Puddles

Today we "fulfilled" an item on our summer bucket list. Granted, it's not summer anymore, but the weather still feels pretty warm. It has been raining for the past couple days, so as we left church, Mac and Keegan splashed through puddles on the sidewalk. Then, when we got home, Keegan was ready for more splashing. She took her shoes off and hopped her way up and down the sidewalk looking for collections of water to jump into. I loved seeing her chubby legs carry her down the sidewalk, hearing her feet slap against the wet pavement, watching her hand push her hair to the side, and catching her eyes occasionally glimpsing back to see if I was still there as she moved further and further away. The lighting was perfect, the scene was set, but I resisted the urge to go grab a camera. I so wanted to be present in that moment and to really see it. As I called for her to make her way back, I loved seeing her alternate between her strong and steady running (so different from her toddling run of just a few weeks ago) and jumping into the puddles once again. I grabbed her hand and took her into the street to splash through the water collected against the curb. It felt very satisfying for both of us, I think. She was getting wet and enjoying the moments of feet impacting water, sending drops flying through the air. I was enjoying holding her little hand in mind, feeling her tug on mine for balance, and enjoying special time with my girl who is growing up much too fast. Five minutes of my day that were very well spent. Thank you God, for this.