Storytime

So, does anyone else have a kid that adores an aunt or an uncle? I do. My kid loves his Uncle Jon. Now, he loves his Uncle Taggart too, and asks to play with him. But give him a choice of who is the coolest, and it's Uncle Jon. Of course, it helps that Uncle Jon is my brother, and has spoiled the Hethan since the day he was born.

Now, Hethan and I like storytime. We like to read books together. But more than that, we love to tell each other stories. I learned this trick from a wise parent (Uncle Taggart, who tells my nephews stories about when he was young) and am forever grateful for it. For my child, as long as it starts with "Once upon a time," it is a story. So, I tell Hethan stories about when I was a kid, and growing up in the mountains, and stuff like that. And of course, he always wants to hear about Uncle Jon when he was a little boy. His favorite story is the one about how Jon drove his first car when he was around 18 months old, and crashed into a tree. Hethan thinks that's great, and wants to crash our car when we go to Georgia. ANYHOW. Today, we were out on the playground at school, when Hethan accidentally got kicked in the face by a friend as they were wrestling in the leaves. Tears abounded, and mommy lap time was needed. And how did I distract him from his tears (once I determined there was no permanent damage to his face)? I told him a story about Mommy and Uncle Jon and fishing in Grandpa Duck's pond. Well, he wanted more, and to be honest, my brain was done! So, I told him that maybe Uncle Jon could tell him stories sometime. He wanted that sometime to be NOW.

So I texted my brother, and asked him to tell Hethan a story. I told him when bedtime was and left it at that. Well, 8:10 rolls around, and the phone rings. I see on the caller ID that it's Uncle Jon. So I took the phone up to Hethan and told him that someone had a story for him. Hethan listened with bright eyes and the biggest smile I have seen in a long time on his face. When Jon was done, Hethan said "Thank you," and whispered "I love you." I told him to say it so Uncle Jon could hear him, and he again whispered, "I love you!" Made my mommy and sister heart warm inside.

So Uncle Jon, thanks for calling and telling "your boy" a story even though you didn't think it was that great of a story. He fell right asleep with a smile on his face. I don't think you know how much that kiddo loves you and looks forward to seeing you. When I mention you, his eyes just light up! And of course, he loves his Aunt April too, and always wants to know if she's going to be home when we go to visit:) He's getting good with that soccer ball, and still asks if he's gonna play tennis with you when he gets bigger. :)

Off to bed. Taking my pregnant body that didn't get any down time today to the bedroom to read Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul and fall asleep during some insanely sappy story. :)