For love of the fountains

So this summer has been all about the water fountains. My younger son has loved fountains since the day he reached his chubby little arm out of his stroller and giggled as he splashed cold water all over me, but this summer he’s taken his passion for water to new heights. He has an amazing sense of balance, as well as humor and imagination, and has created seven years’ worth of games, wishes, and obstacle courses out of dozens of fountains all over St Louis. I’ve taken many pictures of him and his shenanigans (one of my favorites is the one and only time he accidentally fell in, taken after he was fished out), but this summer I’ve loved how he’s wanted to really share it  – by asking for pennies to wish for a pet dragon, begging his brother to tandem hurdle the sprays with him, jumping and dancing like Gene Kelly for crowds of people, and the (thankfully) not kept promises of “no fountains tonight mom, I promise.”

Occasionally I will get frustrated when his bath time lasts over an hour, or when it’s impossible to drag him out of the pool or lake, but I could watch him play in the fountains forever. I think it might be as therapeutic for me as it is fun for him. I sit and wait for those moments where he thinks I’m not watching anymore and he loses himself in his world. He has such intense emotions and you can see the pure joy, determination, or excitement on his face. These are a few of my favorite pictures from the last few weeks, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

The super cool “cow shirt” he’s wearing in some of the pictures, is made to order from my friend Chelsea at Loud Waterfall Photography. You can find her custom photography t-shirts at https://www.etsy.com/listing/198894819/made-to-order-photo-tees-infant-one?ref=shop_home_active_1