It’s August.  Eight months into this year, and I still feel like it’s 2008.

Luckily, the painful blow of passing time has been softened by the presence of my sister’s family, including (especially including) this little whippersnapper:

Oh, sure, he was a holy terror on the plane ride last week, but—what am I saying?   Never you mind all that nonsense of last week.  This face could never belong to anyone less than a darling angel:

Oh yes.  I’ve become one of those aunts.  You know, one of those aunts who believes her nephew can do no wrong whatsoever, under any circumstances.  If he’s screaming, it’s because he just needs to make himself heard.  If he’s whiny, it’s because he’s not feeling well.  If he’s misbehaving or cranky, I draw from a page-long list of possible excuses, beginning with “He’s got gas,” and ending with “He’s probably feeling insecure because he’s out of his own element.”  I also consider hunger, thirst, allergies to hay (it is cutting season), and H1N1.  If he gets accused of manslaughter when he’s thirty, you can bet I’ll be there in the courtroom screaming like a maniac, “THAT GUY DESERVED IT!  HE WAS PROVOKED!”  If my nephew is acting out, there is a very good explanation for it.  (At this point, my sister is piping in saying, “Yeah, he’s breathing—that’s the explanation!”  But the kid needs a defender, you know?  I love him.)

As I write this, he is eating breakfast in the high chair I bought at a yard sale especially for him last weekend. (I also bought a stroller, crib, pack-n-play, and What to Expect When You’re Expecting.  I’m not pregnant, but I’m prepared.)  I want him to feel comfortable and secure at my house, since he will be coming here every summer for the rest of his young life, if I have anything to do with it.

Anyway, I’m sorry posting has been wretched these past few weeks, but once things settle down around here, I’ll be back to my normal self.

In closing, I would like to share with you one last photo to help you have a happy Monday.   (If you’re like me, and remain cold-heartedly unaffected by photos of other people’s snot-nosed kids, I apologise.  I’ll try to contain myself.)

This post is finished.

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