Can you lick your elbow?

I eat two packets of oatmeal each morning for breakfast during the work week. I eat them at work. When I heat up the water in a company coffee cup our Janitor always says, "Why don't you try that coffee a little stronger." He knows I'm LDS and I don't drink coffee because I gave him a Book of Mormon once. He isn't malicious, but he never forgets that same old joke.

On the packets of oatmeal are interesting facts (or not as you will see) and sometimes corny riddles. Oatmeal packet information is perfect for me, simple and silly, it's really about all I can handle. This morning the packet cried out to me, "Human beings cannot lick their elbows." Hmmm, I thought and I stored the information away.

Tonight we had the good fortune to have KM18 come for Family Home Evening. She did a craft with the boys which was very cool as they idolize that chickita, we had dinner courtesy of nh (thank you very much), and yummy cookies of wg3's choice since he was responsible for the treat. All of the eating was followed by a lesson courtesy of nh, a song courtesy of us all and a prayer by that ornery wg3.

Wg3 was upset barely spoke what could pass for a prayer because he wanted a Mormon Battalion flag I revoked so he would pay attention. He showed me though. Someone should write a book, How to Outsmart Your Three Year Old and Help Him Behave!!! I sure don't know how to do it.

After the prayer came a challenge. It was from me to the group and it came with a prize, one I wasn't planning on paying out, but now I have to as you will see. This is how it went down.

"I will give anyone who can lick their elbow the biggest toy they want." The licking commenced. wg3 was out very quickly. I don't think he came within a foot of his elbow. I can't say that I did either. As for that KM18 wasn't even close either. nh was by far the closest adult, but as for that not even close. And then there is dg5.

I remember when he was 3 he saw me snapping my fingers. I showed him how I did it and for weeks he went around trying to get those blasted fingers to snap. He never got frustrated and though the attempt was not continuous he never tired of it and would randomly go after it again. Before long he was a finger snapping wild man. I was impressed that he could do it at his uncoordinated age, but I was more impressed at his approach.

When the elbow licking commenced there was dg5, not giving up, not frustrated, but the closer he came the harder he tried. I'll say this, the kid has an unnaturally long tongue. His mouth had to go dry on him. He was so close, but I wouldn't give it to him, no, he actually had to lick the elbow. We were busting up at the little fellow. And then a weird thing happened, they said it couldn't happen, but then it did. That munchkin turned his right arm counterclockwise, palm up, pressing the back of his hand against the floor and he licked his elbow perfectly. We erupted with congratulations and laughter and he glowed.

His toy of choice? "A super cool dragon!"

I tried to barter down, "I'll tell you what, I'll let you play the car video game for an hour if you want." "Okay," says he and then a pause and then, "No way." Easy come, easy go. I'm considering a letter and picture to Quaker Oatmeal asking for restitution for whatever it's gonna cost me.

The one downside is that wg3 couldn't do it and when he realized he wasn't going to get a full-sized motorcycle he was very discouraged and went into another room. I was pretty sad about that. His mother went in to comfort him, bless her heart and after a time he came out declaring, "Whoever can lick their hand gets a toy!" He mastered the hand licking very nicely, but I had to explain that the deal was that he must lick his elbow.

In the end we saved it with cookies all around as a consolation prize for those of us who couldn't figure out how to lick our elbows. That seemed to do the trick and even the elbow licker partook.

It was a good night and we were glad to have km18 with us.