Laughing outloud...

Perhaps I have trained my children too well...
This evening my oldest child kept asking where we were going walking. My middle child heard the question and entered into the conversation. My youngest? He couldn't add words to the mix, but he was walking around with his boots and a hoodie on, so I think he wanted to head out as well.

As the afternoon turned to early evening, my oldest started to fret, she was worried that we wouldn't be able to go. I assured her that the parks were open until eight and that we could walk the dog in the dark at Blendon as we're there all the time and wouldn't get lost. Happily everyone donned outer wear and we opened the front door.

Outdoors in was damp...
ok...
truthfully...
It was more than a little wet...
There was quite a bit of moisture coming down from the evening sky...

Some call it, "rain"...
We called it...
"Christmas Craziness"

My crew and I decided we didn't care that it was raining.
We all had boots, hats, gloves and warm coats and with a lot of laughter,
my kids "rolled" with the weather and off we went.

At the park,
not surprisingly,
we were the only ones in the lot by the pooch path.

I grabbed my pack,
passed a flashlight to my oldest and held out my hands to my younger two kiddos.

Soon our eyes became accustomed to the dark and with the city light pollution,
it seemed to us, that it really wasn't, "that dark".

We sang Christmas songs loudly and my heart felt light.
How I love my children.
I know very few people who would see silly fun in what we did.

Walking the dog,
on Christmas night,
in the dark,
in the rain,
singing loudly,
laughing merrily...

Back at the car,
we still had more than twenty minutes before the park closed.
The Ranger's truck passed us as we were leaving and we mused that he probably thought we were very loony. We didn't mind, we knew what we had done was downright goofy.

Of course there was hot chocolate from Speedway on the way home. Christmas music on the radio and a wonderful memory tucked in my heart.

I am grateful for the children I have been given.
For who they are...
for the fun we have together...
being silly...
seizing the moment...
making the best...
savoring the day we have been given...

yup...
It is safe to say...
I love my children!