Morning Sap

This morning, without any provocation or warning, Lil Sippy Cup turned to his mother and said "I think Daddy is my best-friend."

Those moments, the random ones that last only 7 seconds, are the main reasons why I keep him around.

And they're also why he's my best-friend too...

King Of His Hill

Having learned from our trip to the Museum of Natural History (as detailed here), we decided to take Lil Sippy Cup to the playground today.  I figured if a stupefying frozen whale couldn't impress him, then he should be in charge of his own entertainment from now on.

Of course, in classic Lil Sippy Cup fashion, he ran around the playground for a little while, simultaneously testing out both the jungle gym equipment and my reflexes.  However, he grew tired of that rather quickly.

His favorite part of the park?  This random little hill with a flag pole firmly cemented on its peak.

He, literally, ran up and down this hill, laughing and yelling, for 25 minutes straight.

The only other thing that captured his attention in the 55 acre park?  The water fountains of course.

In the end, I learned something really valuable.  No matter how far we may advance in our technological future, nothing will ever beat fresh-air, running around, and screaming like an absolute lunatic.

Breakfast Debate

Lil Sippy Cup and I got into another dispute over what constitutes a legitimate breakfast this morning.

We were in the supermarket, picking up the ingredients we needed in Aisle 2.

I had offered mom-made banana pancakes.

He wanted rice.

I'm proud to say that I was able to prove the validity of my argument to him and win the debate.

Besides, he got distracted by the cereal aisle.

Anakin and Shmi

So, remember the other day, how I tried to do Arts & Crafts with Lil Sippy Cup and it quickly morphed into a surprise gladiator attack?  (If you don't, it's ok; you can read the details here). 

Well, today, Lil Sippy Cup did some Arts & Crafts with mommy.  I sat back, a smug and confident smile on my face, quietly waiting for him to turn foam stickers into ninja stars.  I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when, after an hour or so of Jedi-like focus and concentration, they had created a genuine aquarium out of a plastic container, wire, and foam stickers.

You see, being a teacher, she knows all about these stores which are entirely dedicated to either (a) education, (b) arts/crafts/hobbies or (c) some combination of all of those things. 

Being a genius, she makes sure to buy supplies both for her classroom and for the house.

More importantly, being an amazing mom, she knows that all her 3 year-old son needs is positive reinforcement, motivation and love in order to complete any task confidently, successfully and non-violently.

And what did I do today?  I bought a cactus.

Minimalist Results

Ikea is a marvelous place, full of all the things you never knew you needed but are really glad when you find out they all cost $3.99 a piece.  One of these things you never knew you needed?  A play tent for your 3 year-old son.

I came home with this feat of Swiss engineering, this miracle of structural integrity and minimalist design, and presented it to my son.

Lil Sippy Cup spent the next 3 hours playing with the measuring spoons his mother bought.

I spent the next 3 hours hiding inside a tent.