Mort is drawing elaborate pictures and then telling me the story of the picture. I remember doing that when I was a wee lass. In fact, I can recall rushing through the drawing, impatient and eager to get to the part involving words.

Last night Mort asked to write on the card I was using as a bookmark and when he returned it to me, he had scrawled "I love Mommy" and drawn a heart. Needless to say, I am using that as a bookmark for the rest of my life. I 'll probably get it laminated.

And for prosperity, I need to document a conversation between two boys sitting in the back of my car. Can I just tell you how having someone else's kid in your car really cements your role as mommy?

Chance: I caught a fish. It was really big.

Mort: Really really big?

Chance: Yeah! Really really big.

Mort: Maybe it was a grouper!

Chance: It was! It was a grouper!

Passing a creek...

Chance: Hey, that's where I caught my big fish!

Mort: The grouper?

Chance: Yeah!

Me (trying very hard not to laugh): Did you catch any trout?

Chance: Yeah, I caught three trout and a grouper.

Later in the day.

Mort: Mommy! Chance said people eat deer!

Yesterday was a jam-packed day. With events. Not jam. Dukehad returned from his business trip the night before and it was a whirlwind to get the family ready the next morning to make the hike to our nation's capital where a very dear friend was visiting from Italy on her business trip. And so, we got pulled over on the way there. It's amazing how much less traumatic that is when you are an adult and you don't have to tell your parents about it. Although explaining to our five year old why the policeman was talking to us was interesting. We had to keep reiterating that we were wrong and had broken the law and that the policeman was doing his job in keeping us all safe. I really hope that story doesn't resurface for Monday's show and tell at pre-school.

We had a lovely morning with our Italian pal. She wanted to eat an "American breakfast, something with the how do you say it? Seer-rup?" so, she had a Belgain waffle loaded with whipped cream and syrup on the side. "How long does it take to burn off the calories of something like this?" she asked. "Um...a week?" I guessed. She was also disappointed that some places posted the calorie content of their food because she said it took all the joy out of eating. And she bought an Obama beach bag for her brother. Duke got him a Bush key chain.

Which is a funny thing about food. People are all anti-carbs. Or at least they were. Maybe they aren't anymore since the anti-carb guy died. I don't know. But in Italy they eat carbs at every meal, and what's more, they have full MEALS at every meal. On the beaches, everyone traipse up at lunchtime to enjoy plates of cold pasta. In bikinis and speedos. Anyway, no one in Italy is obese. They may be tan beyond anything you ever knew to be humanly possible, but as a country, they seem to have a pretty unified and healthy BMI. So, I am kind of going to go out on a limb and suggest that carbs are not the issue.

Anyway, is there anything that doesn't sound gorgeous with an Italian accent? Plus,our friend has a fantastic laugh, the kind of laugh that gives life to the words "peals of laughter" and she just rocks.

And then went to see the dinosaur bones and then as we were headed for home, Duke made the fatal mistake of mentioning how he has never successfully exited DC on the first try. Nor have I.We were totally jinxed from that moment on. My attempts to exit the city have involved a trip to the police station to get directions after a Dead show and paying for directions from the man who tried to get into my locked car at a gas station. Our combined forces resulted in a trip through the part of DC you don't want to be in with your kid, who luckily was asleep and we were therefore spared from having to answer his questions. "What are those people buying?" "Why are those women dressed up?" Good times, good times.

In case you are curious, I recognize that this entry is not one of my very very very best. But we found out far too late last night that we were down to the dregs of our coffee can and as a result I am drinking coffee flavored water this morning. Out of cream as well. And my brain is not really interested in pursuing basic functions without proper coffee.