Boys Will Be Boys

Every time I get home to Delaware for a visit, I cherish the time I spend with my nephews. They have a special place in my heart, because even though I only see them a few times a year, they share so much of their lives with me it's as if hardly any time has passed. And for the most part, they make me feel young, except when they stand next to me and I realize how much taller they've gotten!


My nephew Mike is the family social secretary. He started calling my Mom yesterday, asking when Aunt Meg was going to be home. She explained I had to travel all day but would be around in the morning. So today, before I even got out of the shower, he called back to see when I was coming to visit. He always has lots to show me, and it always starts with a tour of his room.



Mike's latest thing is collecting "silly bands." Anyone out there with kids is probably aware of these things, and potentially frustrated by the level of obsession kids have with collecting them. These are sort of a version of the "jelly bracelets" that were so popular when I was a teenager, except that they're more flexible and come in these crazy shapes.



Mike has a ton of these things, including one in the shape of the Philadelphia Phillies logo!



One of the things I find so entertaining is how much my nephews are like my brother. It's like scenes from my childhood doing things with them. For example, my brother played the drums when we were kids, although perhaps not with this much fervor.



Playing ball - catch specifically - was also a huge part of growing up for me. My brother always played in Little League, and he was very disciplined about practicing his position, which was catching. My little sister would pitch, and I manned second base since I was bigger and could actually catch a hard throw from my brother, who needed to make sure he could make the throw to 2nd in time to catch the opposing runner. My Dad was a trooper and not only sunk a home plate in the front lawn, but measured the exactly distance from home to second base so I knew where to stand and my brother would always be practicing his throw right.

Mike and Will and both pitchers, so the roles are a little more fluid. But regardless of what they're doing with the ball, serious determination goes with the task.



But yeah...they have plenty of fun too!



They're both also EXTREMELY competitive. We decided to play ping-pong for a while, and Will unilaterally decided I would play on Mike's team. Mike promptly handed me this paddle -- clearly a poor endorsement of my perceived ping-pong talent.



I eventually got a better one, although it didn't help my play at all. I guess 6 year olds are pretty good judges of talent.

There is one activity I was HAPPY to be left out of.....



Yup...definitely my brother's sons!

I took the wrestling match as my signal to leave. Because speaking of Little League, Will has a HUGE came tonight, playing for the Lewes Little League Championship, and I didn't want him to be too worn out. Pre-game naps for everyone...including me!