Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Cute Alert Level Raised to Red

Time to quit my whining (at least for one post) and revel in the recent visit of Wilson, the World's Most Amazingly Stupendous Nephew... and, of course, his parents, my sis E.B. and bro-in-law Mark.

I have to say, the man travels in style. Here he is shortly after arrival, darn near naked save for the fashion-forward Viking hat knitted for him by Aunt Carla:



Pay no heed to the ugly brute holding our hero. Note, however, Mighty Wilson's non-plussed mom in the background, clearly unaware that Uncle Jason is collecting future blackmail material to be trotted out the moment he brings home a girlfriend. At least I resisted the urge to hang a clock around his neck Flavor-Flav style. I call him... MINI Flav!



The World's Most Awesomest Nephew also enjoyed the Botanical Center. Every funky leaf, stem, or stray bit of poky plant material had to be touched. Many of the gigantic koi swimming through the BC's assorted ponds enjoyed a brunch of Wilson's stray Cheerios, too.


Another at the Botanical Center, under its space-age geodesic dome. Hey, how did that ugly chump get into yet another photo? Dude, the guy from Ace of Cakes called, and he wants his no-soul patch back.

Other Des Moines activities that elicited pre-verbal grunts of joy from uncle and nephew alike included...

  • Costco. What can I say? The dude likes tubs of hummus the size of his head.
  • Farmer's Market, at least until the sensory overload caused him to shut down.
  • Blank Park Zoo. Petting a donkey's nose, getting squawked at by birds bigger than you are, what's not to love?
  • Giant, squishy mall playground. I'd always thought of those places as convenient birth control, but it was nice to turn the little ape loose in a "no sharp edges" zone for a while.
Small thumbs-down were awarded to...
  • Attempting (unsuccessfully) to sleep in Uncle Jason and Aunt Carla's unfamiliar guest room. Let's just say you can tell the kid's parents both play wind instruments, 'cause he's got LUNGS. (But, by Night 2, it was familiar, and he zonked.)
  • Hanging on to Dad for dear life at the Union Park Carousel. Note to self, activities that seem fun in theory may in fact terrify the tiny.
All in all, it was a hoot to host the family. Being an uncle rocks.

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