Ok, well I guess it's been 6 months since I posted last. Time flies. My last post was about the tornado in Joplin. Since then many businesses have rebuilt or are rebuilding. My parents have finished their house and have sold it. That is sad, but the right thing for them.

Ruthie has turned 2. Can't believe it! She is definitely our little princess and she knows it too! Her brothers are pretty good to her. They teach her lots of great things...and some not so great things. A couple of days ago I was giving her a bath. When it was time to get out she wanted to keep playing. I told her know and lifted her out of the bath. The looked at me and said, "Mommy Dummy". I looked back and her and said, "Excuse me. What did you say?". She looked up at the ceiling and half rolled her eyes and replied, "Um... Jesus?" She's too smart! I couldn't even punish her I was laughing so hard. I can't imagine my life without her.

Nathan has turned 9. Next year is double digits! He is growing up so fast. He is a great boy too! I couldn't ask for anything more!

I am still homeschooling. We are trying a new approach and doing a lot of reading and hands on activities. Very few worksheets or "sit down at a desk and write" work. The kids are learning a lot!!

I have a new addiction. www.pintrest.com Don't try it!! It's amazing!!

Home

What is home? Home is the place you can go and expect familiarity. Things will always be the same at home. At home you are comfortable. You are safe. You are loved. For me Joplin, Missouri was home. Even though I moved away 8 1/2 years ago, Joplin always provided for me the things I think about when I think of home. I was born there. I grew up there. I lived in the same house from birth until the day I got married. 3 1/2 weeks ago, the familiarity of Joplin was taken from me and thousands of others. Many people lost so much that tragic Sunday afternoon. In comparison to some, my losses are small. To me, they appear large at times and miniscule at others. Thank God all of my family survived the storm. In light of this, our losses are small. I lost the comforts of my childhood home. The walls are still standing, but it has a lot of damage. It will never again be the home I knew. It will be different, even after it's repaired. My parents built that house. They brought me and my three sisters home from the hospital to that house. So many wonderful memories were made there year after year. Even though it's just a house, it's our home. It's sad. It's hard to see the home you love torn apart like that, but again, it's a loss not as great as so many. Most of the contents on the inside of the house were saved. Our pictures, our baby books, our important papers are all still in our possession. What a blessing that is!!! My mom put it so well when she said, "My whole sphere of living is gone!". It's true. My parents business that sat on the corner of 20th and Duquesne was directly in the path of the tornado and is gone. It took them awhile to find the building because it had been ripped apart so badly. They did find a family picture though that was hanging on the wall of the office. Here is a picture of my Aunt Lori holding it. Just a couple of days ago another picture of my oldest 2 sons taken in 2004 was found. It also had been displayed in the office.

The Walmart where my parents did their grocery shopping is gone. The Home Depot that my parents had been in 3 times just the week before, is gone. The Sonic where my mom and I would go to enjoy our sweet teas with extra ice is gone.
The salon where my mom has gotten her haircut for 20+ years is gone. The gas station where my dad would gas up all his cars and where he would make his late night snack runs is gone. This same gas station is where I drove to get Dortios for tacos as my first time driving alone the day I got my drivers license. The farm where my parents would buy a whole cow and freeze it is gone. All the cows are dead. The tire and lube express where my parents would get oil changes and some work done on their cars is gone.
CiCi's pizza was a favorite date place for me and Greg in highschool and it's gone. So many places that were depended upon are gone! Just gone! I and so many others no longer have the security and comfort that being home brought. But with the loss of the security and comfort of home, one thing about home still remains. LOVE! Never in my life have I seen Joplin so united. Never before so compassionate. Joplin has always been a wonderful place. In this tragedy, the wonderful things about this place I call home are even more evident. People who lost everything helping people who lost everything. The outpouring from the local people, who have all been affected, has been awesome to see. God has brought this "little big town" together like never before.

Even though so much was lost on May 22nd, so much has also been gained. Family has always been the most important thing to me. This has just been reinforced because of that storm. The few minutes from the time I got the text from my sister asking if I'd heard from mom and dad to the time I received the text from my dad that said "Werok" was excruciating! I will never take my family for granted!!

