So after lunch on Sunday Kevin, Tyler and I were going to go to Home Depot to get a "big-boy" slide and some wood to build a play center for Tyler.  Before we left, Kevin walked over the neighbor's to say hi.  It has rained the night before, and was mostly dried up, except for a mud puddle beside the neighbor's driveway.  Of course, this was like a flame for a moth, with you-know-who playing the role of the moth.  As we were standing there talking, Tyler would slowly inch toward the mud puddle, until one of us pulled him back.  This kept up until Tyler decided to try a new tactic -- taking off his shoes.  After taking off his shoes and walking around in the grass, he finally managed to slip past us and make it in to the edge of the mud puddle.

We laughed and said "oh, well, I guess we'll have to rinse off his feet before we go"

Then, he reached down and sank his hands in the mud, splashed and got it all over his face.

We laughed and said "oh, well, I guess we'll have to get a towel and wipe off his face too"

He then decided that pulling up his shirt and rubbing mud all over his belly would be a really neat thing to do.

We laughed and said "ok, now we need a camera!" :)

Of course at that point it was a lost cause, so we just let him have at it.  You can see the results in the pictures below.  Suffice to say, we had to take a small bath break before we could finally head to Home Depot...

It was totally worth it to watch the joy and enthusiasm Tyler was obviously feeling.  I figured what is childhood, if not the perfect time to feel the mud squish between your toes?
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