Ham on the Menu

Last night we had a rare treat, thanks to a great coupon, to enjoy a "nice" restaurant (read: no playplaces or plastic toys in sight). More wonderful still, the girls were mostly well behaved. After being particularly endearing, I looked at Hope and had to comment.

Me: Hopey, sometimes I just can't believe we made you.
H (in a you-should-really-know-better voice): God made me.
Touche.

The girls happily sampled olives, grapes, cheese, croutons, and sweet peas from our heaping salad bar plates. But Hope had her mind fixed on the grilled cheese platter they were about to share. It finally came.

H (at first sight of the platter and quite loudly): Whoo! It's finally hewe!!!
Waitress (quite startled): Uh, uh... here you go.
H (with serious satisfaction): This is so gweat! I just yove to eat!!

Two pudgy filled bellies later, Hope was ready for a story. I guess after weeks of the same old folktales, she was also ready to spice things up.

H: Could you tell me the stowy of "The Thwee Yittle Pigs Go Swimming?"

Then...

H: Could you tell me the stowy of "The Thwee Yittle Pigs Go to the Pawk?"

Then...

H: Could you tell me the stowy of "The Thwee Yittle Pigs and the Baby?"

Then, still...

H: Could you tell me the stowy of "The Thwee Yittle Pigs at the Growcewy Stowe?"

All the way from the table, to the potty, to saying goodbye to all the other tables on the way out, to in between singing Veggie Tales songs in the car, to bedtime, to the church nursery today. That would be where her teacher greeted us in stitches over the fact that Hope had been "reading" to the class all morning, book after book.

Teacher: The part that really got me, though, was when she told us the story of Pharaoh's army falling into the Red Sea and she said, "And that guy. He got really wet because he forgot his bathing suit!"

When we told her that we certainly have one passionate little girl, she echoed our parents' hearts by adding...

Teacher: Oh, but she has such a sweet heart. I mean at one point she was practically preaching, but she is a real sweetheart! I just love her.

Couldn't have said it better ourselves.

Hope may give us a whole lot of ham, but she's also a pretty fine taste of dessert.