I have been reminded to make the most of every opportunity. Every opportunity to say "I love you". Every opportunity to squeeze the ones you love. Every opportunity to make sure your loved ones know how you feel about them. Every opportunity to be with those who matter most.

I have learned that home is where your family is. As much as I love my home at 4029 Belle-Lock Pl. in Joplin, after we moved my parents into their rental house in Mt.Vernon, it felt like home. Not because I had grown up there. Not because I had any special connection to that house. Not because I had made special memories there, but because my family was there. No building made of bricks and wood and drywall could ever be home without my family.
I have learned that there is no greater thing on earth than to serve others. We hadn't been in Joplin 20 minutes when a guy and his wife on a 4 wheeler came by 20th and Duquesne, where we were surveying the damage, with bottled water and Gatorade. These people were from Webb City, the next town over. From what I have seen of Joplin since the tornado hit, the tornado does not define who Joplin is. It's not defined by the destruction that covers 1/3 of the city. It's not defined by the homeless or the hurt. It is not defined by what we've lost. What defines Joplin is the service. It's the caring and compassion. It's the love and the helping. It's the hope and the confidence that one day our town will be better than it was before. It's Joplin! No matter how long I live away from Joplin, it is and always will be my home sweet home!




*Not all of the pictures in this blog are mine. I just found them various places.*

The hand of God!

8 weeks ago, while admiring Ruthie, a girl at church noticed a small bump on above her nose. After a little research I decided to leave it alone and see if it went away. Last week while at the dr. office checking Ruthie's ears I asked the Dr. to look at the bump. She decided to send us to the hospital for an ultrasound. So on Oct. 20th we went in. On Monday the 25th we went into our Dr. to find out the results of the ultrasound. Our Dr. wasn't sure of the diagnosis so she wanted to refer us to an ENT. Ruthie had an ear infection the week before so I asked her to please check her ears to see if they had cleared up. She said that one ear was still red even after antibiotics so that was another reason to go to the ENT. I called twice on Tuesday to get the referral information. Finally it was ready. I had decided I would go pick up the paperwork after I picked up the boys at school. I decided to meet Greg for lunch, go do early voting, go look at a loveseat someone wanted to sell us and then go home to give the kids naps before picking up the boys at school. On our way home with the loveseat we realized Greg's van was at the church, so I had to take him back. When he got out of the car he said, "You need to go pick up the referral at ABC (the name of our Dr.'s office)." I decided he was right (and I was anxious to see when our appt with the ENT was). I arrived at the dr. office around 1:30pm. I asked for the referral and was handed a white envelope. I turned to walk out and glanced down at the envelope to see what was written on it. It said APPT: 11/19/10 5:25PM I immediately turned around and walked back to the desk.

Me: "I can't wait for this appt. My daughter has an ear infection now and the dr. doesn't want to give her medicine until she sees the ENT."

Nurse: Takes the envelope from me and calls the ENT's office and explains the situation to them. Then says to me, "The soonest they can get you in the 8th."

Me: "That is not acceptable. I need an appt. this week or I need medicine for my daughter."

Nurse: "I can try Dr. Nguyen's office."

Me: "That would be great. Thank you."

After talking to Dr. Nguyen's office the nurse asks me if I can be there by 2:30. Of course I can! It's now 1:50. I thank the nurse again for making the phone calls for me. Then I start making phone calls. First to Racheal to let her know I can't join her for lunch at my house, then to Greg to let him know we have an appt and I'm on my way to pick him up, then to Stacy to see if she can pick up the boys from school, then to family to let them know what is going on. It was kind of a crazy afternoon.

