Sunday, March 03, 2013





 My parents are currently serving a mission for our church in Fresno California.  My mom calls about once a month and I love visiting with her.  My dad is usually in the background listening and he joins the conversation every now and then. 

The other day they called to wish Henry a happy birthday.  Towards the end of the conversation I realized that I hadn't spoken to my dad at all.  I asked mom, "Is Dad there?"  I then heard a voice in the background say, "Yes, Laurie. I am here."  He was there.  He had been listening the whole time.  He was just quietly listening to me talk to my mother.

A flood of emotions overcame me and I found myself in tears.  I immediately thought of another Father that I have who also loves me.  Sometimes I realize that I haven't heard from Him in a while also but it's not because He isn't there.  He just quietly waits for me to slow down enough to notice.

When I take the time to get down on my knees and ask Him in humble prayer, "Father, are you there?" the answer is a simple "Yes, Laurie. I am here." 
 

Tuesday, February 05, 2013

It's no secret...I struggle with depression, or at least something similar to it.  Sunday I was fasting and as I said my morning prayers before I rushed my children out the door for 9 o'clock church, I pleaded with the Lord to help me find peace in who I am.  I struggle with feeling good enough. I know this is a tool Satan uses but some days those feelings are very real and very disabling.

As I sat in Sacrament meeting trying to focus, I found myself more emotional than usual.  (That is always embarrassing for my children) And then a testimony was shared and I can't even remember who it was or what was said but suddenly I was lost in my own thoughts.  I realized that I am who I am today because of my testimony of the restored gospel. 

I've seen my life in my mind without the gospel. I know my weaknesses enough to know that I would be a very selfish person.  I would probably be a heavy coffee drinker, I would be a workaholic because I would want to have nice things.  I would live in a high rise apartment building and wear high heals and suits to work. I would be obsessed with exercise. I would not have children, I would probably not even be married because I am just that ornery.

Instead I am a stay-at-home mother because I have a strong desire to always be at the cross-roads of my children lives. I sacrificed a career because I chose to have 6 children and be a mother first to them.  I live in a small homestead home 15 miles outside of a small town because I believe in family first and this allows my children to be a part of extended families lives and the farm is a wonderful place to raise a family. I have struggled to complete my degree (finally have an associates degree - WHOOT!) and money is not a luxury around here. 

I set goals everyday to read my scriptures and say prayers, hold FHE, go visiting teaching, serve those around me, attend the temple regularly, get my children to mutual and activity days, spend extra time at church on sunday to attend meetings and sing in the choir, focus on personal progress, duty to God, faith in God, and scouts, and the list goes on and on....and most days I feel like I fail miserably and need to try harder and do better.  

I work hard at teaching my children to not fight, be forgiving, think of others first, be the solution and not the problem, do their best in whatever they do, be compassionate, serve others, .....and the world teaches them the total opposite. 

WHY? Why do I care?  

.....Because I have a testimony of the gospel.  Because I have been taught the plan of salvation and I understand I have a purpose here on earth.  I often think of the scripture in Esther where Mordecai encourages Esther to do the hardest thing of her life saying "Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kindgom for such a time as this?"  I find myself silently pleading to Heavenly Father asking, "Is this what I was born to do?"  My answer is yes!  I chose to have 6 children! I chose to marry in the temple not only for time but for eternity.  My life isn't going to be what the world around me says is acceptable or glamorous. But it is my choice!

So rather than wish I had more, or feel sorry for myself, or feel like what I do isn't good enough to compared to others, I need to remember that my life is mine!  (Duh!) No really!  I chose it because of the things I believe.  It's my path back to my Heavenly Father.  It's not the same as anyone else's path and I'm not saying I am doing it all right. But I am where I am and who I am because of my beliefs.  

I make tons of mistakes and I make life alot harder than it has to be most of the time.  But, part of that wonderful plan of salvation is that the Savior atoned for my sins so I can repent and try again.  And as long as I am focused on eternal life, then my mistakes can become positives that help me become better, more compassionate towards others, and most importantly help keep me humble as I realize I am nothing without the Savior.   

So, now it is Tuesday and nothing miraculous has happened to change my circumstances.  I still had to get up before I wanted to and get kiddos off to school. I still have piles of laundry to do and dishes to wash and bathrooms to scrub and meals to cook and...and...and....

But there was a tiny miracle that happened inside my mind that no one can see but me...today I am at peace with myself.

