the best afternoon

Being a mom has been good for me, because it has forced me to (slowly, I admit) become acquainted with, and embrace, all kinds of dirt. I know, I am ridiculous. I am working on it. Good thing, too, because a couple days ago Steve's dad suggested we take the grandkids and go wade in a creek, and my first thought was of learning how to identify poison oak in summer camp. I literally even asked Emily if she thought there was poison oak there--just imagine poor Charlie with poison oak, right? But then I decided to man up and get messy, and it was one of the best afternoons of my life.

We trucked down this little dirt path with the kids--my two, and Emily's Adelaide and Maverick--in their swimsuits, and me and Emily in our suits and dresses, and came out in this clear grotto-like spot all arched over with a canopy of trees. The water was shallow--even at its deepest it only came partway up my calves--and perfect for the kids to play. Adelaide and Gracie and I went right in and the girls started pulling up big rocks to throw into the water and laughed at the PLUNK and splash, and had to be reminded not to throw them at people but kept forgetting. Maverick was happy as a clam sitting in his swimsuit with his giant diaper swelling up with creek water and happily eating rocks whenever Emily was too slow to save him from himself. (She was pretty worn out by the end.) Charlie was wary and cried when he first got into the water, but after a lot of cheering and clapping and showing him how to splash he got accustomed to it, and then started to LOVE it and wanted to walk all over holding my hand.

And I had just the loveliest time.

Watching the kids, wading in the cold clear water when I was just so hot--it was that perfect feeling of a cool shady pool on a deep summer day; nothing like it. I took Gracie wading down the creek to a big stump in the middle of the water and we stood on it together and put our hands up like champions and later she and Adelaide stacked big rocks on it with Mimi (their grandma). Then I held Charlie's hand and helped him walk through the rapids (teeny, teeny, baby sized "rapids" that were just water running over some rocks but fast enough to pull a little guy down) to the stump and we sat on it together and kicked our legs like Muppets and enjoyed the cold water and splashing and being nice and cool.

It was just what a summer afternoon should be: outside surrounded by green leaves and water rippling over the rocks, making patterns you can reroute with your ankles in the water, everybody happy and relaxed and playing and enjoying. I could have spent another hour there. I hope we go back. It was a moment where suddenly I was so glad to have paused and looked around me to really see what was there. We are so lucky to have these gorgeous, smart, funny, curious, goofy, giddy kids.