When life gives you a pile of leaves, you jump in it, of course! This is exactly what happened the day our community landscaping company came by and blew all the leaves in the neighborhood into some humungous piles. Unable to resist the urge to jump in them, Aaron recruited Grace to be his partner-in-crime. I was cooking burgers in a grill pan for lunch and trying to clean the kitchen at the same time. By the time I could yell out a response that I may not be going on this jumping spree, the two of them were out of the house.
Two seconds after they left, I thought, “What the heck! The burgers and cleaning can wait!” I grabbed my camera and hurried out, after turning down the stove to low on the burgers. I didn’t have to run in the cold wind for too long – just across the street, and I came upon this scene. The absolute joy on Aaron face to share a “tradition” with his little girl was priceless. Not to mention, the little girl who seemed to be enjoying herself, totally oblivious of the cold or the wind.
In fact, she must have been well protected by the leaves as she was buried quite deep in there. So, she decided to lay back and chill, literally. Gracie was in heaven! Outdoors, fun with Daddy, lots and lots of leaves to jump in = pure joy! The picture below says it all.
There are so many times where I miss out on opportunities like this because I am being the worrier, the planner, the realist, etc., and I am being like Martha in the scriptures – careful and troubled about many things – instead of like Mary when the Savior comes to visit them, Mary who chose the good part – to be taught by the Lord. This time, I chose to not be so troubled about whether Gracie was warm enough or if Aaron had a warm hat to cover his ears, or if Gracie needed to wear her shoes and her sweater and her scarf to protect her from the wind, or if he diaper was going to be filled with dry leaves and twigs (which it was, by the way), and the list goes on. I chose to spend a few fun and spontaneous moments with my sweet little family, just taking pictures of them thoroughly enjoying themselves in this pile of leaves. It cost nothing and brought the most happiness that day!
Just for some perspective on picture-taking, here is the pile of leaves on the side of the road. I love the backdrop of trees and their beautiful leaves, but honestly, this was just on the side of the road and I love the way the pictures turned out. Sometimes, all we need is just a gorgeous pile of leaves, and some sunlight streaming through the half-bare trees, and boom! you have some awesome pictures to remember this moment. All that to say, don’t stop taking pictures. And, don’t worry about slightly burning the burgers (which I did). Moments like this are the ones we will remember for a long time – just jumping in a pile of leaves.
(I’d just like you to know that I accidentally watermarked my photos with the logo of my other blog. These photos were all taken by me, moi, and no one else but me. Thank you 🙂 )
(I’d just like you to know that I accidentally watermarked my photos with the logo of my other blog. These photos were all taken by me, moi, and no one else but me. Thank you 🙂 )
