YAY! The comments are back. Not that anyone is commenting, but it is a comfort to know that the function is working.

Today has been a golden day. My 7 year old nephew arrived at the Condo at 8.30. After a brief rundown of the care and feeding rules from his daddy, the neffie and I made some peanut butter in the food processor, packed a picnic lunch, and headed over to Navy Pier. There, we hung out at the Children's Museum for several hours, (taking not one, but TWO El trains and a BUS - EXCITING!) and then went outside to eat our lunches. It was a beautiful day for a change, and it was wonderful being out there.

So then we hit the rides. Since those things are so expensive ($5 a person per ride) I told him he had to pick one, and only one. He surprised me and chose the 100 storey high ferris wheel. He made certain to sit as close to me as possible, but he got really brave after awhile, and tried standing up and everything.

The we went on the swings - the ones that tilt and go round and round 30 feet above the ground. He seemed sooooo interested in going on that ride, and what the hell, I wanted to do it too. Í hadn't been on a ride like that for quite some time, so I have to say, the ride was quite a thrill. But mostly, I was worried the little guy would fall out of the swing somehow, or let go of the chains.

What can I say? He loved the ride. He was laughing and laughing and having fun. I felt bad when it was time to go, because he really, really wanted to stay.

When we got to my place, we watched some Rocky and Bullwinkle episodes, and then, the main event - SPY KIDS II! He was rivited to that movie. For nearly two hours, that kid didn't move a muscle. As the cool aunt I am, I ordered a pizza for dinner. The pizza had to wait for the movie to be over, because there was no getting through to this kid as long as the TV was on.

And now, he is fast asleep, tucked into the futon in the unpainted guest room. Being an aunt is cool, and it beats being a mom, hands down. Short, intense spurts of responsibility are so much more doable than 18 year intense stretches.