Starting at a young age...

A few weeks ago I (Cristen) got to take my youngest brother, Nick, to a UVA game with Johnny's family. (Johnny was out of town.) Nick really enjoyed the evening, even though after only 3 minutes in the first quarter he was asking if it was over. He got all decked out as a new UVA fan (thanks to Aunt KK) with a new orange shirt to match the rest of us and a hat. He even topped the afternoon off with a hotdog. I managed to convince him that that was all he needed, even though he wanted that, plus some popcorn, Dippin' Dots, soda, and a soft pretzel. I guess it all looked appealing.

At the end of the game, when asked if he wanted to play football down on that field some day when he was older, he nodded his head yes. So, we're starting his dreams at a young age. No, we aren't pressuring him or trying to get him to do something he isn't in to. The fact is, since he could practically walk/run, he has been practicing his tackles, running full-force at anyone in the way on the floor, pushing them until they fall over backwards. He simply won't quit until you are down.

In addition to some fun at the game, we were also able to get in a serious conversation, in which he said, "In December, I'll be 5, and then I'll be an uncle, but I'll still be a kid, right?" See, all his uncles are at least 4o, so I wonder if he has this fear that when the baby is born, he will suddenly surpass childhood and age 3+ decades. Yes, we have a "unique" family layout, but it's fun, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.