Squirrel!

If you have kids you know that they love to hear stories of things they did that they were too young to remember. Those stories that you pull out and retell every so often (maybe with more embellishment as the years pass, maybe not).

Jake and I had one of those moments tonight. No, it wasn't the story about how he squirted a stream of poo 3 feet like a mini fire hose gone awry; so you'll be spared that one (unlike me who had to live through it in the first place and is still haunted by it in nightmares). No, tonight was the Squirrel story.

When Jake was 3 we got Jaspurr. Jaspurr's original name was Earl Grey and his nickname had been Earl the Squirrel. After a week or so we renamed him Jaspurr because he purrs like a truck and that was the one name he answered to.

So, Jaspurr was sitting on the window sill minding his own business when Jake points at him and shouts, "Squirrel". I calmly explained that no, he is a kitty cat. Jake seemed to think this was funny and again pointed at the cat and proclaimed him to be a Squirrel. I laughed and explained that his old name was Earl the Squirrel but to us he's Jaspurr and Jaspurr is in fact a kitty cat.

I don't know how long we went around on this issue. But Jake was adamant that the creature sitting on the windowsill was a Squirrel and nothing was gonna persuade him otherwise.

Finally, I looked out the window and saw one of the 15 million squirrels that lived in our back yard and in triumph pointed out the window and said, "Look, Jake! THERE's a Squirrel" thinking for sure I was going to make my point.

Jake looked at me and in a quiet voice just on the edge of laughter and with a gleem in his eye, looked at me and quietly said, "Kitty". Then burst out into laughter.

My shoulders slumped and I hung my head. I had been had. By a smart-ass 3 year old. Then we both laughed until it hurt.

I had no idea a 3 yo could have such impeccable comedic timing. Damn kids..

So, we told that story at bed time again tonight and laughed again at the little imp who pulled one over on his Mom. The retelling sounds a lot like an odd version of the game Duck-Duck-Goose.
Squirel-Squirel-Squirel-Squirel-KITTY!