Seeing the true Theo

After living with Theo for 6 years I have noticed that the kid has a tactile thing going. He takes any opportunity to get as much skin in contact with any substance as possible- perhaps that is why he loves to cocoon himself in the hammock. He will also plop down into any stretch of sand, or dirt, or mud, and cover himself from head to toe, clearly delighting in the sensation. The brothers have very different approaches to beaches. Eli will tiptoe down to water's edge, plunge in, and when called out will beg to be carried across the stretch of sand. However he gets to the other side, he will sit down (on pavement or grass- not the sand) and carefully remove every last offensive grain. Theo, upon arrival at a beach, will rush down to the water, submerge himself, then exit and begin the rolling and covering and burying in the sand. Anyway, it's not only me who has noticed this thing about Theo. Today we got an email from Steph (who we just visited in Colorado) and she said, "Jake (five year old son, new friend of Theo) just mentioned the other day how Buddy (their dog) reminded him of Theo rolling around in the dirt. He said it with such warmth." Below is a shot of Theo and his new pals Jake and Sam working the pump at the cabin. They undoubtedly were drawn to this activity in the first place because Theo had to rinse off after sitting in the dirt and covering his hands with pine needles and leaves and sand.....