So we went to a fountain today and it turns out we were the only people in the greater Portland area who did not know about an impending downpour. We were caught in said downpour, our stuff stuck across two streets without us at the fountain while we wandered around with pizza getting wet in to-go boxes (we had been thinking picnic after all), hiding out from the rain temporarily and later becoming so drenched we no longer ducked our heads or pretended that anything we did could save us from becoming simply sopping, soaking wet.

I would say that the worst thing about getting caught in the downpour today (unexpectedly, but really how else are you caught in a downpour- we certainly don't plan such things- at least not often...) was losing some of Samuel's Mario trading cards. Made of paper, they were our most fragile possession. The stand up ones in particular were susceptible to paper's tendency to bend and twist and rip when wet. And so it goes. Our friend Nicole put them under a tree and I carried them, wrapped in swimsuits and t-shirts. And finally, Samuel secured them in the car to be looked through and cried over later in the afternoon.

The best thing about being caught in the downpour today (again, unexpectedly- can you plan such a day to turn out so brilliantly?- surely you can plant the seeds and allow for goodness to flow but the hows?- they seem to line themselves up) was ending up across the street at the pizza place with good friends and conversation, surprise caffeine and of course pizza while our kids played and entertained in dazzling ways, this way and that, far beyond what I myself could have planned. Imagine saying, "And you shall run and play in this funny building and tap the windows and look at a stuffed moose head and you shall do this for hours, all the while giggling." Or with the other one, "And you shall have your fill of chocolate chip cookies and playing DS battles with your favorite friend and you shall be encouraged to play for hours while we think we are waiting out the rain..." You can't plan these things but you can let them happen.

I am finally winding down from this afternoon's caffeine. I don't drink caffeine- not normally. Let me qualify that I do occasionally drink caffeine to help ward off impending migraines *very occasionally* but rarely if never do I drink caffeine just for the sake of it. My body feels a little out of sorts and is wondering if the calming tea (thanks Kate) will really do the trick. Sleepier than I imagined I would be at this hour, I still have quite a bit of energy, hence this late night (for me) blog post. Oh well, good fun and a little caffeine never really hurt anyone after all.

In the spirit of goodness, here are some amazingly cute picture the kids and I took of Albert tonight-