Mud Pies and Mondays

We have started filling barrels with rain water for the garden. The kids love watching the barrels fill. They really love grabbing out buckets to feed the plants a drink. Sammy knocked it over. 30gallons of water down the driveway. It resulted in a huge puddle of mud. Big enough for Sam and Nate to lay down in it. They covered themselves in it. Nate filled his pockets with mud ,so that it ran down his legs. They doused themselves in it and played so happily   He had the neighbor girl cover his head and back in it. They filled buckets with it. I soaped them up and hosed them down to clean them off. They giggled and laughed and enjoyed every single minute. Then after they dried off, Nate  went back into the mud once more.. I remember mud as a kid. The soft silty feel of  it in your fingers, on your hands. The squish of the warm summer mud between your toes. The smell of the earth and the clean. Dirt has always smelled clean to me. I may or may not have even put my own feet into the mud with them.

It brought me back to a childhood spend in my grandparents back yard. Digging in the garden and pulling up rocks. Playing with earth worms and centipedes beneath the willow. It reminded me of my grandmother bringing out giant pots of boiling water to add to the pool so we wouldn't catch cold. It brought me back to the melted ice cream running down my arm, my aunt Angie bringing me milkshakes from across the street and Vavoo teaching us how to pop the grapes in our mouths without the skin. It brought me back to a simple time when time didn't exist and all that mattered was how much sunlight was left to the day. Authentic Childhood. It's what I want for my children. I want them to think back and feel the sun on their face and remember the smell of the air. I want them to know they were lucky to enjoy the sunshine. That boys can make pretend soup and girls can play in the mud. I want them to know it's ok to get dirty and have fun and climb fences. I want them to remember their childhood with passion and rainbows.I want them to look back and remember happy sunlit afternoons,warm starry nights, and every single moment in between.  

I don't want them to loose the happiness they create because they grow up. I don't want them to forget how amazing it all can be. Please Lord help us all to remember what fun it can be to simply make mud pies.