Stealing Mal's Cupcake

This weekend, while we were walking around the neighborhood and checking out new construction and robins (which are migrating through), Mal decided that he wanted cupcakes.

Laura agreed that those are always a great idea and made us some.

He started licking the icing off. I heard her grumbling about his immediate demise. I warned him that I'm pretty sure that she'd make him just the icing if that's what he wants, but he better eat the cake too, since that's what he said he wanted.

He did.

Yesterday, I came home and immediately sat down to supper. Mal started begging for a cupcake.

Woman told him to back off, since he'd already had two that day, and we only had 4 or 5 left.

So he switched tactics and asked to *look* at a cupcake.

I told him that I was planning to have a cupcake for dessert. I asked whether he wanted to look at my cupcake while I finished eating supper. He claimed that he did.

So I got one. Laura had switched up the way she iced them, to try to save her wrists, because the icing was really thick. Mal has decided that he prefers the ones with swirl icing, because that's what goes on "real" cupcakes. I got one of those.

I set the plate down in the middle of the table. He stared at it a while, then pulled it closer to him. Then he stared at it some more before he pulled it close and smelled it. Then he stared some more before he caressed it gently. Then he pulled his hand back, stared some more, picked it up, fondled it, and put it back down.

This went on for quite a while before he took a bite.

I made it a point to look at him and make faces the entire time. Then I left him alone when it was clear he was ready to start eating.

Later, I acted shocked that he'd taken a bite out of my cupcake.

He started by insisting that he just couldn't resist. Then he accused me of stealing it from him.

Laura jumped in to explain that I'd actually gotten it for him because I'm nice and the whole thing was a game.

I have to keep reminding myself that he's only 4 years old.

Fast-forward to today.

I got to work from home. When I got to a stopping point, Laura got some pizza from Rounders (which is awesome...I highly recommend it, and I don't like pizza all that much).

When she got back, the three of us each got a slice. We started with their basic cheese (which includes things like big gobs of ricotta but not sauce) and added mushrooms, spinach, and artichoke hearts.

Mal's pizza is more just basic cheese. It really looks like it has tomato sauce.

He didn't actually join us. He just sort of fluttered around the edges like a butterfly with elephant feet  (he's *never* pitter-pattered) while we ate.

I think Laura managed one bite before he decided he needed her help going to the bathroom.

She rushed to that before I. While they were gone, I decided that his plain cheese looked like a tempting alternative. So I decided to cut off a bite.

I felt bad for cutting off the tip, since that was always my favorite part. But where else do you start, and who knows when he'd actually get around to taking a bite?

And it was really good too. I'm doubtful about the tomato sauce now.

When they got back, Mal looked at his pizza, then looked at me. Then he carefully asked "Daddy, did you steal my cupcake?"

I had to guiltily admit that maybe, possibly, just a little, I couldn't resist.

After that, he couldn't eat it. I don't know whether I ruined it for him or if it was the fact that the cheese had gotten twisted.

It was that way before I touched it, and that *is* what he complained about...but who knows?