A Katie Two-fer

I haven't shared many Katie stories lately (Not that there haven't been many; I just have trouble putting hers into words!) but here are two that still have me smiling.

After we saw Prince Caspian on Saturday, we decided to go to the Japanese steakhouse for dinner. (If you know my kids at all, you're wondering what the heck we were thinking. Trust me, we're wondering, too.) The greeter asked whether we wanted to be seated at a regular table or a grill table. Um, hello--grill table! I thought that was the point of Japanese steakhouses. Anyway, the guy said, "Right this way," and Katie bowed to him. I don't think he saw.

We get seated and a lady comes to take our drink order. "Water with ice, please" Katie said, with another bow. I know that lady saw her, because I saw her trying to hide her smile. The chef showed up and verified everybody's order. Katie bowed again and then said in a conversational way, "Tae Kwon Do." I choked a little, trying not to laugh out loud.

To set the tone for his show, the chef started off by setting the grill on fire--WHOOSH! Katie didn't care for that at all. She leaned waaaaaay back in her chair and kept feeling her face and saying, "He burned me, Mommy!" I assured her that she hadn't been burned, but had just felt the heat from the big flame. She gave the chef a little bit of stink eye. A little later he started setting up the onion ring volcano. I should have warned Katie that more fire was coming; I don't know why I didn't. After another WHOOSH! of fire, Katie raised her hand and said, "Excuse me! Mr. Chef, I don't like the fire and I don't want you to do it any more." Fortunately, he took it in stride. "OK, honey, I won't." Then....wait for it...she bowed and said, "Tae Kwon Do."

I will never forget the time I took Katie to the Japanese Steakhouse. But then again, I doubt the Japanese Steakhouse will ever forget the time Katie was there.


Katie Story Number Two.
Katie, God bless her, loves to talk. It doesn't matter if anyone is listening to her; it doesn't even matter if anyone is in the room with her. Some days it is my cross to bear that I have a constant--and I mean constant-- hum of conversation in the background. I'm sorry to say that the last few days it has been especially grating to me. Earlier today I was trying to read something that required concentration and there it was, the hum in the background. I was about to tell her to please be quiet when I noticed what she was saying: "...Joshua, Judges, Ruth. First and Second Samuel, First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther..." She has memorized the books of the Old Testament while I taught them to Will!!!