What?!? My daughter that lives to be clean likes dirt?

We got out of the car headed to the party and Alexis walked by the first of multiple piles of dirt that she would encounter and she says "oh no, I don't want to step in that mud!"  I remind her that we put on her clothes to get dirty in and it was ok.

We reach the party and she looks at me like I'm crazy when I tell her that Sarah's birthday party is a "dirt party".  So she wanders around, asks to play inside and finally I convince her to go dig in the dirt.  She stays as far back as she can while still able to reach the dirt with a shovel for a while.  She participated with the shovel and then decided that was enough and it was time to hang out in the playhouse.  During this time, she was missing out on the treasure hunt with the pirate map...so I persuade her to join right before the end and she was one of the kids getting into the dirt with her hands to find the treasure chest.  I had to take pictures because I just couldn't believe my eyes.  The child who won't walk in the grass without tennis shoes because it tickles her feet didn't want to get her flip flops dirty and was in the dirt in her bare feet and digging with her bare hands...those hands that she won't finger paint with (she always uses a brush) and that she makes me clean halfway through dinner if they have anything on them.  She enjoyed the dirt and didn't want to leave the dirt.  So I had to convince her to get in the dirt and I had to convince her to leave the dirt.  But when we left as soon as her back was turned to the dirt, she was ready to be clean again.

Part of the desire to be clean was brought on by the memory of ant bites as a boy walked on an ant mound (away from the "play dirt").  We hope your legs feel better soon, Wyatt; we know what  it's like!

So happy birthday, Sarah and Micah!  Thank you for helping Alexis realize it's ok to be dirty and we're glad we didn't have to leave early this year...