Trine (sis) and I joke about how God is really having fun with me lately. It seems (I know I've said this before) that every time I make really great, solid plans...SOMETHING happens to blow it all to heck! Butch even noticed it this time. He says I ought to let the local farmers know of my big plans, that way they can pretty much count on rain whenever they need it...all I'd have to do is plan a really big, outside party without tents and invite tons of people. It would almost be a rain guarantee! I have really made lemonade out of these lemons, though. It really is true that God's plans are SO MUCH BETTER than any dumb thing I could think of.
We ended up going out to Trine's house so Butch could help set up concrete forms for the new steps, patio, and driveway surrounding the new barn. The kids loved being free to roam and play and it was a good thing I was there because Wyatt touched the 4 wheeler (we think) and burned his finger. If I wasn't there, maybe it wouldn't have been treated properly and he would have lost his finger. Okay, that was a slight exaggeration (the dads were there, but they didn't exactly figure out what was wrong with him and sent him into the house to get sympathy from me) but still...We really had a pretty good day and enjoyed each other's company. Trine got to go help at church making pretzels for the upcoming fall festival and we got to spend some time playing with the kids. We haven't done that for the longest time! I played ball with Wyatt and gave Belle a back massage with a rolling ball rattle thingy until she laughed herself silly! It was so nice to just play for a change without worrying about where we have to be, what we have to cook (we ordered pizza and brought some cake for desert), or how much time we have until naptime meltdown (we came AFTER nap but before supper!). Today, we just kind of putzed around and I didn't feel so very great all day, so I was grateful that we didn't have to pack a tent, gather up stuff, haul our butts into the van for a long commute home with all the other Sunday drivers only to get home and undo everything plus give everybody showers and do all kinds of laundry.
God is Good.
We probably would have gotten some great pictures if we went up there in the wilderness but...We probably wouldn't have had time before church (we went to the 6pm Mass this evening) to take shots like these (ummm, did I mention that I had left my camera out in the full force of the storm? It got soaked and I decided that, since it was ruined anyway, I'd try to put it in the dryer after taking out the battery and memory card. I put it into a full, dry load and wrapped it up in some socks so it wouldn't bang around too much. It worked! My camera took the following pics after all that! Cheap, Kodak Easy Share, it's the way to go!):
The girls decided to do some major posing in their funny, opposite outfits that they came up with themselves when Bocker tripped Mari while he was doing a flip. Luckily, big sister Trina came to the rescue:
So, then, because they were all basically clean and ready for church, I decided to get one of those rare, foolish shots all parents try for, but never really achieve. You know, the "all my children in one place" shot? Well, I gave it my very best try and this is what I came up with:
THAT is why I never pay for professional pictures. It would just be a waste of money at this point! I don't think I've been to a studio since Niklaus was a baby and that was just one picture. It wasn't the very best experience and I don't think I'll ever do that again. With all of the fun, candid shots we take and with the advent of digital cameras, I just don't see that it's necessary anymore. Especially when the camera takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' like mine!
