Puddle Walk

Dear Princess,

I don't have a picture for this one - if I had, it would've been rather soggy.  This memory of you takes place on a rainy day when you were about three.  It was mid-May, shortly after your birthday party, after I'd promised myself that I was going to do everything I could to give you every possible moment of joy.  You, me and M were all at my house.  We'd played every game (Don't Break The Ice was your favorite, except that you seemed to think that the goal was to break the ice!) and you girls were getting antsy, we all wanted to go outside on the warm day, but a steady rain made it seem impossible.

Then I had an idea - something I'd read in a magazine once.  I dressed you girls in old clothes and old shoes.  Then I told you we were going for a walk.  I remember M looking at me like I was crazy, because it was raining.  I told her, "Yup, we're going for a walk in the rain, and we're going to stomp in all the puddles and get really wet and it's going to be really fun."  Then she was excited.  I was a little nervous about how you would handle it at first - there had been a time when you'd cry if a drop of rain touched your head... but our enthusiasm must've been contagious because we were barely down the block before you were laughing and splashing along more than anyone else.

I held your hand and showed you to the deepest puddles (you seemed to just want to hop everywhere!) and we jumped in them together, got each other soaked, and laughed and laughed.  You thought it was so funny when I jumped in puddles and got all wet.  When we crossed the street, we stopped and stood in the running water of the storm drain, letting it wash over our feet through our shoes and giggling.

I didn't tell you two where we were going, but I knew.  After a while, we approached the playground near my house, and you gave a little squeal when you saw it and looked up at me.  I nodded and then told you both "Now we can play at the park, and go down all the wet slides, and swing on the wet swings, and jump in the really big puddles here."  And we did.  First we jumped in all the puddles in the play yard, which were deeper than the ones near our house - our splashes went high enough to get my face wet!  Then we sat on the swings and drug our feet through the water that had pooled underneath them.  Then we started for the slides.  I went first down the big silver slide and zoomed so fast that I landed on my tailbone on the ground!  It hurt a little but I just laughed for your benefit and got up.  So much water had slopped off with me that I knew your ride would be a little slower.  Still, I waited to catch you at the bottom.

When we went to the second side of the playground, you and M sat at the top of the twin orange slides to race down.  They were bumpy slides so I thought you'd go slower than I had on the first slide.  But I underestimated how fast your tiny body could go, and you too landed with a bump at the bottom.  It made you cry, so I scooped you up and gave you a hug and told you it was okay until you were squirming to get down and chase after M again.  After that, I went down all the slides before you.  You still went extra fast on that wet little bottom, but not so fast that you got hurt.

When we were tired and had gone down all the slides and stomped in all the puddles, we started for home.  When we got there, we stripped off our shoes and socks on the porch, and I stripped you down to your diaper (which was sopping) before going inside.  Once inside you were cold and shivering, so I ran you a warm bath and plopped you in it, where you giggled and splashed like a little fish.  We ended the day worn out and more than a little wet, but we couldn't have been happier.

Love you forever,
Katie