We arrive at the office at 2:20 and fill out all the paperwork. At 3:00 we go in to meet with the dr. I guess the reports from the radiologist gave a diagnosis of "possible glioma". That is when the bones in the head didn't fuse like they should have and some brain matter has squeezed through the hole left between the bones. The first question the Dr. asked us was who gave us that diagnosis. He thought it was odd to give that diagnosis after just an ultrasound. He said he was not convinced of that at all. He asked us some questions and then said he would like to watch the bump and see what happens. He started to go on about Ruthie's ears when I asked, "So we are just going to watch it and not do a CT scan or anything?" He thought for a minute and then said we should go ahead and do the CT scan. That makes me think he is just trying to cover himself and give me peace of mind. I would rather know for sure than to wait and see. Ruthie is scheduled for a CT scan at 9am on Friday morning the 29th.

The Dr. was very encouraging with what he told us. I am anxious to get the results of the scan so we can get on with our lives.

I was in awe as I saw God work today. Is it coincidence that I decided to go pick up the referral when I did instead of waiting? If I had waited I would not have gotten into Dr. Nguyen today and probably would have had to settle for the Nov.8th appt. Is it a coincidence that even after antibiotics her ear was still red but today when the ENT looked at her ears they looked fine? Had it not been red the day before I don't think we would have been able to get into the ENT early. Is it a coincidence that these events lead us to the better Dr. in town? I think not! All of these things are the hand of God in my life and the life of my precious daughter. What a wonderful, caring God we serve!!

I forgot...Happy 1st Birthday Ruthie!!!

I didn't forget her birthday, I just forgot to blog about it. We had a really simple party. Just a few friends, pizza, and cake. She won't remember anyway. I can't believe it's been a year. I feel like she should be 3 weeks old. Time has really flown by. I have known that she was my last baby so I have made every effort to cherish each moment of her infancy. It's just gone too fast. She took her first steps the day before her birthday. That was fun! Now she is walking everywhere! She still crawls every once in awhile, but she is definitely doing more walking than crawling. She has weaned herself too. We did make it to our breastfeeding goal of one year. Even almost made it to 13 months, but she is finished. I'm ok with that too, because she did it on her own.

Ruthie has been such a blessing to our lives. I love the connection we have as the only girls in the family. She really loves her momma! Before she was born I didn't really know how badly I wanted a daughter. She is such a joy!!! I am so looking forward to watching her grow and learn. I love you Ruthie Ann!!

Tired?...maybe a little.

It's been a rough last year sleep wise for me. Ruthie rarely sleeps through the night. I thought I was doing ok until this morning around 5am when Ruthie woke up. I went to change her diaper and found she had 2 diapers on. I vaguely remember doing this around 2:30am, but I don't remember what my reasoning was. Maybe I should take a nap today.

life and funny

Life is crazy!! Summer is over. The kids are back in school. Nate is a 3rd grader. Not sure how that happened. I feel like just yesterday I was holding him in the NICU at Freeman Hospital. His teacher is Ms.Diaz. She seems nice and he seems to like school this year. So far anyway. He is such a smart kid!! Eli is a 1st grader. He says he doesn't like school, but I think deep down he really does. His best friend Nolan is in his class. He was so excited about that. Sammy started preschool. With his personality he really needs the structure and interaction with the other kids. He is loving it. Our babysitter, Jaimie, works there too and he adores her. Ruthie and I are having fun enjoying the quietness in the house and the calmness of trips out. I love it! Ruthie is growing so fast. She'll be 1 in 2 weeks. So hard to believe.

I'm still enjoying photography. We just bought a new camera and lens. Greg and I are both able to use it for FishXpressions so it's wonderful!



Eli lost his first tooth lastnight and the tooth fairy brought him $5. This morning on our way to church I decided to get a latte from McDonalds. Eli told me he wanted pancakes. I told him that we were going to church to eat donuts. He said he didn't want donuts. I then told him I didn't have enought money for the pancakes. He said to me very serious, "Mom, why do we keep running out of money? We should stop spending and wait until all our teeth fall out." Too funny!!

