So......this morning I woke up to earth angels. I am so blessed my children are alive. Today I even enjoyed putting my 3 year old in time out with a new appreciation for his sweet little smile and mischiviousness. Today I am not preparing for a funeral. Today is my husbands birthday. Today it feels like Christmas has already come and given us the greatest gift-LIFE. Today, "I have my family here on earth. They are so good to me. I want to share my life with them through all eternity." Thank you for the prayers and thoughts and phone calls. We have felt them minute by minute.
Thursday night at 5:32, 30 minutes before this crash I picked up the van from the repair shop. (Do you think I could get a refund?) We were on our way to the boys Christmas piano recital. (we never made it) Before we left Ben was mad at me because I made him unbuckle and put his booster seat in and use it. We were going to be 20 minutes EARY-that is a miricle in itself. I thought since our piano was in route to Little Rock the boys could use the time to practice on the grand piano at the library before the performance. It was 6ish and dark and we were going 45mph down 10th when a car made a left hand turn across our lane into a subdivision. There was nothing I could do to avoid crashing. We hit, spun, hit again and slid to a stop. It was like a movie but I could smell the black powder from the air-bags, the baby was crying, the door was difficult to open. I had to get my children out and keep them warm. The boys were disoriented, I asked them to please get out and away from the van. They could not open their door more than a foot and were trying to squeeze through. I reached over Anthony and unlatched the baby's car seat and lifted it out. I handed it to a lady coming out of her home and asked her to take him. I unbuckled Anthony and carried him over to another woman. The boys were out and going into the house. I went back to shut off the van and get the diaper bag. The door groaned and creaked and opened only enough to tug the bag out from between the floor and dashboard. I was in luck I had zipped it before we left and my cell phone was inside. I heard sirens in the distance. I asked a man standing there if he saw the accident and he said he was right behind me and he couldn't believe the car just turned in front of us. I glanced over to see the car on the other side of the road. There was no movement. There were people to help him. I went into the home to check on the children. Baby was out of his seat and being rocked and comforted, Anthony was being held (he didn't say a word.) The boys looked shaken, Caleb did NOT want to go to the hospital.
The side of his face was red. He insisted he was OK. Paramedics checked each child and had a look of disbelief on their face.
Caleb and I were transported to the hospital in the ambulance. The Larsons were on their way to pick up the other children. They boys were secure in the Larson's van and the street was reopened when a second crash exactly like ours occurred. Ben remembers hearing the airbags go off. On our way to the hospital the medic's radio was on and I heard gun shots, "officer down" and more gun shots. I asked him what happened and he said an officer in Nampa had been shot. He hoped it was not his friend.
After x-rays and check-up's we were released and reunited with my children. We got to the Halls home and Ben, Caleb and I embraced at the top of the stairs and we cried together. Caleb and Ben had been so brave, so strong, so blessed. We truly had Angel Bubblewrap. These boys have amazing things to accomplish and good choices to make.
Christmas came early for the Schwartz family. Prayers are heard and answered and SEAT BELTS, CAR SEATS, BOOSTER SEATS AND SAFE VEHICLES AND ANGEL BUBBLEWRAP SAVE LIVES!!!!
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| Ben was on this side. He and Caleb banged heads and then Ben's head with his hand on his head (he had been sleeping), hit the window. |
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| I honestly don't know how I had the strength to open this door enough to get the car seat and the children out. |
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| Yep, my sexy bruised knee/leg. |
