My sister told me this day would come

I don't remember exactly when it was, but it was a long time ago. Maybe eight or nine years ago.

My sister, referring to Nathaniel, said something to the effect of, "One day he's going to be telling jokes, being sarcastic, making and receiving telephone calls." Like it hit her, one day he was actually going to be a real kid, not just a baby.

And a couple of years ago, Nathaniel did indeed start making and receiving phone calls. They were occasional, mostly about homework assignments and friends coming over to play, and it's pretty much stayed at that level up to now.

But have I mentioned that we got rid of our home phone last year? We rarely used it, and with our cell phones always handy, we decided to nix that expense around the time Amelia arrived.

Cut to this Fall, when Nick started receiving phone calls, too. ON MY CELL PHONE. He and his best friend, Drake, call each other constantly while they're online playing Minecraft, and I do mean CONSTANTLY. (I added his mom Andrea to my phonebook so I'd recognize Drake when he called.) 

The only thing I edited in that picture was their last name. Those calls actually all came in or went out between 5:00 and 6:35 on Saturday.

Oh, and on the offchance we don't answer:

I absolutely don't mind that any of them are making new friends and receiving calls. On the contrary ... I welcome it. But perhaps we're gonna have to rethink our decision to give up our home phone; either that, or we're going to have to get a cell phone that can be dedicated to the kids. Or at least to Minecraft calls. Because my poor cell phone's battery isn't cut out for this.