6 months

It's been 6 1/2 months since Ruthie joined our family. It's been an adventure for sure! Her brothers love her so much! They take really good care of her. She is a good baby, but a very controlling baby. She doesn't like to be left alone. She is definately a momma's girl. She will pretty much cry is anyone else is holding her. She's ok with her daddy though. She doesn't have a sweet baby cry either, it's a 4 year old bloody murder scream. I just got her to start taking a bottle. I don't want her to have a bottle a lot, but when I go out with the girls or on a date with Greg. I want to be able to leave her for a few hours. We went to the dr. yesterday. She is a little peanut. She weighs 13lbs. 12oz. Her brothers were all over 16lbs. at this age. Mom looked in my baby book and the girls and even though I was a chunk the other girls weighed right around what Ruthie does at 6 months. Made me feel better. She is so much fun though. She is interacting so much. Rolling over and giving kisses. I love that she loves me so much. I'm just going to spoil her because she is my last baby. This is my last time to go through all of this.

I asked God to give me that "done" feeling when my family was complete. I didn't want to always wonder if I should have had one more. God really have given me that feeling. I love my babies, but I am ready to move to the next phase. I have my four and I am so thankful for each one of them. They are all wonderful blessings in their own way.
Eli just turned 6 on the 11th. We took a cake to school for him. I also made a cake for church. We decided not to do a big party this year. He didn't really want one. We just went as a family to Mr.Gatti's pizza and played. It was a lot of fun and Eli doesn't seem to think he missed out on a party. We did the same with Sam's 3rd birthday. They don't need anymore toys anyway. It was fun to spend the time as a family and not break the bank.
Since I wrote last the boys have started school at Hudson Elementary. They are liking it ok. Eli has good days and bad days. The last 6 weeks he got the Cody Character award which is a great accomplishment because he struggled so much at the beginning of the year.
Nate has been doing well also. He made A honor roll last 6 weeks. I love who my boys are. They all have such great hearts! I am super proud to be their momma.

Earring and Laughter

Well, daddy got his way. Ruthie got her ears pierced on Wednesday. I was TOTALLY against doing it, but Greg asks for so little when it comes to the kids so I let him do it. She only cried for about 3 minutes. She hasn't really acted bothered by them. I did give her tylenol a couple of times when she acted fussier than normal.

Ruthie also gave me her first laugh on Friday night. I don't know if she was laughing at Eli or me. IT was cute though!

Girl stuff!

Ok, so I've been a mom of a girl for 2 1/2 months now. I thought I was doing pretty good until we attempted Christmas pictures with Valery's girls. We were all done when I decided to take some pics of Ruthie by herself. It was then that I noticed it. Whe you have girls there is something called "bloomers" that come with most dresses. I didn't notice this until I was arranging Ruthie's dress and noticed something hanging out. I completely missed the bloomers attached underneath the dress. I was totally embarrassed. Thankfully it was just family around. I guess I still have somethings to learn when it comes to having a daughter. Hey, I'm new at this!

God's commandments

Nate and Eli were running around this morning fighting.
Eli came in to the office with a white teddy bear that he took from the church a few months ago. I didn't know where it came from until about 3 weeks ago when he came to me and said "Mom I stole this bear from the church." I told him to make sure he took it back.

He just brought the bear in the office.
Eli: I'm taking this back to the church. (With a very proud look on his face.)
Me: Good.
Nate: But Sammy likes it.
Me: Nate, he stole it from the church.
Nate :(looking at Eli in disbelief.) Why would you do that?
Eli: I didn't know God's commandments.


So cute!!!

A visit from my grandma

My grandma visited me lastnight in a dream. It started like any other dream. We were visiting this animal farm. My mom and dad were looking at pigs. For some reason they decided Stef needed a pig. I thought it was ridiculous so I walked away. I was holding Ruthie. I went and sat down at a table with Grandpa and Grandma. There was someone else at the table, but I couldn't make out the face. Grandpa and Grandma and I talked about how crazy it was that mom and dad would be buying a pig. The conversation stalled and I looked and grandma and started this conversation.

me: "Grandma, I wish you were still here."
Grandma: "Darlin I know. You just love those babies. I'm fine. Kiss that girl for me."
me: "I will. I wish I could have been there to tell you how much I love you."
Grandma: "I know you do. I love you more."

Then I woke up. Crying of course. What a special thing. I believe she used a dream to let me know everything was ok. I miss her so much!

Just a couple cute moments for the first two weeks of Ruthie's life.

