a monkey + a chicken baby

These little guys are my nephews.

Rex babies through and through.  ALL BOY.  

And we've already established how much I adore baby boys.

It was raining outside today.  

So much for the planned trip to the swimming pool.

However, these funny little knuckle-heads (as I lovingly refer to most boys I meet) got the logical notion in their heads that if they couldn't have sunshine ☼ and swimming pool time, then they were going to take lemons and make lemonaide...by playing in the rain instead. :D

The rain was off and on, and so like the hard-core fun-havers we are, we decided to up it a notch...

...with the water hose.

My mom was cracking me up, having just as much fun as they were!

Most people don't get to see her wicked, fun-loving side like the family does.  

She's usually so prim and proper and serious in front of other people.

Oh how she has them deceived... mwahaha

My goodness, the stories I could tell about this fun woman I call my mother.

I hope she's still kickin' and healthy enough to do this to my babies when they finally come!

Can you guess which one is the monkey and which one is the chicken baby?

(I know, I'm such a nice aunt. ;)

But that's what I love about boys... You can tease them, and rough-house with them, and they just take it with a big grin on their faces and run back beggin' for more.

Anyhow, the little guy is 3 years old now, and he's still just so tiny and small.  Whenever my dad sees him he always says something like, "I've eaten chickens bigger than that boy!"  haha!  So I started calling him my chicken baby.  I asked him today if he was my chicken baby, and he said so matter of factly, "No. I'm a big boy now."

Yep.  He wants to be a big boy.

So he follows his big brother around and imitates everything he does.

 I can't think of a better big brother than my monkey boy.

In the picture below, the monkey says to the chicken baby, "Are you cold?"

And he puts his arms around him.

 It made me think of how it feels to have an elder brother...our Savior, Jesus Christ...put his arms around us in the midst of a storm.

"How oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and have nourished you" (Nephi 10:4).

I am so grateful for that comforting feeling.

And I am so thankful for the sunshine I felt today after hanging out with these sweet, fun-lovin' boys, that in 2 hours taught me more lessons about life than a culmination of many hours spent in Sunday School.