Mischiefmaking into the wee hours of the night

you can't make this stuff up. really, you can't

The scene: 35 minutes to midnight. Lights off. Dark rooms except the light illuminating from my office door. I'm working on the computer. TriniHubby and his dad in the basement watching basketball. The boys in their bed... (or so I think)

I hear a sound that resembles water trickling. I figure perhaps I did not turn off the faucet properly after the baby's bath. I plan to check on the sound, but want to wrap up the email I'm drafting...but I continue to work. I hear this "trickling" intermittently. Off and on. Hmmm. ????? Could it be raining? Might we have a leaky roof?

I continue to type on the keyboard. Eventually, I hear a loud "THUD!" and then the whining whimpering of a child. Sounds like someone fell off their bed. I run to the room with baby who had fallen asleep in my arms still cradled close...I discover....

JBOY!!!! with at least four goo gabs of my of Aquaphor lotion in his hands!!!!!

I'm staring down at the mischievous Mess, in total wonderment over the greasy faced, greasy armed, greasy foreheaded MISCHIEFMAKER standing before me and I notice him wringing the sloshes of emollient in his hands....that wringing sound...that was what I was hearing all that time. NOT WATER RUNNING! I just don't know what goes on in his head when he plans these mischievous activities. Do they start off as planned or just end up that way?

"I wanna wash my hands", he says in his very husky deep voice.

I BURST OUT LAUGHING

The fellah looks up at me with a serious unconcerned face, I mean unconcerned in the sense that he just got busted wasting a good chunk of my $16 14 ounce jar of specialty lotion, prescribed by the pediatrician for his eczema...and there he stood...his hands still wringing,

"What's so funny?" the 3 foot terror asks, stone faced still.

HILARIOUS!