The sweetest words

I called my liberal brother earlier tonight to check on travel dates for a visit I'm planning in June. I heard my almost two-year old niece, Pea, carrying on in the background. My brother told me a few weeks ago that she has already hit the terrible twos - several months early. Since she was early, he said he's hoping she'll finish early, too.
Anyhow, somehow Liberal Brother convinced Pea to talk to me on the phone. Apparently she already talks to me on the phone quite a bit, even though I never hear her and we live ~2000 miles apart. Liberal Brother says Pea picks up the phone and "calls" me on a regular basis. Now that is really touching to an aunt who isn't planning on having kids. Pea is my 3rd niece, and even though the others are only 200 miles away, she may end up being the closest to me (especially since my politics are closer to her dad's than to my other brothers). The other two nieces actually yell, "Nooooooo!" at the prospect of talking with me on the phone, even though they seem happy to see me when I visit. Hmmm...
So, Pea wanted to thank me for the Muppets VHS tapes I sent her for Christmas. She likes the Elton John episode, which was my favorite, too. Liberal Brother was coaching her on what to say to me while he held the phone to her ear. I got two phrases: "Thank you, ___" and "Thanks, mupps..."
For the record, this tops all thank you notes EVER.