ode to my loves.

i have something to say about these 4 boys. i am obsessed with my nephews. every single one of them. i want to eat them all, squeeze them all, spoil them all, bite all of their cheeks, and just love them til they can't even stand me. nicco is the sweetest, most helpful little man there is. he is also the most energetic (well, kai comes pretty close). when i was in seattle watching the kids, nicco would always tell me he loved me every single night. he also knew i wasn't sleeping very well, so he gave me his favorite pillow to use. i said, "nicco, are you sure? i know it's your favorite!" he said, "yeah i'm sure. one time, my arm was hurting and i put it on this pillow, and it felt so much better. so i know if you lay your head on it, your head will feel better too." what 5-year-old has that kind of love in his heart? he is also so fun to play with. he can kick my bum on the trampoline, that's for sure. AND he caught the coolest worm i've ever seen. he also loves his brothers and is a very, very good sharer. makai is a little ball of energy and is also a little optimist. if you ask him a question, he gets all excited to answer. i would say, "hey kai, you want some mango?" and he would answer with his eyes lit up and a huge smile on his face, "DA!" (which means yes. see, he's so smart, he already speaks russian). kai is also a little trickster. he likes to unbuckle his car seat in the car, just to spite the driver. one time i was driving and i looked back to see that he was unbuckling. "makai max, you put on the seat belt or i'll have to take you back home." he would just smile real big, like he knew that i would get mad about it. kai is also a very good singer. he loves to sing, "i am a child of god," and i love to sing it with him. every morning when i was visiting the youngs, kai would brush his teeth with me. he also always wanted his hair to be hairsprayed. crewby is just the cuddliest little baby and such a good eater. i love looking into crew's eyes because you can just tell that he is studying you, trying to figure out some secret. i loved holding him and trying to make him smile. i can't wait to see him again....and just look at those little sausage legs in that picture. yummy. drewbear is so fun to play with. everyday, i run over to katie's house and as soon as he sees me, he scrunches his nose and blows in and out really quick. his whole body stiffens and he starts to laugh. i love to sit him on my lap so he is facing me and we make noise and give each other kisses. i love tickling him, and i love how he talks to me sometimes. drew is also a little cuddler. sometimes i have to stop myself from squeezing him to death. he has puked on me, peed on me, pooped on me, splashed bath water on me, thrown up carrots on me, drooled all over me, cried on me, and scratched and head-butted me, and i've loved every second of it.