the mud people

Yesterday after I finished my run and emerged from the house all showered the babysitter and I were horrified to see several of the children playing in the hole in the front yard. Digging the hole was Will's idea and it was so deep that he could lower his baby brother into it and make the top of his head disappear completely. Well, after 9 months of drought we have had a spell of rain, enough to fill all the lakes and spill over a little. So, of course our little digging project was full of sticky mud. Three creatures out of a horror movie came out of that hole, formerly recognizable as Mary, Maggie, and Charlie. I made them each strip down and carried them each up and safely over the carpeted stairs to the tub. After everyone was restored to their recognizable selves I asked, "Why did you think this was a good idea?"

"But you didn't say we couldn't!"

I guess I need to make up a new list of rules for our house after this week, including:

Do not jump in mud up to your eyeballs (above culprits)

Do not play games involving racing laps around the house at top speed with the swinging doors closed (Will, Mary, Maggie, and Charlie)

Do not stick your fingers in the holes in the ends of the Brio train track pieces (Charlie)

Do not play surgeon with your doll baby using a real needle (Maggie)

There are quite a few bruises and hurt fingers around our house, but so far no trips to the Emergency Room. Let us try children, with our new rules in place, to keep it that way.