Kiwi Turns Two ( x Seven)

There is a gang of kids in our neighborhood, perfectly harmless, who prowl the cul-de-sac like clockwork every afternoon, and we welcome any opportunity to engage their malleable minds in conversation. Kids, after all, provide some of the most interesting intellectual fodder in the world. Candid, unrestrained, and sometimes brutally honest, it’s like taking a long, dodgy walk through a chocolate factory filled with verbal landmines. A few weeks back, Casey was confronted by one member of the neighborhood gaggle of girls, and his exchange with the 8-year old went something like this:

Girl: So do you guys have kids but they’re all grown up and left for college already?

Casey: No, do I look that old?

Girl: So do you guys not like kids or something?

Casey: I’m talking to you, aren’t I?

Casey’s answer was brilliant. But the real truth is that we have a child of our own, and some of you may have met the little bitch.

KIWI! Yes, Kiwi. In fact, Kiwi turned two this past weekend, or in Mommy speak, she’s 24 months-old. Try as I might, it’s difficult for me NOT to boast about our furry young brood. Whether its her shiny harlequin coat, or her rapidly developing skill set, she’s been a star performer from day one. Kiwi, named after the Land of the Long White Cloud, learned to walk on four feet moments after dropping out of the birth canal (or so I’ve read). She spoke the moment we introduced her to cheese. She’s been on solid foods since she moved in with us. She can wave from a distance, drop to the ground upon hearing the word bang, and throw her front paws up against the wall in preparation for a police frisk. She is, simply put, the quintessential wonder dog.

PS - I cut off the heads of two kids in the photo above because I had focused on the Crocs worn on the feet of two of the girls. Crocs are a recent but powerful trend here in Colorado.