About 5 days after Ruthie was born I went in to tell Nathan goodnight. This was our conversation.
Nate: "Mom, Ruthie is so special."
me: "You are right. You are special too buddy."
Nate: "Mom, I cried in my bed the day you brought her home. I feel like crying now too."
Me: "Why?"
Nate: "Because everyone is special."
What a sweet big brother!

Sam: "Mommy, Ruthie said her first word!"
me: "What did she say?"
Sam: "I love Sammy."

Eli will sit by Ruthie no matter where she is and rub her head and talk to her.

The boys are so precious with her. They are being very helpful. What good big brothers Ruthie has.

Ruth Ann Ayelen is here!!!

She is finally here and she is beautiful!! We arrived at the hospital a little after noon on Sept.13th. I got checked in and all was set up. When they put the heart monitor on the baby they told us her heartbeat was too fast. It was in the 190's. It should be around 160. They were a little nervous about that. They started giving me IV fluid thinking I was dehydrated. Dr. Danielson broke my water around 1:00. I was 3 cm dilated. Because baby's heartbeat was fast they decided to put on an internal monitor. It attaches to the baby's head and gives a more accurate reading. I started having contractions, but they weren't very strong or consistant. Around 4:30 Dr. Danielson came in to check my progress. She told me that if I hadn't dilated anymore that she would have to start pitocin. I hadn't made any progress so pitocin was started probably around 5:00. Within 10 minutes I was starting to feel contractions. They felt like they were very close. I barely had a break in between. I finally asked the dr. if I could get up and she said I could. I used my birthing ball and stood some. Around 6:30 I started to feel pressure. Greg went and got the nurse so she could check me. I was 6 cm dilated and in a lot of pain. After she checked me I couldn't get up out of the bed. The contractions were coming too fast. Greg was scratching my arm trying to sooth me. He kept telling me I was doing so good. About 6:45 I told Greg I couldn't do it anymore. I needed medicine NOW!!! He went out and told them I was ready for meds. About 2 contractions later I told Greg I felt like pushing and he needed to get someone. The nurse came rushing in and checked dilation during a contraction to see how far down baby was. That pain was so horrible!!! She ran to the door and said, "She's complete, someone call Dr. Danielson." When I head those words I had two thoughts, relief and NO, I need meds!! Right away two nurses were at my side. My body kept trying to push but the nurses kept telling me no. The nurse on my right would tap me on the shoulder really hard and say, "Emily, open your eyes, blow." I was so frustrated with her because at that point the pain was coming from not being allowed to push. I know they wanted the dr. there, but it hurt so bad. After what we think was about 10 minutes I finally saw my dr. Her face was one of shock. She only had time to put gloves on before Ruthie made her grand entrance. I have never been in more pain in my life, but I have never felt such a sense of accomplishment. I did what I have been planning on doing for the last nine months. I had a completely unmedicated labor and birth. I had done it with Sam (not by choice) but I wan't proud of the way I did it. I wanted to be proud of the way Ruthie came into the world. And I am! It wasn't easy, but it was worth every ounce of pain I went through. She is so amazing! I already love having a daughter. She weighed 7lbs. 2 oz. and was 20 1/4 inches long. Just perfect. We came home from the hospital last night. When we left she weighed 6lbs. 7 oz. She has been eatin great and pooping a lot so the nurses weren't concerned with the weight loss. Right now she is sitting in the swing bought with money from her GG. She has the pink blanky over her that her Beemy made. So precious. Here are a few pics of our first few days together.

Baby Update

I went to my appt. on August 14th. I was 34 weeks that day. The dr. says she does not expect me to make it to full term. She noticed that baby has definately started to drop. She did an ultrasound to check fluid levels and said they are around a 10 which is up from the hospital so that is good. I am measuring 35 weeks. I have gained 3 pounds in the last month. I am still down 3 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. It doesn't sound like she will stop labor now. I am still on modified bedrest for another 2 weeks. She said to take it easy this week and then next week I can do a little more and then be off the next week. When we were getting ready to leave she said she would see us in the office in 2 weeks if she didn't see us in the hospital before. So it sounds like it could be anytime. As I write this I am 34 weeks 4 days. So far we have done well. I am confident if Ruthie decides to make her grand entrance early that she will be fine. I am very anxious to hold her in my arms.

