She should have plead the Fifth

I picked up Zozer from Grandma Carol's a few days ago, and asked my usual litany of questions:

"How did she eat?"
"Did she take a good nap?"
and my favorite:
"Did she behave today?"

Grandma's answers, as usual, were favorable towards her only grandchild (a granddaughter, no less...I'm just setting the scene here).

For quite some time we've been a bit suspicious of Grandma's daily glowing praises of our child. I mean, yeah, she's a good girl and is blessed with a wonderful temperament. She behaves 99% of the time and is smart as a whip.

But we know that sheer statistics mean that at some point, Zozer will fall off her pedastal and behave like any normal almost-three-year-old. In other words, she's gonna F-up.

Anyway, on this particular day, Grandma said, as usual, that Zoe had been just perfect and that they had had a wonderful day. Uh huh.

I continued my conversation with Zoe, asking about Sesame Street (she tells me the letter and number of the day, every day, among other things) and whatnot, and less than two minutes later the little stinker felt the need to tell me, "I drawed on Grandma's wall!"

What?!

I shot a look at Grandma, who was slowly nodding her head. She claims she forgot to tell us, but we know it was typical doting-Grandma behavior. It's the Grandma equivalent of Grandpa sneaking ice cream to Zoe after she didn't eat much dinner (which he was caught in the act of, red-handed, busted by none other than his grandchild who wasn't content to eat off his cone but insisted, loudly, that she be allowed to hold it, too).

Zoe then proudly showed us Grandma's family room wall, now adorned with several large scribbles and a big, red smiley face.

It was very, very hard not to laugh. M showed up a few minutes later and I told Zoe to tell Daddy what she had done. "I drawed on Grandma's wall!" Then I got a kick out of watching him struggle to not laugh, too.

Apparently this was a two-day project, both accomplished while Grandma was in the bathroom.

I haven't asked her if there have been any additions to the mural lately, because I know to ask her would be fruitless (she'll cover for that little girl 'til the end of time)...I just need to remember to check the wall the next time I go over there.

I prefer not to think of it as defacing private property, but as the start of a burgeoning art career. She's a little van Zo, I say.