My 8 Kidlets

Aug. 25, 2008

Mud

Gee, I really can't afford the time to post this, but I just can't resist bringing a smile to your faces!

On Saturday, the four youngest girls went to a birthday swim-party. That left Ethan here with Madeline and Alexandra. I asked them to get the hose out and play with him so that he, too, could have some wet fun on an extremely hot day. So far, so good. But apparently, wet fun turned quickly to mud fun!!

They made a large mud hole in a grassless part of the yard and Rolled, Splashed, Squished and Slid through the afternoon! The fun escalated to body art as they "painted" themselves and each other. The only recognizable part of Ethan were his light green eyes shining out of the thick black mud. He was literally black from head to toe - except for the time when he ran in front of the hose and the white seat of his swim trunks peeked briefly through!

Last night, the girls doubled over in laughter again as they related what happened when the poor little guy suddenly cried out that he had mud in his nose (on an entirely random bunny trail, anyone know where the idiom "Here's mud in yer eye" originated?!). Alexandra helpfully told him that she was able to get shampoo from her eyes by tossing her head back. He then went into seizure-like convulsions throwing his head forcefully back to the left, right, left again, as his skinny body followed where the head led.

His wild gyrations convulsed his sisters in wild laughter and Alexandra ran for the camera. She filmed him just as he slumped on the ground in defeat. She again helpfully suggested that he try one more time and giggled mercilessly as she caught his tossing about on camera. Suddenly as he threw his head back wildly, he stopped and cried out, "Ouch! That hurt my back!"

And the video ends abruptly there, with the unstoppable laughter of his big sisters. He was not really hurt and that was obvious. But they found it hysterically funny that he almost hurt himself with his wild gyrating.

As much as I shook my head at hearing all of this, then watching the video itself, we all laughed, including Ethan. It is just too funny! I did try to be serious enough to ask the girls what the neighbors must have thought watching them laugh as their little brother threw himself all around the yard! They were not in the least concerned about that. You see, no one watching could have known it was Ethan - he was entirely unrecognizable. Of course I "understood" - it was much better that the neighbors think it was a poor visitor convulsing on our lawn while our teens held their sides laughing!