Ring Around the Rosey

When we got home from work today, I immediately put dinner in the oven - fish - so we could actually eat before 7:00pm.  If I'm late leaving work, by the time I pick up the boys and get home, it's sometimes 6:30 which means dinner won't be ready till 7:00 and Alex is usually so tired by then he won't eat.  Tonight we were home by 5:45 so could eat dinner at a reasonable hour.

It's a really good thing because Alex was already cranky - not sure if his nap wasn't long enough or he was just hungry or it's his teeth or what but he was not a happy camper.  So in the living room, I tried to get him interested in something other than whining.  Finally, he sat on my back and I let him slowly flip over to end up on the floor - sort of a controlled fall / somersault.  This had him laughing which is where his brother stepped in to help. 

Ethan helped Alex up from the floor, held both his hands and started turning in a circle with Alex saying, "Ring around the rosey, ashes, we all fall down."  He promptly fell to the floor taking Alex with him and they both rolled around in fits of laughter.  Ethan got up first and I thought I'd tell him the whole song so I sang for him, "Ring around the rosey; pocket full of poseys; ashes; ashes; we all fall down."  He then repeated it with me - all the while Alex is still laughing on the floor.  Alex finally got up and Ethan took his hands again and this time sang the full song with him and they fell together laughing uproariously again.  This time though, Alex hopped up when Ethan did and held out his hands to do it again.  They repeated this - with Alex initiating - about 15 times usually falling way before Ethan was done singing.  In fact, one song lasted through three falls and the laughs rolled on.  It would have continued until dinner was ready except that on the last "fall down" Ethan pushed a bit too hard and Alex hit his head on a toy on the floor.  Oh well, nothing lasts forever.  So much fun to watch though and Ethan helped Alex back up telling him he was "sowwy, Owix" and kissed his head so it was all good in the end.  Such a good big brother.