My nephew

One of the things the girls look most forward to when visiting Pennsylvania is seeing their cousin Austin. He's 5 months younger than Harper...he'll turn 3 on July 19. To say he's a piece of work is an understatement.

Technically, he is my great-nephew, but I don't like thinking of myself as a great-aunt because it makes me sound as if I am 90 years old. Austin is my niece Kendra's son. I am the youngest of 4 girls. Two of my three sisters have one daughter each, and I have two daughters. Up until Austin's birth, there were no boys, other than my father and my brothers-in-law. We never had the pleasure of a little boy. Now we do. And boy, let me tell you, he is quite a character. A sight to behold.

I think one of the reasons the girls take such delight in him is that he's got a certain energy, a boy energy, to which they're not regularly exposed. He loves to chase them and make them laugh. In fact, just about anything and everything he does makes Emma burst into hysterical laughter.

Here are some fun pictures from our time spent together last weekend.