Friday, January 04, 2013

Christmas Eve


I've been thinking with the change of the new year about what things are important to me.  As I have looked back over this blog, I realize that even though we are far from perfect, we have a good life and because I have failed to write things down over the last 2 years, I have forgotten many precious moments.  My children are growing and doing good things and I want to remember these times forever.  So, I am going to do better at recording the important (and probably unimportant) things that happen in our family.


So, with that intro....here is Christmas Eve 2012 at our house:

 
New pajamas for everyone and lots of silly poses.  I love the smiles on the kids faces.  There was something magical that night...it was bigger than the anticipation of the coming day.  It wasn't the amazing spiritual evening we had spent together reflecting on the Savior's birth (Cuz to be totally honest, we didn't get around to actually doing anything like that...though we did read our regular chapter in family scripture study...and no, it wasn't the Christmas story or anything even related to that...it was a chapter somewhere in the middle of Alma. I have no idea why we read that instead.  It was a long day. I wasn't actually thinking very clearly....obviously....Okay, I'll tell you what happened. My parents are on a mission this year and my mom always has us over for Christmas Eve and this year she wasn't here and I fell apart.  But it's okay...it's okay...)

It seemed to come from the idea of being in a room that was warmed by and smelled of freshly lit firewood, the feel of soft, brand new pajamas, the soft lighting of the Christmas tree, and the feeling of PEACE and JOY everyone felt just being together. There were no outside influences to distract us for a few moments that evening.  It was just us!! Just laughter, dancing, tumbling, and silly poses for the camera.

For a moment I was frustrated that we hadn't had the "ideal" Christmas Eve.  Then I sat back on the couch... exhausted from the entire year...and just watched them play. And I realized I hadn't missed out on anything. Christmas is LOVE, it really is that simple.  It's true Christ-like love, And our small, humble home was filled to overflowing with love that night and it was captured in the smiling faces of my six beautiful children.

There will be another year to get it all perfect...but this year we did things a little differently and it was still good.

Merry Christmas!


Saturday, November 06, 2010

Boise State vs. Hawaii

Today we went to the football game in Boise against Hawaii. We had a very good time, and are grateful to everyone at Idaho Elk's and St. Luke's who gave us the chance to go to the game. Once at the game, Buster the Bronco came over to our section and Zach, Justyn, and Henry had their picture taken with him. After the game was over, we were taken to the locker room area where the boys were able to get their hats, shirts, and poster's autographed by some of the players. We also took picture of Henry with some of the players, cheerleaders, and even some cool shots with the cheerleaders from Hawaii. Sorry, Kami that the Warriors lost. They were pretty cool to hang around though!


Zach, Justyn, and Henry with Buster the Bronco.


Henry posing with Ebenezer Makinde #37


Henry with Tyler Jackson #29


Henry with Antwon Murray #31


Henry with Faraji Wright # 75


We actually missed getting a photo with Henry when a few of the cheerleaders were flirting with him. Oh well, we did get this picture of him. When Zach realized Henry was with the cheerleaders getting pictures after he had already gone out to play on the field, he was a little disappointed. Sorry Zach!


After we left the locker room, we went out to the football field to run around and take some more pictures. We happened to pass by some of the cheerleaders from the Hawaii Warriors, and posed for a photo with them. They were really good sports and had fun talking to Henry. This was a fun photo for us, and we thought of Kami.


Out on the field after the game! We were getting pretty tired after all the excitement!


Here Henry and Zeke are out on the field playing. Thanks Zeke for inviting us to come with you to the game.


Zach, Justyn, and Henry out at center field having a good time.



Friday, September 24, 2010

Not fair...

Eleven years ago my Grandpa Wilson passed away on my 25th birthday.

Today is my 16th Anniversary....and my Grandma Wilson just passed away.

I guess the best gift they gave to me was a reason to remember them and celebrate them forever on two significant days of my life. I'll definitely never forget these two dates.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

50/20

Our Boy Scout District office hosted a 50/20 activity for boys ages 14 and older. That means the boys hike 50 miles in 20 hours, nonstop. Our ward was scheduled to do youth baptisms Friday evening so Zach had to make a decision. He finally decided to do the 50/20. He made arrangements to attend and we bought him a few supplies. We were excited to see him attend this activity and he was excited to go. We dropped him off at the assigned location and told him we'd see him the following day.