So close yet so far.

I really thought this was going to be the pregnancy we would make it all the way with no problems. I guess I was wrong. Yesterday morning I tripped over the automatic UNO game and fell. I didn't hit my stomach, but I called my dr. anyway just to let her know. She sent me to the hospital to be observed. Turns out I was having contractions. They ordered an ultrasound where they discovered my fluid level was at an 8.3. A little on the low side. Because if my history they decided to give me steroid shots for the baby's lungs. They checked my cervix and I was a fingertip dialated, 0% effaced and baby was high. Throughout the night I recieved 4 shots for the lungs. Around 8am my contractions started picking up so they decided to check me again. I was 1cm, 50% effaced and baby was at a -2 station. The nurse said she could feel the baby's head. So change was definately being made which is not a good thing. They started me on magnesium which is a muscle relaxant. I had this medicine 7 years ago when I was pregnant with Nathan. It makes you feel very hot and flushed. My contractions have slowed down though. I'm having like one an hour. From what I understand I will be taken off the mag around 10:30am tomorrow. They will check me again at this point then keep me for another couple hours to make sure the contractions don't pick up again. As long as there is no more cervical change and the contractions have stopped I should be able to go home tomorrow. We asked the nurse practicioner when she came in today how long I would have to stay on bedrest. From what she said it sounds like I will only have to be on partial bedrest until 34 weeks. I will be 33 weeks on Friday, so it shouldn't be very much bedrest. It sounds like if I go into labor after 34 weeks they will just let baby come. I am hoping we can make it to at least 36 weeks. I would love to make it to 38 weeks so mom can be here. We shall see.

Now's the time!

One of these days, you'll shout "Why don't you kids grow up and act your age?!" And they will. Or you'll say, "Kids, get out and find yourselves something to do...and don't slam the door!" And they won't.
You'll straighten the boy's bedroom neat and tidy and smooth...toys displayed on the shelves. Hangers in the closet with clothes attatched. Animals caged. And you'll say out loud, "Now, I want it to stay like this!" And it will.
You'll prepare a perfect dinner with a salad that hasn't been picked to death and a cake with no finger traces in the icing, and you'll say "Now, there's a meal for company!" And you'll eat it alone.
You'll say "I want complete privacy on the phone. No dancing around, no pantomimes, no demolition crews, Silence! Do you hear?" And you'll have it.
No more plastic placemats stained with spaghetti. No more spreads to protect sofas from damp bottoms and dusty shoes. No more gates to tumble over in the door of the baby's room. No more Hot Wheels or Barbie dolls under the couch. No more playpens to arrange a room around.
No more anxious nights under a vaporizer. No more cracker crumbs in the sheets. No more wall-to-wall water in the bathroom. No more iron-on patches. No wet, knotted shoelaces, pants with knees out, or rubberbands for ponytails.
Imagine a lipstick with a point on it. Not having to get a baby-sitter on New Year's eve. Family washing only once a week. Seeing steak that isn't ground. Marketing with only groceries in the basket. No more car pools. No more blaring radios or Sesame Street three times a day on TV. No more washing her hair at 9 o'clock at night. No more wondering where the family car is. Having your own roll of scotch tape.
Think about it. No more Christms presents out of construction paper and glue. No more sloppy oatmeal kisses. No more tooth fairy. No more giggles in the dark. No knees to heal. No responsibility. Only a voice crying, "Why don't you grow up?!" And a silence echoing, "I did!"

More adventures with Sam.

