Laundry Chute Chaos

The big kids were excited at lunch time today. Minutes earlier, their babysitter, Hayley, had come over to ask them if they wanted to go to the beach. As they scarfed down their peanut butter and jelly and wriggled around in their seats, I gleefully thought about showering (it's true, I haven't had one yet today), cleaning, and getting some work done. Addisyn and Audrey would be home with me but they would both take afternoon naps... yay for Hayley's surprise offer! She left promising to be back for the kids after lunch.

Following lunch, I surveyed the disaster zone also known as our kitchen following a meal. I walked through the kitchen picking up dish towels, wash cloths, burp cloths, bibs, and errant piggy pajama bottoms. I piled the items in Hayden's arms and asked him to go put everything down the chute. Since his arms were so full, Ray, home for lunch, asked Hayden to carry the items to the chute and Sydney to put the items down the chute.

Ahhh, the laundry chute. I have happily said many times that my favorite part of our house is the laundry chute. With laundry for a family of six, nothing is better than opening that little door on either the first or second floor and letting the laundry fall right down to the laundry room floor. Am I lazy for loving it? Perhaps. But I consider it a valuable convenience and the kids consider it great fun. Yelling up it (or down it) has made for many giggles amongst the kids.

Today, was no different. I heard the kids laughing in the bathroom. However, what I did not hear (as I was running around the house packing the beach bag) was Hayden running upstairs to the other chute so that he could look down on Sydney and so that Sydney could look up to her brother. What I did not hear was Hayden dropping a toothbrush down the chute. What I did hear was Sydney's cry as the toothbrush hit her upturned face. Ray, thinking the kids were in the bathroom picking on each other, went to investigate. All three of them emerged into the kitchen. There stood a bloody Sydney whose lip was split. Split wide.

I'm still sitting here marveling a toothbrush could make such a split. Sydney, on the other hand, is sitting with Ray at the ER waiting for stitches. How many times do you have to visit before they dedicate a wing to you? Or, a small tree near the lobby door?

UPDATE:
It occurred to me later that the toothbrush was actually Sydney's Dora The Explorer Spin Brush. Sydney returned from the ER with two stitches and was very brave. She exclaimed proudly, "I didn't even cry!" I looked at Ray and he nodded (maybe just as proudly). Apparently, while they were waiting Ray regaled Sydney with accident tales from his own childhood, which she found funny. Add in a stop on the way home for mini M&Ms and all is well that ends well.