The boys were supposed to each have a leader with them along the way. None of the leaders in our ward were able to attend with Zach so he was assigned to travel with some leaders from a different ward. The plan was that they would travel as a group to Oakley were the hike would begin at 4pm Friday evening. There were check stations set up every 5-ish miles where the boys could refill water, tape their feet, eat, whatever they needed. There were also vehicles traveling with the boys and a couple of porta-potties also traveling with them. Looking back, Ken and I really had very little information about this activity and we were very trusting that Zach would be okay.

Throughout the evening Ken and I kept commenting about how far Zach should be and imagining the kind of fun he must be having with all those youth and leaders. We even called one of the stake leaders to find out how Zach was doing. He said he had not seen Zach yet but the group was way ahead of schedule and doing well. We couldn't wait to hear all the details the following day when he arrived home, exhausted, yet successful.

About 12:30 a.m. the garage opened. I sat straight up in bed and nudged Ken awake. I was terrified. Someone was breaking into our house...someone who knew the garage code! .... ??????

Ken was brave and went to investigate. He brought back...Zach.

He was tired and hungry and DONE!

I was shocked and confused and full of questions.

As he pulled the duct tape off of his feet (it was wrapped around each toe and looked like it was going to be painful to pull off), he told us of his evening.

They all started out as a big group. He walked many miles with the Stake President and several boys. About 10:30 p.m. his feet hurt so he stopped at the check station to wrap his feet. When he was ready to leave, he realized his group had already left. He was sure they were just ahead of him so he started out alone. This part of the trek was on a dirt road. It was dark and the road had rocks all along it. He walked and walked but did not find anyone. At the next check station, the leaders stopped him and told him he could not walk alone. He had to be with a group. It was about midnight. He waited for the next group. It was a group from the Spanish Branch. He walked with them for a while but they were not speaking in English so he still felt like he was walking alone. When one of the cars following the group asked him how he was doing, he said he was ready to go home. They loaded him into the car and brought him home. He had walked 25 miles!

Wait! He walked alone for 5 miles in the dark out in the middle of nowhere? Where was his assigned leaders? The leader that knew he was responsible for Zach actually dropped out about 2 hours into the hike. Zach was fine because he was walking with the Stake President so he was fine. Except that the Stake President wasn't responsible for Zach.

I was feeling very upset about the idea that Zach had been out alone. I realize he is 14 years old and hiking 50 miles in 20 hours is a hard thing to do. But he didn't quit because he was physically tired. He quit because he didn't want to walk the next 25 miles ALONE!!!

The next morning Ken and I got up to go walk the canyon. We drove past the church. About a mile out, there was a boy running to the finish line. Behind him was his father, also running (our Stake President). Further back was another group of boys and some leaders. It was 7 am. This group was the first to make it in. They were exhausted, yet they were running last couple miles in. I have to admit, I was very impressed. I also felt very sad. While this son was crossing the finish line with his father close behind, my son was home in bed.

I did not feel like Ken had let his son down. Ken had fallen off his bike a couple days before and injured his ankle. There was no way he could have walked 50 miles. I also did not have hard feelings towards his leaders. I understand that they had prior commitments. I just felt sad that no one was there for my son. He walked alone.

I thought about this through out the next several days. It really bothered me. My mind was full of so many "what if's", "could have's", and "should have's".

I later found out that most of the boys dropped out at 25 miles or before. Only a few made it to the finish line. Those that did had a strong support group of friends, leaders, and fathers.

My son had none of those things.

We live in a ward where he is the only teacher. We have one priest, and three deacons.

I imagine it must be hard to be a leader to only one boy. He has not felt the support of teacher leaders. He is with the priests most of the time. He enjoys that but feels like the 5th wheel in the group. He feels alone and often is discouraged about attending activities throughout the week. He has told me that most of his monthly fasts and his daily prayers include a plea to Heavenly Father to send just one more boys to his quorum.

I have really struggled as I watch him struggle. He is a good kid. He tries hard to always do what is right, especially when it comes to honoring his priesthood and living the gospel.

This was just a hike but it caused me to look deeply at life. He is a young man. He has never walked this path before. He has been given parents and leaders to help guide him and support him. The road is rough and painful and times. Some hours are dark and he must learn to walk by faith.

So what happens to the youth who walk alone? They give up. They get lost. They don't make it to the finish line.

If our children are going to make it through the trials of this life, they cannot be expected to walk alone. We also cannot step back and hope that someone else will help them get there.

