Last week, I was pondering about how long it had been (for everybody besides me) since seeing the rest of our family. Thanksgiving was the last time we had all been together! We see them occasionally on video chat and we talk on the phone regularly, but a great desire came into my heart to have everybody together! On Thursday morning, both Randy and Joy called and asked, "Can you come this weekend?" Being Mother's Day weekend, it seemed an appropriate time to go. Rowen was able to get off work. So being the spontaneous people we are, we took off at 9:45 am Thursday and arrived in Joplin about 11:30 pm. We stayed at my parents' house.
At breakfast Friday morning, a violent storm came up with winds over 85 mph and rain. The electricity went off and was not back on again until mid afternoon on Saturday! Daddy lost a couple of big branches from his trees, but we were thankful to not have any tree or limbs fall on the house. A lot of people were less fortunate with smashed cars or roofs.
Tim and Brenda did not lose their electricity, amazingly, because most of the town was without. Many stores were closed and the traffic signals did not work. ABE Painting was still able to work with indoor painting to do--even without electricity--because of the bright, sunshiny day we had after the storm was passed. Rowen, Jeffrey, and Jason got to work with Randy and Tim and their other workers on Friday and Saturday and enjoyed the fellowship of working together.
This is the uprooted tree where they were painting:
Tim painting inside the great room in that house.
A picture of Tim and Brenda at church on Sunday. He does clean up nicely!
Brenda and Emily playing a violin duet with Jason accompanying them on the piano.
Randy and his second son, Micah
My precious Mother and me on Mother's Day morning.
The Albertson clan with Grandma and Grandpa Scoles
Sometimes Quil is silly:
I bought this Bumbo seat for Micah. Something like this was not available when my children were little!
Emily enjoys time with her nephew, Quil.
Quil seems to be fascinated with Jeffrey's braces.
We made sure to get pictures of each of the CO kids with Micah this time! Here's Jeffrey:
Emily and Micah:
Beth and Micah:
Jason and Micah:
Randy, Joy, Quil, and Micah on Mother's Day
Grandma and Grandpa Albertson and Micah at Tim and Brenda's for supper:
We had a good time with our kids and were thankful to be safely home again Monday evening.
