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I spent Sunday afternoon and evening hanging out with my three-year-old nephew while my sister and brother-in-law went to a social event. My eight-year-old niece was around for a while, but once I helped her put on her witch makeup, she was off to a Halloween event with a friend.
My nephew cracks me up. He's at the age where he does goofy things for no reason other than that they're funny. He's also in an "I love everyone" stage, which translates to lots of hugs and kisses.
It's obvious that he has a lot of imagination, but he's still a little difficult to understand when he's running through his ideas a mile a minute. We went for a walk and he started telling me about the "ladybug trees" and the "Mexican(?) trees" as we crunched through the fallen leaves. I think he was talking about trees with red leaves and trees with green and red leaves, but I may be reading too much into it.
It was a little chilly and windy outside, so on the way back I promised him we'd have hot chocolate when we got back to his house. He seemed very excited about it, but once I actually produced said beverage, he poked at the whipped cream with his finger and stirred the hot chocolate endlessly with a spoon, but never really drank any. When I asked him why, he said, "It's not healthy for my body."
What a little con artist. I burst out laughing at the sheer absurdity of a child who is constantly asking for "snacks and treats" pulling out the healthy food card.
It's been a long time since I made the decision that I wasn't going to have any children of my own, but my niece and nephew have a special place in my heart that I didn't realize was empty until they came along. Every chance I get to spend with them is a wonderful treat.