Barrel full of monkey/bucket boy

I was in the kitchen one warm day last week making lunch. The children were in their pool, and wanted to dine al fresco. Isabel came into the house, and said to me, "Connor really needs to get out of that bucket!" I distractedly said, "then tell him to get out." Then she said, "he can't... he's stuck!" Now she had my full attention.

I went outside, and this is what I found:
I start pulling on Connor, and it quickly becomes evident that he really is rather stuck. I pull harder, realize this is not going anywhere, and don't want to injure him. I mean, he was REALLY wedged in there and I couldn't find a solution. He wasn't really scared at this point, just annoyed to be unable to get out. He says, "I just wanted to be a barrel leg. Now I'll NEVER get out. This was a bad idea!" Uh, no kidding.

The saving grace is that Brian had moments earlier left home for work, so I called him.

"Brian, I need you to come home. Connor is stuck in a bucket."

moment of complete silence

"He's what?"

"He's stuck in a bucket. I've been trying to get him out, and I can't."

"OK, I'm coming."

Brian comes home and sees Connor in the bucket. The look on Brian's face causes me to fall into a fit of uncontrollable laughter, which almost causes me to lose control of my bladder.

And then Brian tries pulling on Connor. Nothing. He tries dumping him out into the pool (which only increases my level of laughing); I guess he thought it would have made for a soft landing? Nothing. And Connor didn't find it as funny as we did.


So I start to get a bit more concerned. "Do you think we need to call the Fire Department?" I ask. "No," he replied. "There's got to be a way. Just let me think for a minute."

Then he instructs Connor to wrap his arms around Brian's neck and pull up, while Brian holds Connor's legs in the bent position and pulls, and I push down on the bucket. After a few minutes, he is freed.

He's totally unharmed, and has been a good sport about it, even laughing with us when we call him "bucket boy."

Connor is a combination of strong, flexible, agile, curious and fearless; it's a dangerous combo sometimes, and he gets into some predicaments. But this was a first. I always say I could put that child in a room with nothing but four cement walls and he'd find something to get into. And oh, I love him for it. :)

Have you ever by chance read this book?
It used to be Connor's fave, and now is one of Lucas's faves. Well, in our family one passage has been slightly altered to fit the bucket situation:

Connor wails, "what luck!
I am stuck, stuck, stuck!
in this orange bucket."

Isabel squeaks,
"Poor Connor!
He is wedged too tight!"
Mommy tugs, Connor pushes,
with all of their might.

Daddy comes home
and he pries SO hard
that Connor POPS out
and he lands in his yard.

Fitting, don't you think?

*no one was harmed in the rescuing of bucket boy
** do not try this at home