Birthday Boy

Number Three Nephew

There is a birthday in the House of Nuts which means that fun and frivolity will ensue. Number Three, smack dab in the middle of all the Peanuts both in birth order and in years in impossible to overlook.  No middle child syndrome for him.  Please allow me to introduce you:

He is happiest with a ball at his feet, or with a puck and a stick in his hand. He is able to spend hours practising his shots, perfecting his dribbling, honing his passing skills. When he is asked, "How was school today?" The answer invariably includes a recital of how many goals he scored at recess. In the photo above, he is no doubt imagining himself as Lionel Messi, and Barcelona is about to win the Cup.

With an ability for comedic timing beyond his years, paired with a pitch-perfect ear for mimicry, Three often has us in stitches.  His brothers scramble to keep up with them in the joke department, but they're often laughing too hard to catch their breath. He is particularly adept at Stan Laurel impressions.

Three has a very generous heart.  If he is given a treat, either of special time with his parents, or something tasty, he always asks to be able to share it with his brothers.

He has a great deal of discipline.  If work needs to be done, he knuckles down to do it, and then gets on with play with just as much determination. He saves himself a lot of parental shouting with this particular knack.

Three walks through the world with a confident swagger, as if he were already the captain of an NHL team, but he's quick to express concern for Oma's well-being, or children who don't have water, or the little boy in the movie who lost his dog. The assured jock has a tender heart of gold.

Happy birthday, Three!