This week is one of my busiest of the year as I prepare for a beautiful wedding in Paso Robles this weekend.  I truly cannot wait for the fruition of this special day for a couple I love dearly.  <3  (Hi T&L!)  I have been updating lists and charts, drawing layouts, finishing little projects and confirming and re-confirming with vendors.  Today’s main task was finishing up some fabulous welcome bags for our guests.  Assembling local “swag bags” is one of my favorite things to do!

Erik has been equally busy around here, spending all of his free time on our front lawn.  He single-handedly mapped out the area, dug up holes and trenches, cut pipe and created an all new sprinkler network.  He was an engineer when we got married and his attention to detail still blows me away.  I’m so grateful for his hard work both at work and at home; watching him care for and upgrade our new house is such a blessing.  Well needless to say, our front lawn has looked like a wreck for a week.  I have kept Olive away from the lawn, knowing that those open ditches paired with her curiosity and reckless abandon would spell disaster.  But yesterday, while Erik worked during his lunch break (!!), I brought her out to visit “Dada.”

Do you see this smile??

She instantly, and I mean *instantly*, dove headfirst for the nearest hole.  This girl LOVES her some dirt.  Whether it’s sand at the beach or fresh piles of earth at home, she wants to get into it.  And oh, did she.  My first instinct was to keep picking her up, trying to redirect her toward the clean grass.  I wanted to dust her off, shake out her cute sweater, etc. etc. etc.  Erik gave her a little spade and she started digging (aka flinging clods of dirt into the air, sending them flying up and then raining down onto her).  She was shrieking in delight, giggling, grinning from ear to ear.  I finally had to give in.  I settled down on the ground next to her, pulled off her cute sweater, and let her have at it.  And after I stopped staring at her dirty little fingernails, I relaxed and just reveled in that sweet childhood moment.

Another day in the trenches 😉

Although I’m definitely not a germaphobe or a neat freak (trust me, or take a look at the laundry pile), I’ve found that as a mother, I am weird about dirt and sand.  Am I alone in this??  Perhaps for you it’s glue or grass or sticky food… This silly little moment out on the lawn reminded me that I need to loosen up a bit.  I still have so much to learn as a mother, but I definitely don’t want to be a mom that is uptight about a little mess, a little stain.  If it’s all in good clean fun, sometimes you need to let go and enjoy the moment, right?  Well, most of the time.  😉  I know Olive will never remember our silly sandy antics this week, but I will.  I want to hold on to these memories, these moments of reckless abandon, this precious and fleeting childhood season.  I want to remember that I didn’t stress over some dirt, but I listened to her laughter, I dug right along with her, I cherished my daughter.  There will be plenty of time to be buttoned up and shiny and pristine.  But for now, we get messy.  And we love it.

Here’s to making messes without flinching!!  🙂  See you all again soon~