F---ing Dog!

Yes, I'm writing angry. And if there's one thing I was taught it's that when you write a nasty, belligerent letter, you should wait a few days to think things over before sending it. Well to that I simply say Bah! and give it the mitten (which is what we call flipping someone the bird while wearing mittens).

Last weekend, we took the front face off Bode's crib and replaced it with a smaller rail that has a gap. Bode can get into and out of bed using this gap. Tonight, we were in Bode's room playing trains when Auburn saunters in, heads straight for the bed, and proceeds to climb up. Ashley yelled at her, while suppressing a smile while I tried not to laugh. How cute. This cuteness turned to dismay and despair a little while later. We were putting Bode to sleep, and his favorite stuffed animal he's had since he was born is this little stuffed piggy (reference the Winter Trip Part I post from December 2008 for a picture). Bode's pushing his pillow aside, searching, all the while saying, "Piggy. Piggy. Piggy." Ashley and I move the sheets aside, gently at first, and then just fling them onto the floor. We check behind the crib, under the crib, everywhere. "Piggy," Bode keeps saying. I happen to see Auburn sitting in the hallway, and I immediately know what happened. That little bitch (not a bad word, remember?) took Piggy and buried him outside. How do I know this? Auburn routinely buries my socks, Ashley's socks, Bode's socks, and has buried other stuffed toys in the yard. Some we've found, some we have not. Guess what Ashley and I were doing at 8:15 pm this evening? We were in out in the dark going through our yard hoping to find Piggy. Good thing that cold front rolled in, huh? We were not successful (although we did find lots of dog-droppings), and we can only assume Piggy is buried underneath a pile of dirt. Fortunately, Bode went to sleep without his Piggy, but I promised Ashley I would find it tomorrow after the sun comes up, job be damned--who cares if there's a war going on--this is a lost pig we're talking about!!! Anyone want a dog? :-)

We were in Chicago visiting my father for Thanksgiving. We had a nice time, and we had hoped for an early Christmas present in the form of an Auburn victory in the Iron Bowl. Our team played great--jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but couldn't eek out a win. Here's a shot of Bode wearing his Auburn orange and blue. "Go Tigers!"The little fella turned two years old on Saturday. Only two? It seems like we've had him forever (yet time has also flown by...some sort of kid-induced paradox...) Here's a shot of Bode, not quite understanding the concept of blowing out the candles. He liked it when they were lit, but as soon as they were extinguished (usually with Ashley's help), he would say, "On. On. On." We went through a couple iterations before the cake started to melt...Only 25 shopping days until Christmas. Bode's been a good boy, so maybe Santa will bring him that 40-inch flat-screen he's been asking for... :-) Pleasant week to all.