The kids had been patient all day long. Because of the storms today they weren't able to swim when they wanted to. Finally around 6:00 mom and I decided to let them swim. We put floaties on everyone and watched them swim as we sat in the porch swing right beside the pool. Valery came out and we sat there talking while the kids swam. Eli was the first to be finished swimming so I took his floaties off and he headed inside to the bath. Sam was next. We pulled him out and took his floaties off. Sam was playing on the deck with Addy. My eyes were on the pool the whole time. All of the sudden I saw 2 white swim shirts in the pool and neither one had floaties on (Nate and Sam both have white swim shirts, but Sam always has his floaties on). Immediately I jumped up and into the pool and grabbed Sam. I'm not really sure how it happened. I guess Sam jumped in the pool without floaties and Nate saw him. Nate yelled "Sam!" and jumped in after him. Nate was trying to hold Sam up and rescue him. When I came up with Sam in my arms, Valery looked at me and said "What are you doing?! You are 6 months pregnant." It never crossed my mind to yell at Val or Mom to jump in a get him. I just did what I had to do. My kid was in danger! I was fully clothed in a nice new skirt. I always wondered how I would react in a situation like that. I guess now I know. Ruthie and I are fine. She has been moving good all night. I'm thankful because for a few seconds I forgot I was pregnant. Apparently Sam is going to test my parenting skills. First White Water and now this. I'm afraid to ask, "What's next?"

White Water Adventure

Yesterday the boys and I went to White Water with Valery and her family. Places like that are never very much fun for me because of my 2 year old color code yellow son. He is so much fun, but he is also sooooooo crazy! He is such a daredevil and into everything. I was having to watch him very closely at the Rain Tree because he kept trying to go up the big slides instead of down. The lifeguards kept rescuing him. So we moved to the little kid area via the lazy river where I thought he would be safer. Again, he went straight to the bottom of the slides and tried to climb up. There are parts of the kiddie area that are about 12 inches deep. He kept putting his face under the water and trying to swim. Since i know him I knew he was fine, but the life guards kept trying to rescue him again thinking he was drowning. There were several times that I couldn't locate him for a few seconds and panicked. I got tired, so I decided to head back to our chairs. Val and TJ decided to take the 3 bigger kids to do some of the big rides. I had Addy and Sam and we were getting hungry, so we went to the snack bar to get some lunch. While we were in line Val showed up with Ari. Then TJ showed up with Nate and Eli. I kind of motioned Sam and Addy over to Val so I could finish ordering. My first mistake was to assume Val had the kids. It was totally my fault. I got complacent. I was ordering when Addy came up to me and said, "Auntie Em, where's Sammy?". I looked up expecting to be able to point him out to her immediately only to see that he was no where to be found. I looked at Val and said, "Where's Sam?". She looked around and couldn't find him either. Immediately I grabbed the older 4 and made them stand against the wall and Val and TJ went in opposite directions looking for him and calling his name. I started shaking and praying. We were right by the wave pool and the lazy river. I knew Sam had a life jacket on, but I also knew it hadn't done very well with it when we were in the lazy river before. I saw a lifeguard walking by and grabbed her and told her my 2 year old son was missing and I needed her to let the other lifeguards in the park know. She started trying to get that announcement made. Later Val said she had seen a little boy that looked like Sam in the lazy river but then saw an older boy with him so assumed it wasn't him. She said something told her to check the lazy river again. When she looked again the little boy was telling the lifeguard that someone lost their baby. I heard her yell "Emily!" and when I looked she was running in the water down the lazy river. I thought she was just going around seeing if she could see him because I couldn't see him or the boy talking to the lifeguard. I guess she hollered at the lifeguard that the baby was hers. I'm still standing by the snack bar with the other kids, and the lifeguard is still trying to get the announcement made when Val comes walking up with Sam in her arms. I can't even tell you the relief that came over me. I have never been so scared in my life. I felt totally helpless. Thankfully God was watching over Sam yesterday. Thankfully that little boy was in the lazy river and nice enough to help Sam. Thankfully my wonderful sister can run well in water. Thank you so much Val! It's a good lesson never to assume someone else is watching the kids. Thank the Lord yesterday turned out to be a fun, memorable day instead of a tragic one.

I was relieved later in the day when Sam started to get tired and slowed down. This is how Sam spent the last hour of our day at White Water.


That was the most relaxing hour of the day!!!

Frills!

Solid Rock Cafe