Thanks for your kind words... and your laughs. Mostly your laughs. The good news? Our car is back up and running after shelling out a miraculous fifty nine dollars. (We have a mechanic from heaven.) I'm hoping it stays that way... Security... consistency... reliability. Necessary only among the faint of heart. At least that is what I'm telling myself.

And now... for a funny story.

Stupid is a bad word among the four of us. It rarely comes out... only on special occasions. And when it comes out, we douse the word with water and send the it marching back to where it belongs.

Which is somewhere not in our vocabulary.

But occasionally... as all good mothers do... I sometimes break the rules.

For example. Yesterday.

I was trying to cross the busy busy busy road that stands between my home and the only place I can run with a stroller. Think no sidewalks. I'm pushing my bundle of pride and joy in the stroller. We get half way across the street... there's cars coming on either side... I have just enough time to make it across...

And this dog comes spiraling towards us and then stops on his side of the street. Which happens to block my only entrance to safety from the oncoming traffic.

A big dog.

And I'm not an expert but I think he was a mix of German Shepard Coyote and Wolverine.

There might have even been some Great White Shark in there...

But I'm not sure. Because I had to turn around. And push my pride and joy down the steep embankment

(I mentioned our lack of sidewalks... but did I mention the three or four foot drop on either side?)

And then I let the word slip.

I can't quote myself... but Robs and Erik can.

Word for word.

All day yesterday it was "stupid dog" this and "stupid dog" that... or "Mommy... that was a stupid supid stupid stupid (at this point I ask them to get to the point, and then they say) stupid dog, wasn't it?"

After a full day of capitalizing on the new found freedom of vocabulary, we went to dinner at a friend's house. The food was delicious and Robs and Erik behaved like perfect gentlemen. And then right before we left, Erik came across their "doopid dog" who had been outside the whole time.

And on our way home, believe it or not, there was a "doopid dog" standing in the middle of the street.

If I hadn't started it...

if it weren't so adorable...

and if I didn't actually think Louisiana dogs are in fact "doopid"...

(It makes me chuckle)

...I'll quash it on the 24 hour mark.