Puddle Jumping

I admit it.

I am a puddle jumper.

Any time I see a puddle of water my first instinct is to slam my foot down and see how high I can make it splash.

When I was a little girl my mom encouraged us to go outside and dance in the rain and splash in the puddles. I can't remember if I told you this before, but one of my fondest memories of my mom was watching her pull out her barrette and pony tail and then lean under the rainspout with her long hair dangling nearly to the ground as the rainwater coursed through the tangled strands.

Once the flow slowed she flipped her hair back up over her head and extolled the virtues of rainwater as she ran her figures through her waist-length hair. One time she even grabbed a bottle of shampoo and washed her hair right there on the edge of the front porch!

How I loved those days.

It wasn't often my mom let her hair down figuratively or literally. So I wanted my kids to think of me and the rain the same way I thought of her.

Today we had one of those rainstorms. It just pelted down, non-stop for about 15 minutes. It totally filled the rain gutters, spilling warm water into the flowerbeds. Tiny rivers ran down the gutters on both sides of the street, flooding everything in their path.

Dog Walker

We stood on the porch and watched it pour from the heavens. Sport was the first one to venture off the porch, but soon he had Curly and Scout playing and kicking right along with him. I encouraged them and wanted to join them, but I was still in my Sunday best from a recent trip to the temple, so I slipped inside and grabbed the camera instead.

My sweetie had been working in his overalls in the garden this morning and it didn't take him long to join in the fun. I called through the door for Crafty, Baby Doll, and Dog Walker to come outside and join us. Crafty was quick to comply. The Dog Walker came a little slower, but eventually he got the wettest of all (if that's possible!).

The only one I couldn't convince was Baby Doll. She kept saying, "Not get wet!" and climbed up in the chair next to me on the porch.

When the water died down in the gutters they wanted the fun to continue so Scout grabbed a small pail and filled it with water. Then Curly headed for a huge bucket and eventually Sport had the best idea of all. He grabbed the hose with the firefighter's nozzle on it!

My sweetie took it all in stride and they were totally drenched when they were finished. We celebrated with popsicles when the water fight was over.

Then we all sat on the porch waiting for the rain to start again.

Except for Baby Doll...