Back to the Grind

My niece is gone and my five-day weekend is even goner, so it's back to work I go. We had an eventful week. We attended two 4th of July parties, visited an amusement park, went swimming, went to a farmer's market, saw a movie, went on a nature walk, went to church, and attended a pow wow. A passed two minor milestones during her cousin's visit: she got her first haircut and she rode her first amusement park ride. Oh, and she also held a frog if that counts at all.

My niece is a great kid. She's bright and funny, and she also helps keep her cousin entertained. I learned at the beginning of the visit that my niece is obsessed with Webkinz. She had some spending money that my sister sent along so she hatched a plot whereby she would hoard the money until the last day and blow it on Webkinz. I let her purchase one Webkinz during her visit after she mumbled something about how she only had a couple. After the purchase, she admitted to having nearly a dozen of them (the number seemed to shift minute by minute). Eventually I broke it to her that the money was intended to cover her expenses during her visit (as in food, snacks, admission tickets, etc.). She still wanted another Webkinz, but eventually settled for just staring at them longingly any time we were in a store.

One night I served pasta and garlic bread for dinner and my niece exclaimed over how much she LOVES garlic bread and how her mother never gives her any. She also lamented the fact that she does not have a portable DVD player like her cousin does. I reported these facts to my sister and told her that I was planning to report her to social services.

Anyway, it was a fun visit and my niece was a good sport even on the outings that didn't thrill her. She seemed excited about going to the farmer's market but later I realized that she hadn't known what a farmer's market is. She said, "I just wish there weren't so many vegetables here."

First Haircut!

First amusement park ride!