It was just another Wednesday afternoon. Alexis and I were in the car, cruising down the road on our way home after dance class. As the rain fell gently on the windshield, my mind was full of thoughts Children Gone Wild Without Supervision. Alexis sat peacefully in the back seat loudly singing whatever song it was that she was singing. We were lost in our own little worlds when suddenly Alexis called out, "Yellow car!"

She was right--a yellow car was parked in the lot on our right.

It's a game we've played for ages. We compete to see who can spot yellow cars first. Except, "compete" isn't so much the right word for it as I long ago conceded defeat. It seems that a toddler brain is well-equipped for scouring the earth in search of sunny vehicles. An adult brain is too busy focusing on road hazards, speed limits, and rain drops.

"Yup, you beat me!" I told Alexis.

"YELLOW CAR!" she yelled. She had spotted another one, this time on our left.

That's when I noticed it.

Yellow.

Not Lellow.

Yellow. With a "Y."

*sniff, sniff*

Our little girl is growing up.

Sort of.