Forget about the Children, Save the Homework!

I was going through old pictures when I found some from over a year ago. I had left the room where Ethel, Amazing Grace, and Boy Teenager were hanging out while I had been studying. When I came back, I found this...

That is Ethel holding down my homework while
Amazing Grace & Boy Teenager broke into a
spontaneous wrestling match on my bed.

"Help me, Lucy! 
I have no idea what they're doing.
This is normal for you guys??"

That was the day I realized that spontaneous wrestling match break-outs are not normal for other people. Look at that look on Ethel's face. I have looked at this picture many times, whenever I need a laugh, because the look of "What is going on??" mixed with "I knew you'd be ticked if your papers got mixed up!" cracks me up every time. She is seriously concerned. I'm not sure if she is more concerned over my homework getting out of order, a child getting hurt, or herself getting hurt by a random child's flailing limb.

And before anyone thinks this was a wrestling fight over something minor or major, that I should have jumped in to prevent from escalating, everyone was laughing & having fun. Except Ethel. Until I told her this is normal for these 2.

When Boy Teenager started wrestling in first grade, his only practice at home was me. I would learn the moves he was learning and we would practice them in the living room. Pretty soon the girls wanted in on it too. It looked like fun to them. Even itty bitty little 2 year old Ginger Girl would beg Boy Teenager to "throw" her. He was so adorable about it, letting her think she pinned him and then "throwing" her onto the couch by laying her down because he was scared to hurt the little sister that he called his baby.

Now that he is stronger than any of us female members of the house, Boy Teenager practices moves on various members of the house by telling the victim participant which way to go so that he can just show us an awesome new move he's learned. Hubby is the only one who can wrestle against him for real anymore.

Amazing Grace refuses to believe that last part. I can't even tell you how many videos I have of the two of them suddenly jumping up from a laid back night of games or TV, dinner, in the pool, gardening, cleaning the house...really, it doesn't matter what is going on...& end up throwing each other around. It took hubby some time to get used to it & not panic by 2 kids just hopping up without a word to start wrestling. After 4 1/2 years of knowing these kids, he's used to it now. In fact, the rare night where all of us are home at the same time, is not complete if there isn't a spontaneous wrestling match break-out somewhere in the house.

These pics just happened to be taken on Christmas Eve Eve. We were all sitting around the living room, talking, laughing, enjoying the night, when Amazing Grace said to Boy Teenager, "Yeah? You think you can take me down?" I grabbed my camera because that would result in only one thing.

Boy Teenager tossed his bowl on the couch where Ginger Girl grabbed it before it tipped over and Amazing Grace didn't even have time to put her phone down. You can see it in her hand in the pictures.

The dreaded arm
through
the crotch lock. 

Comfy Blanket even gets sucked
in sometimes.

Watson kept bringing them his
toy so they'd play with him.

She's stuck now.

Just another holiday celebration in our house.

While I now know this isn't normal, I love our not normal fun. It's so funny to watch and I'm actually sad at the thought of them one day, when they're adults, outgrowing this entertainment.

Although it'd be fun to end up scaring their spouses and children when they break out into a wrestling match on the kitchen floor after Thanksgiving dinner in 15 years. That may be the best video yet.