Politically astute at 2 years old

When Beth was here she and I and the kids went for a walk one morning around Parliament Hill. Or as Emily called it then, the Castle. Emily believes that all big, old buildings are castles, but Parliament is the Castle to end all Castles. It's not hard to see why. Look:

While we were traipsing around the building, looking at the feral cats, the statues of prime ministers, the Queen on her horse, the Famous Five, etc. the Peace Tower clock started to chime (not surprising as the sucker goes off every 15 minutes). Emily loved this, as any two-year old would, but particularly because we have been singing a song a Kindermusik about a church steeple that goes "ding dong, ding dong." Art imitating life, I guess, toddler-style.

Anywho.

Since that visit to Parliament, whenever Emily sees the front of our newspaper, the Ottawa Citizen (their logo is the Peace Tower), or if she spots the Peace Tower from the car, she squeals: The Ding Dong Castle, Mummy! Look!

Our seat of government, the historic and regal buildings that house our federal politicians and their oh-so-intelligent debates, is now known in our house as the Ding Dong Castle.

Everytime she does this, I laugh. I laugh pretty hard. Never has a building been so aptly renamed for the group of people who are regularly inside it. Wise beyond her years that one.