Everlasting Mud Puddles

I'm all for playing in the rain and jumping in mud puddles.  There have been occasions when I've taken Wise Guy and Whopper outside solely for the purpose of puddle jumping.  However, I'm not a fan of the everlasting puddle outside my house.  In our driveway there is a drain that is not functioning properly which leads to a GIANT mud puddle every time it rains.  After most puddles have dried in the Virginia heat, this special puddle remains full of stagnant water collecting bugs of all sorts.

Whopper is two and is destined to be a locksmith or an escape artist.  The child can get himself out of any type of locked door or "childproof" gate.  Now that I have Lil' Bird, who is 1 month old, I have given up on the constant battle in our house between me trying to keep him indoors and him breaking out.  He was already winning the battle.

Needless to say, if there is water in the puddle, Whopper heads straight for it.  I can count on him to wade into the puddle up to his knees regardless of whether he's barefoot, wearing church clothes or in his new shoes.  On occasion, he has been known to swim in the puddle, submersing his entire body and leaning his head back to wet his hair.  It is also great fun to play with toys and shovels in the puddle.   Wise Guy is not keen on getting dirty so he stays out of the puddle for the most part.  However, the dirtier Whopper gets, the more hysterically Wise Guy laughs.  Then he runs inside to inform me of his brother's misbehavior.

Lately, we have a storm almost every evening and the puddle is growing.  Whopper is getting used to having his clothes stripped outdoors and receiving a spray down via the garden hose.  The bath tub is so dirty it's embarrassing and laundry is impossible.