Let Them Be Little

When I went upstairs to put Ashlyn down for a nap, I noticed that Jessica, Lauren and Drew had made a very elaborate fort in the loft upstairs. It was actually quite impressive. Ashlyn's room is just across the loft and I was worried they would wake her up, so I sent them to play outside. I let them leave the "fort" just how it was and promised them they could come back and play in it as soon as she woke up.

They turned on the sprinklers and jumped on the trampoline. I switched the laundry and picked up a few things Ashlyn had been playing with. I heard the sprinklers turn off and checked on the kids. They still seemed content outside.

It was only 3, but I decided to start on dinner while I had both my hands free. I finished chopping my peppers and onions and was flipping through a cook book trying to find the marinade recipe, when I heard the facet turn on on the back patio. I looked up and saw this...

What is the world?.... So, I went outside to to see how Lauren got all muddy and found this...

Of course! Our unfinished side yard. I should have known they would find some way to get creative! At first I laughed because they were having such a good time. Then I saw in my head the mud trailing through the house, trying to get it out of their swim suits, a brown mud ring around the freshly cleaned bath tub...

I took a deep breath and reminded myself to "let them be little". I took a few more pictures and reminded them to rinse off and let me know when they wanted to come inside so I could make sure it was "safe". :-)

They made mud pies, took a mud bath and got into a mud fight! I wish I still liked mud...