Niner-niner

Andrew, Matthew & Camey, Christmas 2008

Did I mention that I have five handsome and dynamic nephews and one stunning and charming niece? Of course I did... LOTS of times, I know.

But I can't stop talking about them. They're cool people, and I just like to write a bit here and there about what makes each of my nephews and niece unique.

This past week, my second-oldest nephew, Andrew, turned NINE. I suppose he thought it was okay to grow up just like Matthew did in November. It's silly, really, because just the other day I was watching their mothers change their diapers. And in Andrew's case, I even got to experience his diapers failing when he sat on a pillow in my lap when he was just a few days old.

Andrew is the oldest child of my sister, Jen, and her hubbie, Chris. When he was born, I was a senior at Otterbein College. My mom and dad very kindly offered to fly me out to Wisconsin with them to visit Jen and Chris and welcome Andrew home. Looking back, it was mighty nice of my sister to agree to that. When I arrived they had been home from the hospital just a day or two, and here I was adding to the house guest list. I only had my mom & David to deal with when Noah was born... and I think I'm grateful for the short list.

At any rate, Andrew came into this world in a roar. He tackles life with intelligence and determination. I can remember him being competitive since he was a wee guy. Not even Candyland was exempt from his winning drive.

Today, Andrew takes that winning attitude to the course, the court, the field and the diamond, where he golfs, plays basketball, soccor and baseball. He even recently placed in a chess tournament (a game Auntie Tif has never learned how to play!).

Some of my favorite memories of Andrew are when he was maybe three (or four at best?) and he had this game that taught kids how to count money. I remember that we would play that game and he wouldn't even blink at making complicated change combinations... and I would just laugh because that is definitely not one of my strong points.

There's also a picture of Andrew with Jen that I have laying around my house somewhere that I've always loved. He's sitting on her lap, maybe 15 months old, and Jen's belly is ballooned with the soon-to-arrive Brendan. But Andrew is not deterred by Jen's belly, nor that there's not much room in her lap. He's laying on her, head on her belly, looking very satisfied and maybe a little leery that his alone time with mom & dad may soon come to an end.

It's a sweet picture, but I suppose with double-digits in sight (I have a hard time saying "10"), I'm sure those kinds of memories are embarrassing instead of cool. Bummer.

To Andrew, Drew, AJ, I wish you a very happy ninth birthday. As usual, my present and card are late, but I hope your day was great regardless.