Never before have I cherished each smile, hug, and giggle as I have this weekend. I am thanking the Lord with my every breath. God is always our great Protector, but I am not always aware of it. I wonder how many times He has literally saved my life, or the lives of my kiddos and hubby, when I had no idea that He was busy working a miracle. Thank you, Lord, for being my Savior, in more ways than one.
On Friday afternoon, we were swimming in a neighbor's pool with a crowd of about 8 adults and 14 children, most of whom are 5 or older. We swam for about a half hour, and then got out to have some dinner. We told our kids (except we probably didn't tell Tommy) not to get back in the pool after dinner because we needed to get going.
As we all finished dinner, Steve and I were sitting on the patio talking with the other adults. Many of the older kids had already jumped back in the water. I had Tommy right next to me and he was eating chips off of my plate. I got up from my seat to grab more chips from the food table and came back to my seat, but Tommy wasn't there. My eyes quickly scanned above ground, and then scanned the water's surface, where I saw the top of his head and his hands paddling for dear life - and I really mean dear life!
There were pool toys and kids all around him, so I ran around to the side of the pool closest to him (I also screamed and threw my chips on the ground), while Steve decided to jump right in the middle. Steve pushed him up higher so that I could reach him better, and we got him out. He just coughed and cried a little, but he was totally ok. He didn't even cough out any water. My best guess is that he saw one of those thick foam rafts in the water and thought he could climb right onto it, but you know that no 2-year-old has the ability to stay on one of those things, so he probably fell off of it as soon as he climbed on.
The most frightening thing is that even though there were many adults around, none of us noticed Tommy slip into the pool. And, most likely, none of the kids did either - they were all busy doing their own thing. The whole backyard was very loud with voices, splashing, and the roar of the fountain, so the sound of my precious boy falling or jumping into the water went unnoticed. Had I forgotten to look for Tommy when I came back to my seat, or had I remembered 30 seconds later, we could have found him at the bottom.
Thank you, God, for causing me to notice that my boy was not where I expected him to be. Thank you, God, that he was probably only in the water for 10 seconds or less. And thank you, God, for giving him life! I am going to cherish it with everything I've got.
Being a mom just became sweeter.
This is Zoe. She came home to our family on Thursday, May 28th, 2009. Steve made a drive to San Diego just to get her. She is a 9-week-old Vizsla. We absolutely love her!
This was the moment the kids had been waiting for - meeting our doggy for the first time. There was a countdown of days until she arrived.
Tommy loves to give kisses. And Zoe gave them right back. 
Zoe came in the pool with us. She is great at the doggy paddle!
Zoe's ears are fun to watch as she runs all around the yard. Here, she is carrying a rock. She would eat them if we didn't stop her.
We are learning alot about having a puppy. She is doing well. We are so happy to have her as part of our family! Welcome Zoe!
First, we got to enjoy donuts with Macy's class on their morning recess. For the record, chocolate frosting with sprinkles seems to be the donut of choice for most first graders. I'll have to remember that for each of my future first graders. It was fun to be with Macy's class.
Second, we had cupcakes with lots of neighbors. They all came over after school to play and have cupcakes. We've really got the best neighbors!
Here's another cute photo I caught of my 7-year-old on her big day. 
On Saturday, we had a swim party with grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins. Macy is a really great swimmer. She's always coming up with new tricks!
Macy is always full of great poses and dance routines. This is a cute one that she was doing with the assistance of her awesome dad and sweet sister.
The whole family is about to sing happy birthday at this point. We had a great time celebrating our big girl. Happy Birthday Macy!
Tommy and I checked out a playground that we pass by all the time, but we've never had the chance to try it out. We both had lots of fun!
This was the beginning of Mother's Day. Breakfast in bed! It was such a great treat! I received so many wonderful cards and flowers made by 4 of my favorite people. It was a really great day. Thank you Macy, Jack, Allie, Tommy and Steve!
Allie's handsome soccer coach gave her a trophy for doing such a great job on her team all season long. Great job, Allie!
Allie got to go on a special trip to Minnesota and Wisconsin with her Grandma and Grandpa Weber. While she was there, she got to see her Great Grandma Weber, who is a truly great lady. 
Grandma and Grandpa also took Allie to lunch at the American Girl store in the Mall of America. She really enjoyed her strawberry shake and the cute little food that the waitor brought for the doll sitting in the little high chair seat. Allie had a super trip! Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!
