Destroyer Baby runs away

Nearly two weeks ago we went just down the road to Canyon Lake Park for a surprise birthday party for one of our friends and youth group leaders. The whole family went and waited for Meghan to arrive while it rained, poured and hailed on us. The kids were kept happy with juice.

Then Meghan arrived and they all attacked her with Redi-Whip cool whip stuff. Poor girl. Then they threw water balloons at each other. 

Even Noah and Evie helped.

Now, Canyon Lake Park is beautiful because of all the water. There are water channels and ponds running throughout the whole place. I loved playing in the water as a kid. But now I have this ongoing fear of my kids drowning, especially in a place like Canyon Lake Park where they could fall in and get sucked under ground and passed on to the next pond. But there were like 30 people at the party and we were in the middle of the park where water was at a minimum.  

After dinner together we all played volleyball. Terry and I were both playing while the kids hung out  right next to us. We were keeping a close eye on them.

Terry's pictured in the back in the navy blue of the opposite side.

However, all it takes for Samuel the Destroyer Baby to get into trouble is a few moments. Before one play of the game, Terry and I saw him nearby. After the play was over, we could not find him. 

Terry stopped playing and called out "Where's Samuel?" and started wandering around calling his name. Russ immediately ran over to the water channel, because that's where he'd play he said later. And then everyone fanned out calling for Samuel. I kept looking over by the food tables thinking he was just behind a tree or under a table. After a few moments when he didn't appear, I started to panic inside. 

Just then, someone on the path near the biggest and deepest pond called out, "Hey! Is someone looking for a kid?!" And there was Samuel. Meghan's mom was nearest and reached him first. He was just fine but he was all alone near the biggest and deepest pond in the place! If he had fallen in, the water was all murky... He could have been pulled along into the creek and found miles away. Or stuck in the bottom of the pond. Those are the thoughts that kept me awake that night. 

I never saw the man who shouted out to us. What I kind of really think is that he was an angel.