Lessons

While my entire world, and therefore blog, seems to revolve around Cole, I recently spent time with two other interesting subjects and felt that I would be remiss in not writing about them this time. I call these subjects Noli and Marleigh.

For those of you who don’t know, Noli and Marleigh are my nieces and they are 4 and 3, respectively. They are definitely characters and if I learned anything in spending two weekends in a row with them, it’s that I should keep pen and paper on hand in their presence, because I wish I had written down so many of the outrageous things that came out of their mouths. Here are some of the other lessons that I learned.

1. They can be really sweet when they want to be.

- Noli was really scared to go away to our friends’ house where there were going to be dogs, so Marleigh told her, “Don’t worry, Noli. I’ll hold your hand and protect you.”

- Several times while we were down the shore, Noli just looked at me and, for no reason at all, said, “I love you, Aunt Michelle.”

2. Even at this age, they can be boy crazy.

When we were in North Carolina, Marleigh was not shy about her interest in Tom, an engaged man. She flirted with him, kissed him and hung all over him. And when we were down the shore, she had a complete conversation with Noli about how Tom should be marrying her instead of his fiancée Kelly. I’m scared to see what they will be like at 16.

3. They like bathroom humor as much as 12 year old boys.

Yes, they are little girls, but they think burping, tooting (farting) and talking about anything related to body parts is hilarious. Very charming.

4. Don’t piss them off!

Yes, they can be nice and sweet, but if they don’t get their way, watch out. They scream and cry and throw things and are downright scary. Sometimes it is so dramatic that you can’t help but laugh and then they just get angrier. It’s fun to watch Cole stare at them like they’re crazy, though.

5. I wish I had their innocence.

Despite everything else, seeing how fascinated they are with everyday things makes me wish I could be a child again and completely warms my heart. Something as simple as jumping over waves or looking for “mermaid purses” on the beach produces the biggest smiles and makes all your troubles fade away.



Marleigh and Noli on the way to North Carolina