This experience has caused me to evaluate the kind of parents Ken and I are to our children. We need to do better.

So, where are my boys this week?

Justyn is at scout camp and Zach just left on the High Adventure White Water Rafting Trip. Once again I have entrusted my boys into the care of their leaders. Actually Justyn's leader could only stay at camp until Wednesday but assured me that another ward would look after him for the remaining 4 days. Because those words echoed a familiar tune, I begged my dad to attend camp the second half of the week so that Justyn would have someone there who really cared about his well being. My Dad does not even live in our ward, let alone the same town. He lives an hour away and is in the middle of watering his fields right now. He loves his family and makes sacrifices for what is important in life. My Dad is awesome like that. Thanks Dad!!!

I am a little more nervous about Zach's adventure. Once again he does not have any leaders from our ward with him (and I only have one dad). I have been reassured that he will be taken good care of. He was called to be the President of this group. This ensures that he will be next to the Stake Leaders at all times since he is their "go-to" kid. I'm sure he will arrive home exhausted and tired on Saturday with many tales to tell. At least I hope...

Now, if my garage door opens at 12:30 a.m. tonight,....


Thursday, July 15, 2010

A picnic in the South Hills

On Monday July 12, we took the kids up to the South Hills to spend the afternoon.
On the drive we saw whatlooked like cows,....or horses,.... or moose?????

We pulled over to watch them for a few minutes. At first we only saw the two babies. Not sure how we didn't notice the mama but she was VERY aware of us. They were so big. The babies were the size of full grown cows. The mother was 3 times their size!

After about 5 minutes, they disappeared into the trees and we continued to our favorite picnic spot. We packed a picnic lunch of fried chicken, sweet dinner rolls, fresh pineapple, bean dip and chips, go-gurts, jello, and Ken made some homemade root beer.

It was funny to watch as everyone adjusted to the bugs and dirt. Obviously we don't get out much! Zach had a huge bug-thing land on his shoulder. He felt it hit him and when he saw it he freaked! It didn't just fall off so between his screaming and jumping around we all got a pretty good laugh.

Ken had taken Henry off to help him go potty. About the same time Zach started screaming, we heard a little Henry scream off in the distance. Ken came back laughing and explained that just as Henry was about to "go", a huge bug landed on "him". Needless to say, he was unable to pee after that and refused to try again.

After Zach refused to get out of the car and rejoin us, we decided to pack up and move a little further down the road to one of our favorite hiking trails. The kids were excited to venture into the woods.

We hiked for about a mile when we decided to turn around. The kids were getting tired and most of the trail was uphill back to our car.


Henry had a little "accident" and wanted someone to piggy back him back to the car. No one volunteered so he had to walk. In order to get him out of there, we started to find small broken branches that looked like really cool "guns" and other violent weapons and he war games all the way back to the car.


Kate was struggling to keep walking so we looked for pretty wild flowers along the trail. We found so many and luckily for us, we kept finding flowers of different colors and shapes all the way back. By the time we reached the car, she had a beautiful bouquet. She proudly presented it to Alexys for her to enjoy.

Back at the car, the kids noticed some big rocks in the parking lot and while I cleaned Henry up, the kids climbed.

By the time we headed home, everyone was covered in mountain dirt. It was fun to watch everyone relax and enjoy the atmosphere. All the way home the kids laughed and sang and played together.

It seems like it's been a long time since we have felt those kinds of feelings of unity and togetherness in our family. Our lives are so crazy and full of busy-ness that we don't take time to just relax and enjoy the beauty around us. Working together to come up with creative and distracting games to help the little one's hike out of the mountain trail was fun for everyone. For a few hours, no one argued, or whined, or complained. It was almost...peaceful!

Ken commented as we drove home, "There are some experiences and feelings money really can't buy."

Teddy Bear Tea Party


On July 8th, the girls invited some friends over for a "Teddy Bear Tea Party". It was fun!

We had about 20 girls total that came to party with us. They each brought their special teddy bear to show off.

Shaelynne and her friends were in charge of pulling the activities together. They had the girls tell about their teddy's and why they were special to them. Then they played "Honey, Honey, Teddy Bear" (Duck, Duck, Goose) and "What Time is it, Mr. Teddy Bear?" They read a couple stories about teddy bears. For a craft, they had the girls make bracelets and/or necklaces for themselves and a matching one for their bear. Snacks were Teddy Grahams, Gummy Bears, Fruity Treats cut into bear shapes (Rice Crispy treats made out of Fruity Dino Bites Cereal instead of Rice Crispy cereal), sugar cookies that they could decorate themselves, and ice cream bars.

