Shut Up!

We are not allowed to say "shut up" in our house. Not that we ever did, but a girl in Riley’s old school got really freaked out by the phrase. In her house it was FORBIDDEN, and so Riley, ever the rule girl also gets VERY OFFENDED if she hears it(on TV) , reads it, (The Lorax), etc...

Thank God for Trevor.

Trevor you ask?

"Trevor" is our private, soft version of "shut your trap."

(Never to be used seriously, must be spoken in jest).

When we were first married, we lived in a great walking neighborhood. We went for long walks almost every evening. (It is still one of the ways we stay connected, though the walks are much slower now and Seth will move mountains to break up our conversations).

Back then, one of the houses on our street was rented by two guys. They were the best neighbors. Friendly. Neat. They had a tiny black dog named Trevor, about the size of a fist. Inevitably, as we walked by, the mighty Trevor would get in a tiz. He’d growl, circle, attempt to charge, and his owner...in a very serious voice, would talk him through saying...."TREVOR....DON'T... YOU....DARE.... SAY.... A.....WORD.

"TREVOR...! "

For ten years now Todd and I have been able to hush each other mid sentence by a sideways glare and a well placed, simple "Trevor."