Just call me putty

Yup, that's right.  I am putty in the hands of my outrageously adorable toddler.

Take lunch time last week, for example.  We had a normal lunch of yogurt, salad, shredded cheese, tomatoes drizzled with balsamic vinegar (yeah, weird, Cole loves balsamic vinegar), and a peanut-butter-and-jelly (JEWY!) sandwich. 

Lunch time can get a little crazy around here.  I'm usually getting Cole's food, then desperately trying to unload the dishwasher while he's contained in his highchair (to avoid his "helping"), and sometimes if I'm lucky, I have enough time to sit and wolf a sandwich too. 

Well, on this particular day, I happened to have my back turned putting dishes away when I hear the dogs hop off their spots on the couch and trot as fast as they can toward the high chair.

Uh-oh. 

If the dogs are making a break for the high chair, it usually means one of two things:

A.) There is food on the floor, graciously dropped from Above.
B.) Hm, never mind. I guess it's just the one reason.  Food.

So I turn around just in time to see Chloe and Nala frantically inhaling shredded cheese that happens to be ALL OVER the floor, the high chair - even in Cole's hair.  I have just enough time to think, "HOW could he have managed to get it EVERYWHERE?!" when he giggles and tosses the cheese in the air.

ARGH!

And then, he takes his cup of tomatoes drizzled with balsamic and TURNS IT UPSIDE DOWN ON NALA'S HEAD.  Sticky balsamic vinegar, all over the dog.

GAH!

So I'm pretty sure my face looks something like this:

when Cole looks up and sees me.  Instinctively, he knows I'm pretty darn upset - he's pretty observant that way.  But this toddler of mine knows his power over me.  First, he gives me the wide-eyed, "but I didn't know I wasn't supposed to!" look:

Then, he further begins the putty process by flashing his cutest grin and pointing to the mess ALL OVER THE FLOOR AND HIGH CHAIR and saying, "GHEE! GHEE! "WOOF!"

Uh-oh.  The cute little baby talk words that he knows get me EVERY SINGLE TIME.  Oh gah, I'm starting to melt. Maybe he just wanted to show the dogs some love, right?

NO! NO! must-not-let-toddler-turn-me-to-putty...must. stand. ground...

He gives me the adorable side-eye, as if to assess how far gone I am.

I march over, desperately holding onto the tail end of my annoyance. "What a mess! You are done eating if you are going to make such a big mess!"

Then, as I'm reaching for his plate to take it away, he grabs my arm and goes in for the kill - a big, smacking, adorable wet kiss planted right on my hand.  And then a sweet little pat.  And big doe eyes looking searchingly up at me - I can almost hear him saying, "You can't REALLY be mad at such a cute, sweet little boy, NOW CAN YOU?! LOOK HOW ADORABLE I AM! I GAVE YOU KISSES!"

And for good measure, one more smacking kiss.

And it's the final nail in my putty coffin.  I am officially a putty, pushover, fall-for-the-doe-eyes mama.

I give him a hug and a kiss back.  Let's just hope the kid never learns my weakness for an "I WUV YOU, MAMA!".  We'd REALLY be in trouble then.