Pups on the loose

Conversation with Natalie this morning:

N - "Mommy, I heard the garage door open and the car leave last night"
M - "You were hearing things, because I didn't go anywhere last night"
N - "But I did"
M - "You must have heard one of the neighbors"
N - "No, it was yours" *at this point she cracks an impish little grin, and I began to catch on - see bottom of this post for a full explanation.
M - "Oh no, don't tell me. It isn't what I think it is, is it?"
N - "Uh huh" still with that grin
M - "Please tell me you are joking. Who took my car?"
N - "The pups. They wanted to go to Las Vegas".

Natalie has a stuffed Meerkat that is one of her favorites. A couple of months ago, she informed me that the Meerkat had four pups. While she was at school, I would "watch" the pups, and then make up all these wild stories about what the pups did to drive me crazy while she was in school. A few of her favorites were the pups trying on my wedding gown and having a wedding in my closet, putting themselves in the dryer for a ride (she knows not to get in or play with it), and the pups dressing up like Jon and ringing the doorbell "Honey, I'm home", taking my car for a joyride, with one of the pups on her scooter trying to arrest the joyriding pups. About a month ago, the Meerkat had 96 more pups, so we currently have 100 invisible, up-to-no-good pups. Although apparently they'll be in Las Vegas for a while, as they don't want to go to Chicago. Grandma should count her blessings. Those pups are wild!

I love her imagination!