My girls had a fun time. It was very casual but a fun excuse to play with some friends we don't get to see everyday.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Wordless Wednesday



I asked the kids to hoe the weeds on the side of the house. They claim they got distracted!

See the small yellow wire near the bottom of the hole next to Henry's left arm?????

Yea, that's why we don't dig holes unless we have asked permission first. Also, we shouldn't let small innocent children play in holes with exposed underground wires unless we first know what they go to.

So far everything still works so it must not have been damaged.....

How many weeks are left in summer vacation??????

Percy Jackson released on DVD

In an attempt to convince my children that I am not the lamest mother ever and they are not having the most boring summer of their lives, I decided to have a little celebration for the release of the new Percy Jackson movie on DVD. It was released to DVD on June 29th, so I'm a little late in getting this posted.

I have to admit I have not read these books or seen this movie so I had no idea what to do for a party. I googled "Percy Jackson Party" and found an idea.

Apparently, Percy's mother feeds him blue foods???? So we had a "blue" dinner. I made "blue" rolls, "blue" chicken salad sandwich stuff, "blue" jello, "blue kool aide, "blue" sugar cookies for dessert, and "blue" popcorn to munch on during the movie.

Before you begin to feel impressed, let me just add, it doesn't seem to matter how extravegant or how simple my plans are, I always seem to encounter bad luck along the way and the Rockwell Painting moment I envision in my mind....is just that: in my mind!

So, I originally thought "blue" jigglers would be fun for the kids. I made them and asked Zach to put them in the fridge in the garage for me since there was not room in the kitchen fridge. Justyn came in from helping him, grumbling about how the shelf was broke and Zach was rude and blah, blah, blah. That should have been my cue to investigate but it summer and my kids have grumbled at each other everyday, all day long for the last 6 weeks. Instead, I chose to ignore the arguement and work on my math class (yes, I am taking a 3 credit math class this summer and I am hating every single minute of it!)

I took the kids to therapy, feeling pretty good about the progress I had made on my dinner party. I returned home to find Ken very upset. He took me to the garage where he showed my a "blue" trail that led straight to my fridge.

Ken explained that he had asked Zach to clean it up and he had gotten the hose out and was preparing to hose the garage out. Now, this may have seemed like a brilliant and EASY way to clean up his mess, but the garage is in the far back corner with boxes, bags, lawn mower, bikes, 3 motor cycles, pictures, scrapbook stuff,..... you get the idea. A hose, water, blue jello and a 14 year old boy would not mix well with the mess I already have out there. Just a thought!

I opened the fridge and there was blue jello everywhere. The blue trail was not a result of spilling it as he took it to the fridge. No, it was because the shelf was broke and Zach didn't bother to fix it or work with, he just put the jello in and closed the door and it ran everywhere!

When I asked him what he was thinking (I know, great self-esteem building question right?) he said that jello sets up and gets thick so why would a broken shelf be a problem. Ummm....because it takes a few minutes for the jello to get thick. In the meantime, it's a liquid and liquids can make really big messes if not contained properly. Especially sticky, blue jello!!!

Needless to say, he spent a few hours cleaning the fridge and the garage with a bucket of soapy liquid. :)

Back to the dinner, I was grouchy and tired and left to go on a walk with Ken while the kids fed themselves and watched the movie. They took this picture for me.


I still have not seen the movie but the kids really like the idea of "blue" foods and thought it was pretty cool that I knew Percy Jackson's mother fed him blue foods without even reading the book. You know, mom's just know those kinds of things! *wink*

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Wordless Wednesday


My Grandma and Grandpa Lowder
Robert and Nelda Lowder

Grandma turned 85 in February and Grandpa turns 86 next week! They have been married for 64 years. They have 8 children, 47 grand children, and 111 great grandchildren with at least 5 more on the way.

I am so thankful for the lives they have lived and for the examples they have set. I don't know how many more years we will get to have them around. Grandpa doesn't have much time left.

This picture was taken a couple days ago at my parents home at our Wilson family reunion. We treasure each additional day we get to have them around. This year at our talent show, Grandma read us a poem out of the red book she always reads from (it was written by one of her relatives) and Grandpa sang the mule song he has sung for years. It was priceless to have them participate with us. I loved that my children got to experience these treasures one more time.

