Obama Brought His Nephews To The Turkey Pardoning

On the day before Thanksgiving, President Obama pardoned two turkeys with two boys in tow. But, just exactly who were those cute kids standing by his side? In case you didn't know, Obama has nephews, and he brought two of them along.

Malia and Sasha Obama, who have generally been with their dad at the annual turkey pardoning ceremony, reportedly had "scheduling conflicts," Obama said, before wondering if maybe they just didn't want to attend because of his bad jokes. So, as Obama pardoned two turkeys named Tater and Tot — and as he made as many corny Thanksgiving puns as possible — he was joined by Austin and Aaron Robinson, the sons of Michelle Obama's brother, Craig Robinson.

Austin and Aaron petted Tater and Tot, making for what was possibly one of the cutest photo ops as Obama's presidency nears its end. The turkeys will now go on to live hopefully full and happy lives at "Gobblers Rest" at Virginia Tech. And if you've ever wanted to meet the National Thanksgiving Turkey, rest assured knowing that you can head to Virginia Tech to learn more about the university, animal sciences, and veterinary medicine.

But if you're more into knowing more about Obama's adorable nephews than the less adorable turkeys, that's understandable. Austin and Aaron are Robinson's youngest children with his wife, Kelly. He also has two older children, Obama's niece Leslie and another nephew Avery.

And while Sasha and Malia might be over their dad's puns, Obama is trying to ensure he's got at least a few more years of telling them to his not-yet-made-cynical-by-Washington nephews. As he made a joke about continuing to pardon turkeys even after he's no longer president because he couldn't quit the habit, ahem, "cold turkey," he leaned down to Austin and Aaron and told them it was a good one. "That was pretty funny."

Obama — and maybe his jokes — will be so missed at the White House. But hopefully we'll continue to see him and his adorable nephews around for years to come.