Wyatt and Kyle also told me that it would be mean to call someone a "blockhead". The boys are very smart; sometimes, I think that adults should look through the world in the eyes of a child, and perhaps there might not be as many problems as there are today.
After the movie was over, the boys went outside for a while, and I happened to be talking to Gina and Emily. Not long after we started talking, Wyatt and Kyle came in and sat with us. Gina and I were asking Emily about possible baby names if she happens to have a girl. Kyle told us that she should name her Amanda Jr., which I personally love :) Then Wyatt told us that Emily should name the baby Flower, because it's a pretty name. Naturally, Gina, Emily, and I thought that their suggestions were pretty cute, and had to laugh about it.
A little while later, I ended up playing Candyland with Cody, Wyatt, and Kyle. (Andy was an innocent bystander, who really just enjoyed sitting between Cody and Wyatt.) Naturally, we experienced highs and lows during our game. Cody beat us all, by the way. Kyle, Wyatt, and I were plagued by the character cards that invariably moved us all the way back to the beginning, or to Plumpy, who Cody lovingly dubbed as Plumpster for whatever reason. After what seemed to be an eternity, we finally finished our game, and Andy had free reign over the board. Andy sat and played with the blue gingerbread man and made him run all over the board. Shortly thereafter, he told us that he was "done" with the game, and nicely handed it over to my mom.
That was really all that happened, but there is nothing that makes me happier than getting to be with my nephews. I find it hard to imagine life before any of them were born, as it seems as if they have always been here, and our family seems more complete with all of them. Although I really hope that I am able to impart some wisdom on my nephews, and teach them some things, I know that they always teach me something. I have learned that there is nothing better than a sloppy hug and kiss from a two-year-old. I have learned that sometimes, just playing a board game or reading a book can make an entire afternoon worthwhile. I have learned that if everyone was nice to each other, we might not have problems. Finally, I have learned that we should treat everyone and everything with the dignity they deserve, even quadriplegic grasshoppers.
The biggest thing my nephews have taught me is that nothing comes close to the feeling of being unconditionally loved, regardless of how old you are or how old the one who loves you is. Things might not always go right, you might get a few bumps and bruises along the way, you might even get mad at each other, but in the end, love remains. ♥
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