Alexys' 9th birthday

Alexys turned 9 this year. I let them have a birthday party on their eighth birthday but Alexys did not want a party last year. This year she asked to have one friend over for a party. We invited Claire and her older sister, Elizabeth, to come celebrate with us.

We went to Scrappin' Girlfriends(a scrapbook and bead shop located downtown)to make bracelets.

Then we went to Daisy's (an old-fashioned ice cream parlor) to open presents and have volcano drinks and ice cream cones.




That evening she invited another friend and her family over for cake and ice cream and a couple more presents.


For her cake I made her a rainbow cake. I got the idea from here who got it from here. The kids all wanted to help make it and Zach took on the job of decorating the outside. Obviously mine was lacking in presentation but Alexys loved it anyways!


And here is the inside...

That evening we took her shopping to spend her birthday money. Ken and I couldn't decide what to get her so we just gave her money and a date with us to spend it. She bought and i-pod shuffle and a pink scooter. It was fun to watch her shop and spend that time with her.

We also went to the park for lunch and she had speech therapy that day. We couldn't have squeezed one more thing in. It was a fun (and exhausting) day!

Justyn turns 13!



Justyn turned 13 this year. For his birthday he invited Forest and Sam Radmall to come stay the night. They spent the afternoon hiking around Dierke's Lake. That evening they rented movies and played outside games.

We had the entire Radmall family over for cake and ice cream. Justyn wanted a Butterfinger cake. It was yummy!!! I think there was at least a 1000 calories per slice! (I couldn't get my camera to work so I missed all the good shots.)

His birthday present was his dog!

The next night we took the family to the drive in movie to see Shrek 4 and Iron Man 2. Even Dad went with us! It was a fun weekend!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

School Talent Show

Girls & Dads


Thursday, June 10, 2010

Proof!

After Zach's first drive! (Zach and the two boys we car pool with: Mitchell Nielsen, Thomas Heath)

Alive and mostly smiles!

Actually all three of these boys were a little discouraged with their first experience behind the wheel. They thought it would come more naturally to them. They were pretty nervous and humbled that they really don't know everything about cars yet!


Wednesday, June 09, 2010

One year ago...

It was a rainy Friday morning June, 2009. I was headed to the school to pick up the kids year book. We were leaving for the weekend to attend my newphew's baptism as soon as I got back. I had Zach in the front with me. Shaelynne, Henry, and Kate were with me. Alexys and Justyn stayed home.

We pulled onto the highway near my home and I told Shaelynne to make sure the two younger kids were buckled up. They weren't so she put their seat belts on them.

Less than 5 minutes later I rear ended a truck. I have no idea where he came from. He was just suddenly in front of me, stopped and waiting to turn onto a side street, and there was nothing I could do but hit my brakes and pray. We were traveling 45 mph. I hit the breaks as hard as I could. We hit the back of the trunk and bounced off the truck.

We didn't stop. We were still moving....FAST! The impact bounced us off the road so we were traveling down a grassy patch along the side of the road. I hit the brakes again. NOTHING!!! They were broke. I tried the E-Brake. NOTHING!! It was also broke.

We were still traveling about 35 mph hour. I had no brakes, very little steering, steam was coming out of the hood of the car, 4 of my 6 kids in the car with me, and I had no way of stopping the vehicle.

The grassy lane was coming to an end and then what. My only thought was that I had to find something else to hit so the car would stop moving. But what damage would that cause? And what was I going to hit?

I screamed, "Zach, I can't stop the car! The brakes don't work!"
He calmly said, "Turn the car off!"
"What????"
"Mom, Turn the car OFF!!!"
"How?"
"If you turn the key to off, the car will stop!"

So I did! And the car slowed down and came to a peaceful stop. No one was hurt. I only scraped my big toe because I was wearing sandals. The air bags never deployed. The kids were all buckled in. And Zach saved us from further damage.

Later, I asked Zach how he knew what to do. He said that he had been reading on the internet the night before about what to do if your brakes don't work on your vehicle. One of the things it said to do was turn the key off. So that's what he told me to do.





When they repaired the vehicle, they told me that they had never seen an accident like this. According to all the figures, the damage should have been different and worse. The way the car hit was a miracle. I think the whole accident was filled with miracles. Do you believe in tender mercies from the Lord???