The funny things they do...

One day this week while I was desperately trying to get the boys to nap and NOT wake up Olivia with the constant jumping off their beds, banging toys on the wall, and going in and out of their closet, I kept going into their room to threaten, yell, and generally try to get them to lay down. After about three times (when I would hear them giggle to each other after the door would close) I started hearing some particularly loud jumping and laughing that was shaking the ceiling above me. I stomped up the stairs, hoping to scare them into jumping into bed before I made it to their door so I wouldn't have to make good on my promise of spankings if they were out of bed, and as I quickly pushed their door open, I started laughing. When the door opened, they froze on the spot, the smiles melting away and replaced with surprise, their little hands at their waists clasping the tops of the pillowcases they were wearing. They had removed their pillowcases from their pillows and were having sack races around their room. To my knowledge they had never seen a sack race or anything like it, and apparently just got creative from sheer boredom. After I took their pillowcases and demanded with as much seriousness as I could muster that they lay their head on their pillows and go to sleep, they smiled at me and Jack said with a coy look "We made you laugh, Mommy. You think we're silly and we made you laugh." Undermined at every turn, I say! Obviously, spankings were not had.

Then yesterday we took the kids to the pool. I was busily catching the boys as they came down the slide over and over and over again, while Ryan attempted to keep a bored Olivia entertained. She preferred to sit at the edge of the pool and play with everything on the cement. She was especially fascinated with the filter covers that have the little holes on either side. While she was looking at it, Ryan stuck his arm in the filter and his wiggling finger up through the little hole so it looked like a worm was peeking through at her. Now I have never seen Olivia scared of anything. The boys race past her on bikes and in cars, and it doesn't phase her. Loud noises, animals; none of it seems to scare her a bit. But that wiggling finger coming at her through the hole put pure terror in her heart and she began to stare at it wide-eyed and scream while desperately trying to get away from it. Over and over and over again. Now perhaps we won't get parent of the year awards (for this and many other reasons!) but we thought it was HILARIOUS. Ryan did it over and over and we cracked up each time as she went from calm and playing to staring and shrieking irrationally at this little prank. I am determined to take the camcorder next time and hope she does the same thing cause I'm telling ya, this is something I could watch a million times and still laugh each and every time. Good times, and cheap entertainment. What could be better?