Littlest Loves

There are few things in this world that make me happier than spending time with my godson Xavier and his brother Elijah. Wednesday nights are People Nights, which started years ago as Girls' Night, but the boys wouldn't leave. Or at least that's the story I like to tell. :) And on People Nights, I get to see Xavy and Eli, which means hugs and kisses and tickling and laughing and playing. Oh, and American Idol.

Xavy is three and Eli is two, and although I admit to being somewhat biased, they truly are the cutest little boys in the entire world. Xavy talks so fast that his mouth can't keep up with his brain and all the words come tumbling out in a jumbled mess, while Eli is more careful and enunciates, sometimes overly so, which occasionally makes him sound rather like E.T. Which, naturally, just makes him even more adorable. Their lives pretty much revolve around trucks in various incarnations, but every once in a while they pause long enough to notice that there are larger people in the vicinity, and make us feel welcome. Honestly, I'm just glad they're past the stage of using my shirt for projectile vomit target practice...

It's so much fun watching them interact with each other. They're only a year and three weeks apart in age, but it's amazing seeing their truly different little personalities develop. Xavy is what Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle might refer to as a Heedless Breaker, running and crashing and destroying and just generally being a little boy. Eli is more cautious, more measured, which is not to say that he doesn't get himself into a fair number of scrapes. They play off each other pretty well, and there usually isn't too much hitting, and now that Eli is walking instead of crawling, I don't think Xavy tries to use him as a step-stool.

Last Wednesday I picked up the two of them, along with their mom, Elisa, to drive them to People Night. They were both strapped into their car seats in back, and Eli started to talk about stars. Elisa and I weren't sure what he was referring to until we noticed the American flag decal I have on my back driver's side window, left over from 9/11. Xavy, ever so pragmatic, pointed out helpfully that it wasn't dark yet, his tone clearly implying that his little brother didn't know what he was talking about. Elisa and I were highly amused when Eli just kept repeating that there were stars.

Xavy is on the right, Eli on the left.