Case of the missing hotdog

Current mood: chipper

Last Friday night, my family went to dinner at Max & Erma's. Patrick and I both in the mood for Buffalo chicken, and Ally indecisive, we ordered. We ordered Ally a corndog, logically thinking that the mac and cheese was a bad choice because her shirt was cute and that the hamburger was a bad choice because, again, her shirt was cute. As our food arrived our daughter let out this loud excited growl noise in appreciation of the quick delivery of her food. Excited to see a corndog and fries, she begins face first into her plate. We all start eating, and talking, eating, talking etc.... when, Patrick and I both noticed that Ally had devoured what was in her corndog and half of her french fries! Surprised at her eating so good, we both comment, " Ally, what a great job, you ate all of your hot dog, how about the outside?" She looks down, looks back up again and politely responses, "??Hotdog??" We smile, and say, "sweetie, you ate it. Why don't you finsih eating the outside of the hotdog". Silence..... a few seconds later her arms raise up in the questioning position, she blurts out, "??Hotdog?"...her head tilts, again... "??hotdog??" Totally cute, she asks again in a much more serious tone..."??HOTDOG??" We respond back to her again, "Honey, you ate it; it is in your belly." (Note: children take everything literally) She looks down and lifts up her shirt... "??hotdog??" at this moment Patrick and I cannot hold our laughter in anymore! again, the sweet voice questions..."??hotdog??" she lifts up out of her chair, looks around, lookS underneath the table, and screams out, "??HOTDOG??" Unsure of why the hotdog is not running to her plate, she screams out again, "??HOTDOG!!??" in hysterics, we gently say, "Honey, the hot dog is all gone." She quietly looks around, and as we anxiously await her response, she lets out a big sigh...

.......she must have realized that the hotdog was in fact not missing but was eaten- by Ally herself.