It's All Fun and Games

Last night I had a rousing game of "I'm Going to Hang You By Your Toes" going with the boys. I chase them around the house and when I catch up to them, I grab their feet and hang them upside down and swing them. How it is that I can do this for what seems like an eternity and still tip the scales is beyond me. 

I started by chasing Peter, he's the lightest and most agile so I'm fooled into thinking this is a good idea. He was laughing and having a good 'ol time. Hearing him laugh is always a reminder of why we adopt. There is such joy in the belly laugh of a two year old. It was great. Then he ran into the wall. This was pretty comedic for me, but the goose egg proved it was more painful for him. 

Then it was Joseph's turn, he's the heaviest and least agile so I quickly become aware I may have bitten off more than I can chew. I chase him around, only he's almost five now and harder to catch, he's smart enough to make me circle the coffee table. He, too, was laughing hard. Little boys laughing... Then he slipped on the kitchen floor. A second goose egg almost took the fun out of the game completely. 

Gabriel just wouldn't be left out though. He needed his turn to be flung upside down. I needed a moment to rest. I decided to try to stall him. I told him I'd hang him by his toes when he told me how many toes he had. 

He looks down at them and starts with the right foot. "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven," he looks up and grins then bends down to the left foot, "eight, nine, ten, eleven."

He looks up at me with a mischievous grin and I ask again how many toes he has. "THAT many" he responds. I smile a little and ask how many THAT is? 

He looks down slowly and says, "all those toes?" 

"Yes, all those toes," I tell him.

Another sly smile, "FOUR!" he says giggling.

I hung him by those four toes. I tickled each one of them, counting them so he'd know next time how many toes he has.