You can tell from previous posts that we like to try to get Ben outside as much as possible. Ever since he was born, he has loved to be outside. Seriously, he could be fussing and we would take him outside and he would be instantly calmer. I love getting him out because I think it is healthy for him to run around and get fresh air. Plus, well, he’s a little kid. All little kids pretty much love to play outside. He already never stops moving, so I think we will be spending as much time as possible outside as he grows up.
This past weekend it once again hit the upper 30s, and out the door we went. Most of the sidewalks outside our house were clear, but some were still snowy. However at one point, we came upon something amazing, something Ben hadn’t experienced before, something wet. A puddle. It was love from the first splash.
Ben looked very serious as he walked through the puddle, but you could tell he thought it was amazing. He went back and forth, back and forth. He walked backwards through it. He walked through the shallow part. He walked through the deep part. He walked quickly, then slowly. He glided gently, then stomped hard. He walked back and forth through this puddle for a good long time before we were able to continue on our walk.
To get home, we had to pass by the puddle again. It of course had to be examined all over again. This time though, after a few passes, Ben had to bend over and examine it more. He reached out and touched it. It got his mittens wet. This was interesting and had to be repeated. Now, I know it was chilly out and that being wet in the cold is a bad idea. But I didn’t think too much of it. We were about 20 feet from our front door. A few minutes of cold wet hands wouldn’t cause any lasting damage. The thing is, these wet hands had to be examined very, very closely. The only way to do that? Yup, sit down. Ben sat right in the middle of the puddle. Pat was super fast, snatched Ben up, and had him half way home before I could even do anything. Me? I am an awesome mom so I did what anyone would do. I laughed. Hard. Pat had Ben in the house and I was still laughing on the sidewalk.
Ben of course was fine from his whole experience. Well, he was a little annoyed at being pulled away from his puddle, but he got no-pants time instead. That’s a win for Ben. I think when it is warm out this summer we will take him puddle jumping in his swim suit.
You can see Ben in action here and here. You can see he looks pretty serious, but is loving the puddle.
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| I love this picture of my boys. |
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| Ben, meet the puddle. |
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| What is this? |
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| Testing the waters. |
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| This is amazing! |
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| Sitting- After. |
As you can see Ben sat, and Pat was so fast picking him up I didn’t even get a picture. Just the drips coming off of Ben. Yes, instead of worrying about my son sitting in water outside in February, I was trying to get a picture. Priorities, right? 😉
–Kim