Protecting Angels, and bad parenting!

On September 6th we celebrated Alex's Grandmother's birthday, and Labor Day out at her lake house in Granbury TX.

We had started the afternoon out on the lake with the tow-able, and some swimming. Grandpa Dan even let Benjamin "drive" the pontoon boat :) Then we enjoyed a wonderful dinner, which the children snarfed and then went to play in the other room while the adults enjoyed an almost uninterrupted meal! It was really nice for me to sit there and truly enjoy adult conversations instead of entertaining all the children like I usually do. I thought to myself as I sat there, MAN, it's nice to have older kids!

Then I had the thought that I should check on Ben, just in case. But I rationalized with myself that he was with Josh, and if anything was wrong I'm sure he would be crying. So I blew it off.

About ten minutes, or so, later Jeremiah happened to be walking down the hall and said "Why is Ben on the boat?" We all freaked out. From the kitchen we could have heard the sliding door, but none of us had a clue that someone had gone out.

Alex went running out to the dock where the boat was happily sitting in its lift, with Benjamin in the driver seat. The funny thing about the pontoon boat is that you have to lift UP the gate to get in, and since Ben is too small for that he must have climbed up over the rails- 5 feet above the water, with no life jacket on. Had he slipped we never would have found him in time.

It has always been wonderful to know that my family is protected and watched over, but when something like this happens you know without a shadow of doubt that each individual has their own personal guardian angel to step in when parents mess up. Benjamin has an important mission on earth, and someone was there to make sure he didn't die too early, and I am ever so thankful!!