Sometimes the only way to win the love of a nephew is by letting him play with your camera. Sometimes that is called a bribe.

This is Ezra (almost 2). He's an adorable little guy who was quite a hit with the ladies when we all gathered for my papa's funeral. Who wouldn't love a face like that? He has other charming features, like the way he says hello. It is more like "hellOOOOO!" He likes to talk on the phone. He'll say "helloooo" (of course) and a very cute "what doing?" He and his brother (and parents) live in South Dakota.

Traditions are a great part of being in a family. My family has one tradition that is a little odd, but loads of fun; we call it "arp." "Arping" is when we pinch someone's bottom and say "arp" in a mildly falsetto voice. I don't remember when it started, but we have great stories about it. One time when my brother was about four years old, we invited my sister's teacher over for dinner. This teacher hadn't been across our threshold for more than three minutes when my brother reached up and "arped" her. Fortunately this teacher had a good sense of humor and didn't fail Andrea. We all had a good laugh about it. Still do.

Anyway, Sam and Liz like to play "arp" and before they arrived at Christmas they had already planned to have an all-out "arp" war during the holiday. No one's bum was safe and pinching fingers were at the ready. It was a lot of fun; I'm glad that my family can be goofy like that.

Since I don't get to see my niece and nephews often, I really enjoyed the few moments we spent together.

These adorable, and kind of goofy kids are my niece and nephews. I got to see them this Christmas/New Years. The oldest, Sam (12) and Liz (9) live in Pheonix and I have not seen them since June 2005. Way too long. They somehow managed to get a lot taller in the meantime.

The baby is Wyatt, my brother's baby. I saw him for the first time in November and spent many moments holding him. I'm pretty fond of that little guy...and his brother. Well, to be honest, all my niece and nephews are pretty great. I just hope that I won't have to wait until next Christmas to see them. Luckily, both my sister (Liz & Sam's mom) and my sister-in-law (mom to Ezra and Wyatt) have blogs with pictures and anecdotes.