Chinese Water Torture...AKA Max

I was sitting at the dining room table in Carrie's big farm-style kitchen, minding my own business. Something made me turn to look out the huge picture window behind me - it was probably the sound of silence. As I've mentioned before, the camera, which is almost to the point of acquiring a name, is never far from hand, so I took advantage of the Kodak moment to catch the action. Which actually started as non-action. (Note: they were about 100 feet or more from me, and I took the pictures right through the window without even moving...didn't want to change the dynamics of what I was seeing!)
The three youngest punks were parked on the top of the mound (drain field) in the side yard. They were waiting for a brother to return, who had come in the house. I think he got side-tracked, because they waited...and waited...

"Man, he's takin' his time."

Max (middle) is never one to stay still for long. Neither is Lee (orange cap). Jayden was looking for bugs, I think.
Oh-oh...Max is on the move.

Something's brewing....

Uppsy-daisy.

"Come on, guys, DO something!"

"Hey, Lee. Lee. Lee? LEE. LEE. Dang."

"Jaaaaaydeeeeeeen. Hey! Jayden! Come on, let's do something...pleeeeeeezzzzzeee?"

"OK. Now you've done it. You are gonna be sowwy. HEY! GUYS!"

(Jayden has spotted the camera, the little ham.)

"Man, Max - watch OUT, you kicked me."

Lee: "Whatever..."

"Ready or not, here I come..."

"Gotcha! Naya, Jayden, here I come again!"

"Weehaw! Airborne!"
(Jayden, as have the other boys, has developed a keen sense of self-preservation when Max is on the move...)

Lee: "Whatever. Man, where IS he? What the heck is he DOIN' ?"

This little guy is nothing if not persistent. AND talented. Evil Knievel probably started out like this...

THEY may not be having much fun, but MAX sure is!

And he is almost tireless. Energizer Bunny is his close cousin. (hey - is that rabbit pink? that would explain a lot...)

"Aw, come on, guys. Boy, what a coupla of duds..."

Lee: "Whatever."

"Jayden? It's fun. Honest. Come on. Pway wif me. Heavenly Father wikes us to pway together, wememba? Just wike he wikes us to share... Jayden?"

"You asked for it - here I come!"
Lee: "I can't believe this." Jayden: "Yeah, me too."

WAIT. What's this? Lee is MOVING.

Lee never does ANY movement just plain and simple. This was a complete backflip, from a prone position. Talent, that's what that is...and he did it so quickly that Jayden hasn't even registered it yet.

But that was the last straw. They turned into popcorn right before my very eyes,

and the chase was on! This whole process lasted about 15 minutes, before Lee caved in. They played and wrestled and tumbled, and never missed the other brother at all.

He never did make it back outside, by the way.