There has to be an award for moms who invite their children to frolic in a mud pit left behind from an early evening thunderstorm. This same mom never complains about washing muddy bodies coated with blades of grass or stained clothing. (Extra points for that.)
Then again, maybe the reward is the joy that rises up from the moment itself, spilling over even more than the murky pools of rainwater.
You’re only a child once. Their happiness was worth the mud, the stains, the grit in the fingernails, the later bedtime, and the second bath in one day. These are the moments children remember – moments when my voice says yes more than no, moments when I look beyond the mess and see the joy. These are the moments I remember, too, when my children take me back to the fields of my own childhood and my sense of wonder and my appreciation for a good mud puddle returns.
*I suppose sharing this kind of happiness is one good reason to pop in here from time to time. :-)
My kids' favorite thing is going out to play in the "river" that is created in the cul-de-sac when it rains! I never mind the mud or the hosing off or the drippy clothes in the front hall, because they love it so much!
Major points!! I made the decision to not stress about how many puddles my little jumped in this spring, but that just meant a change of shoes and maybe pants. Great pictures, thanks for sharing!
I played in puddles and mud up until college. :-) So much fun! I love the pictures- you capture their joy at the perfect moments!
Beautiful! Look at that joy on their faces. I need to work on more yes. And I agree. The best reason for your dropping in here.
My mom was one of those moms – We have pictures of my cousings and I completely covered in mud from hair to toes after having a huge mud fight in my granmothers driveway. It was so much fun! So far Cadi-bug getting dirty doesn't faze me. Hopefully that will keep up, since mud creates so much fun and so many wonderful memories!