A Leafy Escapade

One of the things I loved most about growing up in the Midwest were the mounds of snow that accumulated in the fall and winter. We would spend hours out in the fluffy white stuff just rolling in it, throwing it, piling it up and burrowing through it.

Here in North Carolina, we rarely get that much snow, but the mounds of colorful leaves sure are plentiful at this time of year! One of the best things (or not, if your neighbors' leaves blow into your yard!) is being able to wrestle them all down to the street without a rake -- thank goodness for leaf blowers! No bagging! No blisters on the hands!

We did just that this afternoon. With all of the trees in our backyard, the lawn was literally carpeted in layers of crunchy leaves, and it was quite a chore taking care of those. The chore in our front yard was much less taxing, and there was time for fun! The Little Nguyens pitched in with their rakes and their hands, making a gigantic pile of leaves. They made their leafy mountain just the right height, waiting until just the right moment to jump in. And when they did, the cul-de-sac was amass with giggles and laughter -- from both the Little Nguyens and the neighbors watching the fun.

It was a messy task getting everyone cleaned up from our leafy escapade, but it was worth all of those leaves in the pants, leaves in shoes, leaves in ears and leaves in underwear to hear that precious laughter. Sometimes, we have the most fun with the simplest of things. I love that. It's the way I think childhood should be.