Puddle Jumpers

Rain gets a bad rap sometimes.  I mean, the saying "rain on your parade" isn't exactly a compliment to wet weather.  When we think rain it means gloomy and miserable and being stuck inside....but today I found out that we are just looking at it the wrong way.

Because, today when it started to rain I saw a little twinkle in my kids' eyes.   And, in a flash, they were down the stairs in their rainboots toting umbrellas and heading out the back door.  I almost stopped them.  "It's muddy out there and you will end up tracking it on our clean floors" I wanted to say.  But, one more glance at them and I decided that trapping them in the house when there was this fabulous world of wonder falling down in our backyard would be almost torturous.  So, out they went.

At first, they were cautious, sort of stomping in the puddles as they held the umbrellas over their heads.

Then the stomps became jumps.

And they forgot all about the umbrellas.  And soon the boots were off and they were squishing their little toes in the muddy puddles and watching rain drip off their wet noses and chins.

  They were laughing and jumping and trying to make the biggest possible splash.

I sat in the house and watched.  Watched a perfectly average day turn into something amazing.  I think they were experiencing more fun than any toy or planned activity could have ever produced.  It was pure, spontaneous, unrestrained joy.  So, of course, I took pictures.

And hopefully I will never forget that the most memorable and happy moments in life can come from siezing the moment and turning a rainy day into a party.