Sorry this is a day late, but Happy Frog Hog Day to all of you! Oh, you don't celebrate Frog Hog Day? Well, it's one of our favorites around here.

When Lily was 4 she came home from preschool and told me it was Frog Hog Day, then she crinkled her nose in that precious way she's done since infancy, which told me she knew she wasn't getting it quite right, but close enough. She meant Groundhog Day, but I'll take "Frog Hog" any day of the week.

Lily's silly, unintentional way of mixing up names and words is one of my favorite things about her. Sometimes it seems she's just forgetful, like a little old lady who calls you by a name very similar to your own, but not quite. Or sometimes it seems she just hasn't mastered her ever expanding lexicon, like an un-cool parent that slips slang into a conversation but uses it wrong. But most of the time, her brain just seems to do a flip-flop with words that have similar meanings. As a toddler, she called shampoo "hairpoo." And then one day, she just didn't anymore. Sad day for me. Two summers ago when my mom was visiting, Lily came running inside, as serious as could be, and asked if we had "goose tape" for Grandma to fix Luke's broken stomp rocket (of course meaning "duct"). On a recent trip to return a $1 DVD to the machine, she called Bi-Lo, Payless. But it makes sense, doesn't it? Buying something low means you pay less. Love it, love it, love it.

So Happy Frog Hog Day (a day late!). You can keep your groundhogs and shadows and 6 more weeks of winter, because 2/2 is our day to celebrate the lesser known "frog hog" and all the joy she brings into our lives.